First Annual EQGirlsCon! //Closed Registered Guests only

[starswirlthebearded]

Harmonic Dissonance heard about some girl con in a small town called 'Ponyville.' For a traveling mare, it was hard to meet new ponies and befriend them. In fact she usually only met musicians and few became what anypony could call "friends." There were a few, one in particular she hit it off quick with was a jazz mare known as Birdy. As she disembarked the train coming into Ponyville, she pondered to herself if she'd see the energetic hepcat.

She walked around taking in the sights of the small town as she made her way to the town hall where it was being held. It was always a treat to see a small town, having grown up in a larger city, and constantly traveling to other larger cities where she would most likely land a gig, it was nice to be in a place that was more easy going than the high tension cities. It felt like she could really let loose and enjoy herself in Ponyville. It had already been some time before the doors had opened so she wasn't sure if there was going to be a line or no line at all. It didn't matter much, so long as she could find some nice ponies and have a good time. Maybe even share a drink with some fellow mares.

As she approached the town hall she was surprised to see that there was no one in line for badges. She trotted up to the green mare in the glasses as if she didn't have a care in the world and introduced herself. "[colour=#660066]Hey there. Name's Harmonic Dissonance. Seems I'm a bit late for the party, I was taking in the sites of this little town, ya dig?[/colour]" She wasn't really too worried about missing the line or anything. She knew there'd be plenty of mares already inside, and all she'd need to do is jump in.

"[colour=#660066]By the by, do ya have a piano in this joint? I play a bit, and would like to have a jam session if there are any like minded musicians abouts.[/colour]" She inquired as she was heading inside. She had contacted QuickLime about the badge earlier and had it sent to her pad. She merely wanted to introduce herself to the intrepid host of the Con.

[Bellosh]

 

Moondancer was overjoyed to hear that QuickLime looked forward to catching up later. “See ya’ later Lime,” the unicorn happily told the con organizer as she departed; “Hope all this doesn’t make you stress out!” Slipping the lanyard with badge attached onto her neck, Dancer couldn’t help but notice that her badge got mislabeled. Her name ought to be spelled as “Moondancer”, not “Moon Dancer”. But yet that small error was far overshadowed with the amazing detail of her cutie mark right next to her name. Moondancer didn’t expect that at all, finding herself very pleasantly surprised with that lovely detail.

 

Now that she was actually within Town Hall, Moondancer followed her first instinct to gallop over to her good friend Ice Storm. “ICY!!!” the white unicorn cried out as she neared her blue distinctive-looking companion; “Told ya’ I’d make it here!” Before Icy had a chance to respond, Dancer enveloped the other with a strong, cheerful hug. It would never do for Moondancer to make a half-hearted greeting to a friend.....

 

 

Closer to the entrance, Derpy Hooves stood there in awe as she took the time to gaze upon the inside of Town Hall. Boy, that Limey mare really outdid herself setting up snacks all over the place. Why, even Bon Bon and Lyra were here selling bon bons... and Bon Bon’s cart looked as great as ever. Nopony could have ever guessed that a while back, a series of unfortunate, entirely unpreventable accidents that Miss Hooves witnessed made a smoldering mess out of poor Bon Bon’s cart.

 

Derpy however was not in the mood for confectioneries today; drink was the name of her game today. Once she made up her mind, the googly-eyed pegasus flew her way over to the punch bowl before anypony else reached it. Hovering in the air, Miss Hooves sloppily filled her glass using a serving ladle, not realizing she was spilling a good portion of the drink on the table below, and proceeded to start downing some of that tasty punch.....!

[PedestrianWolf]

Fuchsia Blooms unloaded her baskets of flowers on the nearby tables, and with the assistance of one of the con helpers, arranged them nicely as centerpieces. Other ponies came in with more treats to share, and soon the table was filled with lovely things to eat.

The scent of chocolates floated through the air. Fuchsia turned and saw that somepony had set up a stand just outside the hall, selling candies. As a business owner herself, she knew that one had to take advantage of every possible sales opportunity. However, she had made the decision to relax this weekend, and not try to make her bits back by spending the whole con trying to sell her wares. Instead, she opted to make nice floral arrangements, and stick her business cards in each one, in case anypony wanted to know where the lovely flowers had come from.

Fuchsia decided to try a few of the salesmare's confections, and trotted towards the door. As she passed the registration desk, she saw that the green pegasus behind the table was looking a little frazzled. She paused a moment, then using a simple spell, she summoned a white carnation with blush pink tips on each petal from one of the table arrangements. She added a second spell, which subtly enhanced the scent of the flower. Then she walked over to the green mare.

[colour=#800080]"Hello again! I just wanted to thank you for the hard work you've done putting this event together. I'm sure all of the attendees appreciate it, very much."[/colour]

Offering up the carnation, Fuchsia asked, [colour=#800080]"May I tuck this into your mane? I think it would look lovely against your dark hair."[/colour]

After giving the flower to miss QuickLime, she turned towards the door and the candy cart. Looking over the selection, she decided to just get a few. After all, it was highly likely that she could get more later, and she didn't want to spoil her appetite right away, since there were so many other delicious things available inside.

[colour=#800080]"Oh my, these look so inviting! May I have the six bonbon sampler, please?"[/colour]

[Lux]

[colour=#ff8c00]"Thank you kindly," [/colour]Carrot Top replied to the pony manning the front desk for the convention.

She was surprised to see the convention teeming with mares, some of whom she had seen in town while others must have come to the event by train.

[colour=#ff8c00]"Alright, now to find the refreshment table[/colour][colour=#ff8c00]," [/colour]the orange manned mare said as she weaved her way through the crowd hoping to find her destination.

***

[colour=#800000]"Ooo... I like the badge," [/colour]Sweet Surprise said to QuickLime, [colour=#8b4513]"Anyway, off I go!"[/colour]

The mare looked around to see who to talk to first. There were so many here that she didn't know if she could even accomplish meeting half of the ponies in attendance. She then noticed that a small crowd formed nearby and wondered if a celebrity was in her midst. Moving in closer she saw a pony with three candies as her cutie mark who was selling candy.

[colour=#8b4513]"Hello fellow co-confectioner! I'm Sweet Surprise, connoisseur of candy and chocolates from Canterlot. What's your name?" [/colour]

[Mojo]

After thanking Quicklime for the badges and room key, Louise LaMare, Tankena and Ms. Harshwhinney decided to mingle with the growing crowd of mares.

[colour=#008000]"We will have good time this weekend, da?" [/colour]the green Stalliongradian Earth mare neighed.

[colour=#FF8C00]"Yes, I'm sure will have a ball together," [/colour]Ms. Harshwhinney said as she rolled her eyes.

[colour=#8B4513]"C'mon Whinney, give Tankena a chance," [/colour]Louise whispered seconds before Tankena pulled out her balalaika out from her luggage.

[colour=#008000]"HAY EVERYPONY! WE START PARTY NOW!" [/colour]she announced as she began to play a Stalliongradian folk song.

[colour=#008000]"We are the ponies of Stalliongrad![/colour]

[colour=#008000] Our hearts are warm when the weather is bad![/colour]

[colour=#008000] We work real hard then we sing and prance![/colour]

[colour=#008000] The time is now to do our special dance!"[/colour]

Then Tankena began to dance the hakhop, kicking her hind feet and then shouting [colour=#008000]"HAY!" [/colour]when she threw her front feet up in the air randonly. As Louise LaMare stomped happily in time with the music, Ms. Harshwhinney was applauded.

[colour=#FF8C00]"What a crude display by this, this.."[/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]"Now Whinney, you got to get into the spirit of things! Would you like to get some punch?"[/colour]

[colour=#FF8C00]"I would LOVE to punch her, er I mean, oh PUNCH! The beverage! What a great idea! Excuse me," [/colour]the regal Earth mare said as she backed away from the dancing and singing Tankena. Turning around, she spotted Derpy making a mess while pouring herself some punch. [colour=#FF8C00]"Are Louise and I the only NORMAL ponies at this convention?"[/colour]

[tacobob]

Fire Walker & Zelda

The red Pegasus pony was not pleased with her companion’s behavior and sulked as she attached the pin to her shirt, “Geez Zelda, the ‘Rude Griffon Store’ just sent me a telegraph. Said they were out of you!”, she added with a huff.

