//------------------------------// // Morning - 3rd Part: The Invitation. // Story: The Gala's Night // by Bronie312 //------------------------------// A while passed after the sweet, friendly reunion between both friends, Alfred and Celestia; the two monarchs never expressed themselves as directly as they did at the time. Even after the hug, the alicorn cordially invited him to breakfast and, despite having rejected it previously, the human accepted this time; together they ate, talked and reflected, with the occasional smile on their faces because of the good news this meant. The happiness and joy in both were notorious; even after the crying, the laughter never faded. For the first time in a long, long time, both coexisted in a harmony never seen before since the reign of both sisters and the human; sure, neither of them wanted to give up the pleasure of interacting with each other, but life forced them to. During a short talk between each other, Celestia came to realize something, she saw Alfred's beret, who was still wearing it, and smiled at this; that simple object reminded her of the moment in which she and her sister gave it to him after what happened with the Griffins, more than a millennium ago. She laughed... “I see you still have that old beret.” Celestia commented. Alfred replied… “Well, it was a gift of you both.” He said, referring to her and Luna, then asked… “Why shouldn’t I wear it now?” “You like it?” Celestia asked. Alfred chuckled in response. The question was odd and absurd since she already knew the answer, but it seemed like she only wanted to verify it; once his laugh stopped, he answered… “I said it once and I’ll say it again,” He claimed with a smile on his face. “...I love it.” Celestia was glad to hear that answer, she and Luna had made an effort to sew it up for him, shortly after the "Massacre Decade" the humans suffered. And, despite the fact that was its initial purpose, after seeing him in such a state, they decided to give it to him as a welcome gift, since they've had compassion for him after what he went through during those times. It was Luna who felt sorry the most for that human being, since she herself saw the crude and cruel fate that his sister had; this made her feel a great fear of losing her own sister, so she offered the idea to Celestia, who gladly agreed to carry it out. Obviously, such a simple gift, but also one of great significance, was not enough to completely help Alfred's mental state; however, it did seem to mean enough, since he had the will to keep moving forward and more after discovering the surprising fact that he wasn't the last of his kind. The nostalgia in both of them was perfectly reflected on their faces. Remembering a moment so significant and, at the same time, as beautiful as that one, managed to give back even more joy to the Prince, who was finally able to smile long enough for Celestia to feel very happy for Alfred. It wasn't something too significant, but it showed that Alfred had the ability to enjoy the little moments that life offered. He has finally taken the first step… Then, at a moment, Celestia stared at Alfred, while he was still smiling to himself and deepening into that moment; she thought to herself… “Maybe, he’ll finally accept.” Instantly, and without Alfred's awareness, Celestia used her magic to levitate an object from within a box located on the other side of the table, the same place where no creature had taken sit in decades. She levitated it carefully so Alfred wouldn't notice and carried it to where they were; then, she spoke… “Alfred,” She said… Alfred stopped rambling in the thought and immediately paid attention to Celestia; posteriorly, he asked… “Yes, Tia?” The alicorn sighed. “...I know I ask you this every time, but…” She said, then levitated the object and asked. “Would it be possible for you to assist at the gala?” Alfred’s smile faded as he looked at the object, it was an invitation for the Grand Galloping Gala, and immediately let out a sigh, then spoke… “Tia, we’ve already talked about-” “I know,” She interrupted him. “but there’s a time in which you have to give up at certain things in life.” She explained; however, before Alfred could reply, Celestia kept talking… “It’s been almost five centuries, Alfred… Please, make us all some company for once.” She asked, almost begging at him, while staring at him with a pleading expression on her face. The human looked away. He had already given the answer many times since then, but Celestia always asked him to come to the gala; despite always rejecting, the alicorn never gave up on trying… “Then, why don’t you give up?” He asked her, she replied… “Because I know you have no reasons to deny the invitation,” Celestia explained. “Since you let Luna retake her old positions as Princess of the Night and Queen of Dreams, you stopped having a credible excuse.” “Tia… I-” He tried to talk, but no word came out from his mouth. The Prince understood that it no longer made sense to continue like this, he had no reasons to avoid attending the gala; the excuses from before, at least, were justifiable, but he didn't have the support that helped him in these situations. Looking at the ground, he finally gave a sigh and spoke… “Is Luna attending as well?” He asked while turning towards the alicorn, who answered… “Yes,” Celestia said. “though, she’ll only be present for a while before having to carry out her duties.” Alfred nodded in response, understanding the situation immediately, though he had something else to ask… “Discord?” The Princess was definitely caught off guard with his question. She didn’t know what to reply since the answer wouldn’t be a pleasant one for him; despite that, she knew it had to be said… “Yes.” The human looked away again, thinking about what Celestia had told him about the gala; on one hand, there was Luna, whom he had hardly seen since her return a couple of years ago. But, on the other hand, there was Discord, the last "living" Draconequus worldwide, the same one who had betrayed him, Celestia and Luna, and all of Equestria alike; a situation like this would usually make him reflect for quite some time, but this time... it wouldn't be like that… He sighed one last time. “Alright, Tia… I’ll go.” His answer relieved Celestia a bit, as she feared that he would continue to be insistent about not going to the gala; however, to her surprise, Alfred added… “But on two conditions.” He warned. “First, I would like to have the opportunity of inviting a couple of guests to the gala, I got some who might be interested in coming.” Celestia sighed, she should have known it wouldn’t be that easy, so she nodded in agreement… “Second,” Alfred said. “If Discord comes to me and tries to apologize, I’ll make sure he gets rubbed in his face everything he has done to us all. You, me and Luna alike.” “Alfred, you can’t-” “You want me to come, Tia?” He interrupted her. Celestia nodded in response, to which Alfred spoke once more… “Then, let me do some justice.” “Alfred, don’t let the apathy and anger consume you.” Celestia begged. “Please, I know you hate what Discord did to us, but… he’s different now. I assure you that.” “I know,” Alfred answered with a cold tone of voice, then looked at her one last time and said… “but… does that mean his past actions are forgiven?” Celestia replied. “No,” She said. “but, at least, let him try.” She asked him… “...There are no third chances, Celestia.” Alfred spoke before taking the ticket and getting up from the chair… “He may be good now, but his past actions… are not forgotten.” Then, without speaking any other word, Alfred turned around and walked towards the door; when he reached it, he opened it, looked back for a few moments before fixing his gaze forward again and leaving the dining room, closing the door behind him… “One step forward, one step back…” TO BE CONTINUED...