Author's Notes: And here we are again! Yet another chapter, which I believe makes it 3 in 3 days now. I don't have much to say here, but for the first time in a while, I will have some extra, added Author's Notes at the bottom, to credit a few inspirations I got from others to help bring this chapter to completion!

Until then, thank you once more to all my readers, reviewer, and everyone who has favourited and alerted this story! You guys are all awesome!

For now, though, read on! And...welcome to the Canterlot Royal Coronation Ball!

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Chapter 39

Making an Entrance

It was the same Canterlot Castle Starfall had gotten to know over the last few months, and the pegasus had to keep reminding himself of that fact as he looked around, having never seen the castle quite like this before.

The castle's grand entrance hall and sprawling lobby chamber had been radically transformed for the Coronation Ball, decorated in a vast display of the significance for the day being represented. Both rooms were decorate in vast carpets of violet, trimmed with gold, with massive tapestries hung on the walls. Most of these tapestries featured a large symbol, featuring a circle, a blue crescent moon filling the lower space of it, with a smaller, yellow circle sitting above the moon, filling the remaining space. Two long points extended up out of the blue moon and the yellow 'sun's red outline, layering over each other to form one long point that reached up above the symbol, topped with a pale blue star. The large moon and sun circle was encompassed by two sets of wings. The upper pair were pale blue, and spread wide, while the lower pair were the same golden yellow as the sun, and were wrapped in an almost protective-looking gesture around the lower part of the circle.

This emblem was one of the symbols of the two Royal Princesses, and a sign of their unified stand in protecting, defending, and leading Equestria. It had only surfaced in recent times, as a sign of Princess Luna's return from exile, and was clearly being used tonight to mark the anniversary of their induction as Equestria's ruling sisters. Many of the tapestries also held the emblem of Equestria itself, along with stylised likenesses of Celestia and Luna. These symbols were also seen on banners hanging from the high, vaulted ceiling of both rooms...even the floor of the lobby had a massive design of Equestria's emblem on it, for those looking down from the upper balcony overlooking the lobby.

Overall, it was obvious that the castle had been given a splash of warmth and colour for the evening, something to add to the expansive of white walls and support columns, all trimmed in gold. Starfall had never seen the castle like this, and could already tell the night was going to be big. The entrance hall was lined with tables of food, and the lobby had clearly been turned into a massive dance floor, complete with a raised stage where none other than the Canterlot Grand Orchestra were set up, all variously tuning their instruments, preparing for the night. Starfall could see Octavia among them, but at this distance, standing on the far side of the entrance hall, she was unlikely to even look through the grand doors in his direction, let along recognise him.

As it was, it was clear that the entrance was being set up as the general social area, where ponies would meet up, mingle, and eat and drink the night away, while the lobby was the dance and entertainment. Starfall could also see that the massive Canterlot gardens were open and accessible from the lobby, where ponies could meet and talk with a little less noise, and a little more privacy, surrounded by the calming presence of nature, and all the exotic plants and animals Princess Celestia had seen fit to add there.

With all there was to see, and that, despite the fact that it was still about half an hour before the official opening of the Ball, a small crowd had already started filling up the hall and dance room, Starfall could tell this was going to be big. Even now, more ponies were queuing to get in, having to wait while Royal Guards checked their ticket against the pony in question. Already, close to a dozen would-be party crashers had been thrown out with pointed warnings that any further attempt at misbehaviour would see them arrested. Security was tight, and the guards were taking their job very seriously tonight.

Starfall, along with Twilight and her five closest friends, had all travelled to the Ball together, and were currently just chatting away in the entrance hall, passing the time. Like Twilight, all her friends had commented that they were wearing the same outfits they had worn to the Grand Galloping Gala they had all attended together some time ago.

