[Canterlot Castle] Awards Banquet - Day 1 [Open:See OOC]

[Mojo]

As little Haywire waited for Shadowe to respond, the blank flank filly felt her stomach growling. It had been a very long trip to reach Canterlot, and she was now very hungry. Looking up, Haywire noticed many of the Royal wait staff bringing trays of Hors Doeuvres around for the socializing ponies to enjoy. Being so small, all of the wait staff seemed to ignore her, being too tall to see her trying desperately to reach up and grab something to eat from their trays. This was starting to frustrate the well dressed filly to the place where she began to think of ways to get the food from them.

"Reckon them waiter ponies can't see me cause I'm so little, but I'm powerful hungry! Gotta think of somethin'. I could use mah slingshot and knock a tray outta their grasp, or I could jist yell real loud. But if'n I do that, them goony guard ponies might throw me out fer makin' a ruckus. I gotta do somethin', but what?"

Haywire was so deep in thought, she began pacing a little and wasn't watching where she was going. The blonde filly happened to walk into the path of an oncoming wait staff pony and then there was aa collision. The surprised wait staff pony tripped over Haywire and began to tumble forward. Watching the tray he was holding begin to fall, the agile sprang into action, snatching it out of midair and then stepping out of the way of the falling wait stallion. Holding the full tray of Hors Doeuvres, Haywire tipped it over towards her mouth and consumed every one of them that was on the tray in one swift motion.

"Hi thar, mister. Sorry ya tripped over me, here's yur tray back," Haywire said, handing it back to the wait stallion before walking back over to Shadowe and Colby.

[Lilia]

Shadowe laughed at the idea of a guard being knocked out, glad he was on the outside of the cave when the Changelings grabbed everypony. He shook his head, hearing her bump into a waiter and apologize for tripping him.

"I'm glad I could help at all...I wish I could have seen those creatures when they were being pelted by glowing rocks! They uh...they did glow, right? I didn't just think I got that light wall up? Part of being blind is being at risk for some really bad mistakes..." He said, obviously nervous that he could have completely failed in his magic. His stomach growled, low and loud as he realized he hadn't eaten since before he boarded the train from Trottingham.

"Perhaps we should get a table, Haywire? Maybe the waitstaff will see us if we're off the ground better?"

​

[starswirlthebearded]

Celestia's guest of honour, Zecora, entered the banquet hall. She had instructed the Royal Guard to treat her with the utmost respect.

"I am Zecora, here for the banquet you see. Is there a certain seat that I need to be?"

The Royal Guards at the door bowed respectfully to Zecora. "It is our pleasure to greet you Miss Zecora. The princess has instructed us to lead you personally to her table." The guards greeted the zebra hero. One of the guards had to lead her to the table. "Please follow me, Miss Zecora," he said as he lead the Zebra to Celestia's head table.

"I apologize for not introducing myself, your majesty. My name is Shadowe Flare, and this is my dog Colby. We are very grateful to be here...maybe one day, I'll even be able to serve in the REA for your Highness!" He said, turning when he heard the very familiar voice of Haywire.

"Forgive me, Princess!" He added, bowing again before Colby began to bark at the rust colored filly. He turned and followed the barks, apologizing to the ponies he bumped into on his way to talk to his friend.

Celestia smiled at the stallion's apology for forgetting to introduce himself. "It is quite alright Shadowe," Celestia said to Shadowe. "And it is a pleasure to meet you and Colby." Shadow seemed to have dreams of becoming an REA. "It is a pleasure to have you here. And I am sure that the REA would be honoured to have such a brave stallion in their ranks." Celestia encouraged the stallion.

"Please, don't mind me. Enjoy the banquet and the time with your friends." Celestia said cheerfully as the Shadow and Colby went off to talk with what seemed to be their friend Haywire.

"Hello, my Princess! It's a pleasure to see you!" He said, filled with joy, "Thanks for inviting me."

"Hello to you as well." Celestia replied to the brown coated stallion. "It is a pleasure to meet you." Celestia said to the stallion, having never met him before. Celestia nodded at the thanks for the invitation. "Thank you so much for coming. Please enjoy yourself."