“Huh? What did I do now?”, she shrugged her shoulders as he friend pointed towards Quicklime, “Huh? The green gal with the glasses? I didn’t mean to be rude. You know how much I hate standing in lines, and If you let me play with the dragon-kid, I wouldn’t have been in such a hurry in the first place!”, she slid her name tag on as they walked through the assortment of booths and stands that had been set up, “Once again I’m the only griffon in the whole place. Big surprise. Probably going to have to stick with pony food. Not that I don’t mind, but it would be nice to if at least one of these vendors have a little something fish-related. Hey Fires..”, she stopped in her tracks as she spied a few ponies from the distance, “That looks like the mare your buddy Pocket Change wouldn’t shut up about the other day. White coat. Red and magenta hair. Moon, and I would guess stars on her side. I think she and PC are in the same nerd club! Guess I finally have something to agree with him about. She is kind of cute.I can see why he’s totally crushing on the gal.”

Fire Walker stopped and got a good look, “For one thing, Pocket is not my ‘buddy’. He’s my..our friend...Docket’s brother. And he has a crush on all the mares. He’s in some sort of magic guild or something. I usually tend to nod off when I manage to get stuck sitting next to him at clubs and he starts to babble about his ‘exciting’ adventures, so I’m not at all sure what they do. You are right, she’s cute, therefore she’s too good for him.”, as she turned to face her old friend, she noticed the griffon was currently standing in line at ‘Bon Bon's Bonbons’. With a weary sigh, she headed over to the line and waited alongside her.

“So what do you think? Stuff all looks good.”, Zelda’s eyes fell upon the assortment of sweets, “I do like me some bonbons, and the ‘Delights’ look good, but at twenty bits? They’d have to be!”. Once it was her turn in line, she pointed to the ‘Marecon Special’. “It’s too early to be eating candy, so could you please put it in a bag?”, she handed over the bits and took the bag as it was passed, “Thanks.”. Once she was finished with the transaction, she placed the bag into her pockets and continued her little walk.

The R.E.A. pony was lost in thought as they walked, "With the exception of you, Docket and the girls at the base, I don’t have too many female friends, so I wouldn’t mind making a few new ones here. I’ve seen a few of these mares before. There’s Miss Derpy from the spa, and one of the girls who works there. And Miss Rarity. Oh my.”, she spied a bit of royalty coming up, “Princess Cadence is here. I don’t believe she has ever visited Ponyville before. This is a pleasant surprise! I do look presentable if she does pass my way? My mane is in place, right? Where’s a mirror!”

“You’re fine.”, the griffon rolled her eyes up, “What’s with you ponies and your pretty princess’ anyways? You’ve got ‘em popping out of the woodwork, but you don’t have any kings or queens, and I don’t think any princes as well. What’s with that?”

[SteelEagle]

Ponies started pouring into the Town Hall like chocolate into a presser, which was an odd analogy for most but Bon Bon was very quickly entering business mood which oddly enough morphed into strange thoughts regarding how the little delicious devils were made. Did other mares think this way? She hoped not. It would be unusual for anypony else who wasn't as deeply buried in the art and history of chocolates, and she doubted there were many others aside from her with the same devastating love of all things chocolate. She hoped it didn't tell in her figure as she got older but even if it did, Lyra better not say one word about it unless she wanted to be told that her horn was too short. No matter- a new pony wandered up to the stand.

It was a very busy-maned pony who was dominated by shades of pink and an unkempt look. The type of pony who by nature needed energy and excitement and you know what was the number one purveyor of both commodities? Bon Bon and her amazing selection of incredibly tasty and none-too pricy treats. Fuschia looked like a pony given to being one with nature, and Bon Bon adjusted her voice and attitude accordingly.

[colour=#00ff00]"Well, I'd just be pleased as punch ta help you, missus...?"[/colour] She asked soothingly as she prepared the sampler, her voice soft and sweet and she knew it complete from using it often in Ponyville. After a few seconds the sampler was finished.

[colour=#00ff00]"Here's your sampler! That'll be just three bits, peachy,"[/colour] She offered with a smile as the next mare came up. This transaction was fast, quick, and good- twelve bits, Marecon special, cha-ching! Bon Bon's attention turned back quickly to Fuschia.

[colour=#00ff00]"Can't say I've seen you around these parts. Where'd you come from?"[/colour]

[PedestrianWolf]

Fuchsia's mouth watered as she smelled the chocolates at Bon Bon's candy cart.

[colour=#00ff00]"Well, I'd just be pleased as punch ta help you, missus...?"[/colour]

[colour=#800080]"Oh! My name is Fuchsia Blooms. I'm a florist by trade, here for Marecon, like everypony else. Three bits, was it?"[/colour]

Fuchsia removed three coins from her purse and hoofed them over to Bon Bon.

[colour=#00ff00]"Can't say I've seen you around these parts. Where'd you come from?"[/colour]

[colour=#800080]"I'm from Canterlot. I have a shop there, myself. I brought some of my flowers to decorate the tables, but I didn't think to try selling them here. It seems you have been successful so far, though. I do hope that you will be able to get away from the cart for awhile this weekend and enjoy the rest of the party!"[/colour]

Fuchsia smiled broadly at the candy mare, then returned to the main hall with her sampler bag of treats to see who else was here. Surely she might see some of her Canterlot neighbors among the crowd.

[Elderflower]

[colour=#6699ff]

[/colour]For about the thousandth time since her chariot took off, Luna shifted about in her cushions. There was a fizzly mixture of excitement and nerves squirming about in her stomach, making her feel totally restless as she made her way to Ponyville. It had been quite some time since her last visit for Nightmare Night, and though she was looking forward to the festivities and the fun that awaited, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of worry. Nightmare Night had ended successfully, but would the ponies remember the fun they had with her? Or would they just remember the fear? A small, tight frown settled into her expression, and she idly wondered if Cadence had already arrived at the Mare Con.

Truth be told, the lunar Princess had not planned to attend the event. She had heard of it in passing, but the entire idea of sequestering herself away with so many mares for such a long time…it was absolutely nerve-wracking! And yet, here she was. Part of the reason she had ultimately made the decision to go was because of her niece. When she heard the Princess of Love was attending, well…she found herself a little more eager to give in to the small voice that had been playing in the back of her head and saying for her to go into the world and get to know the ponies of today!

The Princess of the Night took a deep breath and peered over the horizon – Ponyville was drawing nearer. Shuffling her two front hooves, Luna continued to fidget. She wondered, idly, what the citizens of Canterlot had thought as she departed. Normally, you see, Luna’s chariot was pulled by two pegasi from her Lunar Guard, both bedecked in silver armour enchanted with a glamour that gifted them with the beauteous aesthetic of Luna’s night. Today she had made a small exception, however, for in place of one of her chariot Guards was a slender golden pegasus mare proudly wearing the golden armour of Celestia’s Guard!

​

[colour=#FF3366]

[/colour]Sugar Star could barely contain herself. Oh. My goodness. What luck! What unbelievable luck! First of all, her first vacation leave in a very long time came about just in time for her to make it to the Ponyville Marecon she had been hearing about for some time. Secondly, when she thought she had been alone in the castle and excitedly squealed to herself [colour=#ff3366]“Marecon! Marecon! Leave in time for Marecon!”[/colour] who else would walk in on her but the Princess of the Night herself? Princess Luna! It was so scary, at first! A Royal Equestrian Army Specialist giggling in filly-ish joy over what was essentially a glorified slumber party – she thought Princess Luna would reprimand her! But instead, she looked (surprisingly enough) a little nervous, a little amused, and a little excited all at once!

[colour=#6699ff]“You will be going to Ponyville for the Mares’ Convention?”[/colour] she asked, simply. Normally, Star would have been slack-jawed and blushing and giddily – but she had already embarrassed herself enough. Instead, she pulled herself together and regained her austere poise before dipping forward in a low, graceful bow.

[colour=#ff3366]“Your royal highness,” [/colour]she answered, staring at the ground, [colour=#ff3366]“I will indeed be attending the convention. I apologize for my childish lack of composure.”[/colour]

And then – and then! The Princess smiled at her! Eee! And then she asked not only if Sugar Star would like to pull the Lunar chariot to Ponyville, but also if she would like to arrive at the convention…together! Of course the pegasus answered yes. She was very mannerly and professional, the perfect image of an REA Enlist. But inwardly, she was just about melted into a puddle of goop. She felt like such a lucky mare!

​

[colour=#6699FF]

[/colour] When they touched down in Ponyville, Luna entrusted her chariot to the Lunar Guard pegasus that had carried her from Canterlot and then stepped towards the town hall. She was hoping that by now the bulk of the crowd would have already entered, sparing her from waiting in a lineup – something that would be terribly awkward at best, she assumed.

