The Day of the Grand Galloping Gala
“When you said you wanted help with an ‘unusual’ request, this was not exactly what I was expecting,” Rarity said, her eyes staring at the floor of Luna’s bedchamber. From what Trixie knew of her she would have thought Rarity would be more entranced by the fine linens and curtains or something (dressmakers liked that kind of stuff too, right?), but she had to admit that the giant glowing circle of runes in the middle of the floor were probably more interesting.
“I do apologize for the sudden change in plans, Rarity, but this was a rather spur of the moment idea…well, as spur of the moment a week’s worth of planning could be,” Luna said, her attention focused on the spell book in front of her. “Did you bring the dress?”
“Oh, right,” Rarity said, her attention snapped back to the current situation by the princess’s words. “Are you sure you’re okay with such a simple dress, though? And, more importantly, are you sure this is going to fit you”
Rarity levitated the dress and a box of something over to a nearby rack, her face wracked with uncertainty as she did so. The dress was rather simple in design: two layers, one purple and one black, tightened at the waist and a deep v-cut that was framed with a black collar. The more interesting fact about it, however, was that the dress looked like it was designed for a mare only slightly bigger than Trixie, not the larger frame of a full grown alicorn princess.
“Just wait and see. Trust me, it’ll be amazing,” Trixie said from her place on the bed. “Come, sit, I got popcorn,” she added, shaking a small bag of popcorn.
Rarity looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Why do you have popcorn?”
“Please take a seat, Rarity,” Luna said, closing the book as she turned around and stepped towards the circle of runes. “It would be much easier to simply show you than to explain. However, before doing so, you must promise us that you will not reveal what you are about to see to anyone.”
“Why, o-of course I will keep all ‘this’ secret. But what exactly is ‘this’?” Rarity said, simply standing by the bed.
“Well, you see, Rarity, after that evening at Fancy Pants’s party, I had a thought about how I could practice connecting with ponies without the pressures of being a princess,” Luna said, both her horn and the runic circle glowing with a deep, navy blue color.
“And what did you decide to do?” Rarity asked.
“Simple: I will not be a princess,” Luna said, smiling before she was engulfed with a swirl of magical energy. In seconds the energy formed into a ball of dense, swirling patterns before floating into the air.
Rarity took a step back, aghast at the sight. Trixie, meanwhile, continued to nibble on popcorn, which just got a reaction of befuddlement from the white-coated mare.
“Trixie, the princess is in a levitating ball of magic, and you’re eating popcorn?!”
“Yeah, we’ve kind of already cast this spell a few times already as practice, and it is quite the light show, so why not enjoy a snack?” Trixie replied as the room was engulfed in an ever-shifting glow of blues and purples.
“But what is the spell?”
“You might want to close your eyes,” Trixie said as she did so.
Before Rarity could ask why, however, the glow exploded into a blinding flash. Once things had calmed down, and there were no more blinking dots in her retinas, Rarity could finally get a look at where Luna had been standing.
“Oh dear Celestia, what did you just do?” she gasped.
“I would like to note the irony in invoking my sister’s name like that in my presence” Luna said, but her voice was different. It was quieter, softer, lacking the same impact as her normal speaking voice. “Or I would do so, were I not just a normal pegasus pony who was not in any way related to Princess Celestia.”
“See, told you it’d be amazing,” Trixie said, moving off the bed – the popcorn bag thrown off to the side somewhere - to stand next to Luna, wanting to see for herself what the final draft of the princess’s new appearance looked like.
“I still think I should be the taller one,” Trixie said, pouting a little that she still had to tilt her head up to look at her mentor.
Still, it was a much shorter trip for her head as the once tall and proud alicorn was now just a Pegasus only a few inches taller than Trixie. The alicorn influence was not completely gone, however, as Luna retained the slimness of an alicorn, giving her a frame that would probably make Fleur de Lis a little jealous. Luna’s new coat was a few shades darker than Trixie’s own, but it was similar enough that Trixie thought they could pass off as sisters or cousins. Which, actually, kind of was the plan. Considering Rarity’s jaw was still dropped, however, Trixie figured they’d share that latter.
“And as I said before, it was disorienting being that short. Besides, I believe I can pull off being your older relative so much better,” Luna said shaking her head a bit to get the gray-blue colored mane out of her face before turning towards Rarity. “So, what do you think? Would I be able to blend into the crowd?”
There was a moment of silence as Rarity still looked at the whole scene, only reacting once Trixie walked over and poked her.
“Are-are you no longer an alicorn?”
“Yes and no,” Luna said, standing still for another awkward moment. “Oh, right, I do not have magic. I keep forgetting that.”
Luna flew over to the table and returned with the spell book, opening it to the relevant page.