"I do apologize Your Majesty.", she humbly spoke. "I did not mean to brush you off so with a simple bow, it's just that my mind has been filled with such fear and distress since the invasion. I am ever so grateful for ponies and zebra.", she caught sight of the pretty female as she entered the banquet hall, "Who united as one to push back the horde, but I am simply worried about the future and how we will be able to prevent such an invasion in the future. This is something I intend on discussing when I return to base. I also wish to thank you for hosting such a lovely event to honor those who helped lead our people against the Changelings. This will help calm many an pony's nerves and bring hope to their hearts."

"Please, there is no need to apologize for wanting to greet your friends first. After all, today is to honour those who worked hard to protect Equestria from the changelings." Celestia reassured the Fire Walker. Celestia listened while Fire spoke highly of her guests and how the situation was handled. As she finished Celestia nodded and replied "Yes, there were many heroes that night, and I'm honoured so many chose to attend this banquet so I could properly thank them." Celestia smiled as she looked around the room. "And I do hope that this banquet will help those whom made sacrifices or were some how hurt both physically and mentally. And likewise, I hope that you can enjoy yourself as well."

"But that is not important. Princess......why weren't we prepared? It's the second...no...the third* time the danger from them had to be dealt with. What precautions were taken since their first Invasion? I heard that sisters of two of Elements were captured by Chrysalis once, and now they managed to do so to Elements themselves. There weren't any mistakes in their scheme...the were thwarted by blind luck of you being there. Why these mares don't have any protection?"

((OOC: I'm going to answer this as if Celestia knows of those events, but in the future, everyone PLEASE check with me or any other player before bringing up events in the comics. Not everyone has read them, and it is unfair to the player if they haven't. And it is unfair to those whom haven't had the chance to read the comics but wish to in the future, as bringing up the events therein would spoil it for them. Please be considerate and remember the main canon relevant to WoE RP is the show. Thank you))

Celestia was rather taken aback by the stallion's accusations that Equestria was not prepared and hasn't taken any precautions against changelings. Celestia took every precaution for the first invasion, but the Queen had already infiltrated Canterlot and began siphoning love from Shining Armour. Even still he was able to hold off the rest of the invasion forces for a long time before they were able to break through the barrier. "I am sorry you feel that way, but we have been increasing security, even before the first invasion. I had the captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armour put up a powerful barrier against invaders, but the Queen's devious plan worked in her favour in the end. However it is difficult to take such efforts all the time, and it is equally hard to prepare for an enemy that can disguise themselves as anypony perfectly. All these events were the result of their Queen's cunning and resourcefulness." Celestia was trying her best to remain regal and proper with this swordstallion talking as he did. "As for the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, it is their choice to have security or not. I would not impose that on anypony. Even Princess Twilight Sparkle has elected to forgo the royal escort." Thoroughly aggravated by the impertinence of this stallion, Celestia decided to cut off discussions there. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have other guests to greet and engage. Thank you for attending this banquet, and I hope you enjoy yourself."

[Mojo]

Haywire nodded and smiled at the wise advice of her stallion friend.

"Reckon ya gotta point thar, Shadowe. Tell ya what, if'n ya wanna, y'all can sit next ta me!" the rust colored filly neighed. "Colby kin help guide ya over to the long table. I don't think no pony wants us sittin' up at the head table. That's fer the Princess and Zecora. Should we try ta put Colby in a chair with us? After all, that dog's as good as family!"

Haywire slowly made her way to the table, watching carefully to make sure Shadowe is able to follow. The blonde filly understood that her stallion friend was blind, and she didn't want to hinder his actions. She was trying her best to be respectful and polite to Shadowe and Colby. Good friends like them aren't easy to find.

[Blueblood]

"Hmph." Blueblood's lip twisted into a practiced sneer as Fire said how she had once felt sorry for the Changelings. "I had always thought of them as repulsive little bugs. If anything, I underestimated their sheer nastiness." He shuddered in memory, almost feeling the goo drip off of his fetlocks. "Use what words you like about them; while love may be nourishment to them, misery and fear are like dessert to them, if what the one I had to deal with was truthful."

