The Mane Six

Twilight Sparkle woke up extra early the next morning and began her routine run around Ponyville to gather her friends.  The only difference between a normal day and today was that she had the invitation to show to her friends.  After almost an hour of examining and re-reading the invitation, Spike and she decided it would be best to consult their friends before making a decision.  Rested snuggly on her back, Spike continued to read over the letter and pamphlet.

After she had successfully gathered all of her friends, she noticed that the group of ponies all seemed bothered by one thing or another.  Twilight decided it would be best to go meet with Zecora before starting a discussion about the invitation, and so she led her friends off to the small hut in Everfree Forest.  Before long, they were sitting in Zecora’s hut discussing the matter at hand…

“I received this strange letter last night right before going to sleep.  It doesn’t say who it’s from; it just talks about a party at some mansion.”  Twilight explained as Spike held up the small package he had been carrying.

Applejack’s eyebrow raised in curiosity, “So uh…is the party sometime next week?”

Twilight nodded, “Yeah, how’d you know?”

Rainbow Dash spoke up, “Because I got an invitation to the same party last night.”

Applejack turned to look at her.  “Ya did?  But uh…What about you fellas?”  She looked around the room to the rest of her friends.

In sequence, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity all nodded.  They had all received a strange invitation to a party hosted by an unknown host.  Fluttershy pulled her letter from the pouch at her side, and handed it to Twilight.

Looking over the two letters carefully, Spike announced, “Yep, it’s the same letter!  You all got the exact same message!”  With a confused look on his face, he handed the letter back to Fluttershy.

The ponies looked at one another.  Zecora spoke up, “Would you care to read the letter?  After all, the more I know the better.”

Twilight cleared her throat, and then started reading the letter.  She also took it upon herself to read the pamphlet and the individual invitation enclosed in the package.  The ponies sat quietly as their friend read aloud the message written on the mysterious letter.  Zecora listened intently, hoping to find some sort of hidden meaning behind the words.  

She announced sadly after Twilight had finished, “I am afraid I see no mystery.  This is simply a party in honor of thee.”

Twilight looked at her, and back to her friends.  “So…should we go?  I mean, we have no clue who the host is…or even what this ‘game’ he keeps talking about is!”

Pinkie Pie bounced happily, “I say we go!  After all, it is party being held for us!  Not to mention there will be fancy decorations and delicious food!  And games!”

Looking around to each of her friends, Twilight sighed, “If we are going to go, we need to get ready.  The mansion is just outside of Canterlot, so we need to be in the city before the party.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged her shoulders, “Meh, I don’t see why we shouldn’t go.  It could be fun.”

The ponies in the room smiled as they all agreed.  They decided unanimously that they would go.  Spike took the pamphlet from Twilight’s hoof and scanned one of the paragraphs carefully.

After he read over the paragraph he wanted to, he announced, “The pamphlet says that anyone with an invitation can bring guests.  So does that mean me and Zecora can go?”  The baby dragon looked innocently at Twilight, glancing quickly toward Zecora.

Twilight smiled, “Of course you two can go!  What do you say, Zecora?”

Without saying a word, the zebra smiled and nodded her head.  Twilight assumed that the nod was a yes, so she cheered, “Great!  We can all go to Canterlot together!  This party can’t be too bad, right?”

The group of ponies stayed at Zecora’s house and visited for a little while longer.  They immediately started discussing who they thought the host was and what they thought the game would be about.  Little did they know, there were other ponies in Ponyville having the same discussion.

Cutie Mark Crusaders

Applebloom dashed from the gate of Sweet Apple Acres, determined to get an early start on her never-ending hunt for her special calling.  She was headed for Rarity’s house so that she could pick up Sweetie Belle before heading over to Scootaloo’s place.  Once she got the gang all together, they could start their day’s adventure in search of their cutie marks.

While she was running on the road to Sweetie Belle’s, a voice called out to her, “Hey Applebloom, wait up!”  She turned around to see a gray-coat, yellow-mane Pegasus flying toward her.

“Hey Derpy, how are ya doin’?” Applebloom cheered as the Pegasus flew closer to her.

