Chapter Eleven "Alone in the Gala Part I"
Canterlot, truly a kingdom of beauty, stood like a beacon of luminous light in the night. Ponies gathered from all around Equestria and made their way into the castle. Just outside of the main gate arrived a pair of carriages, each towed by four stallions. Once the first came to a complete stop, the side door flew open and out bounced Pinkie Pie, who wore a smile as bright as her sky blue dress. The buildings around her practically sparkled, much like the stars in her eyes.
"It's even prettier than I remember!" she cheered, bouncing in place.
Applejack emerged from the carriage with a dress that matched her emerald irises. "Calm down now, Pinkie. We just got here," she calmly suggested, unaware her grin was just as wide as her friend's.
Right behind the blonde, Fluttershy quietly trotted out of the carriage with a leaf-colored dress as green as the forest and as dainty as her figure. She closed her eyes and giggled, softly agreeing to Applejack's statement. Rainbow Dash stepped out but stopped the moment her rainbow-patterned dress landed on the ground. Her expression turning blank, she poked her head back inside of the carriage.
"Twilight, stop worrying and come on!"
No response. Rainbow exhaled before she hopped back inside, causing Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy to stare at the opened door with question. After a brief moment of point-counterpoint banter between the two, Twilight clumsily staggered out of the carriage but managed to recollect her balance once she landed amongst her friends. Her hooves began pacing in place underneath her blue star-patterned dress, which only fueled the majority of her friend's befuddlement. Rainbow Dash, however, clopped her hooves together, managing to snap the unicorn from her daydream.
"Look, I don't know what you're so worried about, but it's really getting out of hoof," she said roughly. Rainbow's posture remained firm, but once the mare sighed lowly, she allowed an apologetic smile to surface. "You've been like this all day. I just want to know what's wrong."
Twilight's mind continued to endlessly scold her for her acts of ignorance. Not only would her teacher find out that her supposed 'prized' student neglected her duties, but her supposed friend would learn that Twilight wasn't as trustworthy as she'd like to be. This truth felt as heavy as the weight of an Ursa Major, and Twilight could not bear to keep it hidden for much longer.
She let out a defeated sigh. Perhaps it was time her friends learned he truth about the book. Twilight opened her mouth, but before any words could have been formed, the door to the second carriage opened, causing everypony's gaze to shift in its direction. First, Spike rushed out, wearing a black tux top with a red bow tie snapped perfectly below his chin. As he held the door open in a chivalrous manner, Rarity emerged, sporting a crimson dress that held several diamonds within its seams.
Though Rarity stood with beauty and grace (as usual), something was noticeably amiss about the mare. Her cheeks were stained with a deep shade of crimson, and considering her coat was as white as snow, it was impossible to not notice. This oddity only added to Twilight's ever-growing anxiousness thus adding more negative thoughts to her mind.
"Rarity..." Twilight called out before her frantic mind intruded.'Why does she look so flushed? Is it because she's embarrassed? That means Peter's outfit must look horrible!'She shook her head.'Thatmust be the case! It explains why she's so quiet. Somepony as proud as Rarity would never claim anything hideous!'Her hooves began shuffling in place, displaying her nervousness.'This is not good. Peter will make a horrible first impression if he comes dressed like a slob! Princess Celestia will never forgive me for letting this happen!'
"Twilight, dear."
"Yes?!" Twilight blurted out in response to Rarity's calm yet concerned voice.
Rarity only giggled. "You were acting rather... gittery." Her half-closed eyes beamed while her flushed features grew hotter. "Is everything all right?"
Twilight stood with her mouth agape for a moment as she stammered, "Gittery? I'm not acting g-gittery! Besides, I was just curious about Peter." Her stare turned blank. "From the look on your face, I figured Peter must look absolutely terrible or something."
Much to Twilight's surprise, instead of raising her defenses, Rarity merely closed her eyes and huffed. "I must admit, the result is not quite what I was expecting."
"So hedoeslook terrible?" Twilight voice filled with concern.
"Terrible?! Why would I think that?" Rarity gasped, giving her friend an offended look. However, her glare dissipated, reverting back to its starry gaze from earlier. "Darling," Rarity paused to place her hooves over her crimson-stained cheeks, "Peter looksmagnificent."
