[Non-Sponsored] Meet and Greet with Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadence

[Lux]

Spoiler

 

Princess Luna wasn't a big fan of the Grand Galloping Gala. To her memory, these events were very... not fun. They were stuffy and bland with Canterlot's elite gathering and socializing with each other. The Princess had to spend many a Gala trying to keep herself from falling asleep while greeting ponies, or worse trying to resist the urge to somehow sabotage the event if nothing more than to add some sort of action in the event. Even with her return, the Princess of Night was hesitant to attend the Gala. Part of it was her fear of how someponies would think of her, but mostly it was thinking about past dull Galas.

 

But it was her sister that convinced her to attend this Gala, saying it was not like the ones of the past and was indeed "fun." So here the Princess stood at the top of the grand staircase, waiting to receive the guests at this Gala while trying to keep an open mind. Strangely, her sister had not arrived yet to join Luna at her side, something she hoped that would be rectified soon.

 

"Steel yourself Luna," she said with a sigh, "Because the Gala is about to start." 

 

Spoiler

RainbowFoxxy, Princess Celestia's player, will be joining later, so you will have an opportunity to meet the Princess of the Sun and Moon soon!

 

[Mojo]

 Haywire

 

Already young Haywire was bored.  The filly had came to the Gala with her big brother Hayseed and her older demanding sister Haymaker but the curious filly had managed to slip away from them.  Haywire decided to do some exploring.  This castle was HUGE and she thought she could find all sorts of fun things to do if she searched hard enough.  Trying to stay hidden from her siblings, the red furred filly unknowingly backed into a room where Princess Luna stood.  Unaware of her surroundings, Haywire continued to sneak backwards until her flank bumped into something solid.  Turning around and looking upward, Haywire gasped in amazement, only now did she realize she had just bumped into... Princess Luna, the Ruler of the Night!  Fear struck the blonde filly as her eyes bugged out and her tiny frame quaked in nervousness.

 

"Ah..er.. hi.. P.. P... P... Princess.. Luna?  I.. I.. er.. surry I ran inta ya.. yeah.. powerful surry bout dat.."

[tacobob]

 

 

Oh happy day! It was the night of The Grand Galloping Gala!

 

Wind Walker was dressed in a rather festive royal purple dress. While she -liked- it, the poor filly was still in a stage of her life where she was expected to look cute. While there was nothing wrong with being cute, she wanted to skip that whole part of her life and dress instead to be beautiful! More 'wooos' and less 'awwwwws'. Thankfully, after much -discussion- about this year's Gala-Dresss with her mother, they were able to reach an impasse and have a dress created that did not resemble a giant ribbon covered poof ball. And being the clever ponies they were, the pair had the dress made months in advance, knowing the dress maker in Ponyville would be absolutely overwhelmed with work as the Gala grew near. Thankfully Wind did not have any inconvenient growth spurts during those months.

 

The little blue filly had traveled to Canterlot with her family. And while her parents, who were both long standing officers of the R.E.A , went over the security details, the Pegasus pony decided to check out the Royal Meet & Great. This was just like the ones they had at Whinny World, except instead of standing with some underpaid teenager in an oversized costume while Mom fumbled around with her camera, this would be a real princess. And not only would it be a real princess, it would be PRINCESS CELESTIA. She was the prettiest and nicest of all the princesses! She was also very wise and polite and did not seem to want to rush past her grateful citizens. She was a ruler, but she was also basically Equestria's mom. And just standing in her presence made all of her little problems just float away. Princess Celestia was surely the best pony and also best Princess.

 

 

Her friend Fast Track was supposed to be hoofing it over right now along with his camera. He would snap a picture of the filly as she stood alongside the most beloved of all ponies. He also needed to escape her friends, as they couldn't help but tease the colt who was looking rather handsome in his new suit.

 

As the filly made her way through the royal hallway, she caught sight of the ever Impressive grand staircase and thus was...er...Just Princess Luna? While she rather liked the princess of the night, Wind was still smarting from the last Gala when the former Nightmare Moon nearly stepped on her! There was already a filly that appeared to be rather terrified of the Princess and was shaking like a leaf during a hurricane. Hmmm. Maybe she should wait for Fast Track and Princess Celesta.

 

Wind pondered this for a moment....

[Lux]

In her attempts to distract herself momentarily, Princess Luna took her eyes off of the main door to look at the beautiful chandeliers adorning the room. It was a wonder how one could not see something so pretty right in front of their own nose! Suddenly she felt something or somepony bump into her. The bewildered mare looked arround to see nothing. It was only when she looked down, she saw it was a red filly at her hooves!

