The Masquerade

by Uncle Knot

Rating: everyone
Tags: Random, Princess Celestia, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Adventure
Length: 3403

Some unwelcome visitors are causing quite a stir at Celestia's 100th Gala

This is meant to be a glimpse of the early days in the reign of Princess Celestia. What is presented is a series of letters received by the Princess. Effort has been made to stick with the cannon of the series. Terms and language is intended to sound old world and may be difficult for some readers. Each letter is limited in size, so your imagination must be engaged to visualize the story.

Published 2013-04-12 21:30:03 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-12 21:30:03 UTC

Chapter 1 letter # 1,199

To my most resolute Princess Celestia, in the 99th YR (year of thy reign), my 1,199th letter

By thy command, I do press forward my return to Canterlot and postpone my other activities. Thy less than dire description of recent events in the 99th year of thy realm mare the planned festivities and I would not yield to that. I trust your feelings in this. You say thy feelings sense a gloom or shadow and that Canterlot shares this malaise.

Let me review what thy hast said in thy previous letter; the court magician, one Holly the Magnificent, a unicorn of some ability, disappeared in her last trick. A good trick in itself, but since she has not returned, I can share your discomfort with which that gives thee concern.

Also the description of this trick puzzles me, since there were few witnesses; I must assume this was a practice trial. The cry for help before she vanished also gives me (as well as others as you have noted) reason for concern.

The captain of the royal guard reports that Holly did not quit her residence and her gear remains untouched. Captain Sharp Spear does Equestria credit and I am confident of his abilities to protect thee and thine.

Yet this remains a mystery and since I have had some success with these in the past, yea be correct to recall me. I assure you, I would have indeed been back in time for the upcoming gala. We both know how I detest these events, but for thy hundredth year celebration, I would not bear missing the opportunity to tease thee.

I am traveling with Jorge the Griffin and Am Dodger, an equine of some unusual race that any description would fail (it’s the horns – 2 rounding curving hollow hard things on each side of the head). I will bring these companions with me, for they are trustworthy and dependable.

I meet Jorge while exploring out west. A bit talkative for a griffin, but easy to work with. His flying ability and temperament is genuine and reliable.

Am Dodger comes from the lands to the north west of ‘it’. Her people have been helpful in watching for the return of ‘it’. Dodger uses an unusual type of magic, not associated with unicorns. Perhaps her differences will help us. In high society she calls herself Lady Dame Dodger, but with Jorge and me we drop the formalities and call her Dodger, or that dam lady as a jest. This is quick to bring either a kick or a smile.

In case the mystery should clear itself up before I return, I have other business with thy seneschal, exchequer and scribes. Yes, the expenses of my recent activities have been exceeding my budget. I can only blame myself for my inexperience in those matters, and hope to gain new insight from your other servants. I would not tempt thy generosity, for it has already exceeded any reasonable expectation.

Give my regards to Lord & Lady Jasper, Lady Onyx, Viscount Emerald, and Lord Diamond. For thee and thee alone I give my generosity, humor, trust, loyalty, and kindness; Sum-po-neigh Knot Yew.

Chapter 2, letter #1,200

To my indomitable and resolute Princess Celestia, in the 99th YR, my 1,200th letter

How grand of thee to come down to the main gates to welcome me in, thyself. I can well understand the anxiety of the guard not to let anyone suspicious into Canterlot. No apology is necessary. So the situation has become worse. To have another disappearance happen, just before my arrival would demoralize the most stalwart of soldiers, but the vanishing of Captain Sharp Spear is additionally disquieting. Do not dismay that we can find him, and make no gesture to replace him, least the odor of fear turn to panic. Instead appoint me (temporarily) as 1st Lieutenant of the Knight Watch and his second in command. In this function I can continue the investigation while stabilizing moral among the guard.

Alas, I begin to suspect that my return may have prompted this attack. Our enemy may have known of me and was impelled to act rashly. Still, we are at a loss to identify this nameless threat. I am writing to you since I believe our enemy is close. Share these reports with no pony.

I am not so egotistical to think that Captain Sharp Spear’s evaporation may be due to his own investigations. I would not be surprised at all, if the good Captain had discovered something important. This will be my first duty to retrace his steps, and double check his appointments.

