I don't own My Little Pony.
The Best Night Ever or A Strange Sort of Party
"Ummmm…. Excuse me… would you boys mind pulling our carriage to the gala?"
The two ponies look a little irritated but straighten up as they see Myles approach, chuckling.
"Didn't Twilight have some sort of plan for that?"
"Hello Myles," Rarity smiles excitedly, "Yes… but that … fell through…"
"Ah well I'm sure these two can do the job."
They grumble as Rarity walks away and Myles leans on the fence, passing a few bits over as their eyes widen.
"Just let them see you pulling it when they get in and leave it at the edge of town, I'll take care of it from there."
They nod distractedly, counting out the bits as he walks off.
Myles pulls the suit on and straightens out the tie, having settled on a bowtie so it wouldn't get in the way. He stretches and shakes his head, still astounded that Rarity managed to make an outfit so functional despite her usual emphasis on fashion. The suit still looked good to Myles, and it likely looked like a masterpiece to Rarity and Fluttershy for reasons that could only be explained with lengthy foreign words that only they understood, but Myles still found it amazing that she had clearly had him in mind while making it. He had worn a suit to the year before last's gala, having still been hospitalized during last year's, but had found it stiff and uncomfortable. He'd tried to return it, but it had ripped in several places, so the tailor had turned him down. He hadn't even moved around that much, it just seemed to rip on its own.
His current suit even allowed space for his legband that connected to the early warning system in Ponyville, as well as an extra pocket for his goggles. Rarity had pulled out all the stops for his suit and he was grateful, thinking perhaps that he should have been a bit nicer to her over the past year for the extra consideration.
It was still surprising to him to think about the fact that it had been a year since Nightmare Moon had attacked Equestria. The amount of time that had passed hadn't even registered with him until Pinkie invited him to her pre-Summer Sun Celebration party, which Myles enjoyed as well as the actual Celebration, which was much improved by having both Princess Celestia and Luna attend without mysteriously vanishing or threatening anypony's way of life.
Myles grins as he slides the sleeve of his suit back and taps the crystal on his leg. He nods as the barrier around Everfree pulsed into life, the mayor having warned the citizens that it was off limits while he was away and Myles himself having checked that no one snuck in. After a thorough talk with a colt who felt he had to prove that Snips and Snails were cowards by going around the forest and taunting random bears, he'd returned home to get ready.
Now he slides his sleeve back over his leg and makes his way to the edge of town where he finds the carriage stopped and two younger stallions panting with exhaustion. They look gratefully at him as he approaches. Spike is sitting in the driver's seat with a look of confusion.
"But… but they agreed…"
"Shh. Spike. Its fine," Myles says just loud enough for him to hear as he puts on the harness and digs his hooves into the ground.
"Myles you can't… can't…"
Myles grins as the carriage begins to move and builds momentum, allowing him to pull it easier. He glances back at Spike. "Don't tell me what I can't do."
"Where are you going? Myles isn't aboard yet!"
Myles chuckles, "Yes I am Twilight, I decided to ride up front with Spike."
"Oh… alright then…"
Myles' mind wandered as he treads the not so familiar path to Canterlot. It occurs to him that this is the first time he wouldn't be arriving by train and also the first return since having been sent to Ponyville. He'd taken the train to Canterlot from his hometown up North as a child, leaving his family behind with mixed feelings. His lips form a thin line as he remembers what came next. He shakes his head and clears it from his mind, focusing on the night ahead. At least until Spike whips the reins, making the harness snap against his side while he shouts, "Then let's get moving!"
He turns and looks at Spike, who is suddenly nervous.
"If you ripped Rarity's suit I'm gonna let her know."
"No no! Please! She'd hate me forever!"
Myles chuckles, "Relax Spike, I'm pretty sure I could run through a field of thornbushes and not hurt this thing."
Spike wipes his brow and sighs with relief as they pull up to the walkway leading into Canterlot. The girls pile out as Myles opens the door. He smiles in amazement as they step out in their completed dresses, which look even more astounding than the day they'd been shown off at their own fashion show. Myles finds his gaze lingering on the starry gown adorning Twilight and subsequently Twilight as his eyes shift slightly. He shakes his head as somepony clears their throat. "What?"
Rarity smiles at him, "Oh good, you can talk, and here I thought you'd injured your tongue when it hit the floor."
"Hey! Rari-"
She giggles, "Relax Myles, but please tell me where our carriage pullers went, I'd like to show my gratitude."
Myles looks nervous, "They uhhh… got tired. So I offered to pull the rest of the way."
