Chapters "The night is fresh and new, my children," a tall colt said, his deep voice booming and echoing through the the large room. Two young colts and three young identical mares clapped happily. "No need to clap for me, my children. I should be the one clapping, for YOU. For you five are my greatest creations."
One of the young mares spoke up. "Father, what is our plan tonight? Who will be our new target?"
"Now, Foxy, you are the mare right now I clap for the loudest. You're very eager, aren't you?" Foxy, the mare who spoke before, smiled gleefully as her two triplet sisters glared at her.
"But father, you said we all were eager! Right?" asked one of the young colts.
The colt the young ponies spoke of, Father, answered, "Don't worry, Supernova, you are all eager at times. but right now, Foxy is the most eager." Father looked at Foxy, and said,"And Foxy, being eager can always be a good trait, as well as a bad one." Father threw a small blade at the mare, and she was too slow to dodge. It penetrated her heart, but she didn't bleed, didn't even flinch. She just removed the blade from her chest, and her wound healed quickly.
"Oh, and our target tonight," Father said as he left, "is the mare up for princess coronation. Her name; Spirals."
"Hm, which do you think, J? The sleeveless turtle-neck, or the long sleeve v-neck?"
"Sleeveless turtle-neck. And Peni, for mine, which dress, my blue one, or this new one?"
Peni replied, "The new one. It makes the gold in your mane really POP. I'm glad we could bond at all tonight, Josie, I thought I would be stuck at home picking clothes with Sweet Notes and Rose."
"Me too," Josie said, "I thought Starred Hearts would be helping me pick out my outfit." The two mares were perfectly fine with changing in front of each other, since they had done it from 7th grade on. Peni and Josie changed in the same room, and left together, both holding their shoes in their hands. The heavy thunk of paws on wood sounded from down the hall as Josie's enormous dog, Buck, raced down the hall to Peni. Sharp clicks sounded even faster as Tank followed him down the hallway. The two mares quickly jumped out of the way as the dogs jumped at Pom Clarity, who must have come into the house while Peni and Josie were getting dressed.
"Hey," Peni said to Pom, "Pom, when did you get here?"
Pom replied, "Just a few seconds ago. Why? How long have you been here?"
"Peni has been here for quite some time now," Josie told Pom, "We just finished getting dressed. You gotta wait a minute though, and we'll hop in your car."
Peni asked Josie, "What about my car? Should I just leave it here?"
Josie said, "Yeah, we're coming back here after the party, remember? Only Spirals won't be able to make it, since she will be spending time wasted years ago with her mother."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Peni slipped on her small shoes. "I feel oddly tall with such small feet. I'm still only wearing women's size nine."
Pom replied hastily, "I only wear women's sevens still! Don't complain."
"Why did you reply to her..." Josie said under her breath as Peni and Pom started fighting about shoe sizes.
~~~~~~~
Peni exclaimed as they walked into Canterlot Castle, "I swear, this place gets prettier and prettier every time I come here!" Josie and Pom agreed warily, barely listening. They stared at the gorgeous mare standing at the top of the stairs. She was a regal alicorn, her quad-colored mane flowing beautifully. Standing next to her, four other alicorns stood, each one with their hands clasped in front of them. A copper colored pegasus colt bowed in front of the five alicorns, and Peni walked up and pinched his flank, causing him to gasp and jump. One of the alicorns, a light violet mare with a long brown mane and tail, pink feathers, and deep brown eyes, laughed quietly and covered her mouth.
"Peni..!" the pegasus colt said in surprise, then kissed Peni full on the lips. "Jeez, you scared me, I thought you were somepony else."
Peni replied, "Who, Copper, some strange mare that molests colts?"
"Kinda sorta," Copper said, and pecked the blue earth pony on the cheek. Peni broke out laughing, which caused the brown-maned alicorn to laugh as well, and just hearing her daughter laughing caused the white coated alicorn to laugh. Soon, every alicorn, and all of Peni's carpool were laughing at the fullest.
"Spirals, it's great to hear you laughing again!" Josie said, poking the brown maned alicorn in the side.
Spirals replied, rubbing her side, "Thanks, and it's great to see everyone in one place aga- *gasp!* AQUA!!!" Spirals raced down the steps, and hugged the royal blue mare named Aqua.
"Whoa-ho! Spirals! I'm glad to see you to." Spirals grabbed Aqua's shoulders and held her at arms length.
Spirals exclaimed, "Aqua, it's been YEARS! Did you pass your final exam yesterday?"
Aqua replied, "I wouldn't know right now, they'll send the answer tomorrow morning. How's it been with you?" The two mares began to catch up as the rest of the party-goers came.
~~~~~~~~
"Thank you all, for coming to my daughter's coronation. And now, I present, for the VERY first time, Princess Spirals!" Spirals walked into the enormous room, walking along the red plush carpet, six identical mares behind her singing of the new princess. Six colts behind even the mares sang the alto and bass of the song, holding the flags that showed the new emblem of the princess. Everyone in the room clapped when the mares and colts parted and finished the chorus.
Princess Celestia began reciting the Oath of the Princesses, and Spirals repeated only what she was told to. And she began her speech, the final speech of the night. Peni new that at this moment, Flitter Note was preparing for her act, singing the first song of the night. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and Copper said, "Peni, I can't stay. I just got a call from work, they need me in Haywaii. Did you remember to set up the DVR to record the speech?"
