Alex smoothed his dress down, feeling a giddy thrill tingling in his belly. It was a strange experience, wearing the dress without Sonata being with him. None of the urge to twirl or take photos was there, though he still found that he had a bit of a skip to his step.

Discord leaned down and whispered something into Fluttershy’s ear which caused the yellow mare to giggle softly. “Discord, no teasing tonight unless someone asks for it. I know you like your pranks, but Twilight’s been helping plan this gala and I want it to go smoothly.”

“Oh fine, dear. Have it your way. I’ll restrict my meddling to making nobles start mooing like cows if I feel like they’re annoying me.” He carefully brushed a leaf off of the shoulder of his orange suit as they all walked towards Snails’ house to pick up Alex’s date.

Screwball smiled, hanging off Discord’s shoulder. “Mister Sister is so excited. Have good time night~”

“You know, Screwy, you could try calling him Alex more often.” Discord teasingly flicked his tail up against Screwball’s back. “I know you have your less rational moments, but nicknames aren’t always fitting.”

“Alex doesn’t mind, does he?” Screwball asked, looking down at her younger sibling. “Is nickname okay?”

“I’ll let you know if it bothers me, Screwball. I actually like it most of the time, because it reminds me of some old music videos for a cool band, Twisted Sister.” Alex smiled as he thought about the videos. “Always the same older angry guy not liking what kids were doing. I guess they seemed relatable for a depressing reason, but they were fun.”

“I’m sorry, Alex.” Having left her perch, Screwball hugged Alex from behind. “Big Sister will make sure your date goes super well!”

Alex couldn’t help but blush a little at the ‘d’ word. “It’s not a real date. I just got an extra ticket and he’s the only friend I have other than Sonata, and I’m sure she’d have gotten her own invitation.”

“It’s okay, big sister understands.” Nodding her head, Screwball kissed the back of his head. “No need to be obtuse.”

“I’m not being obtuse, I just want to make sure I don’t push people I like away from me like I did for years because... nevermind. I’m not going to think of him tonight. I want to enjoy myself, have as good a time as I possibly can at a stuffy party.”

Screwball nodded. “Big sister will make sure party is fun and um...” she pouted and looked back at Discord. “Chaosy?”

“I’d say keep the chaos to a level that won’t cause your father a headache. Annoy the nobility by doing things no earth pony should be able to, but no big light shows, and keep a leaf or two of poison joke at hoof in case you feel a fit coming on.” He nodded sagely and smiled down at the two of them.

“Aye, aye, Captain!” Screwball pushed away with a gentle shove, pointing to the building ahead of them. “Go ahead Mister Sister, your date awaits!”

“He’s not my date!” Alex hissed, his face turning cherry red. “Just let me go get him, okay?” Smoothing his dress out, Alex muttered to himself and made his way to the front door. Taking in a breath, he gave a few solid knocks on the door.

The door opened up a few seconds later, with a larger-than-average brick-colored stallion standing in the doorway. “Oh, you must be Alex. Snails mentioned you had an exotic look to you, but I wasn’t expecting a miniature minotaur. Name’s Hightower.” He offered a hoof for Alex to shake.

“I’m a human,” Alex stated, taking Hightower’s hoof and shaking it. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hightower.” Clearing his throat, he took his hand back. “Is Snails ready?”

“Bah, just Hightower’s fine. Snails is just, ah, well his mom’s helping with the bowtie.” He smiled and stepped aside from the doorway as his ears flicked back briefly. “And his mom’s trying to convince him to give you some flowers she bought.”

“Oh, really?” Alex asked, feeling his face heat up more. “He doesn’t have to do that.” Stepping inside, Alex took a quick look around. It was a nice little home, rather cozy with lots of weather themed decorations.

“Oh believe me, he knows he doesn’t. His mom just has this thing about wanting to impress his first fillyfriend, being generous, and she doesn’t want him to give you something he made instead, because she’s silly.” Hightower looked out the door and motioned for the rest of Alex’s family to come on in, only for Discord to shake his head.

“I’d rather stay out here, but thank you.”

Alex stumbled over a reply, his mind trying to process a response. He eventually settled on a nod, not trusting his mouth to speaking intelligently.

“Alex is a little nervous too,” Fluttershy said, following in behind him. “He’s getting a bit tongue tied.”

“Eh, it’s fine. We’re all a little clumsy about things when we’re young.” Hightower thought back a bit and his eyes shot wide open after a few seconds. “Oh, I’m sorry, I completely forgot about something. I think I owe you an apology, Fluttershy. You grew up in Cloudsdale, right?”

“I did,” Fluttershy said with a nod.

“Right, well, I thought so. Summer flight camp, fourteen years ago? I’m sorry for laughing at you. Kids can be cruel, and being a parent now I know that wasn’t the right thing to do.”

Fluttershy blinked, genuinely surprised. “Oh my, you were one of those colts? Well, don’t feel too bad about it. It was wrong, but it helped me find my special talent.”

“Hey, my kid’s getting called a ‘slowpoke’ by a classmate of his. It just wasn’t sitting well with me feeling upset about that when I knew I’d teased a classmate of mine for having a similar issue with their innate magic coming slow or weak to them. You need any work done on your house and I’ll help out at a minimal cost, alright?”

Offering a soft smile, Fluttershy nodded. “Well, I don’t think we’ll need any work on the house done but... I do have something else in mind. Maybe we could talk about it this weekend?”

“Sure, but if it’s bigger than a small project I’d need to consult with my boss about making time for it, or possibly making it a bigger job, then we have to work out scheduling...but we’ll burn that bridge after we cross it.”

“Oh, ummm, you’re here already…” Snails’ slow, drawling voice came from the doorway behind Alex. “Wow... your dress, it’s... wow.”

“Oh my stars, that dress simply must be photographed. Go on and stand next to your date, Snails.” This voice was similarly slow, but at a much higher pitch than Snails’ tone. Seems his speech issue was an inherited thing.

“Thank’s...” Alex muttered, shyly brushing a few strands of hair out of his face. “You look nice too...” Alex turned to look at Snails, giving the best smile he could give.

Snails blushed, and quickly walked up to Alex’s side while his mother raised a camera and took a picture of them together, with Alex in his copy of the dress Sonata became and Snails wearing what looked like a baby-blue tuxedo. Snails’ mane and tail were brushed and styled a little differently than usual, and he seemed nervous. “Alright, the two of you say ‘lightning!’”

“Lightning!”

“L-Lightning!”

The camera flashed a few times, creating a quick strobe effect before the blue mare set the camera down. “Alright, you two go have as much fun as you can tonight. Snails can sleep over at your place if things end up running too late and you don’t have the time to get him home.”

“You know, you could at least introduce yourself, darling.”

“Oh, right. I forget the silliest things when I’m excited. I’m Polar Vortex, and I’m the winter weather specialist here in Ponyville. I’m sure you’re going to love this winter, Alex. It’s planned to be mild except for a blowout of a blizzard after Hearth’s Warming so there’ll be a ton of snow for the weekend.”

“I’m Alex, it’s nice to meet you,” Alex responded, recovering his composure. “Winter’s always been a little... difficult for me.”

“Oh, well I’m sorry to hear that. Was the weather management not as good where you used to live, or is it a cold thing?”

“Mooooom, you can ask Alex about things like that later. We have a party to get to.”

Hightower snickered and pulled his wife into a hug with his wing. “You kids get going. I’ll keep her from following you.”

“Oh you know I wouldn’t dare…”

“Come on, Alex. We don’t want to be late.” Taking Alex’s hand in his magic, Snails bade his parents goodbye. Beating a hasty exit, Snails led Alex outside and a bit away from his home. “Sorry... my mom can be a little... clingy, and insistent.”