 

"Ah..er.. hi.. P.. P... P... Princess.. Luna?  I.. I.. er.. surry I ran inta ya.. yeah.. powerful surry bout dat.."

 

"That is fine, just as long as you are ok," Luna said bending down to check on the filly, "You are ok, right? What is your name, my little pony?"

 

Another pony entered the room, this one an older filly. She looked, familiar, like Luna saw perhaps saw her before. Strangely, the filly did not approach the Princess but held back. Was she simply waiting her turn, or reluctant?

 

"No need to be afraid of me," Luna said, "You may approach as well as you see fit." 

 

 

 

Spoiler

Achievement Unlocked: Use of title in a conversation! 

 

[Mojo]

Haywire gasped a bit when Princess Luna first spoke to her.  She wasn't sure how a Royal Princess would react to an awkward situation such as this.  But the red furred blank flank filly didn't hear any anger or harshness in Luna's voice, so she began to relax a bit.  After all, how many opportunities would a tiny farm filly like herself get a chance to talk face to face to Equestrian royalty?

 

"Mah names Haywire, yur majesty," the blonde farm filly said as she bowed respectfully.  "I'm alright, ain't nuttin' hurt that I know of.  Glad ya ain't mad at me.  Back home when I bump inta things er knock stuff over, mah big sister yells at me, real loud.  Gotta ask ya, Princess, how do ya git yur mane all flashy an' glowy like dat?  Even mah big sister couldn't git mah hair lookin' like dat!"

[tacobob]

 

"Eep!"

 

Wind Walker did not plan to go 'eep', nor did she ever even consider going 'eep', but she still managed to nearly leap out of  her little horseshoes and make an 'eep' sound when Princess Luna spotted her.

 

Ho-Boy. There were a few things on the filly list's of things she did not care for. Small talk with adults was near the top. But the good princess was hardly a regular old adult. And Luna had a good question. One the filly BETTER not respond to by saying she was waiting for Princess Celestia. And while the royal Alicorn nearly stomped on her during the previous Grand Galloping Gala, the filly did not dislike Luna. She just wasn't Celestia.

 

While Wind and her parents moved to Ponyville, she was still an Canterlot filly! And thus she would be polite and humble before her princess. The blue Pegasus pony made her way up the stairs and bowed as all good ponies should do while in the presence of royalty. "I beg your pardon, your Royal Highness.", she gave a proper bow  as she spoke. "I was waiting for my friend. He's bringing his camera.", she smiled back at Luna and then back at the other filly, who thankfully had become comfortable in the company of the princess after a near freak-out. "And I wanted to give others a chance to meet you while I waited."

 

Ho-Boy. There were only two ponies here so far? Maybe they all were waiting for Celestia as well. Her heart sunk a little as she started to wonder how Princess Luna felt. If only her brothers weren't busy serving  all over Equestria! Nearly half of her male siblings had a major crush on the former Nightmare Moon.  Then again, maybe it was a good idea that Punk Walker wasn't here, as he'd probably get thrown in the dungeon for what he might have done.

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

The Princess of the Sun couldn't help but smile as she looked on at her sister and the little fillies that were there to meet her. Though she knew there would be lots of ponies that wanted to meet them, it was always a delight to spend time with the youngest members of Equestrian society. She had promised Luna this would be a fun event and not as stuffy and boring as galas could often become.

 

It was with fluid grace that Celestia came to stand by her sister. She nudged the deep blue alicorn lightly in the ribs as she came to stand next to her. A playful smirk lit the edges of her dainty muzzle. 

 

"See my sister. I told you this gala would be fun." She spoke quietly out oft he side of her mouth. "Just wait and see what I have planned for later."

 

After this she looked at the two little fillies that had come to say hello. They both looked a bit nervous though possibly for different reasons. Celestia gave a calm smile to them.

 

"Well hello there," She stooped her head a touch to be able to be on a similar level with them. "I'm so glad you could both come to our gala! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

[Mojo]

Just as Haywire was adjusting to the fact she was now talking to Princess Luna, now her royal sister, Princess Celestia, stood directly in front of her and gave the rust colored blank flank filly a greeting.  The eyes of the blonde Earth filly bugged out, and for a moment or two, she was speechless.  Haywire's mind was 'officially' blown!  WOW!  What an honor to meet the two oldest Princesses in the entire realm!  After the initial shock wore off, Haywire quickly bowed to the Sun Princess before speaking.