The REA lieutenant had a coltfriend, it seemed, one acquired recently by his account. As Blueblood never regarded any self-deprecatory statement as anything but socially acceptable dishonesty, his envy of the green unicorn's heroism was not abated. The Prince at least had enough good sense not to let it show. "The year was... not quite as kind to me as it was to you." He had to admit, Fire Walker was a good catch by any standards.

He gave a derisive snort when Swift talked of 'good' changelings. "I'll believe that when I see one. Oh, I think auntie's available if you want to see her..." Apparently he did, as he went straight off to address her on security.

Blueblood listened in on the conversation, mulling it over his head. *Nice to know that I'm not the only pony in Equestria that gets on her nerves. Still, we are all kind of doomed if our heroes can't handle themselves. Or our royals...* That brought his mind back to a remark by one of the REA officers, and he turned to address Silver... Flash, was it? "I say, you were saying something about a training camp? Is that open to civilians?"

[Pretzelparty]

The mare took the stallion's hoof and gave a proper R.E.A shaking. "We have much to catch up on.", the red mare added, "We'll have to arrange a night to just hang out and talk. There's been more than a few occasions I could have used your diligent and disciplined mindset to overcome an issue..", a sly smile fell on the girl's face, "Or horrible sea monster. With this invasion, I wonder if we will need to set up a new program. One better suited for preventing such an catastrophe from ever happening again.", the mare quickly added, "I also hope your family is doing well. How goes Miss Presteza?"

"I'll look forward to that night, Miss Fire and hopefully at least the upcoming Civilian boot camp program will help Equestria out immensely." The Stallion perked up a moment as he noticed a certain guest arriving. It seemed this Zecora was being escorted to the princess's table by the guard, while he wished to voice his thanks on the recent on her bravery and leadership during the invasion he knew this wasn't the time seeing as the princess would most likely wish to do so first, besides he was already engaged in conversation and soon he was posed a question. The stallion's ears lowered slightly as he answered.

"Well... turns out the invaders did a number on her. She got a fair bit of her mane taken off as well as her tail. Apparently one of the drones thought it would be safe to bite her backside, she fought a good fight but ultimately she passed out from over exerting herself on the obstacle course and than overusing that magic of hers. She's in the hospital in the city now be taken care of, they said she'd be fine though if she relaxes for a moment... however they told me that ... I dunno two weeks ago." Silver's tone became a bit more subdued and soft as he spoke although he quickly tried to put on the air of a calm and collected officer once again,"That little filly jus hates stayin still, no matter how much I tell 'er otherwise..."

"There was however one...who assisted us. And there are rumor of others defectors. It seems that they...are not innately evil. It's the influence of their Queen...and others that support her that twists each new generation. If we could remove them..."

"But that is not important. Princess......why weren't we prepared? It's the second...no...the third* time the danger from them had to be dealt with. What precautions were taken since their first Invasion? I heard that sisters of two of Elements were captured by Chrysalis once, and now they managed to do so to Elements themselves. There weren't any mistakes in their scheme...the were thwarted by blind luck of you being there. Why these mares don't have any protection?"

"Oh yes... I heard reports of that one, there are some reports of other "Renegade changelings" One of them actually helped some ponies in that obstacle course my sister was in." Silver turned to try and continue this topic with Swift but it seemed mister Squall had elected to actually confront the princess! Silver didn't care at all for the stallion's tone of voice, he may have mentioned he was a noble, but Silver was a noble as well and even he knew to always address the princess with respect. It didn't seem that the princess cared for it either as she not only explained her reasons quite eloquently but actually walked away from him.

"You know, Mister squall... you may said you were a pony first, a swordstallion second, and a noble a 'distant' third. I feel a common pony and even a noble for that matter would know you always treat the princesses with respect. You overstepped your bounds and your tone was entirely inappropriate." Silver's own tone was growing rather cold and almost disciplinarian, his eyes almost glaring right though squall. "Please, remember that if this rare occurrence ever happens again."

"I say, you were saying something about a training camp? Is that open to civilians?"

Silver's tone was still rather cold from before but he decided to lose the glare for the sake of the prince, he had been behaving admirably all things considering. With his voice exposing a hint of surprise at the Posh prince's sudden interest he spoke,"It is in fact open to anypony who is willing and able to lead others in case of a crisis. I feel I should warn you though, if you do apply I intend to work you just as hard as anypony else, Prince or not."

