Canterlot [Army Ball - PUBLIC] Photos in the Foyer

[Dio]

Past the ornate doors of the palace entrance, through the gilded vestibule lies the foyer of the castle proper. The atmosphere seemed abuzz with energy, lit by the warm glow of aether lamps and candlelight. Period banners and Army battle standards adorned the walls, highlighted by suits of armor and cases of ancient weapons wielded by the oldest heroes of Equestria. Ponies milled about in the foyer before the event proper, some catching up with family and friends while others waited for an opportunity to see the princess, or perhaps catch a photograph with her!

“Come now, we’ll be late!”

The voice came from a pegasus stallion with a coat of ruddy brown, accented by white feathered fetlocks and a sabled tuft of a beard trimmed to military regulation. The older stallion was heavily built, his shoulders seemingly cast from bronze and his facial features chiseled from solid granite. Despite the wrinkles and his sabled mane and tail, he was very much the quintessence of an REA soldier. Armor was unnecessary for this storied warrior; his formal military regalia was enough.

Retirement was a double-edged sword for Colonel Ironwing. On the one hoof, he could come and go as he pleased. The army no longer set his schedules and told him where to go or what to do. When he traveled to the far-flung lands beyond Equestria, it was on his own terms. Pension was good and free time was bountiful. Of course, on the other hoof, having free time and not much to fill it with was something Ironwing couldn’t stand. PT, meditation, and scholarly study would only stretch so far.

But there was hope. One of the ideas that had been idling on the table of the castle committee and the CRPR was something that the colonel had long supported. At long last his projects were finally coming to fruition. Though he was long-retired, his legacy made him the stallion of choice for hosting such a thing as the Army Ball. Of course, no party would be complete without guests of honor, and what a guest she was! It was always an honor to serve the princesses, and the newly returned Luna was no exception.

As they continued on, the scintillations of camera flashbulbs on the mezzanine made themselves apparent. The photo booth was just ahead.

“Your Majesty,” Aristotle smiled and swept a hoof across the expanse of the foyer. “Your humble audience awaits!”

[Elderflower]

Since the Princess of the Night had been freed of darkness to find herself in a world far more advanced than the one she had left behind, she had been slowly building up the confidence that she was getting the hang of things. As she stood behind the wide, gilded double doors that lead to the foyer she reminded herself that she had grown quite accustom to cameras and that this would all be a breeze. Sure, the flash was a little uncomfortable, but it wouldn’t be too bad, would it? After all, Luna had lived through millennia where an image was captured on canvas or in stone – she was quite used to holding a pose! There was absolutely no reason to be nervous. Despite this, there were still butterflies fluttering their wings in her stomach. As she matched her stride with Colonel Ironwing’s, she found herself trying to match her attitude to his as well. He seemed mostly indifferent towards the prospect of stepping straight into the spotlight (and the heart of the celebration), if not a bit eager.

[colour=#696969]“Come now, we’ll be late!”[/colour]

The Princess couldn’t quite speak around her tension, or she would have mentioned that her stride was long and she could be quite quick, but she was trying to match paces with him! Nonetheless, they had taken the final turn and were approaching the foyer…

Nothing could have prepared the Princess of the Night for the scene the Colonel had introduced with a grand sweep of his hoof. The setting itself was something she had seen countless times before in her past – balls of arcane energy floated and drifted about the room, casting just enough light to see by while still maintaining an intimacy akin to candlelight. The ethereal glow added a touch of magic to the room and to everypony gathered within it, bouncing off the medals of decorated members of the REA or causing a mare bedecked in jewels to glitter like the night sky; it was luxurious, indulgent, and absolutely enchanting. It would have been familiar enough to put Luna at ease, an event such as this, but one thing she could not have anticipated was the veritable ocean of obnoxious, flashing white lights. Between the snap of shutters and the pops of flashes going off, it sounded like an agitated insect swarm was alive within the foyer!

For a moment, it was all Luna could do to keep her composure and stay perfectly still. Had she experienced being in front of a camera before this evening? Yes. In fact, she had stood before similar hordes of photographers at Shining Armour’s and Cadence’s wedding as well as Twilight Sparkle’s coronation. But in both of those events, she was not the sole focus of the shutterbugs’ attention, and at least at the coronation the daylight had spared the offence of the flash. This was something much more unsettling.

But she was Princess Luna, Guardian of Dreams and the very quintessence of Night – she had battled evil before, and survived one thousand years in total solitude (but for the voices of darkness lingering and planting seeds of doubt in the back of her mind). If she allowed herself to be set back by unfamiliar modern technology, well…she would feel utterly ashamed.

The Princess collected herself, and as though somepony had flipped a switch she went from stony to regal in the blink of an eye. She lifted her head proudly, her wings unfolding ever-so-slightly to assert her nobility, and she smiled. It was a generous smile, one she had practiced many times before in public addresses such as these.

[colour=#6699ff]“Good evening, citizens of Equestria,”[/colour] Luna announced, her voice strong and clear as she projected it over the din of celebration (though not too much to be awkwardly authoritative or intimidating!), [colour=#6699ff]“I will refrain from further speeches or decorum that would keep you from celebrating our esteemed Royal Equestrian Army. Let me say, however, that I look forward to meeting you all – now let us commence the evening’s festivities!”[/colour]

The Princess turned towards the Colonel to offer him a respectful nod as she began to make her way towards the photo booth. She finally spread her wings completely, putting off something of a show to stir the guests and mount their excitement for the night’s photos. The happier they were, the better each picture would turn out, and she wanted to make sure each memory here would be a happy one! And what a spectacle she was making! Though relatively simple in design, Luna’s ensemble was stunning while she was in motion. The gown was made of layers upon layers of sheer, silvery fabric. It appeared as though streams of moonlight were flowing around her body to spill over onto the floor by her back hooves. While she moved, the feather-light fabric trailed behind her like currents of light which flowed together with the celestial wave that is her tail. Once she had taken position in the photo booth, her gown fell still and immediately it was much more humble in appearance. Still beautiful, yes, but simple enough to allow most mares in attendance tonight to rival their Princess in dress. With that goal in mind, Luna had also chosen to accessorize with pearls instead of jewels; she wore strings of them around her neck and had shoes and a tiara made from mother of pearl. It was lovely, but not a blatant or obnoxious show of royal wealth. The Princess would appear more as an equal tonight, and again in the photos every mare and stallion took home. Perhaps it would even make some mares feel like princesses themselves! Besides, this night was a celebration of the Royal Equestrian Army – it was not a night for glitz and glamour or showing off one’s radiance!

Though Luna could still feel a tightness in her chest (and something of a desire to stomp on every obnoxious flash popping and blinding her), the familiarity of these luxury events was soothing out her worries. It was much simpler to fall back into habit than she had anticipated, and she found herself looking forward to speaking intimately with so many of her subjects tonight, even if her nerves hadn’t gone away completely!