 

"Hi thar, yur majesty!  I'm plumb happy ta meetcha face ta face, eyeball ta eyeball like this!  I've always dreamed of meetin' both of y'all, never thunk I'd manage ta do it all at once like this.  Wait'll I tell mah brother an' sister I got ta chat with both Princess Luna AND Princess Celestia!"

 

It was then she noticed the blue Pegasus pony nearby.  Haywire was always up for making new friends, so the Earth filly turned to face her directly.

 

"Howdy!  Mah name's Haywire!  Pleasure ta meetcha!  I live with mah family in the Nimbusgait Lakes area of Equestria, what's yur name?"  

[Lux]

"Mah names Haywire, yur majesty," the blonde farm filly said as she bowed respectfully.  "I'm alright, ain't nuttin' hurt that I know of.  Glad ya ain't mad at me.  Back home when I bump inta things er knock stuff over, mah big sister yells at me, real loud.  Gotta ask ya, Princess, how do ya git yur mane all flashy an' glowy like dat?  Even mah big sister couldn't git mah hair lookin' like dat!"

 

"Well Haywire, while I can't speak for your sister, anypony simply bumping into me will not cause me to be upset. However, if this is something that your sister is upset about, perhaps you should be more aware of yourself with other objects or ponies."

 

Not wanting to sound like the filly's parent or teacher, Luna shifted towards a more interesting topic for Haywire. 

 

"Ah yes, that is a question that I get asked many times during my reign. The reason why my mane and tail are so flashy and glowy as you said is simply due to being the Princess of Night. This isn't the mane and tail that I was born with, but when I began raising and lowering the moon and connecting ponies in their dreams, my mane and tail took on this form. I hope this answers your question."

 

The other filly let out a strange response when Luna spoke, then seemed to be reluctant to approach. The princess didn't buy the "friend with a camera" idea, nor did she believe the main reason for the filly's reluctance was out of courtesy to others. It had to be that this filly was waiting for her sister, Princess Celestia. Some things never changed. There would always be ponies that preferred one Princess over the other. Luna knew this but unlike in the past she wasn't going to be pulled down by it. 

 

"I see. Well, I appreciate your concern, and I hope that you stay to visit my sister as well. She is due to arrive any moment now." 

 

Just as she said this, Princess Celestia made her entrance. 

 

"See my sister. I told you this gala would be fun." She spoke quietly out oft he side of her mouth. "Just wait and see what I have planned for later."

 

"It is... actually nice," Luna whispered in reply, "Oh, and you have some secret planned as the night moves forward? Interesting." 

 

She then let Celestia greet the two fillies who Luna was sure they would be excited seeing two Princesses. 

[Bellosh]

 

“Sorry I’m late, everypony!” Striding into the Throne Room now was the niece of Celestia and Luna, Princess Cadence. “The Crystal Train broke down on the trip down to Canterlot, and it took the engineers a hour to fix it. But here I am!” This year, Cadence went alone to the Grand Galloping Gala; Shining Armor stayed behind to look after their newborn daughter. Speaking of little ones;

“Looks like the two of you are popular with the foals,” Cadence playfully teased as she reached the other alicorns; “Tehehe, this reminds me of my foalsitting days.....”

[tacobob]

 

 

Alright now things were happening! Princess Celestia was here! Hurray! While it was very difficult, the filly managed to keep from bouncing around and acting like a crazy pony. She needed to be an -lady-. One that would eventually serve at the side of the princesses when joined the R.E.A like the rest of her family had been doing since year one.  "Thank you, your Majesty!", she added with a cute little Canterlot-Curtsey. The filly could not help but notice the small amount of her fellow fillies and colts that had attended this year's Gala. Were Equestria's parents worried that something might happen? Maybe they were fearful of the Caribou that were attending this year? Her mother asked the blue Pegasus pony to at least speak to one of the poor creatures. She assured her child that they were not monsters and even with their changed appearance, they were still the brave and noble people as before..

 

She could not help but smile as the other filly spoke to the pair of princesses. She was right. Her brothers were also going to be pretty impressed to hear she got to meet both of the princesses. Or at least two of them. "I'm Wind Walker." The filly always wanted to visit the Great Nimbusgait Lakes. She heard the place was super pretty and the Neighagara Falls was a sight to be seen! There were also a few really cool places for tourist to check out.