[Dunder]

"No!" Dunder replied quickly to Blueblood's question regarding the seating, "You can't sit with us." He told the unicorn. For a split second he held the facade and then broke into a smile, "Nah, I'm kidding, you can sit with us!" He said, starting to laugh, the laughing slowly breaking out into a small coughing fit. He covered his mouth with a hoof, closing his eyes and wheezing for a second before clearing his throat and swallowing. Then, he trotted off towards the rest of his group with Blueblood.

When he got there, Celestia roasted Swift. He had to hold back a laugh, and did a good job of doing so. Swift could run his mouth off a bit too much sometimes. But, that's what friends do. They can annoy you, and you will always love them at the end of the day, just as Dunder still loved Swift. As Celestia left, Dunder poked the stallion on the side, "Hah! You know, you can be the biggest idiot I know sometimes." But Dunder hugged Swift, dragging Fire into the hug too with his other foreleg, "But I still love you both. I'm glad to see you two are okay. I was scared that I was going to be the one who had it easy." He said to them before releasing them and letting go of the embrace.

[Lilia]

Shadowe smiled, nodding his assent as Haywire moved to the designated table. Colby nudged him along, carefully avoiding the guards and anypony that could be offended if he bumped into them. He sat when he finally arrived, his stomach growling in protest over being kept waiting for so long. He had to laugh.

"Colby, come up, boy. I know it's really unorthodox for you to be up here, but you're as much a hero as Haywire is!" He told the dog, his hooves finding a menu. He sighed, hoping that it had braille inside, so he could read it. When his hoof found nothing but smooth beneath them he frowned. What in the hay...?

"How is the rest of your family, Haywire? I know you come from a really big one, so it's always fun hearing about your life!"

​

[Mojo]

Haywire's face lit up when Shadowe called her a 'hero' in his conversation with Colby. The rust colored filly really never considered herself a hero. In fact, deep inside, she felt like a failure for having been overcome by the ooze moments before the changlings were driven away. But all those fearful feelings vanished when Shadowe asked her to talk about her family.

"I'm so glad ya asked that question, pal!" the blank flank filly neighed, taking a deep breath before beginning to ramble. "Well, I got one older brother Hayseed and one older sister, Haymaker. Hayseed's really easy goin' an' really respects me as a pony! Haymaker, on the other roof, can be a real pain in the tail sometimes. But, she does keep mah family focused on work and such. Oh, reckon I didn't mention we run a hay farm over in the Nimbusgait Lakes area. Mah brother's probably the best mechanic in all Equestria with the way he keeps our farm equipment workin' so well. Gotta admit, mah sister's got a smart mind fer business. She handles all of our hay orders and makes sure we git our deliveries done on time! An' when we ain't doin' farm work, all of us travel in a country band called the Hay Family Band! Original name, ain't it? We play fer square dances an' hoedowns an' things like that. Hayseed plays a washtub base, Haymaker plays a purty good fiddle an' I play both the juice harp and harmonica! Takes a lotta practice ta make the band work. Wanna hear me play some music fer ya?"

[Lux]

"Thank you," Zecora said nodding slightly in recognition, "I will follow you."

The banquet area was a feast for the zebra's eyes as she surveyed the area. There were some faces that she recognized while others that were unfamiliar to her. But they were all here for a common reason: they all in their own way fought and defeated the Changelings and saved Ponyville. She wondered if the escort was something that all guests received or just her being the Guest of Honor. That title was still hard to fathom as she was hardly one to draw much attention to herself, besides being a zebra in a land of ponies. It wasn't that she felt unworthy of praise, just that she hoped that others who were with her received equal attention.

After the brief procession up to the head table, Zecora stood in front of Princess Celestia who so graciously requested her presence.

"Greetings Princess Celestia as what I say is true. It is an honor to meet you. Thank you for inviting me to such an event. I'm sure it will be one that I will not soon forget."

[tacobob]

Fire Walker kept a proper and friendly smile on her face as Princess Celestia spoke to her once more. As she finished, the mare bowed her head slightly and added, "I shall. Thank you once again, Your Majesty.", again, the smile stayed on her face, and probably would have remained on her face until her most beloved, Swift Squall exchange a few words with Equestria's co-ruler, and her mouth started to droop just a little. She scooted in to whisper into her stallion's ear, but stopped as an old friend spoke.