Applejack's outfit was a strange blend of the class and sophistication expected at such events, while still being true to the earth pony's country leanings, and seemed to have taken significant inspiration from old Western outfits. A brown saddle lay over her back, the sides of which were emblazoned with a single red apple. The bulk of the dress was actually split into two, covering her flank and rear legs, while leaving her tail, which had been done up in a plait, same as her mane, free to show. It was a bright, grassy green, with white trim covered in more apples at the ankles. Shin-high, heeled cow-pony boots, in the same green as her dress, adorned her front hooves, and like Twilight, the dress had simple green collar, fastened around her neck by an apple-shaped brooch. Her iconic, dusty Stetson hat had been replaced by an identical hat, only in had some simple designs marked in, including the same red apple design that seemed to feature all over her ensemble. It lacked the elegance of the other outfits, but it suited Applejack completely, and see seemed comfortable in it, which was all that mattered in the end.

Rainbow Dash's dress was as bold as she was, to put it simply. Rarity had obviously taken her weather-patrol duties, and her rainbow mane as inspiration, the main part of the dress being a striped piece that made it look like the tomboy was trailing a massive rainbow behind her, the whole thing trimmed with a fluffy-white, cloud-like edge. Her dress had no collar, being secured to her body instead by a couple of rainbow straps that came under and around the base of her wings to reconnect back with the top of the dress, her wings naturally holding the dress on her, whether they were folded or outstretched. Instead of a collar for the dress, Rainbow instead had a simple beaded necklace, the front having six purple beads arranged in a downward pointing triangle formation. Her normally wild hair had clearly been neatened out, and tied down near the ends, while a small, gold, leaf-like ornament hung from her left ear, a pair of strapped, similarly gold-coloured horseshoes completed her outfit.

Fluttershy's dress was clearly inspired by nature. The flowing, pale green dress reminding Starfall of wide open fields of grass swaying in the wind. The hem was lined with blue and yellow flowers, and a band of blue ran all the way around the sides and back of the dress, imitating a river running through the field, some stylised water drops added into the design to enhance the effect. Like Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy's dress had no saddle on her back, the main body of the dress merging directly into the collar, a slightly darker green design, looking like it was made out of interlocking leaves, a brooch clasping the collar together at the base of her neck, in the shape of a pale blue butterfly. An identical butterfly was attached to her right ear as a small, simple earring, and her long mane had been given a subtle styling, small flowers hiding in the pink strands to complete the look. Simple green horseshoes, with straps designed to resemble vines twisting up her legs slightly, were attached to all four hooves to add the final touch to her outfit.

Pinkie Pie's outfit was, well...Pinkie Pie. A brilliant, almost garishly pink dress covered her, baby blue trim sitting above a frilly pink hem, the blue band dotted with pink bows. The part of her dress that wrapped around her torso had three layers of frills. The first being pale pink, the second being the brighter pink of the main dress, and the final, biggest layer being white, and full of stylised candy designs. And striped blue and white, frilled collar held to dress around her neck, a pink bow-shaped brooch finishing the look. A white and blue hat, with a pink bow on the side, and four pink horseshoes, each with a blue bow on the front, finally finished the eye-catching outfit. It was totally Pinkie, expressive and exuberant while still having some sense of style to it.

And finally, there was Rarity herself. She had designed all of their outfits, and her own did not disappoint in any way. It was a stunning, yet deceptively simple design, being a bright sort of burgundy colour, layered over itself a couple of times to make it look slightly more complex than it actually had been to make. It was covered in pale yellow trim, and the hem was a darker burgundy, long enough to actually leave a short train along the floor behind her. The hem was lined with beads of gold and pink, the whole design oozing class and sophistication, without overstating it.

The front of the dress, rather than being held to her by a collar, instead had slightly frilly sleeves for her forelegs, though the paler, pink-coloured front was hidden underneath a delicate-looking, simple shawl. Small, slightly heeled slippers, made of some kind of glass-like material, were on her forehooves, and a simple necklace was hanging front her neck, a jewel-like purple amulet resting against the base of her neck. Similar purple jewels also adorned her ears, and yet another was was used to tie her curled hair back towards the end. Finally, a simple gold tiara, the front inlaid with three small jewels, sat on her head, completing the look. It was easily Rarity's most complex design, and suited her desire to fit in with high society near-perfectly.

