The Pros and Cons of Being Famous

by akajulester

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Alternate Universe, Romance, Comedy
Length: 18999

Lily Note is just an average filly. Besides the fact that she is an alicorn and is the foster daughter of Princess Luna. Yep, just your average, run-of-the-mill filly.

Lily Note is very special. For one, she is an alicorn. Secondly, Princess Luna decided to adopt her. And lastly, she has an incredible gift with the magic of song. Almost every filly in Canterlot would kill to be in her gilded shoes. But sometimes, in the quietest and secretest place in her heart, Lily just wishes for a normal life.

////\\\\

NOTE: Do you like the cover image? I don't really like it, but it's mostly there for filler until I draw a better one. The reason why there are red lines is because I was bored in school one day and doodled on my homework planner during my classes.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-12-26 18:36:16 UTC

Prologue

Prologue

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Princess Luna wandered aimlessly around the castle. She didn't really care where she ended up. All she wanted to do was to clear her mind. Normally, she would fly to do so, but dark gray clouds had shrouded the city and began a downpour of rain.

She drew herself from her thoughts as she neared the large, double doors of the Royal Library and Archives. Perhaps a good book will help, she thought to herself. Her horn glowed with a light blue aura, which surrounded the handles of the doors. They slowly creaked open (they are very heavy), and Luna walked in, her hoofs making a soft "clop, clop, clop" noise as they struck the floor.

The Library was very impressive, if it was your first time. But the Princess of the Night had gotten used to the towering bookcases, the many stairs, and the comfy couches on which one could settle in comfortably to read a book. She glanced around the signs. Reference books? Perhaps Mystery novels? Or maybe even romance novels...? No, she could not stand with some of the ridiculous plots some authors would come up with. History...

Luna hesitated. Most of the history books were up to date. If she read any of them, she would want to read the ones that... excluded the story of her banishment. While she had forgiven Celestia long ago, it was still a sore subject between the two sisters, and they both preferred to avoid it. She had also silenced the worried doubts of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. She had never been mad at them-rather, she had thanked them. It was a horrible feeling to be controlled by something you can hardly fight, especially when it plays on your fears and flaws.

Stop it, Luna thought. It's best not to dwell on the past. Luna glanced at the rows and rows of historical books. Maybe The Rise and Fall of the Romane Empire? Or maybe The Founding of Equestria would be interesting. As she walked farther between the shelves, she found herself in the Star Swirl the Beared Section. She smiled with nostalgia as memories of her old friend filled her head. She stopped to gaze on a thick book titled, The History of Magic.

Luna was about to pick up the book, when there was a sudden, yellow flash. A scroll, tied with red ribbon, fell to the ground. Her magical aura encased the paper just before it hit the ground. Curious, she carefully untied the ribbon, and read what was written on the scroll.

Dear Luna,

Please come to the throne room immediately. Something... strange has occurred, and I

would appreciate it if you could come.

Love,

Tia

Luna quickly teleported the scroll to her room, and then preceded to canter towards the Throne Room. It wasn't too far from the library. She anxiously wondered what had happened. Perhaps a magical experiment gone wrong at the school? No, Celestia would classify that as "urgent," not "strange." Quickening her pace, she soon arrived at another pair of double doors, which led into the Throne Room. She opened the doors, and quickly scanned the room to see if anypony besides Celestia and herself were there.

Strangely, the only ponies present in the room were Luna, Celestia, a few guards, and a strange filly with a tattered, rain-beaten, old cloak gathered around her. The strange little filly was a unicorn, Luna noticed. A side door opened, and a maid came in with a towel and a blanket, which she preceded to cover the filly in. The filly had a dark gray coat, and a silky white mane and tail which seemed to shimmer. She had beautiful turquoise eyes that seemed to stare into your soul, and though she was shivering, she had a weak smile on her face.

"Ah, Luna," Celestia said. "Thank you for coming. This filly was found outside the castle walls, with nothing but that threadbare cloak around her. Her name is..."

"Lily Note," the filly said, "your highness." Lily Note gave a little bow, but her legs were so weak that she fell down with a slight yelp. The maid quickly cast a spell that warmed up the little filly, and Lily thanked her with a gracious smile.

"Thank you for your help, Feather Duster," Celestia said to the maid. "You are dismissed." Feather Duster nodded, and bowed before leaving the room. Celestia turned back to Luna.

"There is something I want to show you." She faced Lily Note. "Lily, could you please take off your cloak?" Lily, looking puzzled, untied her cloak. Her aura, Luna noticed, was the same color of her eyes. Lily levitated the cloak off of her back, and what Luna saw shocked her.

Lily Note unfurled a pair of gray wings. They were unlike most fillies' wings, as they were bigger and with more feathers. Lily looked up, and looked confused for a moment. Luna suddenly realized that her jaw had dropped open, and she quickly closed it. She noticed that Lily still looked a little confused, but she seemed to shrug it off. Lily turned back towards Celestia, and Luna did the same, as the Solar Princess began to speak again.

"As you can see, Luna," Celestia began, "Lily here is an alicorn, and it seems that she was born one." Lily Note looked more confused by this statement.

"What do you mean? Is it bad to be born as an alicorn? Did I do something wrong?" Lily looked genuinely scared, afraid that she was going to be punished for something that was outside of her control.

Celestia smiled gently at the nervous filly. "Of course not, my little pony. It's just that it's very rare for a filly or colt to be born as an alicorn, unless their mother or both parents were alicorns too." Lily stopped looking nervous, and looked very relieved. Luna looked once more at the little alicorn filly. Suddenly, Luna found herself blurting out,

"How did you come to be found outside the castle walls, Lily Note? Was there something wrong at your home?" Everyone looked surprised by Luna's sudden question, even herself! Lily suddenly gained an expression that Luna had not expected: confusion.

"I... I don't know... I only remember a bright flash, and then suddenly, I was there. But I won't bother Your Highnesses again! I promised to be a good little filly..."

Suddenly, Lily Note was in tears. Luna awkwardly stood by, not knowing what to do. Her sister, however, leapt into action, cloaking the shaking filly with one of her large, angel-like wings. She comforted the sobbing Lily, murmuring words of comfort to the poor thing. At one point, she looked up at Luna in a questioning way, almost as if she were saying, "What is wrong, little sister?"

Eventually, Lily was calmed, and was wrapped back up into the blanket. Her face was stained with drying tears, which clung to her cheeks like raindrops on a leaf. However, she still looked immensely troubled, as if she would burt into tears again if she were upset again. Luna noticed that Celestia seemed a bit more tired than she had been earlier that day.

"Well, I suppose we'll have to prepare a room for you, Lily," Luna said politely, while really feeling awkward within. Lily suddenly lost the saddened look on her face and seemed to be filled with hope.

"Y-you, you mean it?! You're not going to take me to an orphanage??" Lily looked shocked, surprised, and happy all at once. Luna looked at Celestia, silently asking for permission. Celestia looked at Luna. She then turned to the filly, and smiled gently while nodding once.

Lily seemed to be frozen for a moment. Then, she rushed forward, and hugged Luna so tight, the Princess thought that she would suffocate. For a girl who looks like she hasn't eaten a good meal in a while, Luna thought, she sure can hug a pony pretty tight! Luna chuckled slightly, and gently pushed Lily away. "You may hug me, just don't suffocate me!"

Lily looked slightly embarrassed. "Yes your highness," she said in a bow. She then cantered over to Celestia, and gave her a slightly less suffocating hug.

When the hugging was complete, Celestia took Lily to go see where the filly would sleep during her time in the castle. Luna smiled as she watched the excited and eager filly go with her elder sister on a quest to find the perfect room.

A black crown floated through the air and onto a nightstand. A light blue aura encased it, looking like the sky as it slowly turns into night. A black neckpiece followed it, with a large, white, crescent moon in the front. Four light blue slippers were kicked off and neatly arranged next to a King-Sized bed with a black mattress, and a cozy blanket that was a deep blue with white stars dotted across it. A full moon was pictured in the very center of the blanket.

Princess Luna was getting ready for bed. As she did so, she played over the events of the day. She smiled as she thought of what must have been Lily's first real meal, with healthy and delicious foods for her to eat. They had told her the story of Nightmare Moon, and Luna was still thinking about her reaction. She also had to teach the inexperienced filly how to properly eat soup (Lily had tried to drink it from the bowl).

Luna was also worried for Lily as well. She would have to deal with ponies staring at her when she was in public, and with the many lessons on how to behave properly, such as sitting straight and using the correct fork for eating a salad. Lily would also someday learn proper magic, like advanced levitation and color-changing spells. She would---

Luna's thoughts were interrupted by a loud and quick series of knocking at her door. When she didn't reach it immediately, the knocking became even more frantic. She quickened her pace and opened the door.

"Oh!" Luna said. "It's just you, Lily. Is there something the matter? Was the mattress not comfortable?"

The alicorn filly was cleaner looking now. She had obviously taken a bath and brushed her mane and tail. Although her tail remained straight with a slight flip at the bottom, her mane had been put into a loose ponytail, similar to the farm pony Applejack's hair. The band was a sparkly blue, which looked nice against the silvery hair.

Lily looked slightly embarrassed as she said, "I'm a bit scared of the dark. May I sleep in your room tonight?"

Chapter One: Sleeping on a Royal Mattress

Sleeping on a Royal Mattress

*NOTE: The beginning of this chapter begins right before the end of the Prologue. Although the Prologue was Luna's point of view, the rest of the story shows different ponies' perspectives during a chapter, while mostly sticking to the main pony.*

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Lily Note looked at the bed that had been prepared for her. It was queen sized, with a tall canopy over head. Several spare and comfy pillows were placed neatly at the head of the bed. A black blanket, placed on top of white sheets, was soft to the touch. The bed had been prepared by Feather Duster, who now stood by the open doorway with Princess Celestia.

"I hope that this room is to your liking, Lily Note," Celestia said.

Lily turned around. The brilliant sun goddess stood in the doorway, the setting sun's rays silhouetting her impressive body. Feather Duster gave her a quick, encouraging smile before exiting the doorway and leaving for the Kitchens. Lily nodded vigorously, impressed by the beautiful room. She excitedly trotted around the room, gazing admiringly at the exquisite works of art showcased in the room. However, there was one work of art which confused her. It was a tapestry.

The tapestry was large, hanging on a gilded bar on the wall facing Lily's bed. It showed a black alicorn with a purple mane being hit by a rainbow made up of six beams. At the end of each beam was a pony. The orange beam led to an orange Earth pony with a yellow mane and brown Stetson hat. A yellow beam ended with a yellow pegasus with a long, beautiful, pink mane. The pink beam led to a seemingly all-pink Earth pony. Strangely, there was a white beam, which led to a white unicorn who had a purple mane. A cyan beam of light trailed to a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. Finally, a purple one was coming from lavender unicorn with a dark purple mane accented with magenta and purple.

"I see you have noticed the tapestry."

Lily started, and turned around. Princess Celestia was gazing at her, a soft, maternal smile upon her lips. "Yes, I have," Lily said. "What is it of?"

Celestia seemed a tad confused, but told her, "It is of the defeat of Nightmare Moon. She was vanquished by Twilight Sparkle and her friends - Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash."

"Who are Nightmare Moon and Twilight Sparkle?" Lily was confused. Why had this black alicorn been "vanquished?"

Celestia stopped smiling all together, and looked surprised. "You do not know who Nightmare Moon is? Did your parents or guardians never tell you about what happened?"

Lily shook her head. "I don't have any parents, Miss Princess. I was brought up in an orphanage, but I-" She suddenly stopped, looking scared to continue.

Celestia looked very concerned. "Did something happen whilst you were in the orphanage?"

Lily stayed quiet, and Celestia gave it up. "How about we go down to dinner, and I can explain the story of Nightmare Moon with my sister, Luna."