“She didn’t seem that bad to me. A little overly eager to see you getting along with a ‘filly’ but-”

“You didn’t grow up with her, or have to listen to her gushing about me being invited to the gala by a classmate, or have to tell her a hundred times that you wouldn’t like flowers, since you can’t snack on them after they stop smelling great.”

“Ah, it’s fine.” Alex smoothed out his dress, noting that it appeared to be the start of a nervous tic. “I’m glad you like the dress. I think it’s my favorite non-t-shirt and jeans outfit I have.”

“It’s very pretty. I didn’t expect you to already have some shell jewelry though.” He stopped as they got back to Discord and Screwball, swallowing nervously as he looked up. “Uh...hi.”

Leaning down, Discord greeted Snails with a smile. “Hello there, young man. I like the color of your suit, contrasts nicely with your colors. Are you looking forward to tonight?”

“I-uh, I’m hoping to enjoy the gala, with Alex, yes. Um, thank you, sir.”

“Dissy, don’t intimidate the poor dear,” Fluttershy chided gently as she rejoined the group. “I want you two to have a fun night, okay? If you need anything just let either of us or any of our friends know, okay?”

“Y-yes miss Fluttershy.” Snails responded quickly, offering her a somewhat more relaxed smile. “I like your ears, by the way. The extra fluff is cool.”

“Aw, thank you, Snails,” Fluttershy replied. “I know this might sound a bit out of the blue but, have you ever teleported before?”

“No, not intentionally, or that I can remember anyways. I’m guessing we’re not going by a coach, then?” He looked from Fluttershy to Alex to Discord. “It’s not going to hurt is it?”

“Only if you scream. Try holding your breath the first time just to avoid that.”

“Mommy, bad teasing. You and I know he should keep breathing.”

“It’ll be fine,” Alex assured, putting a hand on Snails’ back. “Just close your eyes and we’ll be in Canterlot.”

“Oh, not quite, Alex. It’s going to be two teleports. We’re stopping to pick up my distant friend Tree Hugger on our way, remember?”

“Right, right, but that’ll take long enough if it doesn’t agree with him that he can recover.”

“Dad, enough with the teasing about teleporting. I’ve never felt anything other than a little flutter in my stomach and a moment of weightlessness. It’s fine.”

Discord smiled, putting an arm around Alex. “Aw, you called me dad.” Holding his talon up, he snapped his fingers, whisking the group across the country.

“Do we really have to have this dude announce us?” Alex whispered to Fluttershy as they were escorted through the halls of Canterlot Castle. “Seems a bit... much.”

“It’s me.” Screwball sighed and adjusted the simple woven hat that had replaced her normal propeller beanie after arriving in Canterlot, though her dress had remained the same white gown with all kinds of colored splotches decorating it. “Every so often, daddy feels he needs to remind the nobles that I exist.” She sounded sad, and more normal and serious than Alex had ever really heard before.
“Everyone gets announced at the gala, sweetheart,” Discord countered, petting her head. “I know you don’t like it but you’re an important part of the royal family and yes, sometimes the nobles have to be reminded about who the heir to the throne is.”

“Wait, heir to the throne?”

Alex snickered. “Snails, my older sister here is Celestia’s only child from, like, a thousand years ago, with Discord. She’s just like any other pony to me though, maybe slightly scarier when she sneezes.”

“I don’t always sneeze glitter explosions!”

“So, wait, you’re, like, the heir to Celestia? Far out.”

The friendly banter was interrupted as a more fancily dressed stallion approached. “Excuse me, are you entering as a group?”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy blinked, looking over her shoulder at Tree Hugger and Alex on one side. “Introductions have always been individual before other than the rare occasion that an entire family... oh.”

“We don’t have to figure out a family name right now on the spot, Fluttershy. We haven’t even decided to make it a formal arrangement yet after all.” Discord waved his paw ahead. “You can go in first with Alex if you want, and then Screwball and I will follow if you want to keep things simple and not hold up anypony behind us.”

“Ah, so you would be the Element of Kindness, and her son, the Keyblade Knight Alex Lionheart?” The stallion looked from Fluttershy to Snails, then frowned and double-checked a list of guests that hadn’t arrived yet. “Odd, we have you marked as a normal pegasus rather than a thestral, and your son looks like a normal unicorn, not…”

“I’m Alex,” Alex interrupted, holding back a sharp tone. “This is my friend, Snails.”

“Oh, right. Sorry, it’s just...nevermind. I’m guessing there’s some kind of cultural thing I’m not briefed on. My apologies. So Fluttershy, element of kindness, her guest would be…”

“Tree Hugger. Breezy enthusiast and botanist. You look like you need a little salt to mellow out later.”

“Right, much later...” Clearing his throat, he gestured to the ornate door at the end of the hall. “If you’re ready.”

“I think we’re ready.” Fluttershy fluffed her wings before taking the lead. “Don’t be nervous, alright? It’ll just be a few seconds of having the room’s eyes on you, then you can vanish into the crowd.” Whether she was talking to herself or the others, not even she knew.

“You’re a knight? That’s really cool!” Snails whispered, looking up at Alex. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“Hey, I didn’t know I was one either. At least not one in Equestria,” Alex whispered back. Straightening up when they doors started to open, he took in a breath and walked as gracefully as he could out into the room.

“Keyblade Knight indicates that you’re a wielder of the weapon but not yet a master. It’s something Celestia came up with long ago to make a distinction between teacher and student.” Discord remarked. “It still marks you as more important than, oh, all the nobility amongst those who know of the heartless or nobodies.”

The stallion leading them moved to stand by the doors and lifted up a trumpet. Playing a short note, he took in a breath. “Introducing the Element of Kindness, Lady Fluttershy, her son, Keyblade Knight Alex Lionheart, and their guests; Tree Hugger and Snails.”

“Like... I’m a botanist, man,” Tree Hugger complained softly, but allowed Fluttershy to guide her down the steps and into the room.

“Snails... people are staring at me.” Lifting his dress up ever so slightly, Alex made his way down the stairs. “I feel like a monkey in the zoo.”

“It’s okay, Alex.” Snails followed slightly behind Alex, his horn glowing as he did his best to keep the hem of the dress from dragging on the stairs behind Alex. “I’ve never seen so many unicorns in one place before, so it’s new things for both of us. Just...pretend they’re all other students from the first week in school, when you were still a new sight.”

“Yeah... I can do that...” Alex nodded, sucking in a breath. “I got you with me, so, stuff can’t be that bad, right?” Shooting a weak smile, he gave a small, aimless, thankful prayer that high heels had never been invented in this world.

“Announcing Discord, Lord of Randomness and Chaos.” The stallion called out from the top of the stairs, and Alex could almost feel the majority of the stares shift away from him at that, and he also noticed a few frowns in the crowd once they’d stopped moving down and he didn’t have to pay attention to the shorter step height.

“You’ll be fine, Alex. What’s the worst that could happen here?”

“A lot of things, Snails. A lot of things.”

“Announcing the sole heir to the solar throne and the biggest contributor to the Equestrian orphanage system, Princess Pandemonium!”

Nearly all speech stopped in the room as Screwball walked through the doorway behind the stallion, and Alex noticed more than a few faces twist away from curiosity to something a little darker. “Oh, some of them really look like they didn’t like that.”

“If your sister is like your dad, I bet she’ll be fine,” Snails assured, letting go of Alex’s dress. “How about we go to the snack table and get something to munch on?”

“You sure your stomach’s settled back down?” Alex teased gently.

“It was just a burp, seriously.” Giving him his trademarked goofy smile, Snails began to lead Alex towards the refreshment table, following his nose to get them there. “I got a pretty sturdy stomach. Must come from eating fish so often.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a great majority of the available snacks were plant-based, but Snails was able to help him identify the ingredients in most of them so they were able to find a few that seemed safe for both of them out of those. A smaller table to the side featured fish and more protein-based snacks, including a large platter of bacon-wrapped fish treats, and shellfish of all kinds.

