Elements of Canterlot

The sun had set quite a while ago, and Twilight was more than tired after all the work she and Spike had put into getting this place presentable for them to stay here. The dust was cleared, the books had been organized, and everything was prim and proper, just the way she liked it. Spike, for his part, was busying himself with a tasty bowl of gems, wolfing them down in that way that only children could do. As for Twilight, she was quietly sitting by herself, as she so often did, pouring through an old and formerly-dusty tome she had uncovered here. One found in the "E" section. Her eyes narrowed with every flip of the page, and it wasn't long before Spike looked to her.

"So...good book?"

But his carer was too focused to really notice that he had spoke to her, leading to a sigh on the young dragon's part. However, he had little time to dwell on this, as it was just then that the sound of a door knocking was heard, prompting him to get to his feet and walk over to the thing. Opening it, he smiled as he saw that all of their friends had arrived.

"Hey there! Everything go okay?"

Lyra was the first to enter, chuckling to herself.

"Yep! All the food is ready to go! The local farm family was really nice. Trust me, the Princess will dine better than she would at Canterlot!"

But before Spike could ask further, there was a sudden grumbling sound, and Lyra placed a hoof upon her belly, which Spike only now noted appeared somewhat swollen.

"I...I take it you enjoyed some food there yourself?"

Laughing again, Lyra nodded.

"Yeah...a bit too much though. Remind me to never stay over at a farmer's family get-together after this!"

"Hey, at least you didn't end up looking like the Bride of Frankenpony!"

The two turned to the one who had spoken, Moondancer, and Spike took a deliberate step backwards when he finally saw her. She had a somewhat annoyed look on her face, and this was not exactly unwarranted, as her mane had, for whatever reason, become incredibly messed-up, poofing and curling in a completely chaotic display. Blinking, Spike stifled a laugh as he asked the obvious question.

"So...everything okay with the weather?"

Grumbling, Moondancer nodded.

"Oh, sure, the sky will be nice and clear for the Celebration and stuff. So don't worry about any rain or anything. But..."

Reaching up, she touched her mane.

"...I really wish the local weather-mare took things a bit more seriously. I mean just look at this! And this was after she knocked into me during some sort of speed thing she was doing!"

She sighed.

"These Ponyville types, they're...they're something else alright."

Spike chuckled, then looked over to Twinkleshine, who was coming in behind the bespectacled Moondancer.

"What about the music, Twinkle? Any problems there?"

The pink-maned mare smiled back to him, shaking her head slightly.

"Not at all! The music will be provided by a flock of birds, and their songs are so beautiful, you guys! It was the sweetest melody I've ever heard from them, and I've heard some of the birds of the royal gardens!"

Placing his hands upon his hips, Spike gave a firm nod.

"Neat! And the mare who trained them? What was she like?"

Here, Twinkleshine's smile faltered, but only a little.

"She was...quiet."

Spike tilted his head.

"Oh?"

Twinkleshine nodded.

"Yep. As soon as I made myself known, she just stopped talking. When it was just her and her birds, she was more than enthusiastic, but as soon as I spoke to her, it was like she just couldn't talk at all!"

Spike pondered that.

"Huh...well...some ponies like animals more than other ponies, I guess."

He chuckled.

"Kind of like Twilight with her books sometimes."

The group shared a laugh, though Twilight herself, thankfully, hadn't heard them. But the loudest laugh by far came from Minuette, who was the next to enter.

"Oh my gosh, you guys! You should have seen my pen-pal! You know how I always talk about how fun and exciting she is in her letters? Well, the real life her is, like, that times a million! I mean, she's got energy for days that one!"

Moondancer grimaced.

"Ugh! She sounds exhausting!"

Minuette shrugged her shoulders.

"Meh, she could be a little much, sure, but hey, she was fun all the same, and she's really looking forward to heading over to the Town Hall for the Celebration!"

"I think she'll like it then, because that place is really looking pretty great right now!"

The group turned to Lemon Hearts, who was the last to enter, and so closed the door behind her. Once inside, she sighed, looking to her fellow mares with contentment.

"The mare responsible for decorating the place is really talented. I mean, I've done my fair share of parties before, but that lady really knows how to make a place look good!"

Spike stepped forward, smiling to that.

"Do you think Princess Celestia will like it?"

Lemon smiled back down to him, giving him a quick pat on his head before answering his question.

