A Midsummer Night's Dream

What a delightful season summer is.  Possibly, it is highly favored than all the other three seasons.  Anywhere you will head to, you can never find a pony who doesn’t enjoy basking under the warmth of the bright, yellow star sitting on the clear blue sky.  Summer is many things to many ponies, young and old.  For the youth, summer is a time for rest and relaxation after nine long months sitting in uncomfortable wooden chairs listening to boring lectures from their instructors - summer vacation, if you will.  For the old, summer is mostly a time to prepare for the autumn season.  Farming families harvesting crops and fruits before the weather turns cooler.

While summer can be a time for work or play, depending on who you are, you can not deny the fact that sometime - somewhere - you will be struck in the back by Cupid’s heart-shaped arrows during this season; whether you like it or not.  Yes, my little ponies.  Summer was, and always will be, a season of love.  Wanting love, falling in love, being lovestruck.  Hearts and Hooves Day is the not the only time of the year to look forward to Cupid’s chokehold.

The tale I am about to tell you is not about two souls finding each other falling in their hooves.  No, this is a story about ponies living out their lives in the city of Canterlot, the capital of Equestria.  A tale full of laughter as well as heartbreak.  A tale about city law, feuding faeries, eloping couples, royalty, and of course, love.  A story I would like to call, A Midsummer’s Dream.

Our story begins in Canterlot Castle.  Shining Armor, the Captain of the Guard and his companion, Flash Sentry, approached Princess Celestia in her grand throne room.  Celestia’s natural light illuminated the line of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.  Shining and Flash stopped at the bottom of the throne and showed reverence.

“Now, fair Celestia,” Shining began, “our nuptial hour draws apace.  Four happy days bring in another moon.  But, O, methinks, how slow this old moon wanes!  She lingers my desires, like to a step-dame or a dowager long withering out a young stallion's revenue.”

“Four days will quickly steep themselves in night, Shining,” Celestia said as she rolled her eyes, “Four nights will quickly dream away the time.  And the new moon, like a silver bow new-bent in heaven, shall behold the night of our solemnities."

“Flash,” Shining suddenly called.

“Yes sir.”

“Stir up the Canterlot youth to merriments!  Awake the pert and nimble spirit of mirth!  Turn melancholy forth to funerals - the pale companion is not for our pomp," Shining commanded.

“Aye captain,” Flash said.  He left the throne room and he and his squad spread throughout the city, bringing tidings of Shining's holy union with Celestia.  Shining noticed that he and his beloved were alone in the throne room.  He trotted up a few steps and stood on one knee.  He held her hoof and kissed it gently.

“Celestia, I wooed thee with my sword and won thy love by doing thee injuries,” Shining sweetly said.  Celestia's smile turned into a sadden grin, which earned Shining's sympathetic eyes.  “But I will wed thee in another key.  With pomp, with triumph, and with reveling!”

“That’s wonderful my beloved,” Celestia said.  The Princess and Shining’s attention turned to the entrance of the throne room.  Three familiar ponies entered the room, much to Shining’s surprise.  It was Fancy Pants and his daughter Twilight Sparkle and her fiance Prince Blueblood.  The other stallion he didn’t know was Time Turner.

“Happy be Shining Armor!  Our renowned Captain of the Guard!” Fancy Pants declared.

“Thank you, good Fancy Pants.  What's the news with thee?” Shining asked.

“Full of vexation come I, with complaint against my daughter, Twilight Sparkle,” Fancy said with agitation.  “Step forth, Blueblood,” he commanded.  Prince Blueblood stood proudly in Fancy’s left side.  “My noble lord, this stallion hath my consent to marry her.  Step forth, Time Turner,” Fancy said with venom in his voice.  Time timidly stood in Fancy’s right side.  “This stallion hath bewitched the bosom of my child.  Thou hath given her rhymes and interchanged love-tokens with my child.  Thou hast by moonlight at her window sung, with feigning voice versus feigning love, and stolen the impression of her fantasy with messengers of strong prevailment of unharden'd youth!"