In addition enjoy the company of Jorge the Griffin, he is acting as your personal guard in my stead and use him as your first line of defense. As a griffin he may handle threats not common to ponies. Don’t go anywhere without him and do not go anywhere alone.

The ponies of Canterlot have shown inspired resolve to weather these events. They need a diversion, so instead of the normal gala. Let’s make this a city wide event, converting the courtyards and streets into dance and banquet open air halls.

I am so sorry that you reacted badly to Am Dodger, yes her dark coloring is similar to Princess Luna, but I did not see much resemblance beyond that. I remember Nightmare Moon to be a bit dour and not as humorous. Dodger is busy crafting something at the smithy, so she will not be troubling you much. Still once you get to know her, I think the differences between her and Luna will become more evident.

There are too many who knew or may have known of my return. Thou did act too quick to announce my return to the lords and ladies of the court, and they probably shared the information with their staff. Who in turn shared the information with family, dress makers, and others? This may not be as bad a thing as it seems. Some pony declining to know this, may protest too much.

In other words, we must play the most dangerous of games with our unknown enemy, by pretending to know who they are. I have no details on this yet. Await my next report. I have appointments, in the following order; Captain Spear’s orderly, the Baroness Lady Onyx, the court pastry chef, Lord Diamond the exchequer, the smithy Iron Hoff and Dodger, the sergeant of the guard, you, the royal cupbearer, and the seneschal Viscount Emerald. Should I desert my quest that will tell you something? You may depend on me to discover our enemy, as I depend on thee and the elements of harmony to dispatch them. Sum-po-neigh Knot Yew.

Chapter 3, letter #1,201

To my charming and determined Princess Celestia, in the 99th YR, my 1,201st letter
Notes from my interviews;

Cloud Runner - Captain Spear’s orderly, newest soldier in the guard, everything by the book, “yes sir, no sir”, scared, “buck up soldier, you can’t help anyone being afraid”.

The Baroness Lady Sophia Onyx – elderly, rheumatism in right foreleg, knows how to say nothing and mean something, likes roses.

Ringing Sweet - Court pastry chef, in his 8th year, complains that ponies are not eating as much as normal, annoyed at the expanded production for the Gala, on good terms with co-workers.

Lord Dash Diamond the exchequer – flashy, not what I’d expect from a purse string holder, likes feathers, sharp eyed, spotted my accounting mistakes quickly.

Iron Hoff the smithy – gruff, straight to the point, been noticing tools moving about the shop on their own, not at all happy to have Dodger making magic items in shop, likes onions.

Snow Stone - Sergeant of the guard, veteran, tells long stories that don’t say anything, except to hide her nervousness.
You - implacable, putting on your best face, beautiful, mischievously teasing me about Am Dodger.

Grail Grate - the royal cupbearer, new to Canterlot, easily awed, comes from a long line of winemakers, too eager.
Viscount Apricot Emerald the Seneschal – pompous bookkeeper, defensive when pushed, dutiful, slow imagination, honest, enjoys a good joke.

So after interviewing the last ponies to have contact with Captain Sharp Spear, I can conclude nothing. This is so frustrating. A review of his notes disclosed nothing either. We still do not know what we are looking for or who our enemy is. Nor do we know what this enemy’s motive is. One thing is certain; ponies do not evaporate from here without going someplace. Considering the range of most teleporters, the guard will start searching empty rooms, buildings and warehouses. I think I will have a surprise inspection of the barracks this evening. I am also changing up the guard duties and reinforcing locations.

Tomorrow, if nothing should reveal itself tonight, I will continue interviews with more staff members and guard units. I hope also to encounter Lord & Lady Jasper; they showed me kindness during my last visit to Canterlot. The residence of Holly the Magnificent should be seal off until her return. Leave that to me.

Share this report with no pony. Thou wert wise to recall me and mine. Our generosity, kindness, loyalty, humor and trustworthiness are with thee; Sum-po-neigh Knot Yew.

