Steely Heart, Perpetual Spark

Mayor Mare, followed by Princess Cadance and several other ponies, entered her office. It was a humble room containing a fairly long desk positioned opposite the door. A tall, slender window embedded in the left wall allowed the fading sun to illuminate the room. A set of flags stood behind her desk.

The flag on the left was The National Flag of Equestria, embroidered on a sky blue cloth. A white alicorn with turquoise hair represented Celestia, while a dark blue and purpled haired alicorn representing Luna, comprised the second half of the circle. Mimicking their equine equivalents, the sun and moon pursued each other in their endless cycle. The princesses were surrounded by stars while the white borders beautifully framed the flag itself.

While the flag on the right was The Elected Flag of Ponyville. In the center of a yellow flag, rested a moderately sized heart, slightly stretched vertically. Mirroring lines emanated from the hearts lower point, branched out, and formed an inverted curl below it. Its design resembled a chassis that one might associate with a fancy carriage. Flanking in on both sides were the silhouettes of two identical earth ponies, colored in a shade of maroon.

The mayor’s desk was a simple stained desk of oak, to the bottom right of the desktop sat a pile of blank sheets. To the top left sat two conjoined trays, one bore the words ‘Incoming’ while the other displayed ‘Outgoing’. In the center of the desk, slightly to the left, sat a capped inkwell.

Next, to it was a slightly worn, red-feathered quill rested in its upward slanted holder. Mayor Mare strolled around the desk, sat down, before withdrawing a blank sheet of paper. Princess Cadance stopped to stand at the mayor’s left while she explained that any donations or allotments were to be written down along with the owner’s name(s).

First up was Mrs. Cup Cake, she wrote down an allotment of two weeks profit and signed her name. Moving aside, a slender stallion approached the mayor’s desk. This pony also wore an apron, a candy cane striped bowtie, and a bakers hat. His coat was a lemon yellow, with pumpkin orange hair, and a cutie mark of three frosted pumpkin squares.

Underneath Mrs. Cake’s name he wrote, Mr. Carrot Cake before returning the quill to its holder. Having concluded their business, they strolled out as another stallion took their place. This stallion had slick black back hair, a beige coat, and he wore an informal suit. Around his neck was his iconic red tie, a money sign was embroidered in gold on the front of it. Lastly, his cutie mark was three sacks of money.

Taking the quill, he dipped it into the inkwell, then skipped down a half-space before adding his contribution. Very elegantly, he wrote down a fifteen hundred bit donation and across that, he signed Filthy Rich. Several other proprietors made a contribution as well. Only after everypony left the room did Candance address the mayor, “That went better then I would have hope.”

“I never had a doubt,” Mayor Mare replied. “We may be a small town but there’s no community so interwoven as ours.”
After a warm smile and a few words of departure, the pink alicorn vanished, a soft poof signaled her departure. In a matter of seconds, she materialized in front of a pair of tall double doors. Summoning her magic, the doors opened. The pair of guards on either side of the doors saluted as she entered.

Cadance approached Celestia, who sat upon the throne. The luxurious red carpet muffled her hoof steps, glancing at the stained glass windows along the way. A smile formed on her face, reminding her that anything was possible through friendship, cooperation, and determination. “Welcome back Cadance, did you enjoy your visit to Ponyville?” Celestia addressed her in a motherly voice.

Stopping at the base of the circular stairs she replied in an official tone, “It was quite uplifting, the residents of Ponyville are certainly a shining example of generosity. Although I was a little nervous as to how they would receive me instead of you.” Smiling, Celestia rose from her seat and descended toward her.

Stopping beside her, a sinister grin formed across her lips before putting Cadance into a headlock. Pulling her close, she gave a playful nuggy. “Oh very mature,” Cadance impishly reproached as she struggled to free herself. Yet, her grip held firm as she continued her assault. By now Cadance’s mane was nothing more than a tri-colored mess of hair. With no hope of overpowering her,

Cadance began to flap her wings instead. Unable to withstand the repetitive stroking of feathers against her side, Celestia broke into a fit of laughter. Seizing her opportunity, she broke away, spun around, and tackled Celestia. The two alicorns tumbled to the floor in a flurry of playful jabs and roughhousing.

Lost to their merriment was the sound of approaching hoof steps. With an indifferent “Ahrm” the romping alicorns stopped and looked up at their mysterious guest. “I hope I’m not interrupting,” a deep feminine voice called out. Before them stood the dainty figure of Luna. Celestia was the first to recover herself, soon followed by Cadance.