 

Wind Walker did feel a little sad by Luna's response. It wasn't her words, it was the way she said them. In the filly's family, Fire and Cordy were the top of the pile. Her eldest brother was the 'responsible one'. He was a top ranking officer in Trottingham and had a family! Fire was the more heroic of her siblings. She served princesses! She fought monsters! But there was also Punk and Sky. The younger brothers. They had yet to find their place in the world, so they tended to be looked down upon. And while Princess Luna was the 'kid' sister of the bunch, and she almost destroyed Equestria at least twice, she was all better now, and more importantly, she was still a princess.

 

"It sure was nice of you and your sister to do this.", she smiled warmly at the dark coated royal pony, "When Fast finds his way here with his camera, I'm gonna make sure to snap a pic of you two together as he has a super big crush on you. He won't admit it though." And just like that, came another princess. This time, it was Princess Cadence! And while she absolutely hated to be called a 'foal', the filly still pulled a curtsy when the new 'ali-mom' appeared. Now they just needed Princess Twilight for the complete set!

[Mojo]

Haywire was having the time of her life!

 

Not only had she met Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, the rust colored Earth filly just got to make a new friend too!

 

First, Haywire answered Princess Luna.

 

"That sure does answer mah question, Princess Luna!  Thanks a heap!"

 

Then the blonde Earth filly turned towards Wind Walker.

 

"That thar's a great name!  Pleased ta meetcha!" Haywire neighed, extending a hoof to shake.

 

Suddenly, Haywire became even more excited when Princess Cadance walked in.  WOW!  Three of the Princesses of Equestria in one place!  After finishing her hoof shake, she quickly turned towards the other members of royalty.

 

"WOW!  Princess Cadance, are ya gonna bring yur baby to the Gala?  I'd love ta see her face ta face!  An' Princess Celestia, furgive me fer askin', but I heard ya mention somethin' ya planned later, what's it gonna be?

[Pretzelparty]

 

This was it. The moment the sultan had been preparing for all month. For the first time Basira was in Equestria not just as a tourist. This time, she was here as the representative of her land; Saddle Arabia. To be frank, She was more than a little nervous. Despite being chosen as the most suitable candidate to run the country of Saddle Arabia... She actually hadn't visited outside of it much and mainly focused on her seeing her children. This was going to be the first time she'd attempted anything regarding foreign diplomacy since one pony was complaining about her height at a stage play in Canterlot and having to negotiate a term that they could both be comfortable with... which turned out to be the smaller pony sitting on her back and watching the show that way. 

Well, all she could do was give it her best as she approached the Meet and Greet set up by the royal siblings. As soon as she set hoof in the area she went bug eyed for a second as she laid eyes on the most famous of the Alicorn quartet... an ali-quartet if you will. A stifled laugh escaped her lips, some internal joking was a good way to relax herself. She could easily tell who Celestia was... there was really noway you could mistake anypony else for her. Her stature alone was a huge sign that this pony was important. The other mare closest to her side, Luna had a mystifying radiance about her... but how do they keep their mane's flowing constantly like that with no wind? Perhaps it had something to do with the magical power they had within them. 

Soon enough though another princess joined the scene. Goodness, Meeting all of them tonight might actually be easier than she'd thought. Soon Basira came out from behind the door she had been concealing herself behind and approached. The Sultan seemed to be going for a more practical but refined look for her outfit tonight. SHe wore what looked to be a relatively simple autumn shaded robe with many patterns covering it's exquisite orange fabric. Around her waist was a nice sash and on her head she wore a lovely matching Keffiyeh. 

 

She took a few steps forward and inclined her head slightly, "Marhabaan, Leaders of Equestria... It is good to finally make your aquaintance. I am Basira El-aminm Newly chosen Sultan of Saddle Arabia. Peace be upon you all this evening." When she went to bow her head she gav epause as well as a look of surprise... well, if it wasn't Miss Wind Walker! The filly who'd managed to endear herself to the Sultan not too long ago. "You as well, Alrriah Almasha; Wind Walker."

 

 

 

 

[Windwright]

A sinuous shadow slipped through the evening sky, looping around Canterlot in a wide arc before it homed in on the castle. Above this shadow was its source, a wyrm of considerable age, to judge by their size, covered in an aurora of scales that shimmered in dozens of shades of green as she drew closer to the city.

