//------------------------------// // The Masked Ball // Story: Twilight and Blue Sword // by Rakoon1 //------------------------------// Some days passed since Twilight and Blue started dating. However, the day of Twilight, Spike and the others’ return to Ponyville approached, which was disappointing because Twilight would stay away from Blue indefinitely. However, they still would be for a big event that was approaching: Shining and Cadance’s first anniversary. It seemed that was yesterday that Queen Chrysalis and her Changelings had tried to conquer Canterlot, using their marriage. To celebrate their anniversary, they decided to make a masked ball. The event would have as invited all the couple’s friends and family. Twilight and her friends were excited by the ball. But Twilight was the one who was more excited, because she could be with Blue without raising too much suspicion. However, when she brought this idea to Blue in one of their dates in the Oasis of the Heart, he told her something she didn’t count. "Wait, you're not going to the masked ball?" Twilight asked as she and Blue walked through the Oasis of the Heart. "I'm sorry, Twilight, but Dhalia sent me a message saying she needs me to help her with something" the blue unicorn said. "And then I'll have to return to Canterlot. I cannot go to the ball and Shining already knows that." But seeing Twilight stopping with her head lowered, turned to her and told her, lifting her chin: "Hey, listen to me, you don’t have to worry about me not going to the ball. There will be many other opportunities for us to be together." "Given that we’ll be busy with our duties, I don’t know if we'll have time for each other, Blue" Twilight replied. "But I can assure you that we will" Blue said. "I will use all my days off to go to Ponyville to see you, even if I have to run all the way from the Canterlot. I love you, Twilight, and do everything for you." Blue’s words made Twilight feel rather better about herself. He was right. Surely that would be more opportunities for they to be together, they just have to believe so. Twilight smiled, which made Blue also smile, and the two exchanged a kiss. When they pulled apart, Blue said: "Now what we have to do is enjoy the time we have left until my departure. What do you say?" Twilight chose not to answer, merely nodding. So she and Blue continued their ride. When the day of the mask ball, Twilight, along with Shining and Cadance, they went to accompany Blue to the train station. Due to Shining’s presence, Twilight and Blue couldn’t say goodbye to each other as a couple they were, but however they didn’t need to do. They knew they loved each other and that they could embrace each other when they returned to see one another and when they were alone. "I hope to see you, brother" Blue said, bumping his hoof with Shining’s. "Me too" Shining replied. "It's a shame that you cannot come to the ball, Blue." "Yes, I know, but you know how my sister is" Blue said. "If I don’t help her with this, she will never forgive me. And if she never forgives me..." "She will never stop to pester you" Shining completed. " Yes, I know the whole song." The two exchanged laughs and then gave a goodbye hug. When they separated, Blue turned to Cadance and told her: "Take care of him and see if he don’t get himself in trouble." "That’s my job" Cadance replied, half laughing. "Goodbye, Blue." "Goodbye, Cadance " Blue said, turning then to Twilight. "Bye, Twilight." "Bye, Blue" Twilight said. The two exchanged intense gazes and Blue then used his magic to put his fedora hat and to grab his bag and then he get in the train. After a while, the train began advanced. Seeing it moving away, Twilight just hoped that the time of separation between her and Blue were as short as possible. Later, Twilight, cadance and the others were choosing their costumes for the masked ball masks, being in a shop in the Crystal Empire. They were having a lot of fun seeing the costumes. Although Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash tried costumes that were part of their own style, Pinkie Pie and Rarity tried all the costumes they could, albeit in different ways: Pinkie Pie tried all kinds of costumes, exchanging them with a lot of speed, while Rarity experienced ball gowns and masks, contemplating them for a while and then throwing them over the door of the locker room to be caught by Spike. It was not long until the little dragon get buried. Twilight, however, was the only one who did not have much desire to find a costume for her. She was sitting in a corner, sad. Cadance, seeing her like that, went to her. "What's up, Twilight?" Cadance asked. "You haven't tried on a disguise since we arrived." "Oh, Cadance, I don’t know if I want to go to the ball" Twilight confessed. "What? But why? " "I think you know the answer." Realizing that Twilight was like that because of Blue’s departure, Cadance made a gentle smile and said: "Twilight, Blue went away from the Crystal Empire, but that does not mean that you will not ever see him. Remember that he will then