​

[Lux]

Night Watcher felt strange wearing her dress uniform rather than clad in the silver armor of the Lunar Guard. She was so accustomed to wearing that armor to drills and patrols that she almost forgot she even had a dress uniform. Typically events like this ball were occasions she was unable to go to, particularly due to them being at night and her having to be on the constant vigil of such a time. But this event was special to her and to the Royal Equestrian Army she dedicated her life to, so she donned her uniform that displayed among other things the Lunar Guard insignia, her rank as Staff Sergeant, and a commemorative badge for the Changeling incident.

The jet black pegasus proceeded amongst her fellow soldiers in arms. Some of them she just knew in passing, while others she recognized as members of her patrol. The later were a bit surprised seeing her out of armor, realizing that deep down she was still a pony. Yet they still gave her the respect that was warranted as she passed by.

At last Night Watcher approached the scene where several flashes were going off in rapid succession. The pegasus then saw none other than Colonel Ironwing who many soldiers looked up to and Princess Luna. Night Watcher saluted to Colonel Ironwing as per protocol and then bowed in recognition to Princess Luna.

[Hurricane]

'Not again, not again, NOT AGAIN!' Cadence whimpered to herself as she ran through the hallways of the castle, her hooves echoing in the empty passageways with every heavy thud. Her dress was flapping about upon her, all asunder due to her hastily tugging the thing on, her crown was crooked upon her head, and one of her hoofguards was on sideways. "Every time I tell Shiny to wake me up, he forgets, and I oversleep! I swear, that stallion has his head in the clouds more than most pegasi!" she grumbled to herself as she skidded around a corner, taking the opportunity to adjust her vestments as best she could. The mare's mane was mercifully free of tangles, and would merely need setting in place to look proper, and it billowed behind her as she ran.

Sometimes, she lamented the fact that her hair had yet to take on a more ethereal quality that her aunts had, it would make tending to it a lot easier, but, at the same time, she was a little glad that she was still on the same level as other ponies. And, in fact, technically at a lower station than her subjects. Her body didn't sparkle, her hair didn't glitter and glow, and despite her best efforts, she felt no resonance with the crystals that made up her usual home. She cared deeply for the ponies of the Crystal Empire, but she sometimes couldn't shake the fact that she was an outsider, a pony not born from there, and thus, never truly able to understand all the feelings of her countryponies.

'Stop that Cadence, this is no time to get worked up. It's going to be a fun evening!' she chided herself as she carried on through the halls, more and more servant ponies being seen going about their jobs, somewhat oblivious to the galloping mare. She skidded to a halt atop a balcony, that looked over the foyer, the salmon coloured mare gasped. Of course they had started without her. It would be foolish to expect them to wait. And yet, deep within her, the mare felt a little sad. She couldn't really explain it, but, to her, Canterlot was still her home, and she felt a little... unnecessary. With three other princesses to chose from, the ponies of the city had their pick of pretty ponies. And this night, it seemed, they had chosen her Aunty Luna.

Cadence turned slowly upon the balcony, slumping behind the ballistrade. She began fixing her dress, a gaudy thing that she had chosen because she thought the affair would be full of glamour and pomp, regretting it as she looked down at her aunt's muted, refined attire. She removed the crown from her head, and politely asked one of the servants to return it to her quarters, along with her hoof guards and the rest of her gems. Finally, when no-pony was looking, she removed the dress, leaving her utterly devoid of finery. She quickly scanned the crowd to find a safe and hidden place to land, and, as attention was drawn towards the dark mare, she dropped down into the crowd.

'Here, I'm not a princess. I'm just a pony,' she thought to herself, as she paced towards the queue of ponies waiting to have their picture taken with the regal mare, the Princess of the Night.

[Bellosh]

Off to the side away from the orderly chaos of the photo booth queue, one Colonel Pummel busied himself by admiring all the old military historical relics on the castle walls. On most occasions, the well-aged stallion never had the time for a closer inspection on account of performing official duties during those times. Now though... Pummel had more than enough time in the world... and his wife was too busy socializing with her social circle to pay him much mind for the time being.

As a self-respecting colonel of the Royal Equestrian Army, Pummel made sure his mess dress for tonight displayed itself as impeccable as possible. The towering, dark gray pegasus’s medal-adorned jacket shined a vibrant scarlet, his black waistcoat and white dress shirt underneath lacked any grotesque spot of dirtiness, and a black bowtie capped it all off. Col. Pummel’s worn-but-tough appearance and the occasional winkle may preclude him from being mistaken as a dashing prince, but he nonetheless stood as a worthy avatar of the pride and commitment of the REA while not appearing extraordinarily extravagant in the process.

Taking occasional glances at the crowd, Pummel observed his former commanding officer Col. Aristotle Ironwing escorting Her Majesty Princess Luna over to the photo booth. Pummel felt he couldn’t have asked for a better mentor-figure during his earlier career than Ironwing, and the slightly younger stallion couldn’t help but thank the other for pulling all the strings necessary to make this night a reality. Now, more than ever with the great changes faced by Equestria today, the stallions and mares of the REA definitely would appreciate this symbol of their land’s gratitude for their service.

Col. Pummel intended to wait for Luna to reach her station before going off to lovingly bother his old CO. Meanwhile, he noticed another princess just so happening to trot in his general direction. Princess Cadence may not have lived nearly as long as the co-rulers of Equestria, but the pink alicorn’s remarkable stewardship of the Crystal Empire earned Pummel’s respect as a sovereign worthy of the same respect that Celestia and Luna share. As it looked to Pummel however that the undressed Cadence wanted to remain relatively discrete (as much as a tall pony with both a horn and wings could be anyway), the smiling colonel decided a nod and simple “Good evening, Your Highness.” sufficed to acknowledge her presence.

[Elderflower]

When Luna was comfortably settled at her station for the evening, she offered up a nod that suggested the line could move forward. The backdrop for the photos this evening had a simple elegance to it, one that was befitting of an atmosphere that aimed for a casual meeting with the Princess of the Night. Well, as casual as one could get at the REA Ball. There was a false wall behind the plush, red square of carpet that she was standing upon, one that mimicked the grand and decorated hall they were standing in. The artist who had put this together, however, went for a style that held more painterly qualities than a simple recreation of the reality of the place. In the photos, the slight whimsy of the painter’s style would make it appear as though one had met their Princess in a dream, or a world steeped with arcane mysticism. The photos would be quite lovely!

Luna smiled when she saw the familiar face of one of her Lunar Guard – a very good first visitor for the night. Seeing Night Watcher helped calm the butterflies somewhat, as she felt much more at ease addressing her as opposed to a more unfamiliar face.

[colour=#6699ff]“Good evening, Staff Sergeant Night Watcher,”[/colour] she said, her smile growing as her gaze lingered on the shiny new commemorative badge she wore, [colour=#6699ff]“It’s a little odd, seeing you out of armour – but you look quite sharp tonight. Would you care for a photo?”[/colour]

Once she had finished speaking, however, Luna’s eye was caught by something quite peculiar. By sheer luck, she managed to catch Cadence’s entrance into the foyer. Something seemed off, however, for the Princess of Love was considerably unadorned and had taken great pains to enter unnoticed. Luna wasn’t sure how successfully an alicorn and beloved Princess could hide herself in a crowd, but she was concerned for Cadence. Why wasn’t she dressed? That alone would make her stand out here, where members of the REA and their loved ones were dressed in their finest. On top of that, this night was put together to celebrate the Royal Equestrian Amy – which meant Shining Armour. Shouldn’t she be dressed and at his side?