"Well... turns out the invaders did a number on her. She got a fair bit of her mane taken off as well as her tail. Apparently one of the drones thought it would be safe to bite her backside, she fought a good fight but ultimately she passed out from over exerting herself on the obstacle course and than overusing that magic of hers. She's in the hospital in the city now be taken care of, they said she'd be fine though if she relaxes for a moment... however they told me that ... I dunno two weeks ago." Silver's tone became a bit more subdued and soft as he spoke although he quickly tried to put on the air of a calm and collected officer once again,"That little filly jus hates stayin still, no matter how much I tell 'er otherwise..."

"Oh dear. That is most distressing.", she tried to keep her 'gasp' as low as possible, "Why in the world would they have done such a thing to her? The changelings we encountered were out to subdue and contain their targets into some sort of horrible organic prison where they could then feed upon them in peace, and showed no desire to actually maim or injure those at the event. But these creatures...", she paused to calm herself, "When we are finished here, I do hope to visit your dear sister.", she lower her voice even further, "If you two require any assistance, I could make sure she gets the best care possible. I just hope her spirit continues to be strong as ever."

The guard's ears drooped a little as her Trottingham colleague spoke to the stallion, but she waited till he was finished, "I do believe Swift Squall had asked all of the proper questions, ones that needed to be asked. But.", she glanced around the room they were currently standing in, "Probably not the best place or time to ask these.", she smiled briefly at her colt-friend, "I do intend on making sure these are addressed when I return to work. Mind you, I'm sure there are more than enough back at base already trying their best to figure out what we need to do next before this ever happens again. But even those questions lead into further questions..For now, let's."

She was promptly brought into a multi-pony hug, which did wonders to her nerves, "Oh. Thanks Dunders.", her smile returned, "We better get to our seats. They need us to order before they can continue.", she placed a hoof on Swift Squall, "Shall we?"

[Lilia]

Shadowe smiled and brightened as Haywire went on, enjoying hearing about her family. When offered to hear some of their music, he grinned.

"Of course I would! I didn't know you were musically inclined! And with a brother and a sister...well, it's always good to have others you get along with! I keep asking Mother for a little brother or sister...but I guess I'm too much of a hooffull to have a younger sibling right now..." He sighed, eagerly awaiting the music from his friend.

​

[Mojo]

"Hot diggedy! I'd be happy ta play fer ya!" Haywire neighed as she reached inside one of her dress's many hidden pockets and produced her juice harp. "I'll play ya a brand new tune I've been a workin' on!"

The rust colored filly in the pretty dress began to play her juice/jaw harp. She loved performing for crowds, or even just for one, her new friend Shadowe and his guide dog, Colby.

(ooc): Here's the tune Haywire is playing, she's quite skilled with this instrument:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnMXzCGNPSo

[Bellosh]

"Hmmm... I suppose that might have helped, but I'm not sure just seeing a picture quite does it justice. You kinda have to see all the carpet, or else it just doesn't have the same impact, you know?"

Lyra had a good point to make. “Ah well,” Derpy dejectedly responded; “It was worth a thought.” Still, it never hurt to keep on brainstorming ideas. Who knew the next time that Miss Hooves would come up with something absolutely brilliant!

​

"Huh. Well, I dunno. If there was a spell for that, I don't think those changelings would even have a leg to stand on. Speaking of which, ya gotta wonder how they stand on those legs of theirs in the first place. With all those nasty holes in them, you'd think they'd just collapse or something."

“It’s a simple answer really,” Derpy instantly thought of a theory she thought likely; “Magic! Changelings must have some sort of magic that allows them to stand firmly with rotten-out legs. Kinda like the same sort of magic that lets pegasi like me sleep on clouds after a hard day’s work. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Without further adieu, Derpy Hooves sat down in her seat and patiently waited for the main event to begin. Hopefully it’d start soon, because the mare hadn’t been able to eat anything all day. Emphasizing that point was a loud rumble coming from Derpy’s stomach, in response to which she could only provide a crooked grimace of awkwardness.....

