Chapter 6 ; Chapter 7 ; Chapter 8 ; Chapter 9 ; Chapter 10
Chapter 11 ; Chapter 12 ; Chapter 13 ; Chapter 14
Completing her third circuit of the throne room without
seeing Ory, Rarity felt a touch of panic. After the awful and
disturbing spectacle of Night Guard troops leading the weeping
Lady Stargazer into custody, if Ory had vanished as well--
Of course, she couldn't show how distraught she was, not
with a fair percentage of Canterlot's elite buzzing around the
refreshment tables like bees ready to strike. She had to smile
sadly, shake her head, and project a confidence she didn't quite
feel: "Yes, it's just so dreadful! When Minister Applejack
presented Princess Luna and the rest of us with the evidence
against Lady Stargazer this afternoon, well! I could hardly
believe my ears! It will all be read tomorrow morning in open
court, of course, but oh! Such a shock!"
Exhausted upon leaving one particularly unhappy group of
unicorns in evening dress, she was on the verge of tears when
Applejack sidled up to her and whispered, "Yer smoothing more
ruffled manes tonight, sugar cube, than the rest of us put
together, but I can see it's getting to you. So you turn on in
any time you need to."
Heartened by the words, she took a breath and said, "I'll
be fine." Yes, she could run off all a-fluster looking for Ory
or even fold herself into a puddle of misery in a room
somewhere, but with loose ends that still needed trimming,
frowns in the crowd that she could perhaps turn from angry to
thoughtful... So she stayed at it, speaking and listening till
the atmosphere became more somber, less threatening.
Soon, couples and small groups began bowing their farewells
to the princess, and at last the guards closed the big doors,
Princess Luna heading out to see to the night. And while Rarity
tried to help the others clean up, after dropping her broom four
times in the course of a minute, she felt a nudge at her
shoulder and heard Fluttershy say, "Rarity, you're going to bed
now, and you're going to sleep."
All her protests were to no avail, and collapsing into a
bed she wasn't sure she'd actually used since arriving in
Canterlot, she started awake seeming minutes later with Pinkie
Pie calling from the doorway, "This five o'clock in the morning
stuff is great! I've gotta do it more often!"
Rarity blinked, took a breath, discovered she didn't feel
as much like a balloon about to burst as she had last night.
"When's our promenade?" she asked, her voice hardly cracking.
"An hour or something. Plenty of time!" Pinkie hopped out
of sight around the corner, then hopped back into sight. "Oh,
and make sure you've got plenty of red ribbons today! I got a
flappy-eyelid feeling they're gonna be popular!"
The promenade to the Day Palace did seem a bit more
crowded, the Borealis girls right up front, their eyes and
ribbons bright as they started the chant: "Luna! Equestria!
Luna! Equestria!" Princess Luna nodded quite regally, Rarity
thought, something much more ethereal about the princess this
morning. The Night Guard troops marching alongside their little
group made an impressive display, their dark uniforms standing
out well in the gray light of pre-dawn, and they saluted their
Day Guard counterparts sharply at the center of the courtyard
before she and her friends followed Princess Luna into their
keeping, the first time in nearly a year, Rarity realized, that
this ceremony had occurred with all the appropriate pomp and
circumstance.
Still, she couldn't help but notice the complete lack of
Ory anywhere in the vicinity....
Entering the Day Palace to the more-than polite applause of
the Day Ministry workers, she watched with the others as
Princess Luna announced the sunrise, then she felt obliged to
step outside and observe whether the Night Guards' uniforms
really did drink in the sunlight the way she'd hoped they would.
The effect was most satisfactory, and the group of ponies that
respectfully pressed in upon her with requests for ribbons gave
her some satisfaction as well: they were largely earth ponies
and pegasi, two groups among whom she'd not had much chance to
mingle since arriving in the capital.
She did her best to engage everypony in witty small talk,
but it felt more than a little automatic, as if her charm was a
machine she had overworked to the point where it gave off a bit
of a grinding sound. Tying ribbons in manes and around ankles,
she expressed Princess Luna's thanks for their support and
Princess Luna's dismay at Lady Stargazer's actions and Princess
Luna's assurance that the malefactor would be treated with all
due diligence according to Equestrian law and custom. It seemed
the right tone to adopt...
By the time she returned to the throne room, Phillipa
Stargazer's name hovered in the air, Princess Luna on the dais
in consultation with Twilight, Applejack, and the odious Lord
Daybreak. Rarity, however, found herself less interested in the
fate of the mother than in the current whereabouts of the son,
and not seeing Ory--again!--in the crowd gathering to hear the
charges against the former Night Minister, with a rush of
determination, Rarity swept from the palace, her dark blue dress
simple but elegant enough, certainly, to call upon a friend
about whom she was concerned.
The streets of Canterlot bustled with ponies and their
carts going about whatever sorts of business ponies with carts
did--hauling things, she presumed, vegetables and dry goods and
other such sundries as a city this size could not do without--
and Rarity was several blocks away from the palace before she
realized she didn't know where she was going.
Popping into one of the lovely little boutiques around the
edges of whatever park she'd wandered into, she meant only to
ask for directions to the home of Lord Daybreak, but, well, she
couldn't very well rush off without complimenting the proprietor
on the smart line of hats she had on display. One thing led to
another--the proprietor admiring Rarity's dress, Rarity
admitting that she'd designed it herself, the proprietor
brightening, familiar with Rarity's name and work, Rarity
tucking a business card into her bag--but some fifteen or twenty
minutes later, she was on her way again, heading along the inner
curve of the volcano's crater, the streets wider and less
trafficked, the shops dwindling as the residences grew larger
and more expansive.
