There were times when just seeing Twilight Sparkle made Ink Spot smile. There were times when she made him laugh. There were times when she made him feel flustered, or proud, or like an awkward little colt going through his first crush.

Then there were the times like this that she simply took his breath away.

The moment the door to Princess Luna's chambers opened and she appeared, he was left speechless. No royal gown, no fancy jewelry other than her tiara, peytral and shoes... and that crude, laughable engagement ring-- he was going to get her a better ring, a perfect ring, he swore it, if he ever got that one away from her-- No heavy makeup, no mane and tail 'do. just her. Radiant. Beautiful. Perfect.

All he could do was act the fool and try to be courtly. "Milady." Ink Spot dipped his head in a bow. "Shall we proceed to the festivities?"

Her smile made his clumsy efforts seem worth it. "Indeed we shall," she said, falling in beside him. Nyx fell in at his other side. Together with their entourage, they walked serenely through the halls of the great palace to the royal ballroom.

They reached the double doors all too soon.

The doors swung wide, spilling light and sound into the hallway. He felt the two most important mares in his life tense up beside him. He gave the younger one a comforting nudge and whispered in the older one's ear. "Just breathe." She nodded, took a deep breath, and let it out.

They stepped inside.

"Presenting their Highnesses, Princess Luna of Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, And Princess Nyx Sparkle of Equestria, daughter of Twilight Sparkle--" the doorpony bellowed, his mustache puffing in the wind of his own voice.

Well that went smoothly, Twilight thought.

"--formerly known as Queen Nightmare Moon!"

Sonuva-- Twilight barely restrained herself from magically throttling the stallion. It was too late anyway. Every eye in the room was now on them, and murmurs of confusion, surprise, and disbelief were spreading through the crowd like ripples from a stone in a millpond.

"And their escorts, Sir Ink Spot of Red Rock Island; Sir Spike of Ponyville, Champion of the Crystal Empire; and Sir Bright Eyes of Ponyville, Champion of the Crystal Empire!" The doorpony went on. There was an indignant cheep. The doorpony looked at his notes. "...And Peewee," he added.

Nyx gulped at all the eyes suddenly looking her way. What were they all murmuring? Spike gave her a subtle thumbs-up. Reassured, she looked the other way hoping for a confidence booster from Bright Eyes--- there was nothing but an empty space next to her. It took her a second to realize what happened. She gave the empty air a fierce elbow poke. There was an "oof" and Bright Eyes flickered back into existence. "Don't do that to me!" she whispered fiercely.

"Sorry." Bright Eyes whispered back, rubbing his side sheepishly. "Are you sure you want me to be your escort?" he said plaintively. "I mean, I thought you liked Rumble--"

"He couldn't be here," Nyx said, disappointed. "But you're my friend," she hastened to add. "I really really just need somepony to be here..." she trailed off, biting her lip and looking at him.

Bright Eyes made a little grumbling noise. "Fiiiine," he said. "But I hate crowds and being stared at...you know that."

"Your own fault for looking like a unicorn shaped disco ball," Spike commented. Bright Eyes stuck out his tongue, but refrained from blowing a raspberry. They were in polite company after all.

Twilight blew out the breath she had been holding. "Come on, everyone," she said. "Let's go mingle. Remember, best hoof forward." They moved forward into the crowd.

All of them quickly forgot their nervousness; They were too busy being amazed.

The attendees of this little gathering, as fascinating as they had seemed when first seen arriving, were even more exotic up close. Everywhere they looked was something strange and new; beings they had only read of in wild fairy tales or obscure texts or had never even heard of at all as the guests pressed in.

"We extend our greetings, and thank you for our welcome!"

"Yes!"

"Indeed, thank you."