Derpy reached into the pouch at her side, “I’m doing pretty good this morning.  I’ve got a lot of letters to deliver.  Are you on your way to your friends’ houses?”  She pulled three packages from her pouch.

“Sure am!  Do ya need somethin’?”  Applebloom happily cheered.

Derpy handed the packages to the filly, “One of them is for Sweetie Belle, and the other’s for Scootaloo.  You don’t mind taking them to them, do you?”

Applebloom laughed, “Not at all Derpy!  I’ll make sure these get to ‘em!”  With a nod of her head, Applebloom took off running down the road.  Derpy closed her pouch and flew back into the air, off to deliver more letters.

It didn’t take long before Applebloom was banging loudly on Rarity’s door, calling for Sweetie Belle.  When the door finally opened, Sweetie Belle greeted her with a cheer and a smile.  “Hey Applebloom, I didn’t expect you so early!  Rarity just left with Twilight, so I’m free to go!”  She leaped out the house and closed the door.

Without another word, the two were off to Scootaloo’s house.  Not even thinking about the packages she was carrying, Applebloom didn’t bother to give Sweetie Belle hers.  It wasn’t long before the two excited fillies ended up running into Scootaloo in the town’s marketplace.  She was buying a new skateboard at the stall of miscellaneous junk.

She greeted her fellow crusaders with a determined laugh, “It’s about time you two showed up!  Today’s the day we get our cutie-!”  She was interrupted when Applebloom remembered the packages she had taken from Derpy.

“You two have packages!  Derpy gave ‘em to me to give to y’all!”  She handed the other two fillies their respective packages.

Sweetie Belle looked at hers with curiosity.  “Let’s go someplace a little less crowded to open them.”  She looked around to see all the people crowded in the marketplace.  

Without wasting any time, the three headed straight for their secret Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse.  They hastily opened their packages to find a letter, pamphlet, and invitation to a party.  Enthusiastically and with a little struggle, the fillies read their letters.  They looked at one another, smiles covering their faces.

Applebloom exclaimed, “We’re gettin’ invited to a party in Canterlot?  This is amazing!”

Scootaloo scoffed, “It’s just some dumb party.  I’m sure it’ll be boring.”

Sweetie Belle laughed, “You don’t think it would be fun to play that game?  It sounded really mysterious and exciting!”

Applebloom added, “We should go!  If we can get our sisters to come with us, we could make it!”

Scootaloo sighed, “Fine.  If we can get a ride to Canterlot, I don’t see why we can’t go.”

Sweetie Belle suddenly remembered something important.  She gasped, “Rarity got a letter just like this one last night!  It had the exact same stuff in it and everything!”

The other two fillies looked at her with confusion.  They started discussing who they thought might have invited them to a party in Canterlot.  Then they let their minds wander off to think about what the game could be and just what kind of prize they would receive for winning.  The trio of fillies decided it best to go right ahead and talk to the older ponies about going to the party.  What they didn’t know is that the older ponies had already decided they would…

Friends’ Rendezvous

Doctor Whooves and Big Macintosh were sitting at a table just outside of the only café in Ponyville.  Although the place hadn’t opened yet, they sat patiently for it to open so they could have their lunch and be on their own ways.  The two had been friends for several years, just about since they were colts.  They got together every day for lunch at this small café.

Big Mac was telling Doctor about a mare that lived a little ways down the road outside of Ponyville, and how he had had his eye on her for a while.  Doctor encouraged Big Mac to go ahead and try and get with her, advice that Big Mac wouldn’t have expected from such a quiet stallion.  As the two were discussing this matter, Derpy Hooves flew up beside them and greeted them with a cheer.

“Howdy fellas!  Still waiting on the café to open?”  She had seen them earlier that day, but didn’t realize she had mail for them at the time.

“Eeyup, still waitin’.  Ya need somethin’ Derpy?”  Big Mac greeted her with a smile and a wave.

She pulled two packages from her pouch, handing one to each of the two stallions.  “These are for you guys.  Seems to be a lot of these packages going around town…”  She saluted the stallions and went on her way.  She had more mail to deliver.

Doctor looked at his package incredulously.  “Who in Equestria would be sending me an unmarked package?”

Big Mac chuckled, “Who in Equestria would be sendin’ you a package at all?”