////\\\

"... and that is the reason behind the tapestry in your room, Lily Note."

Lily Note looked down into her soup. The aroma drifting off of the bowl was the most delicious smell she had ever encountered, and her mouth watered. The Princesses had called it 'onion soup,' and Lily had been eager to swiftly drink it in one gulp. However, reminding herself she was in the company of the rulers of the kingdom, she levitated a spoon full of the deliciousness to her mouth.

"Lily Note?" Luna had looked up from her own onion soup.

Lily started. She had never really had a decent meal in her life, and had been quickly distracted. Her spoon clattered into the bowl, splashing some of the soup out.

One of the maids - whom Lily instantly recognized as Feather Duster - quickly cleaned up the slight mess Lily had made, while the latter turned red with embarrassment. Feather smiled gently towards the young filly, who had begun to pay more attention to Celestia.

"Lily Note, were you listening to my story?" Celestia asked, a bit annoyed that she might have to re-tell the whole thing. She almost wanted Luna to do it. However, even though it had been over one year since Nightmare Moon's return, it was still a touchy subject for the sisters - especially Luna.

Lily nodded. "Yes! Maybe... I heard bits and pieces..." She trailed off, feeling a little uncomfortable and guilty for not paying attention. Would she punished just as she had been at the orphanage? No, she thought, they are the Royal Sisters. I'm sure they wouldn't harm somepony, especially a filly, for losing one's attention.

Celestia sighed inwardly. "I'll retell my tale. Over one thousand years ago, Luna and I..."

////\\\

Luna quietly ate her soup, listening politely to Celestia. The memory of her... power issue - let's call it - may have been an issue for her to recount, but she found it easier to take when somepony else told it. Granted, most told her story as a lesson for little fillies and colts to not greedily eat their Nightmare Night candy, or stay up to late. However, Luna found it a tad amusing how ponies had found a way to discipline their foals.

"... and I just wish I could have been there for you, Luna."

Luna jerked awake. She had been lost in her thoughts, and did not realize for a second that 'Tia had finished.

"Luna...?" Celestia was looking at her. "Sister, are you feeling alright? Should we send for Nurse Redheart or Doctor Whooves?"

Luna frowned. "I was merely lost in my thoughts, 'Tia. And DO NOT send for the doctor! I am no longer a child!" Luna pouted, enjoying their teasing and joking with each other. Though they occasionally had a sibling argument stemming from these, she preferred them to what had happened over a thousand years ago.

She glanced at Lily Note, bracing herself for a negative reaction. Most fillies and colts were terrified of her, just as were some adults. Lily even looked a bit more drawn, and she wasn't smiling at Luna anymore. Oh, boy, here it comes, Luna thought to herself.

/////\\\

"...and I wish I could have been there for you, Luna."

Lily Note looked at her bowl, which she had emptied about halfway through Celestia's talking. So Princess Luna had been troubled as well? It was one thing for a filly to grow up in a cruel orphanage full of frightened foals and bullying colts. But to be shown your worst fear by a dark and scary stallion? To be tricked into feeling nothing but contempt for your sister? And to be taken over by some evil force...

Lily looked up. Princess Luna was sitting across from her, on Princess Celestia's right.

"... I am no longer a child!" Luna pouted. Then, she glanced at Lily. The alicorn filly suddenly felt aware that she had been staring at the princess, and quickly averted her eyes.

"Does something bother you, Lily?" Luna asked.

Lily looked up once more. Luna gazed at her concernedly, but there was something in her eyes. It looked as if she hiding back disappointment and hurt. Oh no! Have I offended her, Lily thought.

"I.... um, I-I... I feel sorry for you.

/////\\\

Luna was shocked.

Not because Lily had said she felt sorry for her, but the sincerity in her voice. Is that little filly really sorry for me, she wondered. Nopony had ever said that to her, except for maybe Celestia the day after Luna had returned.

"I beg your pardon?"

Luna looked at the little filly. The lunar princess had never heard this from a filly before. On her first Nightmare Night, all of the foals had been running away in fear, even the mares and stallions! Only through the kind actions of Twilight Sparkle had she realized that they were doing it for fun, but she still had the feeling that they had been genuinely afraid at first.

But this filly was different. Luna had been in the dreamscapes of ponies to recognize fear, apprehension, uncertainty, and many such feelings. Lily seemed to be... afraid, but more apprehensive. She also seemed to be uncertain whether or not to continue speaking.

As Lily Note looked up once more, Luna smiled at her gently, as if to give permission to speak.

/////\\\

Lily Note gained a little courage from the genuine smile from Luna.

"Well, I was thinking that I almost had a nice childhood at the orphanage compared to your past, Princess Luna. The colts were always picking on me and the younger or smaller fillies. Many times, I had to protect them from being taunted or hurt. I now realize that even if my life hasn't been the best, I should always consider myself lucky that I had a roof over my head and food to eat: even if the beds were uncomfortable and the food less than desirable."

Celestia smiled at Lily, while Luna mulled over her words. So is this truly how the over half lives? she mused. This poor filly! I wonder if maybe...

"Sister," Luna said aloud, "may I talk to you after dinner?"

Celestia nodded, curious as to where this had come from. "Of course, Little Sister. But remember that we cannot keep our guest waiting. 'Tis rude to do so."

Lily Note frowned. "If this is about me finding my way back to my room, I can find my way! I am a big filly!"

"Of course you are, Lily," Luna said matter-of-factly. She smiled at Lily, thinking of how she reminded her of herself when she was a little filly around her age. "Now, we simply must eat the main course! It is spaghetti, is it not?"

/////\\\

"What was it that you wanted to tell me, Luna?"

After dinner had been finished, they all had a small desert, and had answered Lily's questions on how it was like to be a princess, what they did as princesses, etc. Luna had secretly told Feather Duster to accompany Lily Note to her room, just to make sure the little filly did not get lost in the large castle.

"'Tia, it is about Lily Note. She seemed dreadfully underfed when we found her, and from what I gather, the orphanage was anything but kind to her. Could we not let her stay here?"

Celestia was not very surprised by Luna's question. In fact, she had been wondering about this orphanage that Lily had come from. "I have been thinking this over, too. She accidentally let slip something about the orphanage earlier in her new room, and it makes me feel like she escaped from there."

Luna nodded. "Yes, and I feel like she would have a happier and healthier life here with us. I could care for her, I do not have many responsibilities-"

Celestia held a hoof up. "Are you sure about that? Your sleep schedule is sleeping through half the day and being awake most of the night. She would probably have to adapt to your schedule for you to take care of her."

Luna fell silent. She had not thought about that. "It is true, but perhaps you or some of the staff could care for her in the morning while I was sleeping, and I could be with Lily during the rest of the day."

Princess Celestia looked at her sister. She had that look on her face. The stubborn one. The kind of expression that let ponies know she was not going to give up without a fight or a reasonable argument that would make your rebuttal fall flat on its face.

She sighed. "I'll give you one week to prove yourself responsible to care for Lily Note. If you do, you get to become her adopted older sister or mother or whatever the heck you want. If you do not, the staff and I will take care of her until you are ready for the task. Am I understood, Luna?" Celestia extended her hoof for an agreement hoofshake.

Luna nodded, extending her hoof to shake her sister's. "It is a deal."

/////\\\

Lily Note walked down the large hallway with Feather Duster at her side. The maid had a light, greyish brown coat with a white main and tail that were softly streaked with pale blue. Her cutie mark was, of course, a feather duster. Her eyes and magical aura were a soft purple, and she was levitating a candle.

"Your room is right here, Lily Note. If you need anything, just pull the tassled rope by the door."

Lily looked to Feather Duster one last time. "Thank you Feather Duster. Is it all right if I call you Feathers? It's just that your name is long and it seems strange to repeat it over and over again."

Feathers smiled. "Of course you can! You know, most of my friends call me Dusty. I think I'll try to get them to call me Feathers. Have a good night's sleep, Lily." With that, she placed the candle on a nightstand next to the bed and walked out the door.

"Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed. 'I almost forgot. If you need to talk to Princess Luna, her room is down the hall. You turn left, and her doors are straight ahead."

Lily nodded to show that she understood. With a final wave good-bye, she quickly trotted into the bathroom connected to her room.

"Wow," she said softly. She had never seen such a large and luxurious looking bathroom! The taps on everything were gold, the sinks, toilet, and bathtub all porcelain. With the giddy excitement only accessible to a happy filly, she began to wash and comb her hair.

/////\\\

Dark. Quiet. Scary. If asked to describe the room she was in now, those were the three words Lily would have used.

After she had finished making herself more presentable, she had put her mane into a loose ponytail, so it would be a bit neater when she woke up. She had climbed into the massive, cozy bed, said her nightly prayers, and blew out the candle.

In her dorm at the orphanage, there were other fillies with her, and the sound of nine different sleeping ponies had lulled her to sleep. But in this room, it was quiet. Too quiet for her likings.

She pulled the covers over her head, wishing that she had a nightlight in the corner of the room, where it was the darkest. Lily regretted her choice, because it was hot and stuffy under the blanket. She tossed and turned some more before thinking back to what Feather Duster had told her.

"If you need to talk to Princess Luna, her room is down the hall. You turn left, and her doors are straight ahead."

Well, maybe the Princess of the Night could help her.

Lily threw the cover off of her, and looked at the candle she had blown out. Maybe if she concentrated hard enough, she could make a lighter spell to light the candle. She stared at the dim outline of the candle, silently willing it to flicker with a flame.

Suddenly, she felt warm in her horn, and she gasped with delight as a few sparks of fire gently grew at the tip of her horn. Concentrating, she willed the sparks to light the candle. As she levitated the now lit candle, she felt immensely pleased with her progress in magic.

/////\\\

Lily Note walked down the large hall. Her candle cast flickering shadows over the vases and suits of armor in the hall, but she did not particularly mind. All she thought of was, Down the hall, to the left. Down the hall, to the left.

She eventually reached the end of the hall, and turned left. This hallway was shorter than the one before, and she could easily see the double doors at the end. As she got closer, she marveled at the exquisite woodwork. The doors were polished cherry wood, and there was a large crescent moon over the doors. The handles were silver, inlaid with moons as well.

Suddenly, a light breeze came from somewhere in the hall and eventually blew her candle out. Very afraid of the dark, she started knocking rapidly on the doors. When Luna did not immediately answer, she knocked harder and faster.

One of the doors opened. Inside was Princess Luna, without her Royal Jewelry. She looked somewhere above Lily's head for who was knocking, and then looked down when she didn't see anypony.

"Oh!" Luna said. "It's just you, Lily. Is there something the matter? Was the mattress not comfortable?"

Lily shifted uncomfortably. "I'm a bit scared of the dark. May I sleep in your room tonight?"

////\\

Luna, of course, had welcomed Lily Note in with open arms. She understood that most young fillies and colts were afraid of the dark, as you could not see if there was something there. She was about to ask Lily if she wanted an extra blanket when a loud clap of thunder announced that the storm had returned from earlier that day.

Lily Note scrambled to the bed, opening her wings and flapping them rapidly. The momentum helped her to get on the bed fast. A bit too fast, as was proved when she accidentally threw the extra blanket onto the ground.

As Lily hastily apologized, Luna smiled at the young alicorn's antics. She had been afraid of thunderstorms as a filly, too. She was getting more and more amused at how much this filly was like her.

Eventually, she managed to calm down Lily and got her to sleep by singing a lullaby Fluttershy had once taught her.

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to lay your sleepy head,

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to go to bed.

Drifting off to sleep

Exciting day behind you,

Drifting to slumber deep

Let the joy of dream land find you!

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to lay your sleepy head

Hush now, quiet now

It's time to go to bed.

