The Golden Oak Library's grandfather clock rang, waking Twilight and Spike for the morning.
Twilight grinned, then sat up; as she did so, she felt her volume of The Complete Plays and Poems of Ellen Nevermore slide down her chest and into her lap. Surprised for a moment, Twilight looked down at it, then giggled.
The Grand Galloping Gala was tonight. Twilight could not have been more excited for it; she was so excited, in fact, that she had had difficulty sleeping the previous night, and so she had read her favorite recreational book until she was distracted enough to fall asleep.
For the first time since coming to Avalon, Twilight was going to return to her home at Camelot. She was going to see Shining, Cadance, Celestia, and her parents again for the first time since the summer began. But above all, Twilight was anxious to properly meet Luna; their previous encounters had been... unconventional, to say the least. But they were friends now, though they didn't yet know each other terribly well. Twilight wanted desperately to remedy this, especially since Luna was said to not only be surpassed in power only by Celestia and Discord, but that they were her only intellectual superiors, as well. Twilight wished desperately to strengthen her bond with the newly-freed Princess so that the two of them could begin philosophical correspondence like Twilight shared with Celestia and Cadance.
Twilight was filled with pure delight; she was a close friend with two beautiful, brilliant Goddesses already, but now she was posed to become just as close with yet another one. Twilight had found friendships to be far more rewarding than she'd previously thought she would, and so now she was anxious to make up her lost time with the best friends she could possibly find.
"What's the plan today, Twi?" Spike said. Since the last day of summer was recognized as a holiday throughout all of the world, the two of them didn't have work that day. Celestia had also given Twilight explicit permission to take a break from studying cults for the day, and so the day was a completely open book full of possibilities to them.
Twilight shrugged, continuing to grin. "I guess we can just relax and enjoy ourselves however we like," she said. "I have an idea: why don't we get ready, then go to Frappe's for breakfast, and then we'll figure it out from there?"
Spike grinned back. "Sounds good to me."
Once the young Elves had bathed, gotten dressed, brushed their teeth, and tidied up their hair, they went to the town square, where they had a breakfast of coffee and croissants before going to the Sugar Shack to see their friends. As they thought, they found Pinkie serving sundaes to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the rest of their friends over the glass front counter as she cheerfully conversed with them.
Pinkie immediately greeted Twilight and Spike upon seeing them; "Hi, Twilight! Hi, Spike!" she cried.
"Good morning, Pinkie," Twilight replied as she took a seat beside Rainbow. Since all of the bar stools were now filled, Spike stood at the counter's side with the Crusaders.
"Are you guys excited for the Gala?" Sweetie Belle said, gazing at the older girls with great anticipation.
"Oh, yes, I'm very excited," Fluttershy replied softly. She closed her eyes and smiled as she added, "Princess Celestia is going to be allowing her guests into her private garden, and I'll be able to meet and make friends with all the rare creatures in there."
"It's gonna be a blast!" Pinkie shouted into the air. "It's one of the biggest parties of the year! There's going to be so much delicious food there, so many pretty Beings there- it's gonna be the most funnerific thing ever!"
"Are you excited too, Rainbow?" Scootaloo asked. "I mean, the Gala's a pretty high-class party...."
"True," Rainbow replied. "The Wonderbolts are going to be there, though. There's no way in Tartarus I'm gonna pass that up."
"Applejack's gonna sell apple treats for our family!" Apple Bloom said. "She should rake in a whole mountain of gold while she's there! Ah know that Ah'd pay anything for a slice of her apple pie!"
Applejack chuckled, grinned with flattery, and ruffled Apple Bloom's hair.
"Y'know, Twilight," Rainbow muttered, "I can get why Rarity wants to go so badly; after all, she's hoping to score a prince. Ballroom dances seem to be her thing anyway. But haven't you been to the Gala before?"
Twilight nodded. "I have," she replied.
Rainbow raised a brow as she queried, "So why are you so excited for it?"