At Daybreak Court, then, the tidy little cul-de-sac the
shop's proprietor had directed her toward, she found herself
looking over a picket fence at an immaculately-kept front
garden; steeling herself, she pushed the gate open and started
up the white stone path toward the house.
Her hoofs feeling heavier and heavier with each step, she
started wishing she'd taken an extra hour or two at her
toilette. The curve of her mane, the drape of her dress, the
placement of each eyelash: it all needed to be exactly right.
Of course, it largely was--she wouldn't've left the palace
otherwise--but she'd been walking now for some time, had been
engaging in commerce as well, and following the walkway between
the carefully-placed trees and grass-covered hillocks, she
couldn't help but feel the eyes of Canterlot upon her.
Not that anypony in this neighborhood would be so gauche as
to stare openly from a balcony or a picture window, and the
Daybreak estate itself looked more like its own little town than
a part of the city behind her. Still, Rarity knew very well the
tingly sensation of being stared at. And she was getting that
sensation right now.
More than that, even, the air itself seemed different here,
full of history, the Daybreak family's thousand years of service
to the crown as thick as the scent of the narcissus flowers. It
got her wondering why the Stargazers didn't have a similar
place, why the family had had to come here after Princess Luna
had closed the Night Ministry, but by then she'd wound her way
through the garden and had reached the front door, a stylized
golden sunburst knocker in the center.
The glitter around the edges of the sunburst sent a nice
little shiver down her horn--diamond dust, she could tell--and
she used her magic to tap it, the door swinging open almost
immediately to reveal an old liveried earth pony, his black and
white coloring the same as his butler's uniform. "Yes, madame?"
he asked in a voice that made Rarity think of Pinkie Pie's
chocolate pudding: sweet, rich, and deep.
Knowing that everything rode on this moment, she measured a
little extra warmth into her tones and gave him what she felt
was the correct amount of smile. "Miss Rarity to see Mr.
Stargazer."
"I'm sorry, madame," the butler said. "But Mr. Stargazer
does not wish to be disturbed."
She turned up the heat just a bit. "That may very well be,
sir, but you and I both know that Mr. Stargazer needs the proper
sort of disturbance right now. And I hope you'll agree with me
that I am the pony to provide that disturbance."
He gazed imperturbably at her, and for a moment, Rarity was
afraid she'd misjudged the situation. But his face softened
just a bit, and she could see quite clearly how much the old
pony cared for Ory. "Indeed, madame." He stepped back. "If
you'll come this way, please?"
"Thank you." She moved into the semi-darkness of the
entryway, the walls and floor all natural wood, the ceiling
smooth and highly-polished marble. Oddly tasteful, she thought,
considering how rude Lord Daybreak had been to her yesterday:
perhaps his wife was in charge of the decor...
Shaking her attention back to the situation, she quickened
her steps following the butler down the hall. "Is Mr. Stargazer
alone, or are his sisters with him?"
"The Miss Stargazers have all gone en masse to the palace
for the reading of the charges against Lady Phillipa." The
butler turned right down one corridor, then left down another,
Rarity getting mere glimpses of other elegantly decorated rooms
as she passed them. "Mr. Stargazer did not feel up to the
task." He stopped before a doorway and turned, his eyes
wavering. "Thank you for coming, Miss Rarity."
She touched his hoof. "Thank you for caring about him."
The butler nodded, drew in a breath, tapped the door, and
pushed it open. "Miss Rarity, sir."
"What??" came Ory's voice from inside. "Confound it,
Mandrake! I said I wasn't to be--!"
"Ha!" Rarity put on her determined face and pushed past
Mandrake into a spacious sitting room, light filtering through
the curtains at the far end. Bookshelves lined the walls, a few
closed doors situated among them, the floor a random scattering
of cushioned lounges, tables, and piles of pillows. That the
space was being shared by several ponies became obvious to her
at once from the stacks of magazines and the distinct scents of
five different types of perfume, but the only figure currently
in residence lay wrapped in a well-worn robe across one of the
lounge chairs in the far corner of the room, Ory's expression
all glaring eyes and flaring nostrils.
Rarity took a stance, glared back at him, and said, "Ha!"
once more. "That I should live to see one of Canterlot's most
cultured gentlecolts leave a party without bidding good night to
the hostess! It's simply unfathomable!"
His glare melted into a stare. "Bid her good night?" A
twitch pulled his cheek, and he waved a hoof wildly. "As she'd
just arrested my mother for treason, I rather felt my continued
presence in the hall might not be entirely welcome!"
"Nonsense!" She stomped forward. "Your mother's actions
were her own!" Activating her horn, she pushed the curtains
open, a lovely view of a hillside elm grove outside. "I can't
think of one pony in Equestria who would hold you at all
responsible for--!"
"Her actions??" A dark flash to her left, and she turned
to see him leap from the lounge, his horn pulsing to cast shadow
around him despite the late autumn sunlight. "Endangering the
public after devoting her life to their welfare?? Trying to
kill me?? Trying--" His voice broke, and his eyes squeezed
shut. "Trying to kill you..."
"She wasn't." Rarity stepped toward him, used the magic of
her horn to brush the tangles of his mane back from his
forehead. "She was angry at both princesses and afraid for your
future, and while that certainly impaired her judgement, I'm
inclined to believe her when she says she planned everything
with an eye toward creating mayhem, not injury."
