Everfree

by Somber Star

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Human
Length: 6407

An dark alicorn prince, formerly a human, is met by Princess Celestia at the edge of the Everfree Forest. There, a plot to bring her reign to an end is revealed. It may be too late to stop it. She's not sure she even wants to.

Imagine for a moment that a powerful force of evil you forged personally turned out to be… well, not evil. Would you feel relieved at your apparent failure? Frustrated? Disappointed? Irate? It is difficult to know, even for a goddess over a millennium old.

At the edge of the ancient forest overlooked by the castle once abandoned by Celestia and her court, she and her freshly-minted adversary face these questions and more. The possible answers provided by him are not those she wants or expects, and they may not even be right. However, they are the ones he feels she needs to hear, and she might just come to terms with agreeing with him. Eventually. But first, she has to recover control of her kingdom from the results of a wish she should have known better than to have made being granted.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-06-16 08:43:29 UTC

Flyby

(Before we did this to him, he called himself 'Torque',) Princess Celestia mused as she flew out to meet her brand-new foe, already irritated just thinking about him. He wasn't being the least bit cooperative about the role she and the other alicorn princesses gave him, despite the power and perks that came with it. (When he wished instead to be called 'Event Horizon' after his transformation, I'd hoped he had taken to it and would go about proving how right I was about the evil of his kind. But instead I get...)

(That which I'd discarded, restored...) Celestia flew over the castle she had abandoned in her flight away from memories of her battle with her sister. Princess Twilight had started the project of restoring Castle Everfree, but had also abandoned it in light of a castle of her own rising from the ground in place of the library she called home while residing in Ponyville. Like the youngest princess's castle, the prince's was a hybrid of crystal and stone. However, given that it was built under the direction of his will, the dark palace built of Everfree's ruins and power taken from King Sombra, and given to Event Horizon by the Alicorn Tetrarchy. Consequently, the dark crystal blended seamlessly with Everfree's Gothic architecture, at the cost of looking less natural than the other palaces with crystal elements.

(Those I failed to appreciate, given purpose...) Throughout the castle, Celestia could see a large portion of her own Royal Guard, their allegiance no longer pledged to her. An even greater margin of the Wonderbolts filled the sky, as a result of his having charmed Spitfire  before the Princesses gave him any real power. Both military factions now wore the new uniforms of their chosen regime. They were dark, stylish, and apparently allowed just enough variance to suit the quirks of individual ponies without losing the purpose of a uniform entirely to them.

Not that she could blame the defectors. When Celestia found herself alone after banishing Nightmare Moon to the Moon, the combined militaries of all three of the common pony races volunteered their services. However, with little in the way of tactical knowledge pertaining to large armies, a singular amount of personal power, and a very effective foreign policy, she failed to find a use for them. Over the course of just under a thousand years, the proud militaries had degenerated to mere decoration. In one season, Event Horizon had taken them well on their path beyond their former glory, using knowledge derived from being a member of a military from a species eternally at war. Given the two options, maintaining loyalty to Celestia seemed insane. She saw far fewer of them than had ever been assigned to the same

(The outcasts of my society, given homes... a path to redemption... and power...) Princess Celestia was not at all surprised to see Trixie Lulamoon, the legendary shame of the entertainment world, and her own failure of a student Sunset Shimmer. What they were doing, however, incited the princess to land and watch. The two magic mares were dueling, but that was hardly unexpected. They were both very arrogant and talented ponies, so the notion that the two of them meeting would lead to a clash was inevitable. However, it was their  demeanors that drew Celestia's attention. The princess could see by Trixie's stance and flattened ears that she had already acknowledged Sunset as the superior mage, perhaps as the result of a prior duel. However, rather than upset or angry, she looked determined. Sunset, on the other hoof, was neither laughing nor sneering at her opponent. Once Celestia managed to work out that Sunset was trying to encourage Trixie and teach her, she immediately looked for something, anything else to watch to distract her from her failure turning into a success without her.