[colour=#ff3366]“Your highness?”[/colour] Sugar Star inquired, peering up at the Princess with wide, pink eyes. Luna looked down at her curiously – the mare had removed her helmet and tied it to her saddlebags, and without it she looked incredibly different! More like a cute and lively young mare than an REA Enlist, at least! [colour=#ff3366]“Would you like me to announce your arrival?”[/colour]

[colour=#6699ff]“That will be unnecessary, Sugar Star,”[/colour] Luna replied, offering up a tight smile. Her nerves were really getting the better of her at this point. She did not need an announcement – simply to take the plunge and go to join the rest of the mares.

The Princess and the Specialist entered through the doors together and walked up to the counter to await their turn, with Sugar Star struggling to hold back her proud and eager feelings. Luna had noticed the pegasus’ efforts to contain her joy since they had left Canterlot, and truth be told she found it a little endearing. It was certainly helping to ease her nerves, at least.

When they approached the counter, Luna smiled a little awkwardly at the green mare named Quicklime (whose name she knew thanks to the information she had received about the convention .

[colour=#6699ff]“Princess Luna, Guardian of Dreams, and Specialist Sugar Star of the Royal Equestrian Army,” [/colour]the Princess said quickly, before giving the Enlist the chance to speak. Unfortunately there was stiffness and unnatural volume slipping into her speech - nothing as over the top as Nightmare Night, but still...it caused her stomach to do a few flips at the very least. [colour=#6699ff]“And if w- I may, could I request we share a room? One beside Princess Cadence, if you please.”[/colour]

Luna’s eyes scanned the vast room after she had spoken, until she caught Cadence’s eye. She was glad the Princess of Love had already arrived! She was worried that she had spoken forwardly. She offered a small smile to her niece before turning back to Quicklime and awaiting her badge.

​

[colour=#FF3366]

[/colour]Sugar Star could hardly believe it. Sharing a room with the Princess of the Night! She shuffled her front hooves and gazed around the room nervously, wondering which mares here she'd be able to make friends with. First things first, though - she had to drop off her bags once they were assigned their room. Heeee! Their room!

​

[colour=#DAA520]

[/colour]Birdy had hopped and bopped away from the counter, considering what she would sing should Dissy arrive. Endless songs ran through the coffee-coloured mare’s mind as she tapped her hoof and swayed with the rhythm, a few smoky and sporadic notes slipping out while she moved. And then, all of a sudden, she heard it! A voice she would never fail to recognize.

[colour=#daa520]“Dissy!”[/colour] She cried, spinning on her hooves and charging the slender mare \t the registry counter. Just a foot away from her, the jazz vocalist reared and flailed her forelegs before settling down and bumping cheeks with Harmonic Dissonance. Somehow, she just knew she’d find her new friend here.

[colour=#daa520]“I knew ya’d make it, kitten! Somehow I just knew we’d meet up here!” [/colour]she said excitedly, [colour=#daa520]“There’s a piano here y’know! And we’re free t’jam later on tonight, so long as we don’t get in th’way of th’real entertainment! Hah! By th’by, I signed us up as bunk buddies. Ya dig? I think it’d be a blast just the two of us in a room! We could sing all night! Well, nah…I s’pose whoever’s sleepin’ on either side of our room’d be pretty sour if we stayed up singin’ and that ain't fair for them at all. Some ponies just ain’t got the jazz in ‘em! How’ve ya been?”[/colour]

Birdy’s grin was almost too big to exist! Dissy and Birdy the Traveling Jazz Mares Extraordinaire were reunited! If she were just a smidge taller, she’d reach up and muss up the pianists’s mane with a hoof. Unfortunately, though, Dissy was much taller! The vocalist was actually so excited that the sight of yet another Princess of Equestria only made her more giddy for a moment or two. She was just too thrilled at this reunion for anything to rile her up more!

​

[QuickLime]

She blinked as the Mare Fuchsia gave her a lovely flower and smiled, tucking it behind her ear in her mane "Thank you ever so much.."She said quietly, the bright blossom really did look good against the darkness of her mane.

Lime had just been about ready to take a break when her personal favorite princess walked in! Goodness her event was so..wide spread that even LUNA HERSELF was attending it!? She blushed a bright pink, and her wings opened and spread as she stood at attention...before realizing how nervous the princess was..! The poor thing was about as nervous as Lime was...She moved a hoof slightly on the others shoulder to assure her "It's quite alright ! I'm nervous too" She moved to hand her the badge for her to wear "Yes you can go claim your room whenever you wish"

"[colour=#000080]Luna [/colour][colour=#000080] [/colour][colour=#000080]"[/colour]

She glanced at Sugar Star and smiled "It's good to see you here as well! Welcome to Mare Con!" Handing her the badge to match her name and cutie mark "Let me know if you need any help with your bags okay?"

"[colour=#ff0066]Sugar[/colour][colour=#ffff00]Star" [/colour]With a golden star behind a pink cloud beside it to distinguish it from the staff

[Jane]

The badge that the green Pegasus gave her was absolutely beautiful - it featured her name, printed in primary colours, with a replication of her cutie mark next to it. It was absolutely perfect, and that coupled with the atmosphere of the con was awesome really starting to get Whirligig really excited about being here at the EQGirlsCon.

[colour=#498995]"Wow, Greenbird, this badge looks awesome! I love it, I love it so much! Once again, I think you've done a great job getting this whole thing organized, and thanks for doing so, 'cause I'm certain this wasn't at all easy to do. And don't be nervous, Greenbird, I think this con is going to be completely fun-ness. I'm sure I'm going to have a wonderful time this weekend thanks to your hard work!"[/colour]

Taking the badge, the light blue Pegasus turned away from the table, nearly crashing into the pink mare with the yellow mane who was standing in line behind her. Geeze, Whirligig had been near-crashing into a lot of ponies as of late - strange 'cause she wasn't usually so clumsy.

[colour=#498995]"Whoopsie daisies! Sorry there bluebird, I didn't see you there. So excited to be here I wasn't quite watching where I was going you know? Well, I'll see you around! Have fun at the con!"[/colour]

She didn't wait for the yellow-maned mare's response, but instead decided to head into the main room of Ponyville town hall to start mingling. There weren't many mares around at first, and the ballroom was rather empty - she figured this was because most of them were still lining up. She saw a pony selling candies nearby and considered purchasing some even though she was trying to save up most of her bits. Besides, her mother had raised her to be frugal with her bits and not spend any money that didn't need to be spent. Whirligig then remembered all the refreshments that the green mare had set out already.

Silly mare, selling chocolates when there were plenty of refreshments available for free! Whirligig zipped over to the table and helped herself to some of the tasty treats that had been laid out. The peanut-butter balls were delicious, and she happily munched on the carrot and celery sticks, not realizing how hungry she was after flying all the way from Cloudsdale. She was about to help herself to the sparkling punch when a grey Pegasus shot in front of her and very nearly dove into the table. She managed to avert the disaster and instead just poured herself a glass of punch, all the while sloshing the sparkling liquid all over the table.

[colour=#498995]"Careful there, bluebird,"[/colour] she said to the yellow-maned Pegasus. [colour=#498995]"Looks like the both of need to work on not being klutzy ducks now, don't we? Quicklime over there put a lot of work into setting this place up, and we don't want to make any more trouble for her by making a mess. That wouldn't be very hunky-dory now, would it?"[/colour]

Whirligig stood next to the grey mare and helped herself to some of the sparkling drink, taking careful care not to spill another drop. She took a sip and smiled. The punch was absolutely delectable!

[colour=#498995]"That's pretty tasty, though,"[/colour] she commented, smiling at the grey mare, [colour=#498995]"and it was certainly worth the rush. I'm Whirligig, by the way. What's your name? Are you from Cloudsdale, or somewhere else? I'm from Cloudsdale, and I absolutely love living there! Have you ever been to a con like this before? I haven't - this is my very first one! Oh, you should taste the peanut-butter balls, they're delicious. I might trouble Greenbird for the recipe a little bit later on - I'm a much better cook than mummy bird and I would love to try my hoof at making some of these. Do you like baking?"[/colour]

Whirligig mentally facehoofed - had she not, just a few days prior, promised herself that she would try not to talk everypony's ears off all the time? She was obviously failing at that once again, so decided to finally stop talking and give the mare with the eyes a chance to respond to what must have been an onslaught of questions.

​

[colour=#498995]"Whoopsie daisies! Sorry there bluebird, I didn't see you there. So excited to be here I wasn't quite watching where I was going you know? Well, I'll see you around! Have fun at the con!"[/colour]

​

Bluebird? Really? Did Chibsy LOOK like a Pegasus to this over enthusiastic mare? Sure, it had been a fillyhood dream of hers to fly one day; she'd accomplished that goal thanks to her balloon and was now quite happy to remain an earth pony, sans wings.