Ory started back, surprise blossoming into his scent.
"You've spoken with her?"
"My friends have." Fluttershy and Applejack had spent most
of the night talking with Lady Stargazer in her cell, had given
their reports while breakfasting before this morning's
promenade, and--
And the idea that struck Rarity then made her knees weak,
it felt so right. "But as soon as you've tidied yourself up,"
she said with a nod, "we shall both speak to her."
He did some more blinking. "You...you expect me to--?"
"I do." Rarity glanced around at the various closed doors
among the bookcases. "I assume that one of these is your room
and that you have appropriate clothing?"
A bit of his earlier anger flitted across his face. "And
what would you recommend for visiting one's mother in prison?"
Already close to him, she moved closer, and without
allowing herself to think, she touched her lips briefly to his,
felt the sweet, sweet shock of it and saw that same shock rattle
through him from his ears to the tip of his tail. "Something
nice," she murmured. "Not too formal, however, I think."
His chest rose and fell, and when he swallowed, Rarity
could hear it. "Very well." He cleared his throat, turned, and
headed for one of the doors.
She couldn't help shelving a few books and stacking some of
the magazines while she waited, but the door finally reopened,
Ory emerging in a cravat and jacket that were perhaps a bit on
what Rarity would have considered the formal side. Still, she
was never one to underestimate the power of the proper outfit in
a trying situation. If these were the clothes he needed, then
that was all there was to it.
Mandrake, the butler, seemed to approve as well,
intercepting them in the hallway as they neared the front door.
"Going out, Mr. Orrery?"
"Yes," Ory said shortly, then he sighed, turned to the
older pony, and bowed his head. "Mandrake, I...I must apologize
for being so beastly to you this morning." His eyes narrowed,
his gaze sliding over to Rarity. "I can honestly say that I'm
already paying the price for it."
The subtlety of the butler's smile made Rarity hope she
would have a chance to better make his acquaintance. "I cannot
think of a more delightful burden, sir."
***
All in all, Rarity reflected afterwards, once more in the
front hall of Daybreak House, the visit had gone quite well.
The presence of Ory's sisters had been an unexpected plus, nine
fillies ranging from slightly younger than Rarity to perhaps
Sweetie Belle's age swinging their heads around as the jailer
had opened the door to a well-lit and spacious cell, their dark
coats and manes declaring them to be Stargazers.
The brief awkwardness, however, had quickly dissolved into
tears all around, Ory hugging his sisters and his mother, but
when Rarity had tried to make a discreet exit so the family
could be alone, Lady Stargazer had not only insisted that she
stay but had gone on to offer such a heartfelt apology for her
recent actions that Rarity had found herself more convinced than
ever of the lady's repentance.
More tears had followed, only a knock at the door finally
breaking the cathartic scene up, a unicorn stepping in and
introducing herself as Limpid Dewdrop, the psychologist who
would be treating Lady Stargazer. Then had come tearful
farewells and promises of daily visits, and walking with the
Stargazers back to the Daybreak estate, Rarity had done rather
well, she thought, distracting Ory's sisters with talk of the
latest fashions and the tale of her and Ory visiting Lace
Brocade's workshop the previous day.
She'd so lightened the mood, in fact, that now, standing in
the front hall with the Stargazer girls surrounding her, she
found herself unable to depart: "Oh, do stay, Miss Rarity!"
Urania, the youngest of the fillies, was saying. "It's almost
time for tea!"
"Ummm..." Rarity looked at Ory.
"Actually," he began, stepping forward, "Miss Rarity has
many other duties in the princess's service that she must--"
"Duties?" Melpomene, the next eldest after Ory, pushed out
her lips to make smooching noises, and Rarity felt her ears heat
up.
A gentle clearing of throat, and she looked past the girls
to see Mandrake standing in a doorway. "Excuse me," he said,
"but your aunt asks if it's not too great a burden that her
nieces attend her at this time."
The girls went wide-eyed, turned, and nearly galloped down
the hall. Rarity blew out a breath, inclined her head to the
butler, and smiled at the bow he gave her before he followed the
Stargazers out of the hall.
She heard Ory chuckle behind her. "Auntie's not one to be
kept waiting."
Turning, she cocked her head at him. "Will you then be
hurrying off as well?"
He gave a rakish smile. "Oh, she's long since despaired of
me. She doesn't care for the trombone." A seriousness came
over him that sent a lovely little tingle down her spine. "But
thank you, Rarity, for...well, for everything, I suppose. I
don't know what the girls and I would've done without you." He
coughed a laugh. "Actually, I'm fairly certain I would've sat
here brooding for a week, growing all the while more resentful
and grotesque. But now, I almost feel up to asking you to
lunch."
"I should hope so." She tossed her head. "We'll need to
visit a number of establishments, after all, if you're to gather
a sufficient ensemble for this evening."
He blinked at her, then smiled. "I'm beginning to think I
should simply make it my regular practice to assume a befuddled
expression when in your company."
She sighed in mock exasperation. "Tonight's party at the
Night Palace. I told Pinkie Pie I had made the acquaintance of
a local trombonist and that I would prevail upon him to supply
music of an appropriate nature."
"Ah." His ears folded. "And this is something you only
thought to mention now?"
It took some work, but Rarity managed to look innocent.
"Surely it can't be that great a task to track down a group of
musicians talented enough to perform before the reigning monarch
of Equestria at what is likely to be the social event of the
season in the, oh, four or five hours before sundown."