She didn't have to look long. A mere moment was all it took for a yellow blur to draw Princess Celestia's attention to a pegasus pony racing through an impossibly hazardous obstacle course, within which the slightest mismovement had a high potential to result in permanent, debilitating injury or death. She was pursued hotly by several other pegasus ponies of the same apparent age, and watched over by Spitfire and a couple other ranking Wonderbolts officials. Spitfire had the same expression on her face that Celestia imagined she herself must have had while watching Sunset Shimmer.

(A functioning society, built of what I, my student, and her friends had treated as refuse.) At that, the princess decided it was time to move on before she was drawn in by the fascinating sight of the industrialized farm run by a rather distinctive pair of unicorn twins and the tantalizing aroma of whatever crop they were growing. It looked like some kind of hay, but there was something different about it. She shook her head and continued on, trying not to think of Chrysalis' new look -quite similar to her old one, minus the holes-, or of the burning hate she saw in Priceless Chinette's eyes. The both of them had nearly starved thanks in too large a part to disagreeing with Celestia. Granted, Chrysalis's problem was largely her own fault, but the mare behind the Grand Galloping Gala did not deserve the shame and self-loathing that came with finding out the princess deliberately sabotaged it.

It was seeing Event Horizon that irritated her the most, however. He waited exactly where he promised he would be, even though she was half an hour late thanks to her tour of his castle. The alicorn stallion sat at the edge of the Everfree forest, watching her with his face resting in its default expression, which Luna had shifted from disturbingly blank to glum during his transformation for reasons known only to Luna. As she landed, Celestia could see his just-visible muscles flex as he rose to greet her, a trait she'd preserved from his human form.

Looking him over, she wondered for an umpteenth time if the things the four princesses gave him: power, a new body, a home and a purpose here in Equestria; balanced fairly against those they stripped away: his original identity, the value of much of his knowledge, and the hope of ever returning to that rotten world he called home. Her eyes caught on that tuft of slightly overgrown fur Twilight had put at the high point of his chest, and Celestia found it annoyingly distracting. It probably felt so good against the nape of some lucky mare's neck when- No! No no no, she would not think about such things! Twilight would be the one to add a minor but riveting detail like that. She could see traits given by all four princesses in his body, and again found herself wondering how he felt about it, about looking in the mirror and seeing the face of a good-looking complete stranger of another species.

What irritated more than the guilty conundrum, however, was that he chose to obey her despite her clear desire that he do otherwise. Celestia did not want another subject, another pony to cave to her will and feed her ego. She wanted what she'd lost in Luna, though perhaps never had: a rival. She wanted somepony to tell her that she was wrong and be right. Somepony to point out her ignorance and how she might overcome it. Somepony who would compete with her and win, perhaps more often than not. Celestia wanted desperately to overcome the terrible stagnation that had been much of her existence for the past thousand years, and which she was threatened with an even greater extension of by Princess Twilight's successful and more thorough defeat of her old foes.

"Oh! Good afternoon, Princess!" he started, as though he were pleasantly surprised by her arrival, despite his having requested her presence personally and directly. It infuriated Celestia further that he seemed sincere, and might well have been. "It is later than I expected. I was beginning to wor-"

"Event Horizon!" she growled at him over his unnecessarily pleasant introduction. "I imbued in you all the Dark Magic we four Princesses could get our hooves on, and you do nothing with it! What is the meaning of this?" He reflexively backed away from her, despite having the capacity to defeat any two or perhaps even three of the Princesses, which only angered her further. How was somepony so weak-willed containing enough Dark Magic to drive Celestia herself into the depths of insanity?

"Dear Princess, while I'll admit that what I've done seems disproportionate to the power you've granted me. And um, I know at first it  seems that what I've done is unnecessary in light of said power, but I promise that I'm following your geas precisely as you wished." He said, moving as though to pass her, but stopping once she turns to follow him so they are standing side by side facing the new Castle Everfree.