Doctor frowned, starting to tear open his package.  “That really hurts, you know!” he laughed.

The two stallions stared at the contents of their packages.  They read the letters and pamphlets to themselves.  Then they exchanged confused looks and laughed.

“’You are hereby cordially invited’?  Could this person be any more proper?  What do you make of this strange package, Big Mac?”  Doctor chuckled as he looked at the small invitation card.

Big Mac sighed, “Eeyup, it’s a party invite.  O’ course, I think we oughta accept ‘em.  But that’s just me.”

Doctor smiled, “I admit this ‘Master of the House’ does make it sound like a fun endeavor.  Alcohol, food, games, karaoke…  It sounds like it has a little of everything!”  Doctor looked at Big Mac with a fire in his eyes.

Big Mac returned the look with one just as fiery.  The two sat and discussed whether or not they would be going.  Then their minds wandered off to think about what kind of delicious booze and food would be served.  They didn’t care anything about the game or the prize; they just wanted some exotic consumables.  What they were unaware of is that all around town, ponies were receiving the exact same invitation…

The Rich Pony in Town

Filthy Rich sat in his office at his store ‘Rich’s Barnyard Bargains’, doing all of the taxes and filling out the financial forms for the previous day’s earnings.  As he counted up all of the money and filled out all of the journals and ledgers that accountants are supposed to handle, he heard a slight rapping on his office window.  Getting up from his chair and walking over to see what was causing the noise, he was greeted by Derpy’s smiling face.

He quickly opened the window, a smile on his face.  “What can I do you for, Ms. Hooves?”  He was polite, calm, and spoke gently.  Something one would not expect from such a comparatively rich pony.

“Hey there Mr. Rich!  I got a package here for you and your daughter.”  Derpy handed him two packages from her pouch.

Mr. Rich (for the sake of not calling him Filthy) nodded his head, “Why thank you, Ms. Hooves!  It’s nice of you to drop them off directly to me…The receptionist doesn’t always get the job done right.”  He smiled at her.

Derpy nodded, lifting herself back into the air, “It’s not a problem, Mr. Rich!  You take care now, okay?”  With that, Derpy was off to deliver more mail.

Mr. Rich sat back down in his chair and resumed his financial work.  After a few minutes of ignoring it, the package started to bother him.  He marked his place and his count, closed the journals that were spread across his desk, and pushed them to the side.  He opened the package addressed to him.

He read the letter with intrigue and excitement.  Looking at the pamphlet, his excitement only grew.  “An invitation to a party in Canterlot?  I wonder what kind of big name business pony wants to meet me.”  He smiled as he thought about all the business opportunities he would have if he went to a party in Canterlot.  

If he met the right people, he could probably start a chain of ‘Rich’s Barnyard Bargains’ stores all across Equestria.  He decided right then and there that he would be going.  He looked at his daughter’s package, noticing that it was identical to his own.  Opening it, he found that the same letter, pamphlet, and invitation had been stuffed in it.  He smiled as he thought about taking his daughter on a trip to Canterlot, a vacation he’s never had the time to do before.

He decided he would make time for such a prestigious party.  He wondered how Diamond Tiara would react to being told she was going to Canterlot for a few days.  He also wondered just what kind of business ponies would be at the party, and what he could do to get their attention.  What he didn’t know was that he wasn’t the only pony in Ponyville getting invited to this prestigious party…

The Ponyville Ponies

There were four mares gathered outside the same café as Doctor and Big Mac, and they were also waiting for the place to open so that they could enjoy their own lunch rendezvous.  Lyra Heartstrings, Nurse Redheart, Cheerilee, and Vinyl Scratch were all sitting at the same table, sharing their gossip news and talking about their private lives.  They had apparently all known each other for a long time, and were happy to sit and talk for hours on end about each other’s personal affairs.

Just as they were getting into a heated discussion about their relationships, Derpy arrived with a cheer.  “Hey everypony!  How are you all doing this morning?”  She smiled and waved as she landed beside the quartet of mares.

Cheerilee replied with a cheer, “We’re doing just great!  How about yourself, Derpy?”

Derpy sighed, “Just flying here and there and everywhere.  I’ve got some mail for you.”  She pulled out one package after another, until all four of the mares gathered at the table had identical packages in their hooves.

