1054 AD, October 17th

“Star Secret, you have been elected, by an overwhelming majority of Canterlot’s populace, to represent the Royal Court as its Seventh Representative; succeeding Iridescent Haze, who sadly passed away four years ago. The Seventh Representative is a title very few can achieve – a pony must be confident, honest, altruistic – and above all else – trustworthy. You have shown these traits through and through, most particularly during Discord’s mercifully brief reign of yesteryear.”

Turning, Celestia’s horn shone as she levitated a purple sash from a pillow held aloft by a unicorn guard.

“So it is with great honour that I present you with this sash; worn by every member of the Royal Court since its formation.”

Nightmare Moon kept still and silent as the sash was looped around her neck. The smile on her face was genuine; after all these months she had finally infiltrated the Royal Court.

“Wear it with pride; it is a reminder of the power you hold and of the responsibility that comes with it. Congratulations, Star Secret.”

And then the hall shook with cheers and stomping hooves. Nightmare Moon turned to survey the room and the cheering ponies, and disguised a crooked grin as a prideful smile.

‘Finally…’

Casting her gaze to the left, she spotted Fancypants and Fleur at the front row of the crowd, exuberant expressions on their faces. Fleur was even wiping her eyes with a tissue.

Behind them was Vinyl and Octavia; the former was jumping up and down, whistling and whooping loudly. Her lover was clapping politely, unperturbed by the DJ’s antics.

Casting her gaze to the right, Nightmare Moon spotted five of the Elements of Harmony. Her mood darkened a little, but she reminded herself today was a great victory and that their comeuppance would come soon enough. For now, she’d take their applause; praise was sweeter when it came from your enemies.

Turning her head further to the right, she saw the newly crowned Twilight Sparkle in her royal regalia clapping as well. Luna was by her side – she wasn’t applauding as noticeably as every other pony, but her small grin was just as welcoming.

And finally Celestia. The white alicorn was looking at her with pride. She took a moment to remember that expression.

‘It will be a good comparison to the one you will make when I reveal myself. Oh, the anticipation is killing me. Do you hear the bell, ‘Tia? I hope so because it tolls for thee.’

“Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech!”

Nightmare Moon grinned at the crowd. They wanted a speech? She’d indulge them. It was the least she could do after they so generously voted for her.

She held up her hoof. They went quiet almost immediately.

“When I first came to Canterlot, I was quite taken. From your buildings to the ponies, everything was so unique and styled. When the sun is up, everything and everywhere sparkles and shines like gems and ponies go to and fro with their business. When the moon rises, it takes on an ethereal beauty and ponies go about enjoying the break night time brings whether it be resting, going out with friends or simply observing the stars and constellations.

“Another thing I’ve enjoyed was the diversity: different sections existed in the city, each with their own social and cultural norms. Literally any type of pony could live here and find something which makes them feel comfortable. During my stay I’ve made plenty of…”

Nightmare Moon paused.

“… friends here. From all districts of Canterlot.” Amongst the crowd, Vinyl waved her arms excitedly with a cheesy grin. She swore she heard a ‘squee’ coming from there. “And if it hadn’t been for their support, I don’t think I’d have ever made it to where I am. Those ponies have my gratitude as do the ponies who voted for me. Rest assured that I will do everything in my power to make sure Canterlot's future is a bright and happy one. Once again, thank you.”

The crowd roared their approval and Nightmare Moon stood there, soaking it all in. She could only imagine how good it would feel to sit on the throne and watch the world go by.

“That was a beautiful speech, Star Secret,” Celestia said. She turned to the crowd. “The swear-in is over and now is the time for celebration. Have fun, my little ponies.”

“My dear, if there’s a stallion in this room more joyful than I, then I implore you to show him to me,” Fancypants chuckled. “Congratulations, Star.”

“Bravo on your accomplishment!” Fleur added, giddy as a schoolfilly.

Nightmare Moon gave a small grin. She had been dealing with ponies complimenting her all night and while it was rightly deserved, it was much nicer to talk to those she was actually fond of.

“It has been a rather bumpy ride, but I got there in the end,” Nightmare Moon levitated her glass of wine to her lips and sipped. “Though all this fanfare seems unnecessary. The Element bearers themselves?”

“Princess Twilight insisted that she and her friends attend,” Fancypants said. “I do believe they wish to meet you – face-to-face.”

Nightmare Moon held back a scowl. “That’s… nice. I wonder where they might be.” She glanced around; once she knew where they were she could avoid them.

