Chapter X: A Week’s End

The week had been an exciting affair since the first incident occurred. The giant snake-like creature that destroyed several districts was defeated by three heroes. In less than two days, two of those saviours had received favour from the diarchs themselves. One of them being incredibly proactive in the workings of the government. And lastly, the handling of basilisks in the slums was being swiftly resolved as guards swarmed the sewers on a hunt.

Word had spread quickly through the high courts of Canterlot, and all the way down to the grimiest of streets. Three heroes had saved the day twice now. Their feats passing and flowing by word of ear.

“My dear, have you heard of the knights?” a mare whispered over the table to her friend as they sat for brunch. The establishment they sat at had an outdoor veranda that the mares had to have for their weekly outing. They could spare the few extra bits.

“The whole city has been talking about it! How could I not? I hear they’re not even ponies!” the friend said as she then sipped her tea.

She watched as the mare gasped in shock as she nodded her head affirmatively. Bringing her cup down slowly to the table with a smug expression, “I’ve even seen one of them.”

“Who? Who?” the mare couldn’t hide her excitement as the friend ate it all up.

“It was the Wolf Knight, Archer,” the friend swooned back as she thought back.

“No,” the mare held on to the word in disbelief.

“Yes. Indeed!” the friend shot back. “Just after the snake had attacked, I saw him cut the head off! It is such a vivid memory, the horror I felt! Luckily, I and the rest of the bearers were saved!”

“I can’t believe it!”

“Would I lie to you?! You’re my best friend!”

The excitement within both the mares could no longer be contained as they squealed out in joy. The soft grunt of a waiter waiting to take their orders stopped their high pitched assault of the nearby patrons.

Nearby in the dense foliage, Discord shot a crackling bolt of chaos magic at the Wolf Knight who barely managed to dodge by the skin of his teeth. The knight ran through the brush and past trees, his escape from the draconequus was foiled as a dark figure appeared next to him. Nightmare Moon flanking him on his left, she came down to strike at him with her savage fangs. A near fatal blow if it hadn’t been for his friend. The fangs came down hard as the Fume Knight took his massive sword to block the fiend, his obelisk-like sword bending from the pressure.

The villains swiftly backed away from the two knights to regroup and collect their breaths. Their attacks were wearing them down, but they had already expended so much. The heroes weren’t looking any better, they were keeled over, their breaths seemingly hampered from the onslaught they had endured. And just behind the two knights, stood their ultimate goal, their revenge, the princesses.

“You can’t defeat us heroes!” Nightmare Moon proclaimed as she rose her hoof triumphantly. “We will have our revenge!” her ethereal magic burst forth from her mane and tail, enshrouding the area around them in darkness.

“That’s right,” a smug expression rested on Discord’s face, his arms crossed as he stood, losing a little balance as he did so. He regained his stature and spoke with an echoing voice that came from all sides, “We have the elements, and we will have our revenge on those two. Step aside..” As Discord pointed behind the two knights, there was Celestia and Luna who cowered in fear from the adversaries before them.

“We will stop you Discord and Nightmare Moon! Your evil shall come to an end!” the Wolf Knight held his sword up and charged.

The Fume Knight followed his friend, “What he said!”

The two pairs charged at one another, each yelling a battlecry of their own. And, as the onslaught continued between the heroes and villains a mare and stallion sat in the park as they enjoyed their meals. They watched over the young fillies and colts who were playing Heroes of Equestria.

“Look at them go…” the stallion happily sighed at the joyful sight.

“Right?” The mare held up a sandwich for the stallion who grabbed it out of her hoof. “It’s good to see them playing again.”

The stallion looked up from the sandwich as he heard a much heavier sigh come from his companion, “Hey… It’s alright.” The stallion held a hoof on the mares shoulder as he took the sandwich into his magic. “It’s alright. All the kids are safe.”

The mare looked back to the kids as they played, “But the orphanage...”

“Will be rebuilt,” the stallion finished. “Not to mention, they’re staying at the Blueblood Manor until all of this blows over. It’s like a home away from home.”

A small smile crept on the mare's face, “Yeah… Good thing they are already huge contributors too.”

