Chapter 16

The Celebration of Unity

That night, the King and Queen, along with Celestia and Luna, raised their goblets in a toast to the future King and Queen of the Crystal Empire. After dinner, everywhere Aurora and Noble Heart went, they were congratulated by passing staff members and the royal guards who insisted that if they wished to wonder the castle grounds, they would have two of their own escort them. With an embarrassed smile, Noble agreed to their offer. Celestia and Luna would have loved to go with them, but they found themselves cornered by two staff mares that asked if they had everything ready for tomorrow night’s event. Their uneasy silence was all it took for the two mares to take their hooves and marched them back to their rooms. The first Mare, a light blue Unicorn, made Luna take a seat while she rummaged through her closet.

“I can do all of this tomorrow,” said Luna trying not to sound rude.

“Nonsense your highness!” said the mare cheerfully. “I want to help you out!”

“But, don’t you have to be ready too?” asked Luna.

“Oh, I already have a dress ready!”

While the Unicorn was busy pulling out dresses, Celestia along with the second mare, a pink Unicorn, walked in. The Phoenix was riding along on Celstia’s back. The mythical fire bird flew to the mirror and watched as the two Princesses were forced to try on dresses given to them by the two Unicorn.

“So who are showing up with?” asked the first helper.

“Showing up with?” repeated Celestia as her head popped into sight through a silver dress.

“Why yes your highness!” said the first helper taking in Celestia’s appearance. “Her majesty is showing up with the King, and Princess Aurora has her husband. Who do you have in mind?”

“I never thought about it,” said Celestia truthfully.

“I thought the captain would be your night in shining armor for the evening,” said the second helper thoughtfully.

“Wha- what!?” said Celestia taken aback.

“I thought that too,” agreed the second Unicorn. “What about you Luna?”

“I have no time to think about such things,” said Luna wanting to stay as far away form their radar as possible.

Even as she said it, Celestia shot her challenging look before she was made to turn in her dress before it was rejected and she changed into the next one in line.

“Come on Princess,” said the first Unicorn nudging Luna. “You must have somepony on your mind!”

“No, sorry to disappoint you.” said Luna shrugging.

When it became clear that getting Luna to share anymore of her thoughts was futile, the two Unicorns turned back to teasing Celestia. On and on they went with hints of how she and Snap Shot would make a perfect couple at the party. Celestia was so flustered by this attack, that she found it hard to have her say on the matter. Just then, the second Unicorn placed her hooves on face and squealed at the thought of what the Captain would wear to the festivity. Knowing Snap shot, Celestia thought the last thing the Captain would ever do is wear anything that the two Unicorns were daydreaming about. However, when the thought of seeing Snap Shot in a suit that fit his personality it made her very grateful that her wings hadn’t found the holes in her dress just yet. Although the threatening twitching underneath the fabric and her ever growing pink face didn’t help her either. She was brought back to reality when she realized that this was Snap Shot they were talking about. The very idea that he would show up in formal attire wasn’t only unlikely, but laughable. A smile crept across her face and she began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” asked the second Unicorn coming out of her trance.

“Sorry, but I can’t see that!” said Celestia shaking with laughter.

Luna understood the joke and began giggling too. The two Unicorns suddenly realized what had the two sisters so tickled, and joined in laughing about it. After the laughing had died down a bit, the four amused themselves by poking fun at how Snap Shot takes himself way to seriously.

“If you ask me,” began the first Unicorn going over a few dresses with Luna. “I think he gets it from the former captain. He did seem to look up to him while he was in charge.”

“No way,” said the other smirking. “I think its something he chooses to do himself. You know, one of those “Pride of a Stallion” things.”

“You think so?” Commented the first mare now looking at one of Luna’s dresses with interest.

The Phoenix gave soft coo as it shifted sleepily on the top of the mirror. The Unicorns had helped the Princesses go through most of their dresses and by the time they were ready to call it a night; neither Celestia or Luna had found the right dress to wear. Before they left, the first Unicorn turned back to Celestia.

“You know, if your not interested, I might ask the Captain to go to the party with me.”

Celestia felt herself tense up at this. The Unicorn smiled at her and added with a knowing look. “But I don’t think he would want to attend the Celebration with me.”

And with that, the pair left. Leaving the Sun Princess in a state of confusion and a newly reddened face. Not wanting to see the sly look Luna was giving her, without looking she levitated her dresses off her sister’s bed, called out to the sleeping Phoenix and left too. On her way back to her room she couldn’t help but to think back to the Unicorn’s last teasing words. She felt a growing worry that maybe the Unicorn was right and maybe she should ask Snap Shot before it was too late. Her face was growing redder now as she tried to remove any lingering thoughts of Snap Shot. In her frustrated pondering state, she hadn’t notice that she was headed right into a patrolling guard. She collided with the metallic chest plate making the levitating dresses crumple to the floor and the firebird awoke with a start, screeching indignantly.

“Sorry sir guard!” said Celestia apologetically. “I didn’t see you!”

“That was obvious,” answered a familiar moody voice.

Looking up she saw to her greatest embarrassment, Snap Shot. He was frowning at her but still made to pickup the dresses.

“Late night chats amongst mares I presume?” he asked.

“It wasn’t just that we… hey, how do you know what we were…”

“The light and laughter coming from Princess Luna’s room was impossible not to notice while passing by,” said Snap Shot, still surly.

“Oh, well, thank you,” said Celestia taking her dresses back and continued her way toward her room.

She opened the door with her magic she felt her chest leap again and sighed before turning back to see the captain’s retreating back.

“Wait!” she called out to him.

Snap Shot stopped in his tracks and turned to face her.

“I wanted to ask you… If… Uh… Can you wait out here for a second? I’ll be right back.”

Celestia placed her dresses on her bed, and let the tired bird fly back on her perch before heading back out. She approached the Captain, her cheeks blushing furiously. She tried to keep a calm expression but her nerves were starting to get to her.

“Captian,” she began, keeping her face as serious as possible.

“Princess,” Snap Shot said back.

“I was wondering…”

Come on! Why was this so hard! She had to do it before someone else did! The party is tomorrow night and who knows what will happen if she doesn’t ask him now! Celestia cleared her throat, her face still pink but her expression determined.

“Captain, I want to ask you something,” she said addressing him.

“Yes, I kind of need to say something as well,” said Snap Shot straitening up. “But go ahead Princess,”

“It’s about the Celebration of Unity,” Celestia began. “You see, my parents will be going together, Aurora will be going with her husband, and…”

“I see we are of one mind for once,” said Snap Shot seriously.