“You see, after the party, Trixie and I discussed how Twilight was able to remain good friends with the ponies of Ponyville because they had a chance to know her before she became an alicorn. No pony alive today would have known me in such a manner, except my sister of course. To every pony else, however, I am Nightmare Moon or Princess Luna, but no pony knows me as just ‘Luna.’”
“So - ” Trixie said, joining Luna back at her side “- we had the idea to see if there was a way to let every pony meet her as ‘just Luna’, and what would you know, there was. Kind of.”
“I’m still kind of lost here,” Rarity said, finally relenting to sitting on the edge of the bed, still debating the need for a fainting couch or not.
“Well, we first thought about doing an age spell,” Luna said. “But we were concerned how that might interfere with my alicorn nature. Ascendance to being an alicorn changes the very fundamental nature of your being. Casting a de-aging spell would simply make me a younger alicorn, similar to how I looked the day you and your friends purged me of the darkness that was Nightmare Moon.”
“Plus, after the stunts I pulled under that amulet, I kind of didn’t want to mess with age spells,” Trixie added.
“Yes, I do recall you using those in your duel with Twilight,” Rarity replied. “I believe Snails still has an odd taste for prune juice because of it.”
Trixie winced. “Well, it’ll help with his digestion at least?”
“Since an age spell wasn’t appropriate -” Luna continued “– we decided to instead to tap into some powerful transformation and glamour spells to, effectively, recreate my appearance from before my sister and I were alicorns. With some adjustments, of course, to help sell a story that I am a distant cousin of Trixie’s.”
“So, let me make sure I understand this,” Rarity said, clapping her hooves together before leaning towards the two. “In order to help Princess Luna relate to pony’s better, the two of you decided – and I do apologize for questioning your judgement in this, princess – but the two of you decided to transform her into a pegasus and then claim she is a cousin of yours?”
“Well, my sister has an amulet that lets her do the same thing, but I had thought it too risky to borrow that from her,” Luna replied.
“Wait, Princess Celestia also…oh, quick, please, somepony get me a couch,” Rarity said, a forehoof moving to her forehead.
“Uh, you’re already on a bed?” Trixie replied.
“Oh. Right,” Rarity said before falling backwards in a properly dramatic fainting motion. “This is too much. What if Discord turns rogue? What if some other ancient evil frees itself and comes for the castle? What if somepony asks me where Princess Luna is and I’m forced to hide such a juicy secret from them!? It’d be practically torture!” Rarity said.
“Your priorities are rather odd, Rarity,” Luna said, walking over to the rack and inspecting the dress before beginning to put it on. “But, I do say, you did a fantastic job of making a dress that’ll fit this body of mine for not having even seen it before.”
“Yes, well, it does make the job somewhat easy when a client sends over a full litany of measurements,” Rarity replied. “Then again, that is also probably quite easy to do when you’re custom ordering your appearance,” she said, rolling onto her stomach. “Seriously, do you not think that this is a little drastic, your majesty?”
“Wow, Rarity, I didn’t think you’d be that hostile to this idea,” Trixie said. “I mean, it’s basically just a giant game of dress up. You like that kind of stuff, right?
“First off, this is obviously bigger than just a game of dress up, and so is my work for that matter,” Rarity snapped back. “And second, it’s not that I’m hostile to the idea, Trixie. In fact, I’m quite sympathetic to Princess Luna’s dilemma, and as a fashion designer I can also understand how empowering it can be to change one’s appearance. It is just that this is a bit…more drastic than trying a new style,” she continued, taking a moment to breathe before continuing. “But, if the Princess feels she needs to do this, then I will be one-hundred percent supportive.”
“I am glad to hear that, Rarity,” Luna said, smiling. “I do understand your concerns about the safety of the kingdom, however, but I assure you this is only temporary. Such powerful magic often requires a bit of a cost to it, and so I built in an ‘it ends at midnight’ clause to it, so it is very short duration.”
“It ends at midnight?” Rarity replied flatly.
“Yeah, I told her it was a bit too fairytale-ish, but we do really only need her to be like this for a couple hours so, eh, why not? Better than requiring a ‘true love’s kiss’ or something really hard to get,” Trixie said with a shrug.
“Yes, I am sure that Equestria will not fall apart in the few hours it takes me to ‘mingle’,” Luna said, her wings finally popping through the holes that had been put into the dress for them. “So, how do I look, uhm, again?”
Rarity took a deep breath and then smiled. “You look fabulous, Prince - I mean, darling,” Rarity said, looking like her nerves were finally calming down. “Actually, what are we supposed to call you?”
“We were thinking Serena? We had thought maybe Lulu, but that was too obvious, and then her full name would have been Lulu Lulamoon, and that’s just weird,” Trixie replied.