Twilight grinned as she replied, "I've never really been able to talk to Princess Luna until tonight. I really, really want to get to know her, and the Gala will give me a great opportunity to. I'd like to deepen our friendship. I'll also get to see the other Princesses and my family again, so I'm really excited for that, too."
Rainbow nodded. "Alright," she said.
Rarity gleefully smiled as she said, "It seems that the Gala is destined to be the best night ever for all of us!"
The girls killed the hours until the early afternoon by idly conversing with each other and excitedly discussing their plans for the night. A little after noon, however, they temporarily adjourned their meeting to return to their homes and retrieve their pajamas and toiletries for their overnight stay at Olympus. Twilight also made sure to get her chessboard, her Ellen Nevermore collection, and a couple Daring Do volumes so that she'd be able to occupy herself during the train rides.
Spike and the girls then went to the Carousel Boutique to collect their ball ensembles. Rarity commanded them all to be extremely careful with their outfits as she removed them from their mannequins and slid them into wire hangers. They all promised to do so, then took their outfits and walked with them to the train station together.
Once they were on the train, they hung up their ensembles and stored their travel bags in their storage compartments above their seats before the excited conversation resumed; all of them enthusiastically recounted their fantasies and anticipations of the night before them.
"This night is going to be simply divine!" Rarity cried. "Assuming I can get the attention of and impress Prince Blueblood, I'm going to have the most romantic evening of all time!"
Rainbow smirked and leered at Rarity. "So, do you plan on... *ahem*, accompanying the prince to his sleeping quarters when you retire for the night?"
Rarity smirked back. "Well, of course, Darling!" she cried. "No Elvish ball is complete without ending it with a companion for the night at your arm! And besides; Blueblood is one of the most handsome, charming mortal men in the entire world! Why, I wouldn't miss the opportunity to have him as a bedmate for the world!"
Rainbow snickered. "He's a lucky dude, then. Man, I wish you were into girls, Rare. Word on the street is that you're insanely good in bed. Between the two of us, I'm sure we'd have the most mind-blowingly amazing sex ever."
"You're too kind, Rainbow Dash," Rarity replied, tossing her hair and smiling with flattery.
"I'm going to the restroom," said Spike, whose face was beaming with an enormously wide grin and a deep red blush flushing across his cheeks and nose. He hopped down from his chair and walked down the aisle to the train's restrooms, calling back to the girls, "I'll be a while. Don't wait up!"
Rarity giggled, and Twilight and Applejack rolled their eyes. Rainbow added, "Y'know, the world had better get ready for when that kid turns fifteen. He's gonna be such a massive ladykiller; he has the face, he has the manners, and he has the attitude."
Pinkie frowned with confusion. "Wait- do you like Spike, Dashie?" she said.
Rainbow shook her head. "No, but that doesn't mean I don't know a good-looking guy when I see one," she said.
"Ohhhhh," Pinkie said, nodding. She then smiled as she added, "Well, you're right. He is a cute boy."
"Oh my gosh!" Twilight cried, rolling her eyes with disbelief. She sighed exasperatedly before continuing, "The way you're all going on about my apprentice makes me wonder if we're all the girls vying for his attention in a harem manga!"
Pinkie gazed at Twilight for a moment, then shrugged. "What's wrong with that?" she said. "He is a really cute boy." She beamed as she added, "I actually wouldn't mind at all if we were Spike's harem!"
"Nor would I," Rarity interjected with a chuckle. "I daresay you're right, Pinkie; Spike is already an adorable little gent, and I have no doubt he's going to become even more of a looker as he ages. I, for one, am quite glad that I've befriended him at this early age; I now have my foot firmly in the door for when he's blossomed into a gorgeous young man!"
Twilight rolled her eyes again, groaning. Well, I'll give Spike credit for one thing, she thought to herself. I don't know of any other boy that can go off to pleasure himself while thinking about his female friends, and then have those same female friends remark only that they wish he were using them instead of his palms!
Twilight sighed wearily, then began setting up her chessboard for Spike's return; she, for one, had heard enough of this, and was determined to keep herself and Spike occupied with something else when he came back.
