SidewinderX

Smoky nodded, accepting the mare's apology before turning to her tea. She really hoped she didn't have to shoo anypony else off of any furniture, but with how crazy Equestrians could be, she couldn't count on it. Returning her spear to its resting point, she raised the cup of tea to her lips and took a long sip, savoring the peppermint drink. It was one of her favorite types of tea, and Trilby had done an excellent job putting it together. After giving a nod of greeting to the dog-like creature that had stepped up to the counter, Smoky decided to start patrolling again before she started disrupting the flow of traffic. Finishing her tea with a smile, she uttered a "Thank you!" to Trilby (@Samurai Equine) and slid the cup back onto the counter before picking up her spear and resuming her patrol. The party was in full swing now, and she needed to make sure everything went as close to 'according to plan' as was possible.

Smoky nodded in response to Trilby's warning, looking out over the crowd for the umpteenth time. The number of guests had grown rapidly, and among the crowd, Smoky was pretty sure she spotted a few of the Element Bearers mingling with the rest. Rarity was approaching the pegasus Smoky had noticed earlier, and a flash of yellow and pink at the doorway suggested that perhaps Fluttershy had arrived, although the shape vanished so quickly that she couldn't be sure. She turned back to the stallion just in time to hear his comments about his hat. "It does look nice," she commented as she pulled the cup of tea closer to her, basking in its warmth. Maybe I could get Skylight one of those for Hearth's Warming. He always did want one of those old cowpony hats... Whatever else she might have said immediately vanished in her throat when her ears caught the sound of hooves on glass. She reached for her spear, pulling it closer to her as she straightened just in time to see a pony (@Shiny Silvermoon) burst through the stained glass window behind the counter, swinging it open and shut behind them before they leaped onto the counter. Suppressing the urge to strike the intruder with her weapon, Smoky frowned up at the new arrival. She didn't even need to leaf through her mental library to identify this pony. "Miss Silvermoon," Smoky said, keeping her tone steady but disapproving, "Please get off the table." (OOC: No hard feelings, but Smoky's a stickler for rules and jumping on the table probably violates several of them. )

Smoky nodded, keeping one eye on Trilby and one on the crowd. "No thanks, I'm not a caffeine pony. I would like some peppermint tea, though, if you have it." Drinking on duty wasn't prohibited, so long as it was non-alcoholic and you could avoid making it a distraction. Caffeine was allowed, but she didn't like it—it made her feel jittery. A bit of movement on one of the balconies caught her attention, and she glanced upwards to see a dark purple form looking down on the crowd. Obsidia. Luna's daughter, and a pony who would probably not be coming down to join the festivities anytime soon. She added the alicorn's position to her mental map of the area and moved to scan the crowd. A pink pegasus drew her attention for a moment, and Smoky watched in mild amusement as the pegasus began to film the party. She was pretty sure she heard the mare speaking, but the noises of the crowd made it impossible to make out individual words even with Smoky's excellent hearing. Before she could do anything else, though, her attention was brought back to the stallion at the counter when he spoke again. "Hat store, huh?" she said with a small smile, looking at his vibrant headwear. "That explains your...rather colorful hat."

Smoky paced along the edges of the imposing ballroom, her eyes drifting over the steadily growing crowd as she continued her patrol. Events like this were always a headache to secure—lots of ponies, lots of expensive items, and, sometimes, alcohol—but she was confident in the Guard's ability. The introduction of ponies other than the usual Canterlot elite, while inclusive, added another layer of unknown variables. Normally, in these events, the most the Guard had to do was watch out for any outside threats and break up petty squabbles, but with so many ponies from entirely different walks of life, they had no idea what to expect or who to look out for. And Skylight's not here either, the mare thought with a barely-contained sigh. Her husband was working tonight, helping to dust and clean one of the rarely-used sections of the royal library. His company would have made this a bit more enjoyable. Still, at least she had been permitted by her commander to mingle a little with the crowd, so long as she kept an eye on the event and didn't slack off. Smoky would be able to talk with some of the ponies entering. Ahead, she saw a formally dressed stallion (@Samurai Equine) serving drinks at the counter, and struggled to recall his name from the briefing as she approached. Thrill...no, Trill...Trilby! "How's everything going?" she asked, leaning against the side of the counter. Out of the way of any ponies getting their drinks, but still at a place where the Earth Pony would be able to easily see and talk to her. Smoky rested her spear against her opposite side, making sure she wasn't going to take anypony's eye out. As they talked, however, there was a dull rattling sound somewhere off to the side, and Smoky's sensitive ears perked as she turned in the direction of the noise. She didn't see anything, but it didn't sound right either. That was something she might want to investigate.

I use pony.fm for a lot of my MLP MP3s (Yes, I do have a collection). Some of them are also ripped from YouTube videos (namely 'The Moon Rises,' as I prefer the YT version to the Spotify one, and Princewhateverer's 'The Great and Powerful,' because I didn't realize it was on Spotify and wanted to listen to it without needing to use YT). Although I don't have many, I could probably share them if you wanted. A disclaimer: all of them are fan songs.

Happy fifteenth anniversary to Friendship is Magic! Let's hope for many more years of pony content.

You must recall that Princess Luna has been stuck in the moon for a thousand years, without any contact with others. Her social skills are going to be mediocre at best, and completely outdated to boot. Princess Luna's reaction to Nightmare Night, while not necessarily justified, is logical, and frankly, the existence of such a holiday bothers me as well. It quite literally exists only to demonize Luna and her alter ego. Her commanding the ponies to listen is indicative of her absolute disconnect with the citizens of Equestria and modern-day customs, as is to be expected when Celestia doesn't seem to care much about her sister's reintegration. Your statement that she is 'bratty and power-hungry' makes no sense. She's a princess, born and raised in a period where commanding ponies in such a way was considered normal for royalty. Not to mention that she has basically been getting villified by Pinkie and co. the whole time. Calling her tyrannical is a gross exaggeration. As for your other citations, they are trivial at best. Luna pulling Pinkie's hoof away from the portal is well within her boundaries. Pinkie is touching a potentially dangerous item that she does not own and has no right or qualifications to handle. The incidents in A Royal Problem, while not exactly prime behavior, are hardly worth labelling as tyrannical or bratty. She is exhausted, annoyed, and Starlight is—in her view—interrupting their conversation. A conversation, I must note, that is between two co-rulers of a large nation. As for Equestria Games, well, one could make the same arguments for Celestia, Cadence, Twilight, or any other Element Bearer or event staffer who failed to assist. Luna's yawning is overdramatic, but, as I stated previously, part of her adherence to old customs. It simply isn't that serious. The comics...aren't even worth really addressing. The siren pony is annoying, and the castle being delayed is not only an inconvenience but also incredibly expensive due to the logistics of building such a structure. Really, your post seems to be blowing things wildly out of proportion. Princess Luna's actions, while not strictly good, are excusable and logical given the circumstances of her banishment and treatment after return. The events of Luna Eclipsed were caused by needless provocation and escalation by Pinkie Pie, which frustrated Luna and damaged her attempts to make amends with the townsfolk.