AN// Welcome to a new part in my mlp series. If you have not read it yet, I highly recommend you start from the first in the series:
New Beginnings. (MLP)
Many thanks to
@Arratra for betaing this one!
Now, on with the story!
___________
The sounds drifted up from the village below. Laughs, singing, music, the sound of talking and some ponies arguing as the bright full moon shone across the village, having just climbed over the horizon, leaving shimmering streaks of silver and shadow, broken by the light of torches and glow crystals.
The scent of spices and smoke, of cooking meat and meals. The sound of foals playing. Ponies talking and laughing
I couldn't help but smile at the pair of statues in the main square, decorated so thickly with flowers they were barely visible. The Night of the Twins was starting to become one of our largest holidays and ponies were having fun with it.
I even saw some ponies, mostly sisters, having coloured their coats and manes to look more alike, wearing the same things.
But it was only expected that this would become one of the larger, more important ones. This was the day of the year that the shield had first gone up. Only one larger actually was Founding Day.
It had actually overtaken Hearts Warming, but I didn't expect that to last. In another couple of years, the newness of it would likely fade enough.
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Sparks asked as she walked up next to me.
I smiled at her as I put a hoof on the railing, "I am," I told her, "And you look especially pretty tonight."
Twilight had braided her long mane down over one shoulder and she had several red and yellow flowers braided into it. What more, she had something I had only seen her wear once before. Fake silver feathers had been threaded through her wings to sit among her natural ones, making her wings shimmer in the lights. She also wore a circlet and a horn ring, both also of silver.
She smiled at me, "It's a bit much, but Rarity insisted. And she brought it all here an-"
"You look amazing," I told her honestly and leaned in to touch my horn gently against hers.
Her cheeks turned slightly red, "Thank you. She's finishing up with Sunset now, it's almost your turn."
I sighed softly but nodded and turned to walk inside, heading towards the bedroom, only to stop in the door at the sight.
Sunset also had her mane braided, over her other shoulder compared to Twilight, and with flowers of Twilight's colors. She wore a circlet of silver and an identical horn ring. Her tail seemed to have been threaded with silver.
"Oh wow."
She smiled at me, "Like it, wing boy?" she asked and moved in a circle.
"Me like, yes."
"Well, if he fell back to grassland pony speech, it must look good," Sunset teased and looked at Rarity, "Amazing work. I expected dresses when Twilight said you offered to come down."
Rarity brushed her mane back a bit, "Know your audience, darling. Wearing clothes at all is completely out of fashion in Nocturnis. Besides, it has been so much fun to branch out into jewelry!" she said before turning to me, giving me a slight bow, "And we're ready for you, Prince Page."
I cautiously entered the room, "...What's the plan here exactly?" I asked.
"Not too much," Rarity reassured me, "You work much better when understated."
"I prefer it too," I admitted and walked up to where she wanted me.
A second pony I didn't know entered, the very pale yellow earth pony with the blue mane was carrying a box on one hoof, "Here we go, Rarity," she said and gave me a small bow, "Your highness."
"Prince Page, let me introduce my assistant, Coco Pommel. She has quite an eye for jewelry actually and has been quite helpful."
"Miss Pommel," I greeted her with a nod, "So I take it this is your doing?" I asked with a smile.
"Not at all, your highness," she said, sounding a bit shy, "I simply helped."
"Oh, it's at least as much your credit, darling," Rarity told her as she floated the box over, "Now, we're going simple. You're already going to wear your circlet and we want to accent that, not take away from it, nor from those feathers in your mane. Oh, my, such a romantic tradition!"
I reached up to touch the thin braid holding the feathers and a thin lock of Sunsets mane with a smile, "I wish I could take credit for it, but that's fully Twilight's idea."
"And I had no idea she was such a romantic," Rarity said with a smile, "As I said, we want to accent, not take away from it. Let's try something new, please extend your wings. I had the idea just a few weeks ago, but no bat to try it on. Rainbow Dash stood model and it worked... kinda. Let's see if this works better on the real deal."
I did as she said, curious of what she was up to.
What she was up to, was wide silver C shapes that fitted across the forward edge of my wing around the bone and muscle there. The result ended up with me wearing four of them on each wing.
I shifted a wing curiously, folding and unfolding it as I watched.
"Well, how does it feel?"
"...Strange," I admitted, "Never even thought about something like it before. It's not uncomfortable, but feels really odd. I'm not entirely sure I could fly like this actually, pulling my wing balance way off."
"Neither can a pegasus wearing fake feathers," Miss Pommel pointed out.
"Fair," I admitted, "I'll try them for today, see how it goes."
"Excellent, I'm so pleased that it worked out!" Rarity said with a smile, "I was so worried!"
She started to unpack the next box, making me worried in turn. What more did she have in mind for me? But I had promised Sparks I'd go along with it. And to be honest, I had not been disappointed in anything Rarity has done yet. I trusted her, which was why I always bought things from her.
What came next was a simple silver necklace. It actually reminded me a bit about the ones Celestia and Luna wore, but... thinner and smaller. The design was very different too, made from silver and incorporating...
"...Are those fangs?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They are," Rarity confirmed, watching it float in her magic with a critical eye, "From those ghastly lizard monsters you have here. I swear, they cost more to import from here than the silver for the rest of it. They were quite an experience working with, I had to seek out a griffon for advice!"
It was a silver band with engravings along it, flowing lines. At the front was the engraving of a full moon and along each side of the band was two sets of three fangs, spread out along it, each extending downwards past the bottom of the necklace and standing out.
"It's a bit much, isn't it?" I asked carefully.
"Your highness, I would love to have gone with gold," Rarity admitted, "It would have worked even better, maybe a golden headdress as well. It would have been magnificent. But this works much better for your personality, I think."
I shrugged my wings a bit, "Let's try it on, I guess," I admitted and she floated it to my neck.
It fit perfectly, as expected. Rarity had my measurements, had had them for years even as well as got updated every year.
"Now," she said, "For the last part," and pulled out the last box and showed me the content."
I eyed it hesitantly, "Shoes?" I asked, "That's a bit mareish, isn't it?"
Rarity may or may not have hidden an eyeroll, "No, it's not. I'll have you know most stallions in Ponyville wear shoes."
"That's work shoes. Not silver."
"Yes, and these are not shoes," she said and floated one up to show me, "They are top hoof covers. Your silent hoof steps are part of your image and grip is too important up here to wear silver shoes. But these bring the elegance needed for your ensemble."
"Okay, we can try them," I admitted and flicked one ear.
Rarity has not guided me wrong yet and I had promised Sparks.
They clicked into place and I looked into the mirror, carefully raising one hoof and shifting my wings, "...I guess it looks good," I admitted, carefully moving in a circle.
"You look like royalty," Rarity reassured me with a smile, "Now, let's get it off and get your coat, mane and tail ready."
I thought I already was.
But no, it turned out to take another forty minutes.