“See! There’s that smile I know and love,” the sentiment was there. The words on the other hand, not so much as the stallion had stuffed his face with a sandwich.

She gave a chuckle at her friend’s antics, “So, what have you’ve been up to? You haven’t had a lot of time to volunteer lately.”

“Oh, you can blame our heroes over there,” he nodded over to the kids. “After the whole basilisk fiasco in the Slums, Celestia called a bunch of researchers to help the Pontiff guy.”

“Who?” the mare filled with confusion.

“The guy who wears all white?” No response. “Yeah… Can’t blame ya’. The guy is a total introvert. Anyway,” he continued. “He needed help with something called ‘purging stones’ to help all the petrified ponies. He had a couple already from one of his other friends, we just needed to copy the effects.”

The mare leaned over and whispered, “Are you supposed to tell me these things? Aren’t these state secrets?”

“Ah, shit. You’re right,” the stallion received a sudden glare from the mare. “Right… kids. My bad…”

“Ahem…”

“Oh, right. I guess what I can tell you is this… Twilight Sparkle and the whole rest of the royal researchers have such an admiration for that guy…” the stallion whispered to his friend, all the while making sure no one was eavesdropping.

“Again, who?”

He quickly leaned back, “For the love of Celestia girl, keep up with current events!”

“...I try,” the mare said, having a half guilty expression.

Another sigh escaped his lips, “Anyway, it’s not really that surprising.”

“How so?” she asked as she took a small bite from her sandwich.

“Well, he comes from a vastly different time! A different perspective of magic and science, what’s there not to be fascinated about?! You can see the gears turn in his head as he’s trying to combine the theories of magic we have, and his own. I would be surprised if him and Celesta’s star pupil didn’t publish a research paper in the new future.”

The mare rolled her eyes at the excited unicorn before her, “Sounds like you’re in love.”

“Ha. ha,” the stallion stated dryly. “Very funny, but you know I have somepony. Speaking of which I almost forgot! You have-”

Bells tolled off in the distance catching everyone off guard. The stallion’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks as a memory jolted across. He rapidly stood up and began to pack all of his items, “Sweet Celestia! I am so sorry, girl! I need to meet up with my stallion!”

“I am so sorry for taking so much of your time! Please! Get out of here before that bird rips your head off!”

“You know it!” he exasperated. “I love that stallion to bits, but he can have a stick up his ass every once in a while.”

The mare watched on as her friend ran off with all his things. She really wanted to ask when the wedding was too after she had noticed the gold bracelet, but she was too caught up in nostalgia and the idea of the three of them hanging out once more. Another sigh escaped her lips, hopefully her last, “Hope that stupid politician would find some time like his boy- fiance.”

On the outskirts of the park, a unicorn quickly glared at the fillies and colts disrupting his concentration as they played their game of heroes. This was going to be his big hit that he was going to be debuting across Canterlot with. His journeys had finally led him here, and he was not going to waste this opportunity that he had been striving for ever since the day he left his home behind.

No, no, no, he thought. Heroes are nothing like that! The imagination of children is so straight forward! Where’s the drama? The melancholy? The struggle? The pain?!

The stallion’s flamboyant purple attire that complimented his flank with tightness could be seen a mile away as it’s glitter shone in the rays of sun that pierced the canopy. He was writing down ideas for a new song to sing to the masses that would be sure to turn a pretty penny. They’d be tossing him bits left and right. Tossing bits… tossing bits. Yeah… Tossing bits!

The stallion stood up from the rock that he was sitting on, he gave one more glance to the kids playing, “Oh~ Toss a bit to your saviours, oh ponies of plenty! Toss-”

The bard’s inspiration was quickly cutoff, he stumbled back and reeled in pain. He brought a hoof up to his nose to inspect the damage. His beautiful snout seemed to be fine except for a slight bruising. He looked down to inspect his attacker. A cardboard sword -if you’d call a square with a hilt and handle a sword- that was bent rested on the ground before him. It had bite marks all over it as well as slobber that had soaked into it.