"You're serious." Ory's eyes seemed to be quivering in
their sockets. "And since it's for the princess, as you say, I
imagine the pay would be somewhat higher than the average
nightclub gig..."
Rarity could quite literally smell his excitement. "Well,
of course! But the honor of performing before royalty would
surely be enough to entice--"
"The best players in town." His voice had gotten quiet.
"Rarity, I could get...this could be--" He spun for the door.
"We haven't a moment to lose!"
And while it took her a few more hours to finally get the
lunch he promised, the places she visited with Ory that
afternoon made the wait worthwhile: out-of-the-way bistros and
basement-level clubs that even in the brilliant sunlight of that
autumn afternoon still seemed dark, mysterious, and intimate.
And the music, while not entirely to her taste, was quite lovely
when the musicians slowed down and concentrated on the melodies.
The day simply flew in Ory's company, and by the time
evening was drawing in, he'd contacted everypony he'd hoped to
and had rounded up a few more, all of them just as excited as he
was about performing at the party. "This is going to be my
dream band, Rarity!" he was gushing as they headed back toward
the palace. "We'll have to stick to standards and the classics,
I suppose, since we won't have any time to practice, but this is
going to be a sound the likes of which Canterlot has never heard
before!" His eyes met hers, and the lustrous glow in them made
her catch her breath. "Once again, I find that I owe everything
to you..."
And as much as she wanted to lose herself in those eyes,
she forced a laugh, tossed her mane, began approaching the
subject she'd been dreading all afternoon. "Well, we'll have to
invite your sisters, then, and Mr. Mandrake." She shook her
head. "Though I suppose that will bring your aunt and uncle
into things, and I'm not sure he likes me much."
"Uncle Daybreak?" Ory's mouth went sideways. "Oh, he
likes you. It would politically unwise of him not to, and uncle
never does anything politically unwise." He sighed. "Living
with Aunt and Uncle while Mother's in treatment will do the
girls good. I just wish--" He stopped and snorted. "Well, as
Father used to say, 'If wishes were fishes, we'd all be gasping
for breath.' I never understood what he meant by it, but it's
about all he left us, so..."
Rarity just cocked her head, hoping that would be enough
prompting, and it was. "Father sold the family estates, y'see,
when I was just a colt. We all lived in the Night Palace
anyway, hardly ever visited our acreage on the other side of the
valley, so why keep it?" A trace of bitterness came into his
voice. "It's not as if anypony would possibly dissolve the
Night Ministry after a thousand years of service and kick us all
out into the streets! How could that ever happen??"
Rarity touched her shoulder to his as they walked, and he
gave another sigh. "Lord and Lady Daybreak aren't even really
that closely related to us, but they've been kindness incarnate
during all this. My sisters could have much worse guardians
than them."
Not wanting to say the words but knowing she couldn't live
with herself otherwise: "I can think of a much better guardian
with no effort at all."
His gaze was focused on the street at his hoofs. "Taking
them with me on the road is out of the question." He darted a
glance at her. "Perhaps once I've settled down in Ponyville,
started getting work, begun making a name for myself, I can send
for them and--"
"Ponyville?" Stop talking! she told herself. Don't get
him thinking thoughts he doesn't want to! That I don't want him
to! But-- "Where there are no bistros like we've visited
today? Where there are no musicians like we heard today? Where
we've had the same mayor for as long as I've been alive and none
of the politics you were born and raised to? Where there's not--?"
"There's you," he said simply, his shoulder brushing hers,
and Rarity squeezed her mouth shut, tried to make herself
believe he meant it. But the set of his ears, the furrow to his
brow, the way he turned his attention back to the street again,
it all spoke volumes to her, volumes she once again didn't want
to hear...
***
They parted in the courtyard, Ory continuing at a gallop to
the Night Palace to check on the progress of the band's arrival
and set up, Rarity making her way at a more leisurely pace
through the hallways to the Day Palace throne room. Dusk was
starting as she ambled in, the others already gathered at the
foot of the Day Throne, Princess Luna descending, the starlight-
silver flow of her mane even more exquisite than it had been
this morning.
Rarity nodded to her friends as she took her place, but the
looks she got in return confused her a bit: Twilight more
serious than usual, and Fluttershy seemed almost on the verge of
tears! She began wondering if she'd missed some important
development while out and about with Ory, but she couldn't image
what. Lady Stargazer and her accomplices were in custody and
beginning treatment, so what else--?
She couldn't ask, of course, as the music began at that
very moment, the Day Guard troops forming up around them,
Princess Luna leading the regular procession from the throne
room out into the courtyard. More ponies filled the space than
at any time since that first morning when Princess Celestia had
walked with them, and Rarity nodded and smiled to those whose
eyes she caught: the Borealis family right up front again in
their evening clothes and red ribbons; the strawboss from Lace
Brocade's delivery service, a strapping younger version of
himself shifting uneasily from hoof to hoof; several of the
ponies Rarity had spoken to this morning, the ribbons she'd
given them proudly displayed as they chanted, "Luna! Equestria!
Luna! Equastria!"
All went exactly as it should have, the Night Guard troops
waiting at attention for them, saluting appropriately, their
uniforms so very much the way she'd imagined them in those long
hours in front of her sketch pad two nights ago that Rarity
couldn't keep a bit of a strut from her step. And as they all
moved into the Night Palace's main corridor, the music that
greeted them was a lovely old piece she remembered her mother
and father singing, something about meeting one's true love
beneath the light of the blue moon.