“Seafood is good,” Alex commented, filling up a small plate. “Oddly appropriate.” Chuckling, he tossed a shrimp into his mouth. “Pretty good too. Needs cocktail sauce though.”

“Oh, shells, right.” Snails looked away from the table after spotting a plate of stuffed clams, and he pulled a thin box out of one of his suit pockets and held it up for Alex with his telekinesis. “I uh, I made you something with some parts of my collection. I avoided things like cicada shells because they’re too fragile.”

Taking the box, Alex felt a flutter in his stomach. “And now I wish I had made you something.” Gingerly reaching a hand up, he popped open the box and gazed down into it. “Wow, you made this, Snails?”

“I uh, yeah. I couldn’t get anything sturdier than kite string to hold it all together, or really get a good way to adjust the size, but...um...I also didn’t know some of them would go so well with your dress.”

Lifting a necklace out of the box, Alex took in every detail. The necklace was made of carefully-knotted string to hold various shells in their place. Some were small, and others were larger, with the largest ones being either large snail shells cut so the inner spiral could be seen, or a strange kind of shell that looked like a rock on one side, with the other having an almost metallic finish. Most of those were cobalt, but a few were silver. Smaller snail shells were interspersed between the larger ones, many bright yellow in color, but a few were white with pink or orange stripes along their spirals.

“This is... really pretty...” Alex closed the box, putting it away in a secret pocket. Taking the necklace in both hands, he slipped it around his neck. “Thanks, this really means a lot.” Feeling like his face was on fire, he struck a small pose. “How does it look?”

“I-it... it looks better than I thought it would on you.” Snails looked down and away quickly, blushing again. “I know you don’t really like being a girl, Alex, but you are pretty.”

“I-it’s not that I don’t like being a girl... It’s just...” A frown grew across Alex’s face as he attempted to find the right words. “One part of me thinks one way and another part thinks a different way. That make any sense?”

Snails shifted uncomfortably. “I think so. Like, I mostly think of you as a friend, but another part of me feels like there’s other things we could be.”

Kneeling down, Alex shifted his frown into a smile. “Hey, I didn't mean to make things weird. I asked you to the gala as a filly and that’s what I am tonight. If... if things turn out like that, then, we’ll go from there, okay?”

“Okay, and my dad says there’s no reason a fillyfriend can’t also be a friend who happens to be a filly anyways.” Snails turned back to Alex with a smile on his face once more, and he took a step forward to hug Alex with one hoof while laying his head on Alex’s shoulder. “I’d be fine with that too, I think.”

“We’ll just... see that happens, okay?” Alex asked, returning the hug. The contact brought a fresh warmth to his face and a quickening of his heart.

’Bleh. Just put me out of my misery. I can’t stand your sea of hormones. Why did I have to worm my way into a filly who doesn’t even understand her own gender?’

Alex ignored that voice in his head, and held the hug for a few more seconds before trying to stand back up and straighten out his dress. “Okay, we’ve got some snacks, we’ve got a room full of stuffy nobles and no real music yet...what say we find a corner and start making fun of snooty people?”

Snails gave Alex a light jab on the leg. “It’s called pony watching, Alex. Let’s do it!” Looking around, his eyes lit up. “I think that table’s free.”

“Lead the way, oh great orange one.” Giggling to himself, Alex followed behind Snails. “You pony watch a lot?”

“It’s something Snips and I used to do a lot to feel like we were getting back at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, or their parents.” Weaving through the slightly crowded ballroom. “It’s... a little sad.”

“Making fun of a shared bully with a friend? Eh, I’ve heard of worse things to do to feel a little better.” Alex made sure to hold their plate of snacks above pony-head-level as they moved as quickly as they could through the growing crowd.

Discord swirled the glass in his paw, watching the pale amber liquid swirl around. “Needs a little... something,” he commented to no one in particular as he sipped at it. “Not sure what though.... What goes good with apple cider?”

Holding up his other hand, he cycled through various additives. “Hm... jell-o? No, I’m not in college. Vanilla? Nah! Pear? Hmm... that might work actually...” Holding the pear above the glass, he squeezed the juice out and set a pear slice on the edge.

“You should add some powdered cinnamon first next time.” Celestia’s voice came from behind Discord, followed quickly by a gentle swat at his tail. “And how long has it been since you trimmed this piece of fluff? I remember it being smaller.”

“I’ll have you know, Fluttershy likes it as it is.” Discord put on a snotty face and lightly sipped at his drink. “She thinks it cuddles well.”

“Oh, well in that case you should clean it better…” She burst into giggles halfway through the last word. “Okay, I can’t keep up the displeased noble act with you, not when we have so much history together.”

“When, exactly, did you suddenly become okay being this close to me, Celly? The last time I saw you you yelled at me to get my arm off of you, and the next thing I know I’m getting a special delivery with a ticket and an apology letter for it arriving so late.”

Celestia took a moment to answer, pouring herself a drink. “When I asked Fluttershy to ‘reform’ you, I thought she’d be able to curb your more disruptive behaviors. When I heard you and her were dating, I almost flew down to Ponyville myself to give her a firm warning. But, I figured she was an adult and could make her own decisions.” Taking a long drink, she smiled. “I don’t think it really clicked that you were changing for the better until I realized how close you and Alex have become. Fatherhood suits you well, when you’re not caught in a game of back and forth kidnapping.”

“So it had nothing to do with seeing me all emaciated and drained of energy the other day? That’s honestly the only thing I could think of recently that would have prompted it.”

“Well, I won’t say that wasn’t part of it,” Celestia admitted. “Seeing you so worn out from keeping Ponyville safe, using that last bit of free energy to bring a forgotten gift to us. You have changed for the better Discord, I’m sorry I didn’t acknowledge it sooner.”

“Ah, well, thank you for that. I guess admitting that you might be wrong can be hard when it happens so rarely.” He took a small sip of his own drink and smiled. “So I take it we can converse civilly at least, but perhaps we haven’t yet reconciled to the point of touching, judging from your reaction?”

“Give it time, Discord.”

“It helps that time is one thing both of us have in abundance. Maybe once Fluttershy passes we could try to reconcile for Screwball’s sake?” Discord frowned and shook his head. “Assuming I don’t try to find a certain someone to see about remedying that problem, that is.”

Celestia clicked her tongue. “I know Mortis is easygoing, but I don’t know if he’ll bend rules that easily for you. Alicorn immortality is one thing, but out of nowhere? That’d be a tough sell.”

“You don’t think he’d be willing if it meant that a niece or nephew wouldn’t lose their mother?” He stopped and hummed in thought. “Did you ever take Screwball to meet him? I honestly can’t remember if we ever did that back then. A thousand years in stone, I think I still have some sediments mixed in with my sentiments…”

“We did, when we visited King Bullion.” Topping her drink off, she did the same for Discord. “She makes sure to visit passed family on birthdays and a few holidays.”

“She’s lost so many. I feel bad about that, and she only had you for comfort for so long. Do they all still get unfortunate names?”

“Thankfully, it seems to be on an off generation. We went from Spoiled Milk to Diamond Tiara. She was very happy about that.”

Discord started coughing mid-sip, and he placed his glass down on thin air to reach into his mouth and pull out a baseball. “Did you say Diamond Tiara? Hoo boy, that would throw Alex a curveball to hear.”

Celestia giggled. “Perhaps I’ll suggest a genealogy project to Ponyville’s school. Just imagine the look on that little filly’s face when she finds out who the matriarch of her family is?”