Looking around to find its owner, he could hear the cry of the group of kids as they looked around for the prop. And as he scanned, he saw the most beautiful mare he had ever seen assisting the fillies and colts. He picked up the mangled prop in his magic along with his lute, and proceeded on over to the chaperon. A dopey smile was plastered across his face. The two exchanged a few words, he even got her to laugh. Things were going great for this stallion today.

The deeds of the guests had resonated with some of the population of Canterlot. Many ponies talked on and on about what they had seen, some going as far to say they have met these overnight celebrities. All was well in Canterlot as bards wrote their songs, children played, and mares gossiped about. The week was coming to an end.

The week had been long and grueling since the first incident. The giant snake-like creature that destroyed several districts was supposedly defeated by three interlopers. In less than two days, two of those outlanders even had slithered their way into ranks by the noble diarchs. One of them being all too nosey in the workings of the government. And lastly, the infestation of basilisks in the slums were going too slow for comfort.

This week has not been a good one for poor Brass Quill. His hotel plan ruined, the humiliation in court, and the loss of his job posed incredible obstacles for his future and his family. In his study he sat on his velvet chair before a hearth, his mind racked with the weight of the situation he was dealing with.

“What am I going to do?” the old stallion held the sides of his head as he grumbled. “With those creatures playing advisors, the whole of Canterlot will be turned!”

As Quill wallowed in his sorrows he heard a knock on the doors to his small manor. His butler’s hoofsteps echoed through the hall as the stallion made his way to the door to greet the sudden guest. A few moments later the butler returned with the guest in tow, “Sir, Mr. Gold Hoof is here to speak with you.”

“Just Hoof is fine,” the stallion spoke as the butler left.

Quill turned around to see his former apprentice. The stallion had grown quite a bit since they had last seen one another. A grey streak of hair cut through the slick black of his mane, his coat a vibrant orange, “Hoof! Oh, it is good to see you… though not as the best of times.”

“Of course it’s not,” Hoof grimaced. “You’ve been stripped of your ranking as a council member! By those damn interlopers too!”

“I know, I know… The outlets are already all over it, damn. It’s a real shame too, I was so close to my retirement plan,” the old stallion sighed.

“The hotel? Oh no… You’ve been trying for that for as long as I could remember!”

“It would’ve been good too… Being a politician isn’t really enough these days. Don’t look at me like that.”

Hoof was shocked by the stallion’s words, “What do you mean? Is it not enough? You should be set?!”

Quill turned towards the flabbergasted pony, “Well… recently, the crowns have decided to cut certain budgets. As one of the only members -former members- who relied on it as their primary job, I’m in a bit of a pickle…”

“Hey, hey, hey! I can help you out! I can talk to some of my connections. We can have you as the branch manager of something! Everypony is always looking for a great manager,” Hoof attempted to raise the old stallion's spirit with lucrative deals with the finest in Equestria.

“As good as that all is, I’m not in my prime. I can’t handle running anything anymore. Being a council member was starting to become too much. I just want to spend time with my grandfoals before they leave for college or university. I’ve been saving up for them for years now, I’ve only made it three-quarters of the way though.”

“So you just need money for that...” Gold’s mind churned at the possibilities he could use to help his oldest friend. His brainstorming came to a stop as an idea sprung forth in his head like a spring, “How about I give you twenty-five percent of my company?! That should be more than enough!”

“What?! Twenty-five percent?! Never, my pride would never allow such a handout! Not to mention ridiculous! You aren’t even selling any of it at the moment.”

“Well we are now! And it’s not a handout you old coot,” Hoof calmed the outraged stallion down. “You’ve done so much for me, it’s honestly the most I can do for you without completely ruining myself. I could literally do way less.”

Quill looked at the smiling stallion. A grin was plastered on his face wider than Neigh-agra falls. With a relenting sigh, he gave in, “Fine… Only twenty-five, and if I have any more after I use what I need, you’ll take it back! I’ll also make sure to sell my portion to those I trust.”

Hoof chuckled at Quill’s small antics as he spoke with such vibrato, “Alright, I get it. I get it. Now, what you should be doing is getting things for you and your family, got it?”

“Thanks again Hoof,” the old stallion embraced the younger.

“No worries, old man,” stepping back, “Anyway I gotta go deal with some other stuff.”