Everypony stared at the snow white unicorn for several moments. Rarity's comment gave Twilight some form of relief, but the lack of an actual sighting of said Parker gave the mare plenty reason to remain skeptical. At the very least, she knew Rarity well enough to call her bluffs.
Twilight's lips curled into a coy smile. "Magnificent, you say? If that's so, why hasn't he come out yet?"
Silence was her only response it seemed, giving Twilight a sense of victory, but it proved to be for naught when Rarity giggled softly. "Believe it or not, Peter's quite self-conscious and shy." Her smile deepened. "It's cute honestly."
Raising her brow, Twilight tilted her head to the side while Spike rolled his eyes, grumbling incoherently. Before she could question whether there was truth to Rarity's statement or not, Rainbow Dash exhaled loudly enough for everypony to glance in her direction.
"I don't care how shy Parker is! The Gala's about to start, and we're wasting time out here!" Rainbow barked. The last of her patience dwindled, she trotted past Rarity and Twilight with a glare in her eyes. "Stop being a filly, or so help me, I'll drag you out myself, Peter!"
For the second time today, Rainbow Dash was not deemed the courtesy of an immediate response. Having believed the need for subtlety was long gone, Rainbow growled as she readied to leap inside the carriage. Luckily, that same moment, a hoof appeared from inside the door and gestured a wave of surrender. Considering how fast and strong Rainbow was, combined with his diminishing strength, Peter knew his options were limited.
At the very least, he would save himself the humiliation of being mare-handled in public.
Slowly but surely, Peter gathered his nerve and stepped into the bright lights of the castle, allowing everypony to see Rarity's work at last. He wore a navy blue overcoat with crimson red accents and matching pants. The suit was not loose on his frame nor was it too tight. It hugged his body just right to allow easy movement and to show his slender yet athletic figure.
Peter, much like Rarity earlier, bore a blush as red as his bow tie. With his gaze fixed on the ground and mild pout on his face, it was clear Peter was more embarrassed than anything else would have suggested. It only worsened when nopony offered any critique, only awkward silence. This caused Peter to scratch the back of his head in a pitiful attempt to ease the tension.
"Hey, don't just stand there. Somebody- ugh. Somepony- say something. I know, as weird as it seems, I'm more comfortable wearing spandex than this," he sheepishly chuckled, pausing to gaze at his own figure. "I rarely dressed up like this at home, back where wearing pants was mandatory, so you canimaginehow awkward this is for me."
His mind snorted."Heck, I didn't even know it was physically possible for a horse to evenwearpants..."
"If I may?"
Rarity finally spoke, walking up to Peter until she was a couple of inches away. Her horn glowed with magical energy before the same happened to the tie underneath Peter's neck. Loosening slightly, the tie rearranged itself properly, appearing in better condition than it had previously. Rarity peeked up at Peter, giving the colt an affirming smile.
"You look quite dashing, darling."
Peter rolled his eyes in an attempt to avoid Rarity's gorgeous, piercing gaze but was unable to shake his lingering wave of embarrassment, evident by the wide grin on his face.
"Thanks, Rarity, but you look a million times better than me even on a bad day."
Her large eyes widened. The mare turned her head and giggled, struggling to maintain her composure. "Peter, I'm going to melt if you keep talking like that!"
"Dashing? That's just fancy talk, Rare" Applejack said, politely intruding between the pair. Her lips curled into a playful smirk once she sat her emerald irises on Peter. "You should just say the fella looks handsome." She winked. "And then some."
Pinkie Pie bounced into the conversation. "I especially like the colors! The blue and red are just like your Spider-Mane-"
Her sentence was cut short when Peter's hoof flew over her mouth. He scanned his environment, fearful somepony may have overheard something, but after a few moments, Peter finally let out a relieved sigh.
"We're still keeping that a secret, remember?" He paused to remove his hoof from Pinkie's mouth. After he tugged at his collar and grinned at his designer. "Glad you noticed though. Rarity thought it'd be a nicesubtletouch."