Twilight played chess with Spike when he returned, and the others resumed their conversations. They were thus kept occupied until the train was weaving up the mountainside of Olympus and they were about half an hour away from the Olympian Train Station, when they all retired to the train's dressing rooms to change clothes and get ready for the night.
Spike, of course, had changed and gotten ready far earlier than any of the girls; all he had to do was put on his suit, tie his bow tie around his collar, and comb down his hair. He then put on his top hat, slid on his white dress gloves, and tied the black, polished oxford shoes he'd purchased especially for that night onto his feet.
Once Spike exited his dressing room, the train was only a few minutes away from pulling into the station. He waited patiently for the girls at their booth; however, as the train was beginning to slow down, Spike heard Twilight's voice from the passenger car's door say, "Hey, Spike."
Spike looked up, then gasped.
All six of his friends were in their Gala gowns, and they all looked devastatingly beautiful. Not only were their lovely figures perfectly complimented by Rarity's masterfully-designed ensembles, but they also all had their hair formally done up; Rainbow's was in an elaborate, elegant ponytail, Applejack's hair was loosely braided over her shoulder, and the rest of the girls had their hair up in buns. They also all had makeup on (even Rainbow and Applejack- though the amount on their faces were minimal), which only made them even more stunning. Spike's breath was especially taken away by Twilight; she had a light dusting of glitter on her shoulders and the bridge of her nose, making her truly as magnificent as the stars themselves.
"Wow," Spike whispered, his eyes wide and enraptured. His lips formed a soft smile. "You all look... amazing," he said.
The girls all grinned back at him. "Thank you, Spike," Twilight replied, nodding at him.
The train shuddered to a halt, then the conductors began crying, "All off for Olympus! All of for Olympus!"
Twilight exhaled sharply. "Alright, then. Let's bring our bags out then, shall we?" she said cheerfully.
And so Twilight and her friends all pulled their bags down from their storage compartments, exited the train, and made their way to the edge of the station.
Once they were at the curb of one of Olympus's streets, Spike and the girls hailed a taxi carriage. They piled their luggage onto it, then instructed the driver to take them to Camelot Castle.
They were all relatively quiet as they made their way to the Gala; they were admiring the bright, beautiful lights of the city, which were glowing in every color imaginable behind the buildings' wide, shining windows. The night was still quite young, and so a purple tinge remained in the sky from the sun's recent setting. It was a perfect night for a ball.
Once they were at the castle Camelot, they stepped out with even greater awe; every inch of the elegant, white fortress's walls, trees, and towers were lit by glowing colored lanterns. The lustrous radiance of Camelot was further emphasized by a cluster of fireworks suddenly exploding behind it, shedding even more light over it. Hundreds of Beings, all dressed in the very finest of formal attire, were making their way to the entrance, where two guards in full ceremonial dress were standing sentinel at its sides.
The girls and Spike instructed the cabbie to have their luggage delivered to their rooms (as Celestia had invited them to stay in the castle); once the carriage had been driven off, Twilight said, "Alright, everyone. Let's go in and have the best night ever!"
They all cheered, then began strolling to the castle. Pinkie skipped far ahead of them, however, as she began singing,
"Oh, I'm at the Grand Gala,
For it is the best party,
But the one thing it was missing
Was a girl that's named Pinkie!
For I am the best at parties;
All the Beings will agree!
Beings playing, Beings dancing,
Here at the Grand Galaaaaaaa!"
They all shared a merry laugh, then followed Pinkie into the castle.
"I've got so much to show you guys!" Spike cried enthusiastically as they stepped past the threshold of the castle's front gates. "Rarity- I can show you the stained glass windows in Celestia's throne room! Have you ever seen them? They're just amazing, and Princess Celestia made them all herself! Oh- and Pinkie, once we're done with the Gala, I need to buy you some donuts from Donut Joe's! They're the best donuts you've ever tasted!"
Pinkie grinned. "Oh, I'd love to, Spike!" she cried. "The biggest, most funnerific party ever, and then a box of delicious donuts! Could this night get any better?!"
Rarity nodded. "I look forward to it," she said.