Celestia felt her heart skip a beat. Was he about to ask what she was struggling with?

“We are?” she asked.

“Yes, I think it would look a bit silly if you and Luna were the only ones to show up with no one! I think I know how to fix that!”

Words failed her. She stood there spluttering until Snap Shot went down on one knee as if he was in her parent’s presence and looked up at her.

“Princess Celestia, I would be honored if you attended the party with me.”

If Celestia’s face wasn’t red enough before, it was now. She stared down at Snap Shot who looked back with his piercing gaze. Was this really happening?

“Y-yes,” she said stomping her hoof in order to pull herself together. “Very well Captain, I will go to the party with you.”

“Ah, good,” confirmed Snap Shot standing back up. “Now I think I can persuade one of the guards to accompany Princess Luna as well.”

“I think she will like that,” said Celestia. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow night then.”

“I’m sure we’ll see each other before that,” said Snap Shot raising an eyebrow.

The Captain really was an idiot, Celetia thought to herself as she lied in bed with her face buried in her pillow. She had practically mustered up the courage to ask him out to the party and he was treating it as a way to help both her and Luna attend without being the only ones without a partner. Well, it could have been worse. She could have asked him and get rejected. At least she and Luna wouldn’t be going alone now. Now the only thing left was to find a dress for the occasion. A dress for the…Celestia shot up horrified by what she had just remembered. The Celebration of Unity was tomorrow and she and Luna didn’t have anything to wear! Falling back, she groaned in exhaustion. How was it that finding out what she was going to wear suddenly became her arch nemesis?

When Celestia told Luna what had happened after she left her room the next day, she gave her a sly smirk before the inevitable teasing began.

“Oh, Celie! What glorious news this is!” she boomed. “All that remains is for us to pick a dress!”

“I know, but we already went through most of them last night,” said Celestia a little panicky.

“Oh, Celie, don’t fret! We can do this! It will be easy! We probably skipped over a few! Come what are we waiting for? Let’s get started!”

A half an hour later, the two Princesses sat in defeated silence. Staring down the dresses that were tried on again, but failed to win them over.

“What do you think?” asked Celestia frowning. “Do you still think we might have over looked one?”

“No, I fear not sister,” said Luna crestfallen.

Just then, the door to Luna’s bedroom opened and inside stepped Aurora with two tightly wrapped gifts hovering beside her.

“You two look like you’ve just been hexed.” She said smirking. “What’s the matter?”

“Well, we do have companions for the Celebration tonight,” said Celestia turning to face her older sister.

“That’s good news!” said Aurora happily.

“Yes, but the only problem is that we have no idea what to wear. What do you have there?”

“Hmmm,” said Aurora scanning through the dresses on Luna’s bed. “Luckily for you two, big sister Aurora is here to help!”

With that said, she gave the gifts to the right Princess and waited for the two to open them.

“What’s this?” asked Luna levitating her wrapped object.

“Something that I think you will like,” said Aurora with a smile.

Celestia and Luna unwrapped their gifts to find jewelry, a tiara and new shoes lying on top of a sheered dress. Celestia took the items out and examined them. Her dress was a golden yellow at the top with a miniature sun at the neck. The golden color grew fainter at the middle down to the legs. Her necklace, tiara and shoes were the same golden color with red diamonds at the center. Running her hoof through the fabric, it felt light as a feather.

“It’s beautiful,” said Celestia in amazement.

“And it will look lovely on you,” said Aurora in agreement.

“Luna, what do you think?”

Luna was examining her dress as well. It was made out of the same fabric but while Celestia’s dress only had one primary color, hers had two. At the neck running down the back was pink while at the waist down to the legs it was a light blue. A strand of plain fabric was wrapped around the start of the pink and dangled down gracefully. Her jewelry consisted of little silver crescent moon earrings and a tiara. Her shoes were silver too with strappings.

“Luna?” repeated Celestia.

“How did you come up with this?” Luna asked still fixated on her clothes for the night’s event.

“Oh, the King and Queen had them made for you,” said Aurora. “They wanted me to bring them to you.”

“And what about you?” asked Celestia.

“I already have mine. So what do you two think?”

“Mine is a little simple,” said Luna.

“Oh, you think so?” asked Aurora.

“Yes, It’s missing something.”

“Are you mad?” asked Celestia. “They’re perfect!”

“Yours is,” corrected Luna. “Because it only has one color. Mine has several.”

“It will look differently once you put it on,” said Celestia confidently. “If you ask me, you’ll look like the night sky.”

“Night Sky…” repeated Luna tilting her head this way and that as to get a better perspective of her dress.

“I think their both amazing Aurora,” said Celestia beaming. “I think Luna might be overthinking…”

“Night Sky! That’s it!” shouted Luna, her wings shot up in excitement. “Celestia, remind me to thank you latter!”

And before either one of her sisters could respond, she flew off down the hallway with her night’s clothing soaring beside her.

“What do you think she’s gone off to do?” asked Celestia.

“I think our sister is on to something with that “Night” idea of yours,” said Aurora giggling humorously.

When Luna came back she was in much higher spirits and when asked what she had flown off for, she wouldn’t say and told her sisters that they would have to wait until tonight to see. Throughout the remainder of the day, the castle staff was making sure everything was ready fore the night’s big event. The kitchens were working overtime to prepare the food and drinks. The smell of the cooking drove the Phoenix out of her slumber to fly around the castle in search for the hidden delicacies. Down in the kitchens, amongst the cooks, there was a brown Earth Pony. With all the distracted commotion going on, the pony had snuck into the castle as spider and made his way down to the kitchens where he morphed into his pony form and joined in on the cooking. He whistled a tune to himself as he took a bag of powder and carried it over to an empty spot and began to work. One of the cooks spotted him and headed over.

“Hey! How did you get in here?”

The fake Earth Pony ignored him and continued to add ingredients to his bowl.

“Hey!” The cook shouted. “I said, how did you…”

“Would you be so kind as to pass me that spoon?” asked the Discord pony, turning to face him.

His eyes flashed yellow and before the cook could back away, he tapped him with his hoof and the cooks light eyes turned grey and his gaze went out of focus.

“Well,” said Discord with a toothy grin. “I don’t have all day! Chop, Chop!”

The cook retrieved a spoon from the crowd and passed it to the trickster who took it and proceeded with his surprise for the Celebration.