"You... what? Just how exactly is building your own kingdom and bringing happiness and hope to ordinarily miserable ponies a work of evil?"

"Oh come on. Give yourself a little credit, Princess! You and I both know you can work this out yourself!" he replied cheerfully. Not maniacally. Not smugly. Cheerfully, and with a touch of condescension that was all it took to erect an impenetrable wall before the train of Celestia's burgeoning rage.

"Oh... my... you... you're..." Celestia started to cry when she realized what Horizon had done, and what he was setting himself up to do. All that power she'd given him, and it was still the brilliance he'd already had which he'd wielded to bring about the bloodless undoing she had requested that he try to make a play for. If Celestia didn't do something to repair her reputation soon, it was possible the citizens of Equestria might decide they didn't need her any more. Which was what the princess thought she wanted until she realized she was probably about to get it.

"Oh... whoa! Hey! No waterworks, please. You know I can't handle that." he said, drawing her attention from his plot and back to him.

(He was pretty broken by the world he'd been taken from, inside and out, wasn't he?) Princess Celestia thought, then wondered, (Why does he want so badly to go back? He spoke of living bereft of friends or family. What obligation draws him back to that wretched- wait, why is he so close now?)

"Besides," Event Horizon continued, reverting back to that hushed, half-mumbled manner of speaking he had when they first met. "Your subjects have a lot of well-deserved faith in you. You should try putting some in them. Also, you wanted this challenge to your authority, and you got it! Did I do a good job? Do you like it?"

Celestia would have been overcome by rage or despair if confusion hadn't beaten them both to the punch. Instead, she found herself wondering what Horizon's original purpose in summoning her specifically to this spot was. If he'd intended to attack her or rub his new glory in her face, he could have done a better job of it in his own throne room. He had to have a reason for this particular location though. He always had a practical reason for what he did. It was one of the points Luna made in favor of making him what he is today.

"You did fine. Never mind that, though. Why are we here?"

"Oh! Right! That. Well, you see... I actually have a request or two to make of you regarding this little forest right here." he said, and finally rage, borne of frustration, defeated the confusion and all else in Celestia's heart. She all but literally exploded.

Checkmate

"YOU IDIOT!" Celestia roared and leaped to an aggressive stance facing him, and as she did, a great maelstrom of heat and light erupted around her, incinerating all plant matter and melting the earth and stone beneath her within a sphere just outside the diameter of her wingspan in an instant. "DO YOU THINK WE GAVE YOU THE POWER OF AN ALICORN WITH THE THOUGHT OF YOU ASKING PERMISSION EVERY TIME YOU SOUGHT TO DO SOMETHING IN MIND?"

Celestia's Royal Canterlot Voice, used now as very scarcely before, was so powerful that it directed the blazing heat at Event Horizon in a powerful breath of fire that most dragons could only dream of. The human-turned-alicorn-prince spread his brown and black wings as though to brace himself against the torrential blaze and covered his face with one foreleg. The tears brought by the sheer force of her voice were immediately evaporated off his face and he was almost certain his eyes were going to burst right out of his skull.

"Ow! Ow ow ow! Ow, stop that! Jeez," he muttered as he waited out her tantrum, trying to keep her from burning down the forest behind him in the process. (This is just like walking behind those jets in Kuwait all over again. ...wait. It should be *much* hotter than that right here. Why am I even still alive? ...oh. Right.)

He was maintaining his calm until he had by chance managed to hear her mutter under her breath, once she stopped shouting, something to the effect of giving him that power so he wouldn't cower before her will. Then it was his turn to lose his temper. Horizon flapped his wings once, with nearly enough force to lift him off the ground without the assistance of magic. Celestia's flames swept back over her and dissipated. Of course, since they were hers, they weren't going to hurt her. However, the point was made clear and she stopped, waiting once again for him to explain himself. The semi-lava beneath her cooled enough to resume a mostly-solid state, but she remained hovering.