"Well, I'm gonna go try to find the Wonderbolts," Rainbow said, turning sharply off and offhandedly waving to her friends. "We'll regroup when the party's over, alright?"
"Alright- bye, Rainbow!" Twilight shouted after her.
"Um... if you don't mind, I think that I'm going to go visit that private garden that Celestia has," Fluttershy quietly interjected. "Would you mind telling me where it is, Twilight?"
Twilight nodded. "Of course," she replied. She pointed at the lushly carpeted grand staircase a dozen meters away from them and said, "It's on the second floor, in the greenhouse at the very end of the right hall. You can't miss it."
Fluttershy nodded, smiling gratefully. "Alright," she said. "Thank you, Twilight."
Fluttershy began making her way to the stairs. Applejack then piped up, "Er... Twi, where do ya reckon Ah register to sell my wares?"
"Just ask one of the waiters; they'll tell you where to go," Twilight replied.
Applejack nodded. "Right," she said. "And, um... which number was my room again?"
Spike pulled Applejack's gala ticket from his pant pocket, then read the inscription aloud: "Room thirty-two on the second floor."
Applejack nodded. "Thanks, Spike," she said, taking her ticket. She then made her way towards the stairs, as well, calling back to her friends, "Well, Ah'm goin' to get my supplies and set up shop. Ah'll see ya'll later!"
Twilight sighed. "Well, I guess it's just us then, huh, Pin-?" she began, but when she turned to where Pinkie had been at her side, she had disappeared. Twilight heard her a bit farther ahead, however, and turned forward to see Pinkie skipping away, singing, "La la la, la la la...."
Twilight shook her head. She then smiled at Rarity as she said, "So... just you, me, and Spike then, eh, Rare?"
Rarity nodded. "Of course, Darling," she said, smiling back.
Spike was grinning, as well. He would have liked to spend the evening with all of his friends, but they'd have time to be together later. Besides, he still had Rarity and Twilight with him; having his two favorite girls around was satisfying enough.
Twilight and her two remaining friends made their way to the ballroom, where they found many Beings elegantly waltzing on the dance floor or idly chatting along the walls and windows while sipping from cocktail glasses of ladled punch, all to the accompaniment of the Royal Olympian Symphonic Orchestra, which was being conducted by the renowned composer Wolf Gang and led by the world-famous cellist Octavia Melody.
It didn't take long for Twilight to locate the Princesses and her family; they were among the cluster of high-ranking Olympian nobles standing near the orchestra, who were currently discussing the recent hiring of a new president of the Bank of Olympus by Fancy Pants, a cousin of Twilight (on her mother's side) who was another Duke of Olympus, the most important Olympian noble who wasn't in the Royal Court, and the owner of the bank.
Twilight politely made her way through the other nobles until she found the Princesses, her brother, and her parents. She gasped in amazement upon seeing the Princesses; all three were in elegant, tight, woven silken evening gowns that were identical in design but varied in fabric color. Celestia's was white with golden and pink tinges; Luna's was blue with black and purple tinges; and Cadance's was peach with purple and pink tinges. All three Goddesses were beautiful beyond all imagining, and Twilight found herself deeply flushing at the mere sight of them. She could have gazed at them forever; they were the very image of the apotheosis of beauty.
The Princesses' identically-designed dresses also caused Twilight to notice how similar the Goddesses themselves looked, however. Twilight raised a brow with curiosity as she observed that aside from their skin tones, eye colors, sizes, and hairstyles, Celestia and Luna might as well have been identical twins, as their likenesses otherwise perfectly mirrored each other. Cadance's resemblance to Luna was even more uncanny; when Cadance was just a little older, she and Luna would be completely indistinguishable from identical twin sisters, and it would be impossible to tell which was elder by their appearances alone.
Twilight's pondering was interrupted, however, when Rarity caught sight of Prince Blueblood. Rarity gasped in delight; Prince Blueblood was even more handsome than he'd looked in the photographs Rarity had seen. He was a tall, sturdily-built young Elvish man with long, blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a complexion as fair as Rarity's. He was wearing a very fine white three-piece suit with a navy blue bowtie, a pair of dark gray dress shoes, and a pair of white dress gloves that concealed his Mark. Upon hearing Rarity gasp, Prince Blueblood turned to gaze back at her, then made a small smile.
