“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique,” Rarity greeted reflexively as she opened the front door. “Oh! Hello, Cloud and… Cloud’s daughter. Come in. And please forgive me, I’ve forgotten your name, darling.”

“Diamond Tiara… I’m one of your sister’s best friends, how can you not remember me?” Diamond asked.

“DT… she apologized, no need to rub it in,” I said. “Besides, you’ll be staying here a few days, you don’t need to antagonize the babysitter.”

“Foalsitter,” Diamond corrected. “And I’m sorry, Rarity. I’m… working on unlearning my birth mother’s bad habits. I’ll try to be more polite to you this weekend.”

“Oh, it’s quite alright, darling,” Rarity assured, forgiving her easily. “Spike and Sweetie are in their room, upstairs. Why don’t you go join them for now? I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”

She watched Diamond go, waiting for the door to close before turning to me and whispering loudly. “Are you sure this is a good idea? You do know that those two are… you know.” She clopped her hooves lightly in a gesture that probably meant something to other ponies. But even without that hint I knew what she meant.

“Sexually active? I already know Spike took Diamond Tiara’s virginity. And that there’s no way he’ll impregnate her without magical help,” I pointed out. “If does go for something like that again, I’d rather it be with him than some random colt. And there’s not much we can do to stop them from sneaking something in when they’re gathered as a club, especially once the clubhouse is repaired.”

“Oh… well, those are fair points. And It’d be hypocritical of me to give you too hard a time about that, given my own sister,” Rarity said.

“And she’d call me a hypocrite if I tried to stop her, given what I’m hoping to do with Nanaki,” I admitted with a blush. “He seemed quite impressed with the suit you made him. I can’t wait to see it on him.”

“Speaking of which, your dress is right over there,” she said, pointing it out where it hung on a rack. “The final alterations are ready to go.”

“I just hope I don’t make a fool of myself out there,” I said, gathering up the dress. “I’ve never danced before, and doing it surrounded by ponies is just going to make it that much more awkward.”

“Don’t fret too much, darling,” Rarity said. “This is Nanaki we are talking about, I’m sure he of all pon- people will be forgiving of a few missteps, even literal ones.”

“He does seem pretty slow to anger,” I agreed. “It’s one of his attractive qualities.”

“Of which he has many… more than enough to make up for his looks,” Rarity agreed.

I looked at Rarity a bit surprised, before the obvious occurred to me. Watching my expression change, Rarity added “He’s certainly exotic, from my point of view, but I prefer a nice white coat on my stallions, a bigger and more pony-like build, ideally a nice long horn though I try to be open minded there.”

“I tried being open minded, myself,” I said. “But I’m quite fond of Nanaki’s looks. Of course… if we ever do get back to our old selves… I’m sure that will be an awkward transition, but as long as it’s both of us it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

“More than you might think,” Rarity muttered quietly before meeting my eyes again. “You should get going, darling, you don’t want to miss the train!”

“Right… Diamond! I’ll see you in a few days! Have fun and be good for Miss Rarity!”

Rarity’s comment had wormed its way into my head during the walk to the train station and the process of getting ourselves situated in the car. Nanaki could comfortably be quiet for hours on end, so he didn’t interrupt me at first, letting my mind work and quietly observing my movements and facial expressions. I wonder what he thought I was thinking.

I dismissed a number of possibilities. If Nanaki was ugly as a woman, how would Rarity even know? It’d have to be his own opinion on the matter, and that was often inaccurate or exaggerated. In any case, if we were well bonded by the time it came up, we would get through it fine, I was sure.

Perhaps he had been particularly young or old, but I doubted that. He was rather wise and patient for his age, but that seemed more an effect of his grandfather’s teaching. Thinking back, the best I could think was his own sexual attractions. He’d admitted his first lover was a female quadruped, a rare member of one of the few other sapient races on Gaia. So perhaps the expected awkwardness came from him being a former lesbian.

That seemed the most likely to me, and again I expected it to work out easily enough, if we were a true couple by the time it came up.

“You seem to have come to a decision,” he commented as I looked up to see him smiling gently at me from the opposite seat.

I blushed, mind racing to think of what to say to that, not wanting to dig into the topic I had actually been thinking about. He waved dismissively, seeing my hesitation. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll find its own timing. For now… let’s just enjoy the view and the company,” he said. He gestured to the window but didn’t take his eyes off me.