Lily fell asleep about halfway through, but Luna finished simply because she liked to sing. As she finished the song, she tucked the slumbering filly into her Royal bed, and blew out the candle the filly had been using.

Luna silently walked out of the room, pausing by her door. "Good-night, Lily Note." With that, she quietly closed the doors, and set off to hold the Night Court.

Chapter Two: Meeting the Elements of Harmony.

Chapter Two: Meeting the Elements of Harmony

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When, Twilight Sparkle awoke that morning, she just expected the day to be like any other. Have some breakfast, check To-Do List, double check To-Do list, triple check To-Do List, have some lunch, hang out with her best friends, eat some dinner, brush her teeth, and go to sleep.

What she did NOT expect was her entire schedule to be demolished with a simple invitation for her and her friends to visit Canterlot that afternoon.

After Twilight had some breakfast, she was about to start her daily habits when Spike entered the main room of the Library, clutching a scroll from Princess Celestia.

"This just came for you, Twi," Spike said, holding out the letter for her to read. "I wonder why Princess Celestia would send you a scroll all of the sudden?"

Twilight quickly snatched the letter from the Princess out of his claws. "Oh my Celestia, what if it's something really important?!"

Spike sighed. "Twilight, I'm sure it's nothing serious. Just relax and read the letter already!" He started to become excited. "Hey! What if there's somepony new coming to Ponyville and Princess Celestia wants you to introduce him or her to everypony? Or maybe you're getting a new assignment to work on!"

Twilight did not listen to her #1 Assistant as she slowly read through the letter, not wanting to miss one detail at all, in case there really was something important.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Yesterday, a guard found an orphan alicorn filly outside the castle walls. She is around the age of two of your friends' sisters, and I believe that you and the other Elements of Harmony should come to Canterlot to meet her. After all, it has been a while since I last saw you here! Forgive me for missing your birthday, but the Griffon King can be very stubborn at times. Also, tell your friends that their little sisters are welcome to come with you six if they wish.

Yours Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

P.S.  If your friends Applejack and Rarity would like to bring their little sisters, tell them that it's quite all right!

Twilight read through the letter several times, before handing it over to Spike with excitement.

"Spike! Pack our bags! Princess Celestia has invited us all to Canterlot! Don't waste anytime! I'm going to tell everypony else. I'll be back soon!" Twilight dashed out the door, leaving Spike to grumble about always having to pack their bags when they went somewhere.

////\\

Applejack was working hard in the orchards before Twilight showed up. She, her brother Big Macintosh, and her little sister Applebloom had been up since the sunrise bucking trees. Applebloom, still being a young filly, was not strong enough to properly buck the apple trees, so AJ had her help by carrying the baskets into the storage cellar under the barn.

AJ wiped the sweat off of her brow, as she stood on the hill that overlooked Sweet Apple Acres.

"YEEEE-HAAAH! Oh, how Ah love Apple-bucking Season," she shouted as she ran down the hill to a random tree. Just as she was about to crash into it, she swung around on her front legs and kicked against the tree. She smiled as the apples fell, catching the morning sun on their way to the ground.

She quickly caught them all in her baskets before they hit the ground, causing an unseen Applebloom to cheer for her older sister.

Applejack nearly jumped out of her skin at the loud "whoopee," as she did not see Applebloom. She gazed sternly at a bush a few feet away with a large, pink bow sticking up from it.

"Applebloom! Ah told you that Ah don't like to be startled like that! Now c'mon and help me pick up these dropped apples, you little ragamuffin!"

Applebloom happily helped her older sister, always enjoying doing so. She picked up the Gala apples before suddenly remembering why she had come over to Applejack's side of the orchard in the first place.

"Oh, 'sis! Ah almost forgot why Ah came here in the first place! Ah saw Miss Twilight by the barn and she asked me if Ah could getchya over there! She seemed a might excited!"

Applejack ruffled her little sister's hair, also enjoying their sisterly bonding times. "Wanna race back to the barn, lil 'sis?"

Applebloom nodded vigorously, suddenly becoming serious as she took a starting position, gazing through the many trees to the barely visible barn beyond.

"On yer mark..." Applejack started.

"Get set!" Applebloom continued.

They both paused for a minute before yelling together,

"GO!!!"

The two Apple sisters raced through the trees, Applejack clearly having the advantage with her longer legs and more stamina than the short filly behind her who never really raced. AJ silently thanked Rainbow Dash for having that Ironpony Contest, as she had practiced for a long time to get ready for that.

Glancing behind her, she saw just how far behind Applebloom was. Not wanting to beat her little sister until the competition was fair, she pretended to trip over a stump in the way. She knew how her little sister was. She would focus on what was ahead while running through an orchard filled with appletrees, lest she crash into a tree or trip over something.

Sure enough, Applebloom didn't think to look for Applejack as she raced ahead. AJ counted up to 10 seconds, before starting to run again. She had almost caught up to her little sister when they broke through the tree line, running full on for where Twilight was standing. They both dug their hooves into the dirt as they tried to slow down, causing a large cloud o dust to settle over Twilight.

"Ah'm mighty sorry there, Twi," Applejack said through her laughter, as Twilight starting coughing and using a fan spell to clear away all the dust. She soon saw what AJ was laughing at when she looked down at her coat and tail. They were both covered in dirt and dust, and she assumed that it was the same for her mane. Quickly shaking herself off, she teleported a mirror from her house, and smiled as she saw herself nice and clean once more.

"So, what can Ah do for ya, Twi," AJ asked.

"Oh, it's so exciting!! Apparently Princesses Celestia and Luna found another alicorn yesterday and they want us to meet her! Today! We'll get to go back to Canterlot! I just hope that Rarity doesn't bump into Prince Bluebblood, because then it would be bad news for him," Twilight said very fast.

AJ looked astounded. "Wait, they found ANOTHER alicorn? Good golly, Ah wonder where she came from?"

Twilight shrugged, still looking extremely excited. "I don't know, but I'm excited to meet her! Oh! And the Princess said that if you want, Applebloom could come too."

Applebloom cut in. "Ah'd love to go, Twilight, but Ah can't! We're in Apple-bucking season, and Ah need to help Big Macn'tosh with harvesting the apples!"

AJ suddenly started frowning. "Now wait a minute, squirt. Are you sure you can help your big brother with the apple bucking? 'Cause if you ain't, Ah'm gonna have to stay home and help."

Twilight shook her head. "Honestly, Applejack, if you guys needed help, we could always help you guys like we did last time. It's no big deal! Besides, this could be a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity! Pleeeeeeaaassseeeeeee?!" Twilight tried her best cute, pleading face.

Applejack just could not cope with that much cuteness, and finally caved in. "Alright, alright. Ah'll go with you to Canterlot, but only if everypony else comes with us. Deal?" She spat on her right fore hoof and extended it to Twilight.

Twilight made a little face in response to the spitting upon the hoof, and reluctantly did a hoofshake with AJ. "Deal."

With the hoofshaking (and wiping of hooves by Twilight) over, they said goodbye to Applebloom, Granny Smith, and Big Macintosh before heading out towards the edge of the Everfree Forest to go pay Fluttershy a visit and extend the invitation.

////\\

About an hour later, Twilight had found the rest of her friends, all asking if they could come. Naturally, Rarity nearly bowled Pinkie Pie over in an attempt to pack her saddlebags as quickly as possible.

Now, they were at the train station, waiting for the train from Canterlot to arrive. Twilight kept glancing anxiously at the large clock by the ticket counter.

"Twilight, you simply must calm down," said Rairty, checking her many bags one last time to make sure she had everything she would need. "The world will not end just because the train arrives at 10:01 instead of exactly 10 am. You might give yourself stress pimples! Oh, to think that your beautiful face could be scarred by-"

Pinkie Pie suddenly started hopping up and down. "I see the train! I see the train from Canterlot!! Get ready girls!!!"

The train slowly came to a halt at the station. The girls waited patiently as all of the passengers got off, and they started to board as the last pony rushed off. They put away their bags into the Baggage Car, and began to plan what they would do in the capital city.

"I simply MUST get that filly's measurements if I'm to make her a special dress!" Rarity exclaimed for about the tenth time that day.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "I hope that she doesn't like your silly girly dresses, Rarity. I can't teach her all of my flying tricks if she's in a poofy fru-fru dress."

Fluttershy merely smiled, saying, "I want to visit the Royal Gardens again. I hope that the animals have forgiven me after what happened at the Grand Galloping Gala." She giggled, remembering how she had flown into a fit of rage over something as simple as a few animals running away from her.

"Oh-oh-oh!! Me next! I need to throw her a BIG welcome party!!! You can't introduce yourself to somepony new without a big, exciting welcome party!" Pinkie Pie was bouncing all over the place, receiving more than one look from another small group of ponies in their car.

Applejack didn't really have any special reason for going, so she only said, "Heck, Ah always love to meet somepony new. You never know when just saying, 'Howdy!' can make a difference in a pony's life."

Twilight grinned broadly. "I always love an excuse to go to Canterlot and see the Princesses and my family. Ever since I moved to Ponyville, I haven't had much time to make visits to my parents. It's hard to believe that a year and a half ago I didn't have any friends, and now I have five BEST friends!"

////Earlier That Morning\\

As Lily Note awoke, she stayed in her bed for about a minute before realizing something.

"Wait a minute..." she said aloud to herself, "Wasn't I in the Princess' bed last night...?" She quickly shook her head, clearing her jumbled thoughts. Don't be ridiculous, she thought, why would I be in Princess Luna's royal chambers? Must have been a dream, or something.

She lay in bed for a few more minutes, and then got out of bed. She looked around the room once more, and then did a double take. What had happened to the big tapestry of Nightmare Moon? She was sure it had been there last night, when she went to bed. But now, it was gone. Lily stared for a few seconds at the dull, blank wall, shrugged her shoulders, and trotted into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Her teeth now white and clean, Lily started out the door before completely forgetting where the dining hall was. Was it down to the left, or to the right?

Left?

Or right?

Left...

Right...

Lily thought it over for a few minutes, before choosing right because it seemed like the best choice. She trotted down the hall for what seemed like forever before she was startled by loud gongs coming from the bell/clock tower. She counted the tolling of the bells, and assumed that it was eight in the morning.

She quickened her pace a bit, having heard Princess Celestia say something last night about breakfast being served around this time. In her panic to get to the dining room on time, she nearly missed the large double doors, skidding to a halt and ending by nearly falling flat on her face.

Embarrassed, Lily felt extremely lucky that the doors were closed. Lighting up her horn with a levitation spell, she pulled on one of the large, golden handles and entered the Royal Dining Hall. Having forgotten how big it was, she stood in awe of the high ceiling and the long wooden table draped in a white silk sheet. The dining table was set for three, but she seemed to be the only pony there. She took the chair on the left, where she had sat last night, and patiently waited for the Royal Sisters to arrive majestically for their breakfast.

Needless to say, she was a tad surprised when they entered the room idly chatting. Lily, having heard tales of their wise judgement and merciful ruling, had almost expected a fanfare of trumpets, and a clashing of cymbals. But these two princesses walked into the Hall as if they were normal ponies heading out for breakfast!

"Ah, Lily Note," said Princess Celestia, breaking her conversation with Princess Luna. "I didn't expect you to be here yet!"

Lily smiled politely. "We were always served around 7:30 am. I adjusted my sleep schedule so that I could always get to our cafeteria first and pick a good place to sit. pardon me for asking, but when will breakfast be served?"

Luna smiled back. "The kitchen staff usually serves us a few minutes after we arrive. I believe that we are having a salad, pancakes, hay bacon, and fried eggs."