“Most likely by the refreshments. That pink one has quite the appetite. Personally, I couldn’t bear the thought of eating that much in one sitting,” Fleur placed a hoof on her stomach. “It tends to stick with me for a while and nopony wants that.”

“Rubbish, my dear – you’d look beautiful as always.”

Fleur blushed. “You won’t be saying that when I gobble up all the desserts and become a miniature blimp.”

“More of you to love.”

Nightmare Moon’s lip twitched in discomfort at the emotional display.

“At any rate…” Fancypants continued as his wife dissolved into a mess of blushes. “Fleur and I are happy for your success and wish you a long and fulfilling career.”

“Much appreciated. And have no fear – I will use this opportunity wisely and accomplish great things.”

She still needed to wait for the right time to strike so in the meantime she’d continue to win the adoration of the populace. That way, once she rose to power, all of Canterlot won’t have to worry if she’d be an effective ruler; they’d have already seen it first-hoof. They’d be melancholic about Celestia ‘stepping down’, but it’d go away once they realize just how much better she was.

‘Tick tock, ‘Tia…’

“Hey, Fluttershy, you okay?”

Jumping in surprise, the yellow mare sighed in relief when she noticed the rainbow mane and cyan coat. “Oh, Rainbow, you scared me…”

“Wasn’t even trying,” Rainbow Dash tilted her head. “So what were you looking at? The good stuff’s happening over here.”

She nodded to the antics of Pinkie Pie. The hyperactive mare was stuffing pastries into her party cannon, shooting them in the air, and running around trying to catch them in her mouth. Many of the elite class looked astounded by the sight, but Pinkie’s reputation – as did the other Element bearers – had grown as saviours of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, so they were more tolerant of their antics.

Fluttershy shrugged. “Oh, nothing…”

Rainbow Dash frowned and raised her left eyebrow. “Yeah, totally don’t believe you. Come on – you can tell me! What is it? Is Celestia going to town on some cake? Did Rarity stuff some of it in Blueblood’s face? Is Rarity throwing cake in Blueblood’s face and Celestia’s eating it off?” She paused and a wolfish grin spread across her face. “Did somepony catch your eye? Eh? Eh?”

Blushing and gently stopping the foreleg nudging her ribs, Fluttershy shook her head. “No, nothing like that. I was just looking at Star Secret.”

Rainbow Dash looked amongst the crowd and nodded. “Yeah, it’s kinda hard to miss her, huh? She’s pretty big. Kinda weird seeing a unicorn that big; the ones in Ponyville are like… well, Twilight. You know, before she got her wings and stuff.”

Fluttershy nodded.

Rainbow Dash continued. “So why are you looking at her? She does have a pretty nice flank, but for some reason you don’t strike me as the type of pony who’d ogle somepony else in the middle of a crowded room.”

Fluttershy looked down at her hooves. “I… I’m not sure. It’s just…” She looked up at her closest friend with wide eyes. Her mouth moved, but she suddenly closed it firmly and shook her head. “Never mind.”

Rainbow Dash wasn’t the most empathetic of ponies, but even she could sense when one of her friends had something bothering them. Concerned, she stepped closer, and stretched a wing over Fluttershy’s shoulders.

“Hey, come on – this is Rainbow Dash here. The element of Loyalty, remember? You can trust me. What’s got you down?”

Fluttershy was about to reassure her that she was fine before letting out a small sigh and giving a shrug. “I… It’s Star Secret.”

“What about her?”

“I know it’s rude to talk about somepony behind their backs, but…” She turned and leaned in closer, her voice lowering so far that Rainbow Dash had to strain to hear despite their closeness. “She gives me a bad feeling…”

At this confession, the speedster blinked in surprise. “Her? Really? The mare whose been doing all that cool stuff for Canterlot?”

Fluttershy frowned and looked away in shame. “Forget it – it’s silly…”

“No, you can tell me. What about her gives you a bad feeling?”

Fluttershy took a few moments to articulate her thoughts. “I can’t really explain it, but… there’s something about her which feels… wrong. It gives me shivers when I look at her. I know she’s done all those wonderful things and made everypony happy, but I can’t shake that feeling. Oh…” She glanced at her friend with watery eyes. “Am I a bad pony for thinking that?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “No way! You’re the kindest pony I know. If you say you get a bad feeling from her then I believe you.”

“R-really?”

“You’re not the Element of Honesty, but I know for a fact you wouldn’t lie about something like this.”