[colour=#6699ff]“My apologies, Night Watcher,”[/colour] she said quietly, bowing her head to the staff sergeant. She then turned to Colonel Ironwing and leaned in close for a private word. This was not something she wanted to be made public. Thankfully, the volume of chatter and music drifting in from the dance were loud enough that she felt she would not be overheard.

[colour=#6699ff]“I’m not certain if you spotted it, but I think Cadence may have just entered the foyer and she seems...severely underdressed. I am concerned, but if I leave my post it would draw too much attention. If there is anything you could do to help me, I would be exceedingly grateful, Colonel.”[/colour]

Luna righted herself once more, keeping here expression serene as she smiled at Night Watcher. She felt bad, to ask this of Colonel Ironwing. This night’s pomp was all thanks to him, and she would be happier having him enjoy it without a hitch. All the same, however, she was concerned for the young Princess Cadence and felt a little helpless being attached to her post. If the Colonel could help her, she would make sure her gratitude was made known to him.

[colour=#6699ff]“Now, where were we?”[/colour] she asked the Staff Sergeant.

[Lux]

Night Watcher observed that Princess Luna seemed tense standing and waiting for photos to be taken of her. The Lunar Guard wonder what would make her tense on such a peaceful festive occasion. But upon seeing her the Princess appeared to relax a little. Maybe it was because she was a Lunar Guard and as such a bond was established through that. That was the only thing Night Watcher could think of.

The mare was about to respond to Luna when suddenly the Princess's face changed to a look of shock before excusing herself to talk to Colonel Ironwing. The mare looked behind her to see if there was something amiss. Surely nothing would dare try to disrupt this event, especially with all the military around. Once Luna returned to where she was stationed, Night felt it was her duty to inquire.

[colour=#0000cd]"Princess, is everything ok? You seemed... surprised at something or somepony." [/colour]

[Dio]

[colour=#0000CD]Shining Armor[/colour]

The rumble of moving hooves, conversation, and background music may have shrouded the foyer in a nebula of festiveness, but just above it could be heard the telltale clatter of hooves on stone. The pacing was frantic, frenzied, and just a touch panicked. As they approached, anypony paying attention would decipher the ramblings of a certain army captain as he scrambled down the long halls of the castle.

Where did she go? Where did she go? Oh for pony’s sake I hope she isn’t mad at-- Shining Armor’s thoughts were interrupted by a sharp blow to the chest that knocked the wind out of him and sent him sprawling on the floor. The captain rubbed his head and blinked a few times to clear his vision and came to the realization that he had collided with one of the servants, a little blue unicorn who was clearly still seeing stars. A whistling noise above his head caught his attention.

Armor gasped and scrambled to his hooves, leaping forward just in time to catch the crown before it struck the floor. The captain breathed a sigh of relief and took a moment to catch his breath on the floor. Just in the nick of time. He slowly rose, offering a hoof to the servant who was just starting to come to.

[colour=#0000cd]“Sorry about that, Sapphire. I was in a bit of a hurry. Tonight is the Army Ball and all and... wait a minute.”[/colour] Armor took one look at the crown in his hoof and suddenly realized it belonged to his WIFE. [colour=#0000cd]“Sapphire... why are bringing Cadence’s crown and dress back to our quarters? I thought I left a note saying that I’d be bringing her evening gown back from Ponyville tonight.”[/colour]

“Well,” Sapphire replied slowly, “Her Majesty was just in the foyer. She told me to bring her things back to her quarters.”

[colour=#0000cd]“She went in? What about the note I left?”[/colour]

“I didn’t see a note, captain. I just did as I was told.”

[colour=#0000cd]“No... note...”[/colour] Armor’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. She didn’t. Get the note. This was bad. This was very bad. Ah yes, it seemed the Sparkle family neurosis had finally seized Shining Armor. His eyes darted around the hall for some solution that did not come to him.

“Captain Shining Armor?” another voice declared. The dry inflection could only be that of a stallionservant.

[colour=#0000cd]“Make it quick. I’m busy.”[/colour] Armor said without turning around. Yes. Busy. Busy trying to figure out how he’d explain this to his wife.

“I have a letter to be delivered to your quarters.”

[colour=#0000cd]“A letter?”[/colour] Shining Armor whirled around and in one hasty motion shredded the envelop with his magic. Unfolding the note, Armor took one glance at it before crumpling it and throwing it aside. [colour=#0000cd]“Sycorax. That note was the one I’d sent 8 hours ago! How did it take so long for an express message to get from Ponyville to Canterlot via DIRECT COURIER?”[/colour]

“I haven’t the foggiest, sir. All I know is that the grey mailmare who delivered it apologized profusely and insisted it be delivered right away.”

Shining Armor put a hoof to his forehead. This was a disaster. The mail was late. He was late. Because of the lack of formal dress and timely wakeup call because of said mail, his wife was MIA and probably very, very dissatisfied with him. This was what he got for trying to surprise her with the dress.

Armor took a deep breath. There had to be a way around this. He’d worked his way out of bigger jams with schoolwork in ROTC and paperwork in the army. The captain stood up, piecing together a plan in his head as he helped Sapphire collect the things she’d dropped during the spill.

[colour=#0000cd]“Sapphire, please get this dress ready for Cadence,”[/colour] he said, unhitching his saddlebag and draping it over the other unicorn. [colour=#0000cd]“Sycorax, please do the same for my formal uniform and go fetch some fresh roses from the garden. If the palace crew protests, tell them they can garnish my salary for the damage. I have to go catch my wife.”[/colour]

******

A polo shirt, canvas flight jacket, and ball cap was not the way to make an entrance to this event, but Shining Armor had little choice. Keeping the brim of his ballcap down, he slipped into the foyer through a little-used side entrance and made his way through the crowd, scanning for his wife as he went. How hard could it be to find an alicorn princess? He grumbled to himself.

Finally, he saw her. Armor bit his lip. Cadence did NOT look happy. Even more disheartening was that she remained undressed; she ALWAYS dressed for occasions like this! To make matters worse, it seemed she had already attracted some attention in the form of... Armor’s commanding officer. By the time he noticed, however, Armor was already too close to turn away. It was now or never.

He gingerly tapped Cadence on the shoulder. [colour=#0000cd]“Honey... hi.”[/colour]

[colour=#0000cd]“And... good evening to you, Colonel!”[/colour] He managed an awkward salute.