Chapter 4, letter 1,202

To my courageous and majestic Princess Celestia, in the 99th YR, my 1,202nd letter

My investigation of Holly the Magnificent’s residence revealed plenty of tricks but no clues. There is no reason to suspect she was planning to leave town. What did strike me odd, was the claim of some of her neighbors to have seen her walking about the city after she disappeared. When pressed none of these fellow citizens were uncertain of what they had seen; only that they had seen her at a distance walking through town, and those who had tried to catch her reported disappointment. I begin to suspect that more than just Holly and Sharp Spear may have disappeared. Doing a census in the middle of the Gala would be useful, but practically impossible. So instead of making my work easier, I think I have a plan to make my work harder.

The streets of Canterlot are bright and cheerful. Banners hang along the streets, over stores and doorways. The ponies are enthusiastic about the upcoming Gala. Making this a community event is most heartening. Ponies express a jovial and jaunty facade. The pallid that plagued this pale city is guardedly pocketed. I am most anxious. I think I will visit the smithy…
Walking through town, I chanced to meet up with Sgt Snow Stone; he was checking the new guard details and supervising the search of warehouses and empty buildings. He suggested expanding the search to apartments and homes not in use, and I concurred. At the moment I was struck with a flash of inspiration. Something in my memory about Canterlot being founded on an old crystal mine, made me issue orders to expand the search there too.

…tis a good thing I did visit the smithy. There I found the normally busy metal works quiet. Lying upon the floor in the back I discovered a near unconscious Am Dodger, with a left (or port side) broken horn. I heard a noise behind me and spotted Iron Hoof exiting the forge. I rush after him crashing through the door, readying my whistle when my eyes beheld Iron Hoof running toward me. I steadied myself for a fight only to have Iron Hoof exclaim confusion at why I would be treating his establishment so poorly. The smell of onion was strong on his breath. It struck me as odd that I had not smelled it before when I entered the smithy. I followed my instincts and hurried Iron Hoof into the forge. Am Dodger was still upon the floor and Iron Hoof’s countenance turned ashen. He rushed to her side offering aid and was most conciliatory. I charged him to explain his recent whereabouts. He recounted that he had taken his normal lunch break and upon returning viewed me crashing out through the door.

Am Dodger, recovering now, stood up and confirmed Hoof’s alibi. She had been working alone, when an officer of the guard had stepped in to demand what device she was working on. He had not introduced himself, (either out of pompous self-importance, or because he didn’t want to be identified). Dodger had turn to show her work to him, when she had been knock down. Iron Hood and I found what remained of her work in the slag pit. Dodger was a bit distressed, it was going to be the traditional head and face piece used to ward off evil spirits and doppelgangers, in the land she came from. Her broken horn did not represent any real danger. They fall off seasonally among her people. And I be thinking that without that horn to protect her head, the damage she had received would have been worse.

I left them with orders not to leave the iron works, until I had returned with guards. But first I need to put in a huge requisition with the hat makers; Sum-po-neigh Knot Yew.

Chapter 5, letter 1,203

To my grand and glorious Princess Celestia, in the 99th YR, my 1,203rd letter

Hooray, victory is close. Sgt Snow Stone and the royal guards have found our missing ponies in the crystal mines beneath Canterlot. Do not release this news to the public until latter. I need this confidence to catch the villains. In total five ponies have been found, worse for wear and neglect, but recovering and eager to participate in my little surprise at the upcoming Gala. Captain Sharp Spear is fervent to resume his duties, but is understanding and in agreement with my plan to catch the scoundrels.

Holly the magnificent has explained the process the rogues used to spirit our ponies away. Before Am Dodger had arrived, they would sneak into the smithy and construct latent mines or traps with obvious magical abilities to teleport. Now that the iron works are reinforced with a special guard, access has been denied them. Now recovered, Holly is using her magic to prevent any more teleportations, but cannot do this indefinitely. It is good that the Gala is tonight. I need yea to make a special announcement.

The evening progressed wonderfully, ponies arrived in their finest regalia and even I put on a green bow tie. The arrangements I had earlier made with the hat makers were less than adequate. There was only so much they could do in the time they had. It was necessary to cordon off segments of the joyous crowd. I gambled that ‘guests’ we had arranged for would be in the palace courtyard or the throne room. Since I needed your cooperation, I decided to start with the throne room.