Pinkie's brow furrowed as if her mind was registering everything it had been told. Peter, Rarity, and Applejack watched the pink mare, awaiting her response with a mixture of patience and worry. When Pinkie finally gave a simple nod, they all couldn't help but exhale softly. With that disaster averted, Peter turned to Twilight, who had been eerily quiet considering the ruckus she was causing earlier, and trotted over to her side.
However, Peter stopped in his tracks at an unusual sight. Twilight's gaze was purely centered on him, but judging from the distant stare in her violet irises, combined with her partly-opened mouth, it was clear was blissfully unaware of her own staring. Soft chuckles escaped from the colt. Though he hated to admit it to himself, the mares around him were becoming more attractive by the day.
Pushing that thought to the back of his nagging mind, Peter waved his hoof across Twilight's face, awaiting any reaction of the sort. After a brief moment, Twilight gasped aloud and shook her head madly. Her entire face turned beet red, though it was already like that the second Peter walked out of the carriage.
Thankfully, Twilight recollected her senses and placed her hoof over her mouth to clear her throat. Sadly, her execution was sloppy, quite evident by the persistent blush that refused to leave her cheeks and the flushed expression in her eyes.
Peter's smile grew in width.'She's... really cute sometimes.'His mind huffed condescendingly.'For a horse, anyway.'
"Well, I don't look too bad, right?" he said half-heartedly, tuning out his mind's wishy-washy complaints.
Twilight stood like an aged oak in the raging storm wind, struggling to maintain any form of footing. Her mind was already withstanding a flurry of thoughts, but now it seemed a new wave of thoughts entered the stream, threatening to over-flood her mind.
Namely she was paying a great deal of attention to detail on Peter's image, and what made it mind-numbing was that a part of her being didn't mind it.
'Were his shoulders always so broad? He's never combed his mane. Maybe he should do it more often? I'm just noticing how his mane matches his eyes? Also... what is that cologne he's wearing? It smells so-"
Her eyes grew blank. Why was she thinking about him like that? Her frustration became evident in the form of a rough groan. She resisted Peter's banter, turning her back to avoid his gaze.
"You look fantastic by the way," Peter softly said, striking Twilight's essence to the core.
She dared not to face him, but the sincerity in his voice made the choice difficult to follow. Twilight then stole a glance out of the corner of her eyes, determined to find some form of doubt in Peter's body language. That choice proved to be fruitless once she saw an honest smile on Peter's face, proving his words were earnest.
The inside of her chest grew hot. Against her will, Twilight's lips curled into a smile.
"You look nice, too," she whispered, her heart threatening to leap out of her chest. Shaking her head once more, Twilight managed to break free from her trance. "I m-mean you look decently e-enough for Celestia," she stammered, kicking Rainbow Dash in the side. "You think so, too, right?"
Rainbow Dash shifted her head from Twilight to Peter. The blue pony's words fell into her throat, and it felt as if they fell into her stomach once everypony's gaze fell in her direction. She had never been the type to openly compliment anypony, let alone a colt, but this one time, Rainbow actually felt Peter looked especially-
The temperature in her face rising, Rainbow did the only rational thing available at the moment.
"Fluttershy! What do you think?" she said, zipping past everypony and stopping alongside the meek Pegasus. Rainbow forcefully laughed off her embarrassment. "You haven't said anything since Parker stepped out. Tell everypony what you think!"
Fluttershy gave no verbal response, which was not surprising to anypony, but both Rarity's and Twilight's jaw nearly landed on the ground at a peculiar sight. Fluttershy's ocean blue gaze had remained centered on Peter since his emergence from the carriage, and the blush on her yellow features seemed to have only grown hotter over the course of time.
However, this was not what disturbed Rarity and Twilight, but it was the wings on Fluttershy's back. They stood perked and stiff for all to see, and poor Fluttershy had not even noticed.
Rarity's face was no redder than a tomato. "Fluttershy! That is very unladylike!"
Fluttershy's eyes grew as wide as saucers at the outburst. She quickly tried to explain herself, but it came more off like apologizing. Twilight and Rarity in turn scolded Fluttershy for her act of indecency while Rainbow Dash laughed uproariously. Her laughter was cut short when the unicorns pointed out that her wings were perked like Fluttershy's as well.
