Hey, it wasn't that bad right?
"Did I really have to come on this trip mom? You could have signed the agreement without me!" Prince Ray said, looking quite bored and annoyed. He had white fur, a short neat black mane and tail, His most standout feature were his striking red eyes. He was also wearing his usual royal attire consisting of his black slippers, knee guards, his slick black triangular chestplate which hugged his chest lightly. It had a large red gem embbed in the center of it. His crown was of similar design, although it looked more like a tiara. It had a similar red gem on it except this one glistened and shined brightly, an unknown power hidden within it.
His mother Queen Horizon looked at him with a warm smile, shaking her head at her son's lack of enthusiasm. She was of similar color, and wore the same royal regalia except her royal attire looked less like armor than her son's.
"Now Ray, you know that we were invited! You wouldn't want to be rude to our new ally would you?" She said, looking a bit disappointed in her son.
"No mother. I know how important this trade agreement with Equestria is for the kingdom, but I don't see why I had to come!" He said with a flat brow.
"It's about time you started performing your royal duties son and this is one of them! Diplomatic appearances are important! Now that you've fully inherited power because of your age you should start being more responsible!" His mother scolded.
"Mom, I've only been 18 for a few months!"
"Yes. but lately, all you've been doing is tinkering with your machines!"
"Is that really a bad thing? If it weren't for my tinkering, this ship would be incapable of such a long flight! The engines we were using before would have long overheated, stalled, or outright exploded by now due to their insufficient cooling systems, as well as lack luster thermal shielding!" The Prince said in his defense. His mother raised her hoof to her temples and sighed.
She knew Ray was right about his tinkering. There were countless inventions of his that helped revolutionize how ponies did things in the eclipse empire. Self propelled carriages , radio and cellular communication, even the formula for concrete that the island now uses for their roads. Some more experimental advents such as personal computers, as well as 3D fabrication tech and hundreds of other medical and weapon advancements. He's increased the quality of life on the island, as well as other nations that traded with them, which with this deal, would include now Equestria.
"Listen Ray. I know you're following in your father's hoofsteps and helping ponies through your advents and discoveries, But sometimes you have to think about your well being, not everypony else's. You need to go out sometimes! Get some fresh air! Find friends!"
"But I DO have friends mother!" He claimed. His mother raised her brow in disbelief.
"Name somepony that isn't employed by you." She said with a deadpan expression. Ray smiled nervously and tapped his hooves together. He opened his mouth a few times like he was about to name somepony but nothing came to him.
"Ok you win that one..." He admitted with a laugh. Then he frowned again and set his hooves back on the table.
"Is that why I have to go to the party too?" He whined.
"The Grand Galloping Gala? I hear it is the most important event over there, the finest showcase of Equestrian culture." Queen Horizon said, smiling as she imagined the size and scope of the Gala.
"So what?" Ray said with a roll of his eyes as he folded his hooves infront of him.
"So what? We are the guests of honor my son, it would be rude not to attend!" His mother reminds. An annoyed grunt is all Ray produces as he lays his head down on the table.
"Oh come on Ray, it will be fun! I'm sure you'll mingle with the populace, make a few friends, even meet a nice MARE..." His mother trailed off with a smirk. Ray's head shot up off the table and he glared angrily at his mother.
"So THAT'S what this is really about isn't it?" He shouted angrily, pointing an accusing hoof at his mother, who just continued smirking. Then Ray let out a long sigh as he slowly layed his head onto his hooves.
"How many times do we have to talk about this?" He muttered. His mother snickered behind her hoof at her son's antics.
"Ray, You're 18 going on 19 now. You've grown up into a handsome intelligent, caring stallion and I couldn't be prouder, but don't you think its about time you slowed down a little and shared your heart with somepony?" His mother said in a serious tone.
"Mother. Romance is a waste! All that time, money and effort could be put towards my research!" He stated firmly. His mother just looked at him sadly and shook her head.
"Besides, I have yet to meet a mare who isn't after me for just my looks, money or my royal status." He added. His mother looked down and closed her eyes.
"Love can be a beautiful thing my son. You just have to find the right one.." His mother trailed off quietly. Ray just rolled his eyes and stared wordlessly out the window. He was sure that even in the famed Equestria he wouldn't meet a mare worth his time. He just wanted to get this whole thing over with so he could get back to Eclipse. Outside he watched the cascading Equestrian landscape zoom by and wondered what Equestria's capitol city looked like.
He knew little of Equestria. Just that its the largest pony kingdom by far, and its still growing. He also knew that Equestria had the most magic wielding unicorns, a rare sight back home but still a familiar one. The population there was apprantly at an imbalance, mares significantly out number stallions there, which he found strange.The most important thing about Equestria were its rulers, the Alicorn Princesses. Although he couldn't remember the details, they apprantly possessed the traits of all the pony races and were a sight to behold. It was also home to the elements of harmony, which he wasn't exactly knowledgeable about either. At that point Ray focused on remebering everything he knew about the place he was about to waste a night in.
a few minutes later a knock came at the door. On the other side of it was an Eclipse guard, decked out in full black powered armor of the Prince's own design. It effectively made the wearers a walking tank (which he also made) without all the weight, and doubled the user's strength.
The queen and her son looked toward the door, ripped from their individual thoughts.
"We will be landing in Canterlot shortly..." The guard announced before walking away. The Prince sighed and looked out of the window. At first all he saw was this small town that looked fairly basic compaired to town's on Eclipse. Before he could comment on how colorful, the town was, the airship started to rise quickly. It cleared a few clouds then a moment later Canterlot revealed itself, with all its golden glory.
"Well... Im quite impressed so far." The Prince admitted.
"See son! It won't be so bad!"
"Oh please mom, we haven't even met the populace yet..."
"That reminds me, please try to make a good impression!"
"If you want me to look 'cute' for the mares, then I won't have to try that hard."
"That's the spirit!"
...
In the throne room of Canterlot castle, Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence and the elements of Harmony await the arrival of the foreigners.
They come from where now?" Applejack asked.
"The Eclipse Empire. Its a large island in between Equestria and Griffonia.." Her friend Twilight Sparkle explained.
"You mean the one surrounded by that strange storm?" Princess Cadence said.
"Yes my neice, you are correct. The storm has prevented our airships from exploring within." Princess Celestia confirmed.
"So who exactly are our guests anyway?" Cadence wondered.
"Queen horizon and her son." Celestia answered. Everyone looked at each other with uncertainty.
"Wait a second. Isn't Queen Horizon's son PRINCE Ray?" Rarity asked with widened eyes. Celestia thought for a moment then nodded.
"Yes I believe so." She confirmed with a nod. Then Rarity started to shake with excitement, grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh my goodness! I must make sure everything is perfect!" She exclaimed as she immediately ran to the nearest mirror checking her hair and make up.
"What's the big deal? I bet he's just another lame jerk..." Rainbow Dash said with a deadpan expression.
"Yeah Rarity! Don't ya remember what happened with Prince Blue Blood? This feller probably ain't worth it." Applejack reminded.
"He's quite a big deal actually. He's responsible for a countless list of technological advancements. He's made a fortune selling them to our neighboring countries.." Twilight explained.
"Advancments which will now improve the quality of life in Equestria, thanks to this trade agreement." Celestia cut in.
"Wow! What a Prince!" Rarity said, fantasizing about getting married.
"So? that just makes him a smart jerk." Rainbow muttered, clearly not impressed.
"And a rich one." Applejack added.
"And a handsome one." Rarity added.
"You don't even know what he looks like!!!" Rainbow blurted.
"He was on the cover of Playcolt magazine if that's any indication..." Twilight said, trailing off. Cadence turned and gave her a sidways glance.
"Yes, I Remember that issue, the one about up and coming hunky entrepreneurs, but how did you know that?" She asks. Twilight blushes for a moment, getting some snickering from the others.
"The better question is, how did YOU know that?" Twilight quipped. Now it was the married Princess of love's turn to look embarrassed.
"Touché" Cadence said with a respectful nod.
"Well, I think he sounds like a nice pony..." Fluttershy said timidly.
"You say that about everypony Flutters.." Dash muttered.
"I think y'all should wait until the feller actually gets here." Applejack suggested.
"Oh boy! I sure do hope they like parties!" Pinkie said excitedly.
"Please don't throw them a surprise party a few hours before the biggest party in Equestria." Twilight said as she brought a hoof to her face.
"Yes Pinkie, please don't scare him off with your antics." Rarity begged.
"It seems like ya called dibs on the poor feller before you've even met him! Ah wouldn't be surprised if you scare him off Rarity!" Applejack said, laughing much to Rarity's annoyance. Everyone else in the room started to laugh until the large doors to the throne room cracked open. A Royal guard came in and bowed to the group.
"Princesses, our guests have arrived. They will be here shortly." The guard said calmly.
"Thank you. You may return to your post." Celestia said kindly. Twilight took a deep breath and straightned up.
"Ok everypony. Make a good impression! We are representing Equestria after all. She said to Everyone.