Entering the throne room then, Rarity smiled at the changes
Pinkie had made during the day, a dance floor now in front of
the low stage where Ory and the band sat, the decor making her
think more of a party pavilion than the camp ground of last
night. Ory waved a hoof at the musicians, and they immediately
slid into something more sprightly and danceable, Pinkie visibly
bouncing in her place beside Rarity. Princess Luna was bobbing
her head as well, and the shuffle of hoofs behind her made
Rarity realize the crowd was filing right in after them,
tonight's party apparently beginning now.
She kept with her friends, trailing the princess to the
foot of the Night Throne, and the hall filled quickly, ponies
tapping their hoofs to the music. Seeing--and hearing--Ory
wield his trombone for the first time astonished her; he was
good, of course, but his playing didn't impress her half as much
as the way he led the group, the musicians watching and
responding to his prompts in a way that created a lovely balance
to the sound. It was hard to believe they'd never performed
together before.
The tune ended, ponies whistling and stomping, and Princess
Luna raised her voice, every head turning to focus on her:
"Welcome, one and all, to the Night Palace and to the second of
what I hope will become regular get-togethers here to celebrate
that half of the day we call the night. I'll be the first to
admit I'm not the most social of ponies, but watching my
inestimable Minister of Laughter, I think I've picked up a few
pointers."
Pinkie's eyes opened wider than Rarity thought she'd ever
seen them, and she slung her pack off, began rooting around in
it, the usual cascades of streamers and glitter pouring out.
"I've gotta write that word down so I can get it printed on a
card!" She sat back and spread her front hoofs. "The
Inestimable Pinkie Pie!" she announced.
Laughter scattered through the crowd, and Princess Luna
smiled. "I've been doing a great deal of watching the past
several days," she went on. "More watching, possibly, than I've
done in my entire life. And one thing I've seen--and not just
seen but also taken to heart, I think--is, well...is all of
you." She stopped, and Rarity heard not a single breath in the
entire throne room. "For so long, my world consisted of
Celestia, a small group of retainers, and my job. It was all I
knew, and upon my return last year, I immediately sought the
familiarity of that same situation. But--"
Again she stopped, and for just a moment Rarity caught a
glimpse of the little lost pony she'd first seen cowering in the
ruins of the Pony Sisters' Palace that fateful day a year and a
season ago. But then Princess Luna raised her head, her mane an
aurora every bit as regal as her sister's. "But it was that
isolation that fueled my break-down, I now see. I didn't know
you before, didn't understand you, and therefore didn't know or
understand myself. It's taken the unfortunate events of the
past few days to show me how wonderful the world can be when one
enters into it, and how few things are more awful than a
relationship gone sour and broken."
She turned a smile toward Twilight. "Celestia quoted a
phrase to me from one of your dispatches, Minister Sparkle:
friendship is magic, you told her. And I've come to see how
true that is." The princess looked back out at the crowd.
"Since I was uninterested in any bonds of friendship between
myself and the House of Stargazer--broke those bonds, really,
before they could begin to form--well, I can't help but think
how much better things might have turned out had I acted
differently. Which is why--"
And suddenly, the air seemed to thicken around Rarity,
everything slowing to a stop--except Princess Luna, her neck a
dark fluid flexing, her gaze fixing on Rarity's, her voice
appearing soundlessly in her head: "Rarity, I'm so, so sorry."
Rarity couldn't even blink until with a snap she could
feel, the whole world sprang back to normal, Princess Luna
looking at the bandstand and saying, "Orrery Stargazer, I would
ask you please to become my Night Minister and recreate the
august body that I so precipitously dissolved."
The words went through Rarity like a sewing machine needle-
-sharp, quick, and painful--and across the crowded room, she saw
Ory's whole body react as if somepony had kicked him in the
ribs. "For Sister Celestia and I truly are not Equestria," the
princess was saying. "All of us together are Equestria, every
earth pony, pegasus and unicorn here tonight, every pony in
Canterlot and Ponyville and Cloudsdale, in Manehattan and
Fillydelphia and all points north, south, east and west. If I
had seen this a thousand years ago, had seen that the night was
not mine alone but belongs equally to all of us who stand and
gaze upward in the dark, again, how much better things might
have turned out."
Anguish filled Ory's gaze, and staring into those eyes,
Rarity knew that all she had to do was say one word for him to
turn the princess down, leave Canterlot for Ponyville, and--
And be miserable for the rest of his days. Oh, he'd
pretend he wasn't, gentlecolt that he was, would be as gallant
and charming and attentive as the princes she had always dreamed
about. But--
Feeling the weight of her Element of Harmony necklace
around her shoulders, Rarity closed her eyes and nodded.
"Tonight, however--" Princess Luna's voice rolled around
her. "I'll begin the process of laying aside all my 'might
have's and 'should have's. Tonight, with your help, we can open
a new chapter in the history of Equestria, the first chapter of
a story more wonderful than any we've yet known."
Excitement quivered the air, but Rarity couldn't open her
eyes, could only listen as Ory spoke smooth and perfect from the
other side of the room: "Your Highness, the House of Stargazer
is honored at this sign of your forgiveness and trust, and I
promise--" His voice broke, then went on as clearly as before.
"I promise to fulfill my duties as Night Minister to the utmost
of my ability."
"Whoa!" Pinkie exclaimed from somewhere behind her.
"Didn't see that one coming!"