 

Presently, she slipped into the foyer where she knew the Princesses were going to be gathering to meet their subjects, flying through the doors and looping around the ceiling and winding through the varying columns with an unearthly grace. Finally, she made a swoop nearly to the floor and coiled herself into a neat pile that ends with her head and forebody aimed toward the three princesses.

 

Her mane was pulled into a tight bun and interwoven with hundreds of strips of silk that shimmered in the available light, and dozens of charms and jade discs adorned her brow line. Not quite regalia, but still, coupled with her size and the age in her eyes, it made for an impressive sight. She smelled faintly of lotus blossoms and chamomile, and with every third or fourth breath, she released a small wisp of smoke that refreshed and strengthened that scent.

 

"Greetings from Long Guo, Princesses of Equestria. I am Matron Yuchou, representative of the Serpent Council. I have been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time." she announced imperiously, bowing low and then pulling just her head back up. The Long had arrived.

[Novaburst]

The Grand Galloping Gala was something that Nova Burst hadn't wanted to attend particularly.  But when he'd received a ticket Nova Burst thought it was mandatory given he'd never been invited actually to one of these events. "So this is the Grand Galloping Gala.  Well,  there's a first time for everything I guess given I've never been here before."    Nova Burst was concentrating on keeping any of his magic from leaking out.   Headed to where the Princesses were going Nova Burst planned on meeting up with the royalty of Equestria. Twilight had been nice to him and was a Princess.  Meeting the others seemed interesting enough and there was also a chance he might meet up with Twilight again.   Approaching where Luna was,  he'd bow. "Greetings  Princess Luna." 

[RainbowFoxxy]

 

Celestia smiled, happy to see her sister interacting with the young ones. It certainly was a relief to spend time with fillies and not have to watch one's words oh so closely. It seemed ponies just took themselves so seriously these days... Celestia let out a soft breath at the thought. She sometimes wished she could have been born as a common pony in the lands of Equestria like so many other had. However, there were plenty of parts of her role as guardian of Equestria that she cherished. Plus, she got to spend time with her sister and Cadance. Two ponies she loved dearly. 

 

It wasn't long before two more grown up beings arrived. Both of them being of status in their lands. One, the Sultan of Saddle Arabian and another a dragon from the Serpent Council of Long Guo! They both seemed very friendly. Celestia greeted them with a warm smile.

 

"Ah! Sultan, I'm so happy to see you have arrived! I've been excited to meet you since I first sent your invitation to our Gala!" She inclined her head to the regal horse. "Welcome to Canterlot from all of us!" She wanted to talk more with the Sultan and she would do so. There were others that needed to be spoken with first.

 

"Welcome Matron Yuchou! The dragons of the Council are highly esteemed here as in your homeland. I trust you had a pleasant journey?"

 

She turned back to the Sultan. "It seems you have the pleasure of acquaintance with young Wind Walker?"

 

It had been centuries since a gathering of dignitaries and royalty such as this had taken place at a Gala! Empresses, princesses, sultans, Long Guo dragons, caribou leaders! Celestia knew tonight was special indeed!

[Lux]

As Princess Luna waited for her sister to speak with the two fillies, another surprise happened. Her niece, Princess Cadence appeared! It had been a while since the Princess of Night had seen her, and that time was bittersweet as she got to see Princess Flurry Heart and had to save the Crystal Empire from freezing! 

 

"Great to see you, Cadence. I hope that your stay is better than your journey here. How is Shining Armor and Flurry Heart? I hope that your darling daughter isn't causing too much trouble with her magic surges." 

 

“Looks like the two of you are popular with the foals. Tehehe, this reminds me of my foalsitting days.....”

 

"Well, It's not everyday that these ponies have seen a Princess, unless of course they're from Ponyville and see Twilight. I must admit that since my return my track record with foals has been... interesting, but I think I'm getting better." 

 

"It sure was nice of you and your sister to do this.", she smiled warmly at the dark coated royal pony, "When Fast finds his way here with his camera, I'm gonna make sure to snap a pic of you two together as he has a super big crush on you. He won't admit it though." 

 

"Of course we would greet our guests at the Grand Galloping Gala. It wouldn't be right to miss it, although it's nice to see ponies and other species here rather than just the upper class like Galas before."

 

She could only chuckle at the filly's admitting that his friend had a crush on her. It was not the first time that a pony would be infatuated with her and it wouldn't be the last. She remembered the many letters she received of ponies professing their love, some of which even made the Princess of Night blush. 