When the sun was just an hour left till lowering, the guards and staff attending the celebration went off to their living courters to get ready. Celestia took out her new dress and walked over to the mirror once she was ready. Her mouth fell open when she saw her reflection. The dress didn’t only suit her, but the golden colors blended perfectly with her white body and pink mane and tail. She straitened her necklace only to realize that it came with pearls that dangled off like mini ice cycles. Celestia decided to give an experimental twirl. The fabric lifted up gracefully as she spun and fell softly back to the floor once she stopped. The Phoenix watched her caretaker marvel at her appearance. She cooed softly before she took off from her perch and landed on the mirror.

“What do you think?” Celestia asked the bird. “Too much?”

The Phoenix blinked in response. She then tilted her head back and began giving gentle tugs to her feathers.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Celestia asked in concern.

The Phoenix reemerged holding two of her long tail feathers in her beak. She then moved her head forward. Celestia understood the gesture and with her horn glowing, she took the feathers and stuffed them neatly in her dress where they stuck out behind her necklace. Looking at her self again in the mirror another smile formed.

“Thank you,” she said petting the firebird a gratefully.

The Phoenix gave a soft coo as she nipped her shoe affectionately then flew back to her perch. Celestia left her room and wanted to head over to her sisters to see how her outfit turned out. She knocked but there was no answer. She was about to try again when a voice from behind the door said, “I’ll be right out! Just give me a moment!”

“Luna, It’s me,” Celestia said back.

The door opened and Luna urged her big sister to come in. Once the door closed behind her, Celestia saw that her sister had fixed her mane and tail. She was wearing the crescent moon earrings, but apart form that, the rest of her clothes for the night lied scattered on her bed.

“Do you need any help getting your dress on?” Celestia asked.

Luna had just pulled a bucket filled with awfully familiar dark water in front of her.

“Hang on, isn’t that…”

“Shhhh!” Luna hissed. “Yes, it is. What you said turned out to be just the thing I needed.”

“What, the night sky?” Celestia asked.

Luna beamed at her. Her excitement couldn’t be any more obvious.

“Yes, watch this!”

Luna’s horn began to glow and just like in the rest of the fountain below the castle, tiny specks of light floated out of the water and obeyed the Moon Princess’ command. Celestia watched in awe as the small dots of light drifted over to their spots and placed themselves on the blue part of her dress, the strappings of her shoes, and lastly, her mane and tail. Even more incredible, they were staying perfectly still as if they had been fused with the new surface they now inhabited. With the newly sparkling outfit ready, Luna wasted no more time getting dressed. When she was done the sight was quite something to behold. Not only like Celestia did the outfit work perfectly for her, but with the extra additions she made for the colors of her dress and her navy blue coat; she really did look like the cycle of the night sky.

“Would you like to try some Celie?” she asked pleased by her success.

“I don’t know,” said Celestia not sure if it will work on her as it did for her sister.

“Aw, come on Celie,” pleaded Luna. “It’s the least I can do when it was your idea in the first place! And I think they would go wonderfully with your mane and tail!”

“I-Oh, alright. I suppose,” said Celestia grinning.

Luna made her horn glow again and more specks of light came out of the bucket and hovered above Celestia’s head. Just like before, Luna made them stick onto Celestia’s mane and tail. The two stared at eachothers reflection in the mirror and smiled.

“You know Luna, I think you’re right,” said Celestia touching her glittery mane.

The door opened again. This time, Aurora came in. When she saw her two little sisters she clapped a hoof to her mouth.

“Oh, my stars! You two look absolutely beautiful!”

“So do you Aurora!” said Celestia taking in her big sisters appearance.

Aurora was also wearing a golden tiara and her mane had been put into multiple ponytails by silver cylinders. Her shoes were golden and her dress long. It touched the floor and dragged behind her. Her dress was a light blue color with a yellow stipe that went down the back. A shining crystal belt was around her hip and small crystal charms dangled where the sleeves would be. A blue crystal heart was at the end of her dress while another crystal heart acted as her dress bow. Clearly with her royal outfit it didn’t take them long to guess that Aurora’s dress had been made at the Crystal Empire. The three Princesses looked at each other with warm smiles. Luna levitated her silver tiara off her bed and once she placed it on her head she said cheerfully, “Shall we be off?”

Outside of the castle, Ponies from the city of Canterlot, Ponyville and Cloudsdale approached the main gates. Together they waited until a royal guard opened the gates and let them enter the Castle grounds. The crowd of multi colored ponies talked amongst each other as they filled the lawn. The Castle doors were stood open and they all proceeded inside where they where greeted by the staff and the rest of the guard. Together they formed a line on both sides of the hall. The guests pilled in and waited. Some were nervous about meeting royalty, while others were ready to celebrate the Unity of the Three Tribes. Amongst the ponies, the form of Scorpan stood beside Tick, and Tock, who were asking him as many questions as they could before the party began. The two brothers messy colored manes proved once again to be too difficult to groom. Tock was wearing a green vest and white-sleeved shirt while his brother went with a purple vest over his shirt.

“So you knew the old caster too,” said Tock to the towering creature next to him. “It seems that everypony has either heard of or seen him at least once.”

“I suppose,” said Scorpan.

He was still worried about his older brother and what he was up to, but he decided the night before that he would attend the party no matter what his brother would say if he found out.

“And there are more of you out there?” asked Tock interested in finding out.

“You ask too many questions little pony,” Scorpan said looking down at him. “But yes, I am not the only one. There are many creatures out there, but we prefer to stick to the shadows where we won’t be seen.”

“I guess you can rule yourself out of that amount,” said Tock.

“Yes, well… I guess that makes me more daring than others now would it?”

Scorpan had hoped that this would satisfy the two unicorn’s curiosity, but he was sadly mistaken. He had to endure more questions from them. On and on it went until someone came behind the two and patted them on the backs. Turning around they saw the rest of their friends, Black Wood was standing beside Wind Chime sporting a dark suit. Wind Chime was wearing a light blue dress. Her mane despite not being in any fancy curls or balls had a smooth look and her hooves had on gold shoes with pink flower shaped rubies in the center.

Tock stared at her as if he had never seen her before in his life. Usually she would have given him a hard smack to the head, but not this time. Her soft and kind attitude towards him and his brother was new.

“Wow,” he said at last. “You look…”

“I know right?” chimed in Black Wood with an impressed look. “Whoever thought she would show up like this? I was just as surprised as you two when I realized it was her!”

“I suppose I’m not the only one with surprises tonight,” said Wind Chime noting the two brothers appearances.

“Hey! We can be just as civil as everypony here when we want to be!” said Tock defensively.