Twilight found herself addressing.... a cloud of giant butterflies? She had to back up a step to realize she was being greeted by a flock of flutterponies. They fluttered (what else?) before her, a cloud of riotous color, each tiny pony no bigger than the frog of her hoof...not counting the wings, that was. An orange mare with a gold mane and purple wings was at the forefront. Twilight saw a wee sparkling crown on her head, and quickly gave a curtsey. "Queen Nymphalida, a pleasure to meet you."

The Queen of Flutterpony Island looked pleased that she was recognized. Her antennae dipped in acknowledgement of the courtesy. "I am sure the pleasure is less than it would be, given the circumstances," she said. "But the sentiment is welcome." She smiled in amusement. "I take it from your expressions that our kind are not common here in Equestria?" Twilight heard Ink Spot's jaw click shut.

"Forgive us for staring," Twilight said hastily. "there are very few of the Flutterponies here in Equestria, though I do believe there is a colony living in Hollow Shades."

"We are not offended," Queen Nymphalida assured her. "I am sure more than a few are preening at the attention." A chorus of giggles echoed from the cloud of flutterponies behind her.

"Not without just cause," Ink Spot said gallantly. "Your entourage is quite lovely." Fairy-voiced titters and thank yous rained down from the flutterponies.

"And... quite large," Twilight couldn't help adding, looking up at the fluttering flock. It reached clear to the ceiling.

"A necessity," Queen Nymphalida said with a sigh. "We flutterponies cast magic much as pegasi, unicorns and alicorns do, but greatly diminished. We work our magic best in concert. A lone flutterpony could never travel the distance from our island, but a few hundred of us flying together can traverse the distance easily."

Twilight made a sound of comprehension and nodded. "We are familiar with your cousins, the Breezies, and their difficulties traveling--"

Nymphalida gave a surprisingly loud snort. "Pardon me... but the Breezies? Those overly frail things?" She tittered. "My dear, they are most certainly not kin to us." The flock of flutterponies tittered and giggled as well.

"I meant no insult--" Twilight said hastily, but Nymphalida waved her off. "It's not an uncommon mistake," she said. "But really, if we are their kin then it is at quite a remove. We are far more native to this plane of existence than they-- and far hardier, thank goodness. " She shook her head." Poor things. They would not interact with our world at all, were it not for their precious pollen plants dying out in their little pocket realm, and needing to harvest from our own."

Twilight nodded. The Flutterponies were a good bit larger than the wispish Breezies, and had much stronger and more vividly colorful wings. They did not drift helplessly with every zephyr, either, and had no need of breezes to power their magic. Any resemblance between the two was mostly a matter of perspective; Side by side they would resemble the Breezies as much as a Pegasus would resemble Rarity with her butterfly wings.

Nyx found herself facing a smallish flutterpony who'd dropped out of the flock to hover in front of her. She was a powder blue pony with a yellow mane and pale blue, almost glassy-clear wings. "Hello!" she said. "I'm Lycaenida... but you can call me Gossamer. Who are you?"

Nyx smiled, entranced. "I'm Nyx," she said. "Um, Princess Nyx now, I think. But... just call me Nyx."

"Wow, you're different from the other big ponies," Gossamer said. "Not just the little big ponies, or the big big ponies, but all the big ponies. Even the big alicorn ponies. I mean your eyes are different, they're pretty but they're pretty like a cat's, with funny pupils and I don't think I've ever seen a pony with a black coat, not that I've seen a lot of big ponies or small ponies either but I've still never seen a pony with a black coat or cat eyes well except those ones with bat wings with Princess Luna except they're more dark grey too so you're not really like them either... why is that?"

Nyx backed up a step, blinking under the verbal barrage. It was like being confronted by a very tiny, very high-pitched Pinkie Pie. "Um, well, it's kind of a long story," she said.

"She used to be Nightmare Moon," Spike interjected.

"Spike--!" Nyx hissed.

"What, it's not like it's a big secret," Spike said.

Gossamer made an "OoooOOooo" sound. "Oh so you're the Princess who messed up the sun and stuff for a while," she said. "Did you try and run it without getting your mother's permission first or something?"