“Not at all sister, Cadance was preparing to brief me on Ponyville’s situation,” Celestia replied gleefully. Without another word, Luna smiled before continuing to replace the lavender in the metal sconces.

Glancing at Celestia, Cadance saw a mischievous smirk spread across her lips. With the prowess of a tiger, she silently stalked Luna. Stopping when she did as not to draw her attention, she slowly began to overtake her. Impressed that she moved so silently while wearing her royal attire, Cadance watched with bated breath.

Luna, making her way across the room, appeared to have not noticed her slinking sister. Now within an arms reach, she tightened her leg muscles before she pounced at Luna. It happened so fast that Cadance nearly missed the whole affair. Before Celestia could successfully tackle her sister, an audible poof was heard. Her smirk changed to shock as a series of clops sounded from the floor. Another poof rang out, followed by a wheeze from Celestia. Nearly laughing out loud, Cadance drew a hoof to her mouth.

Craning her neck around, she saw her sister was now perched upon her back. Leaning forward, Luna began to rustle her mane with both hooves. An action which was met by her playfully trying to buck her unexpected passenger. Unable to contain herself anymore, Cadance broke into a laughing fit as Luna shouted yeehaw. Due to her smaller stature, she was eventually flung into the air.

Gracefully landing next to her sister, the two alicorns looked toward Cadance. Watching as she rolled on the floor, consumed by laughter. Shooting Luna a sideways, both sisters grinned as they closed in on her. The sound of clattering shoes upon the marble gave her pause. With speed yet unseen by the sisters, Cadance leaped away from being an alicorn sandwich.

Trotting backward, she stuck her tongue out before moving away. Getting back to their hooves, the three alicorns frolicked around for several hours. Unfortunately, Luna had to return to her duties, officially ending their festivities. Hugging both Celestia and Cadance before leaving them.

“It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen Luna in such a playful mood,” Cadance stated.

Celestia smiled warmly, “The same could be said about you. We were worried you might have changed since starting your reign.”

“Is that why you put me in a headlock earlier?” Cadance deadpanned. With a giggle, Celestia nodded. “I‘d be lying to say it has been easy. Especially since our attempts to alter their regal portrayal of the royal family, failed,” she passively confessed.

Celestia wrapped a wing around her barrel, pulling her close. Cadance could feel the love and concern that radiated from her aunt. “My dear niece, don’t ever lose hope. It’s challenging to reshape the public’s opinion. However, I know you’ll do marvelous as their princess,” Celestia spoke as would a doting mother.

Overwhelmed by her aunt’s unwavering confidence and concern, she laid her neck across her withers. Only after a soft yawn from Cadance, did they break apart. With Celestia leading the way, they left the throne room. Clearing her throat, Cadance prepared to deliver her report but was hushed by Celestia.

“I’m sure they have everything under control. Besides, why spoil the moment with work,” she replied. Smiling, they made their way to their rooms.

Another beautiful sunrise peaked over the horizon to bath Ponyville in it’s warming glow. Waking from a dreamless slumber, Chrysalis rose to her hooves. She found herself humming, in what felt like forever. Perhaps it was because the entire town called her a hero.

Maybe it was due to Cadance and the bearers being taken by her fabricated persona. For whatever reason, she regarded the day with a sense of wonderment. After several minutes, she left her wagon, high-stepping as she made her way to the hospital. However, as she entered the town square, a group of ponies caught her attention.

Curious, she approached and asked the nearest equine what all the fuss was about. They informed her that they were signing up to perform for the big fundraiser being held in Canterlot. “Can you believe that we’ll be able to perform in Canterlot. This could be our band’s big break,” an excited earth pony exclaimed. A huge grin formed on her lips, thoroughly enraptured that Celestia had moved on her suggestion.

Sonorous patiently waited to add her name to the list. For what felt like hours, the group finally thinned out enough for her to approach the bulletin board. Dipping the quill in ink, she elegantly wrote her name and her act in the provided lines. However, before she could continue to her original destination, a voice addressed her.

Turning to see who it was, she spotted a small purple dragon standing beside her. Her smile waned slightly as he spoke, “It’s nice to finally meet you Miss Sonorous.” As her attention focused on him, he nervously began to fidget his claws. He couldn‘t understand why he felt nervous. Having met several exotic creatures, some of which were more intimidating than a lone unicorn.

Perhaps it was her steely and detached gaze. Maybe it was due to having heard that she had slain the giant timber wolf by herself. Whatever the reason, he swallowed hard before speaking again, “Princess Twilight has asked me to escort you to her castle, please follow me,” he calmly stated.