​

[Ciraxis]

Swift Squall was shocked. Throughly shocked, speechless. Was...was his warnings rebuffed?! While he could understand the part about Elements protection wasn't anything that Celestia could do anything about (Which made those Six Mares look unresponsible), the rest of her words sounded like excuses to him. Was Sun Monarch unable to face critique?! So surprised Squall was that Silver's words flew over his ears.

He felt angry. Angry and disappointed to the point that he felt a sting in his chest. Even his self-discipline and stoicism couldn't help that. Squall always believed...always believed that Celestia was the pony who could be above such things like etiquette, and who knew that nopony was perfect. After all he hear much how she hated the red-tape. But now....now... this belief was shaken.

Unicorn stallion wanted to scream. He wasn't expecting Celestia from all ponies to evade the issue! Because in the end, no matter the excuses it wasn't enough! This invasion proved that it wasn't enough. Those kidnapped before that night proved that it wasn't enough. And those children that got hurt by the parasites was proof. That. It. Wasn't. Enough! And what for? To save her public image? Because she didn't know? If she - alicorn thousand years of age - didn't knew how to fight the changelings then who in Tartarus would?!

But before Squall could do something that he would regret he was....hugged. This unexpected glomp and balm like words quenched his anger and left him again speechless. His lips moved, not able to find a proper words.

"Thank you....Moto....Dunder." he said, extremely grateful. These two were one of best thing that happened in his life.

But now Squall knew that Princess wouldn't listen to him, he blown off his chances. Oh sure, she may hear the Fire - but Squall honestly doubted it. He didn't said it aloud of course. His though still in disarray. He needed a more quite place to turn them back in order.

"I....I need some fresh air. Excuse me." he apologized and made his way to the door that led to the balcony. Once he was the outside, bathed in silver light of the moon swordstallion took a deep breath. Even after all this time, social gatherings still wasn't his forte. Squall would rather took on fifty changelings once again.

"What to do? Something has to be done, but what?" he asked into space.

[Blueblood]

Prince Blueblood favored Silver Blaze with a rather bemused smile at the mention of the work involved. "I doubt that anything you could throw at me could possibly be worse than what I suffered while helpless in the hooves of the changelings."

He was not especially amused by Dunder's little joke, but he took a seat without complaint or irritation. It was good, for once, not to be in the public eye. He was simply sitting with the commoners, a touch unusual for him, but it brought less awkward comparisons than his sitting with the heroes would have.

Of course, there was still the issue of heroes sitting with him. Fire Walker, and her battle-scarred coltfriend, seemed to be sticking around for now, though Swift was quick to retreat to the balcony. Blueblood could sympathize; there were parties he wished he could so easily escape, and the Grand Galloping Gala had recently become one of them. Retreat was out of the question, though, so he settled down as best he could, looking around at the crowds.

"I wonder," He said, thinking aloud, "If there are actually any changelings who would be so bold as to show up here. Your coltfriend may be a bit... abrupt, Lieutenant Firewalker, but I never saw anypony actually looking for them here."

[RarityDash]

“It’s a simple answer really, Magic! Changelings must have some sort of magic that allows them to stand firmly with rotten-out legs. Kinda like the same sort of magic that lets pegasi like me sleep on clouds after a hard day’s work. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

Lyra considered this explanations for a moment as she followed Derpy to their seats. Sitting right next to the pegasus mare, she gave a nod.

"I suppose that makes sense. Still, having all those big holes in my body would just freak me out. I don't think I could ever be a changeling," she said. "Though I guess the shape changing power would be kinda cool," she added after a pause.

At the sound of the rumble from her companion's stomach, Lyra gave a giggle. "Hungry? I am too! I stuffed myself with a big bad of Bonnie's best bonbons before I left Ponyville but I haven't had anything since." she started energetically, eyes wide. "I'll bet the spread the princess has prepared for us will be as grand as this hall though. I sure hope so at least!"

​

[Lilia]

Shadowe applauded Haywire's performance, beaming when she finished.

"Wow! Hey, I know! My mom's birthday is coming up soon...think your family would mind playing for her? I know Stalliongrad is a ways away...but it would be a lot of fun to have a real birthday party!" He asked, the idea making him bounce in his seat slightly.