Nurse Redheart spoke quietly, “Thank you Derpy.  Do you know who they’re from?”  She looked at the package, noticing it didn’t have a return address or identifiable mark of any kind.

Derpy shrugged her shoulders, “I have no idea.  Nopony’s package has had a return address.  I was just told to deliver ‘em, so I’m in the dark too.”  With a smile, Derpy lifted herself back into the air.

Lyra thanked Derpy in a sing-song voice, “Thank you, Derpy!  You take care now, okay?”

Derpy nodded her head and went off on her way.  She still had a few packages left to deliver.

The mares quickly opened their packages and read the contents very thoroughly.  With a squeal of excitement, Vinyl Scratch exclaimed, “We’ve been invited to a party in Canterlot!  I haven’t been there since Princess Cadence’s wedding!”  The other mares began to chatter and discuss the party invitations.

They discussed whether or not they would go, and what they would do if they went.  A couple of them thought about inviting friends.  They let their minds wander off thinking about what kind of amazing stallions they could meet in Canterlot.  Maybe they could get one to fall for them.  What they never would have guessed was that there were invitations just like theirs being sent all over Equestria…

Derpy’s Invitation

Derpy Hooves busily flew all over Ponyville, delivering package after package.  After going all morning long without stopping, she was finally down to her final package.  Arriving back at the post office, she noticed that the package was actually addressed to her.  Opening the package without hesitation, she found a letter, a pamphlet, and an invitation to a fancy party that would be happening in Canterlot.

Excited to relay the news to her filly friend Dinky Doo, Derpy left the post office without wasting any time.  She headed straight for Dinky’s house, with every intention of inviting her and her sister to the party.  After all, the letter did say the guests could have friends with them.

She was greeted by Dinky’s smiling face and excitement to see her.  Amethyst Star greeted Derpy with a sheepish smile and a sigh.  “Good morning, Derpy.  What are you up to?”  Amethyst wasn’t too fond of Derpy’s influence on her sister, but she didn’t mind their hanging out together.

Derpy clapped her hooves in excitement as she told the sisters about the invitation she had received from the mysterious Master of the House.  She showed Dinky the pamphlet on all of the activities and games that would be waiting for her at the party.  Amethyst listened intently, wondering just who exactly would invite Derpy to a party in Canterlot.  After Derpy had finished explaining everything in the letter to the sisters, Amethyst had to speak up.

“Look Derpy, I’m happy for you, truly.  But why exactly did you come here just to rub it in our faces?” Amethyst sighed in irritation.

Derpy shook her head in disappointment, “I would never come over just to brag, Amethyst!  I came over to invite you two to go with me!”

Dinky’s eyes lit up with excitement, “You really mean that Derpy?  You can invite us?”

Derpy nodded her head, “Yep!  The letter said we could bring friends, so I wanted to see if you wanted to come.”

Amethyst’s jaw dropped in shock, “Y-you’re being serious right now, right?  You’re actually inviting us to go to Canterlot with you?”

Derpy nodded, and Amethyst leaped with joy.  She gave Derpy a tight bear hug, super excited to be going to Canterlot.  She had always wanted to visit the royal city, but she’d never had the time or the money.  Now she would be going, and going to a party no less!

The trio of ponies talked excitedly about the things listed in the pamphlet, each of them thinking about a different part of the festivities.  Amethyst was wondering just what kind of famous ponies she would be meeting.  Dinky thought about what kind of games they would have to play in the children’s playrooms.  Derpy thought about how much fun it would be to just visit Canterlot again.  She hadn’t been there since Princess Cadence’s wedding, after all.  What the trio wasn’t expecting was that there were other creatures and ponies outside of Ponyville planning their trips to the party…

The Old Troublemakers

Gilda the griffon was flying ever so peacefully through the clouds, staring down at the forest below her as she relaxed.  She wasn’t flying for any particular purpose, and she had no idea where she was going.  She was just having a little fun, keeping an eye out for any unsuspecting creature to prank.  She couldn’t remember the last time she pulled a really good prank.  It had to have been the day that pink pony threw a party for her.  Yeah, the party that ended up showing her true nature to everypony in Ponyville.  Even Rainbow Dash didn’t want to hang out with her after all that ruckus.