Gold Hoof left the small manor. Determination was ever present on his face as he made his way into his personal carriage. Inside was his assistant, Quick Note.

“Hey, Quick…” the stallion sat down, the carriage beginning to move forward with a tap of his hoof.

The mare was ready at a moment’s notice with a quill and clipboard in her magic, “Yes, Sir.”

“After this next meeting, cancel everything. I think I need to have a conversation with some more council members and judges.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll have word sent out that other plans have come up as soon as we reach council member Comet Frost’s offices.”

The carriage rolled down the cobblestone street with great speed as it picked up dust and litter. Nearby, a group of ponies got caught in the street dirt as wind pushed it into the crowd. Overlooking them was an earth pony mare who stood on a box, “Ponies of Equestria! Hear me! Do we need more heroes?! Do we need more demons of the past coming to us because of revenge?!”

The sea of ponies nodded in agreement, “We already have the Princesses! Not to mention the Elements of Harmony! Laughter! Loyalty! Honesty! Generosity! Kindness! Magic! These are the defenses of ponies!”

The group cheered for the pony who stood before them, “We don’t need griffins, minotaurs, or diamond dogs! Much less three creatures from the Everfree!”

“Yeah!” the group yelled out chaotically.

“You know what I heard?! They were turned to stone once!” gasps sung throughout the crowd. “Indeed, my fellow ponies! They once were stone! They were petrified! How can we trust them? Discord is evil and chaotic, and he is now stone thanks to the elements. Are they truly any different?”

The mare stood on her hindlegs, “And now! And now! They sit by the sides of our princesses?! The nerve! The blasphemy! Do you think it is a coincidence that these so-called, ‘heroes,’ just so happen to be around just in time?! I think not!”

Murmurs swept over the crowd, “It is not the creatures who attacked us that are the true enemies, but rather the defenders! Look no further than one of the so-called knights who rose all too quickly to being an advisor! How about the ponies who worked diligently to rise in ranks!”

The murmurs grew to outrage as the mare spoke out against the injustice that she felt that was occuring. The mare stepped forward once more to speak her mind, but the sound of a projected voice beat her to it.

“What’s going on over here?!” a guard asked as his partner stood beside him. But before he could get a response out of any of them, the group casually scattered. “Wait, we just need you guys to move onto the sidewalk,” the white stallion grumbled.

His partner gave him a pat on the back, “Next time, bud.”

In a nearby alley a white cloaked figure rushed off away from the scene. The mare panted heavily as she came to a stop on the other end where another street opened up. It was a close call she hadn’t expected, after her previous scoutings she was sure there wouldn’t be any guards. She removed her hood, a horn slowly appearing from it’s base to tip as her magic slowly faded. The mare that now stood was no longer an earth pony, but instead a light purple unicorn whose dark purple mane had a teal stripe running through it. With her looks restored, Starlight Glimmer quickly turned the corner and onto the street. With everypony on high alert from these heroes, I’ll have more ponies come to my soon-to-be little hamlet. Where I can finally create a perfect community!
By using the heroes as an excuse to cause descent among the masses in Canterlot, her request to start a new town far away from the creatures would surely be approved. And her plan was going swimmingly so far. Several small groups were starting to form in opposition to the three outlanders, and more ponies would follow.

The plotting came to a halt as she bumped into a wall, and onto her rear. The shadow that now loomed over her offered her a hand. The mare’s expression of thankfulness quickly shifted to that of shock as what stared down at her were the three tools she was using to spark pandemonia. The mare quickly stood up from the ground, getting caught by these three would lead to a much worse fate than what the guards could ever do to her and her fear mongering. Her horn lit with magical energy and within a second she was gone.

“That was weird,” Artorias said as he patted Sulyvahn on the shoulder.

Bring his hand back from his unrequited offer, “Indeed.”

“Yeah, yeah. It was weird. Can we get this shopping thing done already? I want to check out that doughnut place,” Raime said with a yawn.

As the three walked down the street, every so often looking into windows of stores, the reaction they had seen from ponies were mixed. Some ponies swooned at their sight which they found all too weird. Others ran up for autographs for pictures they had of the three going about their business. Of more concern were those who gave them disgusting looks, some going as far as too yell profanities and slurs at them. Those who ran into their homes hurt the three the most as they knew that those ponies who ran saw nothing in them but something to fear.