“I hope you two weren’t bothering the big guy too much,” said Black Wood looking up at Scorpan who looked down at the new arrivals.

“We were just asking him a couple questions,” said Tick simply. “Nothing too worry about,”

Scorpan forced himself not to snort. On the right side of the hall, the guards stood waiting patiently like the rest of the attendants. Suddenly at the top of the stairs, there came an advisor sporting a gray vest and glasses. All eyes turned to him as he took his position at the middle landing and looked around the hallway before saying aloud. “Mares, and Gentlecolts, Their Majesties, Queen Star Bright and King Night Shade!”

The Guards in suits and in armor stood at attention as the sound of a door opening echoed through the halls. Even the rest of the guests and staff seemed to have stood up straighter. Appearing at the top of the stairs with her husband beside her was Star Bright. The white dress with yellow linings she wore dragged across the floor. Night Shade’s red cape fell over his left shoulder and his black royal clothing with silver markings made him stand out even more. Their crowns shimmered in the light of the castle as they made their way down the stairs to the middle landing where the advisor waited to address the remaining members of the royal family. Once they took their places at the center, the advisor straightened his glasses before continuing on.

“Her Royal Highnesses, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!”

Celestia and Luna took deep breaths before heading down the narrow hall toward the stairs. When they immerged they were tempted to look down at the crowd staring up at them, but they knew they mustn’t. Celestia fought to keep her eyes fixed ahead of her while Luna was praying she wouldn’t trip on her dress. Their destination felt far away but at long last, their hooves touched the landing and they took their places on the King’s side. At last they were aloud to look down on the guests and they did. It didn’t take long to spot Scorpan, for he was the tallest guest in the crowd. Standing beside him were their friends who gave them a friendly smile. Celestia’s eyes continued to scan the main hall when her gaze fell upon the royal guard. Close to the steps was a tall Pegasus with a dark colored doublet. The light from the ceiling caused its golden patterns to give off quick glimmers. His mane was neatly groomed back and was his gaze was only on her? Even more so, his mouth was ajar? When he realized she was starring back, he straightened up and resumed standing at attention. The advisors voice called her back to earth as he began the last introductions.

“And making their first appearance ever, Their Majesties Queen Hermosa Aurora Cadenza and King Noble Heart!”

Aurora and Noble Heart came down the steps just as gracefully as Star Bright and Night Shade. They took their place on Star Bright’s side and waited for her or Night Shade to give a speech. It was Star Bright who spoke. Her voice rang out through the main hall.

“Welcome everypony, to The Celebration of Unity! Weather you are Unicorns, Pegasus or Earth Pony, you are here to at long last be recognized as equals. Your differences are what make each and every one of you special! And it is your time to show this growing world that it is possible for your kind to coexist with others! Let us Celebrate this remarkable achievement with the beginning of a new tomorrow! Where we can all live together in harmony!”

The main hall was filled with cheers from the party quests. At the queen’s order for the party to begin, the doors to the dinning room opened and the royal family waited as one by one; they were thanked for the creation of Ponyville and the peace between the Three Tribes. On and on it went for what seemed like an eternity until at long last, Celestia had her hoof shook one last time. With only a couple guests remaining in the main hall, Night Shade and Star Bright made their way to the opened doors where they became lost in the crowd.

“Shall we?” asked Noble offering a hoof to Aurora.

“Yes. Coming Luna, Celestia?”

“You go,” said Luna. “Celei and I will catch up later.”

Aurora and Noble left arm in arm, leaving the sisters waiting for their partners. The Pegasus Celestia had noticed before saluted as Aurora and Noble passed by. Once they were gone, he started up the stairs. He bowed his head to the two sisters and held his hoof out for Celestia to take. For a moment, the Sun Princess staid still before saying politely,

“Sorry, but I’m waiting for someone.”

“Captain?” said Luna eyeing the Stallion curiously.

Celestia looked at he Pegasus who still had his hoof held out. His expression changed to a recognizable frown before he spoke.

“What?” said Snap Shot. “Haven’t seen a Pegasus dress formally before?”

“N-no,” said Celestia, her cheeks growing pink. “It’s just, we never saw you like this before.”

“That’s true,” Agreed Luna. “I think there’s only one way to prove he’s the Captain! What is the nickname me and Celestia gave you?”

“Keep teasing me like this and that time patrolling the Everfree with my team in the morning will be doubled!” Snap Shot said warningly.

Luna flushed.

“Ok, I believe you! Go on Celei, you mustn’t keep him waiting any longer!”

“What are you talking about?” asked Celestia. “Snap Shot, did you find someone for Luna?”

“Ah, that…” said Snap Shot, his ears lowering in pity.

Luna understood what must have happened. It was alright she told herself. It didn’t bother her in the slightest. But why did she suddenly feel like something was crushing down on her chest?

“I tried to find somepony for her,” started Snap Shot truthfully. “But the one I had in mind…”

“Is right here!” Came a voice from behind.

It was Tick.

“Sorry for the wait Captain Grump!” he said smiling broadly. “But you should warn me when you’re about to make a move!”

“That’s Captain Snap Shot or sir to you!” Snap Shot growled.

“My apologies Captain Snap Shot Grump Sir!” said Tick.

It was only with great effort that Celestia and Luna didn’t laugh. The look Snap Shot was giving Tick was murderous. Tick must’ve sensed his life was in danger because he chose to switch back to Luna.

“Well, coming Luna?” he asked offering his hoof to her.

“Ye-yes!” said Luna hurriedly, taking the Unicorns hoof and went down the remaining flight of stairs at a fast pace.

