Chapter 1
"Are you almost done in there darling?" Rarity asked as she trotted over to the changing room door.
"Almost." A voice called out from within, followed by a loud thumping noise as if a pony had fallen over. Before the fashionista unicorn could offer to help her friend, the door was enveloped in a purple aura and a slightly flustered purple Alicorn stepped out.
Twilight chuckled as she fidgeted with her dress, pawing at the ground lightly as she chuckled to her friend. "I guess I'm still a little clumsy sometimes. But I do love what you've done with the dress, Rarity."
"But of course, Twilight: I can't have any of my friends not looking her very best on such a special occasion." Rarity waved her over, inspecting how the adjustments to the dress had gone. "I must admit that I thought it was such a lovely idea for us to where our original dresses to this year's Gala: and with some minor modifications and repairs they turned out even better than before! You always did have great ideas, Twilight."
"Oh, thanks." Twilight responded, blushing at the compliment thrown her way. Internally, she was extremely grateful that Rarity had gone with the idea so readily: the fashion-oriented mare could have easily argued for them to bring something knew to the table for this Gala. Though there were some compromises to be made that she was hesitant about at first, but Rarity had a way with words, and when she saw what the fashionista had in mind for her new dress: she fell in love.
Rarity had taken to the nostalgic dress idea surprisingly well, but her creative mind had taken over, shutting her away from her friends for three whole days as she poured over her designs for the improvements. Nopony was even a little disappointed when she offered up her drawings for critique: as they were just as fresh and grand as they were similar to the originals.
Twilight particularly liked how Rarity had made some room for her wings, even offering to replace the original high collar with a silver mantle that befitted a Princess much more, along with a set of shiny silver slippers that would sparkle radiantly in the moonlight. But by far her favorite piece of the new attire was the silver and amethyst tiara that Rarity had ordered, which felt like a priceless gift. Needless to say, she was feeling absolutely stunning, and Rarity's appreciative gaze only served to boost her confidence.
Tonight would be amazing, she was sure of it.
Rarity herself had gone with a light gray outfit trimmed with gold accents and a sapphire-studded cloak. Her signature scarf had been slimmed down a bit due to her unfortunate memories with Prince Blueblood, though she did emphasize the flare she had held by imbuing the fabric with a cool glow, which she hoped would highlight her subtle makeup.
The two left the boutique, being met outside by a large waiting coach, being pulled by two royal Canterlot guards. Already sitting inside were the remainder of their friends, who each poked their heads out to admire and compliment their dresses.
"Come on! Let's get this show on the road before it gets too late!" Rainbow Dash said in a hurried voice, earning a exasperated groan from Applejack and a happy eye roll from Spike.
"What? Spitfire may have given me the night off, but she said that I would still have to represent the Wonderbolts!"
"Well, then they will see that at least one member of your group has the magnificence and elegance to arrive fashionably late." Rarity scoffed playfully, leading Twilight into the carriage so that they could make their way to the Gala before fashionably late became untimely. "Everypony knows that the Wonderbolts could use some more elegance in their routine. . . no offense, Rainbow."
The teasing over with, the girls let Spike know that they were ready to be on their way, and so the young dragon got the carriage moving along the lengthy trip to Canterlot.
'So far: so good.' Twilight thought to herself, standing next to Princess Celestia, as per her usual whenever she went to these events. At least now that she was a somewhat famous
Princess, it wasn't as easy for everypony to interrupt her time talking with her favorite mentor in all of Equestria. Hay, even Discord had settled to being friendly with some of the other ponies in attendance; which did have her a little on edge, given his track history.
She smiled as Princess Celestia went about explaining something to one of the guards standing at the top of the stairs: seeing her ex-mentor interacting with her guards had always been fun to watch.
"Uh. . . excuse me, Princess Twilight Sparkle?" A voice caught her attention, and she slowly turned to see a stallion standing behind her, smiling nervously. He was a violet unicorn, reminding her very much of what she used to look like, only his mane had a green stripe running through the center instead of her pink one.
"Oh, hi!" She offered her own smile, extending a hoof to shake. "Is there something that I can help with?"
He shook it, calming down considerably and his smile becoming much more comfortable as he nodded. "There was something that I was hoping to have your assistance with, though it's not a problem in the traditional sense. My name is Gleaming Star, and I've been waiting for the chance to be able to talk with you for a while now. . ."
He glanced at the ground for a second before returning his gaze to hers, his magenta eyes shining with what she thought to be a curious spark of excitement. "You see, I was hoping to be able to get to know you, perhaps we could talk about the constellations, or maybe you could help me about my theory on time distorting through massive bodies in space? I happen to have studied a fair bit in Manehattan about the night sky, and it would be such an honor to learn from a pony as great as yourself."