“For what purpose am I granted an audience with the princess,” she flatly inquired.

“Well, this morning she received a letter inquiring about how they were to accommodate the influx of ponies that would occupy Canterlot. Since it was your idea, she thought it would prudent to include you in finding a suitable solution,” he replied. Accepting his explanation, Sonorous motioned for him to lead the way.

They walked in silence for several minutes until she asked a question. “Does Ponyville have a problem with eavesdroppers?” Stunned by her blunt question, he quickly denied the accusation. Noticing that he suddenly looked tense, she followed up by suggesting that her performance might have sparked their curiosity.

“Yea, that’s probably what it was,” Spike quickly answered.

“I wonder what they thought of it since it was my second performance. I’m curious if everypony will enjoy my music,” she stated nonchalantly. Shocked to hear her doubting her ability, Spike replied that they would utterly enjoy it.
He went on to state that her music was quite enthralling before suddenly clamming up in embarrassment.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she spoke in a giddy tone. “Although, I’m curious why you decided to stay outside. I’m sure Rarity would have to invite you to stay.”

His faced drooped as he explained that he didn’t want to intrude. Taking on a serious tone, Sonorous informed him that the worst she could have done was turn him away. Of course, this only caused the dragon‘s face to fall into an almost pouting expression. “Listen, Spike, I don’t claim to know the relationship between you and her.”

“However, I’m getting the distinct feeling that you like her more than just a friend,” she finished. At breakneck speed, he cocked his head to stare up at her. “No, it’s not that I. I… I mean she’s a pony and I’m… a dragon,” he half-heartedly blurted.

“What’s wrong with that, are dragons not entitled to happiness? You might be surprised to know that love isn’t as black and white as you may think,” she replied in a cheeky tone. “Take it from me, different species fall in love with each other all the time. I should know,” she spoke in a tortured voice.

Snapped from his dreary mood, he couldn’t believe that he wasn’t the only one to have feelings for a member of a different species. Pushing aside his sadness, he inquired about her plight. “I’d rather not get into it, despite the years, I still feel the pain. What you must remember is to keep trying. Don‘t come on too strong but don‘t slink away at the first sign of resistance.” she replied.

Spike could feel his conviction to woo Rarity reinvigorated. Spurred on by Sonorous’ words, he was soon lost to his own imaginings. In doing so, he failed to notice the tear she quickly flicked away. It wasn’t long before they found themselves standing in front of the crystalline doors of Twilight’s castle.

Opening the door, he motioned her to enter. Closing the door behind them, he guided her to the study. It was an enormous room, lined with more book than any library she’d ever seen before. In the middle of the room, sat a large round table. On the opposite side, sat Twilight busy hoofing through several sheets of paperwork.

Loudly clearing his throat, Twilight looked up to see them waiting in the doorway. Scooting her chair back, she hopped to the floor and approached them. Watching her, Sonorous could feel her anger seeping through her mind. Stopping a couple of inches away, Twilight held up a hoof as she greeted her.

“I take it that Spike has already informed you why I’ve asked you here,” she spoke as Sonorous shook her hoof. After a short acknowledgment, Twilight quickly jumped to the heart of the matter. “So how would you suggest we deal with the situation at hoof?” inquiring as she prepared to record her suggestions.

“Since this fundraiser will take several days to complete, from the sound of it. I would suggest you divvy the performances into different days. Arrange their performances so where that day will feature the same, if not similar genres.” She was about to continue but was interrupted by Twilight.

“What about groups and non-instrumental performers,” she asked.

“I guess you could make three separate groups, one for each category. Afterward, you could start placing them into their respective genre. Although I‘d surmise that group performers might be a challenge since they may derive from several different sources.” Sonorous finished.

Once Twilight finished writing, she thanked her for the suggestions. As Spike began to show her out, Twilight called out for them to stop. Being the curious mare that she was, she just had to know what happened that day. When posing the question, she was shocked to learn that Sonorous was the caster.

She went on to reveal that it was the collapsed building that finally brought it down. Thanking her again, Spike showed her out. Quickly returning to the library, Twilight was already preparing to send a second scroll to Cadance. “Twilight, are you sure it was right to lie to her about her visit,” he asked.

“Yes Spike, Cadance asked me to look into her. Besides we did get her opinion, so it’s more stretching the truth than lying,” she assured him. Levitated the two scrolls, a bright green flame engulfed them. The magical particles that remained, sped off to their destination. Returning to her paperwork, Spike walked back to his room. His head buzzing with his next attempt to win Rarity’s affection.