Snap Shot, glaring after the retreating Unicorns back, reached out his hoof again. This time Celestia took it and together they too headed inside the dinning room where the long table had been removed making room for smaller round tables. On them were selections of various foods and drink bowls. In parts of the room, ice sculptures had been crafted for the occasion. All around, Unicorns were talking with Pegasi congratulating them on Cloudsdale and offering assistance to help change the weather patterns. Earth Ponies quickly started up lively conversations with their winged and horned friends. Even Scorpan was engaging in friendly chats. A group of ponies had brought their musical instruments for party and wasted no time in setting up a spot. Seeing what was going on the King and Queen found Aurora and Noble Heart and whispered something to them. Smiling warmly to his wife, Noble went over to the small group and gave them instructions on what he had in mind. He gave them a sheet of paper that one of unicorns copied down and passed out to his team. Once they all got into position, Everyone made room for the two approaching what was now the dance floor. Noble Heart bowed to his wife and took her hoof. A violin sounded off with long soothing notes followed by a guitar and finally a vocalist tuned in. Soon they were playing soft melody which Aurora and Noble danced to. Celestia watched as her older sister spun. Her dress lifted gracefully off the ground and back as her husband took the lead and together they began fast paced movements. The singer and violinist ended the song with one last long note before the two stopped holding each other close. Everyone cheered for the two. Amongst the crowed, one of the Guild members who had made it to the celebration called out something that was drowned out by the loud cheers around him. The small orchestra took in a brief moment of silence before they started a new song. This one was more energetic and fast paced. The Earth ponies were the first to find a partner and begin dancing. Soon everyone seemed to get into the mood and in no time, the dance floor was filled with ponies of all races. Pegasus sky danced above their earthbound races. Even the King and Queen joined in on the fun. Celestia was surprised when Snap Shot led her into the fray, but once they were there, the crowd was far to busy with their own partners to take any notice in the newcomers.

“You think you can keep up Captain?” asked Celestia smiling challengingly.

“Don’t you worry about me,” Snap Shot said back giving her a smirk in return. “It would be a pity if you were to trip on that dress of yours!”

In a matter of seconds the two were in sync with eachothers movements. Perfectly capable of keeping up with one another, a sudden stroke of inspiration made Celestia lift her self off the ground and join in with the Pegasus above them. Snap Shot flew up to her and continued their duet. Below, some of the Captain’s fellow guards cried out to him in excitement. Snap Shot didn’t care though. For the first time in a long while, he was actually enjoying himself and nothing was going to ruin it. Luna and Tick traded out with Tock and Wind Chime and began their own little samba.

Black Wood had broken away from the crowd to head after someone he had seen standing alone in the entrance. He followed when the pony spotted him and turned to leave. Even from far away there was no mistaking the brown coat and flashing yellow eyes. Quietly, Discord waited for his target to spot him in the main hall before he continued to lead him down to the kitchens. When Black Wood found him again he and the rest of the bewitched chefs were waiting in silence.

“May I ask why you’re down here when you’re supposed to be up there with the rest of us?” asked Black Wood.

“I did say I have a present in mind for the royal family and I plan on doing just that,” said Discord.

“Then why did you want me to follow you?”

“Because I need somepony to deliver it for me,” said Discord smiling wickedly at him.

“You aren’t going to give it to them yourself?” questioned Black Wood noting that the cooks had moved closer to him.

“Oh, I will be at attendance,” reassured Discord. “But I won’t reveal myself until the end.”

The cooks drew closer now making Black Wood's suspicions grow . His curiosity changed to caution.

“So, what do you have in mind?” he asked wanting to keep the Shapeshifter talking as long as possible so he could figure out an escape route.

“I have just the thing!” said Discord cheerfully. “But first, I need to ask a favor from you.”

“And what is that?” asked Black Wood readying himself to attack.

“To hold still,” Discord said darkly.

Black Wood backed up only to find his path blocked by the cooks. They began to close in on him.

“Stay back!” Black Wood demanded. “I’m warning you! Don’t make me hurt you!”

The cooks only stared blankly at him as they continued to move forward. One of the ponies dove for the Earth Pony who took a nearby pan in his mouth and brought it down on his attackers head. The dazed cook fell to the floor unconscious. This didn’t stop the rest of them from inching forward. Black wood backed into a pair behind him and was instantly brought to his knees. Discord broke through the sea of chefs and approached the shocked Unicorn.

“Didn’t I tell you to hold still?” He tuted. “This will all be over quickly if you do as your told.”

“I knew there was something strange about you!” said Black Wood darkly. “You just wait until the Princesses find out! What ever it is your planning I don’t want any part of it!”

“I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter,” said Discord holding up his hoof that glowed bright yellow. “You will help me deliver my present and once the royal family excepts it… The real fun can begin!”

“No! I won’t do it!” Black wood shouted.

Discord’s hoof reached out, but his prey wasn’t going down without a fight! Black Wood shook off the cooks holding him and threw the pan directly at his attackers face making him stumble back into his puppets knocking them over. Black Wood was looking around for something else to defend himself with when he was hit over the head with a wooden spoon. Crying out in pain the ponies behind him took his moment of distraction to hold him still while Discord stood back up and glared at Black Wood. His glowing hoof touched Black Woods snout and his eyes like the chefs grew blank and his struggling ceased. The discorded cooks released the Earth Pony. Discord stepped over the knocked out ponies and ordered the rest of his puppets to begin the final steps of making his present.

The orchestra continued to play songs that they had brought in preparation for the party. In all of the excitement, no one had noticed the absence of one Unicorn. Celestia and her friends sat down next to a sculpture of a swan to take a break from dancing and carry out friendly chats. Tick had been forced to hold his tongue before he and a few Royal Guards shared another inside joke about the Captain. Snap Shot appeared to take little interest in their conversation, but Tick and the rest felt a cold chill run down their spines as he led him away to fetch drinks for their group.

“I love your dresses you two!” said Wind Chime happily. “And Snap Shot, who would have guessed that he would leave his armor behind for one night?”

“I should say the same about your partner!” said Celestia taking a closer look at Tock. “How did you convince him to wear that?”

“I beg your pardon!” said Tock dramatically. “Why do you guys assume that I wouldn’t dress like this?”

“Let me think,” said Wind Chime tapping her chin. “The daily shenanigans you and your brother cook up. Your undying claims that fancy gatherings aren’t your forte? Gee, the possibilities are endless.”

“Alright,” said Tock rolling his eyes but smirking all the same. “But you have to admit, I did surprise you.”

“Yes. I’ll admit it Tock. You sure did. And this time it wasn’t from one of your tricks.”

“If you think that was unexpected, you haven’t seen anything yet!” Tock said with a devious grin.

“What on earth do you mean by that?” asked Celestia.

Tick and Snap Shot had just arrived with filled glasses and began passing them out. Tock took his glass and said confidently.

“Let’s just say a couple mares I’ve run into over the past years might have a tale or two about me.”

The tips of Celestia’s ears turned pink. Luna gagged on her drink and Wind Chime stood wide-eyed in shock at Tocks daring words. Snap Shot closed his eyes in order to prevent himself from shouting. Tick looked like he wanted to be as far away from his older brother before Wind Chime retorted. Sure enough Wind Chime snapped out of her stupefied expression and with her cheeks blushing she burst out in a fury of words that luckily no one else but her friends heard. When she had finished Tock was fighting to keep a straight face.

