Chapter 1 The Wrong Princess
Beams of sunlight assaulted Twilight Sparkle's eyelids and forced her to awaken. Her magenta eyes eagerly opened and the young purple unicorn bolted upright. Twilight put her front hooves behind her head and stretched until she heard a crack. This prompted her to lie down on her stomach and let her back legs ascend. Once her legs had reached their peak she flexed then in a downward arc until she heard a second crack. The purple unicorn sighed happily and practically melted off of her bed.
Now that she had loosened up her joints it was time to prepare for the big day. Princess Celestia was coming for a visit and it would be her first since the changeling attack. The Princess had suggested inviting her friends because it would be nice to see them all. Twilight agreed and had given assignments to her friends. Now that she was awake, she could make sure they had all done their jobs.
"Spike, bring me my checklist!" she called.
"Five more minutes," a voice groaned from the foot of her bed. Twilight sighed, this time in impatience.
"You've been asleep long enough Spike. The picnic is today and I want to make sure we've got everything under control," she argued.
"But the picnic isn't till 2:30 Twilight and it's barely 8:00!" Spike moaned.
"It's the early pony gets the cider," the unicorn retorted.
"I don't even like cider. I think that argument would work a lot better against Rainbow Dash," the baby dragon retorted. "And why do you want to start so early anyways? You have plenty of time to check up on things. Besides, do you really want to deal with Pinkie Pie so early in the morning?"
He did have a point. Twilight knew it was wrong, but she did have an order of preference when it came to her friends. Pinkie Pie was dead last because she was so irritating. Twilight loved her pink friend like a sister, but Pinkie walked a very fine line between being adorably spontaneous and a pain in the flank.
"Not necessarily, but we don't have to see Pinkie first. We could always visit Rarity," the unicorn suggested with a cunning sparkle in her eye.
"I'll get the checklist!" Spike yelled as he leapt out of his bed. Twilight rolled her eyes playfully. All she had to do was mention Rarity and Spike would be alert and eager. She felt bad for manipulating her assistant's feelings to her benefit, but it was his own fault. He made it to easy.
"I found it Twilight, now hurry up! I want to go see Rarity!" her assistant called.
"Coming Don Juan," she chuckled to herself.
"Can we come? Please?" When Twilight and Spike arrived at the Carousel Boutique they were greeted by the eager faces of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Apparently it had been Rarity's turn to watch the girls and they said that she was still asleep. When Twilight explained why she had arrived so early in the morning the girls pleaded to be invited to the picnic.
The Princess wanted to see Twilight's friends, but she wasn't sure about bringing the Crusaders. Twilight didn't have anything against them but she had already made her plans.
"I'm sorry girls, but—" Twilight didn't the chance to finish her sentence.
"Of course you can come! It'll be tons of fun and I'm sure the Princess would love meeting the sisters of Applejack and Rarity," Spike interrupted.
"I don't have a sister so what about me?" Scootaloo asked.
"Don't worry, Ah'm sure the Princess would be happy to meet our favorite chicken," Apple Bloom teased.
"I'm not a chicken!" Scootaloo yelled and jumped on her friend. The girls wrestled playfully and Sweetie Belle just rolled her eyes.
"I'll go wake up Rarity for you. Wait right here," she offered. Twilight shook her head.
"You don't have to do that Sweetie. We can just come back later," she replied. The little white unicorn shook her head vigorously.
"Nonsense! It's morning and she needs to get up. Plus it's fun to wake up Rarity," she rejected and bounded up the stairs. As soon as she was gone, Twilight turned on Spike and glared daggers at her assistant.
"Why did you invite them to come? I was going to say no," she demanded.
"Exactly. Did you see how excited they looked Twilight? I couldn't bear to see the disappointment on their faces," the baby dragon answered.
Twilight knew he was right; she didn't want to imagine the girl's disappointed faces either. At least it was only three ponies. All that meant was that Applejack would have to make a little more food. No big deal, right? Twilight's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by loud singing followed by shouting.
"SWEETIE BELLE, I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!" Twilight could actually feel the ground shake when Rarity yelled. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had stopped wrestling and were grinning.
"Sweetie's gonna get it," Scootaloo chuckled.
"Ah'm sure happy Applejack isn't as mean as Rarity," Apple Bloom agreed.
"What's going to happen to Sweetie?" Spike asked.
"We'll see in a second," Apple Bloom answered and pointed at the door. As soon as she looked at the purple door it flew open and a truly horrified Sweetie Belle flew out.
"Come on girls, today we're going to be Cutie Mark Crusader Retreaters!" she squealed as she rushed past them. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo just looked at each other and shrugged.