Starfall was amazed that, despite all the outfits having been used on a number of occasions before, they still looked as good as new. The young mares had obviously taken care of the outfits, keeping them ready for events like tonight, Starfall silently vowing, for about the tenth time that day, to make sure he took care of his own suit. As much as he had been dreading the thought of getting dressed up, the suit was comfortable to wear, and he had seen several guests giving him second glances, especially the stallions, the vast majority of whom seemed to be in generic black tuxedos, and as such were surprised with his more unique outfit.

But Starfall couldn't care less if they thought he was being rebellious with his outfit. He liked it, and it suited him, and that, to him, was pretty much all that mattered. All that was left now was to wait for the Princesses to arrive...and hope that Luna thought well of his suit.

Twilight's happy cry made Starfall turn around, expecting Princess Celestia to have arrived. Instead, his gaze found a couple who had just arrived...a couple Twilight clearly knew, and was very close to.

The mare was actually an alicorn, which surprised Starfall, never having seen any other alicorns aside from the Royal Sisters. Her coat was a pale pink colour, though her wings seemed to fade into a darker, more purple hue towards the tips. Her mane and tail were a striped combination of violet, deep pink, and pale, creamy yellow, and seemed to have been done up for the night, her mane bundled up in a complex style around the small three-pronged gold crown that sat just behind her horn. Her faded purple eyes seemed to shine with an eternal kindness, having a slightly disarming affect on Starfall...it felt like she was the kind of pony who would never have a bad thing to say about anypony, no matter who they were or what they had done.

The alicorn was also dressed up for the night, in a dress that was deceptively simple for her alicorn status, and judging by the crown, her likely status as royalty as well. Her dress was a simple gold gown, covered in swirling patterns of white, the hem being a slightly frilled white as well. A collar of the same patterned gold material kept the dress up over the base of her wings, fastened around her neck by a complex brooch, depicting a multi-faceted, pale blue crystal heart surrounded by gold metal lace which, unknown to Starfall, matched her cutie mark perfectly. Simple gold horseshoes covered her hooves, and pale blue crystals adorned her ears, completing the look of simple elegance.

The stallion's identity, however, was one Starfall knew, even if not directly. The white coat hid a well-built, strong frame, clearly in top shape, and more than capable of soundly out-muscling Starfall's wiry build, even without the likely powerful magic his horn could produce at a moment's notice. His mane and tail were various shades of blue, and Starfall blinked in surprise that the style was nearly identical to his, long and wild, but still with some sense of neatness to it. Starfall also noted that his hooves were also a bright blue colour, his eyes being a paler shade.

Interestingly, the stallion was not dressed in a tuxedo like most of the other stallions, but had gone for something more unique. A bright red jacket, fastened down the front by white buttons, looking like some kind of slightly out-dated, but still eye-catching ceremonial uniform, was his choice, a brown belt keeping it secure around his middle, while the collar and the ends of his foreleg sleeves were gold, with simple white designs on them. A couple of white straps, stretching diagonally across his shoulders and crossing each other on his chest, held a badge of sorts, the white, shield-like badge containing a simple six-point star, magenta in colour.

The stallion's cutie mark was nearly identical to the badge on his chest, the big differences being the shield was dark purple instead of white, and had three pale blue, five-point stars arranged above it. The six-point star in the centre of the purple shield, however, was the biggest clue to the stallion's identity. The design was identical to the core part of Twilight's cutie mark, which meant that, even before Twilight cried their names, Starfall was certain this could only be Shining Armor, Twilight's older brother, making the pink alicorn mare Princess Cadance, Princess Celestia's niece, and Shining's recently wed wife.