 

"So your friend has a crush on me, Wind Walker? Well I must say I'm flattered and look forward to meeting this friend of yours."

 

"That sure does answer mah question, Princess Luna!  Thanks a heap!"

 

"I'm glad it does, Haywire. Just remember, a Princess is not one by their mane and tail, the fact that they have wings and a horn, or that they have a crown or a castle. It's how they treat others that makes them a Princess." 

 

Princess Luna happened to see two guest who had traveled quite a long distance to visit the Gala. One was the Sultan from Saddle Arabia and another a dragon from Long Guo who after making a very astounding entrance identified herself as a representative of the Serpent Council. Of course Luna knew the later would be here seeing as the Princess and Prince were in the courtyard entertaining guests. 

 

"Marhabaan, Leaders of Equestria... It is good to finally make your acquaintance. I am Basira El-aminm Newly chosen Sultan of Saddle Arabia. Peace be upon you all this evening."

 

"And may peace be upon you too, Sultan. I am glad that you could attend the Grand Galloping Gala. I trust that your travels were safe.

 

"Greetings from Long Guo, Princesses of Equestria. I am Matron Yuchou, representative of the Serpent Council. I have been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time." 

 

"Greetings to you as well, Matron Yuchou. I too have been looking forward to meeting our allies in Long Guo."

 

The last of the ponies to make their entrance was a unicorn stallion. He seemed nervous, but not like those who had visited a Princess for the first time. This one was worried that something might happen. 

 

"And greetings to you as well, and welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala. May i ask what your name is?" 

[Novaburst]

"Nova Burst,  Princess Luna."  said Nova Burst,  relaxing a little around her.  For she was certainly friendly.  Hopefully he wouldn't surge.  Please Celestia,  don't let him surge was running through his brain.  The magic surges were beyond annoying.  He'd lift a hoof timidly for her to shake. He'd worked a very hard job or several actually in order to afford going to the Gala.   "If I may,  I do have a suggestion that you lower the price for Gala Tickets..."

 

 

 

 

 

[Bellosh]

 

". . . How is Shining Armor and Flurry Heart? I hope that your darling daughter isn't causing too much trouble with her magic surges."

 

Princess Cadence bashfully shook her head in response to Auntie Luna. "No, Flurry's magic surges aren't as bad as they once were. Our crystaller Sunburst is to thank for that. Otherwise, Shiny and our baby are just fine."

 

". . . I must admit that since my return my track record with foals has been... interesting, but I think I'm getting better."

 

"Interesting?" Princess Cadence slyly commented; "You call entering the dreams of little fillies and colts to help them deal with their fears interesting? What you do is amazing, Luna! I wish I could do the same thing."

 

"WOW!  Princess Cadance, are ya gonna bring yur baby to the Gala?  I'd love ta see her face ta face! . . ." 

 

"Sorry," the pink princess chuckled at the earth pony filly, ruffling her mane; "Flurry's not quite old enough yet to attend the Grand Galloping Gala. She's still just an infant, after all. Once she's about your age though, I'd think she would love to go."

 

". . . I am Basira El-aminm Newly chosen Sultan of Saddle Arabia. Peace be upon you all this evening."

 

Cadence bowed her head to the new Sultan of Saddle Arabia as well; "It is a honor to meet you, Basira. We hope your experience in Equestria is a pleasant one. Oh, and I wish you good luck in your tenure as Sultan of Saddle Arabia."

 

". . . I am Matron Yuchou, representative of the Serpent Council. I have been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time."

The alicorn mare had never seen a being quite like an Elder Dragon of the East; something about the Matron seemed to compel Cadence to revere her. It felt almost like the very first time Cadence met Princess Celestia. "Welcome to Equestria, Matron Yuchou," the Crystal Princess performed another courteous nod. It then dawned right then and there had Cadence had stumbled upon Yuchou's name not too long ago, while she had been studying to prepare for motherhood; "Is it true that you are charged with caring for the eggs and newborns of Longri-La?"

[tacobob]

 

“Oh thanks.”, the little blue filly returned the hoof shake. While she had lost a bit of love of her name over the fact that the pony she was named after did some rather not-so-nice things recently, Wind Walker tried her best to sound positive. Which wasn’t too hard considering all the very important ponies that were standing nearby. The pegasus pony remembered hearing about the major ruckus that was caused shortly after Princess Cadence and Shining Armor’s kid was born. The entire Crystal Kingdom had been just seconds away from total evacuation! Thankfully the day was saved and the Kingdom was restored to order.