Peter stood with a baffled look on his face. "What the heck just happened?" He scratched the back of his head, turning his gaze to Applejack. "Was it something I did?"
"Yes and no." The blonde chuckled nervously. "I'll explain it to you later."
As the unicorns continued scolding the Pegasi, Applejack tried her best to repel the building number of questions from Pinkie Pie and Spike, all while Peter watched on. However, in the midst of the chaos, nopony had noticed the blue unicorn hidden underneath the second carriage. Her violet irises remained locked on Peter while a victorious grin formed on her face.
'Now Trixie knows where to find you... Spider-Mane.'
Quite some time had passed since the Grand Galloping Gala officially started. Unlike the last visit, where everypony separated to pursue individual interests, Twilight and the others decided to stay together and enjoy the Gala as a group. Within the main lobby, everypony tried to find some nourishment that best suited their taste. With the exception of Rarity, who fitted in with the high crowd, everypony found it nearly impossible to eat from the dishes of fancy cheeses and escargots.
While the majority of the group argued over where to tour next, Peter quietly strayed away to where a lone mare stood with a harp. Her horn glowed with magical energy as each string of the harp was struck with utmost precision. If not for the beautiful melody she was playing, Peter would have noticed something amiss about the light-aquamarine mare. Unlike most of the ponies that sat completely on their flanks and legs, this one sat upright just like a human. While playing a harp no less.
'I said it once, and I'll say it again. Sometimes I think I'm not in a parallel universe, but that I've finally lost my mind. The ponies sit upright here, too? Here I thought I was doing something when I sat.'
Following the mare's lead, Peter found a chair and decided to take a load off, sitting down upright. Once he was comfortable, his eyes scanned his surroundings. Even though he was given a fresh start, some things would never change. The simple nerd from Queens among the higher class couldn't help but feel out of place. Even though his friends were there, Peter was still a wallflower at heart.
Trapped in his daydream, Peter didn't have the wherewithal to notice the mare playing the harp's melody had abruptly ceased. Sitting with her mouth agape, the mare stared at Peter intently.
"By Celestia, he's sitting like a...! Like a...!" She pushed her harp over, pointing at the colt while her lower lip quivered with excitement. "A human!"
She jumped from her seat and readied to tackle the colt, but the second she made a move, a group of ponies surrounded her. They started complimenting her for performance well done, boxing her in away from her target.
Meanwhile, Peter remained oblivious to the uprising behind him. A low sigh escaped from his mouth. While he was growing to love his new life, he was still an outcast in two forms- a former human among ponies and a normal low-class guy among the high-class. Peter stood from his seat and scratched the back of his ear.
'I'm gonna go get some air. I'll rendezvous with the others later.'
The mare's struggle through the crowd lasted an eternity, but she finally found a way to squirm free. She stumbled to where Peter sat with a grin on her face.
"Haha! I finally made it! Now I was hoping we could talk." She paused to open her eyes, but they quickly filled with tears once they found her target was long gone.
Peter found his way out into the Canterlot gardens, marveling at the numerous animals that lived there. Most avoided him as he wandered deeper into the gardens, but considering he was seeking peace, that worked in his favor.
'This garden sure is huge. It makes sense I guess. Tony Stark spent his money on Iron Man accessories and fancy parties. Celestia spends her money on the castle and gardens. Well, it's amazing what the rich do with a few billion dollars. Or gold here. Whatever it's called.'
"Halt!"
The voice firmly commanded from nearby, sending a chill through Peter's body.
'Oh, crap. I must've stumbled into a forbidden area. I'm either going to be kicked out or thrown into a jail cell. With my luck, it'll be both choices. Too bad I didn't have a chance to try out those cheeses. I was hoping to have Spike take some home.'
He finally turned to the approaching steps from behind, but Peter's eyes widened at the dark blue being that towered over him. While she was not nearly as tall as Celestia, she easily dwarfed Peter by a few inches. Her navy blue mane flowed with the wind, nearly matching the star-lit, dark sky above. Her sky blue eyes stared at Peter with heavy intent, but they widened after what came off as a quick inspection.
"Oh, you are the Outworlder."
To be continued.