"Considering what she did to Shining Armor's washing machine, that's actually a pretty good guess," Spike snarked. Nyx elbowed him. Hard.

"Oh well anyway that explains why you have different eyes and... no wait that doesn't explain anything.. why did Nightmare Moon have those eyes, either, anyway?"

Nyx regarded the tiny flutterpony. "Um, aren't you more worried about, um, well, the whole unending day, storm, thing?" Nyx waved her hoof in the air?

Gossamer hovered in midair, her wide eyes blinking, perplexed. "Oh, you mean that Day that Would Not End thing?" She made a phsssst sound. "That's grownup stuff." For the first time Nyx realized that Gossamer was actually a filly, not a full-grown mare. "And it's all done and over with anyway. Yeah, it was horrible hot for a while and there were a lot of storms for awhile too but it's all over with, right? Ooh, is there a buffet?" She said, darting up and looking about. "I think all this fuss is silly but I love traveling here, the food is sooooo good-- oh there it is! I hope they have potato fries! I love potato fries," she said, rubbing her tiny belly and licking her lips.

"Potato fries?" Nyx said.

"Like hayfries, but with potatoes," Spike said.

"Yeah, all starchy and greasy and salty and goooooood," Gossamer said. "You know we have tons of fruit and nectar back on Flutterpony Island? Hundreds of kinds. It-- gets-- OLD. Oh, there it is!" She pointed and fluttered off through the crowd. Then she flew back, hooves on her hips. "Well come on!" And zipped off again.

Nyx looped up at her mother and pointed after the flutterpony. "Um, mom...?"

"Go on," Twilight tittered. "Sundiver, if you would?" The guardpony nodded and trotted off after Nyx.

"You'll have to pardon my subjects," Nymphalida said. "They tend to be, well, flighty. If you'll pardon the pun." It was apparently true; her 'entourage' was splitting up into clumps of four or five and wandering off in every direction after whatever had entranced or distracted them for the moment. "I hope we will get another chance to speak. But... royal duty calls, one supposes... your Highnesses..." And she was off, fluttering off to greet another dignitary now surrounded by curious eyes and gaudy wings.

"A most charming people, if lacking in gravitas," Luna murmured. "They have a simple governance; the Queen is simply the one with the longest attention span."

"Should we go find Celestia?" Twilight said. It was an extraordinary experience being in a room where the Princess of the Sun didn't stand out from the crowd.

"Nay. Methinks our interests would be better served if we, ah, 'mingle,' " Luna said. "Separate and move amongst them, rather than huddle in one corner all together."

"Ah, divide and conquer, then?" Ink Spot said.

"Yeah, but who's dividing whom?" Twilight muttered skittishly.

"Courage, Princess Twilight," Luna said into her ear. "Your shining knight doth stand at your side, does he not?" She chuckled at the blush that spread over the younger alicorn's face. "For the nonce, I leave thee. I see old acquaintances I would renew." With that, the lunar princess walked off.

"Well, here we go," Twilight mumbled.

Ink Spot nuzzled her ear. "I'm right here beside you," he said.

There was a sound of something clearing its throat. The two of them turned around to find themselves facing a sea serpent's head the size of a wagon. The glimmering white creature had stooped down till its long fu-manchu beard and mustache trailed on the floor. "Ah,Svellnadr, Emissary Politic of the great northern serpent Iormungand, Guardian of Niflheim and Keeper of the North Star," he said, introducing himself. "Greetings, on behalf of my master." His voice was a mild baritone. Twilight could smell sea salt and a faint hint of seaweed on his breath.

"Hoo boy," Twilight squeaked. "Ahee, um, that is to say, um, welcome." She peered around, yet saw no more enormous serpents in the room. "Is he about?"

The white sea serpent smiled politely. "I am afraid that, unlike many here, my master is unable to attend in person," he said. "Through me, however, he is able to see and hear all that shall go on these few days, and participate as well." He tapped the enormous sapphire on his brow by way of explanation.