Sighing, Cherry Berry tried not to let the antics of the fiery-maned mare ruin her experience. She gave Quicklime a smile and collected her badge from the table, admiring the work that the green Pegasus had put into the con much less verbally than the one who'd gone before her. Having everypony's cutie mark accentuating the badge was a lovely, personal touch that Chibsy appreciated most sincerely.

Her badge collected, Cherry Berry meandered into the hall, gladly avoiding the rambunctious Stalliongrad-native who, in a loud and booming voice was trying the patience not only of Quicklime, but of the other mares standing in line. Yeah, that was a scene the Manehattenite would rather avoid.

Another thing she wanted to avoid was the necessity to spend the night in a sleeping bag on the floor. Yeah, if it came to that she'd be going home for the night, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. While Bon Bon's bonbons looked tempting, as usual, and the refreshments table was also starting to draw a crowd, Chibsy decided to take advantage of being among the first to arrive by reserving an empty room for herself. Quicklime hadn't assigned her a roommate, but that was quite alright - she would sort that out later in the day. For now, she wanted to dispose of her saddlebags before starting to mingle with the rest of the crowd.

When she returned from the upper level of town hall, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the line had progressed quickly and the ballroom was starting to fill up. She could see quite a few ponies she recognized mingling about, and was rather shocked and maybe even a bit rattled to witness the arrival of Princess Cadance and her entourage from the Crystal Empire. Knowing that there was a princess attending the Mares Con made Chibsy feel more than a little bit anxious as well as rather self-conscious. How was she supposed to casually mingle with a Princess?

Simple answer: don't. Stick to the familiar. There were several residents of Ponyville mulling about, after all, and she recognized a fair few of them. Of course, Lyra and Bon Bon seemed rather busy with the sales cart, but Cherry Berry soon caught a glimpse of a familiar orange-coloured mane and tail. If there was a mare in this con with whom she had a common interest, it was the farm pony named Carrot Top. The yellow earth pony was picking her way through the crowd towards the refreshments area whilst carrying a delicious-looking carrot cake, so Chibsy hurried to catch up with her.

[colour=#9B145B]"Hey dere, Carrot Top. I didn't realize you were going to be here. Looks loike dis thing's drawn quite the crowd to little old Ponyville, ya know? Oh, and dat cake looks delicious - rather generous of you to bring it along if you ask me. I didn't even think ta bring a cherry pie or two ta share."[/colour]

​

[RegalSteel]

Regal took her badge silently and trotted back into the building, she could tell she had angered the mare behind the counter with her frazzled barging. Perhaps it was best to let her calm down before trying to mend fences, you can't forge metal without cooling it down she told herself. Regal tried not to dwell on her mistake as she made her way to the refreshments. she was in dire need of a drink after all those bonbons. She politely avoided the small crowd so that she could fill a cup before beiong engaged in any conversation. She did not want to further embarrass herself by soundign hoarse from dehydration. Her horn lit up with silver gray magic, a cup lifting from the pile aswell as a portion of punch; since the ladel was in use, that filled her glass. She took a slow drink and cleared her throat, much better. She watched the two pegasi at the bowl converse and couldn't help but giggle a little.

[colour=#498995]I'm Whirligig, by the way. What's your name? Are you from Cloudsdale, or somewhere else? I'm from Cloudsdale, and I absolutely love living there! Have you ever been to a con like this before? I haven't - this is my very first one! Oh, you should taste the peanut-butter balls, they're delicious. I might trouble Greenbird for the recipe a little bit later on - I'm a much better cook than mummy bird and I would love to try my hoof at making some of these. Do you like baking?"[/colour]

The fast paced string of subjects the blue mare bombarded the grey one with came out in a torrent that baffled and amused Regal. How in the world did she talk that fast? it was like the pegasus was on the most intense sugar rush that Regal had ever witnessed, and Regal had seen; and experienced, quie a lot of sugar rushes. Thinking about sugar made her want more so she ate another bonbon. She decided she woudl wait for a moment to politely intercede before tryign to join the conversation. Though given the blue mares speed of speech that could prove difficult.

From across the room Regal watched in stunned horror as a stalliongradian mare caused a ruckus, singing and dancing an odd dance, if it was even a dance. She could not quite tell.

[Mojo]

All Ms. Harshwhinney could do is shake her head at the antics of her new 'best friend' Tankena.

[colour=#FF8C00]"I hope that crazy Stalliongradian mare doesn't get all of you thrown outta here," [/colour]the orange well dressed mare grumbled as she finished her cup of punch. [colour=#FF8C00]"Wish there was somepony here I could recognize..."[/colour]

She stopped speaking when she caught sight of Princess Luna in the distance.

[colour=#FF8C00]"Princess Luna?" [/colour]the stunned blonde Earth mare asked. [colour=#FF8C00]"She's HERE? Among US? I have to go meet her!"[/colour]

With an unlikely burst of speed, Ms. Harshwhinney galloped across the floor, nearly toppling every pony in her way. When she passed the still dancing and singing Tankena, she bumped her hard enough to send the green mare crashing to the floor as she rushed over to the Princess and bowed.

[colour=#FF8C00]"Princess Luna! It is an honor to see you again!" [/colour]the orange mare neighed as Louise LaMare helped Tankena up off the floor.

[colour=#008000]"What is with her?" [/colour]Tankena asked. [colour=#008000]"She knocked me over like Stalliongradian blizzard!"[/colour]

[colour=#8B4513]"Don't mind her," [/colour]Louise said as the brown Pegasus mare helped her up. [colour=#8B4513]"Besides that, I think now is the time we should mix and mingle, meet other mares. After all, this is what MareCon is all about, right?"[/colour]

[colour=#008000]"Da, you have point Louise," [/colour]the green mare said with a nod. [colour=#008000]"Alright, we mingle! Lead dee way!"[/colour]

Louise gave a sigh of relief, partly because she had stopped her enthusiastic friend from carrying on any further. The brown Pegasus mare walked over to where Carrot Top and Cherry Berry were standing and starting to introduce herself.

[colour=#8B4513]"Hello there! I'm Louise LaMare and this is my friend Tankena from Stalliongrad! It is a pleasure to meet you both!"[/colour]

[colour=#008000]"Da! Great pleasure! Is that carrot cake? That is one of my favorites things to eat"[/colour]

[IceStorm]

[colour=#000080]~~Ice Storm~~[/colour]

[colour=#000080]Ice Storm accepted her badge and she began to make her way into the convention itself. She made her way back to an area to watched as Quick Lime allow everypony entrance and decided to see what other ponies would show up. She watched as pony after pony made their way in. She saw many ponies that she recognized enter the convention. She noticed Her exhusband's old mare friend come in to the convention. She wasn't sure how that would work out, but she figured if she kept her distance then Fire wouldn't get angry at her. Rarity wasn't too far behind her, and even Luna had shown up! [/colour][colour=#008080]"Well, I wasn't expecting that,"[/colour][colour=#000080] she smiled pleasantly surprised at the presence of the one that was practically responsible for reuniting her with her mother after letting her seek shelter from that blizzard a few months ago.[/colour]

[colour=#000080]Then she heard another familiar voice yell for her and before she could respond, she found herself locked in a hug with Moondancer. A hug that she, very generously, returned. [/colour][colour=#008080]"Hey Moon! I didn't even see you come in!. You sure are a ninja!"[/colour][colour=#000080] she smiled to the mare. [/colour][colour=#008080]"So, what are you thinking first? There has to be some pretty awesome games here. Maybe they even have a foosball table or something so that we can have a little rematch,"[/colour][colour=#000080] she giggled to her friend. [/colour]

[colour=#ff66cc]~~Aloe~~[/colour]

[colour=#ff66cc]After she had received her badge, Aloe decided to wait next to the registration table for her sister. Like normal she had overslept, though for once that wasn't really an issue. There wasn't really anything here for them to do yet as they were going to be receiving a spa treatment themselves before they would even think of assisting with the spas at the conventions. Especially considering the fact that they are rarely able to get pampered themselves. It was going to be nice to be on the receiving end for once. [/colour]

[colour=#ff66cc]After a few more moments, Lotus made her way through the line. [/colour][colour=#6699cc]"Hello! Are you ready to be on the receiving end on one of our treatments for a change?" [/colour][colour=#ff66cc]She asked her sister hugging a hoof around her. [/colour][colour=#6699cc]"Thankfully your habit of oversleeping doesn't have any negative effects today,"[/colour][colour=#ff66cc] she smiled pulling her sister close. [/colour]

[Hurricane]

Cadence was rather overwhelmed by the rush of it all. She took her badge, noting with glee that it simply said Cadence, not Princess, or her full name, which she felt was rather bloated and pretentious. Her head was spinning, so many ponies milling around, a wall of noise as conversations spread like wildfire. And not a single pony I recognise... she thought as she scanned the room as best she could. [Oh, no, wait. Is that the Equestria Games inspector? Mrs... Harsh...whinney? I believe, she mused as she recognised the rather prim and proper mare. Who very quickly became rather unproper, charging through the crowds to greet...