Sure enough, a chef walked out of the kitchens a few minutes later, levitating large helpings of their breakfast. Lily was a somewhat surprised at just how many pancakes there were, but she soon found out why. She glanced over to Celestia, shocked to see her loading her plate with at least five pancakes! She had always assumed that the Princesses, and all royalty in general, ate very little so as to keep their body at an ideal skinnyness.

Lily glanced over at Luna, who only had two pancakes, some eggs, and a few strips of hay bacon. The princess winked at her, implying that her sister did this every time she saw pancakes. Luna picked up some maple syrup and butter, only to have it snatched out of her grasp by Celestia.

"Sister, remember that we must keep our composure around others," Luna mockingly scolded, earning a stern look from Celestia. Smiling, Luna turned to Lily. "Are you not going to eat? Perhaps you want a slimmer body than my elder sister?"

Luna suddenly ducked, as a crouton from Celestia's salad came hurtling towards her. Lily giggled, helping herself to a generous amount of breakfast, though not as big as Celestia's breakfast. The rest of breakfast went pleasantly, with the two sisters talking to Lily, occasionally teasing each other about their weight and food consumption.

After breakfast, Celestia cleared her throat. Luna, who had been idly writing something on a bit of parchment, put down her quill and ink, listening to her sister.

"Lily," she began, "I have invited my student Twilight Sparkle and her friends to Canterlot for the afternoon. Would you like to come with us to the train station later when they arrive?"

Lily's face instantly lit up. "I can really go to meet them?"

Luna chimed in. "Of course you may go! Why in Equestria would we not allow you to meet Twilight and her friends? They are very lovely ponies, and I simply must ask Rarity to make me a dress for this year's Grand Galloping Gala."

Lily, not knowing who Rarity was, was surprised at all of the new things she was learning about the Princesses. They talked not as royalty, but as normal ponies? They (Celestia) ate semi-greedily like normal ponies? And they got dresses designed, not by famous dress-makers such as Prim Hemline, but by normal ponies from Ponyville?

Of course, Rarity, Twilight, and her friends were more than just normal ponies, but Lily did not know that. All she could think of was how else Celestia and Luna were like normal ponies. She also wondered about how this 'Twilight Sparkle' was going to be like, and if she and her friends would like her.

////Back on the Train\\

"This is your Conductor speaking. We will arrive in Canterlot Station at 10:30 am. Passengers leaving for Canterlot Station, please prepare to exit the train. I repeat, we will arrive..."

Twilight Sparkle sat down on her comfy train chair, slightly anxious about seeing the Princesses. The fact that Pinkie Pie was nearly bouncing off the walls, and her friends talking excitedly, did not help to sooth her extremely frazzled nerves. She had a habit of always over-reacting to small details, and freaked out over deadlines and due dates. Although she knew this about herself already, she hated it when her friends reminded her about it.

"Twilight? Twilight!"

She was suddenly jerked from her thoughts as Pinkie Pie waved one of her hooves in front of Twilight's face.

"Hey Twilight, weren't you listening? We're about one minute away from the train station! You have GOT to see the awesome view from up here!" Pinkie Pie, still excited, ran back and forth between two windows on either side of the train. Twilight glanced at the rest of their group. Rarity was tying one of her many scarves around her neck, while Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were talking excitedly, checking their saddlebags last minute to check that they had everything. Applejack nonchalantly ate one of the many apples she had packed in her bags.

"We have arrived at Canterlot Station. All passengers for Canterlot, please exit in an orderly fashion. Have a splendid day, and we hope to see you again on Equestria Rails."

////\\

Lily Note stood on the train platform with the two princesses, trying to ignore the stares of the Canterlot citizens. For the sake of sparing the filly uncomfortable stares, Luna had cast a small allusion spell upon Lily's wings so that she would look like a normal unicorn. Only a powerful unicorn could see through the spell. Although she knew they were staring at them because Celestia and Luna were princesses, she felt as if they were looking at her. She wished that they would stop looking and pay attention to the train approaching the platform.

"I think I see Pinkie Pie sticking her head out of the window," Celestia said, giggling. Sure enough, Lily saw a pink Earth Pony with a poofy, magenta mane sticking her head out and waving excitedly. Suddenly, a cyan hoof came from inside the train car and pulled her back, snapping the window shut.

The train arrived, the wheels screeching as they stopped. The doors opened, and Lily waited with bated breath as ponies got off of the train. Finally, a group of six mares and one baby dragon disembarked. There was Pinkie Pie, another Earth Pony who was   orange and yellow wearing a Stetson hat, a white unicorn with a fabulously styled mane and tail, two pegasi  - one who was butter yellow and had long pink hair, the other cyan with a rainbow colored mane and tail, and a lavender unicorn with a dark purple mane and tail accented by purple and magenta. The baby dragon was also lavender, with a green belly and green spikes.

When the group saw the Princesses, they bowed in respect to their rulers. Celestia chuckled slightly, saying "Now, now, there's no need for such formality."

Pinkie Pie started jumping excitedly. "Ooo-ooo-ooo! Does that mean I can fire the party cannon?!" Out of nowhere, she pulled a light blue cannon towards her, and waited for an answer.

"Pinkie!" The lavender unicorn blushed as she tried to get Pinkie Pie to put away the canon. Lily giggled and she suddenly found herself as the center of the mares' attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," said the purple unicorn. "My name is Twilight Sparkle! What's yours?" Twilight politely held out her hoof for a hoofshake. Lily, surprised that Twilight hadn't asked where the 'other alicorn' was, stuck out her hoof as well and shook Twilight's.

"I'm Lily Note. It's a pleasure to meet you." Lily gained more confidence from the smile Twilight had given her, and she was introduced to Twilight's friends.

"Pardon me for askin'" said the orange Earth Pony (Applejack, Lily thought to herself) in a Southern drawl, "but where is this 'other alicorn' Twi told us about?" The other mares of the group nodded in agreement, except for Pinkie Pie. She glanced at where Lily's wings would have been, widened her eyes, and winked conspiratorially at Lily.

"We will explain when we get to the castle," Luna replied. She turned around to return to the castle, Lily following her. Celestia smiled at Twilight and her friends.

"I take this as our cue to go. Don't worry about your bags," she added as they started to go to the luggage car. "I already told some of our staff to take your things to where you'll be sleeping tonight." As Celestia walked away towards her sister, she heard them talking excitedly about staying in the large and luxurious castle.

////\\

As the girls walked behind Celestia, their conversation turned to that of the grey unicorn with braided white hair who had been with the Princesses.

"Well, whoever she was," Rarity spoke up, "she had such beautiful eyes! And her hair looked positively silken!"

Fluttershy chimed in, "She was very polite, too."

"But why was she with the Princesses?" Rainbow Dash asked Twilight. "She's probably really important or something to be seen in public with them like that."

Twilight frowned. "She could have been a student from Princess Celestia's school, but she would have said something if she had chosen her new protégée. Maybe she didn't want to draw attention to her?"

"Maybe," Rarity agreed. "However, I'm simply dying to meet the new alicorn. I wonder what princesses Celestia and Luna will do with her? Perhaps teach her how to rule a kingdom?" She, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie excitedly chatted about this new alicorn, wondering what she would look like and how she would act, etc.

"I'll bet she won't be as beautiful and graceful as Rarity," said Spike. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight all giggled as they began to talk about what they would do if they were alicorn princesses like Celestia and Luna.

////\\

Back at the castle, Luna and Lily Note were in a side chamber of the Throne Room. having lifted the allusion off of Lily's wings, Luna coached her one last time on what Lily would say to the girls when it was revealed that she was the alicorn Celestia had told them about.

"What will you say if asked what you'll rule?" Luna fired at Lily.

"I say, 'I'm only a filly, and there is no reason for me to rule anything now.'" Lily answered immediately. Luna smiled, fixing her hair with a quick spell, and leaving Lily in the chamber to prepare for the introductions.

////\\

"We thank you for coming here on such short notice," Luna concluded as she addressed the six mares. "She has much to learn, and we think you could help her for the day on what she needs to know about trusting ponies around her age and making friends with them."

Twilight, confused, asked, "What do you mean by 'ponies around her age?'"

Celestia held up a hoof to ask for silence. "We will explain in due time. Luna," she added to her sister, "give the signal." Luna nodded, her horn glowing as she tapped the floor with her hoof.

The girls turned to the right as the door to the side chamber door opened, and a small figure with her wings unfolded slowly walked out. She wore not one piece of jewelry, not even a crown or tiara! Twilight shifted her gaze at the mare's flank to see her cutie mark, but was astonished to see that she was a blank flank.

The girls gasped collectively (except for Pinkie, of course) as they recognized the alicorn as the grey filly they had met on the train station platform. Lily Note smiled confidently.

"Hello, everypony. I am Lily Note, the newest alicorn in Equestria."

Chapter Three: Kindness' and Loyalty's Friendships

The girls and Spike gaped in awe of the young alicorn, especially looking at her wings. Lily Note felt increasingly uncomfortable as they continued to stare at her, and her smile faltered a bit. They must have realized that they were being rude, because they got to their hooves, and bowed before her, thinking she was some kind of foreign princess like all alicorns.

Lily Note felt relieved as they looked away from her, saying, "There's no need for formalities. I am not a Princess like Celestia and Luna." The girls nodded, and stood up from their bows.

"Pardon me for asking," Rarity asked, "but why were you disguised at the train station? We could have been told you were an alicorn on our way back here." Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement.

Celestia replied, "My sister cast an allusion spell upon her wings so that we could spare her all of the Canterlot citizens bowing and staring at her. She had enough attention with the ponies gawking at Luna and I for being at the platform, and we didn't want to add to her discomfort. Where she comes from, she is not used to being stared at like that."

As the mares hastily apologized all at once to Lily, she shot Celestia a grateful smile for not mentioning that she was from an orphanage. As the six friends quieted down, Rainbow Dash finally spoke up.

"Hey guys, I thought we were here to hang out with her. Not, y'know, boringly stand around quietly doing absolutely nothing!"

Rarity seemed to snap out of her stupor as she suddenly whipped a tape measurer, a pencil, and a large pad of sketching paper out of nowhere. "I nearly forgot! I simply must get your measurements if I am to make you a dress for the Grand Galloping Gala! I know that royalty and high class Canterlot ponies usually get their outfits done by professionals, but---"

"Rarity," Fluttershy interjected, "you ARE a professional! You've always made such beautiful dresses. The ones you made for us for the last Gala were gorgeous! I don't know why we didn't like them in the first place." Rainbow nodded as Applejack chuckled.

"Why Ah ever thought that th' dress Ah asked you to make for me included galloshes Al'll never know!" she exclaimed in her Southern drawl. As the rest of the girls giggled at AJ's fashion mistake, Lily silently wondered what Rarity's dresses looked like. Of course her closest friends would say that they loved hem, but she would have to really look at them to get a good idea of her work.

"So, what do you say, Lily?" Rarity smiled expectantly, waiting and hoping to hear a "Yes!"

Lily gazed at the expectant and excited mare, finally caving into Rarity.

"Okay, Rarity. You can make a dress!" A second later, Luna had to cast a quick deafness spell on everypony within the soundproofed Throne Room so that they did not start bleeding out of their ears. That was how high-pitched and loud Rarity's squeal of utter and pure joy was.

As Rarity sheepishly apologized to the eight other mares and Spike (and tried not to get to annoyed with their barely concealed laughter), Lily Note watched as she hastily started to levitate the tape measurer all over Lily's body. Once the measuring was done, she jotted down some quick notes before sketching a rough idea for a dress.

"No, no, no!" Rarity cried, as Lily tried to get a peek at the drawing. "I want you to be surprised when I give it to you!" Lily joined in on the girls' giggling this time, and even Celestia and Luna cracked a humored smile at Rarity's antics.

After the girls had calmed down (courtesy of Rarity's death glares), Fluttershy decided to speak up.