"We've done weirder," Scootaloo admitted and ran after her friend.
"Bye Twilight, bye Spike. See ya'll at the picnic," Apple Bloom said as she left. Twilight was about to say goodbye but she was distracted by movement at the door.
A snow-white unicorn with a dark purple mane and tail burst out of the doorway. The majority of her body was covered in a red kimono, decorated with pink flowers and a pink sash. The unicorn's face was masked with guacamole and her each of her eyes was adorned with a cucumber slice. Her mouth was twisted into a snarl and Twilight could actually see the smoke coming out of her friend's nostrils. She also noticed that Spike was cowering behind her.
"Rarity, are you alright?" Twilight asked. She knew the answer was no but she had to alert Rarity of their presence. Her friend's eyes snapped open and her mouth reverted to its usual smile.
"Twilight! My sincerest apologies, darling. I had an unfortunate encounter with my sister this morning and I my temper got the best of me," Rarity apologized. Twilight nodded her head.
"I understand, but Spike seems to be a little shaken up," she chuckled, tilting her head down towards her assistant. Spike came out of his hiding place swelling with indignation.
"I wasn't shaken up," he disagreed. Twilight just continued laughing but Rarity pouted and her eyes began to water.
"Oh no, I've upset my Spikey-wikey! I'm so terrible!" she wailed. Rarity fell to the floor and began to cry. She was so melodramatic it was hard to determine when she was actually distraught or just overreacting. Spike always believed it was the former. He treated every episode as if Rarity's sanity depended on his tenderness. He rushed to her side and caressed one of her hooves in his claws.
"It's okay, you didn't upset me Rarity. I'm fine," he whispered. The white unicorn looked up at Spike and the tears only made her azure eyes sparkle.
"Are you sure? But there must be something I can do to clear my conscience," she insisted. Spike began to scratch his chin in thought. Then his emerald eyes grew in excitement.
"Well, if it isn't too much to ask, I could go for a sapphire or two," he suggested. Rarity leapt to her feet with newfound purpose.
"But of course, anything for my Spike-wikey," she said and gently rubbed his cheek. Spike swooned at her action and Twilight had to support him so he didn't fall.
"Twilight be a dear and find a sapphire for Spike? I'd do it myself but I have to wash my face and hair," Rarity asked. Rarity was had already disappeared inside her house and gone up the stairs before Twilight could refuse.
"Yeah Twilight, be a dear," Spike chuckled as he followed Rarity. Twilight grunted irritably. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.
It had been a full hour before Rarity had felt her appearance was satisfactory; although Twilight didn't notice much of a difference. She wasn't wearing the kimono and the guacamole cucumber combo was absent from her face. However, everything else about her appearance seemed exactly the same. It couldn't have taken her a full hour to take off a kimono and wash her face could it? Considering that there was not a speck of guacamole left on Rarity's face, the answer was probably yes.
When she came down the stairs Twilight had asked her about the picnic. Rarity's job was to give everypony a makeover and to make or repair dresses for them. The dress Twilight would be wearing was the dress Rarity had designed for her as a birthday gift. She had given Rarity the dress to iron and clean and was coming to retrieve it.
"Here you go Twilight, a simply marvelous piece of work if I do say so myself," Rarity stated proudly.
Twilight agreed that the dress was marvelous. Of all the dresses she owned this one was her favorite. It was a light tan tunic that covered her body, with the exception of her neck, ankles and tail. Just below Twilight's neck was a pink ribbon bow-tie that she thought was just lovely. The dress was simple and Twilight believed herself to be a simple mare. Spike often teased her about looking adorkable in the dress; which Twilight had decided to take it as a compliment.
The dress was kept in plastic wrap and Twilight carefully stuffed it into the blue saddlebag on her back. This caused Rarity to twitch uncomfortably.
"After I did all that work to refine your dress you stuff it in a bag," she mumbled.
"Don't worry Rarity the dress will be fine. That's Twilight's special bag Pinkie gave her for her birthday. There's also an orange bag and anything you put in one bag will appear in the other. We left Owloysius back at the library so he could hang it while we continue our errands," Spike explained.
"The two bags are connected? How exactly does that work?" Rarity asked curiously. Spike just shrugged.
"I've learned not to question Pinkie or her gifts," he answered. Rarity just nodded in agreement.
"Ok, we're off to see Applejack. See you later Rarity!" Twilight called. She started to trot out of the door when she noticed that Spike wasn't following her. She turned around and witnessed Rarity giving him another sapphire.