“Well, it’s just that the little filly is a bit of a bully. Alex has complained about her a few times, and she apparently angered Snails enough by constantly calling him a ‘slowpoke’ that he ended up casing Balloon on her. The damaging version, by accident, instead of the version that makes you float helplessly. I thought you had stamped out that tribal superiority nonsense ages ago, Celly.”

“I try, Discord, but ponies are entitled to their thoughts and opinions.” Celestia sighed, downing her drink in a single gulp. “Perhaps she’ll calm down if she were to find out that Alex and herself were family?”

“Not a blood relation, and I’m not technically married to Fluttershy just yet. I’m trying to figure out how to properly phrase the question to someone a thousand times younger than I am without bringing up the fact that I’ll outlive her unless one of my estranged family members steps in on my behalf...without lying.” Discord smirked as a thought crossed his mind. “And do you think it would make a pony like that better or worse to learn that she could trace her family to one of the immortal princesses?”

“That is a good question,” Celestia said making a face. “I’d hope it’d make them better, but given what I’ve heard about Diamond Tiara from Luna, I can only imagine she’d get worse.”

“Exactly. If not for your stunt with Screwball tonight, that report might have dead-ended with the first glance at my name and a little buried work while she focused on her father’s side of the family.”

Glancing out at the gala, Celestia enjoyed the light buzz starting to fall over her. “Family isn’t all about blood, Discord. As far as I’m concerned, Alex is Screwball’s brother, just as he is your son. As I recall, you always wanted one of those.”

“Were it anyone but you, I’d swear they were making a joke at my expense with that remark. Do you still have a thing for cakes? I believe I smell a reason to hit the desserts a bit early.”

Celestia bit back a snort, whacking him with a wing. “Oh that is low! You don’t hear me bringing up your odd predilection with fish sticks.”

“Fish fingers, my dear, and I swear they really do go well with custard. This silly stallion in a bowtie introduced me to the idea long ago.”

“Ah yes, I remember you telling me about that. Didn’t you mention he was ‘friends’ with a pineapple?”

“Is that what they’re telling young colts to do these days? There are enzymes in raw pineapple that break down certain proteins in meat, you know. Might lead to some painful issues... is that why your ‘nephew’ is a royal prick?”

Bursting into guffaws, Celestia had to set her drink on the table behind them. “I forgot how sharp your wit was, when you put the effort in.”

“Certainly sharper than most keyblades, but it’s my blunt metaphors that tend to lead to trauma.” He reached into a pocket on his suit and pulled out a handful of bits before tossing them into the air and producing a platter of pastries on the table as they vanished. “Teacakes have become a guilty pleasure of mine lately. Something sweet after cucumber sandwiches, and so easy to add random fillings. I say we both take some time to enjoy something a bit more rustic while we chat about what’s going on with heartless and nobodies, and why you should consider either finding or forging a new keyblade somehow. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Nightmare Night incident by now.”

Turning her head away, Celestia quelled the growing tempest in her chest. “I can’t, Discord. I renounced Aubade for a reason. I can’t be a wielder anymore.” Levitating her glass to her mouth, she slammed her drink. “What I have been doing is contacting the various masters.” Her features turned downcast as a name passed her lips. “Faust damn that Aspen.”

“The deer are still blind to the fact that people outside the forest all falling to darkness means there will be that much more for them to fight off, eh? Unless every single deer on the planet is secretly a keyblade user, that’s not going to work out for them.”

Allowing him to take her empty glass, Celestia began to vent a week’s worth of frustrations. “I hate to believe in stereotypes, Discord, but the deer seem to want to live up to the ones about them. Always sneering at everyone else, like they’re better than them. Aspen acts like he owns the Faust-damned forest, riling up the animals so they harass any who enter.” Celestia let out a primal whinny, finishing it off by snorting out a puff of smoke.

“... Have you considered telling the nobles that do nothing to better Equestria that there’s a private resort in there? It might help thin the herd a bit so you can separate the cream from the curds.”

The look Celestia shot him could melt lead. “Just pour me my damn drink, Discord.”

Discord smiled and casually twisted the tip of one of his talons off before pouring a bubbling rainbow liquid out into the glass. “Still resisting the path that would shake things up and agitate a stagnant system. Ah well, I suppose the casual callousness involved is distasteful to anyone that hasn’t been imprisoned for a millenium. I remember the days when a noble heir still had to earn their title, my dear. Stopping that was a mistake.”

“If I could reverse it, I would.”

Discord smiled and handed the glass back, placing it a safe distance from the edge of the table. “Zap Apple special reserve brandy. Nurse that carefully, it has a stronger kick than the two younger adults on the farm combined. By the way, I notice a few nobodies scattered around the ballroom... security detail from Lee?”

“More or less,” Celestia admitted, taking a small sip. A cough erupted from her throat, along with a few blinks. “That is strong.”

“I’ve had a few stronger things pass my lips, but this is by far the tastiest.” Discord offered a wink at Celestia as he filled his own glass. “Any rekindling has to be approved by Fluttershy, by the way, and I’m not asking her.”

Celestia blushed, and quickly frowned. “Ugh, mares. Even if I did consider you worthy of forgiveness, I don’t think I’m ready to go that far just yet, and certainly not ready to do something with another mare.”

“You couldn’t keep your hooves off me when I was pregnant and you know it.”

“You’re a unique case, Discord. You’re chaos incarnate. I’m still not convinced that you even have a set sex other than what you choose to be at the moment.”

Discord grinned, giving an exaggerated wink. “I can’t give you all my secrets, Celestia. I have to maintain my mysterious charm. How else do you think I keep Fluttershy interested?”

“Ever the cunning linguist, Discord…” Celestia sighted and plucked one pastry from the platter Discord had summoned. “Drop whatever obscuring effect you cast around us already before rumors start flying about us both having vanished from the room at the same time.”

Screwball sprinkled some rock candy on the fancy little cracker nestled on her hoof. Once enough of the sparkling candy pebbles stuck to the toppings, she popped it into her mouth. “Mmm! Almost as good as crack corn!”

Movement caught her eye and she turned with a bright smile. “Hello, fellow guest! Enjoying the festivities?”

“First heir to the Solar Throne, and you call yourself a guest?” A smooth, almost slimy, but cultured voice spoke as a white-coated and golden-maned unicorn walked up next to her. “Auntie Celestia certainly hasn’t been teaching you your proper place, it seems.” Two champagne flutes floated beside him, surrounded in a light-blue aura, and one was quickly offered to Screwball.

“Oh, thank you!” Taking it in her hoof, she grinned ear to ear. “Are you that cuzzy wuzzy Daddy talks about?”

“I might be, but that depends on who your father is. My name is Prince Blueblood.” He flashed a smile at Screwball and raised a hoof to brush his hair back. “I hope it was all appropriately flattering.”

Screwball stared at him for a moment before booping his nose. “No flirting with family, silly cousin. No matter the distance, inbreeding is not okay.” Lifting her glass, she took a sip. “Yummy.”

“Oh I doubt we’re actually family, but...we could change that.” Blueblood rubbed his nose for a moment before smiling once more. “I have been trying to find a mare of impeccable breeding, and with Celestia being your mother, well, genes don’t get much better than that.”

Leaning in close, she gave him a sniff. With practiced ease, she grabbed his head, dragging her tongue across his face. “Wait... That’s familiar...Tastes like... Powdered Wig.”

“Gah! Get your hooves off of me, and what does my great-great-great-grandfather have to do with anything?”

Releasing his head, Screwball smiled. “Not cousin! Grandson!” Gripping him in a hug, she nuzzled his neck.

“Wait what? Unhoof me at once!” Blueblood began to struggle and squirm, trying to free himself from her grip.

“Powdered Wig was husband, didn’t like him. Had a foal, Noble Heart. Sweet filly. Liked to prank with me.” Screwball let him go, her glass still held in her hoof without having spilled a drop. “I miss her a lot.”