...
"Wow! This place is so cool! I've never seen so many oversized doors!" Ray said with a laugh as he walked toward the throne room. There was a group of 4 Equestrian guards escorting them along with two of their personal Eclipse guards. The Prince was laughing on the inside because he noticed how nervous the Equestrian guards looked when they first laid eyes on the Eclipse guards. The design for the armor was made to be intimidating and it was sure working. However intimidation was probably the last thing they needed to do to their new allies.
"Through this door your highness is the throne room where the Princess and the others are waiting for you." The guard said to them.
"Thank you all." Queen Horizon said respectfully. The queen and her son stared up at the massive doors.
"Ok, this is just ridiculous now. Somepony is componsating for something." Ray said with a chuckle, as he observed the doors to the throne room.
"Stop it before you offend somepony!" His mother scolded with a whisper, as one of the Equestrian guards opened the massive door. They came into a big room with huge stained glass windows and a large red carpet leading to a throne. He didn't notice the ponies on the far side of the room yet.
"Mom when we get back, remind me to pay somepony to put stained glass and oversized doors in our castle." The Prince said as he took in the massive scope of the room. His mother said nothing, she just nudged his side enough to silence him. She kept walking and he stopped briefly to take a picture of one of the glass windows. His mother turned back and snorted loudly.
"What are you doing?" She whispered in fury.
"Taking a picture! What does it look like I'm doing?" Ray said in his normal voice.
"Are you serious right now!? Get over here!" His mother hissed. He rolled his eyes and finally came next to his mother. Snickering and suppresed laughter came from the other side of the room.
Ray finally looks towards the throne and paused at what he saw, along with his body guards. On the other side, less than 10 feet away stood some of the most beautiful mares he's ever seen.
Celestia stood with a neutral expression, Cadence had on a welcoming smile, Twilight's eyes were more focused on what her friends were doing. Rainbow floated a foot off the ground like she usually did, her unimpressed expression quickly switching to intrigue. Applejack was giving them a neutral look. Fluttershy seemed to be hiding behind her mane and shivering. Rarity could barely contain her exciment, and Pinkie didn't bother containing her excitement. Princess Celestia stepped up first and cleared her throat.
"Greetings visitors! I am Princess Celestia! Welcome to Equestria!" She said with a warm smile. Queen Horizon immediately returned the warm smile and stuck her hoof out.
"It's honor to finally meet you Princess! I am Queen Horizon and this is my son, Prince Ray." She said, shaking Celestia's hoof. Then Ray stepped forward and smiled confidently.
"Good afternoon Princess I thank you for welcoming us to this fine kingdom." The Prince said as he kissed Celestia's hoof in a kind gesture. Celestia's cheek turned red and she stuttered slightly.
"Oh no need to thank me. We are honored to have you here." Celestia said with a smile.
"But the honer is mine to be in the presence of one so graceful." The Prince said with a smirk and a smooth tone. Celestia giggled at his kind words.
"Thank you, you're quite charming." Celestia complimented, Then the three of them moved on to Cadence.
"This is my neice Cadence, the Princess of Love." Celestia said, gesturing to The pink Alicorn.
"It's nice to meet you!" Cadence said cheerfully.
"Its nice to meet you as well! My son could learn a few things from you." Queen Horizon said, returning the smile. Cadence raised her brow curiously.
"Oh really?"
"Yes! He thinks romance is a waste of time!" The queen said with a laugh. Cadence adopted a flat browed expression as she turned back to Ray and Celestia. He was kissing her hoof again and she was blushing.
"Hm. Doesn't look like it to me..." Cadence said with a deadpan expression. The queen looked over and dismissed it with a hoof.
"Oh that's just Ray being nice, he gets it from his Father. Ray! Stop torturing the poor Princess and come here!" She said. Ray immediately looked up and glared at his mother.
"Tourture? Don't insult me mother." He says as he let's go of Celestia's hoof. Then he came in front of Cadence.
"This is The Princess of Love, Cadence. Say hello Ray." His mother instructed.
"Ah the ruler of the crystal empire. A pleasure..." Ray started to say as he reached out to grab Cadence's hoof. To his surprise she took a step back.
"Um, married ruler." She said informed. Ray nodded and backed off.
"He gets super jealous." Cadance muttered.
"I apologize. I wasn't aware." He said, as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Your mother tells me that you think romance is a waste of time?" Cadence says, studying the prince closely.
"Yes I do! It would distract me from my work! I have big plans you know." The Prince said firmly. Rarity made sounds of disappointment at that statement.
"You sound just like Twilight partner.." Applejack said with a snicker.
"WHAT?!" Twilight exclaimed loudly. Applejack and Rainbow started to laugh obnoxiously.
"I...I don't think romance is a waste of time! When did I say that?" Twilight demanded.
"You may not have said that but I remember you setting aside friendship completely to study." Celestia said with a smirk.
"That sounds like something Ray would do!" Queen Horizen said with a laugh.
"MOTHER!" Ray yelled loudly. Now everyone in the room started to laugh at Ray and Twilight. Twilight slowly raised her hoof to her face and Ray sighed in annoyance. When the laughter started to die down the group continued with introductions.
"Well anyway, you must be Twilight Sparkle." Ray said as he reached for her hoof. She jumped slightly, not excepting the same kind gesture.
"I've heard a lot about you. Some say you are the Star Swirl of our time, with your discoveries on magic. I'm impressed." The Prince said with a respectful nod. Twilight blushed and looked down.
"Oh um... thank you.." She said timidly. Ray chuckled and moved on.
"These must be your friends, the other elements of harmony I presume?" Ray said as he gestured to Twilight's friends. Twilight did a double take and nodded.
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you..." Ray started to say before an eager Fashionista almost tackled him. Ray was startled and took a step back.
"Hello Darling, I'm Rarity the element of generosity!" Rarity said with a half lidded expression. The Prince smiled nervously and cleared his throat.
"Yes, hello to you as well." He said. After that she just stood in front of him with a creepy smile that made him uncomfortable. Then as if that wasn't bad enough, Pinkie invaded his personal space too.
"Hi I'm Pinkie! The element of laughter! Do you like parties?" She blurted. Ray scratched his head and coughed.
"Um, not reall-"
"WHAT???" Pinkie exclaimed in his face loudly. Ray's ears drooped and he peeked his head around the two offending mares and mouthed the words "help me". Applejack chuckled and walked between the two mares.
" Alright you two give the feller some space ya hear? " she said as she dragged the two back. Ray let out a loud breath of relief that made the others laugh. Applejack stuck her hoof out to Ray for a gretting.
"Howdy partner! Ah am Applejack, the element of honesty!" She said proudly.
"Its nice to meet you too apple-JACK!" Ray said, wincing in pain from her strength.
"Oh sorry about that sugarcube, ah dont know my own strength sometimes." She said with an innocent smile.
"Right..." Ray said with a strained smile as he rubbed his bruised hoof. "Element of honesty huh? Does that mean you're blunt about stuff?" Ray asked.
"Well... Ah honestly thought you were a jerk when ah first seen ya but not anymore!" she admitted. Ray blinked a few times and smiled sheepishly.
"Yay?" He said unsurely.
"Ah am also the owner of Sweet apple acres, where we grow the best apples in Equestria!" She claimed.
"I'll have to take your word for it. I haven't indulged on that many apples because the climate and irregular weather patterns make it problematic for the growth and sustainability of apple trees on the island." He said.
"He talks just like you egghead." Rainbow whispered in Twilight's ear making her frown.
"Well ya can have all the apple products ya want tonight! I'll be sellin them at the party." Applejack announced.
"You're going to have apple cider right?" Rainbow asked. Applejack nodded firmly and Rainbow did a hoofpump.
"Yes! Her cider is so awesome!" She said happily.
"Really? I've never had apple cider before." Ray said.
"Yep its the coolest! Well... not as cool as me of course..." Rainbow said confidently. Ray raised his brow as Rainbow Dash flew up next to him. "I'm 20% cooler than it." Rainbow claimed.
"Really now?" Ray said as he raised his brow. "I never knew that coolness could be measured by a percentage.." He muttered.
"Yep I'm just that awesome!" Rainbow said with a nod.
"If that's the case then I believe 20% is such a low number, I mean I'm pretty sure if you tried hard enough you could reach 21% or maybe even 21.1%" Ray joked making everyone laugh. Rainbow grumbled and folded her hooves.
"I'm the element of Loyalty and the fastest flyer in Equestria!" She said proudly.
"Ok, does that make you 22% cooler now or does each title earn you an additional 20%? If that's the case you'd be 60% cooler. Am I right?" Ray joked again making everyone howl with laughter.
"I seriously need a new catchphrase..." Rainbow muttered too herself with a face hoof.
"20% of a catch phrase or the whole....ok I'll stop.." Ray said with a nervous laugh as Rainbow gave him the deathstare. The others laughed again and Rainbow folded her hooves.Ray noticed that one of Twilight's friends wasn't laughing and got curious.