"See you later Spikey-wikey," she patronized and kissed his forehead. Spike swooned again and this time Twilight didn't bother to catch him. Instead she just used her magic and teleported Spike onto her back.
"I love her," Spike muttered to himself. Twilight just ignored him. The duo left the Carousel Boutique and began to walk towards Sweet Apple Acres when a voice shouted: "Watch out guys!"
Twilight and Spike, who had snapped out of his dazed state, turned their heads to see an object speeding towards them from the sky. A rainbow streak trailed behind it and as soon as the object touched the ground it skidded to halt directly in front of them. It was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail. She flipped her hair nonchalantly, revealing her hard pink eyes.
"What's crackin'?" Rainbow Dash greeted.
"We're on our way to Sweet Apple Acres to check up on Applejack's preparations for the picnic," Spike explained.
"Already, but the picnic isn't for a few hours?" Dash questioned.
"You're telling me," Spike mumbled.
"So why are you up so early Rainbow? You're more of a crack of noon pony than crack of dawn one," Twilight asked. Dash's lips curled into an irritated frown.
"Scootaloo and her friends. Apparently there's a cutie mark for waking ponies up in the morning and I was the one they experimented with. They threw apples at my house and I'm trying to find them to make them clean it up. Those little buckers," she answered.
"Rainbow!" Twilight gasped as she quickly covered Spike's ears. "Language, we have a baby dragon in our midst," she scolded.
"Oh, whoops. Sorry Spike, I was so busy being awesome I forgot you were there," Rainbow replied unapologetically. Twilight scowled at her arrogant friend.
"Well I find it's better to get work done early so there's more time later to relax. Early pony gets the cider, right Rainbow?" she remarked. Dash returned the scowl and glared at the unicorn.
"Don't remind me," she grumbled. Twilight barely suppressed a laugh. All it took was one well timed comment and Rainbow's ego would get the best of her. Just like Spike she made it way too easy.
"So have you done your job yet?" Twilight inquired.
"Not yet, but you don't need to worry Twilight. I can clear the sky in ten seconds flat remember? I've got plenty of time to do it." The pegasus shrugged.
"But why procrastinate an easy job when you it's more convenient to just get it out of the way?" the unicorn pressed.
"I already told you, I have to find those fillies," Dash answered.
"Then why don't you come with us? There's a chance they'll be at the farm and once you're done with them you can go do your job," Twilight suggested. Rainbow nodded unenthusiastically, not seeming too eager to do her job. That didn't surprise Twilight in the slightest.
"Hey Rainbow Dash, I have a question. If your house is in the sky how are the girls going to get up there to clean?" Spike asked. Dash opened her mouth to answer, but then she stopped. Her eyes narrowed and she started to rub her chin with her hoof. Twilight wondered how much thought Rainbow had actually put into her plan. The pegasus suddenly began to clop in excitement and her eyes brightened.
"Pinkie Pie! She has all sorts of weird stuff she uses to fly. I could just borrow something from her. Ah yeah, problem solved!" she exclaimed and punched the air in victory. Twilight rolled her eyes at Rainbow's excitement.
"Can we go now?" she demanded irritably.
"Sure thing Twilight. You two are going to slow me down so it's best if we go ahead and get a move on," Dash answered. Twilight Sparkle's eyes flashed with indignation, but the flash simmered down into a mischievous twinkle.
"I'll slow you down? Well if you're so sure about that then why don't you put your money where your mouth is? You and I will race to Sweet Apple Acres. If you win, I'll use my magic to do all your work for a month," Twilight challenged.
"And what if you win?" Dash asked intrigued.
"If I win, you have to read it and the rest of the series," Twilight said. Rainbow Dash cringed at Twilight's words.
Not long ago, Twilight had received a new shipment of books for her library. Dash was with her at the time and the two of them started flipping through the new material. Rainbow found a book about vamponies and she started reading. After not even three chapters she quit.
Twilight gave the book a chance and quickly discovered why Rainbow hated it; the characters were unrealistic and had no depth, the dialogue was forced, the writing was horrible and the vamponies sparkled in the sunlight! That was just stupid. But Twilight never left a book unfinished, regardless of how vile it was, and she had read the whole series. Rainbow had refused to even look at the book again and only referred to the book as it.
"What's the matter? Is the great Rainbow Dash scared?" Twilight teased. Dash stood up on her back legs and banged on her chest with pride.
"Buck no! You'll be eating my rainbow dust unicorn!" she declared. Rainbow dashed into the air and prepared for takeoff. With the exception of Dash's foul language, Twilight's ploy had worked perfectly. She had gotten under Rainbow's skin and now the pegasus was ready to prove herself. It was almost a shame that she had no chance of winning.