“Right,” I said. “I’m just a bit nervous. I really want this to work out… not just tonight, I mean.”

He nodded. “Tonight hardly matters, in the long run. I’m quite nervous about the dancing, myself, truth be told. I’m sure you’ll be forgiving, but quite a few ponies are going to be forming their first opinion of me based on how well I can move about the dance floor with you. I’m not used to being the center of attention like that. You?”

I shook my head. “At least I already have a reputation as a dragon slaying mercenary alien,” I said with a smirk. “Maybe some of that will carry over to you?”

Nanaki laughed. “Can’t say I’ve killed any dragons, personally, but I take your point. Let’s hope nothing like that comes up at the Gala. I left my gun and most of my materia at home.”

“Most?”

“I did bring the Revive materia, just in case. I’d hate to need it and not have it, you know?” he pointed out sensibly. “You could make the same case for the others, but I could only get Rarity to work one into the design of my suit.”

From there we filled the time discussing our opinions of my friends, passing the time as the miles passed by.

“Button Mash!” Pinkie said plaintively. “Pleeease! I need it now!”

“No! I’m cutting you off! Besides, do you have any idea how hard it is to import games from Japan?” the colt objected. “And you never give them back, much less in one piece.”

“But you’ve already beaten it, how many times?” the pink mare countered.

“Only once… I didn’t care much for the prevalence of the romantic subplot,” Button admitted. “Okay, fine! But only because it’s that one. No more.”

“One more?” Pinkie asked as he slid the disc under the door.

“What?!”

“Not yet… but my Pinkie Sense is telling me I’m going to need one more by the end,” the earth mare insisted.

“Pinks, I know you better than that. That’s not how your Pinkie Sense works,” Button Mash alleged.

There was a delay before she answered. “Okay, it’s not that sense. It’s the other one.”

“Genre Savviness,” Button said, before letting out a sigh. “I’m going to regret it more than this one, aren’t I?”

“Seems narratively inevitable,” Pinkie agreed.

“Whatever, just get out of here. And you better be on time with your deliveries. Speaking of which…” Button began.

In absolute defiance of physics, Pinkie pushed a double-stuffed box of donuts through the crack under the door before taking her leave.

As unfamiliar as Canterlot still was, it was quite easy to find the way from the train station to the palace. Princess Celestia had been generous enough to lend us the use of a guest suite for the evening, and we stopped there to wash up, get some rest, and finally get dressed before the start of the festivities.

“Rarity really outdid herself,” Nanaki complimented as I stepped out of the restroom. “Although, beauty like that takes more than just clothes,” he added, smiling.

“I’m sure the makeup helps as well,” I said. “Diamond has had me practicing all week.” I stepped forward a bit unsteadily, still getting a feel for my new shoes. They had raised heels, but only slightly, an inch. It was little enough that I felt I could pull it off, but high enough that I would need to adjust. “I kind of wish ponies had never even heard of high heels though.”

“It’s a bit surprising they use them, especially considering how lewd the effect is on them,” Nanaki commented. When I gave him a questioning look, he continued. “It pushes the mare’s rump up, angling it like she would if she were, well, inviting a stallion. In humans it’s not nearly so explicit, even if it is, in a sense, conveying the same sort of message.”

I paused, seriously considering abandoning the shoes, but I couldn’t bring myself to ruin the ensemble. Sometimes I hated what becoming a woman had done to me, and this was one of those moments.

“Cloud,” he said quietly but firmly, wresting my attention back to him. “You look beautiful, and I promise I’ll be a perfect gentleman as long as you want me to be.” He reached out a hand to accept my own. “Now let’s go enjoy the ball.”

We headed out into the hall, making our way to the edge of the gathering crowd of ponies waiting for their tickets to be checked over by the guards. “I feel like I’m an open book around you,” I said quietly.

“I’m quite practiced at reading people,” Nanaki admitted. “Honestly, I’m used to speaking much less. You’d be surprised how much you can learn just by watching and listening. Of course, it isn’t enough to use your eyes and ears, your mind has to be in it.”

“If you’re usually quiet, does that mean you don’t give much for others to read of you?” I asked.