"Hey are you alright?" He asked Her.
"Eeeep!" She squeaked as she ran and hid behind Rainbow dash, who rolled her eyes.
"She's just being Fluttershy..." Rainbow muttered uncaringly. Ray looked puzzled until he noticed Fluttershy's eyes darting between the two guards. She was afraid of them.
"Dusk, Titan what are you doing?!" The Prince Exclaimed. Dusk and Titan looked at each other then back to Ray.
"Our jobs?" One of them said.
"I'm pretty sure intimidation wasn't the only thing in the job description!"
Ray's Guards looked at each other with uncertainty.
" Return to the ship, my mother and I will be safe." Ray said.
"Of course your highness." The guards said in unison as they did an about face and left the room.
"I'm still not used to being called that." Ray said with a shiver.
"Me neither." Twilight acknowledged making them both laugh. Twilight and Ray locked eyes for a few moments, slowly grinning at each other. Cadence took notice to this and rubbed her chin in thought.
"When you said you had big plans, what did you mean?" Twilight asked.
"Well before I was *ahem* dragged on this trip, I had a bit of a mystery to solve." Ray started to explain.
"I told you it was for your own good!" Queen Horizon cut in, much to Twilight's dismay.
"Mom, this whole trip is preventing me from finishing my research! I may be close to a solution!" Ray said with a frown.
"Son it's just one night. Your reaserch isn't going anywhere." His mother said firmly. Ray growls at that and shakes his head.
"Don't you have papers to sign?" Ray said with a flat brow.
"You have to sign them too honey." His mom reminds. The Prince face hooves, then adopts a blank look. Celestia's horn glows and she produces a long scroll.
"Here is the trade agreement, we can discuss the specifics in private." Celestia said as she gestured for them to leave. Horizon looked at her son.
"Aren't you coming?"
"Nope I'll sign it later."
"But you must-"
"He can wait here if he wishes" Celestia interrupted. The queen thought about it for a moment then smirked.
"Ok son. We'll be right back!" She assured.
"Please accompany us as well Cadence." Celestia added. Cadence blinked in surprise then silently followed. They exited the room leaving Ray with Twilight and her friends.
"What were you saying before?" Twilight asked, her eyes glowing with curiosity. The Prince blinked then nodded when he remembered what he was talking about.
"Oh yeah, The mystery I was talking about concerns-"
"Hey wanna try a cupcake?" Pinkie asked, suddenly popping up next to Ray with a plate of cupcakes held in her mouth. Ray slowy turned to the mare in confusion.
"What kind are they?" Ray asked, eying the treats with interest.
"Fudge Chocolate!" Pinkie said.
"My favorite!" The Prince said happily. Then something happened that startled everyone in the room. One of the cupcakes glowed red and floated to Ray's mouth. He casually took a bite and smiled.
"Wow! This tastes amazing! You've outdone yourself!" Ray said as he ate the rest of it with a content smile. Then he looked up and realized everyone had their jaws on the floor.
"Did I do something wrong?" Ray asked sheepishly.
"I thought you were a pegasus..." Rainbow says, trailing off.
"What? Of course I'm a pegasus!" Ray said with a chuckle.
"Then how are you doing that?!" Twilight demanded. Ray blinked a few times then started to laugh.
"Is this some kind of prank?" Rainbow said angrily.
"Oh no no no of course not." Ray said as he removed his crown.
"Then how did ya do that? Ya don't look like an Alicorn to me surgercube." Applejack pointed out.
"I'm not. Please allow me to explain." Ray said as he fiddled with his crown.
"Well start explaining pal!" Rainbow said sternly. Ray nodded then did a double take.
"Is she always this pushy?" He asked to no one in particular.
"Yeah, she gets like this sometimes but deep down she's a little soft." Applejack teased. Rainbow folded her arms and blushed, averting her eyes from the group.
"I'm not soft! I'm too awesome to be soft!" She claimed. Everyone laughed again making Rainbow seethed e with anger. Then everyone settled and Ray started to explain.
"Do you see this gem?" He said as he pointed to the shiny red one on his crown. The mane 6 crowded around him to look closer.
"Yes! Its beautiful.." Rarity says, her eyes sparkling.
"It is, but that's not the point." Ray said as he tapped the jewel with his hoof lightly.
"What's the point?" Twilight asked, completely ingrossed in the conversation.
"The point is this is a a jem made up of an element i can barely quantify and by harnessing its power I've been able to replicate the telekinetic abilities of a unicorn." Ray explained. Everyone immediately started to look lost, except for Twilight, who's wings twiched with Exciment. Then she saw her clueless friends expressions and translated.
"He found a shiny rock that let's him move stuff like a unicorn" Twilight said blankly. Then her friends let out a resounding "ooh" of understanding.
"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" Rainbow said as she folded her forelegs. Ray and Twilight rolled their eyes.
"Thats amazing! Where did you find it?" She asked, turning back to Ray.
"Well I wasn't actually the one that found it..." Ray said as he looked down and started to look forlorn. The girls picked up on this and began to adopt a similar expression.
"My father gave it to me before he um....passed. He told me he found it in lands far from the island. He said that there was something special about it and to always keep it with me..." Ray said. The girls looked at each other sadly.
"That was a while ago though." Ray said as his smile returned, as did the others smiles. "So far I haven't been able to replicate the gems abilities, which is basically the mystery I talked about earlier." Ray said with a sigh.
"Oh! Does it have a cool name?" Pinkie asked, excitedly raising her hoof.
"Actually, no it doesn't. I've been so busy working on it that i honestly forgot to give it one!" Ray admitted.
"So do you know if there are more gems like it out there?" Twilight asked.
"My father didn't tell me where he found it but I suppose there are." Ray said with a shrug. "I've done the calculations. This gem no matter how special shouldn't be able to achieve such feats without something else... The one thing I'm sure I'll never understand."
"Really? And what would that be surgercube?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah! It seems like your an egghead like Twilight!" Rainbow said, nudging Twilight's side causing her to grumble and blush.
"Well I'm not too shabby at mechanical things if I do say so myself. But when it comes to magic I'm pretty clueless. Ray admitted. " I need a magical expert to help me understand this gem fully. Then maybe reproducing its effects, or finding more of them would be easier. " he stated.
" Well... I know somepony who's good at magic Prince Ray... " Fluttershy said, finally speaking up.
"Ah she talks! Who would that be? I could use their help!" Ray said, awaiting the answer. Everyone looked at Twilight and smirked at the same time. Twilight looked around cluelessly.
"Well ah bet Twilight would be HAPPY to help ya!" Applejack said, giving Twilight a firm pat on the back that knocked the wind out of her.
"Yeah! She's the best at magic! And mysteries." Pinkie said.
"Indeed!" Rarity agreed. Ray's excitement faded somewhat.
"I should have expected that. As much as I would love to have you help me Princess, this project would take quite some time to complete and I'm sure your kingdom needs you..." He said, trailing off and putting his crown back on. Twilight started to blush and look down.
"Its sucks to be so close...Think of the possibilities! This device already makes my work a lot easier, just imagine what it could do for the world!" Ray said as he paced around. He then stopped and sighed."Maybe this project is too ambitious, even for me." He muttered.
"I have some room on my schedule, maybe we could work something out?" Twilight finally said sincerely. Ray turned and beamed.
"That would be awesome!" He said with a content smile.
"You're an egghead prince, but sometimes you don't talk like one! How come?" Rainbow asked.
"I don't know, that's just how I am." Ray said with a shrug. "It may or may not have something to do with me skipping most of my royal edicate classes. I know how to greet other royals but not much else." He added sheepishly
"Is that why you did that lame hoof kissing thing?" Rainbow asked with a deadpan expression.
"Basically. I thought I was charming! Although it honestly did feel kinda lame." Ray said with a laugh. Then he started to smirk.
"I bet you just want me to greet you that way..." He teased.
"What? In your dreams egghead!" Rainbow said with a frown, completely flushed.
"What did you skip those classes to do anyway?" Twilight asked, thinking there must have been a good reason.
"To invent composition 4." He said casually. Twilight's eyes widened and her wings flitterd slightly.
"Isn't that that stuff that blows up?" Rainbow said with a raised brow.
"Yep. That stuff is a...he he....blast..." Ray said simply. Then he smirked again.
"So...about that Royal greeting miss Dash..."
"NO!" She barked.
"Actually I would like one!" Rarity said excitedly.
"Sure why not." Ray said with a shrug. He walked over to her and raised her hoof to his lips. Rarity started giggling like a maniac and blushing in anticipation.
Unfortunately as that was happening another Prince entered the room.
"Oh look its the royal jerk." Rainbow muttered.
"Hey don't be jealous because you didn't get a kiss.." Ray teased as he let go of Rairty's hoof.
"Not you idiot! That guy!" She whispers, pointing towards Prince Blue Blood, who entered the room, eyes locked on Ray.