[colour=#ee82ee]"Aunty Luna!"[/colour] Cadence exclaimed with a gasp. She had not been expecting to see the Princess of the Night here. Her head swam through a sea of emotions, excitement at seeing her aunt, to confusion and irritation that she had not been informed that she would be there, to a little sadness that the mare had gotten such attention from arriving, while most of the room were simply silent when she arrived. It was almost as though SHE were the pariah, and Luna were the popular, illistrious one. She blinked a little as she thought that, it was a terrible thing to even consider.


Through her heady daze of it all, she caught the mare's eyes, and her heart all but skipped a beat. She looked truly nervous, and the weak little smile she gave betrayed her so. All her previous thoughts and jealousies vanished, and the mare began to trot purposefully through the crowds, being careful not to barge anypony aside, striding up to the mare.
[colour=#ee82ee]"Mrs Harshwhinney! It may not be my place to say this, but I would like to remind you that this is EqGcon, and we are all here as guests. As equals. There are no Princesses here, only mares... and one brave little dragon boy,"[/colour] she said, glancing towards the purple dragon whose efforts had saved her people. She caught Luna's eye as she returned to face the orange mare, winking a little, one of her wings sneakily brushing against the mare's side to show her a little comfort.

[colour=#ee82ee]"Now..."[/colour] she said, coughing a little. She knew that this would be embarassing for her, but to break the tension in the room, it had to be done. She had been speaking eloquently all her life, but she felt her formal tone needed to be replaced with something more befitting the town, and the event. [colour=#ee82ee]"Ain't this supposedta be a party?"[/colour] she said, squeaking nervously as she did so.

​

[Lux]

Sweet Surprise stood by waiting for the pink and blue manned candy selling pony to speak with her. If there was one thing the chocolate pony knew, it was that once ponies knew you were selling something they'd be attracted like chocolate on a pretzel stick which would make having a conversation difficult. The mare, however, knew that as a business pony there was a language that she and this other confectioner pony shared, and she was going to use it.

Sweet reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a bag absolutely bulging with bits! She wasn't a rich pony like some in Canterlot, but after some good sale weeks and some saving of funds she had enough to last for the event and then some. Hopefully the sight of the bit filled bag would attract some attention.

***

There were so many ponies gathered at this convention! Carrot Top expected there to be at least some mares from Ponyville and maybe from nearby cities like Cloudsdale and Canterlot. Yet it seemed that there was now at least thirty or so ponies there. She could have sworn she saw Princess Luna and Princess Cadence in the crowd, but maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her.

As she made her way safely to the refreshment table, placing her precious carrot cake there at attaching a sign that read "Carrot Cake from carrot Top," she heard a familiar voice in the crowd. Turning around she saw Cherry Berry there to greet her.

[colour=#ff8c00]"Oh hello there Cherry! Nice to see you here too. Yeah, this event is really nice so far[/colour]. [colour=#ff8c00]It's amazing how many ponies are here. And thanks for the compliment on the cake. It's just a habit of mine really to bring a cake to a party. Wouldn't want anypony to go hungry you know. So how are things with you?"[/colour]

[Bellosh]

 

Breaking off their hug, Moondancer didn’t really have a clue as to what to do first. “Geez,” she pondered, placing a hoof on her chin; “I don’t recall seeing any foosball tables around here. I didn’t really bother to figure out anything about this convention before I showed up. Maybe if we walked around for a bit-”

 

At that moment, a detail from earlier finally snapped to attention in Moondancer’s mind. The white unicorn could have sworn seeing a familiar little purple dragon wandering through Town Hall back when she waited in line earlier. “Ohhh Icy!” the young unicorn exclaimed; “Remember that baby dragon Twilight Sparkle kept as an assistant back when we were still in magic school? I’m not sure how he got let in here, but I might have actually seen him around a few moments ago! Wanna’ go and, you know, seek him out?”

 

 

Back over at the refreshment area, another mare came up to distract Derpy Hooves, weirdly calling her a bluebird. Perplexed that she’d be called something that was unlike her in every way imaginable, the googly-eyed mare set herself down on the ground before confusedly responding; “Uhhhhh......... I’m not sure why you called me a bluebird..... but thanks?”

 

The onslaught of questions from the other pegasus, named Whirlgig, did little to increase Derpy’s power of comprehension. For a dozen seconds or so after Whirlgig stopped talking, all Miss Hooves did was stare blankly at her conversation buddy and blink once. Then without any warning, Derpy smiled widely in excitement upon finally realizing she needed to introduce herself; “My name’s Derpy Hooves! Nice to meet ya’.” The young mare uttered nothing else that that.....

[Volt]

[colour=#9933cc]~~Rising Star~~[/colour]

[colour=#9933cc]"Eat something, eat something..."[/colour] - the words echoed in her mind like some kind of mystical chant. It seemed as if it was the last resort for her somehow, as if she couldn't do anything else. In fact, being alone in here made her somewhat lock herself up inside. Star never attended anything similar. She yet had to take a grip at herself in order to enjoy the marecon. She was heading towards the snack table, taking a closer look at her badge. Quite a funny coincidence it was, since the badge actually went pretty well with the colour of her mane. Least it wasn't flashy or anything. More then that, she hated those plain, white badges she sometimes received when her skills were required in some minor, official events. They always reminded her of the "I don't care." attitude, something she couldn't stand.

The mare at the desk earlier seemed quite... well, fine in fact. There was no reason for Star to believe that she'd have or cause any issues here. Perhaps it was just the fact that her mind was busy with thoughts concerning Imperio. She had to leave her "little" birdy on his own again. And she was doing this far too often actually, to a point in which she was slowly starting to regret it. Meanwhile, pinkish mare managed to reach the table... and quickly became mildly overwhelmed by its contents. There was so much food and so many various snacks that she didn't even know where to start. Perhaps "Eat something." wasn't actually the best idea to start with... ...[colour=#9933cc]"Although pouring myself some tea wouldn't hurt."[/colour] - she thought to herself as her eyes landed at the tea station. And she precisely knew what kind of tea she needed right now.

Even before reaching the table, one of the teacups started levitating as she poured herself some liquid from afar using her magic. Actually, she didn't even manage to reach the table at all, as she met with the said cup halfway and quickly took a sip of delicious chamomile tea. A blissful smile appeared on her face. It was a perfect solution to calm her nerves. [colour=#9933cc]"Now, let's see if I can actually recognize anypony in here..." [/colour]- tall photographer took a look around the hall. There were so many faces she didn't know. Truth to be told for a good minute she couldn't spot anypony familiar at all. That is, until she fished out a mane she could have sworn she saw somewhere already. It took her a second more to realize that it belonged to... [colour=#9933cc]"Princess Cadence!?"[/colour] - her teapot shivered in air, spilling a bit of tea. Showing an extraordinary consciousness of mind, given the situation, Star raised her hoof, evading the hot liquid. [colour=#9933cc]"Oh dear..."[/colour] - she quickly used her magic again, reaching for a napkin and wiping the stain off the floor. It was a shocking experience for Risi to discover presence of a Princess. Especially that she didn't bring any cameras today on purpose, a thing she couldn't forgive herself right now. Without even noticing this, she swallowed the whole tea in one long gulp. It would really be better for this tea to start working soon.

​

[colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]A[/colour][colour=#3399ff]h, wonderful!"[/colour] - least that was taken care of. Though Lotus was still wondering who else would they share room with? She severely doubted that there were twos. Besides, it would be actually pretty fun to be able to chat with somepony else as well. Even though she did that on a regular basis anyway... Cerulean mare accepted the badge, throwing it a closer look. She didn't expect to receive one in the first place, but perhaps it really was a bit of convenience. Although... she believed she'll still have to introduce herself to anypony she doesn't know anyway. Lotus shrugged mentally and pinned it to her spa collar, an element of clothing she rarely ever parted with. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]T[/colour][colour=#3399ff]hank you I sure will!"[/colour] - she threw in quick response and proceeded inside.

Thankfully, she didn't have to search for her twin. It turned out she was actually waiting for her already. As soon as Lotus was spotted, Aloe approached her and wrapped a hoof around her neck.