​

[colour=#8B4513]Col. Ironwing[/colour]

Colonel Ironwing returned Night Watcher’s greeting in kind. [colour=#8b4513]“At ease, sergeant. We’re just getting the Princess settled in. No need to--”[/colour]

The colonel cut off his speech at the Princess’ motion for private conversation. [colour=#8b4513] “Yes, Your Majesty?”[/colour]

[colour=#6699FF]“I’m not certain if you spotted it, but I think Cadence may have just entered the foyer and she seems...severely underdressed. I am concerned, but if I leave my post it would draw too much attention. If there is anything you could do to help me, I would be exceedingly grateful, Colonel.”[/colour]

Ironwing stole a quick glance to where Luna had indicated. As she had said, there was Princess Cadence, devoid of any finery and looking very out of her element. This had to be remedied immediately! Everypony was supposed to be having a good time!

[colour=#8b4513]“I’ll take care of it, ma’am,”[/colour] he nodded. He tipped his garrison cap playfully to Night Watcher [colour=#8b4513]“Staff Sergeant, enjoy your time with Her Majesty and please make sure our dear princess doesn’t get trampled by the onrush of photo-seeking ponies. I will return shortly.”[/colour]

Ironwing made his way down the stairs from the mezzanine, slowly working his way through the crowd to his destination.

​

[Hurricane]

"Good evening, your Highness."

Cadence winced upon hearing those words. She seemed to recognise the voice from somewhere, but it was not the source of the words that made her ill at ease, rather, the words themselves. It seemed the simple illusion spell she had been attempting to cast upon herself to make her look more like a unicorn model, instead of the alicorn that she was, had utterly failed. 'Well, of course it did, it's not like your magic's meant for things like that, you fool,' she chided herself as she put on a forced smile, and turned to the pony who had addressed her, bowing low.

"And a good evening to you to... Colonel," she said, recognising the pips upon the stallion's insignia, due to her many an hour sat with Shiny going over his military training. She had enjoyed the time back then, even if the stallion had seemed a little over zealous about it, it had been time spend alongside the stallion whom she adored. Now, however, he was nowhere to be seen, and here she was, she realised, in a room full of ponies who wanted to see the Princesses, looking lost and alone, and more than a little out of place. "Do forgive my appearance. I had hoped to get a picture with my aunts as simply their niece, and no as another royal. A foolish and somewhat selfish act, I will admit, to my shame," she said, hanging her head low.

And then the hoof came to her shoulder. As she felt it, she turned her head, looking across with her eyes wide and sad, as the white stallion grinned his silly little grin, and mumbled.

"Honey... hi."

Cadence let herself fall against the stallion with a little whimper, forgetting for the moment that she was in the company of what was more than likely a superior to her husband, at least, within the army that was. Shiny was still Prince Regent, and held high station within the Empire. But, of course, they were not there.

"Shiny, I'm so sorry... I've made a mess out of everything," she mumbled weakly, resting her head against the pony's chest, her eyes clenched tightly shut. "I've ruined your evening, I've ruined Aunty Luna's evening, I've just made everything... just... wrong."

The mare pulled back from her beau, sniffing slightly, using one of her wings to wipe her cheek free of moisture. "Is there any way you can forgive me?" she asked, sniffing faintly. A small thought in the back of her mind, however, was screaming with rage at her. How could she be so stupid, all of this was HIS fault. If he had woken her up in time, none of this would have occured! The mare shuddered a little, and pushed that voice aside, putting on a brave face for the crowds that were forming.

"I do not know what to do now... perhaps I should just come clean... Colonel, do you think, if I were to propose my selfish want to the crowd, that they might allow me my silly little request, before I put on something a little bit more appropriate?" she asked. As she waited for an answer, she leaned in against her husband once again.

"Where were you? I asked you to get back here an hour before the ceremonies started!" she snapped to him, in a hushed whisper.

[Bellosh]

Princess Cadence didn’t sound too pleased with her current situation, even though she hadn’t been beset upon by hordes of admiring civilians yet. In fact, Colonel Pummel wasn’t even sure why the princess felt so down by appearing undressed. True, it was baffling that a princess opted not to wear anything at all for this special occasion, but who was Pummel to question the dressing decisions of a pony of greater station than him?

Before the colonel could offer a measure of solace to the imperial princess, along came a pony who was decidedly not above Pummel’s station... and unfortunately, Captain Shining Armor’s choice of dress reflected rather poorly on his judgment. Armor’s wife at least had a plausible excuse to attend naked, but that stallion... that stallion! As a member of the Royal Equestrian Army, would it have killed Armor to express the same effort to appear presentable displayed by all his other comrades tonight? The worst part of all for Pummel was how the captain’s shaky salute indicated he knew he dressed negligently... yet he did so anyway!

Col. Pummel returned Capt. Armor’s salute, but continued glowering at him while the younger stallion shared a moment with his wife. The prince regent of the Crystal Empire could take comfort in the fact that serviceponies rarely get officially reprimanded for mistakes committed while off-duty. So instead, Pummel relaxed his face and calmly responded to Princess Cadence’s plea; [colour=#ff9900]“Do as you will Princess Cadence, but personally, I don’t think you need anypony’s approval in this personal matter. I can escort you to Princess Luna right now, if you wish. As for you, Captain Armor...”[/colour] the imposing pegasus’s eyes narrowed as he sternly addressed Shining Armor; [colour=#ff9900]“I trust you’ll be joining Her Highness so that you also may change into something more... suitable?”[/colour] Pummel would not take no for an answer.....

[Dio]

Shining Armor honestly didn’t know what to expect. Part of him was waiting on a slap to the face right then and the other was certain Cadence would bottle everything up and give him quite the lecture on the way back to their quarters. Of course, all of him was surprised when Cadence nuzzled up against him and... apologized? Armor was all too happy to nuzzle back in greeting, relieved that he could save some face somehow in this mess. As his wife turned back to the colonel, Armor took a moment to straight his collar and adjust his ball cap, the small actions getting him back in stride in spite of his dramatic faux pas. He supposed he could make up some excuse for the colonel involving the train from Ponyville and wanting to pick up his wife before...

[colour=#ee82ee]“Where were you? I asked you to get back here an hour before the ceremonies started!”[/colour]

Aaaaaaannnd there was the rub. As good as she was at putting on the perfect public face, Cadence could still be a spitfire when emotions flared. Armor should have known this wasn’t going to be easy...

[colour=#FF9900]"I trust you’ll be joining Her Highness so that you also may change into something more... suitable?"[/colour]

This was probably the biggest tactical blunder Armor had made since attempting to make orchid and jalapeno omelettes last time he visited his parents. No Army wargames exercise could possibly have prepared him to take as much fire from as close a range from as lethal of combatants as his wife and his CO. For once, Shining Armor was at a loss for words.

[colour=#8b4513]“Colonel Pummel? Do my eyes deceive me?”[/colour] The address directed at the colonel from behind could not have been better timed.

Before Pummel could turn to respond to him, Ironwing gave Shining Armor a surreptitious wink. Shining Armor nodded furiously in response to both colonels, grateful for an opportunity to be spared another wilting glare.