Rarity blushed, held her hand to her mouth, and lightly giggled. She then cleared her throat, stepped forward, and said, "Good evening, Your Majesty," while performing a curtsy before him.
Prince Blueblood placed his hand over his chest and bowed back, replying, "Good evening, my lady. Might I ask your name?"
"Rarity," Rarity responded softly.
The two's conversation drew the attention of Celestia, who turned to them and said with surprise, "Oh! It's Rarity, isn't it?"
"Yes, Princess," Rarity replied, curtsying again. "It's an honor to meet you again."
"Same," Celestia replied, smiling brightly. She then looked around until her eyes fell upon Twilight, which caused her to light up as she said, "Oh- Twilight! I'm so glad you came."
The other Goddesses turned to Twilight, as well. Luna softly smiled while Cadance gasped, then Cadance turned away and shouted, "Shining! Twilight's here!"
Shining Armor promptly strode to them. He was in full military dress tonight, though he wasn't wearing his beret (as that was only supposed to be worn when one was acting as an officer). In Twilight's opinion, Shining far surpassed every other male in the room, including Prince Blueblood, in his sheer handsomeness.
Upon seeing Twilight, Shining's face broke into a wide smile as he cried elatedly, "Twily! I haven't seen you in forever!"
"I've missed you so much, Shining," Twilight replied. Shining opened his arms, inviting Twilight to embrace him, which is exactly what she did.
While Twilight was catching back up with her brother, Celestia gave Spike a warm hug as she quietly said, "It's wonderful to see you again, Spike."
"Thanks, Princess," Spike replied, hugging her back.
After everyone had exchanged hugs and greetings (except for Luna, who was unaccustomed to contemporary social norms), Twilight began describing to Cadance and Shining in great detail how life had been since she had moved to Avalon. Spike looked around for Rarity as Twilight chatted with her brother and former mentor, but when he found her, she was heading into the courtyard garden as she held Blueblood's arm. Spike sighed, realizing that all of his friends were now occupied, and he found himself at a loss of what to do without them.
In the meantime, Applejack was bringing a large, heavy suitcase into the ballroom, which she swiftly and expertly opened and unfolded until she had a full-fledged food stand. All she needed now were those crates of goods she'd ordered from an Apple family product warehouse in Olympus, and then she'd be ready to go.
"They'll be here in only a little more 'n twenty minutes, Ah hope," Applejack observed as she began writing the menu of the items she planned to sell on a chalkboard, which she then hung on a nail at the stand's front.
At the same time, Fluttershy was making her way through the large greenhouse on the side of Camelot's walls; she was stunned at how beautiful it was, especially since all of the flowers of the trees had become fruits, due to it being the end of the summer. She treaded carefully, holding up her skirt so that she wouldn't damage it, as she looked around for the rare creatures that Celestia kept here.
"Hello?" Fluttershy called out softly. "Is anyone out tonight? You don't need to be afraid."
Fluttershy then heard a bird begin tweeting, then made her way to the direction she'd heard it from. Soon enough, she saw that the tweeting had come from a Sapphire Hummingbird, which shimmered like crystal and made pretty little chick-like cheeps as it buzzed through the air.
"Hello, little one!" Fluttershy said elatedly. After drinking some juice from a fat, juicy red berry, the hummingbird flew off to return to its nest. Fluttershy giggled, then began walking after it.
At the same time, Rainbow Dash was searching for the Wonderbolts among the Beings that filled all of Camelot's halls. Her search was rather long, and she asked several other Beings if they knew where they were. Most didn't; however, one helpful Human man pointed her in the direction of the castle's roof, where he said he'd seen some Beings, including the Wonderbolts, watching the fireworks display. Rainbow thanked him, then headed up the castle's many flights of stairs until she reached the roof.