“Lulamoon?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah, Lulamoon. That’s my family’s name, and I’m helping her get into the party by claiming she’s a distant relative of mine who has always wanted to go the Gala but never could because of how busy her struggling career at being a musical theater performer in Manehattan has kept her oh so busy and…”
“Okay, okay, I do not need the full fake backstory” Rarity said, glancing at Trixie before looking back at Luna. “Anyway, I think Serena is a lovely name.”
With that, Rarity got off the bed, using her magic to open the box she had set aside by the dresses. Not surprising, it was sewing supplies, and immediately she began to use those supplies to adjust the dress. “Now then, let’s make sure this dress is absolutely perfect, Serena,” she said with a wink.
About an hour later or so Rarity was done adjusting the dress. While she was at it she had also done Luna’s hair and makeup, and just overall made the mare presentable for the Gala. When she was done with that, she proceeded to do the same to Trixie, though that did require a bit more fighting on Rarity’s part. As a showmare, Trixie was rather adamant she could do mane and makeup herself, but ultimately relented. Apparently when fashion was on the line, Rarity could not be stopped.
“There, you two look absolutely fabulous,” Rarity said, stepping back too look over her work.
Trixie’s dress was slightly fancier than Luna’s, but had a similar style. A dark purple under layer with a light purple top and trail that had little stars throughout that made it look similar to her stage cape. It was accented with a light-blue belt made of small stones, and some nice blue-star earrings. Luna’s own outfit was accessorized with black shoes, though she rejected Rarity’s offer of a black tiara. Too ‘royal’ for her undercover mission and all.
“Yes, I believe that I will perfectly blend into the rest of the ponies attending the Gala,” Luna said, looking over herself.
“Normally I would be offended somepony said my dresses simply ‘blend in’, but considering your goals for tonight I’ll take it as a compliment,” Rarity said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that they’re talking all about this dress,” Trixie said, spinning a bit, the dress designed so that there was a bit of a swishing motion when twirled that made it almost feel like a cape. “And, of course, the pony wearing it.”
“Yes, I do wish you luck in your goal of becoming the best guest the Gala has ever seen, Trixie,” Rarity said as she began to pack her stuff.
“Are you leaving already, Rarity? Are you not attending the Gala?” Luna replied.
“Sadly, no, Pri-Serena,” Rarity said, catching herself on the name. “After my last time at the Gala, I decided it would be best to take a break from them.”
“She means your nephew didn’t send her an invite because he’s still mad about how she embarrassed him,” Trixie added.
“Trixie! I was trying to be polite!” Rarity replied.
“Why? Not like he was polite to you. No need to cover for him in front of ‘Serena’, right?”
Rarity just sighed “Trixie, there is a certain charm to your bluntness, but that’s just not how things work in high society.”
“I, however, disagree. You are one of Equestria’s finest and deserve a spot at the Gala, Rarity,” Luna said firmly. “In fact, that is quite rude of him to deny you a spot due to some past misfortunes. In fact, I should march right down there and order him to give you a ticket.”
“Oh, there’s no need to make such a fuss over it. I’m perfectly fine not attending the biggest social event of the season, with Canterlot’s most famous, with all those potential connections,” Rarity said, her voice drifting off before she shook her head. “Besides, you’re not the Princess right now, remember. I doubt that he’ll be willing to let me in just because ‘Serena’ told him too.”
“Right, he wouldn’t, would he,” Luna said, looking at herself, her look of determination melting away rather quickly.
“Still, I appreciate the thought,” Rarity said, closing up her box. “Now then, I guess I should be off. You two have a wonderful night.”
Just as Rarity was about to leave, however, Trixie called out.
“Wait, before you go, do you have a moment? I wanted to refresh my memory on some of those manners and stuff we went over,” Trixie said, smiling nervously.
“I suppose I can stick around to make sure you’re fully prepared. I do recall you had particular trouble remembering the silverware setup,” Rarity replied.
“It’s not my fault! There’s no need for so many forks!” Trixie said, eliciting a giggle from Luna.
“Well, I suppose I will be heading down to the entrance with our tickets. Meet you there, ‘cousin’,” Luna said, winking and giggling before leaving the room. Once the door was closed, Trixie grabbed Rarity by the shoulders.
“Okay, seriously, you have got to help me. I’m freaking out here!”
“Ease up, darling,” Rarity said, pushing Trixie away. “Why are you panicking? You’ve been absolutely wonderful at our meetings, other than the silverware. Are you seriously that worried about the silverware?”
“The silverware, the curtsies, the dancing, everything! Helping Luna with this spell has taken a lot of work, and I had to learn a lot of magic stuff real fast,” Trixie said, pacing back and forth. “And so I kind of forgot to actually practice all that stuff, and when I tried to recall any of it I just… I just blanked, okay. I forgot all the fancy schmancy stuff, and I’m going to go out there and look like an idiot. It’s going to be a mess. Maybe not as big a mess as your last Gala – “
“Hey!”