"Would you do the honors Spike?" Twilight asked her assistant. The baby dragon nodded enthusiastically.
"3, 2, 1… GO!" he announced. Dash blasted off like a rocket as soon as Spike had finished and in a matter of seconds she had completely disappeared from view.
"Um, Twilight, how do you plan on beating that?" Spike asked pointing to the rainbow afterimage in the sky.
"Like this," the unicorn replied in a matter of fact tone. Twilight's horn began to glow with a purple aura and she focused her mind on Sweet Apple Acres.
"See you soon Rainbow Dash," she promised before she and Spike vanished.
"That's not fair and you know it," Rainbow protested. She had been as giddy as a filly all the way to Sweet Apple Acres. She was going to have a whole month without chores! So awesome! But when she got to Applejack's farm she found that Twilight had beaten her by teleporting. Now instead of a month of free time she was going to have to read it. She really hated Twilight Sparkle at that moment.
"It's plenty fair Rainbow. 'Member the Iron Pony competition? Ya'll said because Ah never banned wings then by using 'em you hadn't cheated. Ya'll didn't ban magic so Twilight never cheated." Dash didn't care too much for Applejack either.
"I guess," she agreed irritably.
"So what brings ya'll to the farm so early?" Applejack asked.
"I'm here to check up on the food preparations and to inform you that we'll need some more because your sister and her friends are coming," Twilight answered.
"Apple Bloom's comin'? Well why didn't ya'll tell me earlier?" Applejack demanded.
"Because we didn't know till a little while ago," Twilight replied as she gave Spike an irritated glare.
"Yeah, my bad," Spike apologized as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"An' what brings you 'round these parts RD?" Applejack asked the pegasus.
"Your sister and her friends assaulted my house with fruit and I'm looking for some payback," Dash declared.
"Hold on sugarcube, what kind of payback are we talkin' 'bout?" Applejack questioned sternly. Her body tensed up, as if she was prepared for a fight.
"I'm gonna get them to clean my house," Rainbow answered. Applejack immediately relaxed.
"Oh that's fine. Ah haven't seen her since Ah dropped her at Rarity's last night but Ah'll be sure to give her a heart to heart later," she promised. Dash replied by giving a satisfied nod.
"Alright, I'm off to find Pinkie. The girls are going to need one of her doohickeys to be able to clean my house. Later," Rainbow said before dashing off.
"And don't forget to clear the clouds!" Twilight yelled, but she was too late. Only the rainbow afterimage remained of her friend. Applejack chuckled and turned to Twilight.
"The food's comin' great Twi. Granny Smith an' Big McIntosh have been workin' harder than Mayor Mare in an election year. We've been makin' extra in case somepony works up an appetite so there'll be enough for the girls too. It'll be done in a couple hours," she reported.
"Dependable as always, thank you Applejack," Twilight complimented. Her earth pony friend gave her a modest smile and a friendly tip of the hat.
"So why did you get all tense a second ago?" Twilight asked. The modest smile turned into a frown.
"Well, ya'll know how RD can be. Rainbow's a good friend an' everything, but she's aggressive. Ah normally don't mind that but when she mentions my sister an' payback in the same sentence Ah can't help but tense up," Applejack answered.
Twilight knew what her friend meant. She had a quick flashback of the time when she and her friends were ordered had to remove a dragon because it was causing smoke all over Equestria. While Twilight had wanted to reason with it, Rainbow had been itching for a fight. After other attempts failed, she had gotten her wish but it only made the dragon angry. Thank Celestia they had Fluttershy with them at the time. She had saved them all from the dragon's wrath.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a low rumble behind her.
"We were in such a rush this morning I forgot to eat breakfast," Spike whined.
"Oh spare me Spike. You were the one who couldn't wait to see Rarity. Besides, you stuffed your face with sapphires when we saw her," Twilight chuckled.
"I guess my stomach forgot that part. Hey Applejack could I have an apple?" he asked.
"Spike! It's rude to ask for food without being offered," Twilight reprimanded.
"Nonsense Twilight. Ya'll are like family to me so it's plenty ok," Applejack disagreed.
She ran over to the nearest apple tree and gave it a good kick. Apples rained down from the branches into a barrel below but Applejack caught one with her tail and threw it to Spike.
"On the house!" she called as the dragon caught it.
"Gee, thanks AJ!" he said happily and he stuffed the whole thing in his mouth.
