Unicornia was in both a festive mood and a very busy one at the moment. Lily Lightly's Rainbow Lights Party had ended a few days ago, and soon it would be time for their biggest event—the Annual Princess Rainbow Ceremony. Every unicorn was working hard to take down the lights, especially Rarity. At the moment she was at the very top of a tall ladder, leaning precariously against Crystal Rainbow Castle. And she didn't mind one bit.
"Careful, Rarity," Brights Brightly called. "That ladder looks unsteady!"
"I'll be OK! I think," the young unicorn called, oblivious to the danger of falling. She poked at a string of lights with her horn. "Besides, someone has to take down the lights and help put the rainbow ribbons around the castle!"
The pink unicorn smiled.
"I can't wait for this year's ceremony. I wonder who the princess will be? Maybe Garden Wishes. Or Sunrise Song! Or-"
"I'm excited too, Rarity. But since you're the old princess, you need to talk to Cheerilee. She asked for you about five minutes ago," Whistle Wishes said, raising an eyebrow.
"Awww…Okay," Rarity said, hopping down the ladder with a skip and a hop. She missed the last step and fell down, but picked herself up with a giggle. "That was fun!"
Rarity entered the castle and went to the studying room, where Cheerilee the unicorn waited. Cheerilee was a purple unicorn with a pink mane. She was serious, but kind, and she was the pony in charge of instructing the rainbow princess. Cheerilee smiled when she saw Rarity.
"I'm glad you're here," she said. "Rarity, I would like you to help—"
"Clean the Crystal Carriage? I'd love to do that," Rarity said, jumping up and down.
Cheerilee shook her head. "No, not that. Since you're last year's rainbow princess, I would like your help to select the new princess."
Rarity smiled. "That sounds… kinda fun. What do I have to do?"
"You can help me interview potential princess candidates," Cheerilee said. She moved to a purple, blue, yellow, and pink box and took out a sparkling magic wand, holding it up high. "The magic wand will help you select the right ones—and I'll be here if you need any help."
Rarity grinned and took the wand from her mentor, tucking it behind her mane. "This sounds fun! Is there anything special I should look for?"
Cheerilee nodded, proud of Rarity's willingness to ask questions. "Glad you asked! There are quite a few qualities princesses should possess. Since your rainbow color is pink, it would help if the new princess were also pink—though she doesn't have to be. She must also have a horn, and be honest and reliable. When I selected you, it was because I felt you had a creative, boundless energy that would be perfect for creating a rainbow."
Rarity had stopped listening at this point and was playing with a caterpillar by the window. Cheerilee cleared her throat, and the young unicorn blushed, turning to look outside. "I'm listening! Really, I—"
She turned to the window and looked more closely.
"Hey, Cheerilee, look at that! Someone's coming!"
Cheerilee blinked and looked; she could see two young ponies—one white, and one orange—approaching Unicornia. "You're right! We'd better see who they are!"
Rarity grinned. "I hope they like fun and games!"
She and Cheerilee rushed out of Crystal Rainbow Castle just in time to see other unicorns noticing the visitors.
"Look at that," said a lime green unicorn with yellow and purple hair, staring at the small white pony. "She has a horn like us!"
"And the other one doesn't," said a yellow unicorn, looking nervous.
"Let's be nice now," Cheerilee called, and the crowd parted to let them through. "We must welcome them! Has anyone seen Brights Brightly and Whistle Wishes?"
"I have," said an orange unicorn. "I'll go get them."
"And I'll find Lily," said a blue one, trotting off. "Good luck with the visitors! I hope they're nice."
Cheerilee waved to her friends, then waited with Rarity as the two ponies approached. They stopped in front of the entrance and stared at each other awhile before speaking.
"Hi," said the white one. She was the smaller of the two. "I'm Sweetie Belle!" She had a pink and purple mane that was done in curls.
"And I'm Scootaloo," said the orange one, grinning. She had her pink and purple mane tied into a ponytail that hung off to one side.
"Welcome to Unicornia," Cheerilee began. "My name is Cheerilee, and this is Princess Rarity."
"Whoa. I know a Cheerilee," said Scootaloo, eyes wide. "That's the name of my sister! Neat!"
"Did you say princess," asked Sweetie Belle. "Just like in the stories our Cheerilee told us! They wear fancy dresses and go to royal balls!"