"Um... pardon me for asking, but could we please visit the Royal Gardens?" Fluttershy gained more confidence as she looked at Lily's gently smiling face. "I know that the flowers won't be in bloom until the next Grand Galloping Gala, but I want to apologize to the poor critters I scared at the Gala when we came here." Rainbow giggled slightly, remembering Fluttershy's angry face as she burst into the main ballroom on that disastrous night.

The two Princesses smiled. "Of course you may go," Luna replied. "If anypony wishes to go elsewhere, you are welcome to explore the castle, or walk around Canterlot."

Twilight's face suddenly lit up. "Oh my gosh, girls! I could show you my old room from when I was just a student at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns!!"

"I actually have a few things I need to pick up for my shop," stated Rarity a tad absentmindedly, still scribbling in her sketchbook. "I need some more cloth, especially for Lily Note's dress, and I also need to buy an extra sketchbook! This one only has a few pages left."

After some discussion, it was decided that Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Rarity would go shopping; Twilight and Applejack would go tour the castle; and Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Lily Note would go visit the Gardens. Celestia needed to hold Day Court, and Luna needed to catch up on her sleep and handle foreign affairs with their neighboring kingdoms/empires. The mares would all meet up together for lunch back at the castle.

////\\

As Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Lily Note walked in the beautiful Gardens, Fluttershy timidly looked around for any of the animals. After having politely asked her two companions to be quiet, she started "aahing" a short tune to get any hummingbirds' attention (and yes, it is 'My Little Pony' just like in A Bird in the Hoof). Flutters waited patiently and hopefully, while Lily felt mesmerized by the pegasus' beautiful singing.

Suddenly, the trio heard a humming sound, repeating the tune that Fluttershy had sung. Her face lit up, sending out a different tune this time - the hummingbird "safety" call, which told any hummingbirds that they were safe.

A few of the birds popped out of their hiding places among the large flowers bushes, but they looked warily at the butter colored pegasus before them. They still remembered what had happened half a year ago, and the animals of the Royal Gardens were quick to tell newcomers of the small-town pegasus who had scared them so much on that faithful night.

Fluttershy, who had learned new things about animal calls and signals after the "event," waited silently and patiently. Rainbow Dash made a face and attempted to go fly off - rather quickly - before seeing the "Stare" and reluctantly sat down. Lily Note, however, was transfixed by the young animal carer, whose shy and timid nature worked for her when it came to handling animals.

Suddenly, one brave hummingbird from the small group flew cautiously towards Fluttershy. She very slowly put out her hoof as a perch for the small bird. He flitted away for a second at the movement, but seemed to come to the conclusion that this mare would do him no harm. As he sat down on Fluttershy's outstretched hoof, a few other hummingbirds gained courage to flit about her. One nestled in her hair, while two others perched on her back.

Some of the other animals, curious about the three ponies in the Garden, had also cautiously come out to see what was going on. Most of them thought that the small group of hummingbirds were crazy to trust the pegasus, and ran off. However, the few that had stayed behind tentatively walked/flew slowly over to the trio of mares. The majority of them examined Fluttershy, while a kangaroo hopped over to Rainbow Dash. A few birds - one blue jay, two swallows, and a toucan flew over to Lily, who stretched out her wings so that the smaller birds could land on them.

////\\

As Rarity walked down the streets of the Canterlot shopping district, she regretted having agreed to bring Pinkie Pie along with her. While the bubbly mare was good at finding good stores and such, she was a bit of an embarrassment to Rarity. She tried to ignore the scandalized stares of the Canterlot elite as Pinkie skipped excitedly next to her. However, Spike had been an excellent choice, seeing as how he had so graciously offered to carry all of their bags.

"So, Rarity, where are we gonna go next?!" Pinkie Pie could not keep still as she excitedly talked to Rarity. She made a particularly high bounce in her skip, and nearly crashed into a couple walking by, their noses ridiculously stuck into a straight line facing upwards, in a highly cartoonish way.

The mare was a yellow unicorn, with a lilac and white mane and tail. She was wearing a white polo shirt with a pink sweater tied around her neck, and a blue necklace. Her cutie mark was three dollar signs. The stallion was also a unicorn, with a light grey coat and a black mane and tail. He wore a pair of spectacles, and green and white polo shirt. He also had a sweater tied around his neck, but it was white instead of pink. His cutie mark was a trio of jet planes.

The unicorn couple looked positively outraged that they had narrowly avoided crashing into Pinkie Pie. Pinkie's smile slowly faded as she looked at the two angry ponies in front of her. As she started to back away, the two began their insulting.

"Why, Jet Set," the mare began, "It looks as though this... ruffian has nearly knocked us over for no reason at all! Why if she had done this to the Princess, she would be banished immediately!"

"Well said, my dear Upper Crust," said Jet Set. "Besides, she looks like she isn't even from Canterlot! The way she carries herself, you would think that she grew up on a farm!" Jet Set said the last word horribly, as if the word "farm" was so vulgar that it was simply not acceptable to say it.

As Upper Crust laughed at her husband's remark, Rarity felt enraged. She looked at poor Pinkie Pie, whose hair had deflated. Upon seeing her friend's eyes well up with tears, Rarity decided it was time to put these snooty ponies back in their place.

Before she could say anything, Jet Set noticed Spike. "Oh, look, dear, they've made friends with a dragon. I'm guessing he's a little servant or something, seeing as how he is carrying all of those dreadfully heavy bags."

As the snooty couple laughed meanly, Rarity decided that she had had enough, saying, "How dare you speak of them that way, and right in front of them, too!"

The couple stopped laughing, as they stared uncomprehendingly at the elegant and beautiful unicorn before them. Upper Crust stared at her, knowing that she had seen this mare before, but could not quite place her face among the countless important ponies that she and her husband knew.

"Have we met before, Miss...?" Upper Crust faked being polite, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at the unicorn.

Rarity was taken aback for a minute. "Have we-- have we MET?! I was only here in Canterlot a month ago! Well, if you don't remember who Pinkie or I am, then I guess you're not worth our time. Pinkie, Spike," she added quickly to her friends, "I think that we're done shopping for the day. We should head back to thePrincesses." Rarity put an emphasis on "Princesses," knowing what kind of reaction she would provoke.

Sure enough, Jet Set and Upper Crust nearly dropped their jaws in astonishment. However, they knew their status as Canterlot citizens, and refrained from doing such a rude thing.

Pinkie Pie got back on her hooves, shooting the couple a glare. She suddenly smiled again, before her hair poofed back into place. It was a shame that she turned to follow Rarity at that moment. Had she lingered her gaze for a while longer, she would have seen the prestigious couple's jaws drop.

////\\

"Golly, Twi, that was such a good tour! Ah'm glad Ah came here with you guys!"

Applejack and Twilight walked down the halls of the castle leisurely, having completed a tour of the grounds. They had also gone to Twilight's old room, where said mare would be sleeping that night. The rest of the girls would have the guest bedrooms on that wing as well, close to Twilight's room. All six of the bedrooms were decorated simply, but beautifully. They were on the large size, but were still practically small enough like their own rooms at home. AJ had already unpacked and shifted around some of the items to her liking, before having gone into Twilight's room to see what it was like.

Even though Twilight had left the school over a year ago, Celestia had always saved it for her if she ever wanted to visit. It had been left in the same condition as it had been when Twi had left, but a bit cleaner. The large masses of books she had out those many months ago had been piled up neatly, but not replaced on their shelves. Of course, all of the Canterlot Library books had been returned in due course, but that was only a fraction of the books that Twilight owned. Her bookshelves were still painted with the faded purple paint that she had used as a filly when she first moved into this room.

The ceiling was also painted, though it was of the night sky. If a pony walked into Twilight's room, and looked up at the cieling 45° away from them, they would see a large, full moon depicted with the Mare in the Moon.  the night sky was a swirling pattern of deep purples and blues, with hints of pink and lilac. There were images of other galaxies painted from the mindset of a young and talented filly, streaking across the room. As the ceiling art met the slightly curved walls, they faded to the cheery lavender paint on the walls. It truly was a sight to behold.

Twilight's bed was neatly made, as it had always been before Twi left for the day. A pillow filled with fluffy clouds was covered in a simple lavender pillowcase, with a purple star resembling her cutie mark in the middle. The blanket was a soft and cozy rounded rectangle made out of finely-washed wool. It was also lavender, but had Twilight's full cutie mark stitched on instead of a plain star.

The entire room had a cozy, cramped-yet-spacey, library feel to it. It was quiet, but not in a creepy and mysterious way. Instead, the silence amplified everyday noises from outside, such as the gently waving of a tree's branches in the light wind, to the enchanting call of a prettily colored bird perched on a rooftop. The room felt safe. It felt peaceful. It felt...

Homey.

Twilight giggled at her friend's exclamation.

"I'm glad that you had fun. Honestly, I've always wondered what it was like to give a tour of this castle, rather than receiving one.  I hope that my information was substantial."

Applejack blinked twice in confusion. "What in Equestria does 'substantial' mean?"

Twilight mentally rolled her eyes, before once again explaining to AJ what her 'fancy city folk word' meant, just as she had done with renaissance and other such words.

////\\

As Celestia signed yet another letter to Lord White Wings of the Gryphon Empire, she grumbled silently to herself. As soon as it had been made clear how many letters were to be sent and answered to that day, luna had instantly started yawning and complaining about sleep deprivation, which left Celestia to all of the work needed to be done.

"Some sister and princess," she mumbled to herself. She looked at the pile of answered mail, and thought with great pride and satisfaction that it was almost done. She wiped a bit of sweat from her brow, and went back to work on the letters. Any guards who were standing by her side that day would clearly hear her whisper,

"I'll get you back for this, Luna."

////\\

As Lily Note walked back to the castle with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, she attempted to fix her hair, which had been blown back by the velocity of Rainbow Dash's flight.

"I'm really sorry, you guys!" Rainbow had been apologizing to Fluttershy and Lily ever since she had accidentally blown their hair back stick straight. "I was just trying to show off how awesome I am to a new friend."

New friend.

Lily felt special as Rainbow Dash slowly flew alongside her and Fluttershy, Rainbow smiling pridefully. Fluttershy smiled her gentle smile, looking towards Lily.

"I must admit, it's always a pleasure to meet somepony who isn't very loud." SHe giggled while shooting Rainbow a teasing look. She immediately stopped smiling, and dramatically pretended to cry.

"Oh, you've really hurt my feelings, Flutters! You shouldn't be the Element of Kindness!!" She began to laugh hysterically, while Fluttershy giggled. The three girls giggled and chatted as they trotted to the dining hall.

Chapter Five: Lunch Break

NOTE:

Purple and Pink = Rarity and Pinkie Pie

Lilac and Orange = Twilight Sparkle and Applejack

Yellow, Blue, and Grey = Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Lily Note

////\\

"Sweet Celestia!!!"

"Jeez, who just screamed that loud?!"

////\\

"Now what in tarnation was tha' all about??"

"Was that Princess Luna screaming just now?!"

////\\

"Oh my!"

"What the hay was THAT?"

"It sounded like somepony is in trouble!"

////\\

Princess Luna, seething with rage and embarrassment, stepped out of her large bathtub, flinching at how badly she had stained the water blue.

At least she used washable paint, Luna thought bitterly. She picked a few remaining scraps of semi-dried paint off of her navy blue coat, and once again put on her jewelry. They had been washed to a crystal polish by a few kind maids who had not bust a rib trying to keep from giggling when they saw Luna. After being given several death glares from the Lunar Princess, they immediately helped to clean up Luna.

As Luna walked back to her door, she noticed that somepony had closed it again, but not all the way. She looked up and saw another can of paint or something like that up upon the door.