Artorias gave a sigh, “Let’s get that stupid doughnut.”

“Agreed, the outing mood has become distasteful…”

They turned back to look at Raime who was glued to a display window, his breath fogging it up. “Just as soon as I get this camera.”

Their purchase quickly made the trio set off to the castle with more questions than goods in hand. Hopefully they could find the answers they wanted by speaking with the princesses. A lot of things were coming up in the following month, most prominent was a wedding.

Within the walls of the castle sat a pegasus in his office, he was waiting on a Mr. Gold Hoof. The stallion was their best bet at getting the slums fixed up under that one knight’s plans to fix up Canterlot. He scoffed as he thought about the creature who was now assisting Celestia. After all his hard work with dealing with the aftermath of Nightmare Moon and Discord, he was sure he’d have a promotion.

He sighed as he turned his swivel chair to look out his window. The full expanse of Canterlot could be seen from this point, a view he had earned with hard work unlike some, Frost, you shouldn’t be thinking these things… Maybe the princess had a good reason.

Trying to reason things out in his head didn’t go as well as he thought, the idea just seemed to infuriate him more. Was he not working hard enough? Had the creatures brainwashed the princesses? Were they their boyfriends from an era long passed? Questions filled his head that didn’t seem to make him feel any better.

Just one more hour. After this meeting I can finally see that nerd of a stallion, he relaxed back into his chair.

Not a moment later the pegasus began banging his head against his table. Why can’t the other members pick up any of the slack.
“Oh, I’m sorry Comet. I can’t do it, I have a meeting with Griffinstone. I have a business meeting. Ah, I can’t. I have something stupid to do that doesn’t require any mental effort on my part, good luck Comet.”

The stallion droned on with statements and poor impressions he heard from the other members, all excuses on why they couldn’t seem to bother to help, “Ugh… With Quill gone, it’s just me and Prince,” his face once again met the cold surface of his desk. His anguish and loathing of the other members simmered down as he heard the sound of a knock, “Come in.”

Gold Hoof came through the door, a business smile adorning his face as he then took a seat. The office he sat had many bits and bobs of pegasus history, a collection of books eclipsed the wall behind them, a model of Cloudsdale was by the door, and a bunch of sports souvenirs eclipsed the wall opposite to the books.

“Hello, Mr. Hoof. I’m sure you know why I asked for you to meet with me here,” Frost went straight to the business of the meeting as he slid over the folder of documents. He wanted this done as fast as possible.

“Hello to you too, Council Member Frost. I do, and I would love nothing, but to get down to business. Afterwards, I have a quick inquiry.”

“As long as it doesn’t take too long, I’m a busy pony, Mr. Hoof,” Frost wasn’t happy hearing that last bit, but he needed Hoof’s construction company for this all to work out.

“Of course.”

The two ponies quickly read through the initial contract, Gold Hoof marking various parts that he would have questions on. But more important were the details he marked that he didn’t see as fair. Frost noted these notations that Hoof was making, a mental list forming in his head of the items that Hoof would probably be making counter offers for.

They bounced ideas back and forth on what needed to be done first in the Slums. Of course, they agreed that the main street needed to be repaired after Artorias’s and Celestia’s onslaught of attacks. They decided the entire length would have to be redone if the district would be returned to a public market place. Much of the other details involved smaller improvements that would be made throughout Canterlot.

After finishing up clearing any confusion around the nitty-gritty details that Hoof had concerns about, it now came down to the bits. Both stallions put down counter offers and counter-counter offers that they saw as fair, “I don’t see how twelve-thousand bits is unfair.”

“Well Mr. Hoof, we had an independent engineering firm give us estimates of all the plans we have going on. For your contract, we had an estimate of ten-thousand bits.”

One of Hoof’s eyes twitched, the deal should have been easier to close than this. Of course they’d have an independent firm check.
Seeing his adversaries irritance, Frost added, “Not only did we ask the independent firm for estimates, but also the Equestrian Corps of Engineers for a second opinion. They had roughly the same numbers. In fact, the amount we offer is the higher of the two estimates.”