“To the contrary,” he said. “The actual act of speaking distorts the facial expressions, and tends to provoke gestures based on the flow of words… there’s a lot you can see in someone’s silence that can be missed when they open their mouth. You’re often quiet yourself, but I’ve seen quite a bit from watching you.”

“You like what you see?” I asked.

“Absolutely,” he said, before being distracted for a moment, retrieving our pair of golden tickets and presenting them to the guard. We were soon let into the ballroom, where dozens of ponies were milling about in far more clothing than I had seen in my entire time in Equestria.

He began to lead us towards the Princesses, easily spotting them above the heads of the other ponies. But he kept a modest pace, giving us a bit more time to talk. “Today, I’m seeing just how feminine you can be, despite your history. But I’ve already seen the spirit of a warrior in you, and not merely a soldier. One who fights for what she believes in, and believes in what she fights for. A protector, with a powerful heart, and the mind and body to back it. One who knows how to bring the blade to bear, and when not to. In many ways a kindred spirit… much unlike our mutual friends.”

I nodded. “I’ve taught them to fight, but they aren’t warriors at heart,” I admitted. “I had my doubts about you at first, you know.”

“I know… The uniform set a poor impression. And I certainly earned some misgivings indulging Pinkie’s idea as far as I did,” Nanaki admitted. “Not that I regret it… I’ve gotten to know your friends quite well in such a short time, and they’re all good ponies, in their own ways. But it hurt you…”

“It wasn’t fair of me to be hurt by it,” I said, a bit coldly.

“Hearts don’t actually work on fairness,” he said. Before I could respond, we reached the front of the line. He bowed deeply to the two princesses, and I did as well, grateful that nopony knew any more about curtsying than I did. Or at least human curtsying. The mares ahead of us had been doing something that was probably the pony equivalent.

“Greetings Cloud Strife, Nanaki,” Luna greeted, perking up notably. “I am so glad you could both make it. But what of your friends? None of the other Element Bearers were able to make it?”

“We had only two tickets between the lot of us, the ones your sister originally gave to Miss Sparkle, shortly after our first encounter,” I said, declining to bring up the details of that night. “I don’t know all the details, but they changed hooves a few times before ultimately ending in Nanaki’s hands so we could be here tonight.”

“You should have asked me for more tickets,” Princess Celestia said. “I would have happily produced enough for all of your friends. I would have suggested it myself, but it’s been nearly a year since we sent out the original tickets. I didn’t think to question whether you had gotten enough.”

“We didn’t want to take advantage of our relationship with you, your highness,” I said. “Perhaps you could provide a dozen or so for the next one, though? Fourteen should be enough for all of the Elements, as well as Twilight Sparkle and Nanaki.”

“You are including the Elements of Greatness,” Nanaki inquired.

“Unless you think there is anything objectionable here the fillies should be kept away from?” I inquired.

“Not at all… I look forward to their presence,” Celestia said, perking up a bit herself with a subtle grin. “In the meantime, enjoy yourselves. There are plenty of appetizers, and the music should begin shortly. Of course, if you’d like to come sit with us and converse, that would be most welcome as well.” Her magic set a few pillows by her side suggestively.

“Perhaps later. You have quite the line waiting to greet you,” I said after a quick glance behind me. “Those appetizers sound nice though.”

“Before we go, though, let me say what a pleasure it is to finally meet you face to face, dear Luna. And to see you again as well, Celestia. I do hope this party is a true joy to you this night,” Nanaki offered before joining me in stepping away.

“I hope so too,” Celestia said before adding, in a voice akin to Fluttershy’s typical volume, “I doubt it will though.”

“Speaking of listening,” I said to Nanaki when we were dishing up some of the more human-friendly foods from the buffet. “Did you catch Celestia’s parting comment?”

“I couldn’t make it out, but I can guess the subject,” Nanaki said. “This isn’t really the Princesses’ kind of party, ironically. I think she’d have rather attended Gummy’s birthday party. Though perhaps not Gummy’s after-birthday party… I can’t really judge whether she’d go for those kinds of sweets,~” he said, giving me a wink.

I blushed fiercely. “You heard from Rainbow? I swear, nothing happened. But not for lack of effort on Pinkie’s part.” I stiffened for a moment, not out of any reaction to the topic but just an indescribable feeling of change overcoming me for a moment. I looked around, tensely, but couldn’t see anything off. The noble ponies and others who had manage to get tickets were mingling as they had been. The Princesses still greeting newcomers. The band were setting up to play their first set of the evening.