“Sorry,” Trixie said, taking the moment to pause and breath. “Look, this is something that is very easy to fix, okay? You just got to trust me.”
“I am not liking the sound of this already,” Rarity replied.
“Sound of what?”
“It already sounds like you have another ‘magical’ solution up your sleeves here, and considering how extreme the other one is, I’m afraid to find out what this new one is.”
“Oh relax, would you,” Trixie said, flipping the pages of the spell book before putting a hoof on one page in particular. “There, it’s a knowledge transfer spell. We touch heads, think some thoughts, let some magical energy flow, and poof, I’ll know everything you know about Gala stuff. Easy peasy.”
“Trixie, you can’t just ‘magic’ your way into learning stuff like that. There’s no short cuts to perfection when it comes to the ins and outs of high society. It is an art that - .”
“Yeah yeah, heard the whole spiel about ‘no shortcuts’ and stuff after I almost became a draconequus,” Trixie said, rolling her eyes. “Look, it’s a temporary spell, and I’ll probably forget it all in like a week. I just need it for tonight so I can show up Blueblood and all those other Canterlot noble types who I know are thinking I’m not good enough to be Luna’s apprentice. I just want to show them that I can beat them at their own game is all.”
“Trixie, is that what this is all about? Proving you’re ‘good enough’ to be Luna’s apprentice?” Rarity said. Trixie blushed.
“Well…Blueblood at least seems to think I’m not good enough, and I bet there are probably others to. I mean, the things I’m most famous for are setting a school auditorium on fire, running away from a monster, and trying to enslave an entire town using an ancient evil artifact,” she said. “Look, Twilight was a magical genius when she was an apprentice, and apparently Princess Cadence was already an alicorn when she was an apprentice. Compared to that, what chance do I have? At the very least, being a great party guest should help improve my reputation to ‘mild annoyance’ among them.”
“No, you definitely aren’t an alicorn, Trixie,” Rarity said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “But, I do think you’re selling yourself a bit short here. Sure, we haven’t exactly had the best history,” Rarity said, glancing away for a second as she tried to think of how to finish that sentence. “What I can say, though, is that you are a showmare, and is that kind of talk how a showmare is supposed to act?”
“…huh?” Trixie said, confused.
“Trixie, darling, I make my living in the fashion industry, and let me tell you, you will never have to have a better stage to perform on than at a fancy party. Being charming, wooing crowds. If anything, you’re probably more qualified than Twilight was when she started at handling this part of an apprenticing for a princess.”
“…really?”
“Just to let you in on a secret, but that Gala where I very briefly dated Blueblood? That was also Twilight’s first Gala. In fact, from how she tells it, she was a complete shut in till Celestia forced her to come to Ponyville.”
“That...somewhat makes me feel better,” Trixie said, laughing a little.
“That’s better. Look, I understand that with all the alicorn stuff that Twilight might seem ‘perfect’, but just like you, she’s had her own challenges to overcome, and you have your own skills you need to learn to utilize. So, go down there and be not Twilight or Cadence or whoever, but be the best Trixie you can be.”
“Please, as if I was going to be anypony but Trixie,” Trixie replied, “Just, you know, one who knows proper silverware usage.”
Rarity rolled her eyes, but with a smile, and bumped her head against Trixie’s.
“I think I can concede to helping with that. So now what?”
“Just think about all that fancy party stuff flowing down a river towards me,” Trixie said, her horn glowing as she began to cast the spell. Within seconds a string of magic connected the two’s foreheads.
The magic circle from earlier, however, was also glowing.
“Trixie, is that supposed to be happening?”
“Uhh, no, no it is not,” Trixie said, trying to cancel the magic. However, before she could think about that, information about spoons and forks and curtsying interrupted her thoughts. The glowing was beginning to increase, spreading from their foreheads to their whole bodies. As it covered them completely there was a bright flash of light.
And then, darkness.
“Ugggh, my head is killing me,” Trixie said, moaning as she tried to stand up. Her voice sounded kind of off, but headaches kind of messed with all that stuff anyway. “Are you alright, Rarity?”
“I believe so, darling,” Rarity replied. Again, Trixie thought the voice sounded off, but again chalked it up to the headache.
As she stood up, she felt a rush of vertigo and kept her eyes closed till she regained her composure. Once the room finally stopped its spinning, she took a look around.
“Uhm, Rarity, why is my body on the other side of the room?” Trixie said, watching as her body made its way up from the floor and do a similar routine of getting itself situated.
“What do you…why is my body on the other side of the room?!”
Trixie heard that, but had trouble processing that that had been her voice coming from her body on the other side of the room. Her body had responded to “Rarity”, however, so logic suggested that if she looked down…
“Uh, I think we just exchanged a little more than just knowledge.”