“Wait... I was…” Blueblood’s face curled up a little and his glass was quickly set down on a servant’s tray. “Excuse me, I think I need to go have some far stronger drinks to forget all about this.”

“Ah, it’s okay. Granny forgives you.” Screwball pat his back. “Didn’t know of familial relations!”

Blueblood shuddered and quickly walked away. “Yes, quite. I’ll try to remember that detail at least. Eugh.”

“Bye!” Screwball called after him. “What a silly grandson.”

“I say, that’s the first time I think I’ve ever seen that stallion regret something that didn’t end up with him covered in cake or dirt.” A different white stallion walked up and dipped his head slightfully towards Screwball, as did the slender pink-maned mare next to him. “A pleasure to meet you at last, Princess Pandemonium. My name is Fancy Pants, and this is my wife, Fleur de Lis.”

Screwball waved, looking between them. “Nice to meet you! You can call me Screwball. Are you enjoying Daddy’s party?”

Fleur nodded and giggled softly. “It’s certainly a little more interesting than the Gala usually is, thought it will be hard to top what happened last year. I couldn’t help but hear you mention your father earlier, and Fancy and I were wondering if you could tell us about him? I mean, nobody has known for years why Princess Celestia does this, but you say it’s your father’s party.”

“Yes, and Blueblood is apparently your grandson with a few greats thrown in for good measure? Is this party in honor of your father’s death, or his birthday, or is he still alive too and your mother’s been keeping him a secret for centuries?”

The questions seemed to throw Screwball through a loop, her eyes opening and closing a few times. “Daddy’s right there.” She pointed a hoof at Celestia, who was talking to a rather excited Twilight.

“Wait... but... that’s Princess Celestia herself, and Princess Twi...light…” Fancy Pants trailed off and looked from Fleur to Screwball in confusion, then back to Celestia and Twilight. “Are you saying Twilight is somehow your father? That... that seems utterly impossible.”

Screwball giggled, sticking her tongue out. “Nu-uh! Celestia is my daddy!” Leaning in close, she gestured for them to close the distance. “Her name was Celestine.”

Fleur seemed confused, as did Fancy Pants as they looked at each other then back to Screwball. “Wait...so Princess Celestia is your father then, and used to go by a different name? Your mother isn’t Princess Luna, is she? This is already strange enough, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

“That’s silly. No strange sisterly love, just chaos,” Screwball corrected. “Mommy is Discord.”

“Oh good, so they are just sisters…” Fancy paused as the second thing Screwball said registered in his mind, and Fleur began blushing and giggling.

“Your mother is... Discord? So... Discord and Celestia used to be an item?”

“Uh huh. Mommy’s with Fluttershy now, though. I like her a lot. Even got a Mister Sister!”

“Oh, so that strange creature that walked in with her and that colt is your sister?”

“Fleur, dear, Keyblade Knight.... funny, but I can’t recall the name. The title seems quite important though.”

“Alex, but he’s a boy but also a girl,” Screwball explained. “Um... hard to explain, easier to say Mister Sister.”

“A product of your mother’s chaos, I assume? Something as strange as a being with a mix of male and female would be his progeny.”

“Oh, no, that kinda mix-up is more my aunt’s thing. I don’t wanna talk about her right now, though.” Screwball made a face. “Alex is adopted.”

“Oh, so he’s... huh.”

“Fancy, dear, no need to be rude about it. If you have questions about the Knight we can always go ask him ourselves. It would be more reliable than getting it through his older sister, no offense, Princess, but we all know that direct sources are more reliable.” Maybe you could tell us a bit more about yourself?” Fleur smiled at Screwball and signaled for one of the walking servers to bring over some drinks. “What was it like to have Celestia for a father, and how long ago was it?”

Alex giggled, shaking his head. “Seriously? You lured a giant bear into town? That seems like a really bad idea. Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

Snails blushed, his ears splaying back. “Well... It’s a pretty embarrassing story. Snips and I got so caught up in Trixie’s hype that we just... did it...”

“How,” Alex paused and took a deep breath to steady himself before starting to giggle again anyways. “How did you even know there was one in the Everfree if she was bragging about a different town?”

“Oh, it was one of the dangers the class was told about years ago. One of the first classes in school was to teach us why our parents never wanted us in the Everfree alone.” Snails blushed deeper and looked down at the table. “Mom was mad that I went in with him, but dad just laughed because it meant more work, repairing the damage.”

“Bet it was a heck of a run back into town.” Alex sat back in his chair, managing to get a handle on his giggles. “Pretty brave of you, letting a giant bear chase you.”

“Uh, there’s a difference between letting it chase me and running away from it? Luring it was what we meant to do, but I was just running in fear after it roared. ‘Course... then we found out Trixie was lying about what she could do.”

Alex shrugged. “I think it was brave. Dumb, but brave.”

“Do you need anything, young masters?” Ahuizotl slided up to the table, dressed to the nines in a rather nice waiter’s uniform. “A drink refill perhaps?”

“Nice monkey suit,” Alex snarked, threatening to relapse into another giggle fit.

“One more joke like that from you, little filly, and I may just forget to use training rounds the next time I am called to help you practice. Now, is there anything I can get for you, or would you prefer not to make any special requests?”

“Maybe some water? I think Alex might have had a little too much root beer if he’s this giggly.” Snails nudged Alex with a hoof. “Eat some more shrimp or something, you’re getting weird.”

“What are you talking about? It was just root beer. It’s not actual beer.”

“Uhhh, it’s safe for children, Alex, but it’s all bubbly, so...wait.” Snails quickly pulled Alex in against his side. “H-how much have you been drinking? I lost track after my third glass. Maybe we both need a bit more food?”

Alex stared at his cup before pushing it away. “Teenage drinking is very bad for humans, Snails.”

His ears folded back quickly. “I didn’t know that. I thought you knew what it was, the way you went for it immediately.”

“You didn’t know, I didn’t know. Where I’m from, alcoholic root beer is a specialty thing.” Alex looked down at Snails, finding himself okay with the close contact. “I’ll just have water from now on.”

“Four waters and something on the heavier side from the kitchen for two overindulging children, then. Fried and high in protein, or are humans weird in other ways too?” Ahuizotl stayed perfectly calm, but he had relaxed from the stiff posture he’d gotten at Alex’s earlier quip.

“Protein is good. Fried too.” Alex nodded, a few frantic thoughts running through his head.

“I’ll head down now and let them know. I’ll tell them to use griffon-safe foods instead of purely pony foods, and hopefully that will make it easier. You two stay put.”

“Thanks,” Alex called, rubbing his temples. “I promised Fluttershy I wouldn’t drink until I was an adult again. That didn’t last long.”

“She must have thought you meant different things if she didn’t warn you about drinks here, or not have known if she never had any as a filly. Are you okay? It’s not...it’s not like a poison for human children, is it?”

“Alcohol is tolerable for adults but it can damage the still-developing brains of teenagers,” Alex explained, petting Snails’ head. “It shouldn’t be anything to really worry about but, I had no idea they were alcoholic nor do I know what’s ‘safe’ for foals.”

The table glowed for a moment, and four glasses of water appeared out of nowhere alongside a platter with fragrant slices of brown toast and a bowl of golden-brown paste of some kind that had a faint garlic scent to it. A note appeared a moment later: ‘Wheat toast and hummus to start for the overindulging foals. Eat slowly please. -Castle Kitchen Staff’

Taking a piece of toast, Alex carefully spread the hummus over the crunchy surface. “Hummus is pretty good,” he absently commented, taking a bite. “And this is pretty good hummus.”

Snails took a piece as well, and smiled as he bit into the toasty bread. “Garlic makes my nose itch, and you drank more than I did.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Alex questioned. “You calling me a drunk?”