Rarity blushed. "Thank you very much! But being a princess for me is all about having fun!"
"Fun?" Scootaloo grinned. "We love to have fun…"
"May I ask what brings you here," Cheerilee said. "You're a unicorn, Sweetie Belle, and we've met the Ponyville ponies, but I've never seen either of you before."
"We just, uh…stopped by to take a look," Sweetie Belle squeaked. "Can you show us around? This place looks so pretty!"
Chheerilee smiled. "We can! We'll guide you through the village. Then we'll show you Crystal Rainbow Castle and the Crystal Dome. That's where—"
"You make the rainbows, right," asked Scootaloo.
Rarity grinned. "Rainbows made here can stretch as far as Ponyville! It's how we send our mail."
Before she could continue, Whistle Wishes, Brights Brightly, and other unicorns arrived.
"Hi, everyone," said Whistle Wishes. "We would've been here sooner, but we couldn't find Lily. I think she's acting shy again!"
"That's alright. I'm sure she'll turn up once she sees how nice these young ponies are," Cheeriliee said with a smile.
Raising a hoof, she turned to the guests. "Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, these are our friends Brights Brightly and Whistle Wishes. We would all like to welcome you both to Unicornia."
"We're glad to be here," Scootaloo said with a smile—and a wink at Sweetie Belle.
"We're very glad," the young unicorn echoed.
###
Cheerilee decided that a tour of the village would be the first thing on the list. Every house was decked out in either lights or pretty rainbow colors, and many unicorns watched the pair curiously. An orange one and a pink one approached the group, smiling.
"Can I ask something? How did you two find out about us," asked the orange unicorn. She had pink and purple hair, and her cutie mark was a moon and stars.
"It wasn't hard! We'd heard about your colorful rainbows and parties and couldn't wait to join in the fun," said Scootaloo.
"And your pretty rainbow princess," said Sweetie Belle, which caused Rarity to blush again.
"So, what kind of fun stuff do you like to do," asked the pink unicorn.
Sweetie Belle smiled. "I like to bake!"
Scootaloo back flipped into a handstand. "I love fun and games."
At that Rarity grinned. "I like to have fun too, especially with friends! Hey, maybe we can have fun together! Cheerilee, is it okay if Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and I play together?"
Cheerilee smiled. "All right, Rarity. But wait until after the tour, alright?"
Rarity's smile faded slightly, but she nodded. 'Okay, I can wait a little while…"
"Oh! Before we play, I can bake some yummy cookies. Tours make you hungry," Sweetie Belle said happily.
Brights Brightly licked her lips. "That sounds great! I'm getting hungry already!"
The unicorns, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo walked further into the village, towards Crystal Rainbow Castle. As they neared the entrance, a bush rustled—and Lily Lightly jumped out, covered mane to tail in lights. She was a pink pony with light pink, blue, and magenta hair, and her cutie mark was a blue lily with lights pouring out of it. The ponies drew back in shock at first, but soon laughed.
"Surprise," Lily said.
"Wow, Lily," Cheerilee said. "You're not quite as shy anymore!"
"You used to be shy," asked Scootaloo, curious. "I know a couple ponies who are shy too. How did you become more playful, like me?"
"With help from my friends," Lily Lightly said, shaking off the lights. "Last spring, Cheerilee named me princess of all that twinkles and glows. Lights are one of my favorite things, and that's why, every year, I hold the Rainbow Lights Party! This year's party ended a few weeks ago, but there are still plenty of brilliant, shining lights hanging about."
"The lights are very pretty, but that doesn't explain why you're so shy," Scootaloo said, sounding a bit annoyed.
"I'm sorry," Lily said. "I love lights and talking about them!" She giggled—and as she did, her horn began to glow a bright pink.
"Wow," Sweetie Belle said. "Your horn glows!"
Lily Lightly nodded. "That's why I was so shy at first. I felt…different."
"But a firefly taught her that being different isn't a bad thing," Rarity said. "In fact, it makes her shine! And now Lily loves to have fun with us. She probably hid earlier to surprise you!"
"That's right. I'm sorry if I scared you."
Sweetie Belle giggled. "It's fine! You know, I can do magic too!"
The unicorns blinked. "You can," they said in unison.
"Yep! I'll show you," she said proudly. Sweetie Belle looked around for a few seconds, then smiled.