"Oh, ha ha, very funny, Tia," she sarcastically laughed. Did Celestia think she was an idiot? She wouldn't fall for the same trick twice! As Luna levitated the can down to the floor, she noticed with a start that it had permanent paint in it, this time colored neon pink.

Luna's frown suddenly turned into a wicked grin as her horn lit up with her light blue magic aura. The can of paint disappeared with a blue flash. Luna slowly counted in her head while a maid looked curiously on.

1...

2...

3...

LLLUUUUUUUUUUNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Luna smiled evilly to herself as she opened the door wide, and trotted down the hallway. The maid who had stayed behind followed after the Princess, chuckling all the while.

////\\

Twilight had immediately teleported herself and Applejack towards the location of Celestia's fury-filled scream of rage. To say that it had startled her was an enormous understatement.

"Princess!!! Are you alri - wait, what happened to you?!"

"What in tarnation is goin' on?" Applejack asked a bit hysterically. "Y'all princesses are screamin' like a mare in heat!"

Twilight glared at her friend, and AJ immediately turned beet red at the realization of what she had just insinuated. The duo turned their attention back to Celestia, who was dripping in neon pink paint. The paint can from which the paint had come from was currently rolling away from the Solar diarch, as if it had been dropped upon her.

There was a moment's silence - except for the can slowly rolling to a stop. AJ and Twilight looked at each other, the former grinning hugely, while her fellow mare tried to maintain a calm and professional face.

The can stopped rolling, and the only sound came from the sound of dripping paint, and the barely suppressed laughter of one amused Applejack, who just could not hold it in any longer.

"Aha ha ha ha!!! Ah'm mighty sorry - *snort* - Your Highness," AJ said through her laughter. "I-it's just tha-that neon pink paint and the look on your face!" With that said, she fell to the floor laughing, her legs waving ridiculously in the air. Twilight lasted a few more seconds, before she started giggling hysterically.

Princess Celestia allowed them a minute's worth of mirth before her humiliation and annoyance got the best of her.

"Oh, hardy har har. I guess since I've already received revenge from my dear sister, could you two please stop laughing and help me get this stuff off of me??"

Twilight and Applejack stopped laughing, although AJ did occasionally giggle. Twilight, on the other hoof, was ashamed at herself for laughing at the princess, and stopped laughing altogether. Celestia took some guilty pleasure in knowing that Twilight had at least learned her lesson on laughing at a princess.

////\\

"Oh, good heavens, we'll be late for lunch!"

"Well, then why don't you pick up the pace a little, ya slow pokey-wokey?"

"Pinkie Pie! While I don't want us to be late for lunch with the princesses, a lady has standards. One does not run into her appointments. You quickly walk with dignified grace!"

"But whenever we're running from something, you always run with us! Like that time when we were running from that big old dragon that Fluttershy got rid of!"

"Pinkie, that was because it was of the utmost importance that we got out of there as quickly as possible!"

Rarity and Pinkie Pie had come to a halt as they continued to bicker. They were so passionate about their argument, they didn't even notice Twilight, Applejack, and a few maids pausing from their cleaning up a puddle of neon pink paint. Spike stopped fearfully watching the pair, and hurried over to Twilight.

"Girls..."

"... but I thought whenever you're working you always say that you need to rush and..."

"Gals!"

"Pinkie, I don't always rush my fashion! That's how you--"

"GIRLS!!"

Rarity immediately stopped talking as she turned towards the source of the sudden shout. Twilight's horn stopped glowing from the megaphone spell she had just casted, and looked wearily at the two of them. Upon realizing how loudly they had been bickering, Rarity's face turned beet red. Pinkie, on the other hoof, kept talking.

"And then I said, 'More balloons! No, no, less balloons. Oh, oh! Candy!! No, less candy! Oh! How about--"

"PINKIE!!!!!"

Pinkie Pie stopped talking, and turned her gaze towards Applejack.

"Yes? Anything I can help with?" Pinkie pulled out a random clipboard and pen out of her hair. "I can plan you the BEST PARTY anypony has ever seen in their entire life! Oh! I also do catering and gift wrapping!" As Pinkie beamed widely, Rarity, AJ, Spike, Twilight, and the maids could only gaze dumbfounded at her.

////\\

"Goodness, I wonder what had happened for Princess Celestia to scream that loudly?" Fluttershy slowed down a little as she, Rainbow Dash, and Lily Note neared the dining hall. "It sounded like she was really angry!"

Rainbow shrugged as she landed on the floor. "Beats me. I just feel bad for whoever she was yelling at."

"You mean whomever."

Rainbow and Fluttershy turned around, the former staring at the filly who had just corrected her.

Lily shied away a bit. "Sorry, it's just that you don't say 'whoever,' you say 'whomever.'"

Fluttershy smiled at Lily, while Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed loudly.

"Great, now we have another egghead on our hooves! And I thought Twilight was bad. Just don't correct me again, got it?" She finished her sentence by pointing a hoof at Lily. The filly flinched badly, wincing, as if expecting a hit.

Fluttershy frowned at the cyan pegasus. "Rainbow, you can't talk like that to somepony, especially a filly! You should know better than that!" On the last few words, she flew up a little and used the Stare on Rainbow a little. "Now, say you're sorry."

"M'sorry."

"I didn't quite get that, Rainbow."

"I'm sorry!"

Fluttershy smiled, and shooed Rainbow through the doors, and then turned to Lily.

"I'm sorry about Rainbow. She can be a bit... thoughtless at times," she whispered, just in case Dash was listening. "She means well, though. She's a very loyal and faithful friend." Flutters closed her eyes, dwelling on her memories. "She can get frustrated very easily. I remember when she was trying to teach me how to cheer correctly!" She giggled to herself. "It's funny, though, I had to teach them how to cheer quietly, just in case the Breezies go on their migration! I've always hoped that they'll someday fly through Ponyville."

Lily cocked her head. "What's a Breezie, and why would they fly through Ponyville?"

"Well," Flutters began, "the Breezies are a magical pony species that live..."

////\\

Soon, all of the mares, dragon, and princesses had gathered in the Dining Hall. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Lily Note were all confused as to why Celestia and Luna were shooting death glares at each other, and why Celestia had a faint, pinkish tint to her fur.

Chapter Six: Being Noticed

"Hey, did you see that alicorn filly walking in the main shopping district with that unicorn and annoying pink earth pony?"

"That little filly! She had wings and a horn, and I didn't even know that Cadence, Luna, or Celestia had a foal out of wedlock! How scandalous!"

"I wonder wherever those two mares found an alicorn filly? I would say that it's the unicorn's, but she is an alicorn, and no filly I've ever heard of has ever ascended!"

"They probably kidnapped that alicorn!"

Upper Crust and Jet Set stopped as they overheard a passing group of gossiping mares, and turned in the direction to where one of them was pointing. A gray alicorn filly with a white mane and bright blue eyes was happily gazing into a toy store while a white unicorn with a beautifully styled purple mane and a pink earth pony chatted. The filly would occasionally look back over her shoulder and smile, asking questions to the two mares. Crust immediately recognized the pink pony, Pinkie Something, who had crashed into her, and the unicorn as Rarity.

Jet Set frowned snootily, saying, "Dear, didn't we run into those mares before our luncheon? Also, weren't they alone before?"

Upper Crust nodded, a sneer creeping up her face. "Yes, and did the unicorn not say that she and her annoying little friend were visiting the Princesses? I bet that they did, and kidnapped that filly. Although, it's a mystery to me as to why that filly is an alicorn, what she was doing in the castle, and how they knew about it..."

While the couple was staring critically at the three mares, Pinkie suddenly stiffened. Rarity continued talking to Lily, neither of them noticing Pinkie's strange behavior.

"Frizzy mane," Pinkie touched her suddenly frizzed out mane, "and itchy stomach? *quiet gasp* That means..." She suddenly whipped around.

Rarity, startled by Pinkie's sudden movement, jumped a little. "Pinkie! What in Equestria is--"

"... SPIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rarity glared at her friend, while Lily jumped and hid behind Rarity. Rarity followed the gaze of Pinkie, her eyes resting upon Jet Set and Upper Crust. The couple noticed that they had been seen looking, and immediately pointed their noses into the air, and began to sophisticatedly walk away.

Pinkie and Rarity looked at each other, both wearing a frown. They came to a silent agreement, and nodded.

"HEY!!! You in the polos!!! Get back over here!!!" Pinkie started to canter towards them, until Rarity caught up to her, and quickly shoved her hoof into Pinkie's mouth.

"Let me handle this," she whispered. Rarity trotted up to the unicorn couple, while Lily anxiously tried to catch up with her.

"Excuse me," she called out to the unicorns. They stopped in their tracks, slowly turning around to face Rarity. "I believe your names are Upper Crust and Jet Set?"

Upper Crust sniffed impatiently. "Yes, and you are... Rarity, it was?" Rarity nodded, waiting for her to ask what she was doing. "Might I ask you why you have stopped us?" She paused for a minute, her eyes trailing to Lily. The filly was behind Rarity, who noticed the unicorn's gaze and instinctively put a foreleg in front of her for protection.

Lily peeked cautiously over Rarity's leg, mutely watching the three grown-ups talk.

"My friend, Pinkie, noticed you and your husband watching us," Rarity continued. "Do you have a reason for doing so?" She looked at the two of them, wondering what they would say. She thought she had a good idea what their reason was. Rarity took a sideways glance at Lily, checking to make sure she was alright. Lily, although not frightened, had an odd look to her, like a cat deciding whether or not the mouse it had spotted was worth the chase.

"Well, it's just that you have an alicorn filly with you and your friend," Jet Set replied, looking Lily over. "Wherever did you find her?"

"Well, the princesses invited us to the castle and then they introduced us to her and she is just the cutest little filly EVER and we ate lunch with her and she laughed when I got cupcake frosting on my muzzle and now we're going shopping with her to get her some clothes and stuff!!!!" Pinkie Pie took a huge gasp of air before speaking again. "Oh, and then we were in front of this big toy store and she was asking us about our jobs and stuff and she was really excited when I told her I'm an assistant baker!!"

Rarity, used to Pinkie's ramblings, tried not to facehoof. Meanwhile, Lily, giggled to herself at Pinkie's ability to say so much on a single breath of air. Jet and Crust were far from amused, however. They shared a look, before looking disinterestedly at the gray filly. They must have come to a silent agreement that the three mares were not worth their "sophisticated and upper-class style," because they turned around once more to walk away.

Rarity glared at the back of the couple as they got farther away, while Pinkie chatted to Lily nonchalantly.

"... and I can't WAIT to throw you a 'Welcome to Ponyville!!!' when you visit for the first time 'cause it'll be fun fun FUN and you'll meet everypony and make lots of friends if my name isn't Pinkamina Diane Pie!!!!!!"

Lily, noticing that the unicorns had left, turned towards Rarity. "Miss Rarity, why did Pinkie call those ponies 'spies,' and why was the stallion interested in where you found me?"

Rarity thought over Lily's question before carefully replying, "Well... many of the ponies here in Canterlot are very snobby and vain, but they also seem to have a talent of knowing everything that's going on in the city. Since you're an alicorn, and they have never seen an alicorn filly, they wanted to know all about you."

Lily nodded, and smiled happily as Pinkie took her by the hoof and pulled her back to the toy store. Rarity smiled to herself as she followed, happy that Pinkie's energetic and random personality didn't frighten the filly.

////\\

Meanwhile, back at the palace, many of the day guards glanced curiously at Princess Luna - who had smeared two black lines of paint on each cheek, and who had also casted numerous illusion and so-called "prank" spells - who was currently sneaking around the castle. None of them really knew what was going on, but it probably had to do with the fact that it was all Celestia's fault for bringing this prank war upon Canterlot Castle.