Indeed, once she was underneath the wide, starry night sky again, Rainbow was able to immediately identify the Wonderbolts; a cluster of several Angels, all with large and very muscular wings and clothed in pantsuits or tuxedos, were leaning against a bannister as they watched the fireworks being launched by some other Angels from some distant clouds. She could even immediately recognize some individual Wonderbolts based on their hair colors, though she was only seeing them from their backs; at the center was Soarin, the team's blue-haired second-in-command; to his left was Blaze, his short-haired, small, redheaded girlfriend; and to his right was Spitfire, the captain of the team. True to her name, Spitfire's hair was colored and styled like fire, and Rainbow recognized her better than any of the other team members; not only was Spitfire good friends with Rainbow Dash's father, she was also the former director of the Asgard Flight Camp, and so had been Rainbow's flight teacher.
"Hey there, Miss Spitfire!" Rainbow called out, waving energetically.
Spitfire turned around, then said surprisedly, "Oh!" She then smiled and said, "Hello, Rainbow Dash. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yeah," Rainbow agreed, laughing.
"You've gotten a lot bigger since I last saw ya, kid," Spitfire added with a smirk. "I must also say I'm quite impressed that you've gotten the world record for flight speed. You got that when you were fourteen, didn't you?"
"You bet I did!" Rainbow replied, jabbing her thumb at her chest and flapping her wings as she grinned proudly.
Spitfire chuckled. "So, are you still interested in joining the Wonderbolts?" she said. "You must be quite good an maneuvering and pulling stunts at this point."
"Y-yeah..." Rainbow said, looking away as her voice betrayed a tinge of nervousness. "My routines are still a bit rusty, though... I don't think I'm gonna be ready to try out this year...."
Spitfire shrugged. "Well, there's always next year, right?" she said.
Rainbow nodded. "Yeah," she said.
"So anyway," Spitfire said, turning around so she was laying back against the bannister, "tell me what life in Avalon has been like for you."
Rainbow grinned. "Awesome, actually. I've been able to make a lot of friends, and it's really nice and relaxing."
Spitfire smiled warmly. "I'm glad to hear that, Dash," she said. "It's good to know that you're happy now."
Pinkie was dancing in place, tightly holding in an enormous squeal of excitement at everything she saw. "Ooh, this is so exciting!" she cried. "The sparkling dance floor, the pretty partiers, the pretty music- oh, it's everything I've ever dreamed!"
Pinkie began skipping, cartwheeling, leaping, and cheering as she sang,
"I'm at the Grand Galloping Gala
I'm at the Grand Galloping Gala
I'm at the Grand Galloping Ga-a-la
And it's all I've ever dreamed!
It's all I've ever dreamed, yippee!
It's all I've ever dreamed, whopee!"
The then held two other Beings to her side as she began to raise her pitch; "I'm at the Grand Galloping Ga-la-a-a-A-AAAAA!!"
However, all of the room around her immediately fell silent, then the Beings Pinkie had been holding angrily shrugged her off, shooting her dirty looks as they began walking away. As she felt all of the other Beings' frowning stares, Pinkie shrunk under them as she quietly said, "And it's all I've ever... dreamed?"
At the other side of the ballroom, Twilight and the Princesses gazed out at the ballroom for a moment before Twilight blushed and looked down, embarrassed. "I'm... I'm sorry, Princess...." she muttered to Celestia.
"For what?" Celestia said.
"Um... Pinkie's being a little...." Twilight began.
However, Celestia chuckled before saying, "Don't worry; she's fine."
"No, Princess, you don't have to-" Twilight said, holding her hands up.
"It really is," Celestia reassured her. "I'm not bothered at all by her. I find her quite entertaining, actually."
Twilight sighed. "Oh, that's good," she said, smiling relievedly. "I was worried you'd be upset...."
"You needn't worry, Dear," Celestia said. However, she then noticed that someone had gone absent as she was conversing with Twilight.
"Where's Spike?" Celestia said, looking around. Twilight heard a tinge of concern in her voice.
"He might've gone to his room to go to bed," Twilight said. "It is getting pretty late, after all. He just came because me and the other girls came, anyway."