"YOU SAID YOU GAVE ME THIS POWER BECAUSE YOU FELT YOU COULD TRUST ME WITH IT! DOES THAT WORD MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?" he bellowed back, his voice forceful enough to push her to the far side of the hole she melted into the ground. There was a slight pause before he continued, in a tone somewhere between his mumble and a normal speaking voice. "Huh. Shouting can be fun sometimes. Anyway, I'm fully aware that I don't need to ask permission for, or even inform you of my doings. Even those as relevant to a given part of Equestria as this one. I just wanted to give staying on good terms with you a shot, especially considering all the things that are going to happen to you over the next year or so. I know we've had our differences, but I don't want those to be all we've had. Also, you're going to want to enjoy that authority while you still have it. You're going to have a tough time getting it back once it's gone."

(This stallion incites all kinds of extremes in me,) Celestia thought as she finished the transition from a blazing temperamental outburst to shocked silence, now certain that her heart was pumping ice water through her body. "Y-you mean... you're finally doing  it? You're declaring war against Equestria? Even though that one kingdom, its army, and a handful of ponies is all you have to your name?"

"What? Oh no! Don't be silly, Princess!" Horizon chuckled "That war is already over. You lost, by the way. In large part because you never noticed it starting."

"What..." Celestia knew she was missing something. Sure, Castle Everfree was now populated by ponies who resented or felt abandoned by her or her favorites, but that wasn't enough to consider a war having been won, even if he now had most of her army, and they were better utilized in service to him. The crux of the problem is that she didn't remember a single clash greater than the spat they just had, which was typical of interactions between the two. "But we never even..."

"Fought? Well of course not, you mad mare! You asked for a bloodless coup, and I gave you just such a thing. Well, I am giving you one, anyway. You can still stop it, if you try, now that you know it's happening!"

"You're bluffing!"

"I am not!" he retorted, in a manner she thought was unusually petulant, until she remembered that he took pride in his honesty.

"You must be! You can't exp-" Celestia was interrupted by the impact of a dawning realization: the full scope of just what this stallion had been doing with his time.

The bulk of her Royal Guard, re-purposed as his Equestrian National Guard, were distributed more or less evenly among all the major towns and cities of Equestria, on rotating shifts of training, spending time with their families, and performing random acts of heroism and kindness. That's why she didn't see them at his castle. The new Singularity Bolts were likely doing something similar. And like the Guard, they were probably wearing those new uniforms with his nation's insignia on them. His military was making a massive yet non-hostile show of force. If her Loyalists tried to drive them out, she would appear the aggressor, despite their presence technically being an invasion.

Also in various, highly visible places throughout those towns and cities were massive posters he commissioned of local artists, depicting such adorable things as:

Pinkie Pie offering a bright yellow balloon with the word 'HAPPINESS' emblazoned on it in dark blue letters with the subtext 'For Best Results: SHARE!'

Shining Armor and Cadance sharing a warm hug with the subtext 'LOVE: As Always, Held By TRUST!'

A meeting of Twilight Sparkle's new Friendship Council with the subtext 'FRIENDSHIP: Maintained Through Good Communication!'

And many others about such whimsical things as 'The Classics', 'Family', 'Dreams', and so on and so forth, all together including just about every happy facet of the pony world, except for her domain. In just that moment, Celestia had the faintest inkling of how Luna must have felt when they first took their thrones. When her complaints of growing loneliness were justified by Celestia continuing to ignore them.