"You!" He called out with venom, trotting straight up to Ray and getting in his face. Ray was shorter than Blue Blood so he looked up at him.
"Hello random citizen." Ray said with a neutral face.
"What!? I am no random citizen! I am Prince Blue Blood!" He said snorting angrily in Ray's face, who didn't move an inch.
"Oh ok I couldn't tell because of a significant lack of *ahem*" Ray said as he gestured to his crown. Blue Blood's ears drooped for a moment making the girls snicker. Then he growled and got closer to Ray, who still wasn't threatened whatsoever.
"So?! I dont need a crown to be a Prince!" He sputtered.
"Cool story. Can you get to the part about why you're in my face now?" Ray said with a deadpan expression.
"I demand an apology!" Blue Blood said with a frown.
"For what?" Ray said looking puzzled.
"For bumping into me earlier!" Blue Blood claimed.
"Oh that was you?" Ray said as he thought back to when he first entered the castle. "Why? I barely even touched you!"
"That's irrelevant!" Blue blood barked as his eye twitched.
"So is this whole conversation." Ray said in a condescending tone, smiling smugly. The girls all began to laugh at Blue Blood making him feel embarrassed. Then Blue Blood began to grumble and turn red. He's had enough of this foreigner talking to him any kind of way.
"You sir have insulted my honer..." He began.
"That was easy. Are you sure there was any there to begin with?" Ray asked sarcastically.
"That's it! I challenge you to a duel!" Blue Blood shouted. The girls gasped and looked at each other.
"Ok...what kind of duel?" Ray asked calmly.
"The only way royalty duels..." Blueblood said. He used his magic to summon forth a fencing sword.
"...With a sword." He finished with a serious expression.
"Oh darn... I thought you were going to say quick scoping or something, I'm pretty good at that." Ray muttered.
"This is no game! Let us duel!" Blue Blood barked.
"I would totally, if I had a sword..." Ray stated. Blue Blood's horn glowed and another identical sword appeared infront of his face. Blue Blood expected a swift victory because Ray was a pegasus, meaning he would have to hold the sword with his teeth or his wings. Ray's crown sparked to life and Blue Blood's jaw dropped.
"Impossible!" Blue Blood whispered. He shook his head and tried to focus. Fancy tricks won't save him from Equestria's fencing champion.
"I'm not one to shy away from an honest challenge." Ray said with a smirk. Both ponies backed away, putting a reasonable distance between each other.
"En guard!"
"Wait what are the rules exactly?" Ray asked cluelessly. His eyes widened when Blue Blood came fiercely charging at him.
...
Out in the hallway leading to the throne room the Queen, Princess and her neice were on their way back from the royal conference room, joined by Princess Luna and Captain Shining Armor.
"He's quite charming! Wait until you meet him!" Celestia said to her sister as they trotted up to the door.
"I'm more intrested in that sweet airship in the docking area." Shining said as he grinned at the thought of it.
"Ah you mean the Zenith? That's my son's newest design. It uses jet engines instead of traditional propellers." Queen Horizon said with a giggle.
"Jet engines?" Shining said in confusion.
"I'm sure my son would be happy to explain.." The queen said as the doors to the throne room were being opened by the guards. The scene before them made them all speechless.
Ray and Blue Blood were locked in a vicious fencing battle, their swords clinking and clanking away, while behind them the mane six cheered them on. Celestia's eyes widened, Luna raised her brow, Shining got excited, Cadence laughed and Queen Horizon looked furious.
"We agree sister... Quite charming indeed." Luna muttered sarcastically.
"RAY! WHAT ON EQUIS ARE YOU DOING?!" Queen Horizon yelled. The two combatants paused for a moment and Ray smiled nervously.
"Um...this thing called fencing. I never knew there was a name for it, I just thought it was stab the other guy and don't get stabbed back or something-"
"Stop this at once! I can't believe you would do something like this!" She barked.
"Lets face it, this isn't the worst thing you've caught me doing.." Ray said nervously. His mother opened his mouth to speak but just ended up giving up entirely.
"I apologize your highness. Your son and I are just having a friendly fencing match for recreational purposes." Blue Blood explained with a smile. The queen facehoofed and turned around.
"I'm going back to the ship. Tell me when you're done playing Ray.." She said as she walked away. With that the two Princes looked at each other and shrugged, then they continued their battle.
"Are we just going to let this happen sister?" Luna whispered in Celestia's ear.
"I want to see who wins." Celestia said with a smirk.
Everyone watched excitedly as the two battled.
"Why are we even *clang* fighting again?" Ray asked.
"I honestly *clink* don't remember *clank* anymore!" Blue Blood admitted. They crossed swords a few times, then Blue Blood managed to knock Ray off balance. Now that Ray was vuranable Blue Blood swung again to get a point, but Ray's wings instinctively opened and he flew upward.
"You cheater!" Get back down here!" Blue Blood said angrily, lowering his sword.
"My bad! I got scared for a second." Ray said as he floated down.
"Wow look at those wings!" Cadence said to the girls who stared at them in awe. Then they all started to giggle until Shining glared angrily at them, making them all quiet down.
"Cheating like that deserves a penalty.." Blue Blood said as he rubbed his chin. Then he smiled mischievously.
"How about you take off that fancy crown of yours?" He said with a smug grin. Ray laughed then sighed.
"So you figured it out." Ray said with a smirk.
"Yes! You have to fight without it!"
"Fine. I dont need telekinesis to beat you!" Ray said confidently as he took off his crown. The moment he did his sword fell uselessly too the ground. "Somepony hold this for me please." He said as he held out his crown to the spectators.
"Oh me! Anything for YOU Prince Ray.." Rarity said with a half lidded expression, making the others roll their eyes except for Twilight who seemed a bit jealous. Rarity's magic carried it away and Ray walked over too his sword and lowered his head to grab it.
"What's the score again?"
" 1 to 0 in your favor. However it won't stay like that for long." Blue Blood said with narrowed eyes.
"Right.. Just pick on the pony who's never fenced before." Ray muttered as he picked the sword up with his teeth.
"You're pretty good for a beginner, I'll give you that." Blue Blood admitted.
"Tanks mate" Ray said with the sword in his mouth. Then the two nodded at each other and proceeded with the battle. Because of Ray's new disadvantage he found it difficult to keep up with blue blood. Then with an exceptionaly hard swing Blue Blood knocked the sword out of Ray's mouth then pointed the tip of his at his neck. Ray gulped and held his hooves out in a innocent gesture.
"Hey I get your point already.." Ray said sarcastically, eying the tip of the sword cautiously. Blue Blood paused for a moment then started laughing. Everyone else started to laugh as well except Luna, Rainbow dash and Twilight. Applejack just looked confused.
"Was that supposed to be funny Tia?" Luna asked as she looked at her sister with disappointment.
"I thought it was funny" Celestia said honestly.
"I cant believe he just said that!" Twilight said with a facehoof.
"That was way past uncool..." Rainbow said with a shake of her head.
"Ah dont get it." Applejack said with a puzzled look, making Twilight and Rainbow smack their forheads in unison.
"Well that makes us even now. This only brings us closer to my inevitable victory." Blue Blood claimed proudly.
"Uh huh. Hey are you familiar with the term... clutch?" Ray said as he picked up his sword again. Blue Blood raised his brow in confusion.
"What in equis are you tal-" He started to say before Ray came at him fiercely. Blue Blood quickly found himself backed into a corner from Ray's viscous assault. Then with a final swing Ray snapped Blue Blood's sword in half like a twig with one powerful strike. Everyone gasped including Blue Blood himself.
"You...you...broke my Swo... You didn't have to break my sword!" He complained.
"Well I figured I had to break something, Like your spirit... Or your Honor... Or your forleg..."
"You didn't have to break anything!"
"Clearly you've never made an omelet."
"..."
"2-1 in my favor. GG my honorless adversary." Ray muttered as he turned and started walking towards Rarity to receive his crown. Blue Blood just sat there opening and closing his mouth before snorting angrily and leaving the room.
"Beginners luck!" He claimed as the massive door closed behind him.
"That was an exciting match your highness! Here is your crown." Rarity said as she used her magic to place it on his head.
"Thank you." He said with a nod then he coughed dryly.
"That match dehydrated me. Does anypony have something to drink?" Ray asked as he wiped sweat off his forehead.
"Here ya go!" Pinkie said, tossing him a bottle that he caught with his crown.
"Thanks a bunch." He said as he grabbed it, opened it and took a nice long drink. As he did this Celestia and the others walked over to him.
"I see we have a few new faces." Ray said. Shining walked over and stuck his hoof out.
"It's nice to meet you Ray. I'm Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal guard." Shining said with a firm shake. "I really like your airship, the black paint really adds a nice touch!" Shining complimented. Ray nodded and took another drink. He looked over to the mare standing next to Celestia then started choking in his water and his heart stopped.
She was absolutely gorgeous! From her beautiful flowing mane that reminded him of the night sky itself, to her angel like wings. And she er....had a neat cutie mark too. Something is preventing his eyes from looking away from that area....