"So, are we going to Fluttershy's now?" he asked with his mouth full. Chunks of chewed apple flew from his mouth and hit Twilight in the face.
"See, Twi? Ah told ya'll he was like family. Apple Bloom does that all the time," Applejack laughed. Twilight bit her lip as she telekinetically moved apple bits off of her face. Applejack's family might encourage uncouth behavior but she didn't have to endorse Spike's lack of manners.
"We'll be seeing you Applejack, and don't forget that you have a grooming session with Rarity," Twilight reminded. Applejack narrowed her eyes.
"Ah didn't see you givin' Rainbow a similar remindin'. Do ya'll think Ah'm more likely to forget?" she asked sternly. Twilight shook her head.
"Not at all Applejack. You're just more likely to ignore the fact that you've remembered," the unicorn replied.
Although they were friends, Applejack and Rarity didn't interact with each other very often. Rarity was urbane and preferred to be clean, while Applejack was a country girl who enjoyed hard work. While Rainbow wasn't too fond of makeovers, she didn't disdain them the way Applejack did. The orange earth pony fell onto her back and began to literally roll with laughter.
"You're right Twilight, but don't worry. Ah promise to go see Rarity as soon as Ah'm done here," she vowed.
"Pinkie Promise?" Spike teased. Applejack chuckled.
"Yes, Spike. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she recited while doing the motions. Spike gave a satisfied chuckle and Twilight simply nodded.
"See you at the picnic," she said as she teleported to Fluttershy's.
The ludic harmony of chirping birds awaited Twilight and Spike at Fluttershy's cottage. Although they were small, Twilight believed the sinfonietta was very talented. Even when they weren't trying they still produced beautiful music. The birds flew around the cottage singing playfully and Twilight breathed deeply; as if to inhale the tranquility.
"It's beautiful," she whispered to herself.
"Meh, it's alright. I think Fluttershy needs to add a bird that does rock-'n'-roll. That would take the level of awesome up to eleven!" Spike declared.
"Someone's been spending too much time with Rainbow Dash," Twilight mumbled.
"Better an overexposure to Dash than to Pinkie," the baby dragon countered.
It pained Twilight that she was right. Familiarity breeds contempt, which was especially true around Dash. But spending too much time with Pinkie Pie could affect a pony's sanity. Twilight had seen enough violations of the laws of science to put Pinkie Pie in prison for life.
"Oh, hey Twilight. Hey Spike. What brings you two here?" A voice as sweet as honey and as fresh as morning dew grabbed the unicorn's attention. A pale yellow pegasus stood in the doorway of the cottage. Her long pink mane fell into her turquoise eyes, which were bright with curiosity.
"Good morning Fluttershy, Spike and I are here to check on the music. It sounds beautiful by the way," Twilight answered. Fluttershy lowered her gaze bashfully.
"Um, thank you Twilight but I can't take the credit. The birdies always sound good, regardless of me," she replied.
"I disagree; I think they've really improved since the day I first arrived in Ponyville. Especially the blue jay, I was a little worried about him the time I first heard him sing," she commented.
She instantly regretted saying that. The other birds began to chirp mockingly at the blue jay, while he ruffled his feathers. The blue bird swooped down over her and got his revenge by defecating on Twilight's face. Spike fell off the unicorn and began to literally roll with laughter.
"Direct hit!" he managed to squeak through his guffaw. Fluttershy didn't share his amusement.
"Oh Twilight, I'm so sorry! Mr. Blue Jay is really sensitive, but I never thought he'd do something like this. You go wash your face and I'll give Mr. Blue Jay a talking to," she apologized. His punishment would be a talking to from Fluttershy? Twilight had a feeling her friend's method of discipline would be rather inefficient, but she didn't bother arguing. She ran into the cottage and made her way to the bathroom.
Like Rarity, Fluttershy had a knack for fashion. She wasn't nearly as passionate as her unicorn friend but her eye for beauty was prevalent. The bathroom tiles, as well as her sink, were made of stainless white marble. The small toilet was made of cedar and had a crimson varnish. Her shower curtain was a tapestry hoof-made by Rarity. It was made of Rarity's special golden silk and used Fluttershy's cutie mark of three butterflies as its emblem.
But by far the most beautiful piece of furniture was the mirror. The glass was flawless and sparkled like lake water. The frame was made from pure silver and had three golden butterflies at the crest. As Twilight gazed at her reflection she felt flawed. The mirror was so beautiful and she was so average. She normally didn't fret about her appearance but couldn't help herself after looking at that mirror.