Touched by her friend’s sincere words, Fluttershy gave a bright smile. “Thank you for saying that.”

“No problem, ‘Shy.” Rainbow Dash gave her a small squeeze of affection with her wing… after making sure nopony was watching of course. “So this bad feeling of yours… when did it start exactly?”

“Since I first saw her.” Fluttershy replied. “At the garden party when we celebrated Twilight’s birthday.”

Rainbow Dash whistled. “That far, huh? And you’ve been getting it ever since?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Every time I see her or hear her voice,” She paused. “The strange thing is… I feel like I know her from somewhere. The feeling’s familiar, but I can’t place it when and where.”

“Heavy stuff,” The cyan pegasus murmured with a thoughtful look. “What do you want to do about it?”

“I… I don’t know. I don’t really want to do anything about it… in case I’m just being paranoid, but at the same time I feel like I should do something. I just don’t know what.”

“Well, I’m not the best pony to go to for thinking up plans; you should try telling this to Twilight,” Rainbow Dash nudged her with a smile. “But hey – if you need a few doors kicked down, you know who to turn to.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I don’t think I’ll need something like that done.”

“You never know,” Pulling her wing back, Rainbow Dash nodded to the refreshments. “Alright, let’s chow down before Applejack and Pinkie scarf everything.”

Fluttershy turned to follow. Before she did, however, she took one last look at Star Secret.

A shiver ran down her spine.

‘Why do I feel like this? Am I just being paranoid?’

“What do I think about all this, you ask? Well, I won’t deny that Star Secret gets the job done. She’s persuasive, charismatic and popular – I won’t deny any of that. However, she is not of royal birth so that costs her some points. I also find her crass attitude towards me quite distracting so that’s more points gone. My aunties – for whatever reason – seem to adore her and she is respectful to them so that’s an admirable trait.”

Blueblood swirled his wine.

“All in all, I don’t think she quite deserves a title on the Royal Court – particularly one like the Seventh Representative – but alas, the populace of Canterlot has spoken. I simply hope that she continues to do… whatever it is she does and knows her place.”

The group of mares surrounding him made noises of admiration – no doubt struck by his words and sophisticated viewpoint. He wasn’t just a handsome face as many were surprised to find out. Beneath his dashing looks lay a well of wisdom and intelligence that many were envious of. Such was his intellect that many scholars found themselves-

‘Hay yeah, hor d’oeuvres!’

“Excuse me, mares,” He brushed past them, head held high. “I’m afraid business calls.”

Leaving the group of mares to giggle and swoon over him, Blueblood approached the table full of drinks and food. Levitating his preferred food item off the silver platter, Blueblood munched on it, savouring the taste.

“Excuse me, sir?”

Sighing, Blueblood turned and gazed evenly at the guard clad in dark purple armour. “This had better be important; I’m trying to enjoy myself.”

The guard matched his stare with that vacant look so many of the guards seemed to have. Blueblood often wondered if there was any semblance of intelligence that didn’t relate to militant topics.

“One of the sentries reported sighting an unidentified object in the sky. It was approximately the size of a pony and very fast. It vanished before he could get a good look, however.”

Blueblood shrugged. “I fail to see what this has to do with me. I’m not the overseer of the guard, Shining Armor is.”

“Prince Shining Armor is in the Crystal Empire; a letter – even sent by the princess – would take too long and the sighting disturbed the sentry enough that he felt immediate action should be taken. You have stated how much better the guard would be under your control.”

Blueblood paused. “Yes, well… hmmm…” He tapped his hoof thoughtfully. “I suppose I am.”

The guard blinked. “So?”

“So what?”

“What would you have us do?”

“Oh! Yes…” Blueblood thought hard. “Question the sentry and get a good description on what he saw; every little detail counts. Tell the guards on duty to… be… more on duty.”

The guard blinked with those vacant and glassy eyes. “Of course… sir.”

Seeing as his brilliant plan was going straight over the stallion’s head, Blueblood sighed. “Run my plan by the princesses then and have a letter sent to Shining Armor if you’re so unsure.”

“Of course, sir.” The guard brightened at that idea, no doubt happy it was simplified to something even he could understand.

Blueblood shook his head as the armoured stallion trotted away. He should really see to giving those brutes classes – a little more points for the old IQ would do wonders.