Then there were the Changelings to consider. Horizon saved them at the brink of the extinction they were facing as a result of their  loss to Canterlot, mostly by accident, just as he was mostly unintentionally finishing their eradication prior to that point as he wrestled with his unwanted power to drain (usually Dark) magic. Now there was a new brood of them, stronger than the one that attacked her capital, and it took no stretch of the imagination to guess where they came from. But they weren't attacking now. Chrysalis had been taught that love is not a commodity, and had been given citizenship in his kingdom, pending joint citizenship in Equestria. If the Changelings were accepted into pony society and especially if they managed to properly integrate, Horizon would  have even more forces in her towns and cities, and she would be powerless to drive them out.

There were other things too, now that she thought about it. Little things that did not bear mentioning individually, but which collectively, especially alongside those first three, all pointed in the direction of her own kingdom seeing gradually less favor in her. The enormity of what she'd asked of him, what he was giving her, had finally struck with full force. She had to sit down because her hind legs suddenly weakened, and was grateful for the stone beneath her having returned to a solid state.

"How...?" she asked, her question doubling as a desperate gasp for air.

"Propaganda is a powerful thing. You wanted me to play the part of villain and I did. In fact, I went so far as to play the worst kind from my own world, minus the genocide, a factor I don't plan on including." he replied as the sky over Everfree darkened with the threat of one of those terrifying natural storms. "I played the part of the villain who convinces the world he is good. And more importantly, some time in the foreseeable future, I will convince it that it doesn't need you."

"But... why?" Celestia asked, on the verge of tears and already fearing the answer. "Why would you do such a thing to me?"

"Because... IT'S WHAT YOU WANTED FROM ME! YOU DEMANDED THAT I DO THIS TO YOU! TO PROVE TO YOU AND ALL EQUESTRIA THE UNMITIGATED EVIL OF MY KIND!" he shouted, losing his temper and then regaining it a few heartbeats later. Rage simmered down into bitterness. "I hope you're happy. I went to a lot of trouble to bring about this destruction you sought at my hoov- hands -they were hands at the time- ever since we first met."

"What? What makes you th-"

"DON'T TOY WITH ME, CELESTIA!" he glared directly into her eyes, and she wilted away, reminding them both why he always took such care to avoid meeting another individual's gaze, especially here in a land of friendly cowards. Princess Celestia was something of a warrior, but he had caught onto her secret shame and now she was aware of that. "I saw it in your eyes, when it was first pointed out that many of my kind ate the flesh of other creatures. There it is again! I wonder if you're even aware of it."

"Aware of what?" Celestia asked, hoping that he believed something else of her than the truth. Not much could be worse than that. But he already told her what he knew, and regardless of what she tried to deny, he was right. She tried anyway, right up until her gaze met his again and once again she felt him looking right through her facade.

"You're going to make me say it... Fine, I'll say it!" he closed his eyes, freeing her from their terror as he took a deep breath. It was a really deep breath, and more importantly, it felt as though the entire universe was calming down with him. She wondered if this might be the real power of the Star Pony race the Princesses had created by transforming a human into a magical pony. The only one of his kind, ever, if anyone sane was to have their way about it. He snapped her out of her reverie by finishing his thought. "You're a masochist."

"I beg your pardon?" Celestia blinked, unmitigated confusion once again superseding all other thoughts and emotions. "A masowhatnow?"

"A masochist. You believe that you deserve to suffer. That the path leading you to this moment merits some kind of punishment being in store for you. I don't know why, but you've latched onto the idea of me being the one to arbitrate that punishment, and you gave me no other choice, so I did."

"I don't think-"

"Celestia! Please stop trying to lie to me! Least of all when the truth is so obvious some other ponies might start to pick up on it if you continue this way."

"Wait... you really believe nopony knows, or even suspects?"

"I imagine most ponies have naturally avoided trying to get too intimate with you, and those that are have their own problems right now. In any case, I don't believe you deserve any punishment for those of your actions up to this point that I know of. Except for that plan to give all the alicorn magic to Twilight. That was plain stupid. She's a natural ball of stress as it is."

"Yes well, hindsight is- wait, what problems?"

"What?"

"You said the ponies that are intimate with me, by which I can only assume you mean my closer acquaintances, have problems at the moment. What problems?"