"Yes, now, you go do your work stuff Mr. Wire. Soon-to-be-Mrs. Wire will stay here," Peni replied all smart-assey.
Copper thanked her and turned, only to turn back and say, "Wait, who said you would be Mrs. Wire?" Peni just giggled. Spirals speech was long, so Copper had been out of town almost ten minutes, when all she heard was BANG! And a scream was mixed in.
More screams, another explosion, glass shattered, and Aqua stumbled backwards, clutching her eyes and screaming. Two more explosions, and a huge chunk of stone caught Peni's head, pain flickered just before everything went black.
Pain.
That was the first feeling I had as a slowly came to being conscious. I didn't remember anything that had happened before everything went black. The pain was dull, and after the pain came hushed voices. Two very different voices. Both higher, definitely feminine, with a memory of two mares clinging to them. One mare, a navy blue unicorn, was slightly taller than the other, her ginger mane constantly kept in a braid. The second mare was not much shorter than the first, but shorter nonetheless. Her mane was brown, almost black, and her coat a light violet with pink tipped wings.
"...the doctor said Peni should be waking up today, but she may be out another day."
"What about Josie? When will... Spirals?"
"The doctor... Aqua. She... waking up in a few days, her head... pretty hard." I picked up only snippets of what the two mares were saying. I slowly began to open my eyes, and I saw two pegasi mending a hole in the ceiling. Out of my peripherals, I saw the two mares the voices belonged to. Their backs were turned to me, and they hadn't seen me wake up. My ear flicked, and the pain caused me to groan. Aqua Marina turned around slowly, and Spirals jumped, only to immediately run off. I assumed she went to locate the doctor and tell her I had woken up.
When Aqua was halfway turned, I saw that her pupil wasn't black, like it was supposed to be. Her magic glowed light red consistently. "Thank goodness you're finally awake, Peni," Aqua said to me, but I couldn't answer. I knew what had happened now.
~~~~~~~
The coronation.
The party.
The EXPLOSIONS.
I remember everything. My eyes shot open as I started to recall everything.
"Thank you all for coming to see me become a princess. I don't know what I would do if, when I become the princess that raises the sun, I didn't have any subjects. No, not subjects, FRIENDS." Spirals was giving her speech. Copper pulled me over, told me about the job he needed to do. Five to ten minutes later, an explosion. A scream. The screams grew louder as they filled the room I was in. Another explosion, and a very familiar scream. Aqua.
Several shards of glass flew past me, and both my ears were nicked. A huge chunk of stone mashed into my head, putting a huge slash under my right ear, and then the darkness.
~~~~~~~
Voices in reality same to life. I could hear four of them now, three feminine, one masculine. Each one was frantic.
"...ni? Peni! PENI!"
"Princess... needs air, we need some ponies to leave! Red Cross... UV needle."
"Come on Aqua..."
All the voices were melting together in a strange mix. I opened my eyes once again. "Shit, what caused all of this?" I said, most of my words slurred in drowsiness.
"Damn it, Peni! You just blacked out when I turned around!" Aqua said, seeming more worried than angry. Her pupils were not only not black, but were colored lighter than her eyes.
I said, "Well, dear Celestia, can I sit up..? My body is so stiff..." I moved my fingers slightly.
"No, you need to stay laying down," said the colt I assumed was Red Cross. He was a handsome unicorn colt, with a white coat, a deep red mane, and silvery gray eyes. I jolted up in my bed, propping myself up on my elbows, and he pushed me back down. "Please, you need to stay laying down. You might open up the wounds on your eye and forehead."
"Where is Copper?! Spirals, is he here? Did he ever come back?!" I was frightened for my coltfriend, since he had left even before the attack.
"No, Copper didn't end up coming back before you woke up. Why, where did he go?" Spirals asked.
I replied, "He told me, early on in your speech, that he had to go to Haywaii for work. And wait, what happened to my eye? I don't remember that."
"It must have happened," the doctor told me, "after the wound in your forehead. We assumed the first wound was what knocked you unconscious."
There was another groan from across the room, a gasp, and a thick sob. The voice was familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Looks like another patient just woke up." Red Cross walked across the room, to a bed where a deep blue horn was visible past R.C.'s arm. I recognized the color, and once Red Cross got all the way next to her, I saw who it was.
I gasped, and said, "Light Skies!" Before the doctor could protest, I jumped from the bed, grabbed my UV, and hurried over to Light's bed. I was horrified at what I saw.
~~~~~~~
Blood had caked almost her entire face. Long bandages were wrapped around her right eye, in need of replacement. Tears ran from her eyes, and the ones on the right were red with old blood. She lay in ratty clothes, scars littering her body, bandages protecting other cuts from bleeding and possible getting infected. Light Skies gasped once she saw me.
"Peni! Y-Your EYE!" She looked mortified. I touched the tender pink skin that struck down my face and past my eye. Miraculously, my eye had come out undamaged.
"Light, what about yours? It's completely bloody and bandaged!"
She replied, "I know, th-that's why I'm cryi-ing."
"Ms. Hearts," Red Cross started to tell me, "you need to be laying down." I felt a sharp prick in my arm, and my vision started to fade.
"It's the only way to get her to cooperate," I heard Spirals say, and I fell back into somepony's arms. "Let's get her to the bed..."
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