***
The late autumn sun wonderful along her back, Applejack
drowsed, stretched out on her stomach in the palace garden, and
tried not to think about the work going on back home, getting
the orchards ready for the first snowfall and all.
It helped that a postcard from Princess Celestia had
arrived while they were all gathered at breakfast this morning,
Rarity edgy as a plowshare after last night's party--Applejack
could still hear the sweet and melancholy song about flamingos
flying that Ory had dedicated to 'the rarest jewel in all
Equestria' as the shin-dig was ending--but Rarity was trying so
hard not to show how broke up she was that Applejack had
pretended not to notice. Spike had just brought her a mug of
hot chocolate when his face had screwed up like he'd bit into a
windfall apple and he'd coughed up a gout of green fire and a
scroll.
Twilight had laughed after unrolling it, the purple glow of
her magic setting a photo on the table: Princess Celestia
wearing a big floppy hat and dark glasses, a turquoise sky
behind her and the words 'Wish You Were Here' swirling over it
in glowing letters.
And if Princess Celestia could actually take some time off,
well, Applejack figured she could, too. Now that all the hoo-
roar was settled, at least...
A scuffle in the grass, and Princess Luna's voice: "Please
don't rouse yourself, minister. I just wished to thank you
personally for your efforts here this week."
Applejack couldn't help it; she got to her hoofs and bowed
before sprawling back into the grass. "Glad we could all help,
your Highness."
The princess gave a breathy laugh. "I shall certainly miss
your straight-forward approach to things."
That made Applejack laugh. "Folks always says that, but I
reckon you're the first I've heard who's meant it." She opened
one eye, fixed it on the princess standing above her. "But you
got some good ponies hereabouts. You really listen to 'em when
you wants advice, and you'll do OK. And anytime you're in
Ponyville, you got a standing invite to chow down at Sweet Apple
Acres."
Princess Luna smiled. "I'm honored, minister."
"Ah, shucks, ma'am." Applejack pulled her hat down over
her eyes. "Y'all can just call me AJ."
***
Since the dinner had been her idea, Rainbow Dash explained
to a slightly suspicious Pinkie Pie, she felt she had to be
there. "Besides, the Night Palace party'll still be going on
when I get back, won't it? I mean, the last two went on till,
like, oh-dark-thirty! So one boring dinner, and I'll be here
quicker'n anything!"
Of course, she didn't mention that, as much as she loved
the food the Day Palace chefs prepared, nothing she'd ever had
in her life so far had been as great as that first dinner at the
Citadel. In fact, she was so looking forward to the dinner
itself that it wasn't until she landed in the courtyard with
Captain Custard, two pops behind her signalling that they'd been
joined by Commander Foxfire and Commander Blueblood--and Dash
was still a little peeved at Custard for promoting Blueblood to
take Rigel's place, but when she'd been venting about it
earlier, Applejack grunting the word "Politics" was all it took
for Dash to decide she didn't want anything else to do with it--
that she started wondering if this might not be a little more
tense than she'd thought.
Since maybe Captain Destrier, standing at parade rest in
front of them, might still consider himself the real captain of
the Night Guard and all...
The dinner, though, went really well, everypony saluting
without arguing about who was supposed to go first, Des
introducing his commanders to Custard and her doing the same
even though Dash was sure they all knew each other. Polite
small talk drifted around the head table, and Dash got to bring
them all up-to-date on what was happening with Lady Stargazer
and with Ory and the Night Ministry and everything. And the
food? Even better than the first time!
Then she and the captains and the commanders all headed
into the next room--"the library," Des called it even though it
looked a lot bigger and more organized than Twilight's place
back in Ponyville--and over another chocolate dessert that Dash
could've eaten five more servings of, Captain Destrier asked,
"So, Minister Dash. What exactly was it you wanted to discuss
with us?"
Dash swallowed her mouthful. "Well, mostly, I thought
maybe you two captains oughtta talk about what happens now that
you've each got a princess to protect."
A startled look crossed his face, then he cocked his head.
"That's true. I'd just been assuming you all would retake your
places in the Day Guard and we'd return to the old rotation,
but--"
"Exactly." In her silver and black uniform, Captain
Custard looked less chubby than solid, more muscular than
chunky. "We're neither of us really the Night or Day Guards
anymore, it seems to me, sir. After all, someone needs to be
guarding Princess Celestia while she sleeps, and since we're out
with Princess Luna in the Night Palace at that time--"
"Yes." Des was looking at Custard like he hadn't really
seen her before. "So we would each have a day shift and a night
shift, but our duties would be toward Princess Celestia while
you all would see to Princess Luna."
Custard nodded. "It'll take some reorganizing on both our
parts, a certain reallocation of resources." She lapped at her
dessert, her eyes never leaving Destrier's. "We'll need off-
duty space here in the Citadel while you'll no doubt want some
of our barrack space to keep a force in the palace complex at
all times. That sort of thing."
Des smiled slowly. "That's a discussion I look forward to
having, captain."
Dash couldn't stop a grin. Yeah, these two were gonna get
along great together.
***
Fluttershy trotted down the street in the light just after
dawn, absolutely amazed. Ponies were going in and out of shops,
calling to each other, eating their breakfasts, setting up their
market stalls, and she was just walking along, looking at it all
and hardly even feeling nervous!
In fact--and this amazed her the most of all--she kind of
enjoyed it!
And yes, she was only a block from the palace, and yes, her
heart was pounding against her ribs like a squirrel against a
particularly tough nut, but she'd been out walking all on her
own through the streets of Canterlot now for five whole minutes!