 

Spotting the friendly Sultan of Saddle Arabia, the filly gave yet another curtsy. She didn't know what the heck she was talking about. Alarah Mash Potatoes? But she knew it had to be some sort of greeting. "Nice to see you again,your Highness.", Wind greeted the royal horse with a smile. She first met the impressive mare during the oddest of places....An art store! While doing some shopping with her big sister, the pair stopped at the small store to pick up a few goodies for some friends. And during their visit, they ran right into the Sultan! "I hope you're enjoying the Gala so far."

 

The filly's eyes seem to grow bigger as a few more interesting people entered the royal hall. Was that a dragon? A real honest to goodness dragon? She had seen little dragon boy that lived with Princess Twilight while in Ponyville, but would he be able to get this big? The filly would have to remind herself to be EXTRA nice to him the next time they met. She wouldn't want a grown up version of him to stomp on her!

 

Wind smiled cheerfully as Princess Celestia mentioned her to the Sultan. Her ears perked up a little as words were tossed back and forth. Princess Luna could help fillies and colts through their dreams. That was pretty impressive. She silently wondered if Luna could also help bigger ponies like her brother Punk? He sure needed a TON of help. This of course was not the time or place to ask of such a thing. Maybe later.

 

"Oh yes, Princess Luna.", the filly beamed, "Ol' Fast Track has a crush....And also a few of my brothers have a thing for you as well.", Wind chuckled for a bit, "Some are even working as Royal Guards tonight. Heard it's a super honor..."

 

As Wind Walker gushed over the room 'o' princesses..A little brown colt dressed in a tux with an camera that hung from his neck, cantered into view.

 

 

"Holy Socks!" the little pony quickly cantered upstairs, and while ignoring the gaggle of very impressive ponies, dragons and other people, headed right to the stained glass windows, "Wind, did you see this? I've never seen such impressive leadlights! This is probably true Saddle Arabian filigree windows!"

 

The filly could not believe her ears. He didn't even see all the royal ponies and the DRAGON?

 

"Fast Track!"

 

"I heard Sigmare Polke designed these, which she based of the original plans from the ruined Two Sister's Castle in the Everfree! I heard..."

 

"FAST TRACK! Behind you!"

 

The little colt nearly leaped out of his horse shoes when he bothered to turn around and see who was in the hall.

 

"Oh my!", he yelped.

[Windwright]

The dragon chuckled, rolling her head as she took in the greetings and questions. "My flight was long, but uneventful. I took advantage of a nearby cave I found abandoned in order to rest before completing the journey. Your pegasus teams are quite accomplished at making the flight smooth, I barely needed to interfere at all in the weather once I entered your borders." she replied to Celestia, who had addressed her first. In deference to her other guest, the sultana of Saddle Arabia no less, Yuchou withdrew and reoriented herself.

 

She offered a nod of acknowledgement to Princess Luna, smiling softly at the retinue of foals and other visitors surrounding the princess of the Moon, then continued looping and twisting through the air until she formed a loose spiral above the foals with her head and foreclaws looped around to orient on the new mother.

 

On 7/22/2016 at 4:25 PM, Bellosh said:

"Is it true that you are charged with caring for the eggs and newborns of Longri-La?"

 

"My goodness," she says with a subtle sparkle in her ancient eyes, "Equestrian princesses hear some interesting rumors. I do understand that you have a young foal of your own, 榮幸母親*. Were you in need of advice, perhaps?" she asks, smiling coyly. More than merely extending a claw in friendship, which she was doing, Matron Yuchou had been chosen for the expedition to answer these sorts of questions, just as she would have at Lake Huahuo. 

 

Spoiler

Róngxìng de Mǔqīn, or Honoured Mother

 

[Mojo]

Little Haywire was so awestruck, for the next few moments, the rust colored blank flank filly was absolutely speechless!

 

Imagine!  The mischevious blonde filly was now in the presence of not one, not two, but THREE pony Princesses!  On top of this, she was now standing in front of a real Saddle Arabian Sultan and a Qilin representative too!  Haywire was so excited, she felt like she was about to BURST!

 

"This here's the best day of mah life!" Haywire proudly neighed.  "I am SO pleased ta meet all of y'all!  WOW!  A Sultan!  A visitor from the Orient!  Princess Luna, Celestia and Cadence!  I'm LOVIN' ALL THIS!!!'