​

[Mojo]

After Haywire finished her impromptu 'concert', she was delighted at the invitation Shadow had just given her.

"Wow Shadow! Ya really liked mah music? And ya really want mah family to come to Stalliongrad an' play fer yur mom's birthday? I know we'd be tickled pink ta do that fer ya! We've travelled all the way to Appleoosa before fer a gig, so I don't see goin' ta Stalliongrad as a problem! Now keep in mind, our band plays country music, the kinda music folks kin square dance ta. I hope that don't make no difference to yur family. Anywoo, I also brung mah harmonica, wanna hear me play that too?"

[Pretzelparty]

"I doubt that anything you could throw at me could possibly be worse than what I suffered while helpless in the hooves of the changelings."

The marish stallion gave a shrug at Blueblood's reply,"I suppose we shall see.... but you may be surprised." he said with a slightly mischievous sounding chuckle. Silver still wasn't entirely enthusiastic about having the prince involved in the boot camp, especially since he wasn't sure if he was doing for himself or for the citizens of Equestria. Well if the Prince did show up, Silver would have to deal with him the same way he would with any other attendant of the camp.

Turning to Fire, Dunder and Squall he bowed to them,"I trust I'll see you at the table, Fire, Mister Dunder." he was going to adress the orange stallion but he seemed to have other things to attend to as he seemingly wander off after excusing himself. Looking at Fire he smiled slightly,"You might want to try and ease your coltfriend's mind before he sits at his table. It's almost time to start ordering the food if I remember right. See you there." He said before heading over to the special guests and REA officer table.

It seems the princess was already greeting the Guest of honor, the zebra known as Zecora. Since he had yet to greet the guest and thank her for her deeds during Nightmare night he figured this might as well be the time to try and speak with her.

Looking to Celestia he spoke up,"Your highness, would it be alright if I expressed my gratitude to your guest of honor?" Since it seemed likely she would be alright with such an action he bowed to Zecora,"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Zecora. Would you be alright with me sitting at your side at the table?"

[starswirlthebearded]

After the impertinent stallion rudely questioned Equestrian security at a party meant to celebrate a victory, Celestia noticed that one of her guards was leading over a zebra and Celestia knew that it had to be her guest of honour, after all from what she had heard there was no other zebra present that day. Celestia smiled at the guard.

"Princess, I have brought your honoured guest, Zecora," the guard said with a reverent bow to the princess.

"Thank you, you may return to your post," Celestia smiled looking at Zecora whom made a formal introduction to her.

"Greetings Princess Celestia as what I say is true. It is an honor to meet you. Thank you for inviting me to such an event. I'm sure it will be one that I will not soon forget."

"Welcome Zecora, thank you so much for coming," Celestia said with a smile bowing her head to Zecora. "You are quite welcome, from what I have been told, your actions during the changeling invasion of Ponyville, is more than deserving of praise. Please, enjoy yourself," Celestia said as she motioned to a seat at the head table. It was no secret by now that Zecora had put aside her own needs and selflessly lead as many ponies as she could to safety in the Everfree Forest, acting not only as their guide but also their protector. Celestia hoped that small award that she would provide to her to show her gratitude. Naturally there was also a window of the citizens of Ponyville hiding safely behind a curtain to be relocated to the main hall after the two banquets were done to honour all the citizens of Ponyville, the royal window maker spared no expense on it.

"Your highness, would it be alright if I expressed my gratitude to your guest of honor?"

Celestia smiled and nodded at Silverheart. "Of course it would be alright, but please do not forget that everypony here is deserving of praise for their actions that day. It was a harrowing day, and everypony showed their resolve and fended off the changeling invaders, including yourself Silverheart." Celestia said to the brave REA stallion as he greeted the zebra and requested he sit next to her.

Celestia looked towards the ponies whom were all congregating, many still not at a table, Celestia noticed her waitstaff were eagerly waiting to take everypony's order. "Thank you everypony for attending this banquet. The waitstaff will be coming around momentarily to take your orders, so please, everypony find a seat, and enjoy tonight's banquet. Remember tonight is for you, the heroes of Equestria." Celestia said with a smile as she made her way to her seat at the head table and placed her order for a bean curd salad to start with daffodils on the side, and for the main course a Saddle arabian dish of vegetables in a spice mixture sauce over grains.