Twilight peered closer. "Oh, a two-way communicator?"

"Of sorts."

"If it's not impolite, may I ask why he is unable to attend?" Twilight said. Careful, you don't want to offend...

Sevllnadr opened his mouth to speak, but before he could respond his head twitched to the side and a cavernous baritone voice echoed out of his mouth. "Because, child, I am far too old and large to enter your palace," the voice said. "I could coil about the base of the very mountain it stands upon."

"Oh my!" Twilight curtseyed. "Iormungand, I presume?"

"In the voice, if not the flesh," the voice intoned. "Do not be alarmed, I am not offended." The voice sounded vaguely amused. "I know very well that I do not travel well. Besides, I could not leave my post."

"Your post, sir?" Ink Spot said.

"Niflheim," the voice explained. "A prison much like your Tartarus, for the more dread monsters that once roamed this world. My coils surround its entrance, and contain the evils therein."

"Fascinating," Twilight said, her eyes starting to twinkle. "I would love to hear more about it."

The youngsters, in the meanwhile, had made their way to the buffet table. There were no potato fries, alas, but Gossamer quickly made the acquaintance of the Blooming Onion. The flutterpony filly was in raptures. Spike, Nyx and Bright Eyes watched openmouthed as she devastated the deep-fried floral-cut onion display like an airborne piranha. She didn't stop until there was nothing left but crumbs. She sat in the now-empty dipping bowl and patted her distended belly. "That," she said with a burp and a contented sigh, "was perfect."

"She must burn calories like Spike burns scrolls," Nyx murmured.

A chortle echoed behind them. They turned to find themselves facing a ki-rin... or rather, the low-flying, silvery cloud he rode. He was a deer-like creature, with long silky red fur that curled in a mane around his shoulders and in fetlocks around his golden hooves. Silvery scales, like those of a dragon or fish, coated his neck and limbs, disappearing under his loose silk robe. He had a long, drooping brows and silver mustache. His eyes were dark brown, like warm chocolate. "Ah, apologies," he said, lowering the altitude a bit, till he was at a more amicable speaking height. "Greetings young ones. I am Emperor Zheng He of Neighpon, land of the ki-rin, master of the Aurora."

The foals and dragonling took the hint and bowed. "Princess Nyx of Equestria, Crystal Champion Spike of Equestria, Crystal Champion Bright Eyes of the Crystal Empire," Spike said, speaking for them all.

The deer-like creature smiled enigmatically. "Such hefty titles for ones of such youth," he said.

"Believe me, we earned them," Spike said sincerely.

Nyx felt herself fidgeting under the ki-rin's steady gaze. This was so awkward. She was the bad pony here. What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to act? Should she use that speech that Mom made her memorize before they came? "Um... Master of the Aurora?"

The ki-rin's eyes crinkled in a smile. "Of the electromagnetic field that surrounds our world, actually," he said. "Though the Aurora is part of that. It is where the winds of space fall upon the magnetic field of the earth, spiraling down to the North and South poles, creating beautiful curtains of light where they touch the sky." He waved his hoof in pantomime. "I suspect you rarely see them this close to the equator, but perhaps your Princesses will permit me a chance to display them some evening during my stay." He blinked. "Ah! But one of you at least is from the Crystal Empire. You have perhaps seen something similar, when the spire of the Crystal Heart sheds its light through the sky..."

The youngsters all nodded politely. "Um. Why are your hooves different from all the other ki-rin?" Bright Eyes said, curious.

Zheng He regarded his hooves. "A mark of my power," he said. "All ki-rin have magical power... but if a ki-rin performs certain meditations every day, for a thousand and one days, he gains the power of flight." He illustrated, levitating off his cloud cushion for a moment. "His hooves turn golden, his youthful vigor is restored, and his magic is greatly enhanced."

