Highlights from BronyCon 2018: The Grand Galloping Gala

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In which son_of_heaven176 visits the Grand Galloping Gala, fends off an unwanted phone call, and tries to keep a respectful distance.

Saturday, July 28, 2018: Day 2 of BronyCon

Memory serving, it was about a quarter to nine when I finished ironing my clothes and getting dressed for the Gala, so I decided to book it in order to make it by 9:00 PM, which was the Gala’s scheduled start time. I made it on time, and everyone was just seated or milling about. I didn’t see anyone I recognized, so I decided to sit and wait.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait long. A Princess Twilight cosplayer came onstage and greeted us all to the Grand Galloping Gala. Music came up, and some dancing started. I started going around the room, and noticed quite a few interesting cosplays. There was an older man in a Star Trek TNG-era uniform, so I decided to strike up a conversation with him. Not too long afterwards, the music stopped as another skit started up.

Onstage, Spike and the rest of the Mane Six showed up, only to see that Twilight wasn’t there. Juniper Montage then showed up and used some magic remote to zap them—and the Gala participants—into a “movie dimension”.

I picked up on the hint quite quickly. The Gala was part play, part dance, and just like the Galas in the show, the BronyCon Galas involved some disaster or another. This “kidnapping” was this year’s designated disaster.

As the skits kept going, the plot became clear: Some witch tricked Juniper Montage into kidnapping the Mane Six and separating Twilight from the others. Snips and Snails somehow got trapped in there as well. The ReMane Five had to find Twilight and get her out within three hours, or else they would be trapped forever!

There were different types of music that played between skits, and I flitted around the room, trying to find some female to talking to. During one of the dances, I found a cute girl cosplaying as Celestia, and we talked for a bit, but I decided to move on.

A few minutes before one of the skits began, I got a phone call from my father. Worst timing ever! You see, my parents have no idea that I am a brony, and given that my parents are Haitian, I want to keep it that way. In fact, as far as my parents were concerned, I was just out on vacation in Baltimore, though when my mother pressed for details, I did tell her that I was going for a convention. (The only one in my family who knows that I am a brony is my little brother, and even that was by accident; he found me playing Civilization V with a brony mod. Fortunately, he is a fellow nerd and also knows that it would be a stupid risk to let my father know that I am a brony.)

So, unwanted phone call. Ignore it? Impossible.

Answer call.

“Good evening, Daddy.”

“Hello, [no, I’m not giving out my name]. How are you doing?”

“Fine; how are you?”

“I’m OK. What are you doing right now?”

Drat. What to say? Can’t say I’m at BronyCon; no time for explanations. Can’t say I’m at a dance; he’ll press for details.

Fortunately, right then, a skit started up. Perfect!

“I’m at a play right now.”

“A what?”

“You know, a play? A show?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Either way, I’m fine. Talk to you later.”

“OK. Bye-bye.”

Yes! Phone call done.

Pink Flash also showed up during the Gala, dressed as Doc from Back to the Future in his Wild-West getup. I had little idea how that was accepted as “formal,” but who cared? I tried to get him up to speed, only for him to say that he was there since the beginning. Though I could have sworn that I did not see him in the crowd. Whatever.

Also at the Gala were two faces that I did not expect: Firebrand and Aramau. However, I had nothing for them to sign, and the two would clearly appreciate their space. So even though there was nothing but empty space between me and them, I decided to keep my distance and let them be.

Now during one of the skits, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were also discovered to be in the movie dimension. Allow me to explain: from skit to skit, the scattered ponies went through different movies and genres, including Indiana Jones, The Matrix, Snow White, Wayne’s World, film noir…

and Shining and Cadence were found in a romantic musical. In fact, their skit included them singing “Love’s an Open Door”. After their skit was over, they invited couples to come to the dance floor for a dance-off. Of course, I kept my eye on Firebrand and Aramau. The two of them had such fun together. If only Firebrand had thought to ask someone to record them dancing; I bet that they would have loved to keep the memory.

As the Gala wore on, the ReMane 5, Shining Armor, Snips, Snails, and Spike found Twilight, brainwashed by the main antagonist (whose name I cannot remember for the life of me). They were in a Star Wars-inspired part of the movie dimension. The ReMane Five tried to talk some sense into Twilight, but the skit climaxed in a lightsaber duel: Spike and Shining Armor vs. Twilight and the Big Bad. And memory serving, Snips and Snails (or one of them) had a Crowning Moment of Awesome. The fight had its twists and turns, and the good guys were on the losing end for a while. It even seemed like Twilight would outright kill one of them (memory serving, it was Shining Armor)! But when everything was said and done, the Big Bad was defeated, and Twilight was brought back to her senses.

I’m pretty sure a musical number was involved somehow.

At the end, everyone was able to return to reality, Twilight Sparkle apologized that the Gala was a failure again, and everyone comforted her. Cue the curtain call, and good night.

The Gala ended at 12 midnight, and I, for one, was looking forward to getting to bed, even though that meant that BronyCon was nearing its end.

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