Hoof looked down at the two extra documents that Frost slid across the table. The E.C.E’s estimate was in fact higher than that of the E.S.E’s.

“Ah, I see you had the Equestrian Society of Engineers check as well,” he wanted to spit the name out. Ever since this new group started up in Manehatten, getting deals that would heavily benefit him had been falling through. No… I need this. If not for me, then for him.

“How about eleven-thousand? We’ll even put up a small firm in Canterlot to help stimulate the economy here,” the stallion before him raised an eyebrow at the idea of more jobs.

“Well, Canterlot wouldn’t need the extra stimulus,” his mind spun as he thought. He opened the drawer of his desk and fluttered through the files held within. “There it is.”

“Is everything okay Mr. Frost?” the business pony leaned over the table just slightly. Something was happening, something good he was hoping.

The politician brought the file up onto the table and opened it, “There is a town a little south of Canterlot and next to the Everfree that could use some extra business. There’s been a spike in the population since the last census, and the need for a construction firm there would be much appreciated there.”

“By the Everfree you say?” Both interest and fear battled for control over his face.

“Yes, and with all the damage reports we get from the town, your business will definitely be booming there. If you can do that, we’ll accept your offer.”

“Then it’s a deal Council Member Frost,” Hoof stood up from his position to offer his adversary a hoofshake who quickly accepted. “Oh, and before I go, that inquiry.”

Comet Frost wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, this meeting had gone on long enough. And if it were to go any further, he’d be late. Again. “Yes, what would you like to know?”

“What’s your opinion of those three… heroes?”

What a stupid question, of course he didn’t like them, “Well, they certainly are heroes. I’m not a fan of their positions. Their deeds? Yes.”

Gold Hoof grabbed a pen and piece of parchment from the table, “I hope you don’t mind.”

Of course I do! “Oh, not at all, go ahead.”

Finishing his scribbles, Hoof slid the small piece over, “I’d like to have a small discussion with you and a few other compatriots. Again, Thank you for your time.”

“I look forward to working with you,” the two shared a nod as Hoof made his way out.

Frost watched as the business pony left through the doors of his office. He turned away to dry heave nothing into the trash can next to him, “Oh, sweet Celestia. If that hadn’t gone well, I would’ve had my head on a pike.”

He glanced over to the piece of parchment that Hoof had left him, “Talk with me, huh?” Looking over the small document he found an address and a date, and given the numbers it was somewhere in the Garden district sometime next week. Before he could check the exact address with his assistant outside, he heard the bells toll far off in the distance. His wings shot out in a panic, without thinking he grabbed his saddlebags and stuffed the small piece into it. With it secure onto his back, he rushed over to his window and opened it. With ease he hopped out the window closing it in the process.

The pegasus was quickly overcome with gravity as he began to fall. He looked back to his wings that were still scared stiff from the tolling of the bells. He tried to flap his wings to no avail. The pegasus bounced off of poles and awnings that jutted out from the castle. His descent was slow and painful before he came to a stop in a bush.

The destruction caused by the three outlanders caused panic among many of the ponies in Canterlot. Many ponies dealing with the aftermath, some even taking advantage of it. Canterlot was a mess as ponies plotted and planned, sought new jobs and homes, and were caught up in the wave of pandemonia. The week was coming to an end.

A year is but a second in the life of an immortal, a week even less so, but this one week in particular had felt longer than her entire banishment on the moon. The feelings she had felt when she returned to Equestria as her pure form paled in comparison to the frustration she was feeling now. To copy what a certain knight had told her, this week had been such a millenia.

The sun had fallen below the horizon a few hours ago, and as usual, no pony had yet to show up to the start of the Night Court. It didn’t make sense to her. Why would any busy pony who has so much to do during the day, not have something that needed to be addressed at night? Meetings ran long as she had learned. Traffic slowed travel down. If they couldn’t make it to day court, and the subject was of urgency as they had all called it, why not speak with her? Urgent affairs should be dealt with the day of, not tomorrow or day after. Do they really have such time on their hooves that it could wait?