Rarity frowns and steps closer, tugging on his suit a bit, "I knew you'd do something like this, I reinforced the suit just in case, but don't push it Myles."
He smiles and then blinks a bit as Rarity whips out a comb and tugs it through his mane. "Ow! What gives?"
"There we go, now you're one handsome stallion, ready for his best night ever."
Myles is about to make a remark when he hears music kick in and the others smile and begin singing. He raises an eyebrow as they proclaim their hopes in verse and idly wonders how they'd rehearsed this without him hearing. He frowns a bit, hoping Rarity would remember what he'd told her a year ago. Myles grins and shakes his head as she sings about meeting her prince and falling for him. He only knew of one prince in Canterlot and he had learned the definition of chivalry since they'd last met everypony would die of shock. He makes a mental note to try and find Rarity later to provide some comfort. He focuses on Twilight as she bursts into song and sings about an extended discussion with the Princess. He bites his lip and is about to say something, but she makes her way into the castle as the song ends and greets the princess warmly.
Myles follows a little grimly as he approaches and bows before the princess.
"Myles, so nice to see you here again. Hope you enjoy yourself more this time."
His lip twitches a bit as he glances at Twilight and nods, "yeah… I'll try."
The princess smiles knowingly as Twilight greets Myles with a tight hug. Myles hugs back gingerly and rolls his eyes as he moves on, wondering if all of Equestria was going to know about his feelings for Twilight before she did.
He makes his way in and ambles about the crowd, thinking about his friends' expectations in their song and sighing as he realizes he didn't make any plans himself, despite promising Rarity he'd attend. Of course he'd elected not to after remembering his disappointment two years ago, but hearing his friends sing with so much hope made him a little jealous, making him wish he'd been able to form such high expectations. This was a party, after all, and he had resigned himself to simply attending. He grins as he thinks of Pinkie, entering the main ballroom and seeing the pony in question singing a strangely creative cover of the "Pony Pokey" on stage. He grabs a drink, leans on a pillar and watches with a smile as she sings and dances. He sets his drink aside and claps his hooves together as she finishes, but the ponies around him give him strange looks and one nearer to Pinkie speaks up.
"Young lady! This is not that kind of party!"
Myles pulls his leg back, ready to hurl his drink at the snobby mare, but stops and shrugs as he sees Pinkie smile and zip away, ready to start more antics.
"Well if it isn't the princesses own revolutionary student of magic. Oh, sorry, former."
Myles rolls his eyes as he rounds on the unwelcome pairing of Jet Set and Uppercrust. He'd never bothered to learn which was which, as they were almost never seen apart and worked hard on their act of "unpleasant snob couple."
"Technically," Myles retorts, "I still am Celestia's student."
"Certainly hasn't caused you to learn anything, has it? Or figure out how you enchanted that crystal? Ahha huh!"
Myles rolls his eyes at their nasal laughter and turns away, deciding not to waste his breath telling the pair what had happened, as they'd only find some way to make it seem meaningless.
"You must admit though," Myles blinks and turns again as Fancy Pants and his unnaturally pretty wife approach. He blushes as the wife continues, "He fills out that suit nicely enough."
Myles mutters his thanks as the wife waves fondly and Jet Set and Uppercrust are forced to grumble in agreement. Fancy Pants smiles at this and places a leg around his wife.
"Now honey, don't go making me jealous every time some young stallion in a fancier suit comes along. Where did you get such a wonderful outfit Mr…."
Myles blinks, "Shardsole… and my friend Rarity made it."
"I see," he nods approvingly, "We simply must meet-"
They all turn in surprise as the doors burst open and Applejack wheels in a multi-layered cake, then turn again as Pinkie shouts "STAGE DIVE!"
Myles winces and steps forward as Pinkie hits the cart and propels the cake at the opening door. His eyes widen as Rarity opens the door for Prince Blueblood, who sees the cake and pushes Rarity in front of him to block the cake. She rounds on him, covered in cake and shaking with fury.
Myles bites his lip as Rarity shouts at Prince Blueblood, who recoils and backs up to the door in fear. "YOU SIR ARE THE MOST UN-CHARMING PRINCE I HAVE EVER MET! IN FACT THE ONLY THING ROYAL ABOUT YOU IS THAT YOU ARE A ROYAL PAIN!"
Myles continues suppressing his laughter until Fancy Pants taps his shoulder. "I find it rather rude to laugh at the young lady's predicament. Her dress was quite beautiful."
Myles shakes his head, "That's not what I'm laughing at."