Gilda closed her eyes and sighed as she continued her lazy flight.  Without warning, a pony flew right into her path and collided with her, both of them tumbling to the ground below them.  Gilda crashed through the roof of a small caravan that was parked just inside the tree line.  The other pony landed in the tree nearest the caravan.

…

Trixie let out a deep sigh as she stared into the mirror of her caravan.  She looked at herself and at her bit purse.  Ever since she had been completely humiliated by the purple unicorn and the Ursa Minor back in Ponyville, she hadn’t had any type of business at all.  Her funds were emptied, and her heart sank with despair.  The Great and Powerful Trixie was now just another broke unicorn looking for work.

She thought about the events of the night that had ended up with her leaving Ponyville in humiliation.  That purple pony had calmed the Ursa Minor and sent it home, whereas she simply cowered in front of the great beast.  Letting out another sigh, she looked up at the roof of her caravan.

She thought she heard screaming heading towards the building, but cast it off as her imagination.  Just as she was about to get up to step outside, a large bird-like creature crashed through the roof of the caravan and landed right on top of her.  She let out a scream of fear and pain.

Gilda immediately regained her balance and leaped off of the unicorn below her.  They shared irritated, angry glares.  Gilda screamed, “What the heck are you lookin’ at, pony?”

Trixie replied angrily, “Do you have any idea who you are talking to?”

Gilda raised a claw in the air, “No, why don’t you inform me?”  A frown stretched across her face.

Trixie used her magic to pick up a wooden plank from the pile of debris now covering the floor.  “I am the Great and Powerful-!”  She was cut off in mid-sentence by a banging on the caravan’s door.  

Gilda hastily snatched the door open with her raised claw.  She greeted the pony on the other side with an angry glare.  “What do you want?”

The pony took a deep breath before answering, “S-sorry about that little collision.  I’m kind of glad I found you though.  Um, I have a package for one ‘Gilda the Griffon’.”  The pony pulled a package from his pouch and handed it to the griffon.

“A package?  Who’s it from?”  Gilda’s face twisted in confusion.

Trixie interrupted the conversation very rudely, “Ahem!  Excuse me!  We were in the middle of something!”

The stallion looked at her, recognizing her as the failed magician Trixie.  He just so happened to have a package for her as well.  “Excuse me, Ms. Trixie?  I also have a package for you.”  He tossed her the package, which she caught with her magic.

Waving his hoof in goodbye, the stallion took off back into the air.  He had other mail to deliver.  The two creatures left in the caravan looked at one another, then back to their packages.  They nodded, and started ripping the packaging off.  Reading through the contents of their packages, smiles began to grow on their faces.

“A party in the royal city, eh?  Could be the perfect place for some major prankage.”  Gilda opened her wings wide and flew into the air.  She was out of Trixie’s sight before she could say anything.

Trixie laughed, “You have a point, griffon.  This could be the perfect opportunity to prove myself as a professional entertainer!”  Trixie looked into the mirror, a sly expression covering her face.  She decided she would go to this party, and prove to all of its guests that she was an amazing performer.

Each with their own intentions, Gilda and Trixie began their own preparations for the party.  But just a little ways away, in a small town in the woods, three other creatures were being invited to the same party, with their own intentions…

Down On Their Luck

Flim and Flam sat beside the massive contraption they were once proud to call the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000, staring at their empty bit purses.  After they had been forced to leave Ponyville for trying and failing at taking over the Apple family’s farm, they had had nothing but bad luck and even worse business.  In fact, their business was so bad that they barely had enough bits to eat with, let alone anything else.

The two brothers sighed simultaneously, their stomachs growling loudly.  They sat on the side of the road, watching as carriages of ponies were crossing back and forth in front of their cider stand.  It seemed that nopony in this town cared for cider at all, let alone some strangers’ cider.  They watched on in envy as the ponies in nice clothes and fancy suits walked by, seemingly ignorant of the brothers’ presences.