"Oh, I know she'll like it! The decorator actually does dress-making as her usual job, so we know she knows how to make something look pretty!"

Looking to each of the mares in turn, Spike gave an enthusiastic nod.

"Well, I guess that's everything sorted out then! All we have to do is go to the Town Hall in a little while, see the Princess raise the sun, and then boom, job's done and we can get back to Canterlot!"

The mares all nodded to him, though Moondancer's smile was less prominent than the others.

"Before all that though, can I please just get a comb for myself?"

Chuckling, Spike pointed over to a small table next to where Twilight was sitting.

"Sure. I think I saw one in one of the drawers over there when we were cleaning earlier."

Moondancer gave him an appreciative smile, then began to walk on over to the table in question. As the other mares walked about to take a look at the library where they'd be staying the night, Moondancer did indeed get a comb out for herself, and set to work trying to put her mane back into some sort of order. However, as she did this, she soon noted the book that Twilight was reading. Curiosity took hold of her, and she peered over her childhood friend's shoulder. After just a few moments, she muttered aloud one of the passages she read.

"...The Elements of Harmony?"

As soon as those words were uttered, Twilight immediately jumped out of her chair, suddenly aware that there were other people around her.

"GAH!!!"

Moondancer stepped back, looking understandably unsure of her friend's behaviour right now.

"Um...you okay, Twilight?"

Taking a few calming breaths, Twilight looked to Moondancer with a smile.

"Yes, um...I just wanted to do a little bit of reading before the Celebration."

Moondancer raised an eyebrow.

"A little bit of reading? About Equestria's most renowned mythical magical artefacts?"

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, perhaps to come up with some sort of cover, only for Spike to let out another laugh and look over to the two of them.

"Don't worry about her, Moondancer! Twilight's just worried about the Mare in the Moon! You know, thousandth year and all that?"

Twilight, naturally, looked to her assistant with irritation, while Minuette, who had been listening in nearby, let out a giggle before looking over to Twilight herself.

"Wait, that's tonight? The only pony's tale about the evil old mare who'll come back for eternal night? That story?"

Twilight looked around, and realised, much to her chagrin, that she now had the undivided attention of everyone here. So, after casting Spike another quick frown, she let out a sigh, nodding to her friends.

"Yes...it's true. Before I arrived at Moondancer's party, I was looking into the legend. I believe that tonight might be the night spoken of in the prophecy. I even sent word to Celestia herself on the matter."

Moondancer looked to her with renewed interest.

"And...what did she say?"

Twilight frowned again, looking away.

"She said...that I shouldn't worry about it...and that it was just an old story."

Twinkleshine smiled to that, taking a step closer.

"Well...there we are then. If Celestia thinks everything's fine, then that's pretty much it, right?"

Twilight remained silent for a time, walking over to one of the nearby windows. Her friends watched as she stared out into the clear night sky, seeing the infamous mare's face upon the full moon above. Again, she let out a sigh, before finally looking back to her friends.

"I know Celestia knows far more about matters like this than I ever will, but...I don't know...there's just been this feeling. Something in my heart that tells me that there's more going on here than I know about."

Lemon snorted.

"Look out, guys, our Twilight's turning into a conspiracy theorist!"

They all laughed to that, and even Twilight herself, though a little annoyed at the remark, found herself joining in on the jovial moment. When the laughter died down, however, she glanced back to her still-open book.

"I'm sorry, but...it's just one of those things I can't stop thinking about."

Moondancer, smiling to her, walked over, placing her hoof upon her shoulder.

"I know you mean well, Twilight, but Princess Celestia is right about you, you know, Sometimes, you do obsess about stuff like this."

Twilight looked her friend in the eye as the latter carried on.

"Let's worry about prophecies and legends another day. Today is for Celebrations. And I, for one, look forward to spending this Celebration with you."

Twilight stared at her, seeing the honesty in her expression as she'd said that. Slowly, she looked over to all her other friends, many of whom nodded in agreement with Moondancer. After a while, Twilight exhaled deeply, putting on a smile of her own before again looking back to Moondancer.

"You're...you're right. I guess...I can stop worrying for one night at least."

Moondancer smiled, and Minuette, of course, giggled.

"Great! Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the Town Hall! Because I don't know about you guys..."

She smirked.

"...but I'm predicting one heck of a memorable party tonight!"