​

[colour=#ff66ff]"[/colour][colour=#3399ff]H[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]ello! Are you ready to be on the receiving end on one of our treatments for a change? Thankfully your habit of oversleeping doesn't have any negative effects today."[/colour]

[colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]H[/colour][colour=#3399ff]a. Ha. Very funny sis'."[/colour] - it was a fake laughter anypony would recognize, and the sarcasm could be felt from afar. Of course, she knew it was all just jokes. It was too typical for them. [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]I[/colour][colour=#3399ff] already thought you left me out! Of all the mares around you should be the one to know I actually DO need my beauty sleep."[/colour] - she continued, pretending superiority and faking a superior, elite pony accent. Still she couldn't hold it, as the fact that she was actually attending an official event with her sister made her smile widely. The receiving end, huh? [colour=#3399ff]"[/colour][colour=#ff66ff]I [/colour][colour=#3399ff]guess I am! Although, I still need to talk to like... everypony! You know I'd never miss a chance to listen to some gossip! So, like, who's around?"[/colour] - she asked 'Loey while trying to fish some familiar faces in the crowd.

​

[Elderflower]

[colour=#6666ff]

[/colour]Luna tensed up terribly when the winged green mare placed a hoof on her shoulder, and it took a great force of willpower not to step backwards. She knew that she had stepped into a very casual atmosphere, where royalty and austerity were meant to be left at the door. Still, the Princess of the Night was not terribly comfortable with physical contact, not from just anypony – not so easily. Still, she recognized that Quicklime only had good intentions. At the mention of bags, the golden-hued Sugar Star immediately saluted her Princess and then mentioned something to the green mare before dashing off to take care of them. Luna took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then offered a strained smile to the pegasus before giving a polite nod and stepping away from the counter.

She immediately began overthinking the situation. She had learned so much of friendship from Twilight Sparkle and her friends here in Ponyville not so very long ago, but that didn’t seem to help with this situation. She knew she should have been more gracious – surely if her sister had been in her same situation, she would have been able to respond effortlessly and with grace. For all Luna knew, Celestia wouldn’t even have to think in that situation. She got along with others so well, and anypony who met her without the pretenses of Princess and ruler in their minds would be able to see very clearly that she was somepony who was easy to get along with.

Had she been too obvious with her discomfort towards Quicklime? Would the mare’s feelings be hurt, or would she dislike the lunar Princess now? Would she fear to act normally towards her?

Luna was lost in her thoughts, when all of a sudden she found herself charged by an orange mare with a blonde mane.

[colour=#ff8c00]"Princess Luna! It is an honor to see you again!"[/colour]

A-again? Had she ever met this mare? Luna, expressionless, thought for a moment. The Princess was quite adept at recalling everypony she encountered - she was never one to forget a face, especially a friendly face. This mare, however, was not ringing any bells.

[colour=#6666ff]“We are- I…I’m sorry,”[/colour] the Princess stammered, struggling to get a hold of her voice and her stress, which had done nothing but grow. Soon enough, however, she was spared by the arrival of Cadence, though it still burned her that one of her subjects had seen her looking so vulnerable and silly.

[colour=#ff66ff]"Mrs Harshwhinney! It may not be my place to say this, but I would like to remind you that this is EqGcon, and we are all here as guests. As equals. There are no Princesses here, only mares... and one brave little dragon boy,"[/colour]

All at once, Luna’s nerves were comforted and bundled together even more tightly. Cadence had come to her rescue, but once again reminded her that this was a casual setting – one where all mares were equals. The reality of the situation finally struck the Princess of the Night, and it took all of her efforts to collect herself (or at least appear as though she had collected herself) and nod.

[colour=#6666ff]“Cadence is correct,”[/colour] was all she managed to say, consciously dropping her niece’s title despite how wrong it felt in the presence of one of her subjects. For a Princess who used her authority and her position as a crutch to make up for her social ineptitude, Luna had to wonder exactly what she had gotten herself into. One thousand years away from the company of ponies left one a little clueless on how to speak with them, how to behave around them. The only thing she understood inside and out was tradition and duty, something she relied on to guide her when she was at a loss for what to say or do. But if she had to drop that facade, everypony here would see the true face of their Princess.

Unfortunately, not even Luna was confident that she knew that side of herself. And then, she felt Cadence’s wing brush her side. At first, as with Quicklime, she tensed. But Cadence’s presence in the æther was one that radiated warmth and love – a gentle blue light that almost sought out distress of its own accord to envelop it and reassure it. It was, ultimately, the outreach of Cadence’s arcane aura that finally eased Luna’s nerves somewhat.

“Ain’t this supposedta be a party?”

Finally somewhat relaxed, Luna let out a small, quiet peal of laughter.

[colour=#6666ff]“Yes,”[/colour] she replied, her tone finally a little more relaxed, [colour=#6666ff]“What…what exactly does one do at a party such as this? Is it much like Nightmare Night?”[/colour]

The slightest touch of colour came to Luna’s cheeks as she shifted her gaze from Cadence’s to Ms. Harshwhinny’s.[colour=#6666ff]

​[/colour]

[colour=#ff0066]

[/colour][colour=#00ff00]"Let me know if you need any help with your bags okay?"[/colour]

Sugar Star took her badge and wore it proudly – it was such a darling thing! And suited her so well – this really was going to be the best sort of fun the pegasus had in quite some time!

[colour=#ff0066]“Thanks, but I’ll be fine! Despite how I look, I’m a tough cookie! I’ll grab b-both of our bags!”[/colour] Sugar replied enthusiastically, stammering a little as she realized she would be carrying Princess Luna’s bags.

With a tight salute to her royal Highness, Sugar Star bounced off to fetch their bags where the Lunar Guard who had helped pull the chariot was standing watch over them. After they had both saluted each other, the stallion piled the bags onto Sugar Stars back and headed back to tend to Princess Luna’s chariot.

Sugar had let out a little [colour=#ff0066]“Oof!”[/colour] when the last bag was added and trudged her way to the room she would be sharing with the Princess. Truthfully, she felt a little embarrassed – the load of baggage was a little heavy, but it was moreso due to the sheer amount of useless nonsense she had packed as opposed to the Princess. The lunar Princess had, in fact, packed rather lightly. Judging from the light weight of her single bag, she likely had only packed the necessities. Sugar, on the other hand, couldn’t hold back the sheepish expression that crept onto her face as she recalled the hoof polish, makeup, outfits, magazines, filly-ish romance comics, mane and tail accessories, shoes, and Celestia knows what else. How foalish of her!

Walking into their room was overwhelming – wow! Sharing room with a Princess! The room itself was modest - no doubt a carbon copy of the room everypony else would be sleeping in tonight - but it was still much more cozy and welcoming than the barracks she lived in in Canterlot! Or was that just her imagination acting up and making her see everything with rose coloured glasses just because she was at an exciting girls-only event? Unloading the bags, Sugar carried Luna’s exquisite navy bag with silver trimmings over to the bed at the far side of the room and placed it there delicately. Then she tossed her things onto the bed near the door before fishing out a brush and a sugary pink bow. She quickly flicked through her mane with the brush, choosing against sporting her typical ponytail and instead pinned it back and away from her face with the bow!

With a giddy giggle, she trotted as quickly as possible without looking too touched in the head and made her way into the throng. Okay, so. No familiar faces, and Princess Luna was wrapped up with Princess Cadence (holy smokes! Two princesses!) and somepony else. She was tempted to step in, judging by the nervous expression on Luna’s face, but Cadence seemed to have control of the situation and if the Princess of the Night (whom she had heard from the Canterlot castle grapevinee to be particularly jittery) was uncomfortable, she would prefer to avoid making the situation worse. Instead, she caught the Princess’s eye and nodded reassuringly, letting her know that she would be around and ready to step in as Specialist Sugar Star if need be.

Until then, it was party time! But still, there were no familiar faces. She almost began to feel at a loss, until finally something registered: a smell. A sweet, luscious perfume of sugar and goodness and flavour. Candy! There was candy someplace! Following her nose, Sugar moved through the throng until she approached a table where an earth pony mare with a lovely, bouncy mane was serving candy!

[colour=#ff0066]“Oh, wow!” [/colour]Sugar exclaimed, taking a deep breath, [colour=#ff0066]“These smell delightful! You made them yourself? Can I try a large bag of bonbons and a Delights of Equestria? I just adore sugary sweets, and these smell absolutely perfectly delicious! And they’re so pretty, too! They look just like the candies in this comic I read not long ago, where a shy heroine runs into an exchange student before classes start and they spiral into a magical adventure that pits them against each other before they ultimately save the day and end up getting married. She gave him candies like this for his birthday – homemade, too! But some old witch wound up cursing them and he thought it was the heroine. It was so dramat- oh! Oh! I’m rambling! Oh no!”[/colour]

The golden-hued pegasus flushed scarlet and, hanging her head in embarrassment, placed the necessary bits on the table.

