Even with the watch tucked away in her gown, Twilight had been counting down the hours, the minutes, the seconds within her head. She had finite time to enjoy the night, and the end inched ever closer. Of course, that also meant her deadline approaching. A stallion’s voice, soft and sweet, reigned in her attention as his portion of the conversation reached its peak.
“... but I think it’s a wonderful night so far. Are you doing well?”
Dull, got it. “Oh, certainly,” Twilight replied, the voice leaving her mouth completely foreign to her, as it was to everypony in attendance. It was an odd sensation, one she couldn’t truly shake. “The masquerade was an inspired choice, truly.” Twilight wondered, as she stared through the eyes of her mask and into those of the mauve-coated stallion, if her attempt to be utterly different was enough.
Yes, everypony in attendance of the Grand Galloping Gala this year was given an enchanted mask which would hide their identities in every conceivable way (a new coat, cutie mark, eye color, mane color, mane style and voice), but a talented, keen observer could surely tell if you knew the pony. One’s vocabulary, the way they carried themselves, the inflection of their voice; all of them were pieces to a puzzle, and a sleuth could put many together.
There was less than an hour left to go, and so far the friendly wager with the girls had gone well. She’d pinned Applejack and Rainbow Dash within the first hour. Applejack couldn’t restrain her country vernacular, while Dash kept fidgeting as a conversation carried on around them. Pinkie Pie had come much later. She just couldn’t resist the chance to lead the Pony Polka.
That left only two coins to attempt to collect: Fluttershy and Rarity. Twilight had a suspicion that, even so many years after they had initially met, Fluttershy wouldn’t have been going out of her way to mingle. She was also sure that Fluttershy could be trusted to not have taken advantage of her closeness with Discord in an attempt to cheat. Then, of course, there was Rarity.
Twilight knew Rarity wouldn’t want to give herself away in the slightest. The masquerade had been her idea, though the execution lay with Twilight’s magical capabilities, and she’d even suggested the wager. There was just a question of how best to go about finding her.
Twilight told her goodbyes to the stallion and wandered back into the crowd. Her eyes darted this way and that. There were dozens of mares she’d only shared a passing look or word with, and a few more that she hadn’t even uttered a word to, so the task might have been insurmountable. Still, three of five wouldn’t have been anything to scoff at, and no one had yet guessed her identity. Perhaps the two of them could simply tie.
No, Twilight wouldn’t settle for that. If any pony could sleuth her way to a decisive victory, it would be her.
The band ended their tune, a waltz, and a crowd of dancers on the ballroom floor dispersed. A lighter, calm tune filled the room in its wake. Then, Twilight saw Dash, or at least her disguise for the evening, trotting away out of the crowd and looking sullen. She must have been outed again, Twilight thought, and she quickly looked to the mares leaving the dance floor.
She didn’t recognize Pinkie or Applejack’s disguises in the crowd. That meant two possibilities, and she kept them at the forefront of her thoughts. Seven mares in total, five of which she’d talked to previous. Three of those were written off in her head already.
First, there was the alabaster pegasus that Twilight caught whispering to a stallion about using their position in the castle to get them a tour. The stallion turned out to be her superior. Second was the light pink earth pony who seemed all too bored with the proceedings, and Twilight had not heard utter a word all night. Twilight was sure neither of the girls would be willing to go that far for the bet. Then there was the bubbly sea green unicorn who’d spent enough time rambling about her canned food business in Trottingham in such detail that Twilight considered, for a moment, that Rarity might have taken the time to write such a detailed backstory for a one-time role; she ended up conceding the chances weren’t high enough.
That left the two she’d spoken to before, and the two she hadn’t. Twilight’s eyes, however, were drawn to only one of them, a mare she hadn’t yet spoken to, or even seen. A unicorn, with a turquoise coat and scarlet mane, done up in a courtly style with a trio of gentle bangs framing the pure white mask on her face. Her gown was a similar shade of red, and flowed about her, almost looking like a part of her. She carried herself with a particular air, one that Twilight couldn’t deny reminded her all too well of Rarity. Perhaps a momentary slip, confident in her chances? Did she oust Applejack and Pinkie as well, or even Fluttershy?