Bright Eyes looked around; he could see the Emperor's people milling about close by. "Then why aren't there more?" he asked.

Zheng He's expression turned wry. "Because if his golden hooves touch the base earth, his hooves turn iron gray, he loses his power and must meditate another thousand and one days to regain it," he said. "And if he misses a single day, he must start all over again... few outside of royalty have both the patience to spend in the effort, and the luxury to go without setting foot upon the soil afterward. I am afforded this little luxury--" he patted the cloud "-- so that the Emperor might always be at his greatest power and vigor."

"Doesn't sound very fair to the farmers," Spike noted.

Surprisingly Zheng He shrugged in apparent agreement. "Things are as they are," he said. "Though as Emperor I have decreed that all our elders, regardless of status, must be afforded the right to retreat from the world and rejuvenate themselves in this manner whenever the weight of their age presses upon them. Such pilgrimages and sabbaticals are an ancient part of our heritage."

Nyx squinted at him and tapped her chin with her hoof. Spike recognized the expression; it was what he had come to know as Nyx's "Rules Lawyer" face.  "So... if somepony handed you a flowerpot... or threw a clod of dirt at you... you'd lose your magic?" she asked.

"A discerning question," Zheng He said, intrigued. "And no. I must actually touch the ground itself, not merely the soil. I grow bonsai trees as one of my hobbies, after all; it would ill serve me if I was unable to handle a pot of dirt."

"Oh. So would touching..." she tapped her hoof on the marble floor. "...this floor count? We're way up in a castle on a mountain, after all."

Zheng He peered down. "Most likely it would," he said. "The stone of the floor touches the stone of the mountain, whose root lies deep in the heart of the world."

Nyx's nose scrunched up as she thought. "Oh, so it's sort of like static electricity!" she said. "You have to sort of... build up a magical charge. And then not let yourself 'ground out' by touching the ground."

"A fair analogy," Zheng He said.

"...And that's why your castle is floaty," she said, enthused. "So you don't accidentally ground yourself out. I bet a lot of the royalty in your country have floating houses too..."

"Well reasoned, Princess Nyx," Zheng He said, pleased. "You are every bit as sharp of mind as I have come to expect from the alicorn race." Nyx blushed.

Her smile faded quickly as she regarded the kindly ki-rin. "Was... was Neighpon damaged very badly by the storms?" she blurted out.

Zheng He blinked at her.  "There was...some little damage," he confessed. "A great number of our newer buildings, roads and bridges were harmed, I am afraid. But my people have many centuries of experience dealing with the typhoons of the Western Sea. Most of what was damaged has already been repaired. But why trouble yourselves? Those are things for your elders to worry about."

Nyx, Spike and Bright Eyes looked at each other. He didn't know. "Because... because it was my fault," Nyx said. "I was Nightmare Moon."

Zheng He's expression shifted from amusement, to skepticism, to surprise and bemusement. "I... see," he said. "... No, I do not. How is this so?"

Abashed, Nyx recited her story. Zheng listened with an impassive expression. "...And now here I am," Nyx concluded. "I'm so, so sorry for what happened. I had no idea that what I did would cause-- I mean I knew it was bad, but not how bad..." she looked up at him with guilty eyes. "I... want to make things right, but I don't know how."

"Wow," said Gossamer, leaning out of the blooming onion bowl. "I'd be grounded like... forever."

Zheng He looked stern. "Hmm. It is good that you wish to make amends... but, I am afraid that sometime, there is no real way to make things right again," he noted. "One cannot go into the past. One can only move forward, into tomorrow."

"So how does she do that?" Spike said, idly feeding PeeWee a cracker from the buffet.

Zheng He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "That is, in the end, what the assembly tomorrow is about, is it not?" he said. "Do not let these momentary troubles bring you low, young ones. The wiser among us are here to solve a problem, not worsen it."

"Zheng He! THERE you are!"