“Wow, Wind Chime,” he said with a snort. “I never knew you had such a colorful vocabulary. But don’t you think that was a little harsh?”

“Oh, believe me buster,” snapped Wind Chime, poking Tocks chest “Every bit of it was highly necessary!”

Tocks face turned red. An argument was undoubtedly on the horizon. He asked Wind Chime what her problem was and before she could answer everyone’s heads turned. The room had gone completely silent.

“Did you hear that?” asked Luna looking in the direction of the opened doors.

“Hear it?” questioned Tick. “I think everypony in and outside of the castle heard that!”

“What do you think just happened out there?” asked Wind Chime.

“Quiet! Listen.” Urged Celestia.

Another much louder screech filled the castle as the sounds of distant flapping ended and was replaced by footsteps. The King and Queen looked over at the open doors, their expression serious. The royal guards abandoned their cheery get-togethers and sprung into action, each readying themselves to act as soon as they were ordered.

“Princesses, stay behind me,” ordered Snap Shot.

Now wasn’t the time to argue. The rest of their friends took their places beside the captain in order to shield the two sisters from sight. From the main halls the heavy footsteps stopped. From the crowd, Scorpan sniffed the air and let out a deep growl. Celestia looked at Luna who gave her the same curious look. Their parents on the other hand exchanged knowing looks.

“Why don’t you come out?” asked Night Shade calmly. “We’ve been wondering when you would show up!”

No answer. Snap Shot was about the leave Celestia and Luna with their friends while he returned to his fellow guards when two tall figures came into sight. Two Griffons in armored chain came out and stood by the open doors like towing statues. They stomped their clawed feet and a third Griffon appeared. Only this time, he continued down the room towards the King and Queen. The ponies cleared a path for him to go down and watched as he passed by. He easily towered over the crowed. If one of the ponies were brave enough to reach out, they would only be able to touch his knees. His gold eyes were only for Night Shad and Star Bright. His armor was heavy. The metal helmet he wore covered most of his face. His armor unlike those standing watch at the doors had sharper shoulder pads and a chest plate with a blue and yellow symbol in the middle. His talons clicked at the floor with each step he took. Once he reached the King and Queen he stared down at them. Being tall themselves, Night Shade and Star Bright had only to look up a fraction to make eye contact.

“Your Majesties,” said the Griffon in a rough accent.

“I suppose it is too late for us to welcome you inside,” said Night Shade casually.

“Not at all,” said the Griffin. “By all means, your excellence. Don’t let us bring the festivities to a halt, carry on.”

Star Bright gave the musicians a reassuring look and almost immediately, they returned to playing their music. But not everyone went back to what they were doing. Aurora and Noble Heart made their way to the King and Queen. Celestia and Luna were about to do the same when Snap Shot stopped them.

“No, let them handle it!” he said not wanting to take his eyes off the two Griffons at the doors.

“Come on Snap! We can help!”

“No!” repeated Snap Shot more firmly. “The Griffons don’t need to feel outnumbered in higher authorities.”

“But…”

“It’s bad enough that Princess Aurora and Noble Heart are getting involved. Just stay where you are!”

Celestia and Luna didn’t like it, but when they glanced over to where their parents were they could see the helmet the Griffon wore, turn as Aurora and Noble Heart approached. The two bowed their heads in respect to the Griffon when they were close enough to the three.

“Another Alicorn?” Questioned the Griffon, ignoring Noble Heart and focused on Aurora. “And who might you be?”

“I am Princess Aurora,” Aurora said raising her head to face the Griffon. “And this is my husband, Noble Heart. We are the future Queen and King of the Crystal Empire!”

Even as she said it, she could tell that the Griffon’s eyes widened a little. He might have been taller than her, but with the presence of another King and Queen in front of him, it was clear that he was thinking long and hard about his next words. Finally his posture seemed to straighten up more as he turned back to Night Shade.

“You didn’t tell us there would be more of you here,” he said with a glare.

“You never asked,” said Night Shade simply. “And correct me if I’m wrong. But isn’t your King supposed to be here too? He didn’t say anything about a substitute in his last letter.”

Whatever feathers were seen poking out of the heavy armor rose as his body swelled up a bit. It was clear that he didn’t like being talked to like that. Noble Heart saw this and spoke up before the large bird could retort.

“I assure you we are all here for the same thing! Let’s not lose track of why we’re here!”

The Griffon eyed Noble Heart closely. His gold eyes narrowed as his body deflated and he regained control of his temper.

“Yes, let’s get right to it!” he agreed. “As you can see, my liege cannot be here tonight. Therefore, it is up to me to be here in his place. I am Commander Silver Beak.”

“Well, we send your King our regards,” said Night Shade. “Come, we can talk freely outside.”

Silver Beak clicked his beak in response and let out a call to the two standing at the open doors. They marched passed the party guests and followed their leader outside with the four rulers. Several royal guards did the same. Once outside the two armored Griffons and Pegasi stood at attention on opposite sides.

“Now,” began Silver Beak seriously. “Where shall we start?”

“I would like for you to tell us what your race is doing venturing out of your lands and into others,” said Night Shade calmly.

“Ah, it’s like my king said in his letter your highness,” said Silver Beak waving his clawed foot lazily. “This world is growing each day. Everyone wants to expand their territory. And we are just one more race you can add to the list.”

“Certainly,” said Night Shade with a small smile. “But haven’t you done more than take interest in land that hasn’t already been claimed? Haven’t you been, if my information is correct, offering to split them between you and others?”

Silver Beak’s beak quivered a bit at this. He did not expect Night Shade to know this much. He quickly rebounded and said with a snicker.

“Your are as knowledgeable as ever your highness.”

“Oh, no,” said Night Shade pleasantly. “Just friendly amongst the local towns ponies.”

“Yes, you are correct,” said Silver Beak. “We have been doing just that. But it isn’t easy. Most don’t want to bargain with us. So, we are forced to…”

“To take what doesn’t belong to you?” demanded a growling voice from above.

It was Scorpan. After the party of four had left, he snuck outside to and had been waiting above them until they reached this moment.

“I have never heard of such ugly lies like this before! You and your kind have been going into our territories and claiming them as your own! Just last month, you took over a part of the mountains!”

“Was that your land?” asked Silver Beak challengingly.

“No, but it belonged to other creatures none the less! You can’t just come in and take what isn’t yours!”

“If it was, then where were their marks?”

“Excuse me?”

“Marks!” repeated Silver Beak impatiently. “Symbols on stone and rocks, Flags even! Where was any of that when we were there?”