"Shining! Cadance!" Twilight shouted, trotting forward to wrap her brother in a warm hug, making Starfall smile wistfully. The two siblings were obviously very close, leaving Starfall wishing his own family was as tight-knit and loving as hers. Even Cadance leaned down to give her new sister-in-law a hug of her own. "I'm so glad you made it!"

Princess Cadance smiled down at the young unicorn. "Of course we did. I couldn't the celebration of my aunts' coronation, now could I? Besides, it was the perfect chance for us to catch up with you."

Shining nodded, adding his own agreement. "It's great to see you again, Twilie," he said with a warm smile. "Staying out of trouble?"

Twilight smiled. "You know I always stay out of trouble," she complained, giving a mock pout at her older brother's smirk. Even Cadance seemed amusement at the playful bickering the two of them were sharing, Starfall unable to help smiling himself.

Eventually, Princess Cadance noticed the group behind Twilight. "It's good to see all of you again, as well," she added to the five mares, who all smiled and gave short bows in her direction. She paused as she noticed Starfall, though, the stallion giving her a nervous smile. "I don't recognise this young stallion, though you seem familiar, mister...?"

Starfall stepped forward, bowing, before holding out a hoof. "My name is Starfall, ma'am," he introduced politely, giving a small smile as Cadance seemed to recognise the name, Shining's ears also flicking in his direction.

"Starfall?" the white stallion repeated, looking back to Twilight. "He's the friend you mentioned in your letters, right?" he asked, Twilight nodding at the question, Starfall ducking his head a little self-consciously. Even now, he still was not used to ponies talking about him in such a happy, positive fashion.

Cadance smiled. "It's not just Twilight, dear. Starfall is Princess Luna's student, being taught astronomy by her. The last few letters I've received from both my aunts have mentioned him quite a few times," she said, turning back to face Starfall. "You've left quite an impression of both Celestia and Luna, young stallion, and it's wonderful to finally meet you," she added, shaking the offered hoof, her words bringing a small smile to Starfall's face.

"Twilight's mentioned both of you a lot, it's nice to finally meet you both," he replied, giving them both a smile as Cadance pulled back, Shining putting a forehoof over her shoulders as she leaned into his neck. The two were clearly deeply in love, even if they weren't showing too much affection for the night.

Twilight gave an awkward sort of smile, before looking around. "Do you know when the Princesses are supposed to arrive?" she asked, seeming to direct her question more at Cadance. Starfall looked up at this, also curious to hear the answer. He was both really nervous, and really excited to see Luna tonight, though the nervous side had jumped up significantly seeing this close couple, which was only feeding his mind's suppressed fantasies of what he hoped this night could be...

Princess Cadance, fortunately, snapped him out of it with her answer. "Princess Celesita's just putting some final things together. I would expect them to arrive together, but the word is that nopony has seen Princess Luna all day, not even Celestia," she added, causing most of the group to frown in confusion.

"Odd..." Twilight remarked. "I know Luna's more reclusive than her sister, but even so, that seems strange, even by her standards." She paused, rubbing her chin with a hoof in though, before looking to Starfall, her eyes asking a silent question that he did not miss. She was wondering if he knew anything, or had any clues.

Starfall merely shook his head, though. "Sorry, but I have no idea. She could be a little nervous, after all, this is the first time she's really been to a major public event since Ponyville's Nightmare Night celebrations," he suggested, glancing back at Twilight. He knew she had been there that Nightmare Night, and even helped Luna fit in a little to give her an enjoyable night, even if it had started off rather badly for her.

Twilight gave a small nod. "Starfall has a point, Luna could just be nervous...I'm sure Luna will be fine once she gets here," she said, her friends nodding in agreement, Shining giving her a small. Cadance, however seemed a little less sure.

Before she could say anything, though, she appeared to notice something...or rather someone, on the stairwell leading up deeper into the castle, beyond the area where the Ball was being held. "Actually...I think I just worked it out..." she said softly, though it was enough to make everypony turn and follow her gaze.