Twilight sighed and turned the faucet in front of the mirror. She hunched over and repeatedly splashed cold water onto her face. A white substance began to flow into the sink and down the drain. It made Twilight feel sick to know that stuff had been on her but at least it was coming off. She shifted her eyes towards the mirror to see if there was any residue.
Instead of seeing her own reflection, Twilight saw another pony. It was an earth pony with; a light pink coat, a darker cotton-candy mane, and bright blue eyes stared back at the unicorn with joy and a bright smile.
"Hey Twilight!" Pinkie Pie shrilled.
"Ah!" Twilight yelled in shock. Her hooves flailed in the air in surprise and she fell onto her back. Pinkie giggled at her predicament.
"Ooh, ooh did I surprise you? Cuz you know I love to surprise ponies. It's so much fun! It's almost as much fun as throwing parties. Oh, maybe I should throw you a surprise party later to celebrate my surprising you just now!" Pinkie gleefully bounced out of the mirror and into Fluttershy's bathroom.
"Pinkie, how did you do that?" Twilight asked once the shock had worn off.
"Do what?" Pinkie asked innocently.
"How did you get here?" the unicorn demanded, quickly losing her patience.
"Through the mirror silly," the earth pony giggled.
"I know that, but how? How did you even get in the mirror?" Twilight asked exasperated.
"Oh Twilight, it's easy. It's just a hop, skip and jump!" Pinkie answered. Twilight slapped herself in the face with her hoof. She would never understand Pinkie Pie, so why did she even bother to try?
"So what are you doing in Fluttershy's bathroom?" Pinkie questioned.
"I could ask you the same thing," Twilight retorted.
"Well I'm here cuz my Pinkie Sense told me that you were here, and I needed to talk to you to tell you that I finished decorating the park for the picnic!" the earth pony answered happily. She closed her eyes and began to absent-mindedly bounce around Twilight.
"Oh, well thank you Pinkie. I appreciate your sense of obligation," the unicorn stated.
"Obligation? I didn't think you were the type to make up words Twilight," Pinkie chucked. Twilight was going to say that she didn't make up any new words but then she decided against it. Arguing with Pinkie Pie was like arguing with a sack of rocks; there was no way to win.
"So you never told me why you're in Fluttershy's bathroom," Pinkie reminded.
"Well, let's just say I had an unfortunate encounter with one of Fluttershy's birds," Twilight answered a little embarrassed.
"Unfortunate encounter? It wasn't with Mr. Blue Jay was it? I hope you didn't offend him, he's very sensitive," Pinkie stated.
"So it seems," Twilight mumbled. Pinkie Pie giggled again.
"Well it was nice seeing you Twilight but I've gotta go back to Sugarcube Corner. I didn't tell Gummy I was leaving and he gets really cranky when I disappear for no reason. I need to go make him a cupcake so he doesn't get angry with me, bye!" And with a hop, skip and jump Pinkie Pie had returned into the mirror and disappeared.
Now that her reflection had returned to the mirror, Twilight was able to gaze at it. While she did look dazed, Pinkie had that effect on ponies, at least her face was clean. There were no traces of bird residue. Satisfied, Twilight made her way back to Fluttershy and Spike.
As soon as she exited the cottage, Mr. Blue Jay flew towards her. Twilight placed her hoof in front of her face to defend from another aerial assault, but none came. Instead, the small bird landed in front of her. His wings were clasped together and he was chirping frantically. It was almost as if he was begging.
"He's saying he's sorry and hopes you'll forgive him. You will, won't you Twilight?" Fluttershy explained. Twilight nodded.
"Forgiven," she replied.
Mr. Blue Jay stood up and wiped his forehead with relief. He flew off to join his companions while eyeing Fluttershy wearily. Maybe a talking too from Fluttershy was effective discipline. Even Spike looked nervous.
"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have laughed at you the way I did." Although his words were directed at Twilight, Spike kept looking over at Fluttershy. The pegasus looked at Twilight expectantly.
"You're forgiven too Spike," the unicorn replied with a chuckle. The baby dragon also wiped his brow and sighed in relief. What did Fluttershy do to him? The pegasus gave a satisfied smile.
"Now that you're all forgiven we can get started. Twilight, you and Spike can sit on that log over there and the birds will perform their number for you," she suggested. Twilight nodded and sat on the log the way Lyra would. There was a mint green unicorn in Ponyville who had an odd way of sitting, and imitating her had become popular around Ponyville. Twilight found Lyraing, as it came to be known, to be surprisingly comfortable. Spike sat next to her in a similar posture, although the position was normal for a baby dragon.
"Audience ready?" Fluttershy asked sweetly. Her friends nodded and Fluttershy turned to her birds.
