The ponies of Equestria gathered in the capitol city of Canterlot just outside of the white stone castle. With its towering heights, pure shades of white and its roll of holding the national government, few could question why it was the dominant feature of the city, perhaps even all of Equestria itself. Even the residence of the city, who see this building daily, still marvel at the engineering masterpiece their ancestors created.

Word spread throughout the region that the princesses were holding a ceremony at the castle. However, no pony knew what the purpose of the ceremony was except that it had never been performed in centuries. Some speculated that Celestia would be stepping down from power, while others believed a new princess would be coronated. A few seemed to spread the idea that one of the princesses was having a child and that they would present the baby. In the end, most ponies seemed to agree that this ceremony was not going to happen again, even within the life of their great grandchildren.

Behind the castle stood the rest of the mountain that the city was built upon. Very few cities were ever built aside a mountain, and none ever came close to the size of Canterlot. While the city would look splendid anywhere else, this distinct feature enhanced the beauty and dominance the city contained.

In the rocky slope, two ponies were there undetected from the residence of Equestria observing the activity below them. One had a pair of binoculars in his hooves and was able to see the city with crisp detail as if he was in the city itself. He did so in confusion as to why everypony was so wound up.

“Why are all them folks so excited?” he asked his colleague with a hint of a country accent in his voice as he lay on the rocks.

“I don’t know” the stallion replied with a voice that sounded steady with a slight authoritative tone to it. He was standing on his hind hooves with his back against the rocks letting them carry most of his weight. He couldn’t see the city with the same amount of detail, but he had a relatively good idea as to what the area looked like. “Looks like their leaders are going to give some kind of speech or something” he speculated. “Probably going to be more propaganda to please the masses if you ask me, but I can’t say for sure.”

“Yea” the other pony snickered. “They be tell’n lies to all them ponies ever since they’ve been in power. Wonder what lies they’ll say next.”

“Wish I knew” the standing pony said as he shrugged. “Kinda wish I was in the crowd right know so I could hear the chatter. I can’t hear anything out here except for you and the wind.”

“Now we both know why that can’t happen” the stallion explained. “The second you show your face, they’ll be takin’ ya to a place where you’ll never see the light of day again.”

“Maybe” he replied indifferently. “Maybe no pony will know who I am. Maybe I can just walk right on into the city, get into the crowd and blend in like any other pony there. Hiding with the masses is the best way to get information… so I’ve been told.”

His colleague put down his binoculars and gave him a concerned look. “Sounds like you’ve been questioning what boss has been tell’n ya. I told you, that’s not healthy for ya; it’ll get ya killed someday.”

“I’m not blind friend” he said collectively. “I know how far I can push my luck without falling over the edge. This is just a small step; It’s not gonna harm me.”

“Say that now and you’ll push it even farther next time” he retorted, “and if you don’t fall over then, you’ll keep pushin’ it until you do fall off the cliff. I’m tell’n ya, quit now before the effects become permanent.”

The stallion chuckled. “Alright. I’ll stop, just so you won’t have to worry about me.”

“Good” he said, though he didn’t sound convinced.

“Now get those eyes back on the crowd” he ordered. “We don’t want something important to happen and we missed it because we were arguing.”

The two ponies gazed back at the crowd. While the one stallion could only guess as to what was going on, the one with the binoculars had a clear view of the crowd as they waited for something to happen. Both of them could sense the crowd’s anticipation building up, even though their patience was slowly drifting away. Several minutes passed and the stallion with the binoculars decided to go “sight-seeing” to past the time. The other one watched for guards, though he believed the odds of getting caught were next to none.

“Damn, those mares look good” the pony lying on the ground said as he caught a glimpse of high society ponies in his vision.

“Oh brother” his partner said annoyingly realizing what his colleague was up to.