He's never seen a mare like her! Except for...you know... The other three Alicorns in the room, But that didn't matter at the time! Ray thought that maybe Romance wasn't such a bad thing after all! Looking at her made him feel all warm and fuzzy. He had to find out who she was!
Ray flew in front of Luna at a incalculable speed, stunning everyone in the room except for Rainbow Dash, the only one who tracked the movement. Luna looked down on the Prince with intrigue, but otherwise showed no other emotion.
"I seriously don't know who you are but maybe you could grace my ears with your name sexy!" Ray said with a smooth tone and a handsome smile. Luna's neutral expression began to change into a nervous blush. As that was happening Luna was unaware of the evil eye she was getting from Rarity. Luna cleared her throat and prepared to speak.
"WE ART THE PRINCESS OF THE MOON, LUNA!" She shouted in his face with her royal Canterlot voice. The force from her shout made Ray drop the hoof he was about to kiss. He slowly stumbled backwards looking like he'd just been spooked by a ghost. His hair was comicly stuck flowing back, like a fan was in his face. His eyes were tiny pinpricks. Everyone cringed as the prince sat there frozen in time. Luna brought her hoof to her face to cover her mouth, looking embarrassed.
"Sister! how many times must I tell you? Don't greet foreigners with the royal Canterlot voice!" Celestia scolded.
"I think it would be better if you greeted nopony with the royal Canterlot voice." Twilight said as her ears twiched painfully.
"I think I'm deaf. I can't imagine how he feels!" Shining complained.
"He looks like he saw a ghost or something!" Pinkie said with a giggle.
"Ah think the poor feller's brain went and stopped workin..." Applejack muttered. But of course that was not the case, for Ray's brain was working just fine.
"Like I said before... Complete waste of time. All of those feelings of affection have died with a single shout" Ray thought bitterly. Why does the hot one have to be a screaming banshee? This party is going to be hopeless! In fact I should just skip it entirely!
"Yeah...I'm gonna go to my ship now until the party.." Ray muttered as he walked toward the door.
"Wait! You didn't finish your Royal greeting!" Luna begged.
"Uh I think I'll pass." Ray said as he exited and closed the doors behind him
...
"Smooth moves sister." Celestia teased.
"Oh hush sister thou art just jealous!" Luna teased.
"Uh- huh totally jealous..." Celestia said with a shake of her head.
"Well? You lucky ponies have dresses to try on! Come darlings!" Rarity said happily as she started walking.
"Oh boy..." Rainbow said flatly.
Twilight look at the door where Ray just left and sighed. it was time for the Gala preparations to begin anyway, it would be starting in a couple hours after all.
...
"No Ray! you're not wearing that to the party!" Queen Horizon said.
"Oh come on mom! This would be perfect to showcase the tech I'm bringing to Equestria!" Ray pouted as he struck a pose in his batlle armor.
"You look like a dark, iron, pony, knight! You'll end up scaring somepony!" His mom scolded.
"Alright fine mom, I'll put on the tux." Ray said with dread as he cleared his throat.
"Deactivate." Ray said, making a gesture with his hoof.
His armor flashed brightly then started to slowly fold itself away, until it was back to just his regular chestplate. Then he sighed and walked back into his room.
...
A few minutes later Ray emerged from the airship, proudly wearing nothing but his crown, his Royal slippers and a simple black and white tuxedo with a bowtie.
"Alright mom I'm so ready to.... waste four hours of my life..." Ray said, his mood deflating instantly.
"Oh hush Ray. Complaining won't make the Gala disappear."
"I have some things that could make it disappear..." Ray said with an evil smile.
"You better not! This is not one of your weapon demonstrations!"
"I was kidding mom, sheesh"
"You weren't kidding back during that party in Griffonia!"
"Mom! The king dared me! I couldn't disappoint!" Ray said in his defence. As the two bickered among themselves, an Equestrian guard came over to them.
"Excuse me your highness, but the party is about to begin." The guard informed.
"Thanks dude. Let's go mom." Ray said with a sigh as they both took off into the air.
...
Inside the Royal hall, the Gala was well underway. The tables were set, the decorations were stunning and, the famous musician Octavia played gentle music for the arriving guests. Ray and his mother arrived rather early, despite Ray's pleas to be fashionably late. Near the entrance to the hall was Princess Celestia, greeting guests as she always does.
"Ah, hello Queen Horizon!" She greeted then she turned to Ray, lowered her head and nuzzled him catching him completely off guard.
"The heck was that?" He asked, puzzled.
"Ponies don't nuzzle each other on Eclipse island?" Celestia asked.
"No. We don't." He said, Blinking rapidly.
"Is that a bad thing?" Celestia asked.
"Almost...I thought you were going to kiss me or something..." Ray mumbled. Celestia and The queen giggled at Ray's expense and he grumbled in annoyance.
"Anyway, I'm afraid I have A LOT more guests to greet tonight.." Celestia said with a deadpan expression. Ray looked behind him at the massive line and snickered.
"Hm. Sucks to be you I suppose." Ray teased.
"Very funny..." Celestia said dryly. "When will the other guests of honor arrive I wonder..."Celestia said curiously. Ray raised his brow in interest.
"Other guests of honor? Have I meet them?" He asked.
"All except one" Celestia answered simply.
"Wait then who is it?" Ray pressed.
"Just stick around and find out." His mom suggested smugly.
"Fine. Only if you sit and suffer with us." Ray challenged.
"Fine." His mother said confidently. Then the three of them greeted a few guests. When there was a pause in the flow of guests, Ray smacked his forhead.
"I feel sorry for you Princess. This is incredibly boring." Queen Horizon said.
"Being royalty sucks." Ray complained.
"Oh its only just begun for you.." Celestia quipped.
"I liked it better when I was just a rich smart guy. Now I'm a Royal rich smart guy." Ray muttered.
"Hey...did you see that one mare's mane though?" Ray said, barley holding in a laugh.
"Now I don't think that's very nice..." Celestia started to say. Then she remembered how ridiculous it looked and started snickering. Ray's mom just started laughing outright.
"What's funny guys? I want to laugh too!" Said a tall draqounes who decided to pop up beside Ray.
"Oh it was nothing really..." Ray started to say as he turned to Discord and looked up.
"HOLY BU-"
"Language Ray!" His mother shouted. Ray jumped back and marveled at the sight of the tall being before him.
"Sup Celestia." Discord said with a wink. Celestia Deadpanned and sighed.
"Hello Discord, welcome to the Gala" Celestia said plainly.
"I see our foreign friends have arrived." Discord muttered as he rubbed his beard.
"I see that you have also arrived. Forgive me for not being enthusiastic." Celestia muttered.
"Oh please! It wouldn't be a party without me!" Discord said confidently as he struck a heroic pose.
"It wouldn't be one without us either!" Pinkie said cheerfully. Then Everyone turned to see Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Behind them was Cadence and her husband and Princess Luna. Ray took one look at Luna and shuddered. "Great....the screaming banshee is her..." he thought bitterly.
"Ah the other guests of honor have arrived." Celestia said with a warm smile.
"Neat. more important ponies. I draw enough attention as it is!" Ray said with relief.
"Actually I was planning to introduce you two on the stage formaly." Celestia said. Ray deadpanned and smacked his forhead making the others giggle. Rarity walked over to Ray and beamed.
"What do you think of our dresses Prince Ray? I made them all myself!" She said proudly. Ray took a moment to exaimine them and cringed internally. The Eclipse Empire's national colors were Black and white. So seeing anything else was just off to him. However before he could express his honest opinion, something floated its way into his eye. He tried desperately to remove it for a few moments but failed, making his eye water.
"It's l alright to cry Darling, I know they're beautiful." Rarity said with a blush.
"Something... In....my....eye.." Ray said as he kept trying to get it out to no avail.
"Oh no need to make excuses Darling. You shouldn't be ashamed to cry, when faced with such beauty" Rarity giggled.
"I swear to your Princess, there is something in my eye!" He snapped.
"Sure..." Rainbow said with disbelief making everyone laugh.
"But there really is something in his eye guys, see?..." Twilight muttered as she used her magic to precisely remove a small flower petal.
"Thank you! That was agonizing!" Ray said happily as he rubbed his tears away. Then he looked at the six mares again.
"Well I must say your all looking rather...colorful.." He muttered, trailing off.
"I really like your necklaces and your tiara Princess Twilight!" Queen Horizon said kindly.
"That is not mere jewelry my dear. Those are the Elements of harmony..." Discord muttered with narrowed eyes. Then he glared at Celestia.
"Still don't trust me Princess?" He growled.
"Don't look at me, I didn't tell them to wear them!" Celestia said innocently.
"What? The elements are quite fashionable!" Rarity admitted. Ray rubbed his chin and decided to set things straight about elements.
"So those six pieces of jewelry are the Elements of Harmony? " he asked.
"Yes." Twilight answered.