Twilight paused for a moment, taken by surprise at first by his boldness, but then her curiosity overcame her hesitation, and she offered a heartfelt smile. Celestia would understand. "That sounds like it would be fun, and I am most curious about this theory of yours."
"Great!" He cheered, stepping to the side and offering her his forehoof, which she took with a blush, and began to lead her down to the refreshments stand so that they could wet their tongues over conversation. "Well, I suppose it would be good to start with this being just a simple theory, as I must admit my education regarding the complex physics equations are not up to par. Anyways, I theorized that because massive bodies tended to act as gravity wells for everything around them. . ."
"Ah can't believe Rarity actually convinced me ta give this dress a chance." Applejack grumbled as she sat in a corner, doing her best to avoid the curious glances many of the ponies might have given her. Somehow, Rarity had managed to put her in that fancy gown from her first ever Gala, and worse yet, she was starting to get afraid that ponies around here might realize how much she enjoyed it.
"Donning this thing at home was fine, but this?" She shook her head, frowning at her own reckless behavior: she had to uphold the family strength, which had a strict lack of frilly dresses in it. Farmers weren't supposed ta wear 'em, though she feared she might have to concede that this was a special occasion.
"Pardon my saying so, but Ah happen ta think yer lookin' mighty fine in that there dress." She jumped at the intruding voice, whipping her head around to see a bright red stallion dressed in. . . rancher clothes? His bright green eyes reminded her of the glistening green apples from Sweet Apple Acres, while his short golden blonde mane was shouting at her for its practical shortness. This here was a stallion that most definitely did not belong in Canterlot, and looked like he would fit right in at home.
"Well. . . uh. . . thank you." She responded with a light chuckle, feeling her face flare up with heat from the compliment. She gave herself a second to compose herself before she did something stupid, then offered the most genuine smile she had worn all night. "If ya don't mind mah own question: what's a hard-workin' farm pony like yerself doin' out here in this frilly kind o' party?"
"Just admiring the ponies with a respectable work-ethic." He shrugged and tipped his hat to her. "An' it seems like Ah found the most respectable mare this side of Dodge Junction right here in front of me. Ya are, in fact, the Miss Applejack, are ya not?"
"Ah am." She felt her cheeks burning, and she knew that if this flattery kept on goin' she was in for a mighty embarrassin' time. She grabbed her own hat and started fanning herself off, hoping to play it cool; she hadn't felt this flustered around a stallion in quite a few years. . .
"That there is excellent news: mah name is Crimson Orchard, and it seems only proper for a hard-workin' mare such as yerself to be fitted with quality company on such a fine night." He grinned at her and offered his foreleg for her to grab, which she glanced at hesitantly. "Ah think this here is an opportunity for the two of us to discuss more. . . important matters."
"Oh? And just what matters do ya have in mind?" She asked after a second, deciding that this was probably one of her few chances to relax: everypony else would understand.
"Well, ya see; Ah've been lookin' into investin' with yer cousin down in Apple Loosa, Breaburn was it? An' Ah was hopin' ta get yer advice on the matter." He answered, pulling her along to a more quiet place to discuss the cousin's family farm.
Fluttershy was glad to be out of that large, loud room. The ponies in there really didn't seem too invested in having civilized tones, and her sensitive ears were only another reason to hasten her retreat to the peaceful, absolutely amazing gardens, where the midnight flowers were in full bloom, and the critters were all chattering peacefully.
It was a shame Discord had fallen ill with some crazy sickness that left him bedridden, but she came along at the urging of her friends and his own wish for her to have a good time. So she found herself anxious to attempt to visit the animals this time around, and she was better prepared for their hesitations. She was going to make sure that she didn't cause a total mess this time around. Yeah, that sounded like a great idea.
She trotted around the dimly lit garden path, smiling to herself as she remembered that awful trip through here all those years ago, and the trouble she had caused: it all just sounded so unlike her to do something that wild.
As she turned the corner around a tree, she crossed paths with the first of many critters she was hoping to see tonight; this one being the bright orange phoenix, Philomena. "Oh, hello there. I didn't see you fly by there."
Philomena slowed herself until she came to a stop, hovering in place while she turned to face the buttery pegasus. Giving a happy chirp upon realizing who was talking to her, the phoenix dropped low, landing softly on the waiting hoof of Fluttershy, releasing an almost purr-like chirping as she was petted.