“Symbols? Flags?” spluttered Scorpan indignantly. “Are you serious?! We may have symbols but we never found any reason to have them out in the open!”

“Well, you might want to consider that from now on. And next time we’ll leave the area without a second glance!”

Scorpan squeezed his hands into fists. “How dare you!” he snarled.

“Easy beast!” Silver Beak warned as his fellow Griffons clicked their beaks furiously. “You don’t want to…”

“Enough!” Shouted Star Bright, silencing the two at once. “Scorpan, calm down! Silver Beak, have you and the rest of the Griffons offered them any deals?”

“Of course,” said Silver Beak darkly. “But they didn’t want to take our offer.”

“What offer?” demanded Scorpan.

“Only to split the lands. We gave them a choice to keep their part while we kept the other. Well, you know how that went I’m sure.”

“Silver Beak, we want you to make the offer again,” said Star Bright firmly.

“Offer it again?” repeated Silver Beak. “Your highness, they already refused once. What good can it do a second time?”

“You will place the offer again,” said Star Bright again. “And Scorpan, I implore you to tell the rest of the creatures to accept.”

“I… Very well, I will see what I can do.” said Scorpan. “But some may not want to.”

“Oh, I think they will,” said Star Bright reassuringly. “Dear,” she turned to her husband. “Let those in the north know what is going on. If any new lands we have taken have any creatures living there, we must take care and make a deal with them as well.”

“An excellent idea my Queen,” said Night Shade warmly.

“Aha!” exclaimed Silver Beak pointing his long talon at the two. “So you ponies are also claiming new land as well!”

“We already told your King this last time we spoke,” said Night Shade patiently. “Silver Beak, we do not want things to get out of hoof.”

“Neither do we your majesty,” said Silver Beak seriously.

“Then, does this mean that you will agree to offer these creatures parts of their land back?”

“We… Yes, as you wish. I will tell my King to put the offer back up.”

“Good,” said Night Shade with a small smile. “If you want us to trust you, you need to start being honest with us in return.”

“We understand,” said Silver Beak, although his and the others glares couldn’t be more fierce in their distaste for the way the meeting had gone.

Still they knew that there was no way they were going to win any arguments with Scorpan there. Once again, Silver Beak turned his focus on Aurora.

“You haven’t said anything yet. What do you think?”

“I think, we should all play our parts by making sure we can coexist with these creatures,” said Aurora.

Silver Beak considered her for a moment. At last he bowed his head.

“An admirable sentiment,” he said and opened his wings.

The rest of the griffons followed their commander’s lead and stood ready for take off.

“I hope our paths meet again Commander,” said Aurora kindly.

“My King will keep in touch,” said Silver Beak. “And perhaps we will see each other sooner than you think Crystal Queen.”

And without another word, he and the rest of the Griffons kicked off the ground and flew up, their silhouettes disappearing in the night sky. Scorpan was still breathing heavily as he too wasn’t pleased by the outcome of the meeting.

“Scorpan,” said Aurora. “I meant every word! We will do our best to ensure that you and the rest of the creatures will be treated fairly!”

“Thank you, your majesty,” said Scorpan turning his gaze away from the sky. “But so did I. I may want us to find a way to live with you and the rest of the ponies in peace, but that doesn’t mean everyone will think that way. My brother for one will…”

But what his bother would do once word had reached him, they never found out. Just then a cheer went off from inside the castle. Back inside they saw that the orchestra had stopped playing and every ones attention was on the opened doors where Black Wood stood next to an enormous iced cake. The first three layers had yellow tiaras carved into them. A single crown sat proudly at the top. He began to push the vast treat through the crowd toward the buffet.

“Where has he been?” asked Tock as Black Wood passed by his friends without acknowledgment.

“Who knows,” said Tick shrugging. “He probably wants to tell the King and Queen about his discoveries.”

Black Wood stopped once he reached the decorated tables and stood there. His eyes began scanning the room. Celestia approached him.

“Hey Black Wood, what’s with the cake delivery?”

“It’s a gift for you and the royal family,” he said impatiently as his gaze was still fixed on everyone else but her.

“Oh,” said Celestia and stepped in front of the Earth Pony to try and get his attention.

This worked, but when Black Wood realized who he was facing, Celestia could tell there was something off about his appearance. His usual dark eyes had gone if possible even darker. His brown coat was fading in color and he looked at his friend as if he had never seen her before until just now.

“Black Wood, are you alright?” asked Celestia curiously.

“Oh, I’m fine.” He replied with a smirk that Celestia didn’t return. “More than fine! Where are your parents? Your sister?”

“They’re around,” said Celestia growing more suspicious by the second. “Black Wood, where have you been?”

“I’ve been busy. I have a delivery to make and the royal family must be accounted for before I bring this gift to them.”

“I see, but… You look…”

“What?!” Demanded Black Wood sharply.

His entire laidback attitude had changed. He was glaring at Celestia who winced at the unexpected outburst.

“Go on! Tell me!” Black Wood yelled.

Heads began to turn toward them. Celestia tried to keep a calm demeanor, but Black Wood went on.

“I hate it when everypony thinks they know something I don’t and don’t bother to tell me! So, what is it?! Have you discovered what’s causing the Everfree…”

“Shhhh!” Celestia pleaded trying to calm her friend down. “It’s not about that! What’s gotten into you? You’re acting weird!”

Black Wood let out a derisive laugh. “You’re calling me strange when this party has Tick and Tock in it?”

“Black Wood!” Celestia said considering this a low blow. “What has happened? You weren’t like this before you left.”

“I told you, I’m fine! I just need to deliver this cake to… Your majesties!”

He bowed as Night Shade and Star Bright approached them.

“Well now, this looks very appetizing!” Night Shade said examining the large treat. “Was it you who made this?”

“Oh, no. I only deliver my liege,” said Black Wood standing up.

And digging through his suit pocket he pulled out a knife and brought it toward the table.

“May I?”

Receiving a nod from the King, he brought the knife down on top of the iced layer. It didn’t take long for Celestia to see that something was wrong. From the moment the sharp tip of the dagger pierced through the icing, pink and purple smoke began to leak out. It was like watching a volcano erupt. The top of the cake exploded! Splattering the party guests with icing! It would have been humorous if the smoke hadn’t begun to pour onto the floor. In no time, the floor was covered in the thick smoke. The guests started to get a little worried and the guards sprung to action. They positioned themselves around the supposed present.

“Everyone stand back!” Commanded Snap Shot stepping forward with the King and Queen.