Then, Twilight saw the mare turn her head in her direction, and from so far away she knew for absolute certain that it was to look at her. The seconds continued to count away in her head. No time to waste. Twilight took a steady breath and began to make her way through the hall. Weaving through and past the rest of the crowd, she kept her eyes on the turquoise mare. By the time she’d passed most of the ponies separating them, the mare had turned away from Twilight and trotted over to the edge of the hall, next to a column where a few couples were mingling. She stood alone.
Alright, Twilight, just try to keep an open eye. Any things that would stick out, even the slightest clue, could be key to figuring it out. And keep yourself guarded, she’ll be looking for any sign just as keenly… if it is Rarity. As Twilight came close to the mare, she gave a gentle bow. “I have to say, you caught my eye from across the hall. That is a wonderful dress,” she said calmly, admiring the fabric from up close.
The mare was quiet for a moment, looking Twilight up and down. Her eyes were a light shade of red, but they seemed on fire. She let out a hum, low but quick. “Why thank you, dear. I must say yours is a sight as well.”
Twilight had relied on another dressmaker for the evening, one of those the palace kept in service after Celestia and Luna’s resignation. The gown was a mixture of gold accents and deep purples, and while it clashed a bit with her disguised coat of light orange, she’d gotten a plethora of compliments on it. A nagging fear in the back of her mind was that Rarity would recognize the designer at a glance.
“A Canterlot designer, by chance?” the mare asked, her eyes looking directly into Twilight’s.
Twilight looked away for a moment, but brought her gaze back to the mystery mare’s. “Yes, actually. Yours as well?”
She giggled, covering her mouth with a hoof, before sighing and shaking her head. “Oh, no. I decided to go with somepony from Manehatten. The styles coming from there this year have just been breathtaking. Not that yours isn’t, of course. A preference of style is all.” She held out a hoof. “Scarlet, by the way.”
Twilight reached out to shake Scarlet’s hoof, giving a gentle smile. “Tangerine Dream, but Dream is fine.” She gave a breathy laugh afterwards, trying to seem nervous.
“A pleasure to meet you then, Dream. I must say, it wasn’t only your dress that caught my eye though.”
Twilight felt her mouth relax into the “oh” shape for a few moments before the sound actually escaped her lips. She then gave another nervous laugh, genuinely this time. Did she catch on, or is it just some random pony with an interest in me? “What was it, exactly?”
Scarlet smirked, a confident expression if Twilight had ever seen one, and her eyes continued to burn through her. “Well, you’ve been quite the socialite, from appearances. Everywhere I’ve looked you’ve been mingling with near every pony at the Gala. Your first time?”
That would stick out to Rarity. The best way to determine one of their identities is with clues, and you can’t get those from distant observation. Have I even seen her before, talking to anypony else? It could just as easily be Rarity, couldn’t it? “Oh, yes. I’ve never had the opportunity to come before and… well, this is an interesting first time. Everypony done up in masks and not even looking like yourself, or sounding like yourself! It’s a wondrous bit of magic.”
Another hum escaped Scarlet’s lips, then a short laugh. “Yes, it certainly is. Never seen anything like it in my travels or study. Princess Twilight outdid herself this year.”
Twilight did her best to restrain any pride showing on her face, though she beamed internally. You won’t get me to slip up that easily, Rarity. “So, this isn’t your first Gala?”
“Oh, heavens no. Been coming for… oh, four or five years now. I heard it used to be quite different, back during Celestia and Luna’s rule.”
Images of Twilight’s first year at the Gala flashed in her mind. It had been rather different back then. “Well, I am thankful to get a chance to see it. Mingling with other ponies is a delight, and I’m eager to see what happens at midnight!” Twilight let out another laugh. “Oh, but you said something about your studies?”
Scarlet waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, yes. Art, mostly paintings. Gets you in a lot of high society circles, darling.”