It didn’t help that after what occurred this week, she had been incharge of the whole situation. Celestia thought it would be a good idea to help build her reputation more, and if she were the one in charge, then more ponies would come to Night Court. But once more it was an empty throne room save for her on her throne and her guards posted about. She wanted to call it over, but it had just started. It wouldn’t look good for her reputation either if a pony came to court and there was no princess. It was a time for her to connect with them, not avoid them.

The princess was brought from her melancholy and questions when she heard a few hoofsteps approach the doors to the room. Her mind was flooded with anticipation. Maybe it was a legal dispute of a contract. A widowed mare looking for advice on loss. An admirer. The range of possibilities seemed infinite in this one moment, ranging from the mundane to the fanciful. She continued to watch in baited breath as the door slowly opened.

A white unicorn with a well-kept blonde mane and tail entered. He adjusted the red bow tie that wrapped around his neck and double checked that his white suit was pristine. Prince Blueblood walked down the red carpet that led up to the large dias. Sweat dripped from his brown as he bit his quivering lip. He had never been to the Night Court, the emptiness of the room spoke volumes to him of a figure that commanded nothing but perfect order.

It was a noble that had finally stepped into her court. Definitely a noble. Was this her chance to earn some favourable reputation with the upper echelons of Canterlot? If so, she couldn’t afford to mess it up. Ever since she had come back to rule, nobles seemed to avoid her when possible. This was the first to actively speak to her. She always put on a show in public of how confident she was with herself, but every single time she got away she’d panic in her room. Bradley, her stuffed companion, had been proven to be an effective friend she could speak to about her woes.

Blueblood now stood before the dias of the princesses, Princess Luna’s presence beared down on him. He slowly knelt down, his body stiff. Behind him was the sound bugles that nearly made him jump, followed by the announcer’s voice, “Lord Prince of the Blueblood household, and Council Member.”

“Thou may rise!” Luna gave a mental wince as her nervousness had caused her to use the royal voice all too loudly. You idiot!

The shock wave had caused Blueblood’s mane to flip from one side to another. He grimaced at the slight uncomfort that he felt, like a cat with its hair stroked backwards. The royal voice was something that he had only heard about. It only added to the authority that Luna possessed.

“Thou may speak thy quiry,” Luna managed to pull back her voice. She was still speaking with an old dialect, but that was all too common when she was nervous. A habit she would have to rectify. You got this, you’re a princess for crying out loud.
“O-Of course your highness,” Blueblood gave a deep breath to try and cool his nerves. “It has come to my attention that many of the nobles of Canterlot d- d- do not a- agree with your h- highnesses’ decision in having Sir Artorias, Sir Raime, and the Pontiff assisting the both you in r- ruling.”

Luna was unaware of the stallion’s nervousness as he spoke, she was too caught up in the issue. In fact, her nervousness was beginning to recede to that back of her mind. Political upheaval was not something she had a good relationship with given previous events, but perhaps being on the winning side would lighten that feeling. The excitement was building, never before had a pony wanted to tell her something that others didn’t want her to now. Much less a noble. And now, one was in front of her who wasn’t acting snobbish.

Her magic quickly flared to teleport a side table and tea set to her side, all the while she used it to cover up the fact she was using her magic to check if this all wasn't a dream. Yes! Good things do happen Luna! I can’t wait to tell Bradley! Maybe even Sif if I can find and steal him from Artorias’s side.

“We thank thee, Lord Prince, for bringing such information to Us. We take it that thou does not have such issues? And do these nobles have a plan?” Things were spicing up for the alicorn, perhaps this would become a legal battle? A coup? A war? She tossed away the rambunctious ideas. She leered at the stack of books she had accidentally teleported with her tea, she had read more than she had been dealing with ponies in court.

“It is only the right thing to do your highness,” so far so well the stallion thought. “I have no issues with either your highness’s decision or Princess Celestia’s. Al- Although it was a sudden change, Artorias has been incredibly helpful to lighten the load off of Princess Celestia. I have also heard that many of the royal researchers admire the Pontiff. And Raime, well… I actually haven’t heard much about him.”