"But I thought the six of you physically were the elements of harmony." Ray said , looking puzzled.
"Technically we just represent each one, but yes that is also true."
"So its a magical weapon, correct?"
"Correct"
"That requires 6 different ponies, to wear jewelry and be together"
"Yes they must represent their elements, and have a deep and intimate freindship."
"So it wouldn't work if say... one of you hated the other? Or if one of you didn't show up?"
"Nope"
"Wow..." Ray said with a facehoof. Everyone looked at him curiously and he threw his head back and laughed.
"I'm sorry it's just... Thats the most impractical super weapon I've ever heard of!" He said. Only Discord and Shining armor joined him in his laughter.
"Wow...just wow! Who would even make a weapon with such specific requirements and conditions? How in the world did you manage to use that on anypony? Who would lose to you guys? " Ray wondered. Then Discord immediately stopped laughing and adopted a sad expression.
"Me" he said. Now everyone busted out laughing. "Hey...being the bad guy is harder than it looks!" Discord pouted.
"We hath tasted the sting of thine elements first hoof...t'was not enjoyable." Luna added. making them howl with laughter.
"If I was a bad guy I would really prove how impractical those things are!" Ray joked.
"Oh please! You would make a terrible villain!" Queen Horizon said.
"Thats the point! To be evil and do terrible naughty things. I'd be a mad scientist!" Ray said with a fake evil laugh.
"I would totally let my moustache and goatee grow out, so I can stroke it as I plan my evil deeds..." Ray said as he smiled mischifesly and rubbed his chin.
"What would you do that's so terrible anyway?" Twilight asked.
"Oh I don't know... Melt the poler icecaps? Blow up the sun? Thats evil right?" Ray said with a shrug. the ones in the group that understood what that would do cringed, especially Celestia.
"You're already a mad scientist!" Discord pointed out.
"I am?"
"Only a mad scientist would make a potato launcher that fires at mach one..." Shining muttered. Ray began to look embarrassed.
"Uh..I can explain that..." Ray said with a guilty look.
"Somepony bet you too didn't they?" His mom tried to recall.
"Something like that. It led me to the cannons that the zenith uses now though." Ray explained.
"Your airship shoots potatoes?" Shining asked with a furrowed brow.
"No. It fires a depleted uranium slug at mach 4, but it seems to fly the same." Ray muttered, making shining gasp.
"Gosh...Glad you're on our side..." Shining muttered with a relieved sigh.
Then he started rubbing his chin. "Well i still want to meet the pony who invented 6 magical pieces of jewelry, that 6 different ponies have to be great friends for it to even work. Magic is still silly to me." Ray said with a chuckle.
"To be fair I used them all alone, a long time ago.." Celestia pointed out making Ray blink in surprise.
"Huh? How did it go from 1 pony to 6??? I suppose in a few years it will require 12 ponies to use." Ray joked.
"Keep talking and we'll use them on you!" Twilight joked. Ray threw his hoofs up in an innocent gesture. Everyone laughed again and Ray just shook his head.
"Well I don't know about you ponies but I'm going to hit up the snack bar!" Ray said with a smirk as he slowly scooted away.
"Up up up! Stage first." His mother said. Ray lowered his head and grumbled.
"Fine if I must." Ray said with a snort.
"Don't worry. It will be very brief, just something to get the party started." Celestia assured.
...
After all the party guests arrived Princess Celestia, Queen Horizon and Prince Ray briefly stepped onto a raised platform that had a microphone on a stand. Celestia walked up to it and smiled at the guests. Everyone paused what they were doing and began to stomp the floor lightly and cheer a little.
"Hello my ponies! I'd like to thank all of you for attending this year's Gala!" Princess Celestia said with a warm smile. Everyone cheered and stomped louder. "I would like to introduce two new friends of mine from the Eclipse empire! Queen Horizon and her son Prince Ray!" She announced. The crowd now howled with loud cheering and stomping. Ray and his mother just waved and smiled at the cheering ponies. Then suddenly Discord popped behind the three of them making everyone at the party go silent. He cleared his throat and tapped his chest and waited.
"*sigh* I'd also like to welcome.... Discord the lord of chaos to the party..." Celestia said quickly with a deadpan expression.
"Please everypony hold your applause." Discord said as he snickered to himself. The crowd just stared blankly at him, completely silent. The only sounds that could be heard were crickets and some guy coughing in the back.
"I don't think they like you." Ray whispered. Unfortunately the mic actually picked up what he said, which got a few ponies laughing. Discord frowned at Ray who just flashed a nervous smile. Discord got this mischievous look and narrowed his eyes. He snatched the mic away and cleared his throat. Celestia gave him a suspicious look but otherwise did nothing.
"I would just like to let everypony know that our very young and handsome guest here is SINGLE" Discord announced to the crowd. A strange awkward silence filled the room because Ray felt all the mares staring at him and shrunk slightly. Discord started to laugh like a maniac as he passed the microphone back to Celestia who snatched it from him.
"Well that is all everypony. Continue with the party." Celestia announced. The music started up and someponies started slow dancing in the center. Ray immediately hoped off the stage and walked toward the snack bar. He quickly got a drink and sighed.
"I swear... my mother just wants grand children..." Ray muttered to himself. As he said that Princess Luna came over to him. She wasn't wearing a dress like Twilight and the other elements, however she definitely didn't need one. She came in front of him timidly barely sharing eye contact.
"Greetings Prince Ray..." She said quietly.
"Hello Princess Luna. I appreciate you not traumatizing my ears this time." Ray said with a chuckle.
"Oh.. We apologize for that..." She said, cringing at the memory. Then she looked at him warmly. "Thou looks handsome in thine tuxedo." Luna complimented. Ray smirked and adjusted his bowtie.
"Thanks! Although I thought that black and white was a bit too plain for Equestria." Ray said as he looked around at all the color. "I really like what you've done with your hair! Do you use some sort of special gel or something? Or some magical enchantment?" Ray asked as he took another sip.
"Actually it just does that by itse-" Luna started to say. Out of nowhere Rainbow swooped in and grabbed Ray's hoof.
"Dude come here! I want you to meet someponies!" She said as she started pulling him.
"But I was having a con-" he tried to say before getting pulled away. Luna sat there with a blank expression. She shook her head and poured herself a glass of cider.
"Ok...that just happened.." She muttered too herself.
...
"So this is Soarin, Spitfire, Fleetfoot and Cloudchaser!" Rainbow Dash said pointing to 4 ponies wearing officer uniforms. They all just stared at Rainbow and Ray with mixed expressions of intrigue.
"Sup?" Ray said sheepishly. Rainbow gave Ray a hard stare.
"Don't you know who these ponies are??? They're the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow exlaimed. Ray just scratched his head and sat there.
"I'm not from here. How do you except me to know them?" Ray whispered.
"Oh, right..." Rainbow said with a facehoof. Spitfire and the others started to laugh, making Rainbow blush.
"Well it's good to meet you Prince Ray!" Spitfire said, giving him a quick hoofshake.
"Likewise. What do you guys do?" Ray asked curiously.
"We perform aerial acrobatics and demonstrations." Soarin said with a smirk.
"Yep! Best flyers in Equestria!" Spitfire confirmed with a nod. Ray nodded quite impressed.
"Cool! We have a team like that back on Eclipse!" Ray said. Rainbow and the other raised their brows.
"Really?" They all said.
"Yep! They're called the Helldivers." Ray said casually. The others looked at each other and their eyes widened.
"That's a pretty cool name! What are they like?" Rainbow asked, with an awe struck look.
"Well Eclipse island is populated primarily by pegasi, so there is plenty of Talent! I used to be one when I was younger infact."
"Wouldn't you be to young to join?" Rainbow Wondered.
"Nah. You can join at any age! A good flyer is a good flyer!" Ray chuckled. Rainbow smirked and rubbed her chin.
"Interesting.." Rainbow muttered in thought. Soarin nervously whispered in Spitfire's ear.
"I think we're losing our number one fan!" He warned. At that moment Rarity popped up and dragged Ray to another part of the party.
"And your dragging me where, because why?" Ray demanded.
"Oh Darling there are some ponies who want to meet you!" Rarity explained.
"If that's the case then why didn't they just come to me!?" Ray quipped. Rarity just giggled, making Ray sigh.
...
"Its nice to meet you...uh...Fancy Pants!" Ray said as he hoofshaked the high class Unicorn.
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well young chap! I heard that you managed to defeat Blue Blood in a fencing match!" Fancy said with a warm smile.
"Yeah. It was pretty fun I suppose." Ray shrugged.
"I wish I could have been there to see it! That child needs to learn a thing or two about being a gentlecolt!" Fancy said with a flash of anger. Then a tall unicorn mare with pink hair produced a magazine.
"C..can you autograph my magazine?" She asked timidly, holding it out. Ray shrugged and she gave him a pen.
"Alright who do I sign it too?" Ray asked.
"Fleur Dis Lee."