[colour=#ff0066]“S-Sorry…”[/colour]

[colour=#ff0066]‘Good going, Sugar Star – that’s one mare off the list of potential mane-braiders and gossipers to have fun with tonight…’[/colour]

​

[PedestrianWolf]

Fuchsia Blooms looked around, certain that there must be other mares from Canterlot at the gathering. But she didn't see any faces she recognized. No, wait, over by the candy cart she had just left was a girl she had seen before. She worked in a sweet shop in Canterlot. Fuchsia had seen her behind the counter, but had never bought anything from her. Maybe if they got to know each other this weekend, then she would have a good excuse to visit her shop when they got back to the city.

Then a familiar voice boomed over the crowd. Fuchsia looked, then looked again. No, it couldn't be. But it was! Princess Luna and Princess Cadence were both in attendance. She mentally cursed herself for not bringing any night-blooming jasmine. Never mind, too late to get any now. She looked at the flower arrangements on the tables, and sighed. Stargazer lilies would have to do.

Using her magic, Fuchsia called a white rose and a purple speckled white lily to her from the bowl on the table. Same as before, she cast a spell to subtly enhance the floral scents of each bloom. Then she trotted over to where the two princesses stood, the flowers enveloped in a pink aura floating in front of her.

Dropping her head in a bow, but keeping her eyes on the royal mares, Fuchsia addressed them in a formal Canterlot tone.

[colour=#800080]"Pardon me, your majesties, but allow me to express what a pleasure it is to have you in attendance at this event. It would be an honor if you would accept these humble gifts from me, and my sincerest wishes that you both enjoy your time here."[/colour]

Raising her head, Fuchsia offered the white rose to Cadence, and the speckled lily to Luna. She smiled warmly at the two princesses, and hoped fervently that she hadn't somehow overstepped her bounds.

[IceStorm]

[colour=#000080]~~Ice Storm~~[/colour]

[colour=#000080]Ice frowned a bit when Moon mentioned that she didn't seen any foosball tables so far at the convention. [/colour][colour=#008080]"Aww... seriously? what kind of convention doesn't have a foosball table?"[/colour][colour=#000080] she said jokingly to her with a few laughs. Truth be told she hadn't seen any either, and considering this was her first ever convention, she literally had no idea what to expect. She suggested walking around a bit before mentioning that Twilight's assistant Spike was here. She mentioned trying to find him and interrogate him as to how he was able to get into an all mares convention. Ice giggled. [/colour][colour=#008080]"Yeah, that does sound like fun, where should we start?"[/colour][colour=#000080] she asked.[/colour][colour=#0000ff] [/colour][colour=#008080]"And if we do find a foosball table in the process, we should hold a tournament... Oh we should ask that mare at the front desk. She organized it she should know what's here and where to find it!!"[/colour][colour=#0000ff] [/colour][colour=#000080]Ice smiled.[/colour]

[colour=#ff66cc]~~Aloe~~[/colour]

[colour=#ff66cc]Aloe couldn't help but giggle when her sister stated that she of all ponies should know she needed her beauty sleep. [/colour][colour=#6699cc]"Well if you're sleep is for beauty then you should be awake at all hours of the day,"[/colour][colour=#ff66cc] she said jokingly sticking her tongue out at her sister. [/colour][colour=#6699cc]"And please,"[/colour][colour=#ff66cc] she said giving her sister a quick kiss on the cheek. [/colour][colour=#6699cc]"I'd never leave you out of anything. Which is why I waited right here for you to get here. I couldn't possibly enjoy this fully without you here with me,"[/colour][colour=#ff66cc] Aloe smiled.[/colour]

[colour=#ff66cc]She then heard her ask about who was around. [/colour][colour=#6699cc]"Well, I know that Rarity's around here somewhere. Princess Cadence and Princess Luna are both here, Ice Storm, Rarity's friend is here, as well as a few other ponies that I don't recognize. I'm sure they have a bunch of interesting stories for you,"[/colour][colour=#ff66cc] Aloe smiled.[/colour]

[colour=#6699cc]~~~Wind Dancer~~~[/colour]

[colour=#6699cc]Wind Dancer lay fast asleep in her small apartment. Slowly, she felt the warmth of the sun's rays beam down on her through her window as her eyes fluttered open. She looked out to Celestia's sun, and was still half asleep when the Ponyville clock tower began chiming. She looked over to see that it was almost ten in the morning. Ten in the morning!! she thought to herself as she rolled out of her bed, landing wrong on her side. She felt a smal jolt go through her bad knee, and another from rolling on her bad wing wrong. [/colour][colour=#0000ff]"Stupid wing..."[/colour][colour=#6699cc] she grumbled looking at her right wing. If only she could have taken that day back, and had stayed home from school that day like she had planned... She hadn't felt that good in the morning, and she should have followed her instinct, now though, she could barely do anything more than hover without pain coursing through her wing. [/colour]

[colour=#6699cc]She walked slowly and gingerly to the door of her room to allow the throbbing in her leg to subside. Once it had, she opened the door and began heading towards the town hall. I can't believe I overslept like that!! Oh, I hope that they still let me in, the flier said eight!! As she passed by the fountain, she paused and looked at her reflection in the water basin. I swear that scar gets bigger every day... she thought to herself dismayed of having a constant reminder of that horrific day. She quickly shook it off though and began to book it as quickly as she could to get to the entrance. Everypony was inside already and she couldn't see anypony at the reception desk. [/colour][colour=#0000ff]"Oh no! There's no pony accepting members anymore!"[/colour][colour=#6699cc] she said rushing to the table. She looked around a bit and waited to be hopefully be checked in. [/colour]

[SunsetSombra]

[colour=#EE82EE] Berry Punch[/colour]

Berry hadn't been ready for the crowd turnout - QuickLime had really tapped onto something here and she was absolutely excited for it.

With the arrival of so many local and beyond mares, Berry did what she could to help out Quicklime...the dishing out of badges, introductions and whatnot was a fairly simple routine, and one that she was capable enough of handling without too much trouble. She was decent enough with crowd conversations and business, having handled her own bar for long enough to know how to properly address and play host in situations such as these...it was always fun, but tiring, to get to play the role when in a situation like this.

Still, Berry remained resolute as she did her part to alleviate the pressure from the mare, taking any questions from mares who weren't in the line already, or directing them to where they wanted to go if Lime was occupied at the time. So many of Equestrias esteemed mares seemed to be turning up to this event, and a lot of familiar Ponyville faces that the earth pony recognised from her own daily dealings - even some of the princesses, which even surprised her somewhat, as she'd never anticipated that Royalty such as luna and Cadance would have made time to come out to such an event!

This didn't deter Berry from doing what she could in the meantime - afterall, it was important to make sure that things were handled professionally...thus Berry allowed Lime to handle the Princess registrations herself, whilst taking some time to make sure that there was nothing anypony else needed in the meantime who was nearby. It seemed like everything was running smoothly for the time being though, and she allowed herself a small sigh of relief, as she surveyed the growing crowd of Ponies talking, laughing and mingling all around.

As far as her own role in this convention went, Berry was going to set up the full drinks stall soon enough, but for now her priority was to lend a hoof to QuickLime and get these proceedings fully underway - and it looked like a latecomer was indeed making her way to the booth even now!

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

[colour=#800080] Vinyl Scratch [/colour]

Well, checking in hadn't been a big hassle at least - she'd been semi-familiar enough with the green mare QuickLime to at least get someplace...

“Well if it aint Slicks McCool” - Vinyl couldn't help but having grinned at the comment - their rather interesting encounter on a train ride and subsequent introductions has made Vinyl somewhat fond of the green mares attitude, and wasn't one to dismiss just how difficult this whole setup was for her in the least...managing a public show wasn't easy, afterall. the DJ Unicorn had, of course, headed up and dealt with many a show in her time and something like this was likely going to prove to be an interesting challenge for QuickLime - Vinyl naturally wished her well on keeping the whole management side smooth!

" [colour=#800080]Yo, good to be here - dun worry, I'll make sure that EVERYPONY has a great time when ya kick up the party time later tonight[/colour]! "

She took her badge and gave the green mare and her companion, the cute magenta Earth pony nearby, a quick nod of acknowledgement and of thanks for the rather interesting event that lay ahead, before heading off, her equipment in telekinetically magicked tow, to see just what she was getting herself into here!

[OOC Note: Vinyl and Spike are still 'Semi Active' in the thread, but please PM me if you wish to encounter/talk to them here.]