Celestia nodded. "I see," she said.
A small, mischievous smile spread over Cadance's lips. "Speaking of bed," she said, before taking Shining's hand and standing on her tiptoes to whisper something in his ear. Twilight saw Shining's eyes widen slightly as his face began to flush, then when Cadance had fallen back to her feet, he cleared his throat.
"Um... I think Cadance and I will turn in for the night, too," he said. He gave Twilight one more hug, saying, "Good night, Twily."
After Cadance had hugged Twilight and bid her goodbye, as well, she joined hands with Shining, then the two of them made their way to Cadance's bedchambers together.
Luna chuckled. "Tell me, sister," she said, "how long has Shining been with our niece?"
"Nearly ten years, now," Celestia replied.
"Have they always been so unable to keep their hands off of each other?"
"Of course."
Luna chuckled again. "No doubt she's the Goddess of Love. Even I don't make love as often as they do."
"Uh...." Twilight said, gazing uncomfortably at Luna.
"Hmm?" Luna said, giving a puzzled expression back to Twilight. "What's wrong, fair Twilight?" she said.
Celestia tapped Luna's shoulder. "In modern times," she softly explained, "it is not considered polite to discuss Beings'... intimate lives, particularly to their relatives."
"Oh!" Luna said, blushing lightly. She looked away, clearing her throat. "My apologies, Twilight," she said with genuine remorse.
"It's alright," Twilight said, laughing nervously.
After shaking her head, Twilight said, "How is it to be back, Princess Luna?"
"Just 'Luna,' please," Luna replied, gently smiling. "There's no need for formality between us."
Twilight nodded, beaming.
"I must say that I have quite enjoyed being back on earth so far," Luna said. "It is nothing short of completely exhilarating, though I suppose anything would have been that way, after being sealed for a thousand years-"
Luna was interrupted, however, by a noblewoman, who said to her, "It is an honor to meet you, Princess," as she curtsied to her.
Luna blinked at the noblewoman, then nodded to her. "The honor is mine," she said, holding out her hand.
After the noblewoman kissed Luna's hand and walked away, Luna continued, "So anyway, Celestia hasn't given me any duties yet, as I've been settling in and getting used to all of the changes-"
"Might I have an interview, Princess?" said an Elvish man who was accompanied by a photographer. "I am a columnist at Olympus Vogue."
Luna was silent for a moment. "What is that?" she said confusedly to Celestia.
"It's a magazine, Sister," Celestia replied.
"Oh," Luna said. She then turned back to the columnist and said, "Very well. Ask away."
Twilight watched Luna begin answering questions from the interviewer for a few minutes, then sighed. She hadn't gotten much chance to speak to Luna so far....
Out in the courtyard, Rarity laughed at a joke that Blueblood had told her. "The aristocrats? Oh, Blueblood, you rascal!"
"It's not very ladylike to laugh at it, either," Prince Blueblood replied, smirking at her.
"I suppose you're right," Rarity said, chuckling. "Still, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time...."
"Hey, look at that," Blueblood said, gazing at a rosebush. Rarity looked at it as well, then gasped. One particular rose was beautiful beyond any of the others; it was as red as blood, with a vibrantly green stem and large leaves. There were no flaws, bruises, or tears anywhere on it.
"What a beautiful rose!" Rarity said, her eyes wide and enraptured.
"Indeed," Blueblood said, smiling. A faint, blue glow came from the backs of his gloves as he magically cut the stem, then he levitated the rose to his hand and said, "A flower of such magnificence ought to decorate someone worthy of it."
Blueblood turned to Rarity, and Rarity gasped; she began to reach out, and prepared to thank Blueblood for the gift.
However, Blueblood cut the stem again, then placed it in his lapel. "I think it goes quite nicely with my coat," he said. "Don't you think so, Rarity?"
Rarity stared, stunned, at Blueblood for a few moments, then said, "Y-yes, it does...."
Blueblood grinned. "Very good," he said. "So, shall we get some punch?" he said.
"Y-yes, of course!" Rarity hastily replied.