[colour=#0000cd]“That was my intent, Colonel Pummel,”[/colour] Armor responded as calmly as he could muster. [colour=#0000cd]“Forgive my lack of decorum, but I need to speak with my wife in private to properly rectify this situation!”[/colour]

The captain lightly tugged at his wife’s front leg with a hoof, leading her aside in what he hoped would be a semiprivate conversation. He whispered in her ear, [colour=#0000cd]“Honey, I can explain...”[/colour]

His good deed for the night done, Colonel Ironwing turned to his colleague and former subordinate, extending a hoof to shake while giving the signature Ironwing grin. Though his address was tongue in cheek, it was said without a hint of malice and with utmost respect for Pummel’s station. [colour=#8b4513]“I never thought I’d see you out of the warhorse stable at this hour. To what honor do I owe the presence of my illustrious successor?”[/colour]

[tacobob]

Fire Walker tried her very best to at least pretend to be comfortable in this situation. She was in fact a member of the Royal Equestrian Army, and she was invited here to attend the assortment of events that were planned during the night. It all just felt rather off. She was sporting her usual 'event' clothing. She wore a smart blue dress coat adorned with golden buttons and her assorted medals and badges along with a matching skirt. Her hair was neatly braided and adorned with a fine looking combination hat. She looked the part, but she just didn't feel like she fit in at the moment. Maybe it was that she was never really a 'full time' solider. She simply came when needed and spent most of her time training new recruits and many of the ponies she passed were strangers to her.

These events were usually attended to by her parents or older brothers, but with her assorted family scattered about all of Equestria, the young mare managed to get roped into attending this event. While normally she wouldn't mind socializing with her superiors and the whole 'roasting' event sounded interesting, she was never a fan of formal dinners. Still, it's just a few hours to deal with. After sucking in her gut, she slowly made her way through the walkway. As she slowly cantered on, she caught sight of some of the older officers. Both Colonel Pummel and Colonel Ironwing caught her eye. Both of these would probably enjoy interacting with her father. There was also Captain Shining Armor, one of the younger officers who managed to do rather well for himself. Not only did he help save the Crystal Empire, he also managed to marry a alicorn! She also noticed Princess Luna as she made her way. The last time she saw the princess was when she attended a small wedding in Ponyville, and before that, she came dangerously close to throwing her former colt-friend Dunder, into the dungeons!

Finally, there was Staff Sergeant Night Watcher, a pony nearest to her own meager ranking. As she neared the small grouping of officers, the red coated Pegasus gave a proper salute to those near. Apparently there was a minor about of drama going on at the moment or it at least appeared to be. Curious to see what was going on, the mare stood her ground for the moment.

[Hurricane]

As Cadence was carefully brought to one side, she could feel something rising inside her, a rebellious urge that she had to put some effort into quashing. She wanted to just charge through the crowd, gallop up to Luna and have her picture taken. Wasn't it her right? She was the mare's adoptive niece, after all. However, she was able to suppress the urge, but she most certainly was not done with the situation yet.

"Shiny, I do not need you to explain. You were late. Again. It could have been because you fell asleep in the park, or it could have been because you were saving ponyville from a giant, pony eating hamster. I know it is selfish of me to say this, but you are my husband, and I would have thought that you would have put me first, or at least had the decency to send word to me, to have me woken earlier..." she whispered as she slipped from his grip. "Now I have something I wish to do, before I am rigged up into whatever frilly little thing I am supposed to be wearing tonight," she added, turning back to the Colonel.

"Colonel. If you still be willing, I would graciously like to accept your offer of escorting me to my dear Aunt," she said with a delicate little bow, turning away from Shining Armor, letting her tail pat against his face, not a hard impact, but one that would let him know that, while she was still angry with him for being late, she was not upset. A playful little gesture to make him aware that she was still in good spirits.

[Dio]

Sgt. Acclaim
She wasn’t terribly likely to dress up and was even less likely to turn up for a formal function, but Acclaim had to admit it to herself; she felt pretty.

Gone was the signature armor of the Lunar guard, in its place a sharp-looking indigo mess jacket. Though she hadn’t worn it in months, it had been carefully tended to the night before, the royal purple soutache on the sleeves painstakingly cleaned and repaired and the miniature ribbons and medals pinned back on just right. A blouse of royal purple and matching cummerbund replaced her saddle blanket and fitting straps. The neck tab of the blouse had been replaced with an amulet of polished chrysocolla. The gem had been cut to form the Eye of Night, unit emblem of the Lunar Guard. Neatly rounding out the ensemble was a matching skirt of indigo. Having something covering her hindquarters that didn’t involve barding or armor plate was odd, but she’d deal with it.

Acclaim stretched her wings out, a self-satisfied smirk creeping across her face as she glanced at her natural “hardware” for a moment. For the first time, the brass had authorized wear of the Eye of Night amulet with service and mess uniforms, including all the trappings that came with it: the spells that gave Lunar Guard pegasi their signature wings, ear tufts, and draconic slit-pupils. The sergeant spent most nights with those wings; going into the Ball in character was like slipping into a familiar flight jacket or wrapping herself in freshly sun-dried sheets at home. Acclaim had to stifle a giggle at the cool airy feeling of leathery wings in lieu of feathers as she brought them back down, letting them rest against her skirt like living trim. She was happy with this, both for the comfort and familiarity and the opportunity to represent her unit with pride!

Of course, she couldn’t just spend the entire evening gawking at herself. But was there even anypony she knew here? Or would she have to resort to crashing someone’s personal herd? The sergeant casually scanned the foyer as she made her rounds. Stiff ponies, more stiff ponies, a couple specialists that immediately stiffened up as she passed, some crowds gathered around the princess, and the even stiffer Colonel Pummel. What did it take for a mare to find a good time around here?

Then out of the corner of her eye, Acclaim spotted a flash of red, the unmistakable coat colour and namesake of a particular officer from recent memory.

[colour=#daa520]“LT, is that you? I haven’t seen you since that little ‘vacation’ at Bridlebank! How’ve you been?”[/colour]

​

[Bellosh]

Before the situation between Colonel Pummel and Captain Armor could get any more awkward, a very familiar voice rang out behind the properly dressed colonel. Without pause, Pummel backed off to the side so that he could greet the retired Col. Aristotle Ironwing. [colour=#ff9900]“Colonel Ironwing!”[/colour] the dark gray pegasus cried out after a brief round of hearty chuckling, not daring to use Aristotle’s first name with Capt. Armor right there observing; [colour=#ff9900]“No, your eyes are perfectly normal... for the time being. You’ve... been making sure to stick with my dietary recommendations, right? Making sure nothing you eat isn't fatty or otherwise tastes too good to be true?”[/colour]

Giving a nod to Capt. Armor excusing to deal with his wife, Col. Pummel moved in to shake his colleague’s hoof. [colour=#ff9900]“Sorry to disappoint you Arty,”[/colour] the colonel quipped in turn, who always thought (but never mentioned out loud) that Col. Ironwing had a bizarre first name for a pony; [colour=#ff9900]“But even we warhorses need to go and graze out in the field sometimes.”[/colour] Releasing the older officer’s hoof, Pummel paused for a few seconds before he looked at his fancy outfit and pretended miserably to look downcast; [colour=#ff9900]“I needed an excuse to wear this mess dress. The wife figured why waste all those bits on it if I’d never wear it anywhere.”[/colour]

Princess Cadence came forward at that moment, deciding to take up Pummel’s offer after all. The colonel happily nodded in reply; [colour=#ff9900]“I’ll take you to Princess Luna at once, ma’am.”[/colour] A short reply, but to the point. Tapping Col. Ironwing’s shoulder, the gray pegasus offered; [colour=#ff9900]“Come on Arty; you might as well help escort Her Highness too.”[/colour] It now looked like Capt. Armor would no longer be trapped between a rock and a hard place... for now.....

