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Together We Will Always Shine
Feb. 3rd, 2017 11:55 pmIt's mid winter tomorrow! While I've been holed up in my bookfort refuge, Pinkie has been planning out the Mid Winter party, rounding up the entertainment, getting the posters and fliers printed and distributed and splitting the cooking duties with Applejack. I found her in the Sugarcube Corner kitchen juggling hot cookies and muffin mix and generally getting splattered with batter. I asked if I could help and she gave me a bag that was full of crumpled bills and I.O U.'s and quite a bit of flour. I went into the dinning hall part of Sugarcube Corner, found myself a table, and got down to the business of sorting the bills, dusting off the flour, and writing invoices in order to get municipal funds to pay the bills. Fortunately, I always carry quills, scrolls and ink in my saddle bags.
I wrote Pinkie's invoices, dropped them off at Town Hall and went to Sweet Apple Acres. There Applejack and Granny Smith were baking pastries and Apple Bloom was helping Big MacIntosh set them out to cool and packing the pies and bread into their baked goods buggies. I got Applejack and Apple Bloom to calculate their costs and I found myself a place to write invoices for that as well.
When I went to drop off those invoices, I found Rarity and Sassy Saddles hard at work decorating the Town Hall. They had only returned from the Crystal Empire an hour earlier and the next train to Canterlot wasn't due for another two hours, so Sassy Saddles had offered to lend a hoof. I was making an itemized list of the things the two of them had repaired, improved or added to the decor when Pinkie arrived with a cart full of noisemakers, balloons, streamers and confetti. She also had a few more bills that required invoices. I got out my scrolls and ink and promptly wore out my last quill. On my way to Quills and Sofas for fresh stationary supplies, I saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flying overhead, their bags full of posters.
By early evening, most of the preparations were finished and it was time for a break. Rainbow Dash flew off to Sweet Apple Acres to get Applejack and we converged on Café Hay for dinner.
Over plates heaped high with winter squash, hay, lentil and mushroom goulash, hay tourtière, beet pulp and hay casserole spiced with saffron, and grated apple and carrot salad sprinkled with pine nuts, Rarity told us all about the masquerade ball.
In the Ice Castle they had a lovely String Quartet and smartly dressed waiters carrying platters of canapes and hors d'oeuvres. Rarity and Sassy Saddles wandered through the crowd together, chatting with masked strangers and admiring the many delightful costumes they wore. Rarity's contribution was a dazzling plumed headdress that trailed down her back and legs and dangled over a shimmering blue jumpsuit covered in sequins layered like dragon scales. And a mask, of course. Sassy Saddles wore a grande robe to compliment her commanding height, with her mane up, curled and layered to match, and a lacy mask. Rarity has both outfits on display in her boutique and after dinner we all went over to her place to see them for ourselves. Rarity plans to send them on to Canterlot next week. She is thinking of maybe making a Mare Day Grass inspired line, something vivacious and bright.
She told us that as the evening wore on, the masquerade spilled out of the Ice Castle and in among the illuminated ice sculptures where another musician was playing minuets, nocturnes and the like on a piano. Rarity said the highlight of the evening was when it began to snow and everypony there tuned to crystal, surrounded by the rainbow flashes of the whirling snowflakes, dreamily drifting to the ground.
This morning Princess Cadence and Flurry Heart came to see them off while they were having breakfast in the guest dining room. Flurry Heart was fussing a bit. She was wearing the froufrou outfit Rarity had made and as soon as Princess Cadence put her down, Flurry Heart kicked off the dress and ran off giggling with Princess Cadence in hot pursuit. When she got back, Princess Cadence admitted that Flurry Heart wasn't keen on wearing clothes... unless she put them on herself. Flurry Heart was amusing herself by wearing the dress on her head like a hat.
After admiring Rarity's and Saddle's masquerade outfits, we all called it a night. Tomorrow, Pinkie has a party to throw, and we are of course going to help.
I wrote Pinkie's invoices, dropped them off at Town Hall and went to Sweet Apple Acres. There Applejack and Granny Smith were baking pastries and Apple Bloom was helping Big MacIntosh set them out to cool and packing the pies and bread into their baked goods buggies. I got Applejack and Apple Bloom to calculate their costs and I found myself a place to write invoices for that as well.
When I went to drop off those invoices, I found Rarity and Sassy Saddles hard at work decorating the Town Hall. They had only returned from the Crystal Empire an hour earlier and the next train to Canterlot wasn't due for another two hours, so Sassy Saddles had offered to lend a hoof. I was making an itemized list of the things the two of them had repaired, improved or added to the decor when Pinkie arrived with a cart full of noisemakers, balloons, streamers and confetti. She also had a few more bills that required invoices. I got out my scrolls and ink and promptly wore out my last quill. On my way to Quills and Sofas for fresh stationary supplies, I saw Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flying overhead, their bags full of posters.
By early evening, most of the preparations were finished and it was time for a break. Rainbow Dash flew off to Sweet Apple Acres to get Applejack and we converged on Café Hay for dinner.
Over plates heaped high with winter squash, hay, lentil and mushroom goulash, hay tourtière, beet pulp and hay casserole spiced with saffron, and grated apple and carrot salad sprinkled with pine nuts, Rarity told us all about the masquerade ball.
In the Ice Castle they had a lovely String Quartet and smartly dressed waiters carrying platters of canapes and hors d'oeuvres. Rarity and Sassy Saddles wandered through the crowd together, chatting with masked strangers and admiring the many delightful costumes they wore. Rarity's contribution was a dazzling plumed headdress that trailed down her back and legs and dangled over a shimmering blue jumpsuit covered in sequins layered like dragon scales. And a mask, of course. Sassy Saddles wore a grande robe to compliment her commanding height, with her mane up, curled and layered to match, and a lacy mask. Rarity has both outfits on display in her boutique and after dinner we all went over to her place to see them for ourselves. Rarity plans to send them on to Canterlot next week. She is thinking of maybe making a Mare Day Grass inspired line, something vivacious and bright.
She told us that as the evening wore on, the masquerade spilled out of the Ice Castle and in among the illuminated ice sculptures where another musician was playing minuets, nocturnes and the like on a piano. Rarity said the highlight of the evening was when it began to snow and everypony there tuned to crystal, surrounded by the rainbow flashes of the whirling snowflakes, dreamily drifting to the ground.
This morning Princess Cadence and Flurry Heart came to see them off while they were having breakfast in the guest dining room. Flurry Heart was fussing a bit. She was wearing the froufrou outfit Rarity had made and as soon as Princess Cadence put her down, Flurry Heart kicked off the dress and ran off giggling with Princess Cadence in hot pursuit. When she got back, Princess Cadence admitted that Flurry Heart wasn't keen on wearing clothes... unless she put them on herself. Flurry Heart was amusing herself by wearing the dress on her head like a hat.
After admiring Rarity's and Saddle's masquerade outfits, we all called it a night. Tomorrow, Pinkie has a party to throw, and we are of course going to help.