“She left much to the imagination,” Nanaki commented, “but I believe you. Not that I would have held it against you if you had gone farther. But I believe you’ve been rather straight forward on your intent in that regard.” He looked up at me again, his plate finally filled with a mix of fruits and egg dishes, and he frowned at the sight of my face.

“I hope I’m just being paranoid, but… I’ve got a bad feeling. Just keep an eye out,” I said.

“Mmm,” he acknowledged. “Not that I mind the look but… when did you get that scar on your nose?”

“Scar?” I asked, reaching a hand to touch my face lightly. It was deep enough to feel it easily, although I was quite certain it hadn’t been there even an hour ago when I had done my makeup. “I didn’t… keep a keen lookout. Something strange is afoot.”

We settled against a wall with our food, somewhere we could watch the proceedings easily while we fed ourselves. I was tense, even after Nanaki rested his hand on my shoulder, but the tension was not rewarded with any obvious outlet. We watched the Princesses and they remained safe. We watched the nobles as the music began and they started to dance, safely. We watched the musicians as they did nothing but play.

“Come on,” I finally said during a lull between songs. Some ponies were leaving the dance floor, and others joining, and we rode that wave out into the center. The music started, and we awkwardly took hold of one another, beginning to move in time with the music.

We stumbled, more than a little, and it would have been more embarrassing if my wariness weren’t keeping my mind off it. But as we went, I watched the ponies and quickly adjusted my form, guiding his hands to the right spots and quickly growing much smoother in my motions.

My mind reeled at that, insisting something was off. The way the ponies danced… well, actually it was surprisingly human like, with couples reared up to rest their barrels against one another and dance about on their hind legs. But it was really nothing like a pair of humans, and the idea that looking at them would help us in the slightest defied logic and made that paranoid part of me all the more active.

And yet. By the time the song was halfway done, we were having a blast, twirling apart and together again with a dexterity ponies couldn’t hope to replicate. We were dancing like we had trained half a lifetime for this moment, and ponies were starting to take notice. First those off the dance floor who had the freedom to watch more easily, then those around us who slowly took their leave to give us more room and a greater spotlight.

When the dance ended, hooves were clopped together and stomped on the ground as our audience cheered us on. My paranoia had faded, leaving me open to feel the embarrassment of dozens of eyes focused on me, and I blushed heavily as I hastily retreated, dragging Nanaki along with me.

We retreated from the palace entirely, taking a wide double door out into the adjoining garden. I found a rail to lean against as I caught my breath, reeling still from the social pressure.

“I’m guessing you learned how to dance the same place you got the scar?” Nanaki inquired.

“Seems like it,” I said. “I… really have no idea what happened out there.”

“It’s alright. It wasn’t bad, was it?” he asked. “We’ll be vigilant, but I rather enjoyed dancing with you. I was amazed I could keep up. And if anypony noticed you were leading, it didn’t seem to bother them.”

“It was… it was fun,” I admitted. “At least until I realized how many eyes were on me…”

“It’s okay… the night is lovely,” he said, gesturing up to the moon and stars. “We can spend the rest of it out here if you like.”

“It’s nice of you to say,” Luna said, clopping softly toward us. “Are you alright, Miss Strife? You seem rattled.”

“I’ve just got a bad feeling,” I said. “I’m hoping it’s nothing.”

“My sister is prone to prophetic ‘feelings’, are you?” Luna inquired.

“Not really,” I said. “I’m also not prone to spontaneous scarring.” I ran my finger against the bridge of my nose again. “I don’t recall being injured, and this wasn’t here an hour ago, but it’s more pronounced than where I was run through with a sword. Twice.”

Nanaki raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t derail the conversation with the obvious questions. “Have you observed anything amiss here?”

“Not this night, no,” Luna began. “But we are still investigating a few suspicious incidents since our return from captivity. Nothing so… odd as your snout’s defacement. But we do suspect somepony on the palace staff freed Prince Rutherford shortly after his capture, and may have been responsible for Prince Blueblood’s injuries. Well, his initial injuries at any rate. We have it on good authority that Miss Rarity is responsible for his black eye, despite his refusal to press charges.”