"See that ribbon way up there," she said, pointing at a yellow ribbon that had come loose from where it was tied around a pole.
"It's pretty high up," Cheerilee said.
"Watch this!"
Sweetie Belle scrunched her face and concentrated hard. Her horn began to glow white, with magical sparkles emanating from it—and the ribbon began to move by itself until it was tied in a beautiful bow. She stopped, and the horn glow faded.
The other unicorns were amazed. "You did that by yourself," Cheerilee gasped.
"And she's so little," said Whistle Wishes.
Sweetie Belle blushed. "Told ya I have magic! Do you have magic?"
"Well, I have a magic wand," Rarity said. "And together, Cheerilee, Whistle Wishes, Brights Brightly , and I can use our unicorn magic to make a rainbow! Would you like to see one?"
The two ponies looked at each other.
"Ummm, maybe later," said Scootaloo. "Why don't you show us the castle first?"
"Okay! Follow me, everyone," Rarity said.
"That was close," Sweetie Belle whispered to Scootaloo.
"I know—the last thing we need right now is a rainbow," Scootaloo groaned.
"It could be worse, though," the young unicorn pointed out.
Her partner shuddered. "You're right. At least it's not…the light."
###
"Sorry about my room being messy," Rarity said with a giggle, looking around at piles of clothes, discarded shoes, and an unmade bed.
"It's okay. I've seen way messier places," Sweetie Belle said.
She dove into a clothing pile, almost getting lost in it until she poked her head out with a laugh. Lily Lightly joined in, and together they spent the next few minutes trying on hats, shoes, and bracelets until the others decided it was time to continue the tour.
"This is our ballroom," Cheerilee said, showing the guests a large room with a skylight. "We have dances and parties here, as well as meetings and general fun."
"Over this way is our 'Hello, Hello' arch. It echoes," Lily said with a giggle.
"You've seen the ballroom. And this," Cheerilee said, opening a door, "is our ball room!"
Scootaloo's eyes widened with delight; the room was filled with bouncy balls of every color and size. "Wow!"
Rarity grinned and tucked her wand behind her mane more securely. She ran forward and pounced on a green ball. The momentum bounced her and the ball around the room at dizzying heights and speeds. "Come on, everyone! It's fun."
Scootaloo nodded and leapt on a small purple ball. I'll get you," she called, bouncing and chasing Rarity.
"No, I will," squeaked Sweetie Belle, choosing a medium-sized yellow ball.
The others followed suit, and Crystal Rainbow Castle was filled with the sounds of bouncing and laughter. There were a few times when Rarity or Scootaloo would bounce too close to the window, worrying Cheerilee and Sweetie Belle, but they quickly bounced away with a grin. Lily Lightly had so much fun that her horn was glowing almost constantly, and Brights Brightly and Whistle Wishes shared a big bouncy ball together.
When they finished, every pony there was panting and giggling from the excitement.
"That was really fun! You and I make a great team, Scootaloo," said Rarity. "Let's do it again!"
"Okay! I can't remember the last time I've had this much fun," Scootaloo said with a laugh..
Before they could continue bouncing, however, Cheerilee spoke, sounding out of breath. "Wait a minute. You two may not be tired, but the rest of us are."
Whistle Wishes' stomach growled. "And I'm getting hungry."
"Okay! We can break for lunch. Sweetie Belle can bake with you. She's really good," Scootaloo grinned.
"Sounds good," Cheerilee said kindly. "Shall we go?"
The ponies nodded, and headed outside to the village. Some unicorns poked their heads out doors and windows to watch them; now they didn't seem apprehensive or curious about Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They smiled when they saw them and said hello, even using their names.
"It's like we're a part of Unicornia already," Sweetie Belle said with a squeak.
"I know. It's kinda nice. But…they're not our friends," Scootaloo reminded her, whispering.
Sweetie Belle nodded, solemn. Orders were orders, ponies that weren't friends weren't their friends, and they had a job to do.
"We're here," said Brights Brightly, arriving at a small bakery. "We make cookies, cakes, and other goodies here! We're not as well staffed as Sweetberry's Sweet Shoppe in Ponyville, but there's enough here to feed all of us."
"All of you?" Sweetie Belle said as innocently as she could. This would be easier than they thought!
"Yep," Rarity said with a bounce. "What do you wanna make?"