[Elderflower]

Luna was about to answer Night Watcher when, all of a sudden, things started moving. The line for photos with the lunar Princess began to press forward and she found herself being called to fulfill her duty for the evening. While she was speaking with her first visitor, she managed to sneak in a sidelong glance to the Staff Sergeant and offered her a little reassuring nod – everything was fine. Or at least, that’s what she was claiming.

Her first visit came from an older mare – middle aged, periwinkle coat and lavender mane, who had very obviously gotten a little more pudgy around the sides than she had planned to after buying her dress for the event. Said mare was very chatty, and as soon as she approached the Princess there was some bizarre cocktail of deference, eagerness, and excessive friendliness spinning around in her head. Or at least, that’s how Luna was interpreting the situation, judging by how much the character bombarded the Princess with her personal life and then apologized and dipped her head respectfully, only to begin babbling away about herself once more. She approached the side of the Princess, careful not to draw too close, and prattled on about her favourite biscuits to serve at lunch when house guests are present.

Luna smiled a little awkwardly and nodded, taking advantage of the mare’s distraction to flicker her teal gaze towards Cadence’s situation. It seemed as though there was a small gathering of ponies around her now – Shining Armour included. He himself was looking terribly underdressed…just what exactly was going on here? The Princess found herself more puzzled than before, but seeing that Colonel Ironwing as well as Colonel Pummel were on the scene she felt reassured – perhaps even a little bit of sympathy for the young couple! Finally, when she noticed that Cadence and Pummel seemed to be heading in her direction, she turned her full attention back to the older mare.

[colour=#9966cc]“…Anyways, so I told him – my husband, the Sergeant – I told him a little more decorum was needed when serving sarsaparilla to dinner guests! Really! He can make such awful jokes! And then he laughs at them! He did it on our honey moon while we were at dinner and you can imagine how it just ruined my night! I ate both of our dinners! And desserts! And then I ordered a very expensive bottle of wine because how dare he make jokes about my mother’s mane dye issues over our honey moon dinner! Anyhoo, I told him he needs to start being a little more sensible when we have company – I mean, the sarsaparilla!-”[/colour]

Luna blinked down at the mare, then exchanged a look with the assigned photographer for the night’s events. He looked just as taken aback as she felt – what a whirlwind this army bride was! Still, the lunar Princess was hardly about to let her surprise show. Instead, she politely cut into the mare’s little ramble.

[colour=#6666ff]“Ah – of - of course, the sarsaparilla,”[/colour] she repeated, her voice stiff and a little awkward. Hopefully the rest of the ponies wanting a photograph with their Princess of the Night would be a little easier to speak with…

[colour=#6666ff]“The photographer – he’s ready now.”[/colour]

Luna managed to pull out a small smile for the photographer, and lifted her wings high to create as regal an image as she could present. The unicorn stallion behind the camera nodded, and snapped the photo just as soon as the pudgy mare realized her time was up. Her expression wound up being caught part way between giddy and shocked! She didn’t seem bothered, however, for when the large format polaroid was hoofed over to her, she simply beamed, thanked the Princess, and trotted off.

Luna turned to Night Watcher and blinked again, totally taken aback by the pudgy mare, [colour=#6666ff]“Are they serving sarsaparilla tonight, Staff Sergeant?”[/colour]

[Lux]

Night Watcher relaxed her stance at the direction of Colonel Ironwing and waited on what the urgency was of Luna speaking to the Colonel. To make things even stranger, Ironwing suddenly took his leave, telling the jet black pegasus to enjoy herself but to make sure the princess was ok with the throngs of ponies wanting their photo taken with her. She knew from her experience that when a superior officer requested something, it was an order.

[colour=#800080]"Yes sir," [/colour]Night Watcher replied as she she moved to the side next to the Princess to allow others to have their pictures taken.

[colour=#800080]"Alright everypony," [/colour]she said to the line that began to form, [colour=#800080]"I know that you are enjoying yourselves as I am at this ball, and I know you are anxious to have your picture taken, but let's try not to crowd the princess."[/colour]

One of the ponies who arrived seemed very excited to meet the Princess, carrying on something about sarsaparilla and the decorations. The princes, who seemed to have her attention waning asked Night watcher if there was indeed sarsaparilla being served.

[colour=#800080]"I believe it is your highness. As to your previous comment, yes, it does feel strange being out of armor. Although to those not in the military it appears cumbersome it actually has become like a second skin. Anyway, I do care for a photo, once Colonel Ironwing returns of course." [/colour]

[tacobob]

The rather uncomfortable, but sharply dressed mare nearly jumped out of her horseshoes when the sergeant called her out. "Oh, Sergeant Acclaim, it's good to see you.", she gave the proper salute, "And thank you, things have been rather..", she frowned a little as she remembered all the fuss that went on with her and her friends in Ponyville, "Interesting. ", a very small tinge of jealously entered the mare as she noticed how well the higher ranking officer was dressed. With two Princess' around, along with Sergeant Acclaim and the well built, but still rather attractive Staff Sergeant Night Watcher, the red coated mare suddenly felt like an ugly old mule.

"As I'm sure you may have realized, this is the first of these that I've ever attended.", she whispered to the mare, "Normally my parents would have been here for this, but they've been busy in Las Pegasus for the better part of the week." Major 'Brass Hat' rarely missed these events, and would normally be seen near a small heard of older officers, most likely swapping old stories and letting out thunderous bouts of laughter. "So many important officers here, and two princess'. It's very hard not to feel somewhat intimidated.", Fire Walker meekly added, "And there's some sort of roast going on for Captain Shining Armor? I'm not sure I could even come up with something for him. He's just so perfect. A hero who is a brother to another hero, and he's married to a Princess. Must be the luckiest stallion to ever live."

[Hurricane]

As Cadence followed on after the two military ponies, a twinge of guilt ran through her. She turned her head back to Shining Armour, letting out a gentle sigh as she did so. "Forgive me Colonel," she said softly, as she slowed her pacing to a halt. "I cannot leave him like this. It would be cruel to abandon my husband on this night," she added, turning back to him. "If you would be willing, I would appreciate your informing the Princess what has occured, and that myself and Shining Armour shall be back soon, hopefully in a more suitable attire."

With that, she began to walk back to the pale unicorn stallion, her eyes almost closed as she paced. Her head was throbbing, she had been losing out on sleep lately, and even when she had been sleeping, it was troubled and restless. The mare hated to admit it, but she was suffering, and it was beginning to affect her mind. She stopped in front of Shining Armour, head still low. Her wings unfolded slowly, and she took a step forwards, sliding the large pink appendages around the stallion. Her muzzle went to his neck, and she nuzzled in against him gently.