“N-no? I just mean you drank more. You also tend to eat a little more than I do. It’s just... facts.” Snails trailed off and ended up simply nibbling at his slice of toast.

Rolling his eyes, Alex nudged Snails in the side. “I’m just joshing ya. Just relax. Don’t take it so seriously, would you?”

Snails just mumbled something under his breath and nudged Alex back.

“What was that?” Alex questioned, nudging him again. “Come on, don’t hold out on me.”

Snails finished chewing and pulled the unbitten part of his slice of toast away with his magic. “I said ‘I wonder if teasing colts is just a filly thing.’”

Blushing, Alex looked away. “It’s a thing friends do. Don’t you and Snips tease each other?”

“It’s a different kind of teasing, Alex. You sound so serious when you do it and then turn it around. Snips and I are obvious about teasing each other.”

“Sorry, I just act like I normally do.” Taking another bite of his toast, he added. “Don’t mean to make it weird.”

“Aha, so you must be the strange little heifer Will’s been telling me about.” A deep voice spoke from behind Alex moments before a hand dropped onto his shoulder. “Haven’t met the bull that he says rescued him yet, but that can wait.”

Alex felt himself stiffen up at the unexpected contact, but bit back a response; reminding himself that ‘heifer’ wasn’t an insult here. At least, not among minotaurs. “Yeah, that’s me. Despite my looks though, I am a guy.”

“Ha! Well, either way I want to do two things right now. I want to thank you for helping Will get back in touch with his fighting spirit, and I want to see if you’re as good as he says you are for someone with only a couple months of training under their skirt.”

“Uh, Steel, now’s not the best time for-” Iron Will’s voice came from just a little further behind Alex, but was quickly cut off.

“Will, you and I both know ponies fight too differently. Gotta assess where this wielder stands before offering training fit for her body type.”

“But... we’re at the gala,” Snails piped up, shying away a little from the minotaur.

“So what? What’s a party without one good fight to get the blood pumping? Besides, any warrior worthy of the title should be more than proud to show off what they know when given a proper challenge.” Steel Spine’s tone was actually warm and welcoming, almost calming despite what he was saying.

With a resigned sigh, Alex pushed away from the table. Grabbing his water, he chugged the glass. “Alright. Let’s do it. Go tell Celestia to clear the floor or whatever.” Turning to Snails, he gave a weak smile. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to get challenged to a key fight.”

“I’ll um... go let the princess know.” Getting up from his seat, Snails moved off into the crowd.

A few minutes passed with Steel Spine grinning down at Alex while tapping his fingers against his biceps before Luna’s voice could be heard clearly by every person in the large ballroom. “I object wholeheartedly to this, but fine. Let the bull have his horns handed back to him.”

“Spine, this was a bad idea.” Iron Will grumbled and scratched at his chin as the moon princess’ voice echoed for a few seconds in the sudden silence.

A few guards, both Day and Night, moved into the middle of the ballroom. With quiet authority, they cleared the space for the impromptu duel. “Will Ambassador Steel Spine and Knight Alex please come to the center of the room?”

“You’re a fucking ambassador? Are you kidding me?” Alex facepalmed and shook his head as he started to move towards the cleared area.

“Minotaurs have a different perspective on diplomacy than ponies do. It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to get to know someone the way we like.”

“Alex! You better not damage that dress, young filly!” Rarity all but screamed from the back of the forming crowd.

Grunting, Alex stepped into the makeshift ring. “Don’t worry so much, I got this.” Taking a steadying breath, he called Aubade to his hands. “I hope.”

Steel Spine strode confidently to the opposite side of the cleared area before summoning a keyblade of his own. A golden glow seemed to pulse down his right arm, collecting around his hand to form a series of interconnected, spinning gears. The shaft of the keyblade extended out quickly, forming the shape of a train whistle about three feet long before a set of pipes holding on to half of a gear formed the teeth.

The entire thing glinted like freshly-polished gold, and a slight tremor was felt as he swung it up and around, then stabbed the tip into the ground in what looked like some kind of ritual salute. “This is a friendly match to assess the quality of Equestria’s current training program. Heartless attacks are on the rise for the first time in centuries, and all of our lives now depend upon having wielders who are both brave and capable of holding their own. My Heart of Gold against your little toy blade, with neither of us being masters.”

Iron Will cleared his throat and stepped just inside the edge of the ring between the two of them. “Does the Equestrian trainee have anything to say before this assessment and exhibition of skills begins?”

Alex gripped Aubade tighter, his eyes studying the keyblade before him. “Okay, that’s a new one.” Straightening his back, he meet Steel’s gaze. “My blade’s name is Aubade, and I probably know more about keyblades and heartless than you do.”

Steel Spine grinned and lifted Heart of Gold to his shoulder with a soft grunt of effort. “I like your guts, kid. May the light of truth guide your blade.”

Celestia stepped into the ring opposite Iron Will, and looked from one combatant to the other before lowering her head. “You really should have notified me of your intentions first, but Equestria recognizes this challenge. You may begin when ready.”

Tensing his body to move, Alex nodded at Steel. “May your heart be your guiding key.” The line always struck him as cheesy; the kind of thing you’d find in an anime. But, it seemed the most appropriate response.

Steel Spine smiled at that and gave a brief nod before holding up his left hand and beckoning for Alex to come closer with a couple inward flicks of his fingers. “Minotaur rules, the one who is challenged is allowed the first attack. Take all the time you like to plan it.”

Darting to the left, Alex made to thrust at Steel’s chest. At the last moment, he went low and swung at the bull’s legs. He had to remind himself that despite his clothing, there was no way he could move like he could when bonded with Sonata, nor would he have any of the same boosts in effectiveness.

The low swing was deflected at the last instant by the other keyblade swinging down in a blocking arc, one that briefly stung Alex’s hand with the shock of the sudden block before Steel Spine practically danced a few paces away from him to create a bit of space. “You’re faster than you look in that pretty dress. Maybe there is a warrior under all that perfume?” He shifted his grip slightly, the gears on Heart of Gold looking like they should be digging into his flesh and pinching fur as he swung the blade in a wide arc at Alex.

“I don’t wear perfume.” A part of Alex wanted to throw out a cast of Reflect. They hadn’t said no magic. He ignored that part of himself, refusing to break the perceived gentlemen’s agreement of blades only. Bringing Aubade up to block, he grit his teeth as Heart of Gold slammed into it. “That all the got for me? Insulting my feminine features?”

“Wait, is that something only females do?” Spine backed up a step and swung his keyblade back slowly, with the muscles in his arms visibly straining to keep it steady. “You learn some new cultural differences every day, eh brother?”

“You would have learned it weeks ago if you’d read up on it like your master told you.”

“Trust me, you wouldn’t learn a whole lot about human culture from anyone but me.” Processing the dull ache running along his arms, Alex thought over his options. Switching keyblades crossed his mind, a possibility that lingered. He wasn’t going to ask if it was allowed; at the cost of surprise.

“It was pony culture, but you’re all prettied up like all these fops anyways, so it’s close enough.” Spine grinned and took another step back before suddenly thrusting Heart of Gold forward and launching a series of small circular sawblade-shaped projectiles that flew towards Alex.

His decision made, Alex switched to Widow’s Fang. Quickly moving it into PAK form, the legs moved in a flurry of motion to deflect the sawblades.

“Huh, neat trick. You’re going to have to teach me how to do that, later.” Spine quickly closed the distance and made another wide, low, sweeping swing with Heart of Gold in an attempt to knock Alex off his feet.

Leaning back, Alex reoriented the legs backwards. Scuttling out of range, Alex rose up to match Steel’s height. And the only downside is, I don’t have a weapon, Alex thought to himself. He’d just have to get creative. Raising the front right leg, Alex stabbed at Steel’s thigh.