Which was just about enough. Touching a hoof to the
pavement of the intersection so she could say she'd gone two
blocks, she turned, almost leaped into the sky to get back to
the palace quicker, but seeing Rarity gazing forlornly into a
shop window down the street she'd just reached stopped her.
"Rarity?" she asked.
Her friend started and blinked at her for a moment.
"Fluttershy? Are...are you lost, darling?"
"No." She waved at the buildings, tried not to notice how
there were a few more ponies on the street now than she really
cared for, kept her brave face on, and smiled. "I was just out
doing the town."
Rarity blinked some more, so Fluttershy went on. "But I
thought you'd be helping Ory and his sisters move back into
their rooms in the Night Palace."
The way Rarity's eyes drew shut, Fluttershy realized she'd
hit a sore subject. But she couldn't understand why. Unless--
"You and Ory are still friends, aren't you?" she asked in sudden
alarm.
"Yes, of course we are, darling!" Rarity said quickly and
forcefully enough that Fluttershy believed her. "But he's
not...we're...we're not--"
"Is he moving to another part of Equestria?" Fluttershy
asked. "A part so far away, you'll never see him again?"
"He's staying here," Rarity muttered. "And for all that I
know it's the best thing for him, for his family, for Princess
Luna, for all of Equestria, really, I still wish--" She stopped
and coughed a little laugh. "But Ory said something amusing the
other day about wishes not being fishes, though I'm not quite
sure what point he was trying to make..."
Fluttershy shook her head. "It's not that far from
Canterlot to Ponyville, you know. You could visit each other
all the time."
Rarity looked at her hoofs. "It wouldn't be the same."
"But it would be something!" Fluttershy thought perhaps
she was shouting, but since no one was staring at her, it seemed
more likely that it only felt that way. "And wouldn't you
rather have something than nothing??"
That seemed to catch Rarity's attention; she looked up, at
any rate, the expression on her face much more like what
Fluttershy expected to see there. "Yes," she said, a sudden
sound of decision in her voice. "You...you're absolutely right,
Fluttershy!"
"Then come on!" This time, several passing ponies did look
at her, and Fluttershy immediately reined herself in, continued
in more reasonable tones: "We'll go and see if your friend Ory
needs any help moving."
"Yes." Rarity beamed, and Fluttershy felt warm and nice
all over. "That's exactly what we'll do!"
***
Dancing, dancing, dancing: oh, how Pinkie wished it could
go on forever!
But, she reasoned, sticking her face into a nice cool bowl
of chocolate pudding, if she danced forever, it would be just
like walking, wouldn't be special anymore.
"Which is why," she said to anypony who might be listening-
-though she realized they might find it hard to understand her
since she was licking pudding from her face at the same time, "I
don't walk anywhere. Because ev'rything is always so much more
specialer than that!"
She looked around, but no ponies were nearby to answer her.
So she answered herself: "It sure is!"
The few other ponies still in the throne room were all
gathered around the other tables where the new Night Palace
chefs were setting out breakfast, and Pinkie realized that she'd
done it, had created the absolute masterpiece of her career, the
legendary and--as far as she knew--never before attempted
thirty-six hour party! Starting at dinnertime, then going all
night to breakfast, then keeping on all day through lunch to
dinner again, then another night till right now, the next day's
breakfast!
Unable to contain herself, Pinkie scrunched up her face,
leaned forward, and whispered in her best Fluttershy voice,
"Yay!"
And sure, she was the only pony who'd stayed through the
whole thing, but that was the magic of it! Ponies had partied,
danced to whichever of the twenty-six bands was on stage at the
time--including yesterday afternoon's longest conga line in the
history of Equestria--then had gone home, slept, and come back,
all of them having such a good time that they hadn't been able
to stay away! She could feel the party atmosphere spread over
the whole city like butter on toast, sinking into every nook and
cranny exactly the same way as the coming dawn soon would! It
was perfect in every way!
A tap on her shoulder, and she turned to find her face
suddenly full of warm soapy washcloth. "Hey!" she shouted.
"Hold still," she heard Twilight Sparkle say. "Princess
Celestia will be home in a few minutes, and I don't think you'd
like pudding dripping from your mane for that."
Pinkie stopped squirming to think about that, and by the
time she realized she agreed with the idea, a towel had finished
drying her off, her eyes, clear now of the chocolate film,
showing her Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Dashie
all standing there in the special "last day" dresses Rarity had
made, her own dress floating like a cotton-candy cloud in the
glow of Rarity's horn. "Then we did it?" she asked, glad for
once she would have somepony else to answer.
"One week." Twilight nodded.
Shadows swirled behind her, and Princess Luna stepped out.
"And as far as I can tell, the city's still standing."
"Standing?" Pinkie stared at her, grown into such the
perfect dream of a night princess that Pinkie hated to point out
the obvious. "Well, duh, your Highness! I mean, where would
they get enough chairs for ev'rypony in Canterlot??"
Dashie rolled her eyes, and Twilight blinked. But Princess
Luna threw back her head and laughed, as wonderful a sound as
Pinkie thought she'd ever heard. "Minister? As I also lack a
chair at this time, I stand corrected." She gestured toward the
big main doorway to the throne room, and Pinkie saw the seven of
them were alone. "But sister'll be back shortly, so, as long as
we're all standing, perhaps we can walk over to the Day Palace
and greet her."