Fluttershy chuckled lightly at the phoenix's actions, feeling herself relax even further as she sank into her comfort zone. Being here in this lovely garden, surrounded by such amazing critters: this was paradise, even if Discord couldn't be here for her.
Her comfort was broken by Philomena's sudden alarmed squeak and jump into the air, and her confusion morphed into alarm as a weight pressed into her entire side, threatening to knock her over. Before the weight became to much, a gasp came from her side and then it was gone, and a pony was already sputtering out an apology even as she tried to get her heart back under control.
She turned to see a bright yellow stallion, with a pair of pegasus wings strained in obvious embarrassment, doing his best to form a coherent statement. "OH! Miss. . . I'm-I'm so so sorry about that! I didn't see you there and I was just admiring the gardens and I'm so sorry miss! Are you okay?"
She smiled awkwardly but accepted his extended hoof to get to her hooves, brushing herself off even though she thought she wasn't all that dirty. At least Rarity wouldn't freak if she saw what she had done to her dress. "Oh, I'm quite alright, thank you. It really isn't that big of a deal, you just startled me. Besides, it's probably my fault: I should have been more careful about not standing in somepony's way."
"Don't be so hard on yourself." The guy replied, flashing a nervous smile as he parted his black and pink striped mane. "It really was my fault: I should have been more careful about where I was walking, and I really need to stop being such a klutz."
"I don't think you're a klutz, mister: and I can't just have you going about blaming yourself for my mistake." She returned the nervous smile, pawing a hoof at the ground as she tried to force down the anxiety building in her stomach. There was something about this stallion that was just. . . different. She remembered reading in a book about these kinds of things, and she recognized the feeling she was looking for: these butterflies in her stomach. That was what was different about him. "My name is. . . uh, Fluttershy."
Her smile grew more confident as she was overwhelmed with the courage she was about to muster now, and the joy she was feeling became evident in her expression. The guy seemed to relax a bit, too, and his stance softened as he took a seat. "I'm Butterscotch, though my friends all just call me 'Butters.'"
"It's nice to meet you, Butters." She extended her hoof, before her nature took over and she ducked behind her mane, as she realized her mistake. "That is, if you're okay with me calling you that."
"Of course you can, Miss Fluttershy." Butters replied, his own stance seeming to become even more relaxed as he motioned for her to do so as well. "I noticed that you were handling that phoenix over there, which I have to commend you on, as I don't think I've ever met another pony that knows how to even approach one. Perhaps, if you were okay with it, we could have a talk about some of the fascinating animals around here?"
Fluttershy perked up at the mention of animal care-taking, and seemed to feel her unusual courage flourishing again. This guy actually wanted to talk with her about something she was comfortable with, and perhaps she could meet another critter enthusiast: how could she say no?
She rose from the ground and flashed a massive smile. "I think I've got more than enough time to talk about these wonderful little guys."
"Excellent." He returned the grin, and they began an excited discussion over the common methods of handling phoenixes, though they were more than eager to burn the night away talking about each and ever critter and animal they came across.
Pinkie Pie was going to have the time of her life, and this time around, there was nopony to stop her. . .
She grinned as she bounced her way towards the snack tables, knowing full well that the absence of Discord meant that Celestia was relying on her to make this another amazing Gala, even if those meanies that called themselves upper class mocked her for her energy.
She wasn't surprised when the uppity ponies hastily scrambled out of her way, letting her pass by unhindered: which only made her arrival that much easier. She was surprised, however, to find that the refreshments table was running pretty low on stocks, which would be a problem for what she had planned.
After a moment to think, she decided against fetching Applejack, because not even she was really able to help her out. Her Pinkie senses were telling her that her friend was otherwise occupied, having her own fun time on a date with a mysterious stallion. How she knew that. . . she didn't think about it too much: her Pinkie senses never led her astray before. "And you know it, mister Seer! Now, I'm sure you could probably just write me in some tasty snacks for this plan of yours, but I like to play by my own rules."
Sure enough, she reached into her mane, and steadily pulled out an entire new table, filled with stacks and stacks of various goodies laying in wait to be utterly devoured.
Before she had even managed to pull the entire massive table out from a pocket of space-time, the ponies around her were already running for their lives, fearing the raw power being displayed. She giggled madly to herself, knowing that the crowds would soon return, so ensconced by their primal needs, watching as she utterly devoured this table of goodies. She pulled and pulled, knowing this table was the mother of all tables, as it stretched and nearly hit the wall before it cleared her mane, and sitting atop it was a feast worthy of a Princess: a feast that even Princess Celestia would gape at.