[RarityDash]

((ooc: oh, wow... this thread got huge... not sure how I want to involve Lyra just yet, so she's skipped for now.)

Rarity was quite surprised not to get much of a reaction out of Spike, especially when Fluttershy joined in as well, but she supposed he must be too busy helping out to bother with their teasing. Perhaps she'd see him again later. She gave him a smile and then nodded toward the green mare and took the badge from her.

[colour=#663399]"Thank you, darling,"[/colour] she said kindly.[colour=#663399] "But as I expressed, my intent today is to have a fabulous time. I can't very well do that if I'm stuck working behind a table, can I?"[/colour] she added.

[colour=#663399]"That said, I do have fliers prepared which I do intend to hand out to your guests..."[/colour] Rarity said with a nod, as she opened the fancy saddlebag she wore, revealing a thick stack of papers. [colour=#663399]"I'll leave one here for you!"[/colour] she said as she retrieved a flier and left it on the desk. The flier was glossy and showed a number of dresses on it as well as details about everything Carousel Boutique offered.

Continuing along inside, Rarity was surprised to see how busy it already was. Looking around, there were mares of all sorts gathered there, both familiar and unfamiliar. How exciting! Of course... perhaps it wasn't so exciting to some. Recalling what Fluttershy had mumbled to her in the line, she looked toward the meek pegasus and offered her a reassuring smile.

[colour=#663399]"I know what you must be thinking, darling, but I wouldn't worry. Give this event a chance, and I am quite positive you'll have yourself a fabulous time!" [/colour]Rarity said, glancing over the yellow mare. [colour=#663399]"Look. You know a lot of these ponies... there's Lyra and Derpy and Cherry and Bon Bon, ooh and Lotus from our favorite spa!" [/colour]Rarity started, pointing out the familiar Ponyville ponies.

Her eyes went wide as they then found some rather unexpected familiar faces in the crowd. [colour=#663399]"Oh my, even Princess Cadance and Princess Luna are in attendance! So many wonderful mares to mingle with and point toward my boutique! How exquisite!"[/colour] Rarity said in a high voice, not containing her enthusiasm.

Looking back toward her close friend, she offered a small laugh, fearful she was pushing too hard for the other mare.[colour=#663399] "Of course, we can hold off on the mingling at first if you're uncomfortable,"[/colour] she said, offering a smile.

The fashionista realized then that this was going to be a bit of a balancing act. One one hoof she had to meet as many new ponies as she could to pass out her fliers... on the other, she had to make sure one of her dearest of friends remained at ease in this heavy crowd. The two goals seemed diametrically opposed... but at that moment, Rarity had confidence she could pull it off.

​

[colour=#ff3399]"Thanks!"[/colour] Harlequin took her badge eagerly and rushed ahead, eager to find her stage. This was going to be the perfect venue for her first bold strides toward being Equestria's greatest superstar chef extraordinaire. She was all but positive. Sure, nothing she planned ever worked. Sure, most ponies thought her food to be utterly repellant... but she was sure that with the dishes she had prepared that day it would be different. Here at this EQGirls Con, she, Harlequin Salad, would make dance the palates of every mare so bold as to sample what she had to serve. She had unending confidence in the fact. She was about to prove it too.

Striding right in the direction of the refreshment area, she placed her basket down on a table and then stepped ahead. The mare suddenly stood on her backlegs and threw her left forehoof up highe dramatically. She called out to the crowd in a bold voice, trying to catch the attention of any mares in the area.

[colour=#ff3399]"Mares of Equestria, listen! I, Harlequin Salad, aspiring master of cuisine have prepared for you today culinary delights beyond your imagination! Any mare who wishes to be introduced to flavours of which they have never before dreamed, step forth and obtain from me a free sample of my craft, guaranteed to make your palates cry out in blissful delight!"[/colour] the mare declared loudly and theatrically while doing a series of ludicrous poses. She hoped it would be enough to hook a few mares into coming her way.

​

[Hurricane]

[colour=#800080]"Pardon me, your majesties, but allow me to express what a pleasure it is to have you in attendance at this event. It would be an honor if you would accept these humble gifts from me, and my sincerest wishes that you both enjoy your time here"[/colour]

Cadence slowly turned to face the mare who had come up to them, a sweet looking white mare with pink curls to her mane. She smiled warmly, bowing her head gently, but instead of taking the flower, she enchanted it with her magic, turned it around, and slowly tucked the beautiful plant into the mare's own locks, being careful not to jab her with the thorns.

[colour=#ee82ee]"Thank you for the generous gift, but I believe I much rather it here,"[/colour] she said with a warm smile. [colour=#ee82ee]"This way, we can all enjoy your magnificent work, while you can wear it with pride. I think it suits you rather well, actually,"[/colour] she added, using a hoof to secure the rose in place. She turned her attention back to the party, as a rambunctious mare declared that she had some... interesting intents for the tastebuds of many a pony present. Cadence giggled a little, ears twitching as she was sure she heard the high pitched squeeing of a certain unicorn fashionista whom she would likely speak with later, before she spotted another white unicorn, and clopped her hooves together.

[colour=#ee82ee]"Oh my, the even have the DJ who performed at my wedding! This shall be a magnificent party!"[/colour] she said with glee, almost hopping up and down upon the spot, a girlish giggle escaping her as she did so. She let out a soft cough, and retained her composure, but only a little, a silly grin still present upon her face.[colour=#ee82ee] "As you can see, aunty, this is... sort of similar to Nightmare Night. There are probably games we could play, and dancing later I bet, or simply mix, talk to some ponies, ask them about themselves, try and find some common ground. I bet you'll be making friends in no time flat!"[/colour] she said, smiling brightly.

[colour=#ee82ee]"Which reminds me, there was a certain baby dragon I wished to converse with about an important matter,"[/colour] she said, eyes scanning the party for signs of the purple dragon. [colour=#ee82ee]"Spike? Spiike! Oh, where has he vanished to now?" [/colour]she wondered, tapping a random pony upon the shoulder. [colour=#ee82ee]"Excuse me, would you happen to have seen a tiny purple and green dragon recently?"[/colour]

​

[SunsetSombra]

Spike had gotten himself unexpectedly involved in helping get a few ponies dealt with with their needs for assistance, and although he'd wanted to address the vocal teasing of one particular mare from whom he'd been wishing to lend a claw to here, it was difficult to do when he was being either coo'd over by ponies or being tugged into helping deliver small baggage to it's rightful owners. He hadn't been this actively busy for a good while, and had somewhat not expected that this would have been the case upon asking QuickLime if he could help out. Of course, he'd originally wanted to do so to help Rarity, but when you were part of a team effort to make sure something like this operated relatively smoothly, it seemed kinda like a bad thing to just stop what you were helping out with just to tend to one pony...even though the l'il dragon had really, really wanted to - however, there would be time enough to catch up to the white unicorn later, and he'd be DOUBLE sure to be at her every beck and call to help out if she needed it!

A familiar voice in the crowd catches his attention more or less the instant he'd finished helping out the ponies he had been assisting with bags - his eyes widen slightly, and he looks around to locate the source, waddling off towards the direction of it once he figured out where it was coming from...if it was who he thought it was, there was no way he was gonna ignore her calling him over.

Sure enough, there she was...Princess Cadence from the Crystal empire, seemingly asking about his location from a nearby mare - taking a brief moment to make sure he didn't look exactly like he was a complete mess of a dragon, Spike brushed himself clear of any grass smudges and whatever had decided to settle on him (including a couple of ladybirds on his tail!) and presented himself to the young Princess with a welcoming smile and a wave, looking around for a moment to make sure that there wasn't anypony else who might have wanted to speak with her at the same time - he didn't wanna get in anyponys way, afterall.

"[colour=#008080] Well, hey there Caden-...Uh, your Majesty[/colour]! " the dragon started, a little unsure whether or not he should bow or not...deciding to give something of a nervous half bow just so he didn't appear to be forgetting his manners or anything in front of a Princess. "[colour=#008080] Glad you could, um, make it - seriously, I didn't even know you were coming...does Twi' know you're here[/colour]?[colour=#008080] I'm sure she woulda come had she known.[/colour] " He paused, took a breath and cleared his throat as the dragon youngster reminded himself that they could talk with Twi later or something, should she decide to step outta the library and be here!

" [colour=#008080]So how are ya[/colour]? " he asks with a curious glance, interested in knowing how she'd been holding up lately...considering everything, she and Shining Armor had seemingly been doing a pretty good job so far of taking care of the Crystal ponies - the thought of which promptly reminded him that he should offer his own assistance, out of courtesy for the present situation.

" [colour=#008080]Didja need any help here, or is everythin' going okay for ya around here right now[/colour]? "