Shining blinked, clearly surprised. Twilight's eyes went wide. Fluttershy gave a soft gasp. Pinkie just froze on the spot...an impressive feat for her. Dash gave a muttered, "Whoa..." under her breath. Applejack was a little louder in her exclamation of "Heavens...". Rarity just stared for a few seconds...before breaking out into a smile, easily the most unusual reaction of the group.

Wondering what was going on, Starfall turned around, following their collective gaze. When he spotted what they were looking at, every single thought in his head completely left him. He was dimply aware of his eyes going almost comically wide, and his jaw dropping, but it was completely ignored in favour of the sight that met his eyes.

The midnight blue gown literally seemed to sparkle with countless little points of light, much like the stars against a night sky. The body of the dress was divided into three distinct sections, separated by simple white frills, and swirling white design.

The uppermost and lowermost segments were unadorned, though the upper segment did have a space that allowed the tail through the dress, allowing it to be seen. The middle segment, however, had a large emblem splayed over it, depicting a white crescent moon, standing on it's points, two faint wings, almost blending in to the midnight background, their colour was such a similar dark shade of blue, spreading out of the sides of the moon.

Just in front of the uppermost segment was a 'belt' of fabric, clearly designed to keep the dress snug against her torso. Clasped to the top of that belt was a black collar, similar, yet slightly different from the one the mare normally wore, stretching over the base of her wings, wrapping around the base of her neck, where the familiar design of a white crescent moon was resting. As an added measure, two chains, made of interlocking white stars, stretched from the front of the collar, each one hanging loosely under the base of her wings, before joining up with the dress belt, clasped at each end by a white moon.

A pale, translucent scarf hung from her neck, glittering even more brilliantly than the dress, tied off loosely around her neck, before hanging down almost to the ground, in front of her hooves, where glittering silver horseshoes could be seen, slightly higher up the leg and more ornate than the ones she usually wore. Her crown, though, was the same simple, small black design she always wore., though she had changed her hair slightly, her fringe rearrange, two small strands having been pulled back behind her ears, trailing down to frame her face. She did not appear to have done much in the way of make-up, perhaps the vaguest hint of eyeshadow, letting her natural looks do all the work for her as she descended the stairs towards the group, head high, but still looking slightly nervous.

It was Princess Luna, but as nopony had ever seen her before. Several ponies who had just arrived stopped to stare of the Princess of the Night, all dressed up for the occasion, stunned and transfixed by the beauty she radiated. Many considered Celestia to be the more beautiful of the two Princesses, but Luna had clearly put in an effort for tonight to challenge that, and it was showing.

Starfall did not notice any of the extra attention, completely transfixed by the sight of his Princess, teacher, and secret love, looking more stunning than he had ever seen her before. Even the fact that her dressed matched his own suit with near-precision was totally lost on him, too stunned by the alicorn mare he held so dear stepping down towards him like a pony goddess descending from heaven itself.

Tonight was going to be night to remember, indeed.

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Extra Author's Notes: And now that the chapter is over, I can add these extra shout-outs without fear of spoilers! (to anyone who, for whatever reason, scrolled straight down without reading the chapter, go back and do that first!

The Equestria Emblem on the various tapestries mentioned early in the chapter is actually the "United Equestria" symbol, designed by "Emkay-MLP" on DeviantArt. Go look it up, the guy has some amazing stuff!

Princess Cadance's dress was inspired by the dress she wears in the image "Cadence" by "Equestria-Prevails", again on DeviantArt. It's not an exact match, as I added a little of my own imagination to it, but this was the core part of the design.

And finally, Luna's outfit is taken from the image "Luna Gala II" by "CartoonTiger", once more on DeviantArt.

Go look all three designs up! I believe FanFiction still has an issue with off-site links, hence why I haven't made any, but if I'm wrong, let me know and I'll add them up! I'm very happy to give credit where it's due!