Steel tried to step back from the strike while bringing Heart of Gold around for another swing, only to suck in a pained hiss of breath as the transparent crystals tipping the legs struck sooner than he’d anticipated. He stepped back anyways, with his legs tensing up as the piercing strikes pulled back out. “Smart move, and dangerous. Those legs could really hurt somebody, rather than just heartless.”

“Keyblades can hurt anyone, not just heartless,” Alex responded, skittering away from Steel. Each step of his spider legs brought the sound of crystal on stone to the room, not that Alex noticed.

“The wielder of a keyblade who uses their weapon against those who are powerless to fight back is no better than a heartless, though. We must be shining examples of restraint when not dealing with powers that should not be.” Steel responded quickly, as if repeating a lesson taught early and often.

The fight continued on, with Alex and Steel both being nudged back towards the combat ring by a gentle push from Celestia’s magic if they wandered too close to the edge of their ‘arena.’ The floor was decorated with more than a few fresh cracks and small holes after only a few minutes of this.

Despite the formality the situation had seemed to hold at the start, there were soon scattered gasps and cheers as one or the other of the two combatants managed to just barely dodge an attack from the other. Even Iron Will managed a smile and a short, polite bit of clapping as Steel Spine managed to quickly roll backwards and flip back onto his hooves after Alex successfully swept his legs out from under him.

“Getting tired yet, Taurus?” Fatigue was settling onto Alex’s limbs, even if he relied on faux ones. “Still think I’m fancy pantsy?”

“Heh. You definitely have some skills, little heifer.” Steel Spine hefted Heart of Gold up onto his shoulder with a short grunt and smiled at Alex while shifting his grip on it into one he’d used for a heavy overhead swing before; one that had easily powered through the thin legs raised to deflect it. “If you’re feeling out of breath, a real fight could mean your death.”

“No stealing my old motivational slogans, brother!”

“And yet, you don’t know what else I could do,” Alex responded, keeping his breathing even while reaching back as the PAK shifted back into the default keyblade form of Widow’s Fang. “For all you know, I could turn this thing into a big shield, or a pair of daggers. You just don’t know.”

“I know it’ll only take one solid hit to put you on the floor.”

“Try me.” Alex glared as he brought his hand back in front of him and raised Widow’s Fang in a defensive stance.

“One last attack, then. Blade against blade, and the first one to lose their grip loses the match?”

Nodding, Alex stepped closer. Ignoring his tired arms, he drew his arms back and swung up at Steel’s torso. Steel reacted quicker than Alex had thought possible for the prolonged fight, bringing down his overhead strike to meet Alex’s upward one. The two blades connected, with Heart of Gold producing an almost-comical ringing tone as the heavy shaft vibrated enough for the whistle decorating the point to make the sound.

Alex felt his arms sting from the impact, but quickly brought his left hand up to brace the back of Widow’s Fang as the weight of Heart of Gold alone bore down on him. Stupid stupid stupid...should have known he’d follow through in a way that’d put me at a disadvantage.

Before either of the two combatants could even begin to try and turn this to their favor, something black and shiny flew in from outside their combat circle and impacted both of their keyblades right at the point of contact. It spun around that point and almost flowed like a liquid as it slapped against both of their hands, each one stinging like being hit with a ruler. There was another hard lurch of the two weapons as whatever had just hit them flew back the way it came.

Twisting his body away from the blow, Alex lost his grip on Widow’s Fang. Instinctively clutching his hand, his weapon tumbled away into the crowd, clanking against the stone floor. Steel Spine fared no better, but Heart of Gold landed only a foot away from him as he clutched at his own stinging hands. The floor cracked again at the continued assault against it by the heavy keyblade.

A soft but growling voice came from the same place where the attack had, and the gathered crowd of ponies parted quickly as a tall, tan-furred diamond dog holding a shiny, black, crystalline keyblade walked up to the edge of the makeshift arena. “Minotaur foolishness and posturing, I assume? Ponies would not tarnish their beloved ‘gala’ with a fight without some kind of provocation.”

A guard next to the dog cleared his throat nervously. “A-announcing her Lowness, Isabella Onyxfang of the Blacktooth clan. Princess Celestia, she brought prisoners with her.”

Celestia moved through the gathering easily, slipping back under her stony mask. “Bringing prisoners to a party isn’t something one does unless they want to make a point.”

Isabella stood up just a little straighter, and her own expression became unreadable. “They brought disgrace to my clan about a year ago by trying to capture a pony who could find gems easily. They have already been punished by dog law, but I wanted to present them to you for whatever punishment you see fit to bring down. Is only fair, as they broke pony law as well.”

Sighing, Celestia gestured for a few guards. “I appreciate that, but this is not the time or the place for this. We’ll take your prisoners into custody but I would ask that you not do this again.”

“Hmph. Was bad coincidence. Should have arrived yesterday, but small travel difficulties kept us back a day.” She shrugged and reached a hand up to scratch the top of her head. “Only have so much time before needing to be back home, must not waste any.”

“Ya didn’t have to break my damn hand,” Alex complained, massaging his still-stinging hand. “More than a little rude, Lassie.”

Isabella stared at Alex for a few seconds before she let out a short bark of a laugh. “Hairless dog... no, what old tales call you... Aqua? If I had wanted to break paw, paw would be broken. Dragonglass very precise, and ‘stern rebuke’ old dog technique.”

“Go’ i’ for yuh, Alecsh.” Snails’ voice was muffled and slurred slightly by the keyblade handle in his mouth as he walked back over to Alex’s side and carefully placed it on the floor. He shook his head slightly and seemed to shrink in place for a moment as he realized he’d stepped into the arena. “Uh, sorry if this wasn’t allowed or anything, but with the interruption I thought…”

“It’s fine, Snails. I’m sure we can all agree the exhibition is done and both parties have proven how much they know and how capable they are.” Celestia’s tone was slightly more kind as she addressed the colt with a slight turn of her head, keeping her focus mostly on the tan dog that stood at her height. “Why not simply wait for tomorrow for the prisoners, then? Surely you made time for one day to relax after the Gala?”

Alex grunted a thank you from Snails, reaching down with his uninjured hand to reclaim Widow’s Fang. It never occurred to him that it hadn’t immediately returned to his hand. His thoughts churned smartass remarks towards Isabella like they were on a conveyor belt.

“Not trust misbehaving pups to not make trouble in city overnight somehow; even with chains and leashes.” Isabella turned away from the makeshift arena as if to lead Celestia herself over to where the prisoners were. This revealed that she had what looked like Treasure Trove strapped across her back, over her shoulder blades.

Raising her head, Celestia spread her wings like a swan. “Please return to the festivities, everyone. And please, a round of applause for Ambassador Steel Spine and Knight Lionheart.”

Steel Spine nodded and waved his hand as he reached down to pick up Heart of Gold. “No need, really. I do want to thank you, Alex, for showing me a few weaknesses in my techniques. I may need to visit the Mystic Valley to see about some small changes to Heart of Gold. I’d have trouble hitting anything that moves faster than you without dislocating my shoulders as it is.”

Letting Widow fade, Alex flexed his hand again. The pain had subsided into a dull ache that throbbed every other breath. “And thanks for making me feel small and weak, Theseus.”

“You’re still young, and that means you have time to grow and get stronger. I’m sure we’d be more evenly matched in an actual spar without onlookers so close that we’d have to be worried about breaking a small magic shell.”

“I’ll have you know that my sister’s shield could have stopped any basic combat spell by itself. Were our former Captain of the Guard here the shield would have been virtually impenetrable.” Luna’s voice cut easily through the low murmur and scattered applause of the dispersing crowd. “Alex has also only been training to fight opposition that has been deemed universally hostile by ancient treaties. Even your brother fights vastly differently if the brief flashes of his active training memories are true.”