"Though the wisdom among us is anything but uniform," Zheng He muttered under his breath. He turned to face the boisterous voice, a smile fixed rigidly to his face. "Pele', it has been many a decade."

The sinuous, fire-colored dragoness loomed over him, a cocktail glass the size of a punch bowl in one enormous claw.  "Since dat last scheduled eruption of Mt. Fuji, anyway," she said. "Hah!" She peered down at the younglings. "Ahh, and who are these?"

"Pele', allow me to present Princess Nyx, Crystal Champion Spike, Crystal Champion Bright Eyes--eh?" he found himself gesturing at an empty space. Nyx elbowed it, and an intimidated-looking Bright Eyes reappeared. "Oh. Ah, and miss...?" he looked at Gossamer.

"Gossamer."

"Gossamer, of the flutterponies. Children, Pele', mistress of earthquakes and volcanoes."

Pele's laughter bubbled up. "Aren't they Da cute!" she said, lowering her head to look at them, a grin full of pointed teeth spreading across her face. "Oh, I could just eat you lot up--"

Bright Eyes promptly vanished again. Pele' boomed with laughter. "Oh not like THAT," Pele' chortled. "It's only an expression, little one. Old Pele' wouldn't harm a scale on your heads...."

"Indeed she would not," Zheng He assured them in a discreet aside. "But do be careful where she places her feet." He raised his voice to address the dragoness. "It would seem that young Nyx here is the inadvertent cause of our coming together here."

"What?" Pele' gave Nyx a wide eyed look. "Hah! So mama Celestia let you take the sun out foa drive without a learner's permit, did she?" she laughed at her own joke, her necklace of gilded conch shells rattling as she chortled.

"Nnnot exactly," Nyx said weakly. "More like... the sun AND the moon and-- it's really awkward to explain..."

Pele's mouth made an "Oh" of understanding. "Ohhh, took em out without asking, eh? Bet you got in some hot lava over that, eh?" She gave Nyx a broad wink.

"You have no idea," Spike drawled.

"So we all come together for this poho so everyone can scowl and bluster at the little miscreant, hmm?" Pele' snorted, taking a swig of her drink. "Eh, don't let the old futs scare you, little one. They give Pele' sass all the time, complain about how she do her job. Bunch of whiny babies, throw a fit if the ground shake a little or they get a little soot in their hair..."

"What is your job?" Nyx asked.

"Pele' oversees the volcanoes and fault lines," Zheng He explained. "As the tectonic plates move, they can build up pressure. Her job is to make sure the volcanoes erupt and earthquakes happen in a timely fashion."

"Isn't that, um, bad?" Bright Eyes ventured, fading back into visibility.

"Better a little blowout than a big one, sweet pea," Pele' said. "A little eruption now and then, let mama earth do a little hula once in a while--" she wiggled her hips with a grin. "And she blows off some steam. It prevents big quakes and eruptions."

"Usually prevents big quakes and eruptions," Zheng He said drily.

Pele' rolled her eyes. "You still goin' on about that last hitch I did in your islands?" she said. "It was two hundred years ago!"

"Yes," Zheng He. "I am responsible for an archipelago of 6,800 islands, Pele."

"So?"

"So, before your 'visit,' I was ruler over seven thousand!"

"Pah. Most of them 'islands' was no bigger than this room..."

"Krakatoa wasn't."

"You own fault, you kept putting off me coming out there and letting 'Toa vent..."

"The explosion deafened islanders hundreds of miles away! The sunsets were tinted red for a year!"

"Psssht." Pele' made a dismissive gesture at the ki-rin and turned her attention to the foals. "Like I say; they always complain about something. Don't let them intimidate you."

Nyx wasn't quite sure how to feel about this advice. Considering the source.

"Oh,and who do we have here?" Pele' said suddenly. Apparently Spike had caught her attention. She bent down to get a closer look. "Aww, little member of my tribe, just out of the shell!"