"It seems like you've truly made a feast worthy of all of Equestria." She heard a pony comment from behind her, though she was too busy hungrily eyeing the food laid out before her. Instead of turning to meet the guy talking to her, she opted for a cheerful nod at the display.
"Care for a bite?"
"I'd love to, but I couldn't just eat a feast like this without an entourage of cheering ponies." That comment managed to turn her around, and she gazed at the funny pony behind her; a baby blue earth pony with a bubbly pink mane, one that was eerily similar to her own. His lovely pink eyes held an excited spark, kindling inside of her an eager appetite for the food he was threatening to eat in front of her. "Though I suppose if the two of us were to make a show out of it; then just maybe we could have some ponies gather around, ponies who understood a good fun face-stuffing competition and cheer us on."
"I do like your thinking, but I doubt that there are that many ponies around here as fun as me, though you are sounding more and more like my kind of best-best-best friend!" She beamed, motioning with a hoof to the snobby nobles all hiding from sight behind pillars; she knew they were looking on with amusement, even if 'proper' society didn't let them.
"They'll come around. Ponies can't resist a good time." He replied shortly, smiling as he stepped up to the side of the table. "My name's Happy Days, if the shining sun on my flank is anything to go off of."
He flourished a blue forehoof over his flank, which happened to have a very happy-looking sun, complete with a massive, cheerful grin and squinting eyes. "But that's not really important. What I'm just dying to know is: just how down are you to a good old fashioned food stuffing contest?"
She felt a devilish grin part her lips, and she instantly took her place opposite him on the table, the two donning bibs and forks from out of thin air. An air of inescapable power pervaded the room, and the gathered ponies couldn't resist the call of wonder as they slowly began filing back into the room, horrified at the display they knew was to take place.
Whatever was happening here was going to be the most undignified, least respectable thing to ever happen in the palace, and none of the onlookers had any capacity to stop what was about to happen: they could only watch. Everypony present was terrified at what gripped them, and their horrors had only just begun.
Time slowed as both Pinkie and Happy counted down from three to start piling into the food, forks and spoons held at the ready, and even the food itself seemed to sweat with nervous anticipation.
Rarity considered herself lucky, as those terrible ponies that considered themselves so high and mighty had been dragged off to witness some terrible even in the dining area. She had evaded their annoying antics entirely.
She stopped what she was doing as she passed a mirror, and carefully studied herself, examining every scrap of fabric, every strand of her mane, and every inch of her glorious coat to make sure she was total perfection. Her dress was something more old-school, calling back to her original dress all those years ago: with rich violets and lovely purples, adorned with gemstones and pearls that made her look like the most noble or royals. Her scarf had been modified, of course, to keep with the modern glowing aesthetic, and had been replaced with a light pink lacy material.
The one thing she was determined to do tonight was make a good impression with somepony respectable, as her first experience with ponies here at the Gala had been poor. She'd learned her lesson, though, and was going to avoid ponies as awful as Blueblood: perhaps speaking with somepony that actually had a bit of taste, and had any shred of chivalry to their name.
She had to roll her eyes at that bitter memory, forcing herself away from the mirror looking as perfect and fabulous as ever.
She turned to continue along the party, when she caught the attention of somepony. The stallion, a charcoal-gray unicorn donning a fancy tunic and single gold earring, bore a satisfied and confident smile as he approached her. His pitch black mane reminded her of spilled ink, and it wrapped around his face, as if it were a border drawn around his features. She stopped to politely smile back, but was nervous about actually meeting this pony: her fear over him being another Blueblood overriding her desire for a proper date and her own Prince Charming.
"Greetings, miss." He said with a gratuitous bow. "You wouldn't happen to be the Miss Rarity, would you? Your reputation has grown astronomically back home, and I had come here to meet somepony as grand as yourself."
While she was immediately wary of him, the fact that this guy seemed to know who she was, and that word of her has begun to spread, in a positive light no less, eased her a bit towards conversation, so she offered a polite bow and nod. "Please, just call me Rarity. Excuse my curiosity, but how exactly is it that you've heard of me? I know my work has started to stretch out there a bit, but I still like to think that I'm not that popular of a seamstress to warrant the attention of ponies with such. . . taste as yourself."
"Are you implying that my tastes are all that varied from the Equestrian taste?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow, but his expression immediately shifted as he realized the formalities he was missing. "Ah, pardon me, Miss Rarity. My name is Unholy Gem."