"Now that," Pinkie said, scampering over to where her dress
awaited her, "makes sense!"
***
Twilight fretted quietly every step of the way during that
last procession. What if Phillipa had been lying this whole
time and had accomplices still at large? Or what if some other
pony with a grudge had been waiting to spoil things at the last
minute and make them all look bad in front of Princess
Celestia?? Or what if--??
But the crowd, though bigger than even during that first
dawn--was it really only a week ago?--remained boisterous but
happy, the chant this time, "Luna! Celestia! Equestria! Luna!
Celestia! Equestria!" The Night Guard troops, the red crests
on their helmets echoed by the red ribbons she saw everywhere,
marched them along at a brisk but stately pace, but this time,
she noticed, Captain Destrier and the Day Guard troops weren't
waiting at the halfway point to meet them.
Twilight's hackles rose, and she started looking around,
ready for the attack this no doubt presaged, but a nicker from
Rainbow Dash drew her attention. "Don't panic, Leader Girl,"
Rainbow whispered with a wink. "Part of the plan."
And in fact, Twilight saw now, two Day Guard ponies stood
on either side of the entry arch into the Day Palace, the two
groups of guards saluting each other smartly as the princess led
them all into the corridor, the music and banners somehow even
brighter than before. More Day Guard troops lined the hall, and
in the throne room, they stood along the walls, the spaces
between them just large enough for one Night Guard soldier to
step nimbly into as Princess Luna continued toward the throne,
all the Ministry workers on their hoofs, the Day Ministry in
white and gold mixed with the new Night Ministry workers in
black and silver, Ory looking quite becoming, she had to admit,
in his frock coat beside Lord Daybreak, all the ponies stomping,
whistling, cheering--though glancing back quickly, Twilight was
happy to see Fluttershy nodding and smiling rather than passing
out...
Princess Luna reached the throne, then, turned, and raised
her head, the entire assembly falling silent in an instant. "My
friends," she said, her voice resonant and lovely, "if there's
one thing we all know about Sister Celestia, it's that she's
always on time. And since today's sunrise is scheduled for five
seconds from now, I think I can safely say that she will be
gracing us with her presence--"
Sunlight blossomed from the eastern windows of the throne
room, and Princess Celestia sailed down its beams, her wings
dazzling, her mane and tail the perfect pastel rainbow. She
landed with a dainty skip, and seeing the two princesses there
together, both tall and regal, each the exact compliment to the
other, Twilight felt like her heart was going to burst.
She bowed herself down to the floor, saw everypony in the
room doing the same, and a voice above her, a voice she could've
sworn was Princess Celestia's, whispered, "Oh, sister! Welcome
home!"
***
Then speeches were made and medals were placed around
necks, good-byes were said and promises were made. And at last,
several hours after dawn, with her friends heading back to the
Night Palace to gather up their things before Princess Luna
transported them home, Twilight made herself stop in the doorway
of the study Princess Luna had been using in the Day Palace, the
two princesses having risen from their cushions to bid them
farewell.
Princess Celestia cocked her head. "Something else,
Twilight?"
"It's just--" And as much as she didn't want to, Twilight
looked her teacher in the eye and said, "You knew this would
happen, didn't you?"
The princess's smile faded, and she looked at the floor.
"I hoped it wouldn't."
"What?" Princess Luna, looking a little bleary-eyed at
this point in the morning, took a step back.
Twilight nodded. "But you knew it would."
Princess Celestia puffed a sigh. "Phillipa Stargazer had
brought her complaints to me, but I told her the night was no
longer my department. If she had comments--" She looked over
at Princess Luna. "I told her she needed to bring them to your
attention."
"But--" Her brow wrinkled, Princess Luna blinked several
times. "But you could've told me, sister!"
Princess Celestia kept her gaze focused on Princess Luna.
"I should live her life for her? I should live yours? No. If
Phillipa wasn't willing to address you directly, to bring her
problems into an open forum where they could be discussed and
debated, then, well, it's not my place to force anypony to do
anything." She sighed again. "But by leaving and putting you
in charge, I hoped Phillipa would choose the constructive path
rather than..." Her voice trailed off.
"But," Princess Luna said again, and Twilight nearly gasped
at the plaintive tone behind her words. "You could've told me I
was making a mistake! You could've--!"
"You weren't making a mistake, sister!" Princess Celestia
stepped forward. "You had made an informed decision as to how
you wanted to run the night! It was a perfectly reasonable
decision, and for the most part, it was working quite well. If
there was any mistake here, it occurred when Phillipa Stargazer
refused to talk to you. Everything else followed from that."
Princess Luna's eyes wavered, and Twilight stepped toward
her as well. "She's right, your Highness. You said yourself
when you reinstated the Night Ministry that you didn't
understand how much you needed the Stargazer family. Well,
Phillipa certainly knew how much she needed you, but she
apparently didn't make any effort to reach out and tell you."
"I--" Her silver mane flickered, and Princess Luna closed
her eyes. "I need to think about this. And I need to get some
sleep." She drew in a breath and smiled at Princess Celestia.
"I'm so glad you're back, sister." She turned that smile toward
Twilight, and the warmth of it wrapped around her like a
comforter on a winter night. "And I'm so very, very glad for
your friendship, Twilight Sparkle." She leaned forward and
reached her horn down.
Twilight stretched her neck, touched her horn to the
princess's. "And I for yours, your Highness."
"Oh, yes," came Princess Celestia's voice. "That reminds
me. I wanted to ask what those red ribbons were all about."
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