"Oh that. Well, there's a list, so unless you want to risk missing something important, you might not want to bolt off at the sound of  the first one that excites you."

"Ohh..." Celestia cringed, already regretting having confused the term 'bloodless' for 'harmless'. "Ok, go."

"Ok then." Horizon summoned a clipboard with a list on it and started ticking things off as he read. With each item, Celestia found it even more difficult to stay and listen to the next.

"Thanks to your sister giving me her Nightmare ego, she can no longer access a pony's nightmares and alleviate them. She's not handling that well. Incidentally, I gave that to Trixie, because Nightmare Lulamoon is exactly as intimidating as it sounds, and for that reason I knew it would piss off the Nightmare ego. It did, and it's pretty funny.

Ahem. Anyway...

Thanks to my having converted the Changelings from a net loss of Love in the world to a net gain of it, Princess Cadance currently has more power than she can handle. Due to her special talent not being magic as Princess Twilight's is, she is taking considerably longer to adjust.

Due to my having made off with Spitefire and most of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash's dream of joining them is now up in smoke. She is taking that about as well as can be expected. Lightning Dust is rubbing that in her face. Letting her do it is, unfortunately, the price of Lightning's loyalty.

Due to Sweetie Belle's newfound success as an idol and that cutie Coco Pommel's rise to the fashion scene causing tumultuous fluctuations in Rarity's business, the mare has been showing warning signs of being on the verge of a psychological meltdown. And not a cute tantrum like you had just a little bit ago, I mean something serious there may be no coming back from. I tried helping her, but depending on which of my forms I've taken, she pays either no or way too much attention to me and not what I'm trying to say, and either way I can't get through to her.

And lastly, as part of my grand plan to usurp your throne, I gave it to Princess Twilight."

"WHAT!?"

"I told her you were taking a little one-year vacation away from the tedium of your job to remind yourself of who you are, and wanted her to handle administration while I managed the Sun, and also the Moon because Luna has not been feeling well lately. She was positively thrilled, by the way. The day of, though, she'll probably reduce herself to foaming at the mouth and stress-induced convulsions."

"You... you lied. I thought you hated lying. That I'd be able to see right through you when you did."

"Well, when I lie, you'll probably know. In any case, you might want to get some rest tonight, whenever you manage to bring the sun down, and decide which of your nearest and dearest you're going to have remind you who you are first."

"But I- But you... oh." Celestia said, as she struggled to take flight, her mind whirling and her heart equally out of control. (He did all this... allof this, for me... the conniving bastard.)

"I hope next time you won't forget the value of your life, Princess!" he shouted up after her. "It's a wonderful life, after all!"

Fainting Spells

"Ohh... where is it? Where is it?" Rarity asked nopony in particular, her voice quavering at somewhere a little quieter than a shout. As was typical of the white mare whenever she lost anything, she became increasingly frantic as she searched. Boutique items were levitated left and right. Ribbons, spools, sequins, and yards of fabric alike were all briefly disturbed from their resting places to be peered under or behind. The fact that they weren't put back exactly as they were before she moved them hinted at her duress to any friend of hers that was watching, but none were around. "Oh Moping Cowl... where arrre youuuu?"

Of course, she never expected the black cloak to pop up and wave in response to her calling it, but the thought of it doing so was a pleasant distraction. She worked herself up to a peak, and eventually broke down and summoned her fancy couch from the living room for one of her very stress-relieving faux faints. Unfortunately, even that pursuit into the behavior of a real upper-class mare summoned in her mind's eye the disapproving glare of Nurse Redheart. She often lectured Rarity on the supposed seriousness of actual fainting spells and how her frequent use of phony ones could lead ponies who would otherwise be in a position to help her to be unable to react appropriately.

