The crackle of fireworks boomed in the background, accompanied by the chatter of every high class and wealthy pony in Equestria. The Grand Galloping Gala, despite all its repetitiveness, was still the occasion of the year.
But for the past five years, the gala was always full of new ponies with new rumors of Equestria's darker secrets. Merchants would gossip and laugh over legends of the "Card Master," who vanished five years ago, allegedly defeated. Politicians would ask why Princess Twilight was solely in charge of the Gala lately, questioning the activities of Celestia during this night. Others, with nothing to do but talk, would try anything and every to grab the attention of Twilight or one of her closest friends.
After the fireworks, the final occasion of the night, guests made their way to their hotels, envying those with enough influence to be granted a stay at the palace itself. The sounds of noble ponies died down, until it only the few who were too drunk or too hyper remained.
Twilight slumped down at a table, snacking on some of Applejack's best apple fritters and icing her hoof from a night full of greetings. She was exhausted, and happily let that show.
She thought about Applejack, who had to miss this year to help her family with a blight that ruined a quarter of their crop yield. She sighed, thinking of the repercussions of loosing that many apples in one year. The marketplace in Ponyville would be another hell to deal with.
Above the palace, Twilight could hear Rainbow Dash's laughter as she flew with the Wonderbolts, a leisurely activity usually ending with sore wings and sweat.
In the ballroom, Pinkie Pie and the Smooze were busy messing up the pristine tile floor, while Discord and Maud talked about ancient magical rocks. Twilight closed her eyes relaxing even more, and giggled to herself. Going through the entire gala was worth it, just for the few late hours her friends had to have fun.
"Too bad Princess Celestia isn't here," came a voice. Twilight opened her eyes, startled by the stallion sitting across the table. Everypony talked about Celestia's whereabouts on the night of the gala, but it was generally impolite to mention it to a royal.
Nevertheless, Twilight replied, "True, it hasn't been the same without her to take the attention of the guests, but that never ruins the gala completely. Though, I'll admit I see why she likes to play some jokes at the gala to liven it up."
The stallion nodded. "I met Celestia once, but I never took her to be the fun loving type. She was very kind, but I could see seriousness in her face."
Twilight rolled her eyes and chuckled. He was probably an unlucky guest who got to shake hooves with Celestia after she'd met a thousand others or so. "You'd be surprised how much she loves games. Were you here when Discord first brought the Smooze to the Gala?"
"I'm afraid I missed it, I was out of town and got the invite too late. But tell me more, it sounds like it was a real blast!" the stallion said, leaning in for a good story.
They talked through the night, continuing even after Rainbow Dash had tied with Soarin seven times, and more impressively, when Pinkie had danced away all her energy. The stallion, Drama Crest, proved to be Twilight's match at historical and magical knowledge, especially when it involved theatrics. As an earth pony, he impressed her further with demonstrations of magic using only misdirection and a sleight of hoof.
But Twilight had her own specialties, surprising Drama Crest her memory skills and knowledge of old literature. Starswirl came up many times int heir conversation, which eventually led to more questions from either side.
"So is that what Celestia does during the Gala?" Drama Crest finally asked.
"Huh?"
"Read Starswirl's writings," he clarified. "You said she became engulfed in reviewing all of his papers, even the ones in deep storage. I can't imagine anything else that could grab Celestia's attention so strongly."
Twilight's face turned dark, thinking about Celestia. "Have you ever heard about the Card Master?"
Drama Crest raised a brow, curious about the change of topic, but he played along. "I tend not to consider the rumors and tall tales that the rich spread during the gala, but yes, I've heard of that legend, parts of it, at least."
"He was real, though what he did and what the legends say don't often match up." Twilight began, thinking back to the day Celestia changed into what she was now. "Six years ago, we knew as much about him as we do now, so Luna decided to challenge the Card Master, as a way to connect with the ponies at the Traders Exchange, and to see if the Card Master was actually a criminal. What she found out was shared between Luna and Celestia, but I was told he was a dangerous magician, one that Celestia needed to handle personally."
"She won, right? I mean she had to have beaten him," Drama Crest said, but Twilight's eyes assured him otherwise.
"A year after Luna lost the card game played in the Card Master's tent, Celestia agreed to arrest him herself. Pinkie Pie called over an old friend and we had this grand celebration, kind of as a joke, to congratulate Celestia for saving Equestria for once instead of the Tree of Harmony. We waited right here, expecting her to come, but after a few days we knew she wasn't taking her time. A guard found her in the Canterlot Archives, going though every scroll Starswirl ever touched, looking for information about 'card magic.'"
Drama Crest widened his eyes, taking in the implications. "So, a powerful and dangerous magician is still out there, right now. So powerful, that Luna, who commands the moon itself I might add, lost to him."
Twilight shrugged. "I've asked Celestia countless times, but she always tells me that as long as no pony sees the Card Master, he's as good as gone."
"An out-of-sight, out-of-mind policy," Drama Crest noted, furrowing his eyebrows. "Not the best strategy if Nightmare Moon and King Sombra can teach us anything."
Twilight rubbed her forehead, her headache returning again. "Oh, I can testify to that for sure."
Drama Crest's annoyance quickly turned to concern at the sight of Twilight's discomfort. "Oh, I'm so sorry if this was a bad topic for you. Ah jeez, sometimes I just get carried away with these things."
"No, it's not your fault, really," Twilight said, trying to reassure him. "Don't apologize, I needed to let some depression out anyways."
Drama sighed, leaning back in his chair, both relieved and sympathetic for Twilight. Then a thought popped into his head, and he pulled out his performing hat, full of clever tricks to entertain children at county fairs.
"I bet I know a hat trick that'll bring that princess smile back!"
Twilight watched as he pulled three juggling balls from the hat, throwing them up and catching them in a perfect cadence. She laughed when he tried to do it while hopping on one foot, fumbling as he slipped on the slick tile floor. Everything Drama Crest used to perform was spilled across the floor, including a deck of cards with the Element of Magic painted on it.
"Wait, is that-"
Drama scrambled frantically to clean up his mess. "Oh no, that's not what you think... I mean they might be..." he stumbled on his speech, focusing on his magician supplies. "You see, I just thought the Element of Magic would give my performances more "pizzaz!"
He stuffed everything back into his hat and got off the floor, feeling awkward with Twilight staring at him. "I know it looks like I'm a stalker right now, and... I should probably go."
Drama Crest turned and began to leave, but a tug on his tail brought him back into his seat across from Twilight. She smiled at his awkwardness, reminding her a little bit of herself before she discovered friendship.
"I might be a talented unicorn, but I've never taken the time to learn any card tricks before," she said. "I'd appreciate it if you showed me some basic ones."
Drama Crest returned the smile, looking around the palace in case of any pony else noticing his failed performance. He got into the character of a magician, donning a blue hooded robe with stereotypical stars sown onto it. He pulled out the cards from his hat and placed twelve on the table. The back of each card was indeed painted with the Element of Magic, though the border designs on them were full of little stars that resembled Twilight's cutie mark as well.
Drama Crest scanned the cards, and finally gave himself a confident nod. He looked up from the table to Twilight, a large grin spanning across his hooded face. "This one's my favorite, so pay close attention."
Twilight sat up close to the table eager to learn the fascinating skill behind misleading card tricks. With a stoic but powerful tone, Drama Crest began the lesson.
Pick a card.