They heard shouting coming from down the street by the local hotel.  It was an unfamiliar voice they had never heard before in this town, so they decided to go check it out and see just what the commotion was.  A huge crowd gathered outside of the hotel, gathered around a small stage that had been set up.  The shouting voice sounded confident and determined.  Everypony in the crowd cheered as it continued shouting inspirational phrases.

…

After being beaten in a game of determination by the shyest pony he had ever met, Iron Will’s confidence and luck plummeted.  Having been faced with the realization that his inspirational program had actually caused Fluttershy more harm than good, he doubted every second of his speeches.  But business was business, and he had to make bits to eat.  He continued travelling across Equestria, delivering motivational seminars everywhere he went.

His roaming had led him to Manehattan, one of the biggest and most crowded cities in all of Equestria.  If he was going to help anyone and make bits, this would definitely be the place to do it.  He set up a stage near the city’s only hotel and began doing what he always did.  He uttered motivational phrases and continued with his confident charade.  He was happy to see a crowd of ponies gathered around him as he continued his seminar.

But then, just as he was starting to feel good and get a little more genuine confidence, two stallions trotted up to the front of the crowd and began mocking his performance.

“Look what we have here, Flim!”  Flam laughed as he waved his hand around, gathering the attention of the crowd.

“I see it, Flam!  It’s a minotaur trying to offer us advice on how to be more confident!”  Flim chuckled, joining his brother in front of the crowd.

Iron Will breathed steam from his nose, his anger becoming apparent.  “Who do you two stallions thank you are?  Iron Will is the best motivator in all of Equestria!  If my seminar doesn’t help you turn your life around, nothing will!”  Opening his arms to the crowd, Iron Will hopped off of the stage and looked at the FlimFlam brothers with wide eyes.

Flim lifted his hat from his head, twirling it around in his hoof.  “You say that you can motivate, but I don’t believe you!”  He nudged Flam in the side.

Flam began stroking his mustache.  “If you could only prove how motivational you were, maybe we’d get off your back.”  He laughed as he removed his hat and tossed it at the minotaur.

Iron Will stamped his foot, “Haven’t you ever heard of Iron Will’s motivational seminars?  Are you stallions completely bonkers?”  The anger was now apparent to the crowd, and they began to back away slowly, fearing a fight may break out.

Flim and Flam both chuckled in unison, “For a motivator, you sure are aggravated!”

Iron Will was about to launch himself at the two brothers, until a Pegasus landed in front of him and held out his hooves.  “You gotta stop this senseless bickering, Iron Will!  You have an image to maintain!”  The Pegasus opened the pouch at his side, pulling out a small package and handing it to Iron Will.

The FlimFlam brothers looked on in confusion as the minotaur ripped open the package.  The Pegasus floated gently over to them, holding out another package.  “You’re the FlimFlam brothers, right?  Well, this package is for you.”

The brothers looked at it with curiosity, then took it and began opening it.  By this time, the crowd had gone away, wary of a fight and bored by this bickering.  The Pegasus waved his hoof at the three creatures he had just delivered to, and was off into the air immediately after.

Looking at one another, the three of them stopped their bickering and read the letters they had opened.  Thoughts of a glamorous feast in a mansion full of celebrities filled their minds, and to each of the three another hope filled their heads.  For Flim and Flam, this could be a chance to get their cider business running again.  For Iron Will, this party would be just the confidence booster he would need to get his seminars back on track.

The three of them wouldn’t have guessed that the ponies that had made them feel down and out in the first place would also be invited to the party…

Canterlot Celebrities

Octavia was elegantly sitting on the stage in a large country club, playing her cello with an eloquent melody and sound.  The fellow members of her small orchestra complimented her music tenfold.  To her, it was all about style and grace, and less about length and complexity.  She let a smile cross her face as she played the last few notes of her song and the crowd gathered in the club applauded her.  She nodded to her fans as she left the stage.  She stepped behind the large curtain at the back of the stage and into a large door with a golden star emblem carved into it.

Octavia was greeted with a smile from Sapphire Shores.  With a light hug and a small cheer, Sapphire directed Octavia into a large-cushioned chair in the room.  Gathered in the room were some of Canterlot’s most famous celebrities.  Hoity Toity, the fashion designer; Photo Finish, the world-famous photographer; Fancypants, the most influential and important stallion in Canterlot’s social circle; Sapphire Shores, a famous Canterlot pop-star; and Octavia herself, a concert cello player.  