"EW! Stay back! I just had myself groomed!"
"AFRAID TO GET DIRTY!?"
Myles chuckles as Rarity shakes the cake loose and gets it all over Blueblood. "Saw that coming."
"I understand why she's upset," Pants' wife speaks up, "Such a wondrous dress ruined, I hope she can get it replaced at a discount."
Myles grins, "She should, she made it."
"Really? Who made th-"
Myles gallops forward as the Prince stumble back and collides with a large statue. Myles sprints forward but before he can act Rainbow Dash streaks forward and catches the statue. He sighs with relief until it tips sideways and strikes a pillar, which tilts and strikes the next pillar and the next one, threatening to bring them all down on the partygoers. The columns glow with a grayish-blue light as Myles catches them, his nose spouting a trail of blood as he holds the pillars up until the partygoers flee to a safe distance. He lets them fall, gasping for breath just as Twilight and Celestia walk in. Twilight mutters something and Myles turns as the doors to the courtyard burst open. A wave of wild animals pour through, making the ponies flee in front of the stampede. A bear charges forth just as Fluttershy breaks in and shouts "YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE ME!"
The bear charges forward, digging grooves in the tile as it scrambles to get away, not paying attention to those in its path, most of whom are smart enough to get out of the way.
Save for Prince Blueblood, who simply cowers as the bear approaches, gasping as a pair of rear hooves connect with the bear's side and make it stumble. The bear rounds on its attacker, enraged, only to pause as he sees Myles adorned with a trail of blood from his nose, newly messy hair from the leap and an expression of determination. The bear's eyes widen as realization hits it and leaves a foul odor as it charges even faster back past Fluttershy.
"You saved me kind sir! Oh! But what foul odor! The beast has soiled the ballroom with its fear! You must be rewarded for-" He gasps as Myles looks at him and he stutters, "R-Ragamuffin?!" He screams at an uncomfortably high pitch as Myles drives a hoof onto his snout, making it bleed profusely.
"That's plenty rewarding right there," Myles nods in satisfaction, "At least for me, not so much for your Boredship. And the name is Myles Shardsole."
Myles walks calmly after the girls as they flee the ballroom, chuckling as Rarity goes back to shatter her glass slipper so Blueblood can't find her. He follows them to the local donut shop, where they join Spike and describe their night.
"That sounds like the worst night ever!"
"It was!" Myles joins the girls in laughing about the peculiar events until Twilight speaks up.
"I hope the princess isn't upset with us for ruining the gala."
Myles opens his mouth to speak but is cut off by a voice from the door, "That was the best Grand Galloping Gala EVER!"
"Princess Celestia!" The girls cry as Myles rolls his eyes again.
"Pardon me, Princess," Twilight speaks up, "But tonight was just… awful!"
"Oh Twilight," the princess barely holds in a laugh, "The Grand Galloping Gala is Always awful!"
"It is?"
"That is why I was thrilled you were all attending. I was hoping you could liven things up a bit, and while the evening may not have gone as you planned, I'm sure you'll agree that in the end, it didn't turn out so bad for this group of friends. Not to mention it was more entertaining that usual. I haven't had that much fun at a Gala since two years ago, when Myles managed to offend nearly every aristocrat and businesspony attending."
The others laugh as Myles smiles nervously. Concluding in the end that their friendship had made this the best night ever after all.
Okay, so the night wasn't all that bad for Myles, even considering he didn't expect much, but I didn't have much specific to him to go wrong. In fact him having known Prince Blueblood was a last minute addition, if you couldn't already tell. I ended up focusing on the suit a lot and then calling forward to my favorite episode of season 2. Still, I got through it without bringing Myles' family to the ball, which while a dramatic thing to happen, I would have felt guilty for ripping off the twist another fanfic did for this chapter, albeit with the reasons for unpleasantness completely changed. And I'm sorry if you found this to be a little short for a season finale, but the episode is divided up amongst the mane six and in order to be there for every moment Myles would have to move faster than Rainbow Dash. But the episode is all over so it can touch on each pony's troubles and that works for the episode, not so much for my modification of it.
Oh yes and of course the was the other matter of this being THE END OF SEASON ONNNNNNNEEEE! WOOOOOOO! I DID IT! I FINALLY GOT THERE! It didn't turn out at all like I expected but I still love the end result and I'm thankful I got to write it.
Of course now we start getting into stuff I actually had planned out to some degree. We'll see how that goes, but for now I'm fairly happy with the story.
-Dr. Spacewizard Esq.