to Canterlot and you will return to Ponyville. It will not be properly far from each other." "I know that" said Twilight. "But it costs me enjoy myself being away from him, you know?" "Of course" Cadance replied. "Don’t forget that I lived with my parents outside of Equestria. Shining and I used to be weeks without seeing each other." "So how did you pass all that time without seeing each other?" Twilight asked. "How could you stand that." "Well, apart from keeping our head busy for the days pass more quickly, we wrote letters to each other" Cadance said. " It was a special thing what we had." "How?" Twilight asked. "What made this letters exchange so special?" "It is simple" Cadance said. "We wrote a letter expressing all that we felt for each other and telling everything we had done. Then we sent them and kept them and when we came back to see each other, we reread them together. Thus, it was as like we had never been apart." "Well, it is a good way to kill the longing" Twilight said. "But even so, I don’t know if I can take it. After all, you and Shining could be together for months before you get separated. I've only been a few days with the Blue." "But this distance between you will only last a few days" Cadance guaranteed. "Besides, I will not let my sister-in-law be killed of boredom. You go to the ball and we’ll not talk about this again. And because I want you to share with me and the Shining this special moment. I also want you to be present when I tell him about the surprise I have for him." "Surprise?" Twilight asked. "What surprise?" "I'll tell you, but just because you being who you are" Cadance said. "But you have to promise me you will not tell anypony, at least until I tell Shining." "Of course I promise you that" Twilight said. "You have my word." Cadance leaned closer and said in a way that only Twilight could hear: "I'm pregnant." Upon hearing that, Twilight almost gave a shriek, but managed to control herself in time. "Pregnant?" she asked. Cadance nodded. "But this is... fantastic!" Twilight exclaimed. "It means I will be an aunt. And Shining will be even more excited than me when he knows that he will be a father." "That's what I'm counting" Cadance said. "It has always been our greatest dream and this will be my gift for him in our anniversary." "I cannot wait to see my brother’s reaction." "Of course, for that, you have to go to the ball. What do you say we go find a costume for you?" Despite being sad to be away from Blue, Cadance’s new cheered her up immediately. She smiled and waved. And then they went try costumes. When it started to get dark, the guests began to arrive, all wearing different costumes. Twilight was finishing dressing and making up. She would masquerade herself in the Pony Frankenstein’s bride. She had already her dirty and old bride dress and her mane was built up and painted in black with a white stripe on each side. After she finish putting her face completely pale and accentuate the shadow in her eyes with black make up, she turned to Spike, who was dressed in the dragon costume he used in Nightmare Night, and said: "I'm ready." "Finally!" Spike exclaimed. "You take longer more than when you disguised yourself as Star Swirld." "Oh, Spike, you're so impatient" Twilight replied. "Come on, let’s go." They went to the ballroom of the castle, which was filled with ponies, talking and eating happily. Her friends were also very animated, all in their costumes: Fluttershy was a Breezie, Applejack was a Timberwolf, Rainbow was a griffin, Pinkie Pie was a chicken (after all the costumes she tried, she ended up choosing that costume) and Rarity was wearing a huge ball dress and had a mask with a handle. After Shining and Cadance, dressed as pharaoh and queen of Old Coltypt, begin the dance floor, several pairs began to go too. Seeing all those ponies dancing, Twilight soon began missing Blue. She would love a lot being there on the dance floor to dance with him. The music that was playing finished and while the musicians were preparing to play another, some pairs came and went. Shining and Cadance went out to rest. For his brother’s air, it seemed that Cadance still had not told him the great news. "May I have this dance, Princess Twilight?" a stallion voice said behind Twilight. She then turned to him to say: "I’m sorry, but I don’t..." But then she noticed the stallion had invited her to dance, extending her a coatless light yellow hoof. She could see the stallion had a very light yellow coat in a slightly darker tone than the hooves and a pure yellow and soft yellow mane. He was disguised as a swordpony with a sleek suit with a white shirt, black pants and a red long tail coat with a matching cape. He also had a big hat of the same color with a red feather and a sheath where he had a sword. But her attention was for the face, containing a black mask on the area around the eyes, which were glaucous. Observing those eyes, Twilight was sure she knew that stallion and then she saw the glow that radiated from them and then she figured out. "Blue?" She asked, with