Scowling, she shoved the elegant couch back into place and resumed searching for the cowl. She never did find it though. Incidentally, she was just thinking of how she was better off without it because enveloping herself in a symbol of her misery would only make breaking free of it more difficult when the chime of her boutique's front door bell drew her attention to that instead.

"Just a minute please!" she called out in the most light-hearted voice she could manage. "I'll be right there!"

Taking a deep breath, she pranced out to the foyer, summoning her best effort at appearing to be in a good mood. After all, the deception of happiness for a customer's sake was one of retail's most precious commodities. With any luck, though, it might be somepony who would remove the pretense on sight and leave her with genuine happiness. When she saw who actually did show up at her shop, however, she was positively floored.

"P-P-Princess Celestia? Wel-Hello! It is so good to see you!" Rarity stammered as she ran around in short bursts in random directions like she was trying to get out of the rain, once again picking up random objects in her boutique with her magic, this time with the intent of accommodating the royal visitor. "Here, please, have a seat, Your Majesty! Can I get you anything? Tea? Fresh crumpets? More pillows? A portfolio of my latest designs for perusal at your leisure?"

"Why thank you, Rarity. I am happy to have your company as well," Celestia smiled warmly as internally she tried to think of a way to calm the mare down a little and work out the issue she was supposed to have. She didn't notice anything particularly unusual about Rarity, but then again, neither did she notice the changes in Luna or Cadance until it was too late for them. Celestia had to admit that this was certainly a skill she had to work on. "Please, there is no need to get so excited on my account. Although, I will admit that a spot of tea and a look through your portfolio both sound like inviting ideas."

"Why of course, Your Majesty! I shall have those prepared for you in moments!" Rarity levitated the portfolio in question onto the lead crystal surface of a coffee table summoned for that express purpose, having learned her lesson about a glass one, then blurred out to her kitchen. Once there, she lit one of her stove's front burners, then put a kettle of water on it. She was halfway through letting herself wriggle in excitement at the notion of catering to Princess Celestia, who normally went with New Imperial style like most Ponyvillians, when the chime of her boutique's door bell derailed her train of thought once again.

"Coming, coming!~" she all but sang out, this time actually feeling it.

Also this time, her surprise guest was not only Sweetie Belle, her precious baby sister who Rarity believed had forgotten her, but also Coco Pommel. In contrast to Rarity's "chic, unique, and magnifique" custom dresses, each made specifically for a particular pony and a particular occasion, Coco went with "adorable, affordable, and mass-marketable". Consequently, nearly anypony on a budget who was saving up for one of Rarity's wonders dropped the effort and bought one of Coco's works instead. Rarity knew she couldn't fault her rival, especially not after encouraging her as she had in Manehattan, and she even owned ten of Coco's dresses, but it still hurt to think about where their business competition had taken them.

"...fans really want to see me wearing an outfit made by you too, Miss Pommel. But Rarity means the world to me and I really feel more comfortable being on stage in something made by her." Sweetie Belle was in the midst of saying as she walked alongside Coco, both having failed to notice Rarity's reentry to the foyer and Princess Celestia's presence in it. The princess didn't mind, however, as she was really engrossed in the portfolio. She looked like she was trying to solve an especially difficult puzzle.

"Sweetie! You..." Concern for Celestia had been banished from Rarity's mind upon her overhearing Sweetie, and the mare forsook all of her current effort at maintaining her composure and sprinted over to embrace the filly in a big, tearful hug. "You have no idea how it warms my heart to hear you say such a thing! I almost feel as though I could fly!"

Not wanting to disrupt the moment between the unicorn sisters, Coco smiled and sidestepped away from their embrace, feeling all kinds of awkward. It was only then that she noticed Princess Celestia. Considering that she was twice as big as the average pony and the most important pony in the world, the princess had done an unfathomably impressive job of being overlooked up to this point. Leaving Rarity and Sweetie to their reunion, Coco pranced quietly over to bow before Celestia.

