The night was abuzz with feelings of deep friendship and harmony among the ponies. For Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Commander Hurricane had commenced to host a grand ball in celebration of the union of Equestria, and every pony who had gotten word had shown up for an evening of great fun.
 
Gaia was among those ponies, once again disguised as Amaryllis. Some years ago she had given birth to a demigoddess of the sun and was pleased to see that her father was raising her even more splendidly than she could have imagined. But she still lacked an heir of the moon, for it was somehow much more difficult to find a suitable sire. Stallions like the noble Mint Bliss truly were hard to come by. She hoped desperately that she would find a sire here at this ball, for she was running out of time.
 
Amaryllis scanned the crowd, studying each stallion’s features for clues into their natures. She was their goddess and it was not difficult to evaluate their true natures, but none stood out to her as fit to raise a demigod. As she walked around, still scanning, she hardly noticed she was approaching some pony before she bumped into him.
 
“Fie!” She exclaimed, nearly falling over. “My sincerest apologies!”
 
“None of it,” she looked up at the source of the voice, finding that it was a rather handsome stallion who caught her. “Pray thee, do not look so pitchkettled. For it is I, Midnight Mist. Adored by the maidens for my love-making. Surely, thou hath heard of me?”
 
“Nay,” Gaia smiled despite herself. He was quite charming. “But I would like to know thou more.”
 
“I drive the maidens to madness with my love. Legends are told of me; some think me a bedswerver, a cox-comb, the embodiment of all seven sins. But to them I say, beshrew thee!”
 
“I cry thy mercy,” Amaryllis became hesitant. “Is this true?”
 
“Nay, for they know me not at all,” Midnight replied. “I cannot help how the maidens flock to me. I only wish for love, and do they all wish to give it to me! ‘Tis a burden. But thou appear different, more sincere. Wise and beauteous like the God Mother herself.”
 
Gaia—er, Amaryllis chuckled, amused at being compared to herself. “I am different, thou sayest?”
 
“Yea. By my troth, I shall prove to thou that I am not the churlish flopdoodle they think me as.”
 
“Shall thee?” Amaryllis asked flirtingly.
 
“Indeed. I can makest thou squirt; for behold, ‘tis the symbol upon my posterior. Let our hearts unite through our trinkets and nothings. Shall we?”
 
Gaia considered him. He was charming and mysterious, the most interesting stallion she’d met since Mint Bliss. He had a completely different demeanor to him, but ‘twas all the more entrancing. She could hardly resist his allure. Lust was a sin, and the God Mother made herself a sinner…
 
He was to be the father of the moon. But later she would realize that this was a horrible mistake.