"Ok now, just remember to do your best. And a one, and a two, and a one, two, three, four," she counted and thrust her hooves forward. That motion unleashed a crescendo of beautiful music. The sinfonietta began to sing at a soft pitch, but their voices gradually grew in power until they echoed trumpet blasts.
One of the birds mirrored the sounds of a bass drum and kept the beat while the others blasted away. Slowly the remaining birds, quit trumpeting and began to whistle a soft nocturne. Twilight felt as if she was being serenaded. Spike seemed to be feeling something similar because a dazed grin decorated his face. Twilight smiled. This music was perfect for Princess Celestia. The music finally ended and Fluttershy turned to her friends.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked. Twilight hopped off the log and began to clop in delight.
"It was wonderful! Aside from the trumpet and drum parts, the music was graceful; but those parts made the song powerful. Grace and power are what Princess Celestia embodies!" Twilight exclaimed. Fluttershy lowered her gaze again, but a small smile crept up on her lips.
"I'm glad you liked it," she said shyly.
Twilight nodded and began to pace. She had seen everypony and everything seemed according to schedule. Rarity might have trouble with Rainbow Dash and Applejack, but the others wouldn't require much work. Rainbow could do her job easily and Applejack's work was coming swimmingly. Pinkie said she had finished decorating and she had cleared her ideas with Twilight last week so that wasn't a problem and Fluttershy's birds were brilliant! Spike was right, she worried too much. Nothing could go wrong.
It was finally 2:30 and finally time to see Princess Celestia. The spot Twilight had picked for the picnic was the same spot her friends had watched the meteor shower months before. It was nice to see everypony together, especially after they had been to Rarity's.
Rarity, wanting to appear as regal as possible in the Princess' company, was wearing the Princess Platinum costume she had used for the Hearth's Warming Eve performance. She was allowed to keep the costume and occasionally wore it to formal events. In addition, the fire-ruby Spike had given her adorned her neck. Due to the attention it brought her, it quickly became one of her prized possessions. Her natural beauty was accentuated by her makeup and it made her entire body seem to glow. Even her mane seemed silkier than usual.
In complete contrast, Applejack looked almost pristine. Her hat was replaced with a silver tiara, and her mane was free of its usual ponytail style. A pendant hung loosely from her neck which bore the Apple Family a crest, which was simply a large golden apple. Aside from the tiara and necklace, the only other thing Applejack wore were the boots from her Gala dress.
Other than Applejack, the plainest pony was Rainbow Dash. She didn't have on any noticeable makeup or accessories. Instead, Rainbow was clothed in a flight suit Rarity had designed for her after the Best Young Fliers Competition. After Dash had saved her life, Rarity made the flight suit to repay the pegasus. Everypony knew that Rainbow Dash would eventually join the Wonderbolts; so having a custom flight suit was a perfect gift.
Despite not enjoying her time in the limelight, Fluttershy ironically chose to wear one of the dresses from her modeling career. The dresses had been in high demand, even after she had quit, and Rarity had made multiple replicas. This particular dress was made of leaves and was adorned with a clover-covered white cape. Rarity complimented the dress by fixing Fluttershy's mane into a bun and tying it with a leaf. It was the perfect representation of the pegasus' affinity for nature.
And then there was Pinkie Pie. She didn't mind Rarity trying to modify her, but unfortunately nothing ever seemed to work. Makeup didn't seem to affect her appearance and her mane and tail were uncooperative. Her appearance hadn't changed since Twilight had seen her last aside from what she was wearing; a large white cupcake with firecracker sticking out of it was strapped to her head, her body was dressed in a black tuxedo and she had flippers on her hooves. Twilight doubted Rarity approved of the outfit, but let Pinkie Pie do what she wanted. The best ways to describe that she was wearing would be incoherent and scatterbrained. Coincidentally both of those words were adjectives of Pinkie Pie.
Neither were adjectives of Twilight Sparkle. The purple unicorn wore the dress she had picked up earlier from Rarity and no other accessories. Spike, most likely so he could impress Rarity, tried to look as bedazzling as possible. Twilight had used her magic to create a top hat and tuxedo jacket for him. She transmuted the hat from a rock and the jacket from a piece of fabric she found lying around. Spike also wore the bowtie Rarity had given him the night of the meteor shower. Surprisingly, it went well with his tux.
With the exception of Princess Celestia and the Crusaders, Twilight and Spike were the last to arrive. Before she could ask where the girls were, Twilight became of aware of her friends snickers and grins. Even Fluttershy was grinning. Something was up and Twilight was determined to get to the bottom of it.