Fancy turned an evil eye towards Time Turner, who shrunk as the unicorn’s scornful face loomed over him.  “With cunning hast thou flinched my daughter’s heart!  Turn'd her obedience to stubborn harshness!  And, gracious captain, be it so she will not consent to marry with Blueblood, I beg the ancient privilege of Canterlot.  As she is mine, I may dispose of her…”  Twilight’s body flinched at the last part.

“What say you, Twilight?” Shining asked, “Be advised, fair maid.  To you your father should be as a god.  One that composed your beauties, and one to whom you are but as a form in wax by him - imprinted and within his power to leave the figure or disfigure it.  Blueblood is a worth gentlecolt."

“So is Time Turner,” Twilight said.

“In himself, he is.  But in this kind, wanting your father’s advice, the other must be held the worthier,” Shining reasoned.

“I would my father looked but with my eyes,” Twilight added.

“Rather your eyes must with his judgement look,” Shining continued.

“I do entreat your grace to pardon me,” Twilight said as she bowed in annoyance, “I know not by what power I am made bold, nor how it may concern my modesty.  But I beseech your grace that I may know the worst that may befall me if I refuse to wed Blueblood.”

“Either to die the death or to abjure forever the society of stallions,” Shining said.  Twilight looked at him in confusion at his statement.

“What…”

“Question your desires, fair Twilight,” Shining began, “Know if your youth and examine well your blood - whether if you yield not your father’s choice, enduring the livery of a nun, to live a barren sister all your life, chanting faint hymns to the cold, fruitless, moon.  Withering on the virgin thorn, dying in single blessedness.”

“So I will grow and die, my captain, ere I will my virginity patent up unto his lordship, whose unwished yoke my soul consents not to give sovereignty,” Twilight said in a cold voice.

“Take time to pause, and, by the next new moon - the sealing day betwix my love and I for everlasting bond of fellowship,” Shining said.  “Either prepare to die for disobedience, or wed Blueblood, or on Faust’s altar to protest for aye austerity and single life.”

“Relent, sweet Twilight-” Blueblood stepped in “- and Time Turner, yield thy crazed title to my certain right.”

“You have her father’s love, Blueblood!  Let me have Twilight's!  Do you marry him!" Time Turn said mockingly.

“Scornful Time Turner!” Fancy Pants blurted, “True, he hath my love, and what is mine, my love shall render him!  And she is mine, and all my right of her I do estate unto Blueblood!"

“My captain,” Turner pleaded, “I am as well derived as he, as well possessed.  My love is more than his.  My fortunes every way as fairly rank'd, if not with vantage, as Blueblood.  I am beloved by the beauteous Twilight… why should not I then prosecute my right?”  Time Turner walked slowly to Blueblood’s face, both of them exchanging death glares.  “Blueblood, I'll avouch it to his head, made love to Rarity and won her soul.  And she, sweet lady, dotes, devoutly dotes, dotes in idolatry, upon this spotted and inconstant stallion!"

“I must confess that I have heard so much, and with Blueblood thought to have spoken thereof.  But being over-full of self-affairs, my mind lost it,” Shining said.  “But Blueblood, come.  And come, Fancy Pants, you shall come with me.  I have some private schooling for you both,”  Shining, Celestia, Fancy Pants, and Blueblood exited the throne room.  Before they disappeared, Shining turned to Twilight one last time.  “For you, fair Twilight, look you arm yourself to fit your fancies of your father's will.  Or else the law of Canterlot yields you up - which by no means we may extenuate.  To death, or to a vow of a single life.”  When the door was shut, Time Turner and Twilight passionately embraced each other.  Their lips were locked to one another for seemed like an eternity.  When they released themselves, Turner saw that Twilight had a fearful look on her face.

“My love, why is your cheek so pale?  Why did the roses there fade so quickly?”

“Belike for want of rain, which I could well beteem them from the tempest of my eyes,” Twilight said while she silently wept.

“Twilight, for aught I could ever read, the course of true love never runs smooth.  Either it was in different blood--"

“O cross!  Too high to be enthralled too low!” Twilight cried.

“Or else misgraffed in respect of years--"

“O spite!  Too old to be engaged to young!” Twilight cried again.

“Or else it stood upon the choice of friends--”

“O hell!  To choice love from another's eyes!” She cried once more.