She took Blueblood's arm again, though she noticed as she walked that the romantic mood that had been between them wasn't quite as strong as before....
In Celestia's private garden, Fluttershy had looked for several minutes for more animals, to no avail. She began softly singing as she strolled through the trees; however, she eventually heard some whistling repeating her melody, then gasped and began following the sound, continuing to sing.
"Hello, little friend-!" she cried as she turned the corner to see the whistling's source. However, it was simply an old Human gardener, who was whistling as he trimmed some hedges.
The gardener gazed at Fluttershy, then smiled warmly and said, "Well, good evenin', miss. Was that you who was singin' just now?"
"Y-yes...." Fluttershy softly replied.
"Well, it was mighty purty," the gardener said. He continued whistling as he continued working.
With a disappointed sigh, Fluttershy began her search for more animals again.
Once Applejack had set up all of the food on her stand, she was delighted to hear Rainbow shout over from across the room, "Hey guys, that's my friend Applejack! You've got to try some of her stuff! It's amazing!"
Applejack looked up to see Rainbow Dash, accompanied by the Wonderbolts, approaching her food stand. "Howdy there, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack cried. "What can I get for ya?"
Rainbow held up all five fingers on her right hand and two on her left as she said, "Get seven apple tarts for me and these guys, here, would ya? I'll pay."
Applejack winked. "Comin' right up!" she said. She promptly served seven apple tarts to Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts, who all ate them, praised them as being delicious, and warmly thanked Applejack for them.
Once they had all gone, Applejack whooped and cheered, "Yeeee-haw! Fourteen gold pieces already! Why, at this rate, Ah'm gonna have a small fortune by the end of the night!"
However, as the night drew on, Applejack found that nobody else approached her dessert cart. It was a little after midnight when she groaned and wondered aloud, "What am Ah doin' wrong...?"
As they were finishing their apple tarts, the Wonderbolts returned to the seats they'd reserved for the evening. Rainbow, however, was shocked to see someone sitting in one of the chairs:
It was Lightning Dust, her former friend from Flight Camp.
Lightning Dust was only a little larger than Rainbow, and her hair was short and slicked back. Her hair and eyes were both golden, and she was the only Wonderbolt wearing a dress: a tight, mint-colored ballgown.
Once Lightning Dust's gaze met Rainbow's, she gasped before glaring and saying, "You-!"
"What're you doing here?!" Rainbow said, glaring back and pointing at her.
Lightning Dust smirked. "Didn't you hear?" she said mockingly. "I'm a Wonderbolt now, duh. I see that you still aren't."
Rainbow growled. "And I suppose that you haven't come out yet?" she said with icy softness.
Lighting Dust sneered. "That's none of your business," she said.
"You're a fucking traitor," Rainbow muttered. "Maybe I should tell the whole world that you're a lesbian, too, right now."
"No one's gonna believe you," Lightning Dust said with a smirk. She picked up a glass of wine as she jerked her head toward one of the younger male Wonderbolts. "See that guy there? That's Thunderclap. He's another new recruit, and he's also my boyfriend now."
"It can't be that fun to let him pound you," Rainbow said. She added with a nasty grin, "How do you deal with it? Do you pretend that his dick is my tongue?"
"You should get over yourself," Lightning Dust spat.
Rainbow scoffed. "More likely, you're cheating with other girls all the time," she muttered. "Perhaps I should suggest that to him?"
"If you even think about saying a word to anyone," Lighting growled dangerously, "I'm going to open your throat while you're sleeping."
Rainbow and Lightning stared each other down for a few moments, then Rainbow turned away and spat, "Fine. While you're out there blowing some dude, I'm gonna go out and get some pussy."
"Maybe you'll role play being a Wonderbolt while you're eating her out, then," Lightning replied with a cruel laugh.
Shooting her another glare, Rainbow sullenly walked away.
Though all of the girls' spirits were now very low, after brooding for a few minutes, they all simultaneously decided: no. This was not how the night was going to end. No matter what bumps came along the way, they were all going to do whatever it took to have the best night ever.