Still, the bit about the sentry getting spooked was concerning. Brutes as they were the Royal Guard was fearless – he had a theory on how lower intellect meant less brainpower for things like fear and sense of personal hygiene, but Celestia wouldn’t let him publish it. The fact that it was a night guard – a pony who should have been used to the night – just warranted more suspicion.

‘Bah, why do I care? Celestia put Shining Armor in charge; let him sort it all out. Just because he’s away up north doesn’t give him an excuse to ignore his duties in Canterlot.’

Eager to get on with his night, Blueblood turned back to the table for another hor d’oeuvre. He levitated one and at the same time he felt the sensation of another’s magic gripping the morsel. Orienting his gaze to the left, he went stiff as cerulean irises stared at him.

“Blueblood?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“It’s Rarity…”

“Rarity.”

Vinyl decided that for a posh party full of posh ponies there was some strong alcohol. She was already on her third glass. She could probably score two more drinks before Octavia started getting on her case. That was fine – she didn’t want to make a scene at an event that was important to her best friend.

“Stallion, wish they’d change the music.” She muttered.

Octavia glared at her.

“No offense or anything, but I mean, come on – the stuff you like could put a mare to a sleep. Like a friggin’ lullaby.”

Octavia’s glare diluted until it was an unimpressed gaze. She took a sip of her wine.

“Oh, don’t be like that, babe. You rip on my taste in music and I rip on yours. It’s what we do,” Her marefriend didn’t answer. Vinyl pursed her lips in thought before grinning. “Come on – don’t you get hot and bothered when we argue? All that tension in the air? Doesn’t it make you wanna get down and nasty?”

Octavia took another long sip. However, Vinyl saw the twinkle in her eyes and the way the corners of her mouth curled upwards.

“Yeah, you know what I’m talkin’ about. You act all namby-pamby and prissy, but when the doors are shut and the mood’s just right… you’re a tiger.”

The cello player lowered her glass and glanced at her without turning her head.

She winked.

Without another gesture, she trotted forwards to refill her glass.

Vinyl beamed.

‘I am so gettin’ some tonight.’

“Truly? Twenty-four letters?”

“A week,” Celestia nodded. “Don’t get me wrong – I love Twilight like she was my own daughter, but there are times when I question what goes on that head. I appreciate knowing what goes on in her life, but a 20-page essay on how she felt seeing two stallions kiss is…”

Luna raised her eyebrows. “Yes?”

“Actually, that was quite a… interesting read.”

“’Tia, you scare me sometimes.”

“Then my work is done,” The two alicorns shared a laugh, trailing off as a night guard approached. “Wisp, is something wrong?”

“A sentry has reported spotting an as-of-yet unidentified object flying through the skies near the garden’s labyrinth. I was instructed by Prince Blueblood to inform you immediately.”

Celestia frowned in thought and turned to her sister. “Luna?”

“What else did Blueblood tell you to do?” The princess of the night asked with an eyebrow raised in suspicion.

“Question the sentry and get more details; I have already sent somepony for that. We should have a description shortly. Shall I bring it to you when it is done?”

The sisters looked at each other. “Better safe than sorry.” Celestia said.

Luna nodded. “See to it, Wisp. Thank you for bringing this to us.”

“Of course, your majesties.”

Wisp trotted off into the crowd. Alone once more, Celestia sighed. “It seems as if there’s always something going on, hm?”

“What with Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra and the Crystal Empire – I’ve had quite the welcoming party these past years.” Luna chuckled.

“And that’s just the stuff we know about. According to Twilight, something big happens in Ponyville almost every week. So far they’ve dealt with storms, a parasprite infestation, poison joke, a visit from an ursa minor, showmares, tabloids, runaway floats, Cerberus marking his territory, messages from their future selves…” Celestia took a breath and looked at her bewildered sibling. “Shall I go on?”

“I still think we should see to sending more protection.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary – it’s all trivial really.”

Luna cocked her head. “Truly? A dragon in the mountains is trivial?”

“Oh, that was just an old friend of mine. Crimson Claw – he nests in those mountains every 150 years or so for a little snooze. He’s actually quite nice if a bit cranky.”

“And you sent six young mares instead of guards because…?”

“Well, he was there first and what would you rather have: a group of armoured stallions asking you to move your stash of treasure or six sweet fillies asking the same thing?”

Luna still looked doubtful. “What if they said the wrong thing?”

“Come now, sister – they’re smart enough to know that as long as you respect elder dragons, not touch their stash and refrain from kicking them in the snout they’ll gladly hear you out.”