////\\

As Fluttershy glanced at a jewelry case in one of the many shops in the main shopping district of Canterlot, her rainbow-maned companion was far from enthused.

"Are we done yet," Rainbow Dash whined as she dragged her hooves across her face. "I want to get this whole 'group shopping'  thing done already and go to the park or something fun!"

Fluttershy sighed quietly, and tried her best to block out Rainbow's complaining and whining. Oh, why couldn't I be shopping with Rarity? she thought to herself as RD's whining continued as they crossed the street after paying for some pretty bracelets and hats.

////\\

Twilight smiled nervously as she, Applejack, and Spike searched for the rest of their friends. Although they had all decided to meet at the park by two, her left ear began to flick nervously while she continuously glanced at a large clock reading, 1:35.

"Oh, calm yerself down, Twi," AJ said while rolling her eyes. "It's only about 1:30, we got plenty of time before we go to that big ole' park."

"Yeah, Twilight," Spike added, "It's not like the world'll end if you're one second late."

Twilight nodded, not taking her eyes off of the clock, the minute hand slowly moving towards where the 36 was. It took AJ waving her hoof in front of Twi's face to snap her out of it. Twilight shook her head a few times, while AJ merely rolled her eyes and turned back to her cousin Apple Fritter's stand. She was selling her famous, you guessed it, apple fritters, which Applejack absolutely adored.

"Hey, Fritters! How's Babs back in Manehatten?"

Apple Fritters smiled. "Oh, hey AJ! She's doin' pretty good, though I haven't talked to her big sis in a while. Would youse two like some fritters?" She held up one, letting the smell waft over to Applejack and Spike.

"Heck yeah, Ah do! Half a dozen, like usual. What'll it be?" she asked, as she grabbed a few bits out of her saddle. She gazed lovingly upon the apple fritters, enamored with their delicious aroma.

Fritters whistled slightly. "Well, it'll cost ya about... 18 bits!"

Applejack snapped out of food thought mode for a minute. "Wait, hold on there, partner. Ya can't charge me that much for some fritters! We're cousins!"

Fritters smiled again. "Well, in my business, we says that there is no discounts for our families. Some of us has mouths to feed at home, and we can't afford to lose a few bits."

AJ grumbled as she took 18 bits out of her saddlebags and placed them on the counter. Her grumpiness faded, however, as Fritters gave her the steaming box of apple fritters.

////\\

Lily Note smiled happily as Rarity ran a brush through her mane, styling it. Pinkie Pie was sitting down by the pond in front of them, pushing out a small toy boat that she had bought. She was getting some stares from some of the ponies in the park, but she didn't care. Lily and Rarity were sitting on a large picnic blanket that Rarity had laid out, with a few healthy snacks.

"Just one more minute, darling, and your mane will look so lovely! This is a hairstyle that is difficult for non-unicorns, as their hooves can become tangled up in their mane." As Rarity began to braid Lily's mane, she smiled slightly at the memory of Sweetie Belle trying to do this to Apple Bloom. The ending result was the Scootaloo bringing the pair to Rarity so that she could untangle them. It had been quite a job, but a few ponies had watched, and she had got a bit more business for a day or two.

Lily who had noticed that the other mares were not at the park yet, asked, "Miss Rarity? When will the other mares come?"

Rarity chuckled slightly. "There is no need to call me 'Miss,' Lily, and I think that they should be here soon. Celestia have mercy on us all if Twilight is late!"

Before Lily could even ask, "What do you mean?" there was a bright purple flash, along with a very annoyed looking Twilight, a confused and alarmed Applejack, and a nonchalant Spike eating an apple fritter. Twilight instantly looked to the clock, which read, 1:59. She sighed as the minute hand arrived at the 2, and two bongs rung out across the city.

AJ grumbled as she sat down on the blanket with an apple fritter, and popped it into her mouth. Spike raced over to Rarity, watching her with loving eyes. Twilight smoothed her hair, which had become slightly messy, and trotted over to the bench as well.

"So, Rarity," Twilight began, "how did your shopping with Lily and Pinkie go?" She sat down on the blanket as well, grabbing an apple with her magic.

"Oh, it was so much fun," Rarity began,"but we did run into this one unicorn couple; Jet Set and Upper Crust. I assume that you know them?" Her smile faded a tad, as she continued to braid Lily's mane.

Twilight nodded. "A few years before i moved to Ponyville, they came to one of my birthdays. It was my 6th anniversary of becoming Princess Celestia's protege, and the Princess decided to throw a party - she throws one every year for her special students - and invite a lot of those upper class snobs. Upper Crust didn't know that I was the Princess' student, and she kinda insulted me." A wicked grin appeared on her face. "You should have seen the look on her face when she found out who I was! Her face was just priceless, and she was practically kissing my hooves in apology!!" Twilight started to giggle, and Lily, Spike, and Rarity joined in. Applejack, who was still eating, burst out into laughter, bits of apple fritter flying out of her mouth.

"EEEEEEEEKK!!!!!!" Rarity squealed as she hastily threw up a weak shield around herself, Lily, and Spike. The wet food bounced off the shield. Lily giggled even harder as the mashed-up fritter hit Twilight on the cheek. As Rarity apologized hastily as she cleaned up Twi's face, while Pinkie Pie bounced over with her toy boat asking about what the squealing was for.

"Oh my! What happened?" Fluttershy's quiet, but anxious, voice was heard as the girls began to calm down. She was wearing a light turquoise sun hat that went nicely with her eyes. Rainbow Dash hovered behind her, holding a bunch of shopping bags in her mouth. As she laid them down on the grass she said,

"I still don't see why I had to carry all of your bags. Couldn't you have carried some?" Rainbow flopped down onto the blanket, stuffing an apple into her mouth. Rarity made a face as Rainbow chewed with her mouth open, as did Twilight and Lily.

Rarity turned back to Lily's mane, finishing the braid with a sparkly purple band. "There you are, darling! Here, take a look at yourself." She levitated her small mirror to Lily, letting her take hold of the mirror. Lily gasped in delight as she looked at the intricate plait Rarity had made. She also liked the hue of purple in the band at the end, leaving a silky brush of silver after it.

"Wow, Rarity! That looks amazing," Twilight exclaimed, as Spike excitedly praised it as well. Pinkie Pie nodded rapidly, asking if Rarity could braid her mane sometime, and Fluttershy asked Rarity if she could teach her how to do a braid with her hooves. Applejack, who had learned to braid when she was a little filly, looked the braid up and down before giving an approving nod, while Rainbow was the only one who ignored it. She yanked out a Daring Do book from her saddlebags, and opened it up.

"What?" Rainbow asked when she saw the expectant gaze of Rarity. A small lightbulb went off in her head. "Oh! Yeah, great job Rares..." She trailed off as she quickly turned back to her book

Rarity sighed, but knew that a compliment like that, from Dash, on anything she did was like being noticed by Trenderhoof, Hoity Toity, and Fancy Pants all at the same time.

Applejack stretched for a second, before asking, "So... what exactly are we all doin' here, again?"

Twilight exhaled loudly, clearly annoyed. "I told you all before we split up! We're having a short picnic here, and then going back to the castle to give Lily here a tour!" Her voice became more agitated as she lectured Applejack about the importance of listening to somepony who was talking, as the other four girls and Spike rolled their eyes.

"Why is she so annoyed?"

Fluttershy jumped slightly at the sudden, soft voice. She turned to Lily, who had a look of confusion and amusement on her face.

"Well," Flutters began, "Twilight has an eensy, teensy case of obsessive compulsive disorder, and she tends to freak out a little when ponies---"

"Do I make myself absolutely, 100%, crystal CLEAR?!" Twilight's mane had become frizzy again, her left hear was twitching horribly, and her eyes were twitching as well. AJ, who had cowered slightly in fear, gulped and nodded. "Good! So, let's go, girls!" Twilight's demeanor quickly changed back to bubbly and excited, and she happily packed up her saddlebags.

"---don't act exactly how she acts." Fluttershy concluded. Lily nodded solemnly, silently vowing to never ever cross Twilight Sparkle in her life.

Chapter Seven: Delicious, Delicious Pie!

After a few hours of hanging around Canterlot, the Mane Six, Spike, and Lily Note made their way back to the castle, as ponies continued to whisper and shamelessly point at the little filly. None of the mares or Spike noticed, and happily told Lily of their past adventures.

"...and THAT'S how we made chocolate chip cookies!!!" Pinkie bounced excitedly ahead of the group, leaving six very confused mares behind her.

Rainbow Dash face-hoofed. "Pinkie, why do ALL of your stories have to end with sentences that have nothing to do with the story you're telling?" The other girls nodded, and Twilight began lecturing Pinkie on the importance of sticking to the main idea of the story, Rainbow turning back to Lily. "Anyways, that's how we kicked some serious dragon butt and made him leave that mountain! OH YEAH!!!" She puffed out her chest proudly, and flew loop-de-loops above their heads.

Fluttershy frowned. "Um..., it was actually me who did that. He didn't listen to you girls, and I used the Stare on him." Rarity nodded.

"And it was ME who took care of Fluttershy's animals," Spike added. He shivered, saying, "Angel is one mean bunny."

Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah, I guess so. But it was ME who saved Rarity over here from plummeting to her certain death, along with three Wonderbolts!" Rarity blushed and facehoofed, while AJ snickered and Fluttershy cringed at the memory.

Lily's eyes widened. "Really??? Pllllleeeeeeeeeeeaaassseeee tell me!!" She grinned widely, with a small squee. Rainbow Dash ruffled her rainbow mane.

"Heh, I guess I could tell ya as we go back! So, I was competing in the Cloudsdale Young Fliers' competition, and Flutters and I were..."

////\\

Celestia grinned evilly as she set up an elaborate tripwire in the hallway, near to Luna's private observatory. She already knew that Luna had a small case of OCD about her schedule, and prank war or not, she WOULD go back to the observatory at 9:30 pm, after she had eaten dinner. However, instead of opening the door and finding the familiar comfort of her special room, Luna would be greeted by several pies in the face! Tia snickered just at the thought of Luna's body covered in pie filling and crust.

She glanced at the grandfather clock in the observatory: 5:30 pm. It would be a long four hours, but it was so worth it. Tia did not worry about Luna finding the trap, because she had cast spells so that it would only reveal itself after somepony tripped the trap. The execution took roughly five seconds for the pies to be fired, and Celestia planned to cast an invisibility spell upon herself to watch.

"Excuse me? Princess?"

Tia jumped at the sudden intrusion of a voice. She quickly whipped around, almost expecting Luna. Instead, she was greeted by Twilight Sparkle, looking in confusedly.

"Princess, just what are you--what the??"

Celestia screamed slightly as Twilight's hoof caught on the wire, starting up the trap. With a look of horror on her face, she realized that she had just loaded the small cannon, and she was right in front of it. Tia had not set the spell that would only start up the cannon if Luna tripped it, so it did not care who stepped on the tripwire.

Twilight's eyes widened in shock, as her friends and Lily poked their heads in to see what was happening. Nopony noticed a certain dark alicorn behind them - not even Celestia - and they all looked on, helpless.

SPLAT!

There was complete silence as the Mane Six, Spike, Lily, and Luna watched Princess Celestia, Her Royal Highness, Co-Ruler of Equestria, and Raiser of the Sun was assualted by pies, of all tastes and kinds. Mercifully, the machine stopped, and there was some more awkward silence, until--

"HAHAHAAhahahaaaa!!!!!!!" Luna fell on the floor, tears flying out of her eyes. She giggled and snorted like a little filly, and the others looked at her surprised, as she laughed in a most undignified manner. Celestia's eyes became narrower and narrower, as she gained a look of abject misery and anger. Her situation became worse as Spike, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Lily cracked and also burst into hysterical laughs. Applejack soon joined in with her giggling snorts, and Rarity let out the tiniest, ladylike giggle. Fluttershy looked on with worry, but she was having a hard time not to smile. Twilight was in full freak-out mode, apologizing endlessly to Celestia, and asking if she could get help.