“I hope he appreciates how lightly he got off,” I said.

“Unfortunately, our nephew does not seem to have that… perspective,” Luna admitted. “Please refrain from injuring him further, if you can. Though it may do him some good to be well reminded of the need to respect the mares in his life.”

“To you, I promise not to cut off the next generation. Just don’t let him know that,” I said with a vicious grin.

“I appreciate that, truly,” Luna said, though her grin mirrored my own. WIth a flick of her head she pointed him out, where he was having some hors d'oeuvres alone. “He is within, if you wish to speak to him now.”

“Aren’t you worried we’ll make a scene if we do?” Nanaki inquired.

“No, that is not something that worries me,” Luna said ambiguously. “I must return to my place. Enjoy the rest of the evening.”

She trotted off, making it almost to the door before a leather-winged guard approached her, taking her off to the side to discuss something. I watched long enough to see her look my way for a moment before refocusing on the guard, apparently not deciding to beckon me. Whatever the trouble was, it was hers to deal with. She could certainly find me if that changed.

“Oh my, there’s two of you now?” Prince Blueblood chose to lead with as we approached him.

“And we’re both friends of Rarity,” I answered pointedly.

The Prince winced. “Perhaps a more private venue if you care to discuss the details of that… embarrassing fiasco.”

“Yes, let’s,” I agreed.

We took our leave to one of the more private sitting rooms around the palace, one painted with a sunny sky depicted overhead and a moon and stars beneath, with sitting pillows distributed about. We took our seats, Blueblood more comfortable than either of us humans. At least physically.

“I’m not sure how much you heard from the mare herself,” Blueblood began.

“Nothing directly,” I admitted.

“She was a bit more open with me,” Nanaki said. “You cheated on her with a nurse.”

“It wasn’t my fault!” the Prince claimed. “The nurse deceived me. I didn’t see her approach, as I was just waking, and she bade me to keep my eyes closed. Somehow, whether by magic or skill, she made herself sound like my Rarity, and I had no reason to doubt her, especially when things got going, until I heard my true marefriend’s gasp.”

“No reason at all?” I questioned.

“Well… her mane style was a bit different, and the way she used her tongue… but it’s not unlike Rarity to change up either of those on a whim,” he pointed out. “The truly frustrating thing is that… after the deed was done, what would normally be something of an ‘appetizer’ if you will, I was too drained to do more than apologize pathetically to the fair maiden before sleep overcame me. I have nothing to blame it on but my injuries, but that seems… dubious to me. I don’t know what else could be the culprit, however.”

“Rarity mentioned that,” Nanaki said. “She had been willing to look past your transgression for her own turn, at least in the moment, but you declined and passed out. Did you tell her anything about the voice?”

“No, I was too mortified by my own failings at the moment, I feared it would come off as a cheap and deceitful excuse. Especially as the nurse’s voice sounded nothing like it when she parted, saying her farewells in front of Rarity,” Prince Blueblood claimed. “It was already a dire offense to be unable to ‘rise to the occasion’ for such a beautiful mare, to claim I couldn’t tell her sensuous voice from the much more plain voice of the help? I am certain I would have earned far more grievous retaliation for that insult.”

“You had a black eye, I heard? It seems healed now,” I said.

“After the incident, I requested a different nurse and doctor take over my treatment. They seem to have been far more competent, as I recovered far more swiftly after the change, including my new injury. Much more the royal medical treatment I am accustomed to, on the rare occasion their services are needed,” the Prince explained.

“That’s suspicious,” Nanaki said. “It seems as though this nurse had it in for you, and was sabotaging you in more ways than one. Perhaps the doctor as well, though that is less clear.”

“I’d like to meet with them both,” I said. “But… not tonight. Blueblood… I’m glad to hear there’s more to the story than you simply betraying my friend… but if I learn this was all a lie on your part, my wrath will be double what it would have been if you were simply honest with your failings. Now… let’s set this aside for now. I want to get back to enjoying my special evening.”

“A little mystery isn’t your idea of a good time?” Nanaki teased, taking my arm in his. “Then let’s go back and find you something more suitable.”

As we made it back to the hallway, I looked in the direction of our suite, considering for a moment before shaking my head. No, it wasn’t time for that yet. Not right after dealing with the Prince. “Let’s start by seeing about another dance.”