“What?” he said childishly. “You wouldn’t be lookin’ at mares? We’ve been here too long without seeing anything exciting happen. Besides, they don’t compare to the beauty of the princesses. I’ve only seen them once before but oh, if I had the chance, I would definitely-”

His partner smacked him aside his head before he could finish his thought. “Just because I know you well enough to know what you’re thinking” he stated, “doesn’t mean I want to hear those thoughts come out of your mouth.”

The stallion rubbed the back of his head and was about to complain when they heard the faint sound of cheering coming from the city. Both of them knew that if they were able to hear sounds of the crowds from out here, something big was going on. The ponies quickly scanned the crowds and the castle to see what was happening.

“What’s going on?” he standing pony asked as they continued to scan the area.

“Give me a minute” his partner replied impatiently as he struggled to find the source of the commotion. His binoculars eventually found the castle terrace and saw the princesses addressing the crowd. However, he couldn’t help but notice something was… off, though he wasn’t sure why.

“What did Firestone say about them princesses besides them havin’ wings and horns?” he asked his partner as he tried to figure out what was wrong.

“Well,” he replied, “there’s the white one, Princess Celestia, who rules over Equestria by day and ‘raises’ the sun. There’s the dark blue one, Princess Luna, younger sister of Celestia who rules the kingdom at night and ‘raises’ the moon. And there’s the pink one, Princess Cadence. Intelligence is limited as to what she does, but she occasionally goes up north and has some ability to manipulate the power of love… if you can believe that.”

The pony on the ground waited a moment anticipating him to say something else. “That’s it?” he asked as he realized the other pony had nothing else to say.

“That’s a summary of it.”

The stallion was still perplexed since the answer did nothing to resolve the issue. “Sure he didn’t mention anything ‘bout a purple one?”

“What are you talking about?” he asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“There’s a purple one at the end of the terrace” he explained, “talkin’ to the subjects right now. You know I haven’t been doin’ much spyin’ before, but she don’t match any of the ponies Firestone told us to look out for. The thing is, she has wings and a horn, but only the princesses are supposed to have them. Least that’s what I’ve been told.”

“Let me see” he said as he took the binoculars from his country accent partner and began scanning the area.

“She’s also wearing a fancy dress of some sort. Looks too complicated for my likin’. If ya ask me, no-pony should be wearin’ clothes unless they need’m for work. They look better that way.”

“If you’re going to make this thought per-” his partner began to reply when he stopped in disbelief as he saw the purple coted mare his partner just described. “Well” he said curiously, “what do we have here?”

“Don’t tell me ya think she looks good in that dress” he began to protest only to realize his partner wasn’t paying attention.

“So, the princesses decided to create another one of their own?” the pony said to no one in particular. “This is going to make things… interesting back home.”

“Good interesting” his partner asked, “er bad?”

“I would think both” he replied playfully, “but we’ll have to wait and see.”

There was a pause as the two processed what this event would lead to. The thought of a new princess was not new since the arrival of Princess Cadence and Luna happened within their lifetimes. However, unlike the previous princesses, this one didn’t seem like it had any build up leading towards it leaving both of them concerned.

“Want me to take her out?” the country pony offered. “Ya know I can easily eliminate her without much effort. Even got the gear hidden at the base of the mountain.”

The stallion contemplated the offer. He knew his partner well, but was he willing to risk their cover in order to do so?

“I know you can kill her with ease” he replied, “but I don’t think now is the time to do it. Best to let things settle down and think it through so we don’t react too quickly and mess something up.”

The stallion sighed deeply at the missed opportunity. He didn’t agree with the decision, but he understood why he made it. “So what do ya want to do?”

“Get your gear and contact Firestone. He may not be at the top of command, but he’ll know how to handle the situation properly.”

He nodded. “You comin’?”

“In a bit. I want to be sure the princesses don’t have any other tricks up their snouts before we leave.”

“Yes sir” he said as got up and started climbing down the side of the mountain.

As his partner climbed, the other pony put down the binoculars and began to wonder why these events were the way they were. “I hope you thought this through princess” he said out loud, “because something tells me you just made a big mistake.”

Author's Note

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