"Aw, lighten up, Twi," Rainbow said between her giggles. She pointed a shaking hoof over to Tia, who had also gave way to laughter, in light of her predicament.

"But it's all my fault that she's covered in pie!!!" Twilight stamped a hoof in frustration.

Luna suddenly stopped, looking incredulously at Twilight. She then glanced at Tia, who had also stopped. Soon, the laughter died away as an awkward silence filled the room.

"Aaaawwwwwww, way to kill the mood, Twilight," Pinkie sadly said.

Celestia got up, and walked over to her pupil. "Twilight, you needn't be so uptight about my cleanliness. Do you not remember that spell I taught you?" She raised Twilight's face with a hoof, and lit up her horn. A golden ring went up Tia's body, taking the mess of pies with it. Tia dumped the pies in Luna's trash can, and looked back at the mares.

Twilight was far from assured, however. "Oooohhhhh, I'm so sorry that I forgot, Princess!!"

Everypony except Luna and Lily facehoofed, the former loudly saying, "Tia, just what were you teaching her all of these years? How to Stress Over Everything 101?" Her remark was greeted by giggling, mostly from Celestia. Twilight looked aghast, and Celestia bent down.

"Twilight, you do not need to stress over every mistake you make in life. You did not know that I had set up a tripwire, and you certainly did not know that it was hooked up to a pie cannon--"

"Oh, so that's where my pie cannon went!!!" Everypony turned to Pinkie, who looked very relieved. "I was afraid that some thief in the night stole it to make delicious pie parties!"

Celestia turned back to Twilight. "Twilight, nopony is perfect, so do not stress yourself so much over a small miscalculation. And enough with this 'Princess' calling. I am your mentor and close friend, so you may call me 'Celestia.'" Twilight nodded, and hugged Tia, who returned the embrace. Tia then turned to Luna. "Just what were you doing outside your observatory? I was told you were near my chambers."

Luna looked up from the pie cannon, where she had secretly stealing bits of pie. "Well... I WAS, but then a guard mentioned you were near there, so..."

Celestia sighed, mentally noting that she would have a little talk with the guards later. "Come now," she said. "All of this pie business has left me hungry! Let us go down to the dining hall. A feast for friendship!" Spike, Pinkie, Rainbow, Lily, and Luna all cheered, as they raced off. Celestia, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack set off at a slower pace, talking excitedly about their day.

Chapter Eight: A Reunion of Old Friends

When the group of mares reached the Dining Hall, everypony but Celestia and Luna were confused when they did not go in immediately. Tia and Luna shared a knowing smile, as Luna watched Twilight with bated breath. As they waited for another minute, Rainbow grumbled that she was hungry, but Rarity smacked her gently with her fan. A few more seconds, and--

"I'm so sorry, Aunties! I nearly forgot that we were all having dinner together, because I was with -- oh, dear, there are quite a few ponies joining us!"

Twilight froze, slowly turning her head to the familiar, loving voice. A pink alicorn with a tricolor mane and tail stood in front of the group. Her hair colors were purple, pink, and a faded gold, and her wings slowly turned into purple at the tips. She had beautiful light purple eyes that seemed to sparkle, and her horn shone with a light blue aura as she fixed her mane. The alicorn's eyes widened as she recognized Twilight.

"CADANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"TWILIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The two rushed at each other, gushing about how they had missed each other. They hugged, Twilight crying out of pure joy. Everypony else (besides Tia, Luna, and Spike of course) looked even more confused. Tia simply smiled as the reunion she had planned worked exceptionally well. Luna lightly tapped the floor with a silver clad hoof.

"Although it is wonderful to see you two reunited, I believe that some others are hungry and do not know your history." Luna emphasized the "hungry," and she barely gestured to herself.

Cadance lightly pushed Twilight off. "Of course. I am hungry too!" She giggled, as did Twilight. They both wore look of extreme happiness, and Twilight looked as if she never wanted Cadance to ever leave her sight again. The ten mares and Spike all trotted into the large hall, with Tia and Luna at either end of the polished, wooden table. Cadance sat to Celestia's left, with Twilight right next to her. Lily sat closer to Luna, with Flutershy and Rarity across the table from her, with Spike on Rarity's left. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie took the remaining seats, just as the servers came out with the salad course.

"So," Cadance said after swallowing a mouthful of salad, "you all want to know mine and Twilight's history?" The six girls nodded eagerly, and all leaned in slightly. "Well," she began, "it all started when Auntie Celestia told me that one of her court officials needed a foalsitter..."

////\\

"...and then Shining, well..."

Cadance blushed as she recounted her first Hearts and Hooves Day with Shining Armor. Rarity and Fluttershy eagerly listening, as they fantasized about finding their own true love. Rainbow rolled her eyes, pretending to gag, but she was interested as well. Twilight and Spike giggled at the old memory, remembering how Twi had rigged the whole trap to get the couple to share their first kiss.

"By the way, whatever happened to you two?" Twilight asked earnestly. "The last time I saw you guys together was a few days before I left for Ponyville."

Cadance giggled excitedly. "WWeeeeeelll, let's just say I'm hoping that he'll, y'know, pop the question sometime soon..."

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight let out ear-splitting shrieks so high-pitched, that everypony in the vicinity had to cover their own ears. When their "little" freak out concluded, Fluttershy blushed and smiled apologetically at the annoyed looks. Rarity immediately asked (more like pestered) Cadance if she could please, please, PLEASE design the dresses and tuxedoes. Twilight nearly jumped over the table in an attempt to hug the life out Cadance.

"Land sakes, Princess Cadance! It sure is swell that yer gettin' hitched!" Applejack pulled her hat off of her ears, and looked at Pinkie Pie for her reaction. Pinkie was nearly shaking from her excitement. As soon as Twilight and Rarity were done, she immediately asked if she could plan the bachelorette party, the wedding, and the wedding party.

Luna glanced at Lily, who was also excited for such a big event. How exciting for a little filly, Luna thought, to be able to see such an auspicious occasion. A royal wedding, and to be a special guest! Lily turned her head to see what Luna's rection about her niece's wedding was. As she caught her eye, Luna smiled warmly at her. Lily smiled back, and Luna felt a warmth in her chest.

How strange it feels that I become so happy because of a smile...

////\\

Cadance and Twilight continued to chat excitedly after dinner, as Rarity took her measurements for a dress.

"Oh, I just can't wait until he actually proposes to you, Cadie," Twilight said. "He just better choose me as his Best Mare..." She grinned sheepishly at the two other mares.

Cadance and Rarity giggled, the former saying, "Well, I'll try to convince, and if that doesn't work, I'll make him do it anyways!" Rarity giggled again, as Twilight slyly said,

"Oh, and how will you do that?"

"Well, I have my ways."

"And what ways would those be?"

Cadance blushed at Twi's insinuation, as Twilight and Rarity laughed hysterically, the white unicorn nearly dropping her measuring tape, sketchpad, and pencil. After the two mares calmed down, Rarity quickly jotted down a few notes in her sketchpad. Her measuring tape vanished in a small puff of smoke, being sent back to her bags. She looked up from her sketchpad, looked at Cadance for a while, and quickly drew a design for a wedding dress.

"Something like this, Cadance?" Rarity levitated the pad of sketching paper over to Cadance, who looked it over. After a few anxious minutes, she announced her verdict.

"This looks AMAZING, Rarity!!"

Rarity sighed with relief. Suddenly, Cadance flipped to the page before it, which held Lily's dress design. It was a small vest with a collar folded down, and a light gray ribbon separating the vest from the skirt. The skirt was shaded in black, with thin white streaks in it, like music bars. It was silver at the bottom, with two eighth notes on it. The shoes were also black, and the straps crossed on the front and back.

Twilight looked over Cadance's shoulder, and she admired the dress. "I like it, Rarity! From the notes you've written, it looks like it'll go well with Lily's colors."

Rarity blushed slightly, saying, "Oh, Twilight, do not flatter me. The vest part needs some tweaking, and I also need to add some accessories! And perhaps I should get rid of the white lines in the skirt..."

Twilight giggled. "I'm just surprised at how simple it is, or at least concerning you. The dresses that you made for us for the Gala were stunning, and they fit our personalities perfectly."

"I thought I told you to stop flattering me, Twilight!" Rarity smiled apologetically at Cadance. "Forgive me, Cadance, I almost forgot that you were here."

Cadance raised a hoof. "Oh, it's fine. I guess that you made the dress a bit simpler because Lily isn't from an upperclass living situation?"

Rarity nodded. "I will admit, I wish that I could make the dress stand out a bit more with some gems or something. It seems like it would make her uncomfortable, though. I mean, to go from rags and poverty to riches and silk within minutes? To say that it would be a bit of a culture shock would be an understatement!"

////\\

"...and I'll plan you the BESTEST 'WELCOME TO PONYVILLE' PARTY EVER if my name isn't Pinkamena Diane Pie!!!"

Pinkie smiled widely, as Lily stared incredulously at the bubbly pink mare. How on Equestria could she say so much on such a short breath?! Suddenly, Pinkie frowned.

"Hey, wait a second! I never found out when your birthday is!!!!!!!!!" She gained a sad, puppy-eyed dog expression, one that made everypony in the room suddenly feel very guilty.

"Well, um... I think it's on May 15? Ms. Attention said that she found me then when I was very young."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "'Ms. Attention?' What kind of name is that?"

"Her name is Rapt Attention. She's the caretaker of Sunny Smiles Orphanage. Except that we never had any 'sunny smiles.'"

"...today's February 6, so your birthday is in.............. 105 days!!!" Pinkie smiled widely, as the others looked at her with varying degrees of confusion, since she had just calculated that in her head.

"Um, Pinkie Pie, how exactly did you--" Luna was cut off as Rainbow just held up a hoof to shush her, slowly shaking her head.

"Just gonna say that it's Pinkie being Pinkie, and leave it at that." Rainbow giggled slightly at the confused looks on Luna's and Lily's faces. "Yeah, she's almost as bad as Discord in terms of weirdness, but at least she's got her heart in the right place."

Chapter Four: Luna's Awakening

Princess Luna, now not "tired" after her nap, woke up peacefully in her soundproofed room. Her emperor-sized bed had a mattress made out of clouds, which was easier to manufacture than most ponies (especially Earth Ponies) thought. Pegasi harvested specially made clouds in the Cloudsdale Weather Corporation, and the clouds would then be given to Unicorns at the Corp. who had cast cloud-walking spells. The Unicorns would then place forever lasting spells on the clouds so that they would become packed together and not drift apart or let anything solid go through them - they would still be fluffy and soft, but would be able to be lied upon.

Luna stretched one final time, and got out of bed. She yawned slightly as she brushed her hair and got back into her royal jewelry, and looked at herself in her large bathroom mirror. Her eyes were half-lidded, but slowly opening up, and there was still some sleep crust in her eyelids.

Could be worse, she thought to herself, too tired to cast a simple cleanliness spell. Had she not been so groggy, she would have noticed her door was ajar...

SPLASH!!!

... and the bucket filled with blue paint on top of it.

Luna sat their stunned for a minute, suddenly wide awake. As she looked down at her paint dripping body, she took a huge breath, and screaming in her loudest Royal Canterlot Voice,

TIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!

////\\

As Celestia trotted towards the dining hall, she grinned devilishly as she heard Luna's rage filled scream come from the Lunar Bedroom.

"Check and mate, bitch," Celestia thought as she started to run towards the dining hall, just in case a certain Lunar Princess was hot on her trail.