Lord & Lady Jasper were the first to greet me. Such a charming couple, I was at a loss with myself for failing to interview them earlier. Sophia Onyx came to my rescue and recounted the pleasant day she had spent with them. Thy entrance into the throne room brought a gasp of delight, even from me. The crimson robe flowing over thy scarlet dress silenced the room. Those ruby red shoes tapped gently upon the court floor. On cue, thy proclamation, that this was a special event requiring special action, and the wearing of masks for this masquerade brought cheers from most. And panic from our doppelgangers, but the doors were already shut. I suspected correctly from Dodger’s lore, that these imposters could not maintain their mass illusions if we were all wearing masks. The main entrance opened and the dark creatures rushed the door. Captain Sharp Spear and the guards (all in masks) were arranged and netted them up before they could escape.
Captain Spear, Sgt Snow and I repeated the masquerade throughout the palace, and into the courtyard and then into the streets. No other doppelgangers were captured and I believe we apprehended them all in our first netting. I am confident that my recent expensive purchases from the hat makers will be approved, with thy persuasion, by Lord Dash Diamond and Viscount Apricot Emerald. All in all, with the exception of the incident in the throne room, this Gala has been the least disastrous of all the ones I have attended.

The interment of our prisoners is a difficult thing. Several times they have sought to fool the guards by pretending to be other ponies. This fails for two reasons, we as guards are wearing masks and secondly they have an aversion to my loveless self. I will explain more in my next letter with notes from my interrogation; Sum-po-neigh Knot Yew.

Chapter 6, letter 1,204

To my diligent and determined Princess Celestia, in the 100th YR, my 1,204th letter

Our guests are starving. They need love to sustain themselves. The food we offer to them is meaningless unless made with love. How they can sense this, I cannot fathom. They have some other type of sense beyond smell or sight. Though I like the name doppelgangers, they prefer to be called changelings. They have no names or none they are willing to speak. Names among them are reserved only for their most special members, great mothers, or queens. Comments on who these are, is considered impolite or imprudent.

What I have learned is that they are from outside the boundaries of Equestria. Their normal habitat was invaded by a manticore that displaced them. By chance they found ponies traveling to Canterlot for the Gala. Those ponies never arrived at the Gala; so drained of love were they that they quit the trip. I had guards verify reports of that family of ponies, giving up the quest for the Gala and returning home dispirited. They are recovering from their depression now. The interrogation of our villains supports this. Then did our rogues continued on to the Gala incorporating the illusion of this family into their customary or costume – ary (sic).

My friend, Jorge the Griffin has had some success interviewing our scoundrels. They either lack the energy to duplicate the appearance of a griffin or the capacity to. He notes that they particularly dislike my presence. Perhaps it is something in my eyes.

Legally these criminals are guilty of pony napping, theft, and assault (upon Am Dodger). They are also suspected of attempting to overthrow our government, meaning you. The security of a trial would be dangerous to arrange, too many opportunities to escape and fade into the crowd. Indeed, the longer we keep them, the more likely they will escape. Turning the felonious into stone has produced mixed results in the past and their insubstantial nature may make that impossible.

We could let them starve in the dungeon, but I think you would want me to find another course to advocate. To exile these offenders from Equestria does not prevent their return or worse, loose our problem upon our neighbors. In their defense, they are not citizens or even residents of Equestria. They do what they do to sustain themselves. If they could be trusted, their special talent would be useful in conducting counter-covert operations. I could keep them with me at Star Swirl’s residence; it is far enough from Canterlot that should they attempt to return I could send advance warning to the guard to employ the masquerade. Returning them to where they are from requires relocating a manticore, no small task.

I await thy decision; do we relocate manticores to Equestria? Do I march our enemies into the jungles or beyond and leave them there? Do we let them starve?

May I suggest we trick them into leaving, and if our trick is done well they will never return. Holly has some idea to do this, and being a magician she can do it. It will take the cooperation of all of Canterlot to make this trick work. Holly and I have already discussed the concept. Summon her and the others that will be required to orchestrate the deception. I must remain as our guest’s personal guard, so give Holly the reins on this. I hope I can do my part in acting this out, “break a leg”; Sum-po-neigh Knot Yew.