All of these celebrities sat in this large VIP room that extended from the main body of the country club.  To each of these celebrities, this place was a safe-haven from the paparazzi and constant fuss that everypony made while they were around.  It was nice to get away from the prying eyes of the adoring public.

The celebrities applauded Octavia’s performance on stage just a few moments ago, and she blushed as Hoity Toity commented on her performance.  “Your posture and physique is simply marvelous!  You simply must let me use you as a model for my next design!”

Octavia chuckled sheepishly, “I’m not quite sure about that, Mr. Toity.”

Photo Finish scoffed, “You are too shy for your own good, Ms. Octavia.  You are a celebrity!  This is the life you live!  Embrace any opportunity you have to further your fame!”

Sapphire Shores agreed, “You simply must let go of childish notions of shyness and privacy.  Being such a well-known musical genius will break down all of those walls.”

Octavia tried to keep her composure, but being in a room with so many famous ponies was getting to her nerves.

Fancypants spoke his opinion, “Your music is marvelous, dear.  I can only suggest that you show a little more emotion to your crowd.  After all, the fans like to be recognized from time to time.”  Octavia blushed.

Hoity nodded in agreement, “Yes, quite right.  Your emotionless expression can be quite depressing at times.  You must appeal to the fans before they will truly love your art.”

Octavia was about to say something when a loud banging sounded from the door.  After a few moments, the door swung open wide and a stallion Pegasus walked through into the VIP room.  In the presence of the celebrities, his knees began to shake.

His voice quivered as he spoke, “To the celebrities of Canterlot:  Hoity Toity, Photo Finish, Fancypants, Sapphire Shores, and Octavia, you have all received priority mail from an unknown sender.”  He pulled five identical packages from his pouch and handed them to the celebrities in respective order.

The ponies took the packages with curiosity and proceeded to open them.  The stallion nodded and excused himself from the room, fearing that his knees would give out on him.  The five ponies looked over the contents of their packages carefully, being sure to examine each word carefully.

Hoity Toity clapped his hooves together, “A party outside of town?  This could be exciting!  And since it’s invitation-only, we can easily escape the eyes of the paparazzi!”

Sapphire Shores giggled, “Of course we’ll be attending, correct?”  She looked at Fancypants.  Out of the group of celebrities, it seemed that they tried to stay together whenever possible.  It also seemed that Fancypants gave the final say so.

“Of course we shall attend!  We must maintain our public images by honoring this nameless pony’s request!”  Fancypants lifted a hoof into the air, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.

The celebrities sat around for the next little while discussing the matter of this party.  They decided just what exactly they would do while at the party so as not to ruin their reputations or harm their social standings.  They weren’t concerned with the food or the company or the games.  They were concerned with their images.

The celebrities never would have guessed that they wouldn’t be the most famous ponies at the party…

The Wonderbolts

Soarin’, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot were getting warmed up for their daily exercises in the Wonderbolts’ own private flight grounds.  They had a big show coming up in a few weeks, and they needed to be at the top of their game.  The other few members of the Wonderbolts were going to be out of town on the day of the show, so these three took it upon themselves to train without the others.

The Wonderbolts’ exercise regimen was brutal, forcing each one to the limits of their stamina, muscle strength, and speed.  The rough exercise was part of what made them enjoy doing their performances.  It helped tone their muscles and increase their stamina.  The exercise also helped to keep them in tip-top shape and perfect health.  The last time any member of the Wonderbolts fell ill was due to food-poisoning.

The only stallion in the performing group, Soarin’ took it upon himself to keep them on their toes.  The exercise regimen would be intensified for the next few weeks, until the day of the actual performance.  Just as the trio of pegasi were about to begin their five-mile dash around the secluded training area, a Pegasus pony they had never seen before landed just in front of their starting line.

Soarin’ dropped to the ground to address the Pegasus.  He asked in an irritated tone, “Is there any particular reason you’re disturbing our exercises?  And just how did you find this place, anyway?”

Spitfire and Fleetfoot landed besides Soarin’ as the Pegasus explained himself.  “I have a package addressed to the members of the Wonderbolts performance group.  It comes as priority mail from an unknown sender.”  He pulled the package from his pouch and handed it to Soarin’.