“Or, if there were a sympathy in choice, war, death, or sickness did lay siege to it, making it momentany as a sound.  Swift as a shadow, short as any dream, brief as the lightning collied night,” Time said.

“If true lovers have been crossed, it stands as an edict of destiny,” Twilight said somberly, “then let us teach our trial patience, because it is a customary cross, as due to love as thoughts and dreams and sighs, wishes and tears, poor fancy's followers."

“A good persuasion,” Turner said.  He placed a small kiss on Twilight’s forehead.  Her cheeks returned to the crimson color that was once there before.  “Twilight, I have a widow aunt, a dowager of great revenue.  And she hath no foal - from Canterlot is her house remote seven leagues and respects me as her only son.  There, gentle Twilight, may I marry thee, and to that place the sharp Canterlot law cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me then, steal forth thy father's house tomorrow night.  And in the wood, a league without the town, where I did meet thee once with Rarity, to do observance to a morn of May, there will I stay for thee."

“My good Time Turner, I swear by Cupid’s bow in that same place you have appointed me, tomorrow truly I will meet with thee!” Twilight exclaimed.  Time Turner and Twilight proceed in their kissing session until they heard clopping hooves running in the throne room.

“Godspeed, fair Rarity!” Twilight called out, “whither away?”

“Call you me ‘fair’”, Rarity asked, “That fair again unsay.  Blueblood loves your fair.  Your eyes are lode-stars and your tongue's sweet as air more tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear.  Sickness is catching, O, were favour so.  Yours would I catch, fair Twilight, ere I go.  O, teach me how you look, and with what art you sway the motion of Blueblood's heart.”

“I frown upon him, yet he still loves me,” Twilight grunted.

“ O that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill!,” Rarity whined.

“I give him curses, yet he gives me love,” Twilight grunted again, “the more I hate, the more he follows me.”

“The more I love, the more he hateth me!” Both Time Turner and Twilight cringed at Rarity’s whining.  She is Twilight’s good friend, but in all honesty, she could make do without the excessive whining.

“Take comfort, Rarity.  He no more shall see my face,” Twilight said.

“What do you mean?”

“Time Turner and myself will fly this place," Twilight said.  "Before the time I did Time Turner see, seem'd Canterlot as a paradise to me.  O, then, what graces in my love do dwell, that he hath turn'd a heaven unto a hell!”

“Rarity, to you our minds we will unfold.  Tomorrow night, when Phoebe doth behold her silver visage in the watery glass, decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass, a time that lovers' flights doth still conceal, through Canterlot's gates have we devised to steal,” Time Turner added.

“And in the wood, where often you and I upon faint primrose-beds were wont to lie, emptying our bosoms of their counsel of sweet,” Twilight spoke as she had instant flashbacks from their fillyhood.  "There my Time Turner and myself shall meet - and thence from Canterlot turn away our eyes, to seek new friends and stranger company."  Twilight then pulled Rarity into a loving hug.  They stayed like that for a few minutes before letting go.  “Farewell, sweet playfellow.  Pray thou for us and good luck grant thee thy Blueblood.”  Twilight and Time Turner both exited the palace.  Rarity was now in the empty throne all to her lonesome.  With nothing but her aching heart.

“How happy some o'er other some can be!,” she scornfully said.  “Through Canterlot I am thought as fair as she.  But what of that? Blueblood thinks not so!  He will not know what all but he do know!  And as he errs, doting on Twilight's eyes, so I, admiring of his qualities.  Things base and vile, folding no quantity, love can transpose to form and dignity.  Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.” she walked over to nearby painting of a beautiful, young pegasus colt wiedling a bow and arrow.  “And therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind.  Nor hath Love's mind of any judgement taste, wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.  And therefore is Love said to be a child, because in choice he is so oft beguiled.  As waggish colts in game themselves forswear, so the boy Love is perjured every where.  I will go tell him of fair Twilight's flight.  Then to the wood will he tomorrow night pursue her; and for this intelligence if I have thanks, it is a dear expense.  But herein mean I to enrich my pain, to have his sight thither and back again.

The white unicorn mare slowly walked out of the throne room with a small chuckle.  She was determined to show her equine Adonis that she, Rarity, was worthy of entering his heart.  There was no force on earth that would ever consider thwarting her plans.