“Come on,”Celestia urged Black Wood.

But Black Wood stayed where he was. Like everyone else, his eyes were focused on the top of the sugarcoated treat. Something inside it was stirring. The guards readied themselves for orders as Snap Shot approached the cake. It didn’t take him long to back up. Something moved inside once more and this time, two hooves reached out and lifted a the pony from inside up. Celestia knew who it was the second the body of the Fake Earth Pony came into view. She let out a sigh of relief, but her parents, Snap Shot and the rest of the guards continued to stare cautiously at the new guest. As the Master of Chaos looked down on the crowd of curious onlookers he spotted the King and Queen and smiled wickedly.

“So,” he began. “This is the King and Queen of Canterlot! I must admit. I expected you to be young in appearance.”

“Time is a funny thing,” said Night Shade casually. “But you would know all about humor. That is what you like to call your crimes. Am I right?”

“Oh, no. You already know!” Discord mocked dramatically. “And here I was thinking I had outsmarted his highness at last!”

Celestia was beside herself. What was going on? Why was her father talking to the Shapeshifter as if he had known he was in the kingdom? And why was the creature talking back in way that made her begin to sense something bad was closing in? She looked over to where Luna was and saw that she wore the same confused expression. Discord’s eyes flashed yellow again as Night Shade frowned up at him.

“Was that your doing down in the forest?”

“Yes,” Discord said proudly. “Do you like what I did with the place? It wasn’t easy, but in the end I think I improved upon it! Don’t you agree?”

“No, I can’t say I do,” said Night Shade sadly. “While the forest may back to its full might, I cannot help but to think there will be some kind of repercussion.”

“Ah, well, that’s what makes it all the more exciting!” Discord said cheerfully. “Twists and turns are all part of the master plan after all!”

“What kind of plan?!” Snap Shot demanded.

Discord looked down at the Captain of the guard with a mechanical smirk.

“Why, Captain,” he said playfully. “It’s nice to see you without a sword to back up your authority.”

“Enough messing around!” Snap Shot spat. “Guards, take him!”

“Oh, no!” Discord said dramatically. “What ever will I do with all of you surrounding me?”

And to Celestia and Luna’s horror, he began to laugh. But it wasn’t any normal laughter they would hear. No, the cackling that came from the Shapeshifter was maddening, an evil thing. Then, as the guards lifted themselves off the ground, the Earth Pony vanished with a loud crack! Shrieks came from the crowd as the creatures laughter echoed through the halls!

“Where did he go?!” Snap Shot yelled.

Outside the wind began to pick up and before anyone could respond, the windows and doors to the outside burst open sending a howling wind inside. Sweeping away the smoke at their hooves and blowing out every torch and candle in the castle leaving everyone in total darkness. In the dark, Celestia tried to get Black Wood to follow her, but he was already gone. She had to get to her parents and sisters! Someone in the now panicked crowd screamed!

“Hey! Was that you Tick!”

“No, but… Watch it! Black Wood, was that you?”

“Every pony remain calm and stay where you are!” came Snap Shot’s commanding voice. “Unicorns, are you willing to shed some light on the situation?”

From behind the captain came a flash of silver light and two orbs shot up to the ceiling illuminating the room just enough to see where everyone was. The wind had died out and an uneasy quiet took over.

“Guards, search the room and stay alert! He could be anyone!”

“Or anywhere,” added Celestia making her way through the panicked sea of ponies. “Luna, can you hear me?”

The Royal Guards began their search with the Earth Ponies. All the while, Night Shade and Star Bright whispered something to Aurora who took her husbands hoof and led him away to a darker part of the room. Celestia made her way through the crowd, calling out for her sister and friends. She wedged passed several Pegasi and saw for a brief moment a glimpse of a faded coat and bushy short tail.

“Black Wood?” She called out.

The pony continued his way through the sea of multi colored quadrupeds as if he had never heard her. Celestia followed. The guards were just finishing up on one row of party guests when the orbs above them flickered in and out of existence. Finally they burnt out but their form still remained. Once again, they were left in total darkness.

“We shouldn’t stay here,” Celestia said aloud. “We need to get every pony out!”

But just then, the orbs lit up again and the room cried out in fear. A large portion of the partygoers and guards had disappeared. Now completely terrified, the ponies started to back away slowly before they became the next to vanish. Snap Shot stood with his mouth open. He had no idea how he was supposed to keep everyone from panicking at this point? Even his fellow guards were shaken up by the unexpected abduction. Only Night Shade and Star Bright remained calm.

“Everyone,” started Night Shade, seeing that the creature’s intentions were foreboding and his subjects were now in danger. “I must insist that you leave the Castle and its grounds immediately!”

Thinking that the King would never ask, the herd made their way to the doors when they slammed shut. The invisible Shapeshifter gave out another mad laugh.

“What’s this? Leaving so soon? I don’t think so!”

“Let them leave creature!” Night Shade ordered the ceiling.

“It’s too late for that your majesty!” Discords echoing voice rang throughout the castle. “The fun has just begun and I’m just getting started!”

“You think this is some kind of game!” shouted Snap Shot looking around for any sign of the creature.

“I do love games Captain,” replied Discord happily. “Oh, that’s right, we are already playing one. Lights out!”

The orbs above fizzed out again and the scared ponies screamed. Celestia hurried over to an empty space and waited. The worried ponies cries of fear went on for several long minutes until finally, silence took over. The orbs came back on. Celestia looked to the lit part of the room but not one party member was seen.

“No, no! Luna? Luna?”

Celestia didn’t want to believe it. She began to search for any sign of Luna and her friends in her darkened haven. Maybe like her, they too snuck to parts of the room that weren’t lit. Snap Shot swore. His guards were once again taken too and only three remained. Together they rushed over to the King and Queen and formed a circle around them.

“My King stay with us!” said Snap Shot. “We’ll protect… No, not again!”

The light in the orbs went out yet again. This time their entire physical appearance disappeared too. Celestia continued to feel around her, but she couldn’t find anyone. She also didn’t want to cast any light spells incase the Shapeshifter was still lurking close by. Celestia hadn’t made it three more steps when the torches came back on. Looking around, she saw that her older sister was with her husband on one side of the room and just a couple more feet ahead of her was Luna with Wind Chime, Tick and Tock. They all met at the center of the room looked around. The cake was still poring out smoke, although it was not as heavy as it used to be. The spot where Snap Shot and the remaining guards were protecting the King and Queen were gone. They were all gone and they were the only ones left.