The inflection was too perfect, too practiced. It had to be a slip of Rarity’s. Wait, don’t jump to conclusions, Twilight. You get one guess. If it’s just a random pony, there’s no harm, but… Rarity wouldn’t let something obvious like that slip out, unless she’s sure I’m not me. No, she couldn’t be sure of that yet. “Art? Do you just study the applications, or?”
“Yes, sadly. Never quite had the knack for creating it, but I have a wonderful eye. Composition, form, colors, et cetera, et cetera. Not just paintings, of course. Sculptures, dresses, food… Practically anything can be arranged or built to be pleasing to the eye, to tell a story.”
There’s a hook to follow. Twilight looked down at her dress, shifting under it. “What does my dress say?”
Scarlet paused, rubbing a hoof over her chin. She began to trot around Twilight, eyeing her dress, and stopping now and then to gently pick up a piece of it to inspect closer. By the time she came back to Twilight’s front, she was smiling. “I think they wanted to do an homage. The purples and gold evoke the previous princesses well. There’s even a few hems made with silver thread. On the purple, they almost look like stars at the right viewing angle. I’d say the designer certainly fancied Luna a bit more.”
The designer, Moonlight Silhouette, had done more of Luna’s gowns than Celestia’s, it was true. Twilight hadn’t even given her any guidelines for the dress either, just to make something “nice.” Perhaps “not evocative of royalty” would have also been helpful for laying low, but that was in the past. “Just an homage? Nothing more?”
“Well, I think there could be some things to say about the way the gold accents are framed beneath the purples, but that does get into the abstract. Every pony wears a dress differently, after all. Care to make an assumption of mine?” She stuck a pose, lifting her chin with a forehoof while sticking her rear legs out a bit. Once again, a gentle reminder of Rarity.
Twilight didn’t take the time to circle Scarlet in kind. “I’m certainly no art expert, but it seems like you want to stick out. The red obviously grabs the attention from far away, even out of the corner of one’s eyes, and it makes your coat stick out a bit. Your mane already does that, but the effect is more... pronounced.”
Scarlet smiled and laughed. “Well, it certainly did attract the eye of a beautiful mare this evening, at the least.”
Twilight couldn’t hold back the flush on her cheeks, or stop her mouth from hanging open. “I… well, I… thanks?” She’s so like Rarity. Is she? Just acting like herself with a coat of paint, a new background? She wouldn’t do something like that, would she? Even Dash might have found her out on a guess. However, what if she expects that conclusion? It’d be so obvious that she’s basically being herself that I’d assume it an impossibility.
As Twilight puzzled over the possibilities, her expression was unchanging. Scarlet laughed, the smile on her face widening. “Have I struck a nerve, Twilight?”
But if she knows that I know that she knows that… wait. She finally shook her head, closing her mouth, though still wearing the blush on her cheeks. The rules were clear. She reached into her gown, pulling out a small silver coin with her cutie mark embossed on one side. Passing it over to Scarlet, the mare took it in her hoof and slid it into her gown.
There was enough time left in the night to have a chance to guess, but Twilight let the minutes tick down. Scarlet and her continued their conversation, two masks talking to one another. By the time the final minutes of the Masquerade were ticking down, Twilight would finally have a chance to guess.
It’s 50/50 now. No, I’m one hundred percent certain. Five minutes left. Aren’t I? I mean, it could be Fluttershy, but… Four minutes left. Do I want it to be? Two minutes left.
As the final minute came, all in the Gala began to gather in the main hall, an announcement to all signalling that the unmasking would come soon. Take a guess. Fifty seconds. What’s there to lose? Forty seconds. Twilight turned to Scarlet, who smiled back at her. Thirty seconds.
Twilight bit her lower lip, trying to force the words out. What if it’s just a mask? Twenty seconds. It’ll end if… Ten seconds. “Did you mean what you said, Rarity?” she finally muttered out, as ponies in the crowd began to count down.
Scarlet laughed, leaning against Twilight. “Even with a mask, you lack a bit of boldness, Twilight.” As the countdown finished, Rarity passed a coin to Twilight. The masks came off, and Twilight closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was a few heads taller than Rarity. She leaned down to nuzzle her, and on the way was met by a pair of lips against hers.