“Well, the blame rests upon Our shoulders. We insisted that Our sister allow these three a chance to prove themselves as valuable assets. We did not realize how she would interpret this, but We do not have an issue with that. And despite recent issues, they have been swift to assist by any means. We do not understand the nobles’ qualms.”

“I agree, your highness. With respect to your concerns for the nobles, and to answer your second question, I have been given an address and date to meet with some of those nobles. At your request I am willing to go and take note of the events to transpire,” espionage was not something Blueblood excelled at, but he was more than experienced with dealing with the gossips that nobles had. This would hopefully be like that, save for the intensity of the topic. It seemed like borderline treason. “I wasn’t actually planning on attending, but I could move my schedule around.”

“Prithee, Lord Prince. Thy contribution is welcome, and thy information as well. The ongoings of the nobles behind mine sister’s and Our’s backs are most disturbing. Fie! They are disturbing!” Luna’s dialect slipped to that of the royal voice as she let her disgust for the plotting take over. She knew what was going to happen, as Nightmare Moon she had seen it all. The back stabbing, the lack of sympathy. There were many monsters in the world and dreams, but nothing compared to just the common pony. “Pardon Our outburst.”

Blueblood was getting a feel for everything that was in the room. He almost felt comfortable. But now, he was scared stiff once more. His voice quivering slightly as he spoke, “W- W- What o- outburst?” Come on, get a hold of yourself.

Luna hummed in thought as she poured some tea for herself, “Is there anything else that thou would like to bring up?” It felt good for her to ask that, it felt ruler-y.

“No- no. That- that would be all your highness,” he said as he gave a shaky bow.

“Very well. We bid thee farewell, and good luck. When should We expect thy presence again?”

“The same day next week, your highness.”

“Sleep well, Lord Prince.”

“Have a good night, your highness,” with the goodbyes said, Blueblood quickly and shakily left the throne room. Luna’s presence and authority had weighed over him, and leaving the room he felt his breathes begin ease. The feeling of being stricken with fear, and the suffocation he felt, was new. He would have to visit again, maybe weekly. Then again, he could always go daily. Or would it be nightly?

Luna sat alone once more on her throne, no longer was there another voice to fill the void of the room. She gave a deep sigh, and sunk into a position that felt more comfortable. Nobles plotting something behind the monarch’s back, it was a plot she was all too familiar with. She looked over to her stack of books as she sipped on her tea. The question was which one was most similar to her current predicaments.

Her question remained unanswered as the sound of confetti poppers popped all around the throne room. Streamers shot out and dangled from pillar to pillar, balloons fell from the ceiling, and a large cake rolled through the doors. She threw her cup of tea in shock. She was standing on the dias, her magic now ready for any attacks.

None came. Save for the tea that splashed onto her back causing her to yelp in pain. A quick spell cleaned her up, and she could now inspect the room. Her guards had not reacted to the sudden change in decoration, an act that Luna couldn’t determine as commendable. She looked up at the banner that stretched across the room that read, “Luna’s First Night Court Visit Party!”

There was only one pony she knew of that could pull something off like this, the Element of Laughter was true to her ability of being able to throw any sort of party. The fact the pink mare was able to plan for such an event given her lack of knowledge about the princess was worrisome. Kind in a certain way, but still worrisome.

This millenia of a week, though long and eventful, yet short and boring, was coming to an end for the princess of the night. Sure she thought, a year maybe a second to an immortal. A week, but a moment. But this moment would be one she would remember for a long time. The week wouldn’t end in more tears as she hugged Bradley, and rested her head upon the stolen pet of Artorias. Rather, it would end in a smile.

The week had been a mix of emotions for everypony after the first incident. The giant snake-like creature that destroyed several districts was defeated. In less than two days, three individuals of an unknown race and from an era long passed had made themselves known.They tried their best to serve, a service that some wish would have never occurred. And lastly, monsters that nopony ever heard of had infested Canterlot.

The week was long, it was grimey, it was exciting. Everyone was glad it was finally over.

Author's Note

Alright! Here we go again! Another chapter done, another week coming to a close. Go ahead and leave a comment if you'd like. I appreciate feedback, the constructive kind the most. Hope you enjoyed and hope you keep reading.