"Ok." Ray said, quickly signing his signiture without looking. Rarity peeked over and blushed.
"Oh I have the same issue! It's my favorite by far!" She said gesturing to the magazine. Ray raised his brow and actually took a look at the cover of the magazine. His eyes widened when he saw it.
" Playcolt huh? Hmm..... Wait....Is....is that ME?!"
...
"Hey there Prince Ray! Would ya like to try a sample of my apple pies?" Applejack asked, as she sat behind her makeshift apple stand. Ray paused and turned to her.
"Apple pie? Yes of course!" Ray said, immediately forgetting what he was angry about entirely. Applejack nodded and hoofed him a plate with a large slice of apple pie and a fork. Ray grinned and took a bite. His eyes widened and he began to salivate uncontrollably.
"Do ya like it?"
"I wanna buy more....."
"Alright... How many sugarcube?"
"All of them."
"Oh.....thats a mighty heavty order partner."
"Hey its better than me buying your entire farm..."
"Right... I'll have it all deliverd to your fancy airship. Deal?" Applejack asked as she stuck her hoof out.
"Deal!" Ray said as he accepted the hoof shake. Unfortunately he forgot how strong applejack was.
"After i convert some of my cash to bi-AHH!"
"Uh.... Sorry sugar cube"
...
Ray rubbed his bruised foreleg and sighed heavily.
"So let me get this straight... You're both over 1000 years old?" Ray asked as he stared up at Celestia and Discord.
"Yes! Except I'm older than time itself! I think.." Discord said with a laugh.
"Unbelievable!" Ray exclaimed. His mind running in circles trying to process this.
"Yep! me, this old coot and her sister!" Discord said as he playfully pinched Celestia's cheek. Celestia just stared blankly and tried to ignore him.
"Yes. As the fool says, we have lived many centuries." She confirmed.
"Oh come now Celestia. You know I am no mere fool. I am YOUR fool!" He said with a wink. Celestia blushed lightly and looked away. Ray raised his brow and started to back away slowly.
"S..stop it!" She stuttered in an attempt to push him away. Discord's intangible body bent at an impossible angle to avoid Celestia's hoof. It was at that point that Ray decided to remove himself. He could feel his sanity and logic slip away from just being in proximity of Discord.
"Ok I'm just going to...bye!" Ray said with a fake grin as he walked away.
...
"Nope! I don't believe you! Love is simply an emotion! You can't use it to fight!" Ray said as he shook his head.
"But thats how we defeated her!" Cadence pouted.
"Uh huh." Ray grumbled with a deadpan expression as he sipped his drink.
"Our love was so strong that it overpowered Queen Chrysalis! Ask anypony here! They were all there!"
"Well I shouldn't be arguing with the Princess of love about her specialty." Ray admitted with a sigh.
"You honestly shouldn't argue with her about anything. She always wins!" Shining said with a chuckle. Cadence smiled smugly and nuzzled her husband.
"Well I guess that's part of being married isnt it? Good thing that'll never be me!" Ray stated firmly. Then out of nowhere Luna came and started tugging on Ray.
"We request a dance with thee!" She said as she began dragging him away.
"I request that you leave me be!" Ray squeaked as he was easily overpowered by Luna's overwhelming strength.
"Oh come now Ray! It will be fun!" Luna said with a giggle. Before Ray could protest further they were in the middle of the dance floor.
"I dont know how to da-whaaa!" Ray said as Luna started to fling him around comicly making everyone stare and snicker.
Cadence and Shining watched with widened eyes.
"Please tell me you don't dance like that babe..." Shining asked.
"Nope..." Cadence said as she cringed, watching the painful dance.
"Good because I don't think I'd survive." Shining admitted. Cadence giggled then started to look around the crowd. She was looking for Twilight.
"Cadance... What are you up too?" Shining asked suspiciously.
"Nothing! I promise!" She said with a wide grin.
"I know that face Cadence. You're about to try shipping somepony aren't you?"
"Noooo... What ever gave you that idea?"
"Maybe because its your job?"
"Good point."
...
"I feel like I died....went to tarterus...got resurrected... Then died again..." Ray muttered bitterly as he rubbed his aching neck. Fluttershy looked sad for the Prince.
"I'm sorry if my friends hurt you..." she said timidly.
"Oh it's alright no need to apologize. The food here almost makes up for it completely!" Ray said as he chomped on a plate of cupcakes, forgetting what he was angry about again. Then he looked at Fluttershy curiously.
"So you have an athlete, a Farmer, a Baker, a few Princesses, a spirit of chaos and a Fashionista as friends. So what do you do?" Ray asked. Fluttershy started to look away and grin nervously.
"Well....I...um...uh" She stuttered. Before she could answer Pinkie zipped up next to them, making Fluttershy yelp.
"She's super good with animals!" Pinkie answered for her. Ray started to look antzy.
"Your not going to uh...drag me to meet somepony are you?" He asked carefully.
"Nope! Unless you want me too!"
"Good. I think I've had enough introductions for the the day." Ray said with a sigh of relief.
"Awww... But I wanted to introduce you to this new cupcake flavor I made.." Pinkie said with disappointment.
"I think I have time to meet them!" Ray said quickly, his ears perking up.
"Yay!" Pinkie said as she produced a plate from nowhere making Ray raise his brow.
"Hey...where did that come fro-" Ray started before Fluttershy covered his mouth with her hoof.
"Just don't ask. I mean if that's ok with you..." She said. Ray stood there blankly in confusion then he just waved it off and grabbed a cupcake off the plate. He took a bite and smiled.
"So what flavor is this anyway?" He asked.
"Super hot and spicy!" Pinkie said casually. Ray's eyes turned to pinpricks as he slowly stopped chewing.
"Spicey?"
"Yep! I wanted to try something different this time, so I put the hottest peppers I could find in it!" Pinkie said with a giggle. Ray gulped and started to shake.
"So what do you think?"
"..."
"I think his brain stopped working again." Fluttershy said as she poked Prince Ray, who stood like a statute.
"Maybe it's just in overdrive! His face is all red, see?"
Without saying a word Ray immediately sprinted to the nearest punch bowl and proceeded to stuff his face into it, getting some odd looks from nearby ponies.
...
"Do you really think so?" Twilight asked Cadance timidly.
"Yes I do! Don't be afraid to talk to him Twilight" Cadance said.
"Hey! I'm not afraid!" Twilight blurted with a blush. Cadance giggled and shook her head.
"Its just... what if he doesn't like me? What if I say something stupid? What if I'm too boring?" Or...what if I talk too much?!" Twilight said, her mind racing.
"Don't over think this Twilight, just go talk to him." Cadence suggested.
"Well ok...if you say so..." Twilight addmited with a sigh. She took a deep breath, sucking in some confidence then started walking over to Ray. When Twilight left, Cadence laughed on the inside.
" I love my job."
...
Ray was standing in a somewhat secluded corner of the room, angrily wiping his tounge down.
"Who the heck thinks its a good idea to put jalapeño in a cupcake anyway?" He muttered outloud.
"Pinkie pie does." Twilight answered with a giggle. As she walked next to him.
"Oh, didn't see you there." Ray said as he stood up straight. Then he narrowed his eyes.
"Please tell me your not going to, A drag me off somewhere to meet somepony. B, give me food that practicly set my mouth on fire or C force me to dance?" Ray asked with a raised brow. Twilight stood there for a few seconds then giggled.
"No of course not."
"Good." Ray said with a relieved tone then he laughed.
"What is it?"
"You have a very interesting set of friends Twilight." Ray said as he observed Pinkie breakdancing on a table. "Especially Pinkie Pie..." Ray said snickering and shaking His head.
"Well they grow on you." Twilight said with a giggle.
"Perhaps. Unfortunately I must be going soon. I have to supervise the preparation of the airship fleet that will deliver the goods to Equestria." Ray muttered. Twilight's eyes began to widen and she got nervous. She took a peek over to cadence who did a motion with her hoof, urging her to go on. Twilight looked down to her hoofs timidly.
"So you're leaving right after the party?" She asked sheepishly.
"I can't say I really enjoyed myself here so far. So probably." Ray admitted. Twilight cringed and began to sweat.
"Well I...uh..." Twilight trailed off. She looked at Cadence again and she was gesturing to Ray, franticly waving her hoof while her husband stared at her in confusion, wondering if his wife has gone insane.
"I THINK YOU SHOULD STAY!" Twilight suddenly blurted, immediately covering her mouth in embarrassment.. Ray raised his brow and stared at Her.
"You know...just for a few hours..." She corrected as she tapped her hooves together.
"Ok... And why should I do that?" Ray asked curiously. Twilight blushed nervously and looked down.
"I have access to Equestria's Royal library.There are tons of books on various crystals and gems. I may have found a book describing a gem with the same properties as yours..." She explained. Ray's brow raised and he started to look interested. He looked down to his forehoof and slid a watch looking device out of his sleeve. He pressed down on it and it sparked to life.