Celestia heard a deafening crash and turned to see Pinkie Pie dragging an ice sculpture resting in a now-empty punch bowl across the floor by her tongue. Rainbow Dash was floating after her while rolling in fits of laughter, Fluttershy was running around trying to find some hot water, and Applejack appeared to be contemplating bucking the sculpture. Twilight was absolutely mortified by the display and hid her face behind her mane.

“…”

“Uh-huh…” Luna nodded with a smug grin. “And do I even have to mention the tickets? What was that all about?”

“Well…” Celestia blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I’ll admit that joke was in rather poor taste.”

Her sibling chortled to herself. “Trollestia, my sister…”

“Hey, you promised to never use that name in public!”

“I had my hooves crossed.”

“You’re so mean.”

“Mmm… I suppose I am.”

Wisp walked down the corridor, stain glass windows letting in silvery moonlight, illuminating his path. As he neared the end, the wooden door suddenly creaked open and a charcoal-coated stallion wearing indigo-coloured armour emerged. Wisp could see a scroll cradled carefully under his wing.

“Swish.” He called.

The pegasus shut the door behind him before saluting. “Sir – I was just about to come find you.”

Returning the gesture, Wisp stopped a few feet in front of him. “So what’s the situation with that sentry?”

“From what he told us, he was walking along the southern wall at 9:03 pm when something flew past. It was travelling at a significant enough speed that he couldn’t see every detail and by the time he got over the shock it was already gone.”

Wisp furrowed his brow. “In what way was it shocking?”

“It flew close enough to him that he felt the wind on his face. Not only that but, um…” He paused.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, he drew this; said that it was all he could make out.”

Grabbing the scroll with his teeth, Swish took it out from under his wing and allowed it to unroll. Wisp examined the contents.

At first he only noticed a scratchy blob of graphite similar to what a foal would draw. However, the more he looked the more the blob took on a form. In particular, the two long scrawls that reared up from the back of the main body looked like wings and the blank spots amidst the shading resembled eyes. The main body was nothing but shading; most likely done with the side of the pencil’s tip.

“I’m assuming the lines and shading are meant to represent its blurring speed.”

“Ah ‘ought ‘at as ‘ell.”

Wisp stared at it for a moment longer. What truly caught his attention was the way the eyes were drawn. The body and wings suggested it was flying sideways, but the position of the eyes suggested that this… thing… was looking straight at the sentry as it passed.

He shuddered and wasn’t sure it was because of the chilly air.

“How is the sentry?”

“O’ay…” Swish used his wing as a support so he could roll the paper back up and place it back. “He got a bit of a scare, but otherwise no ailments. He’s requesting to go back to his patrol.”

Wisp nodded. “I’ll tell him he’s free to do so. However, I’d like that scroll and the events of what happened to be relayed back to the princesses.”

“What about Shining Armor? Should we tell him?”

“We’ll leave that to the princesses.”

“Alright.” Swish nodded.

“Dismissed.”

The two walked past each other. Wisp had just opened the door when he heard Swish call out.

“You still up for a few drinks?”

Wisp paused and debated internally. “Yeah, sure – just remember to stop me if I try to go past four, eh?”

Swish grinned and chuckled. “You got it.”

Wisp watched his friend’s retreating flank for a moment before trotting through the door with a shake of his head.

‘Nope, nothing. I’m definitely not gay, so why do ponies always think I am? Is it the way I gallop? It’s probably the way I gallop.’

Author's Notes:

Note 1: Canterlot's Royal Court is divided into seven positions and titles, collectively referred to as The Seven Representatives.

The First Representative oversees Canterlot's commerce, the Second Representative in charge of agriculture, and infrastructure, medical, trading, and research for the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Representatives respectively.

The Seventh Representative is an oddity amongst them because they must show profound knowledge in all the other six categories, so that they may serve as a mediator of sorts should one Royal Court member's actions affect another's division. The title of the Seventh Representative is also unique in that it can go unfulfilled for a longer time - maximum of five years - as opposed to the other titles - maximum of one year.

Many outside of Canterlot find this way of governing unusual, but can't deny its effectiveness in keeping Canterlot the wealthiest and most stable settlement in Equestria.

Note 2: After the party, Nightmare Moon was surprised by yet another celebration in the confines of her own home, hosted by her associates. One attendee was hospitalized as a result of Nightmare Moon's surprise - fortunately, it had been Jetset.

Note 3: Non-canon plot ahoy!