"Hello, Princess Celestia! I'm so terribly sorry I didn't notice your presence and properly greet you until just now! How are you doing?" Coco asked, keeping her eyes on the floor. She was amazed that she didn't stutter. Authority figures terrified her. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Ah, Miss Pommel! Do not fret, my little pony. And I am quite well, thank you." Celestia responded, beaming down at the mare. Then her smile disappeared as she returned part of her attention to the portfolio. After a few furtive glances, Celestia leaned down and spoke softly to Coco. "Actually, I was hoping I could ask you a little favor."

"Of me? Of course, Your Majesty! Anything!" Coco almost failed to avoid shouting in her glee and shock at receiving a personal request from the pony she felt was the best princess. Behind her, Rarity and Sweetie were energetically discussing plans for an outfit for Sweetie to wear at the new Baltimare Opera House as the two walked side-by-side into the kitchen. It almost seemed as though Rarity had entirely forgotten her two guests until she was suddenly within a foot of them.

"Oh! Um, Princess! I almost forgot. Tea will be ready in just a few minutes. Coco dear, would you like me to get you anything? Perhaps a sandwich or two?"

"Oh, would you please? I mean, I don't want to impose-"

"Nonsense, I'd be delighted to have you partake in my hospitality! Now please, what would you like?"

"Well um, maybe a sandwich or two and a cup of tea would be nice, thank you."

"No problem! And yourself, Princess?"

"I wouldn't mind having a bite to eat, Rarity. Thank you very much." Princess Celestia felt like she might never run out of smiles. After that ominous warning, seeing her favorite pupil's dear friend in such high spirits was both a joy and a relief. Rarity pranced off to start making some begonia, lettuce, and tomato mini sandwiches, then Celestia returned to her conversation with Coco, having forgotten that she was keeping it a secret, let alone for what reason.

"So um, I don't mean to press, Princess. But about that favor..." Coco started, eager to be of service, but incredibly uncomfortable with the notion of vague requests, especially from nobility.

"Oh, right. Listen, I'd like you to look through this portfolio with me, if you would please. I think all the dresses are lovely, but it is not often that I try to match one to myself." Celestia stated in conversational tones. Coco gasped as if she'd just been smothered for the past couple minutes before managing to respond.

"Princess, I'm flattered you would ask this of me. You are ever so lovely, Your Majesty. But surely you must already know what style of dress suits you best!" Coco protested, wondering if she was being teased. Princess Celestia had reigned for over a thousand years, and grown no less beautiful in that time. Coco was certain nigh any designer would kill for a commission from her. Some perhaps literally, which was a frightening prospect.

As Rarity entered the kitchen to make the sandwiches, she caught sight of Sweetie Belle carefully measuring out ground tea leaves into the tiny filter bags and tying the bag strings into neat little bows with square knot bases, just like Rarity had shown her a few years ago. It was strange, but she felt nearly as proud of Sweetie in that moment as when Sweetie first won a major award for her singing. The tender moment was lost, however, when Rarity overheard Celestia's voice from the previous room.

"...years start to blend together and look almost like weeks, or even days. And looking at the fashion scene with it's seasonally-shifting trends, I feel most times like I just can't keep up. Further, I fear that if I pick something, that might start a trend also, whether or not I actually end up liking the item in question. That is why I most often go with the bare minimum. A tiara and a little peytral are timeless."

Rarity didn't hear the rest. When the notion that Princess Celestia was hopelessly detached from fashion sank in, it banished all other thoughts. The world through her eyes turned gray and capsized, and if it were possible, she would have blanched. The floor of her kitchen dived at her from her left, and distantly she heard her sister screaming her name until her voice was drowned out by the obnoxious sound of what had to be the world's smallest train. Then all was dark and quiet but Nurse Redheart's coldly burning voice dredging up from some distant memory.

"Please promise me you'll put that fainting act to rest, Rarity. A genuine fainting spell is a serious medical concern, and the very concept should be treated as such."