"This is Ray. Tell the captain that I'll be sticking around for a while." He said into it. Then the Watch made a low crack sound.
"Yes your highness, as you command." One of Ray's guards replied. Ray turned off the watch and slipped it back under his sleeve. Then he looked back at Twilight, who was amazed to say the least.
"What was that?" She asked, her eyes sparkling again.
"Multipurpose short range communication device. One of the products I'll be massproducing for Equestria. Although they only come in black, which may be a problem for such a.... colorful culture." He muttered. Then he smiled and put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"I really appreciate you helping me Princess. Finding this gem is really important to me!" He said excitedly. Twilight's cheeks started to turn red, then Ray did something that took her off guard. He leaned in and nuzzled her.
"Princess Celestia said ponies do that here to show affection. Did I do it right?" Ray said with a smooth tone. Twilight blushed and giggled.
"Somewhat. It's actually like this." Twilight said as she nuzzled Ray back. Their faces turned a light shade of red and Ray happily returned the nuzzle.
...
"Welp my work here is done!" Cadance said with a triumphant look. A look that faded when she saw her husband's hard stare.
"I should have known...you had the shipping face on and everything! Of all the ponies you could ship with him...MY TWILY?" He barked.
"What!? They look so cute together! And they act so much alike!" Cadence protested.
"Nope! Stopping it right now!" Shining growled as he started to stomp toward the couple. He looked at them and slowly stopped walking. That look they were giving each other... It was the same look that Cadence and him shared years ago. He sighed and walked back over to Cadence, who had a smug grin plastered on her face.
"Just trust my judgment next time honey. It's my Job."
"Yeah yeah..." Shining grumbled as he took a sip of cider. Then he looked to another section of the party. "What about those two?" He said. Cadence looked over to where he was pointing and giggled.
"Well that pair was over 1000 years in the making. No need for me to interfere." Cadance quipped.
...
"Well well well. Somepony owes me 10 bits!" Discord chortled as he poked Celestia's side. She grumbled and smacked 10 bits into his waiting paw.
"I don't know why I make these bets with you when you always know the outcome." She said with a deadpan expression. Then She looked back over To Twilight and Ray, sighing happily.
"Just look at those two... so happy together..." She said.
"That reminds me of us!" Discord said as he wrapped an arm around her. She frowned and averted her eyes, blushing lightly.
"In your dreams discord." She muttered.
"Oh please, we're way past that! You're in denial!" He quipped. Celestia just sighed and rolled her eyes.
...
Ray and Twilight stood there staring into each others eyes with a half lidded expression.
"I never realized how beautiful you were Twilight.." He said sincerely. She giggled and blushed.
"You're cute too Ray." She returned. Then she noticed something above them and stopped. "Hm. That's weird." She muttered. Ray put a hoof to his cheek.
"What? Is there something on my face?" Ray asked worriedly.
"No look!" Twilight said, pointing above them. In between them about a good foot above was a mistletoe. They both stared at it with a puzzled expression. Eventually Twilight looked back to Ray with a smug smile.
"Well you know what that means right?" She said suggestively.
"Yes but this is just....stupid! First of all, its not even close to being hearth warming! Second of all, how in the world is it floating there? I don't see any signs of magic, nore do I see a string! This doesn't make any sense!" Ray started to rant. Twilight shook her head and sighed. She shushed him with a hoof.
"You talk too much Ray." She said before leaning in and kissing him. They both closed there eyes and melted into the passionate kiss. After a few seconds they both pulled back.
"I look forward to working with you... Twilight Sparkle." Ray said with a smirk.
"I look forward to working with you too Ray..." She said with a warm smile. Then they both fell silent when they saw a strange scene unfolding not too far away.
...
"I said no Discord! Its not even hearth warming yet! Besides, i wouldn't kiss you ever in 1000 years..." Celestia said sternly. Discord made this exaggerated gasp sound then started to cry obviously fake tears....chocolate tears.
"But it's tradition!" He complained.
"Its also tradition to use mistletoe on the correct holiday." Celestia quipped. Discord folded his arms and sighed. He looked genuinely sad this time. Tia watched him for a few moments then sighed. She took a deep breath and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. He proceeded to jump around with joy, then shoot off like a firework and explode near the ceiling getting everyone's attention.
"....ok then..." Celestia said with widened eyes.
...
Twilight and Ray shook their heads at Discord's antics then looked back to each other.
"Well... the gala ends in like 30 minutes. So what now?" Ray asked.
"Its actually 27 minutes and 39 seconds." Twilight corrected. Ray deadpanned and stared at her.
"And you say that I think too much!"
"What? a lot can happen in 3 minutes!" Twilight said in her defense.
"Right.." Ray said with a shrug. They fell silent until Twilight brought something up.
"So... Have you ever read a book called 'The inner magic theory?'"
"Wait, that's the book where Star Swirl talks about how ponies besides Unicorns may have magic?" Ray said.
"Yes! I love that book!"
"No way! Mee too!"
...
"Based on my studies of various avaian species, as well as notes gathered about Pegasus flight from my personal experiences and observation, I have theorized that Star swirl may be right about a strange Inner magic assisting our flight." Ray said.
"I've done a similar study about earth ponies, my friend Applejack being a prime example. Compairing them to a minatour, they lack sufficient muscle mass, yet earthponies still match or even surpass creatures with more muscle than them. This suggests that they may also be assisted by magic as well!" Twilight said.
"Yes maybe... But if it's true than how come Earthponies and Pegasi can't harness their inner magic like Unicorns?"
"Because they lack horns."
"Right... Perhaps this gem is answer?" Ray said, tapping his crown.
"Yes! Maybe it has a similar chemical make up as a Unicorn horn!"
"Even if that was true, that wouldn't explain how this gem is able to harness my inner magic, assuming that's a thing." Ray said with a disappointed look.
"Hmm... Such wonderful theories! I need to start researching and testing immediately!" Twilight said excitedly.
"You mean WE need to start reaserching and testing immediately." Ray reminded.
"Oh yeah! I've never had a study partner before!" Twilight beamed. As she said that Ray's mother and Princess Celestia walked up to them.
"Well, son the party is over, we can return to eclipse now." Queen horizon said.Ray and Twilight started to look nervous.
"Actually mom...I was planning to stay a little longer, if thats ok with you Princess Celestia." Ray said hopefully.
"Yes of course! You're welcome to stay as long as you like!" Celestia said with a warm smile.
"Staying? Why?" Queen Horizon questioned.
"Twilight and I think we may have found a lead on this gem in her royal library." Ray explained. His mother raised her brow suspiciously then she noticed something. She saw how close Ray and Twilight were and started smiling knowingly.
"Well its alright with me." She said as she nuzzled Ray.
"I'm still not sure if I like this nuzzling thing.." Ray muttered making the girls laugh.
"Well you two run along now! I'm sure there are many books to be analyzed." Queen Horizon giggled. Twilight and Ray nodded, then started to exit the room.
"We may need some coffee, maybe even patches or caffeine pills..." Ray said.
"Pfft! Don't worry about staying up, I have spells that can fix that!" Twilight assured.
"But....I'll need to get some extra paper for all the notes we'll be taking." Twilight said. This time it was Ray's turn to scoff.
"Oh please, no need for paper. We can store our notes electronically!" Ray said confidently.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked puzzled. Ray took a Compact flat rectangular device from his pocket and smirked. Twilight looked at it in awe and her eyes twinkled.
"Let your pal Ray show you the wonders of technology!" He said, casually wrapping a hoof around her sholder as they left the room, leaving Celestia and Queen Horizon there smiling.
"Oh they look so cute together!" Queen Horizon said excitedly.
"I can hear wedding bells already!" Princess Celestia said.
"I can hear the clip clop of little hoofs!" Queen Horizon added.
"Well we shouldn't expect any of that any time soon..." Celestia said with a nervous laugh.
"If Ray is anything like his father you could expect to hear all of that VERY soon"
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Say... Where is your sister? I haven't spoken to her after that accident."
"Luna? Well I haven't seen her since that embarrassing display on the dance floor.
...
"Well...I suppose you and I both lost the game of love.." Rarity muttered as she sadly tapped the glass of cider.
"Yes. Tis very depressing..." Luna agreed, sadly sitting in the chair next to her doing the same. They both sighed in unison and plopped their heads on the table.
"What could I get you two?" The bartender suddenly asked. Thinking that he was talking to them, they both lazily raised their heads to answer.when they did they quickly relazied who the bartender was actually referfng to. Ray's two big muscular body guards sat a short distance away from them. Rarity and Luna slowly turned to each other smiling knowingly.
"So right after we deployed, our commanding officer said the stupidset thing..." One of them was saying. Before he could finish, his friend tapped his shoulder and gestured to the two mares making their way over to them.
"Well uh...hello ladies, what can we help you with?"
Fin
Author's Note
Notes: this is just me trying to do a oneshot that isn't about DJ and isnt full of cursing and other naughty things. You get a cookie if you get any of the references.
:3