Smoothing out his dress, Alex checked for any damage to the garment. Luckily for himself, and Rarity, he had managed to come through unscathed. “Good job, you didn’t mess up my dress. Which is good. I’d have thrown you under the bus to appease Clothes Horse.”

Steel Spine blinked and tilted his head in seeming confusion. “Wait, you mean you don’t know the basic ‘mending’ spell to fix tiny cracks and tears? I guess Equestrian teaching methods focus more on specifics than general utility?” His gaze turned to Luna, who looked right back at him.

“He’s been given Lady Aqua’s own syllabus, and the book she taught from. You know what is and isn’t in that book, as keyblade wielders of every race were given copies after she vanished.”

“You ponies focus too much on tradition sometimes, and have little reason to innovate. Let’s get over to a table and I can write down the runes you need for it, okay? It’s simple, and barely taps your mana reserves.”

“Right, right.” Alex nodded, fixing his tiara. “Let’s go do that, so I can terrorize Clothes Horse with ripped clothes.” Turning around, he gestured for the minotaur to follow him. “Our table’s this way.”

Steel Spine and Luna both nodded and followed Alex and Snails over to a table that had a fair bit of ‘comfort food’ on it that all looked quite appetizing. There was a good amount of open space left, which was soon full of plates with small samples of everything for all four of the beings who were there. A quick spell from Luna summoned a quill, ink, and some sheets of paper, on which Steel Spine wrote the simple, three-rune construct for the mending spell that minotaurs had developed over the centuries.

“This version works on anything, as long as you’re putting together the same material at any given point. Used to be it’d only work on metal or cloth, but not both at the same time even if it was all part of one piece.”

“Well that’s something,” Alex muttered in between bites of his food. “I’ll have to share it with Rarity, probably save her a ton of time on stuff.”

“‘Tis a pity that most ponies, aside from unicorns, can’t seem to actively channel magic and runes without being awoken by being attuned to a keyblade. Pegasi can channel lightning and build storm clouds as easily as they breathe or fly, but…” Luna cut herself off and sighed while shaking her head. “Then again, I don’t think I’d trust some ponies to show much restraint if they knew certain spells.”

Snails flinched a bit, but continued looking at the runes Steel Spine had written down. “So…’read’ ‘fix’ and ‘bind’ make it work on anything? Why use ‘read?’”

Steel Spine reached down and ruffled Snails’ mane in a way that was almost tender. “Because magic is a thing that isn’t always logical. We tried all kinds of other words instead of ‘read’ but it never worked right, because we were using new words that we came up with. It’s the same reason the word is used as part of the ‘scan’ spell that examines opponents.”

“Wait, what do you mean you were using newer words?”

“Magic runes were based on minotaur script, or the written minotaur language was based on magic runes. Nobody’s sure exactly which came first.”

Leaning back in his chair, Alex gazed over at Steel Spine and Iron Will. Each time he looked at either minotaur, it reminded him just how small he had become. To say that he felt short-changed was beyond an understatement.

“Got any other useful spells to share?” Alex asked, trying not to look up when he spoke.

“None that I can teach you without an okay from my own master. Nearly every minotaur knows this spell so they can repair anything that breaks around them. Calf toys can be intricate, and parents need to be able to repair them without having to know how they’re made, after all.”

“I got a lot of masters. Only one of them has hands and feet.” Taking the note, Alex folded it up with care and slid it into one of his dress’s hidden pockets. “I don’t think you’ll get in trouble for sharing more.”

“Even the princesses would need to see my master before I could give either of them anything that was a newer minotaur spell than something they have. I’m not a master yet, so I’m not allowed to teach anything beyond the most basic level of spellcrafting without it being okayed in that specific instance. The smallest mistake makes the whole machine break down, after all.”

“We shall have to see about arranging some way for Alex to visit the other people of the world and learn what he can from them at some point in the near future, perhaps during a school break. It has been too long since there has been a cultural sharing, after all.” Luna nodded after speaking, then looked at Steel Spine. “See about making arrangements with your master, please.”

“A world tour sounds nice,” Alex agreed. “I still have to visit the sirens for my knighting. My actual knighting.”

“Ceremonial knighting. I wonder what powers or authority such a title gives you among them. Among ponies the title is used to denote wielders who have no other authority due to various reasons. It’s been a long time since we had to use it, but it helps raise how the nobility would react to you to at least have a title.”

Nodding his head, Alex pushed himself away from the table. “Okay! I’ve had enough talking and my blood is pumping! How about we dance, Snails?” Without waiting for an answer, he took Snails’ arm and pulled him out of his seat.

“Whoa!” Snails didn’t exactly object so much as nearly trip over himself as Alex pulled him away suddenly. He staggered to get his hooves back under him and stared at Alex with a slight blush on his muzzle as they came to a stop on the dance floor. “I-uh...I’m not exactly sure how to dance with you, Alex. I mean...I came up with something, but I dunno if you’ll like it.”

“Shoot,” Alex said, smiling down at him.

Snails nodded and closed his eyes as his horn lit up, only opening them as a small cloud of force started to form just above his head. The cloud of magic slowly settled itself into a shape that closely resembled Alex’s upper body and arms above the young colt’s head, except made of telekinetic force. “If you know how to dance I can at least follow along with this, so just...treat me like a partner you had in the past?”

Alex blinked staring at the construct for a moment before smiling. “That’s pretty damn good, Snails. Just give me a moment to set up some music, okay?” Stepping away, he called over Discord. Hunching together life a pair of scheming thieves, their gaze went over to the musicians’ area.

Confusion spread amongst the gala guests as the music cut off abruptly. Those most heavily dazed were the musicians themselves, now seated at several tables with refreshments. On stage, a DJ’s speaker setup had replaced them.

Popping into existence on stage, Discord plugged Alex’s tablet into place. “Sorry for the interruption, just thought everyone might enjoy hearing some otherworldly music.” A few taps of his paw and music began to fill the room once more. Of course, the first few notes were not exactly harmonious, blaring out a sound rather like a calliope slipping a few gears in the middle of a performance. This was followed by a guitar and bass not quite working together before Alex recognized the song, and the lyrics started before he could shout out an objection.

Ponies stared up at Discord and the speakers, then their gazes moved to Alex and Snails as they reached a simple conclusion regarding the origin of this strange song when Discord had mentioned it was ‘otherworldly.’ A few of them smiled politely while others were frowning as they turned and began to move away.

“Discord! Knock it off!” Alex shouted, glaring up at the stage. “Put something else on!”

“What? Not a good sample of Earth music? Fine. Malfunction... away.” Discord sang that last bit along with the song before hitting stop and looking through the list on the device. “Any requests from the hard-to-please crowd, then? Something you think these sensitive nobles wouldn’t be upset by?”

“Put on King Harvest!”

Discord flipped through the list of songs until he found the one Alex must have meant. Soon the soothing chimes from a keyboard and snare drum were sounding out across the room before the heavier drumming and lyrics kicked in to bring the classic rock hit to Equestria.

Snails seemed a little lost, but smiled as Alex turned back to him and carefully raised the hands and arms of his little magical construct to hold Alex’s own. “G-go ahead and lead. I don’t really know your dances, but I’ll do my best to follow.”

“Hey, neither do I but, we can always try.” Moving his body, Alex, tried to summon some of the rhythm that he felt when merged with Sonata. “If we look like dorks, we look like dorks. This is just us having fun.”

“Y-yeah, you’re right. Just two foals trying to have fun. No need to care what anypony thinks, right?” Some of the tension seemed to leave him as he began to find his own timing to move with Alex, and the two of them just kept moving as the songs changed around them.