"Save me, my Knight," she whispered, a little smile appearing upon her lips as she drew her head back, gazing across into his eyes. She touched her horn to his, and leaned in again, kissing his cheek softly.

[Dio]

Acclaim
[[ FYI Fire Walker (1st Lieutenant) technically outranks Acclaim (Sergeant), though I don’t expect anyone to be pulling rank in an off-duty situation like this ]]

The sergeant returned the officer’s salute before cocking her head slightly at her response.

[colour=#daa520]“Is that a good interesting or a bad interesting?”[/colour] Acclaim asked, raising an eyebrow. [colour=#daa520]“I had a friend back on the Trottingham United hoofball team who described his dates as ‘interesting.’ We later found out they usually ended with him being smacked in the face!”[/colour]

The tongue in cheek anecdote was told with a chuckle of course. Acclaim would never laugh at another’s misfortune with significant others, especially if Fire Walker’s “interesting” happened to involve a predicament of exactly that sort. Granted, she anticipated Fire exercising more tact than her brash hoofball mate.

[colour=#ff0000]"As I'm sure you may have realized, this is the first of these that I've ever attended. Normally my parents would have been here for this, but they've been busy in Las Pegasus for the better part of the week."[/colour]

[colour=#daa520]“Ease up, LT. It’s a party. You’re not training recruits here! As for Las Pegasus, I’ve never been that far west, but I hear it’s a great vacation spot; the rich pony’s playground.”[/colour] As she said this she subtly gestured toward the bar at the back of the foyer with her muzzle. The sergeant was looking forward to grabbing a drink. She subconsciously licked her lips and resettled her bat wings as the smell of cider wafted to her.

[colour=#ff0000]“So many important officers here, and two princess'. It's very hard not to feel somewhat intimidated. And there's some sort of roast going on for Captain Shining Armor? I'm not sure I could even come up with something for him. He's just so perfect. A hero who is a brother to another hero, and he's married to a Princess. Must be the luckiest stallion to ever live."[/colour]

[colour=#daa520]“Intimidated? After that incident at Bridlebank, you’re the last pony I’d expect to be intimidated,”[/colour] she said as she slowly trotted. [colour=#daa520]“Yep, Ironwing’s gonna be roasting our favorite colt scout himself. He’s got the good life to be sure, but I wouldn’t say he’s perfect. I mean look at him now. Underdressed, under duress, and looks like the wife has him in the doghouse. I’d hate to be him right now!”[/colour]

[colour=#daa520]“On the other hoof, it makes him feel more real, more relatable, you know? He’s got to deal with the same horseapples we do, even if he is the Canterlot garrison commander and married to a bombshell of a princess!”[/colour] Acclaim turned her head to face Fire Walker. [colour=#daa520]“I could go for a drink, how about you?”[/colour]

​

Shining Armor
Shining Armor went from relieved to shocked. Like the feeling of being caught by a slow-fall spell after being thrown off an airship deck, it jarred his insides and scrambled his brains and left him feeling none too well. As Cadence tugged her leg free, Armor felt his heart sink. This wasn’t the plan. They weren’t supposed to make a scene. They weren’t supposed to attract the ire of the brass. They weren’t supposed to be... alone.

As the other ponies continued to mill around him, Armor froze. His vision clouded over and the world seemed to fade, if only for a moment. Chrysalis was defeated, Discord had been dealt with, Sombra had been silence, and Luna was herself again. Everything was supposed to be back to normal... and yet it wasn’t. The move to the Crystal Empire had been stressful to be sure, but travel wasn’t what bothered him. Cadence had been restless as of late, distant, even. With people skills honed to a fine point after years of working administration for the palace, Shining Armor could tell that something was bothering his wife, though what it was, he could not figure out. Still, what bothered her bothered him and he was determined to get to the bottom of it. So lost in thought was Armor, that he almost didn’t notice the brushing of his wife’s feathers against his face, neck, and shoulders as she embraced him with her wings.

[colour=#ee82ee]“Save me, my knight...”[/colour]

And that was enough to bring him back. He gently returned her nuzzles and horn rub, feeling a flash of warmth at the kiss. Maybe things were all right after all? It was looking better to be sure, but he still had to fix this!

[colour=#0000cd]“C’mon, honey,”[/colour] he whispered in her ear and tugged on her front leg, gently steering her towards the side entrance.

[ They exit. Talked to Hurricane about it. ]

​
​

Col. Ironwing
[colour=#8b4513]“I’m sure even you would make an exception for the carnal sin of Ponyville’s best cider, Pummel!”[/colour] he laughed as he shook Pummel’s hoof. [colour=#8b4513]“Glad to see the missus is still taking care of you.”[/colour]

The retired colonel’s greeting had bought Shining Armor some time, but it seemed Cadence had other plans. With all the confidence of a proper princess, Cadence sauntered on, taking up Pummel’s offer of an escort to Her Lunar Majesty. But as she made her way over, Cadence seemed to hesitate. Her steps slowed and finally stopped, quickly whispering and apologizing to Pummel before doing an about-face and returning to her husband.

Before Pummel could object, Ironwing quickly added, [colour=#8b4513]“I’d leave them be, Pummel. Looks like they have some sorting out to do. If you’d still like to visit with Princess Luna, however, that I can offer you!”[/colour]

​

[Bellosh]

[colour=#ff9900]“We’ll see about that,”[/colour] Col. Pummel mumbled to Col. Ironwing in a mockingly-stern fashion; [colour=#ff9900]“Although I do admit I’ve never advocated spitting out drinks that tasted too good to be true. Heh heh... I believe I will make an exception for that!”[/colour] Revealing a more jesting persona as he let go of his former CO’s hoof, the gray pegasus added; [colour=#ff9900]“Kingsley[/colour][colour=#ff9900] has been relishing every moment to tale care of me, heh heh... especially now that I've been recalled from Aquellia.”[/colour]

Pummel and Ironwing took point hereafter, but Princess Cadence ended up changing her mind to seek comfort from her husband instead. For his part, Ironwing swiftly convinced his counterpart to press onwards towards Princess Luna themselves. Figuring that it would be senseless to let a photo opportunity go by anyway, the protégé nodded in affirmation before chuckling and turning the conversation back towards friendly territory; [colour=#ff9900]“Well Arty, if you’re not sticking with my nutritional recommendations, I suppose you’ve found other strategies to keep in shape other than advocating for army galas?”[/colour]

[Elderflower]

[colour=#6666ff]“Then I shall avoid the refreshment table. For the moment, the last thing I would like to taste at the moment is sarsaparilla.”[/colour]

The Princess flickered her gaze to the scene revolving around Cadence and Shining Armour once more, though this time found that yet another change was occurring. It seemed as though the newlyweds would be taking their leave of the room for now. Curious, but a little more comfortable knowing the two would be stepping away from the small scene that had been building around them, Luna let out a breath that she had been holding and returned her attentions to Night Watcher.