[tacobob]

"Swifty?", Fire Walker watched as her colt-friend excused himself. As she slowly followed the stallion, she stopped near Dunder and whispered, "Could you please hold our seats? We shouldn't be gone for long. Oh, and please order this for us if we miss the servers.", she pointed out a couple things on the menu, "And thanks Dunders, you're the best.", she gave the brown Pegasus a friendly kiss on the cheek before she returned her 'chase.' She truly loved Swift Squall with all of her heart, even if he had a habit of embracing the melodramatic side of life, even more so than most. Once she found herself outside, she watched the stallion for just a moment before speaking up.

"What to do? Something has to be done, but what?" he asked into space.

"I assure you Swift, there are things being done. Mostly things I am not privy to, mostly due to them being of a magic nature, but I know Princess Celestia is not treating the Changeling's invasion lightly.", she slowly made her way towards the noble-pony as she spoke, "I seriously doubt I would have stayed in the R.E.A. if she took this lightly. Those monsters attacked by father and sister. While I wish to see those dreaded monsters rounded up and banished to the furthest corner of Tartarus, I have a feeling our beloved Princess knows more of these creatures than we do.", she nuzzled the side of his face, "I know in my heart when she decides what to do with these Changelings, it will be for the best, but for now, could we get back inside? It's starting to get a little chilly outside and I'm also a little on the peckish side, but I'm not going back without you.", she held out her front right hoof.

[Blueblood]

It was the slightly doubtful tone in Silver's "We'll see" that decided it. Prince Blueblood had enough vanity still active and unburied by trauma to be stung by that. "Oh, I assure you, sir, we shall most definitely see!" He had had enough, by now, not only of helplessness, but of everypony's attitude towards him. Sure, he may not have the best manners with mares, and yes, he'd never actually held down any actual job in his life, and yes, when you got right down to it, he would be hard-pressed to justify his existence, let alone his title. Still, there comes a time in every stallion's life where he has to take a stand for himself, and to Blueblood, this was it!

With a huff, he returned to the perusal of the menu, ultimately deciding on a vegetable plate with hummus, and watermelon salad. His own personal tastes were more for raw, fresh foods than anything else. Those were not actually easy to get in Canterlot, as not many farms were nearby, and his family had often shown off their wealth not so much by having fancy cooking as by doing without it.

[Bellosh]

"I suppose that makes sense. Still, having all those big holes in my body would just freak me out. I don't think I could ever be a changeling. Though I guess the shape changing power would be kinda cool."

“Personally,” Derpy Hooves added; “I wouldn’t be able to get into that feeding on love thing. What happens if a changeling can’t find love? Could they survive by living on normal food?” All these thoughts about changelings made the pegasus think about someone else; “Hmmm… I wonder how that one changeling we locked up is doing? You think they let him knit in the dungeons?”

​

"Thank you everypony for attending this banquet. The waitstaff will be coming around momentarily to take your orders, so please, everypony find a seat, and enjoy tonight's banquet. Remember tonight is for you, the heroes of Equestria."

Lyra’s inquiries about food came not a moment too soon, as Princess Celestia announced that waiters were coming. When the Princess also reminded everypony that this night was for them, a burst of energy overcame the blonde mare. Without a second thought, she flew straight up out of her chair to shout a resounding; “WHO-HOO, WE ROCK!!!”

Her cheer finished, Derpy hovered gracefully back to her seat as she waited for the waiters to come. Once one of them came by, the pegasus made good use of the fact that the castle chefs would cook anything by asking for a double hayburger with a side order of onion rings. Miss Hooves wasn’t a hard mare to please in the slightest.....

​

[Lux]

"Thank you Princess Celestia but if I may," Zecora said recognizing the compliments of the ponies, "All of the ponies helped save the town on that day. I happened to be there at the right hour, and felt the need to defend the town with all my power."

Before Zecora could find her seat, a pony named Silverheart asked to sit next to the zebra. Although she was not used to the attention, Zecora couldn't pass up the chance to meet another pony.

"Yes Silverheart you certainly may sit with me on this day. Although we will have some dining to do, I would very much like to know more about you."