"Hmm…Cookies! With my own magical touch," the little unicorn said with a wink and a twinkle of her horn.
###
It didn't take long for the cookies to be made and ready, and every unicorn in Unicornia was invited to sample Sweetie Belle's cooking. Sweetie Belle herself didn't eat one, and neither did Scootaloo, but none of the unicorns saw this as odd—they thought they must want to make a good impression on the others. Rarity, in particular, took a liking to the treats, saying it was just as good as Sweetberry's. When every other unicorn had at least two cookies, Rarity had three—and asked for a fourth until she realized they had run out.
"Now that we've eaten, anyone wanna play," Scootaloo asked.
"Maybe in a bit. I'm tired," said a lime green unicorn, yawning.
"That's okay. Anyone for hopscotch?"
Several blue and orange unicorns joined in Scootaloo's game—and just as quickly, they, too, fell asleep. Some didn't even make it all the way across the hopscotch board.
"I guess they must be tired…do you have any jump ropes or hula hoops, anything like that?"
"I do," said Lily Lightly. "We can jump rope with this string of lights!"
She took a short string of lights and began to jump; as she did, Rarity joined in, chanting a jump rope rhyme. "Unicorn, unicorn, turn around! Unicorn, unicorn, jump up and down!"
Both unicorns giggled when they missed a jump and were tangled in the lights. Lily's horn began to glow—but soon faded as her laughter was interrupted with a yawn. "I'm tired too," she said, and collapsed onto the ground.
Rarity looked concerned. "Lily? Hey, wake up! You shouldn't be so tired so soon! It's still day time!"
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo snickered. "I'd be tired too if I ate a magic sleeping cookie," said Scootaloo. "Good thing I didn't—and that I know tons of games to play to wear you all out even more! Come on, let's play tag!"
Rarity realized, for the first time, that the visitors might have less than friendly intentions. "Hey, what do you mean? Why are you doing this?"
Scootaloo grinned. "Cause our Master told us to. He wants to rule your lands and separate you guys, and we're here to help with that!"
"Better make it freeze tag, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle called. "We don't want them to run into the castle and make a rainbow!"
"Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo growled. "They weren't supposed to know that!"
Sweetie Belle looked sheepish. "…Oops."
"Not make a rainbow? Why not," asked Whistle Wishes.
"It can probably repel them," said Cheerilee, beginning to run towards Crystal Rainbow Castle. "Let's hurry and make one! This invasion is…my…fault…"
She faltered, stumbled, and fell asleep inches from the door. Brights Brightly and Whistle Wishes tried to help, using their hooves to help support their mentor—but they were only able to carry Cheerilee a few more feet before falling asleep themselves. The cookies were working.
Soon, every unicorn in Unicornia was fast asleep…except for Rarity, who was beginning to look panicked.
"This isn't fair," Scootaloo whined. "You had tons of cookies! Why aren't you asleep!?"
"Maybe it's cause she's so active," Sweetie Belle said. Rarity, for her part, didn't disagree.
"Aw, but isn't it fun watching me struggle," Rarity said, thinking quickly. "Maybe I'll even fall asleep right…before…your eyes…"
Rarity toppled forward onto the ground, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo cheered. "We did it! They're all asleep! Come on, let's lock them in their ballroom—but tie them up first."
"Did you mean ballroom or ball room," asked Sweetie Belle.
"…Let's make it the ball room. They can't bounce away if they're tied up," Scootaloo said with a laugh.
Sweetie Belle nodded and concentrated hard, white sparkles again emanating form her horn. The strings of lights, ribbons, and rainbow streamers began to unhook themselves from Crystal Rainbow Castle and the village, floating down to the ground. Scootaloo grabbed the ropes and began to tie the other unicorns up—and as soon as they turned away, Rarity got up and began to run. She had faked falling asleep.
Knowing it wouldn't be long before they turned around, Rarity took out her magic wand and began to twirl it in an infinity pattern, casting the magic up at the sky—and the Crystal Carriage came down from the clouds, pulled by two yellow birds.
"Hurry," she said, hopping in without waiting for the carpet to roll down. "Let's…um…let's just get out of here!"
The birds nodded and took off, and by the time Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo turned around again Rarity was gone.
She was safe for now, but her friends were in danger. Rarity knew both of these facts well.
She wasn't sure where she was headed.
But she knew she had to get help.