increasing enthusiasm. "Is it you?" The stallion just smiled. It was really him. She didn’t know what to say. "Does the Princess accept my invitation?" Blue asked again. Twilight smiled at him and then accepted his hoof and the two went to the dance floor, where they began to dance when the song began. Although Twilight was not a very good dancer, Blue led her, which gave her enough security. Their movements were fluid and elegant. But the high point was when Blue grabbed Twilight by the waist and lifted her into the air, rotating with her, as the two smiled at each other. In the distance, seeing them dancing, were Shining and Cadance. The white unicorn was seeing her sister and an unknown stallion dancing with an angry stare. "Who does that guy think he is, dancing with my sister?" he growled. Cadance, watchinh them dancing, seemed to recognize mysterious stallion’s dancing style and, seeing the happiness Twilight had in her face, she realized who he was, what made her smile. Then she turned to her husband and said: "Shining, sweetheart, I think it’s better you take it easy. It's just one dance, it's no big deal." "Just one dance?" Shining repeated. "That guy is obviously trying to seduce my sister." Then the song ended and Blue finished the dance by dipping Twilight low. The two looked intently and then Blue lifted her, making her a bow after that. "Okay, that's enough" Shining said. "I'm going up there." And he started to go in Twilight and Blue’s direction. "Shining, wait" Cadance asked, but was a late request. "But how can you be here?" Twilight asked to Blue. "I thought you had gone to help Dhalia." "Well, let’s say I invented that part" Blue confessed. "You did?" Twilight asked. "How else could I be with you without your brother suspect anything?" Said Blue. "But he can figure out if you helped your sister or not.” "Don’t worry, I made Dhalia to cover me. Don’t worry, she didn’t know nothing about us. But of course she had no choice. She owes me some favors. "And your look?" Twilight asked, looking at his hooves, coat and mane. "If it were not for your eyes, I wouldn’t recognize you." "Color inversion spell" Blue explained. "It has a temporary effect, but enough to be with the mare I love without nopony recognizes me." "You're crazy" Twilight said laughing. "But I bet you love that on me" Blue said. "You can believe so" she replied. When they were about to kiss, Blue looked over Twilight’s shoulder and he could see Shining making way through the pairs on the dance floor to get to the edge of them. "Sorry, but I have to go" Blue whispered into Twilight’s ear. "Big brother emergency at six o’clock. We meet in the gardens." Twilight nodded and Blue hastened to get away from there quietly. When Shining reached Twilight’s edge, she was alone. "Where is he?" Shining asked, looking in all directions. "Where is who?" Twilight asked back. "That guy you were dancing with" Shining replied. "Who was he?" "Shining, don’t you think you're overreacting?" Twilight asked. "Overreacting?" Shining repeated. "I mean, I see a stallion that I don’t know trying to seduce my little sister and you think I’m overreacting?" "To start, he was not seducing me" Twilight said. "We were just dancing. And it was just that." "Twilight, I..." Shining began. But he didn’t finish, because Cadance reached his edge and said: "Shining, enough. I think it is better you let your sister alone." "But..." he began. "No buts" Cadance said, grabbing her husband’s hoof. "Come, I have to give you my gift." "But cannot it wait?" Shining asked. "No, it can’t" Cadance replied. "Come." "Ah, okay" he muttered. Before they walk away, Cadance smiled to Twilight and winked an eye. Twilight realized that Cadance recognized Blue and that she was giving her an opportunity to go to him. Once Cadance and Shining moved away, Twilight began to push her way through the crowd and when she arrived to the gates of the ballroom, she could not resist taking a look to where Cadance was with Shining. She saw her saying something and Twilight knew it was about the pregnancy. She then saw Shining staying with a gaping air, erupting after into happiness and hugging his wife. Twilight smiled at how his brother was happy for the news that he was going to be a father. She left the ballroom and headed to the gardens. While walking through them, she tried to find Blue, but she couldn’t. "Have you been looking for me?" his voice asked near Twilight’s ear. She turned and saw him, smiling her. She smiled him back and then hugged him and he hugged her too. “I’m glad you came" Blue said as they finished the hug. "I thought Shining was gonna hold you up to make you tell him everything." "He tried to do it" Twilight replied. "But fortunately Cadance gave me a hoof. I think she recognized you." "I think we cannot hide anything from her" Blue said. "But how did she manage to help you with your brother?" "I'll tell you later" Twilight replied. "Now, what I want is to be with you." Blue smiled and replied: "I want to be with you." The two gave a kiss and then they went take a stroll.