[colour=#6666ff]“In that case, Staff Sergeant,”[/colour] she replied, [colour=#6666ff]“It seems your turn for a photo is just about here – Colonel Ironwing and Colonel Pummel are both on their way towards us.”[/colour]

Silence followed the Princess’s last statement. What needed to be said had been spoken, so what should come next? Small talk wasn’t exactly Luna’s forté, and the more she puzzled over what should be said, the longer the silenced stretched and the more active the butterflies in her stomach became. And then, as her tension began to build, the answer came to her!

[colour=#6666ff]“I understand it - your second skin. My usual regalia are as much an extension of myself as my wings or my horn - their weights and shapes are all very familiar, and even now my centre of balance feels off without them. And I do apology for putting you to work. This is meant to be a night of celebration and relaxation for the Royal Equestrian Army, and here you are on duty already.”[/colour]

There – that wasn’t so bad! Luna looked down at Night Watcher then, and offered her a slight smile. It really was too bad – the Staff Sergeant came for a photo and found herself on duty! Hopefully the photo would make up for that.

[Lux]

Night Watcher, having the duty now to stand by the princess to assist in the photos, for a moment was completely unaware of the others in front of her. She however realized that Fire Walker gave her a salute to her and the Staff Sergeant would feel remiss to not give a salute in return. Although she did wish to spend some time with Princess Luna, there were many other of her fellow ponies in arms that she wanted to speak to.

Night Watcher noticed how difficult it was for the princess to carry on a conversation. She mentioned the dislike of sarsaparilla and mentioning the inevitable return of Colonel Ironwing to relieve her of her duties, but after that there was a silence that could be cut with a knife followed by an awkward comment about her armor.

[colour=#0000cd]"Yes, well, I believe there will be more than just the sarsaparilla being served there, so if you have a lull in the taking of pictures then there should be something there for your liking. I personally prefer a sparkling grape juice myself. And yes I do see Colonel Ironwing returning soon to join you." [/colour]

Night Watcher found herself pausing as well, pondering what to say next. She was well versed in giving orders and communicating with her superiors and others ponies that she met. Yet being with the Princess rendered her at a loss of words. Luna's awkwardness to the situation did not help the black pegasus to formulate a conversation.

[colour=#0000cd]"Yes, that is how I feel as well the awkwardness. It's not like I spend my entire time in armor but sometimes without it on it feels like something is missing. And really there is no need to apologize for having me stand watch. In fact it is my honor to do so and to speak with you at this time. I must be frank that although I enjoy being a Lunar Guard and am happy of my rank in such, there are times being on guard at night when no pony is around that I get a small feeling of being lonely. Of course I wouldn't trade my position, and there are times while not on duty when I can meet ponies.This night however is a chance that I can meet other ponies though."[/colour]

[tacobob]

“Is that a good interesting or a bad interesting?” Acclaim asked, raising an eyebrow. “I had a friend back on the Trottingham United hoofball team who described his dates as ‘interesting.’ We later found out they usually ended with him being smacked in the face!”

The tongue in cheek anecdote was told with a chuckle of course. Acclaim would never laugh at another’s misfortune with significant others, especially if Fire Walker’s “interesting” happened to involve a predicament of exactly that sort. Granted, she anticipated Fire exercising more tact than her brash hoofball mate.

“On the other hoof, it makes him feel more real, more relatable, you know? He’s got to deal with the same horseapples we do, even if he is the Canterlot garrison commander and married to a bombshell of a princess!” Acclaim turned her head to face Fire Walker. “I could go for a drink, how about you?”

​

"That sounds like a plan.", the mare shook off her look of discomfort as she followed the Sergeant towards the bar, "Actually played a bit of hoofball both in high school and in the academy.", she added with a grin, "Wasn't the greatest of players, but the coach always had room for me somewhere.", she caught sight of Luna as she cantered about and stopped as one would expect to do with the princess spoke. Once the co-ruler of Equestria was finished, the Pegasus pony continued, "To think, it wasn't that long ago when I was given the chance to escort Princess Luna about during a trip through some of Canterlot's more interesting and less known places of business. Now that was an interesting night.", she kept her voice down low, "She nearly dragged an old boyfriend of mine into the dungeons after she misunderstood some friendly banter that he was sharing with the establishment's owner. Thankfully we were able to politely suggest that Dunder would be better suited to be given a quick lesson on proper decorum when dealing with royal-persons as opposed to being thrown into a seldom used dungeon, which I believe it mostly used for storage nowadays.", she glanced away from the princess who was thankfully still a slight distance from where they walked, "As for my 'interesting' weekend, I guess it was a mixture of both. Had a bit more drama than I wanted. Attended a cute little convention in Ponyville. Was rather busy."

Once they got up to the bar, Fire Walker ordered cider for the both of them, "So, how are things with you?"

[GingerbreadSpy]

"-And then as soon as your mother gets here, we'll see if we can get a family photo with Princess Luna! Won't that be fun?" Moon Walker was feeling pretty good. It was nice to be able to just relax, enjoy quality time with his son, while at a really nice party. Not hearing a peep from his son, which wasn't all that unusual now that he thought about it... was it? He got lost on this train of thought, but the silence persisted, and he finally looked down to see why his son didn't have anything to say about that.

Tawny wasn't there. Huh. He blinked and tried to look over the crowd to see if he could spot the young colt. No sign of him. There were too many other ponies for him to spread his wings and get a better view. He frowned a little.

Maybe he went to get more punch. Mmm. Punch.

He beamed and headed back over to the buffet area and the bar. He ordered some punch and looked around, still seeing no sign of Tawny. Well, there probably wasn't anything to worry about. It was a big party, full of some of his best friends and colleagues. No way anything could go wrong. He was sure Tawny would be fine. If he remembered right, Tawny was a pretty brave little colt, and he had looked so cute that one time when he was practicing his own guard routine.

Runs in the family! he thought proudly. He sipped at his punch and did another quick glance for his son before spotting a completely different family member. He blinked.

"Hey!" he said, in a voice that signified recognition. He slid over close to the red-coloured pegasus mare. "Fire, what's up?"

Not exactly the greeting you'd expect an older brother to give his younger sister after they hadn't seen each other for a few months, but that's just the way he was, sometimes.

...

Too much punch meant an urgent need to use the little colt's room. Having done his business and feeling more relieved from it, Tawny went back to the festivities. His pupils dilated upon realizing that he had lost his father and that he was surrounded by a crowd of other ponies.

"Oh no." Tawny was not a brave pony. He was the exact opposite of a brave pony. He took a few steps back, bumping into the wall. He started to wheeze a little bit. "Too many ponies!" He glanced around this way and that. The young pegasus took off in a run to find some space that wasn't crowded with too many ponies. He ran past several other ponies, muttering apologies as he went if he accidentally stepped on hooves. It was inevitable that he would end up bumping into somepony else. Thoroughly halted in his tracks, Tawny groaned and lifted a hoof to his head.

"Sorry," he muttered again, trying to get his bearings.