Spike bridled a bit. "Little is as little does," he said.

Pele' only chortled, which only made him bridle further. "Oh don' be like that," Pele' said. "It's sweet the li'l ponies made you their mascot. Must be a big thing for such a tiny li'l fellow like you..."

Nyx snickered as Spike's furrowed brow turned into a full on scowl of disgust. He got a look in his eye that Nyx didn't quite recognize.  "All right, she asked for it," he muttered. He went down on one knee, resting his knuckles on the floor.  "....Spot me out, Bright Eyes," he said.

Bright Eyes automatically scoped out the immediate surroundings. "Clear-- but watch your tail."

"Wha--?" Pele' started to say, mystified. The hatchling in front of her snout suddenly disappeared in a swelling cascade of glittering light, blinding her.

When her eyes cleared, she found herself looking up-- WAY up-- at a powerfully built male dragon clad in gleaming crystal armor. Even crouching on one knee, he loomed over her like a mountain of scaly muscle.The attendees of the party were made of sterner stuff than the typical pony; only one or two screamed.

"CAREFUL, WE GROW UP FAST," he rumbled.

"Gwaabaah..." Pele' said.

Zheng He hadn't even batted an eyelid. "Speak in haste, regret at leisure," he chided a flabbergasted Pele' under his breath.

Pele' ignored him and stood up. "All right, brah, cute joke." She eyed Spike up and down and gave him a smirk, one that he wasn't quite sure but it seemed awfully different from the one before. "Not bad. I see why Tia keeps you under wraps." She gave him a slow wink and a smirk that was decidedly different from her earlier tone. Despite being a head taller than her and twice her mass, Spike suddenly felt rather nervous for some reason.

"Ah, there you are!"

Both dragons looked down in surprise. Stepping between them came a gleaming white unicorn with a beautifully coiffed mane. "And here I was worrying how I'd find you in this crowd, Spike," Rarity said jovially. "Oh do please come back down here, you're making a scene. And the doctors said you weren't to do that for at least another six months!"

"I'M NOT EVEN HALF SIZE," Spike said, a bit petulant.

Pele' reared up at this. "Oh pull de otha one..." she scoffed.

"No lie," Nyx told her.

"Gwah?"

Rarity waved a hoof. "Still, Spikey...please. I would be devastated if you set back your recovery." She batted her lashes at him.

Spike blushed a bit. "OKAY, OKAY..." there was another cascade of light, and Spike reappeared at his original size.

"Very good." Rarity stepped over and gave him a peck on the top of his scaly head. He fussed, but anyone looking could see he was pleased at the attention.

Pele' retrieved her cocktail and stood there looking nonplussed. "And who might you be?"

"Oh do forgive me for barging in," Rarity said. "I am Rarity, Bearer of the Element of Generosity. I'm afraid I've been looking all over for dear Spike and got ahead of myself when I spotted him..."

Zheng He bowed. "Emperor Zheng He, of Neighpon. Pele', Mistress of Earthquakes and Volcanoes."

Rarity curtseyed in return. "Charmed."

Zheng He regarded Rarity and Spike with a knowing eye. "If I may ask, what is your relation to the young Crystal Champion?"

Rarity and Spike both hemmed and hawed. "It's...complicated..." Rarity trailed off, not quite meeting Spike's eye.

It was then Bright Eyes jumped in and saved the day. "He's her champion and she's his lady fair," he piped up. "Like in the book Donkey Oatie."

The two immortals paused, then made sounds of understanding. The old tradition of a knight errant bearing the favor of his chaste lady fair was familiar to them.... if, in their case, as a fairly recent fad.  "Too young to court, but old enough to bear her standard, then, ey?" Pele' said with a grin. Spike just flushed.

"Oh, indeed," Rarity said. "Spike is the very soul of chivalry, especially for his age. He's quite dear to us all. We would do anything for him." She gave Spike a rather deliberate nuzzle. "Why if somepony ever hurt him there's no telling what we might do." She gave the dragoness a dazzling smile.