"Ok, what's everypony laughing about?" she demanded.
"It's nothing Twilight. You look great, both of you," Rainbow replied, doing her best to suppress her laughter. It wasn't very good. She cracked and started to burst out laughing. Applejack gave her a good kick in the side to get her to stop, but Applejack was also having a hard time. Twilight decided to focus her attention on Fluttershy. If anypony would tell the unicorn what was going on it would be her. Fluttershy kept trying to avoid looking the unicorn in the eye, but Twilight strategically followed her friend's gaze. Fluttershy finally opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Pinkie Pie.
"I'm planning the wedding! I'm planning the wedding!" she squealed happily as she bounced around Twilight and Spike. Wedding? What wedding? Twilight looked over at Spike but the baby dragon just shrugged. He was as clueless as she was.
"My sincerest apologies Pinkie Pie, but I believe that I am better equipped to handle the arrangements," Rarity refuted.
"But I called dibs! You all heard me, I called dibs!" Pinkie squeaked as she continued her absentminded bouncing.
"Sorry Rarity, but she did call dibs. You can plan the reception," Fluttershy suggested. Rarity's eyes doubled in size.
"Of course, the reception. It's going to be big-nay! It will be grand! So grand and spectacular, that the Grand Galloping Gala will resemble one of Trixie's magic shows by comparison. I can hardly wait—"
"Will somepony please tell me what you're talking about?" Twilight yelled. She began to pant softly and Spike gently rubbed the back of her neck.
"You shouldn't yell like that Twilight; it's bad for you throat," Spike said. Twilight's potential reply was interrupted by her friends' reactions. Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy were smiling at them and saying: "Awwww." Applejack and Rainbow Dash just continued to snicker. Suddenly Twilight understood what her friends were talking about.
"I'm not gonna marry Spike. He's my assistant and friend but that's it. Besides, he's too young for me and he's a dragon. That's just weird," she said flatly. The disappointment on her friends' faces broke Twilight's heart but it was the truth. Yes, she knew Spike better than anypony else and vice versa. Yes, they lived together; and yes she trusted him more than anypony else. However, Spike would never be anything more than her best friend. Judging from the disgusted look on his face, he seemed to agree.
"So where are the girls?" Twilight asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Oh, they said somethin' 'bout last minute crusadin' when Ah saw 'em earlier. Don't worry, they'll be here soon," Applejack answered.
"Did you remember to tell them about my house?" Dash demanded.
"Yes Rainbow Ah did. They're sorry for what happened and promised to clean up after the picnic. Ah think they added somethin' about Cutie Mark Crusader Janitors," Applejack replied. Dash nodded in satisfaction but Rarity looked horrified.
"My sister as a janitor! I'll never outlive the shame!" she groaned and fell over onto a conveniently placed pillow. Applejack and Rainbow just rolled their eyes at her melodrama. Even Spike didn't bother comforting her; he seemed too preoccupied with the food.
A large red and white tablecloth loaded with apple themed treats lay before him. Spike reached for a candy apple but his claw was swatted by Twilight's hoof.
"Spike! Don't be so greedy. We have to wait for the Princess," she scolded. Spike gently rubbed his claw and glared back at her.
"But I'm hungry and it's just one candy apple. It's not like she'd miss it," he retorted.
"Where is the Princess? She's usually punctual," Fluttershy commented. She was right. Princess Celestia was very informal with Twilight and her friends, but she was never late. An ominous feeling swept over Twilight Sparkle.
"All of this just for me? Why, I don't know what to say." Now a new feeling swept over Twilight. It was fear. That wasn't the voice of Princess Celestia. This voice was deeper and more aggressive. There was also a sinister hint to it and Twilight knew exactly who it belonged to before she turned around to look. The shock on her friends' faces confirmed her suspicions.
"I found these three young fillies wandering around and decided to escort them to you. Aren't you going to thank me?" the voice asked. Lightning flashed all around and the sunlight began to fade. Although it was only slightly after 2:30, the warm sun had quickly set and was replaced by the cold dark moon. Twilight finally turned around.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders, all three dressed in their Crusader capes, sat in front of her cowering in fear before another pony. A large alicorn mare stood before Twilight and glared down at her with eyes of ice. The alicorn's night black wings beat viciously and each wing beat was followed by a flash of lightning. The moonbeams illuminated the crescent moon cutie mark on the mare's flank and the smirk that had formed on the Wicked Mare of Darkness' lips.
"I'm sorry my little ponies, but your Princess is in another castle," Nightmare Moon cackled.