She let out a light gasp as he dropped with another deep bow, but recovered herself before he could see her shocked. When he rose, his deep blue eyes shone with an anticipation that she didn't quite understand. "And as for how it is that I've heard of your talents. . . well, in the small manor of the Silver Hooves, we are articulated in finding the finest of attire for nobles, and your lines have been popular for some time. As I said; I was here hoping to meet the amazing mare behind the best work we'd seen in some time. And it truly is an honor."
"Oh, well. . . I'm flattered you think so highly of my work, especially since I put so much effort into making the best clothes." She said with a smile.
"But of course!" He stepped back, shock appearing on his face. "Your clothes truly are the best we've ever seen! I've never had a supplier provide such fine fabric as the ones who retrieved your work, and it is just such a shame to see so little of it being worn or displayed here."
"Yes, I would have loved to see my work flourish more, but I don't do this just for the money of reputation. I design quality fabrics for anypony willing to wear them." She replied stoically, though she was warming up to this guy more and more as they talked.
"Does it have anything to do with the behavior of these ponies?" He asked, leaning in and dropping his voice to a near whisper. "Perhaps there is a place you could fill me in on the strange way these so called 'nobles' behave, so that we might find some means of enlightening them?"
She was quite the fan of this idea, and with a sly nod to a quiet section of the building, she began a discreet trot towards a more secluded place to discuss expanding these snobby ponies' tolerance of all ponies.
Rainbow Dash groaned as she trotted passed another group of ponies, her hopes steadily declining that she'd have an entourage of fans clamoring for her attention. Sure, she wasn't wearing her usual Wonderbolt uniform, but she figured that there would have been somepony that would have recognized her and wanted to talk to her. Instead, the crowds around her seemed to be completely oblivious to her presence as if she were just another random pony in the crowd. Seriously, what did it take for a little acknowledgment? Was this stupid dress Rarity forced her into displeasing her adoring fans?
Lost in her thoughts, she found herself standing next to a pillar, glaring at the pockets of ponies, each surrounding a decorated Wonderbolt, leaving her feeling unexpectedly hollow, as if she weren't truly a Wonderbolt. Ponies would have known who she was even if she were in one of Rarity's flashy dresses, right?
She sighed, feeling herself deflate a little and her wings drooped down to the floor.
"Can it be true?" She looked up to the pony suddenly standing in front of her, and her eyes met what seemed to be an exact copy of her. . . well; exact in the sense that this was a stallion standing in front of her, but he looked just like her. He smirked at her, and she instantly picked up on his aura of complete confidence, an aura that incited her instinct to challenge him. "Is this depressed mare really the great Rainbow Dash? The mare who can fly so fast that she actually created a Sonic Boom?"
"Yeah, I am." She retorted, standing tall and fixing her attitude to better reflect her reputation. "And just who are you, to judge me?"
"Oh, of course. My apologies, Miss Dash." He grinned coyly at her before offering a lousy excuse for a bow. "My name is Sky Bolt, former royal guard and aficionado of great fliers, and I must say that I was expecting a mare with a reputation such as yours to be in the midst of those crowds."
"Yeah, well: they bore me." She replied nonchalantly, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment now that she was being recognized, sitting all alone no less! "These crowds just slow me down, ya know? I was actually just letting my wings get a bit of a rest: all the flying we do at the Wonderbolts can really put a strain on your flight muscles. And trust me: I've definitely been flying a whole lot."
"Oh? So you weren't moping about. . . got it." He said with a slow, knowing nod, and she could almost swear he winked at her, but the motion was so fast she wasn't sure. Then he nodded towards a table off in the distance. "You know; if you were looking to do something a bit more fun, that would still give your wings a break, then I think I've got the perfect idea for a pony as reputable as yourself."
"And what would that be?" She asked, puffing her chest to look as stoic and awesome as she could: one fan was better than none, and she had to make a good impression.
"Nothing terribly special, but fun in its own right: I was hoping I might be able to entertain you with a drinking contest. I hear that there is a special brew of cider being served here: especially strong according to some of my friends." He chuckled at the hopeful, if devious grin that appeared on her lips at the suggestion.
"Oh, you're so on! I'll drink you under the table."
"Well, if you're so confident, then how about we raise the stakes a bit?" He asked, his own grin appearing as her curiosity got her to lean in. He leaned in close to her ear, refraining himself from chuckling as he felt the tuft of cyan fur flick against his cheek once he got close.
Rainbow felt her cheeks heat up instantly once he whispered the suggested gamble into her ear, and she wouldn't even try to stop her wings from shooting out in surprise and excitement. Her feathers may not be shutting anytime soon, but her pride refused to be defeated, and she stood her ground stoically as he leaned back, a suggestive grin on her muzzle as she wordlessly turned and led him out of the large room.