Nobody there missed that emphasis. Nor did they miss just how many teeth were in that smile, or the way Rarity managed to step just ever so slightly between Spike and Pele'. Nyx's eyebrows went up. She wasn't... she was! Hokey Smokes. Spike suddenly looked nervous. "Uh, you'll have to excuse me," he said. "But Peewee here has been wanting to meet the Firebird..." he indicated the baby phoenix perched on his shoulder, who cheeped an affirmative.

"Oh, well--" Rarity started to say, but Zheng He interrupted. "Of course. We'll all just get acquainted in the meantime..." Relieved, Spike hastily got out of the blast zone.

"Oh, and I needed to speak to um... somepony... about something," Nyx said.

"Uh yeah, me too!" Gossamer said. She jumped into the air, sketched a bow, and fluttered off after Nyx.  Bright Eyes, true to his nature, had already disappeared.(1)

Zheng He said nothing, but Pele' regarded the unicorn with a cocked eyebrow. "Easy, sister. Pele' ain't no manstealer. A bit young for you though, ain't 'e?" she said, sotto voce. "

Rarity flushed and looked aside. "It's... complicated," she said.

"Complicated, I have found, is what ponies call things that are quite simple-- yet hard to face." Zheng He folded his forehooves in his lap.

Rarity sighed. "Ever since we first met, he has... doted on me. No, I'll say it... he's loved me. At first I treated it as merely a crush. I tried ignoring it, then I tried humoring him. I was even a bit cruel to him, exploiting him like a little hoofservant in hopes he would tire of me. But... years went by and his devotion never swerved. No matter how I tried to push him away. Even when I went swanning after one stallion or the other. Then, in the Crystal Empire, he-- he nearly died fighting to save my life.

"You saw how he grew. He fought six dragons, six of them! -- who had gorged on fire opals. All of them were at least twice the size you just saw him." Pele's eyebrows shot up and she let out a startled oath.  Rarity nodded." Exactly. He was outmatched six to one, and he was hospitalized after the fight was over. But he won. He won!" There was a fierce sort of pride in Rarity's eyes. "And when he was lying there in that hospital bed... he told me that the reason he had fought so hard was... of all the things he had, that I was his greatest treasure." Rarity closed her eyes and put a hoof to her Element where it rested on her throat. "Me. Not Twilight, not Celestia. Me." She smiled. "What else could I do but finally fall in love with him?"

She looked up at Pele'. "He's only just turned fifteen," she said. "He's still... so childlike still, in many ways. But four or five years isn't long to wait." She chuckled. "And after all, I've already seen a preview of what's to come." The chuckle was followed by a sigh. "I promised him, when he reached his majority, I'd give him a chance. I just hope I'm not too much of an old nag by then to keep his interest."

"Hmmmmm." Pele' frowned a bit, and began fishing through the myriad trinkets dangling around her neck. After a moment's searching she produced a pendant-- a large, flat stone the size of a serving platter, with a smooth hole worn through the middle. She lifted it up to her eye and stared at Rarity through it. The dragoness' eye went wide. She yipped and dropped the stone. "Celestia, you lolo wahine..." she muttered to herself, then chuckled.

Rarity blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, don' let it boddah you." She got a sly look. "And don' worry. Five years? pssh. I take after dinner naps longer than that." She looked at Rarity through the stone again, slyly. "Les' just say Pele' thinks you n' him gon' have plenty happy years, bumbye."

Rarity gave her a curious look. Zheng He interjected before she could say anything. "Forgive my rudeness," he said. "But there is another matter which I would happily discuss with the Bearer of one of the Elements."

"Do tell?"

"Yes," he said. "She is quite charming, and leaves a good first impression. But I crave.. a more personal perspective, from one who knows her. What more can you tell me of Princess Nyx?"

1)The colt was born for stealth.