 

As Haywire began to jump for joy repeatedly, squealing at the top of her lungs, her saddlebags flew off her back and landed directly between all of the gathered pony royalty.  Instantly, the flap of her saddlebags swung open, revealing a dozen large frogs the rust colored filly had collected outside just before entering the castle.  Now, the startled frogs started to leap out in all directions.  Only when one of the frightened frogs landed on Haywire's head did the filly notice what had just happened.

 

"Uh oh.." she muttered as the scared frogs jumped around all over, especially among all of the Princesses, the Sultan and Yuchou. 

[SilverSwirl]

Silverbolt smiled to himself as he glided into the main hall, landing softly onto the marble floor. The cobalt blue pegasus was astonished by those who stood in front of him in the queue to meet with the Princesses. The new sultan of Saddle Arabia and a representative of the Serpent Council were here? "Oh my twinkling stars...", he whispered to himself as he double checked his icy blue hair with a hoof. It still felt like it was styled properly for the Gala and with that confirmed he breathed a sigh of relief. 

 

His sigh of relief was short lived as he looked on in horror at the saddlebag of frogs. They were hopping everywhere! "My goodness!", he exclaimed as he shifted on his hooves to avoid having a frog land on him. His wings fluttered nervously, taking him airborne into a hover. He was a postal pony, not an animal wrangler! Hopefully the princesses could handle it! 

[Lux]

Princess Luna let out a little sigh hearing Nova Burst's introduction. She would really like to have a moment not talking business affairs with ponies, but being a Princess didn't stop because of some event. 

 

"Welcome then Nova burst. What do you have in mind for the Gala ticket prices?" 

 

 "No, Flurry's magic surges aren't as bad as they once were. Our crystaller Sunburst is to thank for that. Otherwise, Shiny and our baby are just fine.  "Interesting? You call entering the dreams of little fillies and colts to help them deal with their fears interesting? What you do is amazing, Luna! I wish I could do the same thing."

 

"I'm glad to hear that Flurry's magic has settled. I often wonder years from now how her powers will be once she learns the necessary control. And yes, I do sometimes forget how wondrous helping ponies in dreams is. Perhaps doing so for so long has taken the shine from such a power, but I'm happy to help those who wish to banish their nightmares and fears. As far as interesting, I think about my reception with my first Nightmare Night when it came to foals and adults alike. But things have improved thankfully with how they see me."

 

A new colt entered the the hall, looking utterly amazed at not the ponies and dragon present but the architecture. His wonder though surpassed even Wing Walker's attempts to get her friend's attention until Fast Track saw who he was standing next to! 

 

"Hello there," Luna said bending down slightly to address the colt, "You must be Fast Track. Your friend, Wind Walker, told me much about you, especially that you wanted to see me." 

 

"My flight was long, but uneventful. I took advantage of a nearby cave I found abandoned in order to rest before completing the journey. Your pegasus teams are quite accomplished at making the flight smooth, I barely needed to interfere at all in the weather once I entered your borders." 

 

"Yes, they do try to make the flight paths towards Equestria safe for travel especially during events such as the Gala. I'm glad that your journey was safe."

 

She watched as the exuberant filly Haywire bounced around meeting the Princess. But something Luna didn't expect was when the filly dropped her bag several frogs hopped out and into the crowd! 

 

"Sister, Cadence, I believe we must help round up these frogs lest we cause a stir among the guests."

[Bellosh]

 

Princess Cadence didn't exactly come to the Grand Galloping Gala with the intent to ask questions about motherhood. Thus, she was at a loss for questions as she shook the Matron's hand. "Well umm, let me think," the alicorn thought of what to ask. "It's just that there's so many questions that I could ask you about. And I don't want to pester you with trivial-"

 

Cadence was interrupted mid-sentence when one of the fillies accidently let loose a dozen or so frogs. After initial mild startlement, the pink princess gave an exasperated sigh. "Ugggh, back to the salt mines," she grumbled as she levitated the filly's saddlebags into the air to begin the cleanup. Not every part of foalsitting was fun, you know.

While she telekinetically grabbed up on frog at a time, a poignant question about motherhood finally popped into Cadence's mind. "Matron," she looked up at the ancient serpent dragon; "What advice do you have for raising children with the potential to wield great power?" Alicorns and serpent dragons weren't exactly the same, but both species shared a similar position on top of their respective cultural pantheons. So perhaps the Matron had insight to provide.....