Fleetfoot looked closely at the package.  “Are you even allowed to mail items with no return address?”

The Pegasus shrugged his shoulders, preparing to take his leave.  Spitfire laughed, “I don’t know how you managed to find this place, but you’re one helluva delivery pony.”

Soarin’ looked at the Pegasus with anger, “You’d best not tell a soul where this place is, got it?”

The Pegasus nodded, taking flight and leaving the area immediately.  Spitfire and Fleetfoot stood by while Soarin’ tore open the package.  He read the enclosed letter aloud to his teammates.  He then proceeded to read the pamphlet and invitation to them.  They looked at one another, not sure of what to think.

“It’s probably just some over-zealous fan wanting us to make a personal appearance.”  Soarin’ scoffed as he handed the letter to Spitfire.

Spitfire looked at the pamphlet.  “What’s your point?  A party’s a party.  Free food, entertainment, and a chance to win some sort of prize.”

Fleetfoot clapped her hooves together.  She exclaimed, “I think we should go!  It would make the fans happy to see us attend, plus I bet it will be tons of fun!”

Soarin’ looked at her with a smile, “I agree.  We’ve been working so hard lately that a single day off won’t kill us.”

The three Wonderbolts placed the package on the ground in their carrying back, and then lifted back up into the sky.  They weren’t going to cancel practice just because of an invitation.  They would take a break on the day of the party to get ready and attend.  Their minds were filled with thoughts of just how the party would go and how many of their fans they would get to meet.

Of course, they wouldn’t have expected to meet with the Royal Family at such a mysterious party…

The Royal Invitations

Princess Celestia sat on her seat that settled for a throne as she stared down at the mysterious letter she had received the previous night.  She had called for a meeting of the entire Royal Family.  Princess Luna stood beside her sister’s throne, reading the letter for herself.  Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were gathered on the other side, also looking the letter over.  Prince Blueblood tapped his hooves impatiently, waiting for one of the four to explain just exactly why this meeting was called.  Four royal guards stood in front of the door to the throne room, patiently awaiting their captain’s next orders.

After minutes of examining the letter and pamphlet and invitation, Shining Armor had to speak up.  “The letter talks about a mansion the host built from scratch, but there hasn’t been any recorded construction at all in the last few months, aside from repairing the damage the Changelings did to the town.”  His face was twisted with confusion and uncertainty.

Princess Luna spoke softly, “There is a good chance that this is some sort of trap, but if what the messenger told us stands true…we aren’t the only ones to receive this package.”

Princess Celestia looked up at her sister, “What do you mean, Luna?  We aren’t the only ones to receive this package?”

Luna shook her head, “No.  In fact, it was Twilight Sparkle and her friends who received identical packages last night.  According to the messenger, there were even more packages to send this morning.  There were twenty-nine identical packages in all, if the messenger was correct.”

Celestia’s eyes opened wide at the sound of her student’s name.  “So, perhaps I ought to write to Twilight asking what she makes of this mysterious message.”

Princess Cadence spoke up, “I think we should go.  This party does sound like fun, and since it’s invitation-only…”

Shining Armor finished for her, “…we won’t have to worry about any random pony showing up and trying to muck everything up.”

Cadence smiled at her husband, “That’s right.”

Prince Blueblood impatiently scoffed, “So, we’re going to some random party held by some unknown pony?  Sounds perfectly safe to me…”

Shining Armor spoke up, “We’ll be bringing a few of my highest-ranking guards with us.  I assure you that if anything happens, the guard will have it covered.”

Celestia looked down at the letter in front of her.  She had a bad feeling in her gut.  But seeing the optimism and enthusiasm of the other princesses and guard captain, she decided to cast it off.  She also knew that nopony would miss out on the chance to attend a party outside the prestigious town of Canterlot.  Anypony that was invited would attend, that was almost certain.

She smiled as she thought about what might be waiting for them in the mansion on the night of the party.

Looking back on it, she should have trusted her gut.  She should have sent out a mass message to all of the invited ponies and told them to stay far away from the mansion.  But she didn’t, and for that she would hate herself in less than one week…