//------------------------------// // Mid Afternoon - Letters and Apologies. // Story: The Gala's Night // by Bronie312 //------------------------------// Always… Once again, that word echoed through his mind. At this point, it was impossible for him to stop thinking about it without voices from the past tormenting him at every moment; his head ached, the stress in him couldn't be more obvious, and the memories, both good and bad, swamped that vital organ called brain. Now, Alfred chose to stay in his room for the rest of the day until it was time for the gala to begin; as he closes the door behind him, the human looks at the desk next to him and sits on the chair to try and calm himself so he could organize his thoughts properly. He didn't want to freak out psychologically again, this time, he would try to not commit the same mistake as before. Then, something came to his mind and he looked down, right where there was a desk drawer, locked. His body commanded him to do so, but his mind and heart implored him to stop right there; but the desperate screams inside him were useless, because - involuntarily - his left hand grabbed the dangerous key that laid next to the lamp and passed it to the right hand so that it could do the dirty work… “STOP!” His mind's multiple attempts to stop the body from doing an act that it would immediately regret were palpable, but they were completely ignored. A click was heard and hopes in Alfred dissipated as soon as the drawer was opened, revealing the object that the Prince's mind and soul feared so much… An Apple cider bottle. But it wasn't just a common cider, inside that bottle was a fairly high percentage of alcohol's volume... 57%. With both hands, he held the bottle by both ends and pulled it out of the drawer; when he had it in front of him, he blew and the dust covering the old-fashioned bottle flew off. He read the label and a serious expression grew strong on his face... the "Bright Apple Cider", the strongest cider in all Equestria. It'd been banned for a reason, after various incidents related to alcoholism, causing a crisis in the Apple family, the drink was removed from the market; however, and surprisingly, one bottle was lying in the hands of Equestria's co-ruler… His eyes, lacking any visible expression, examined the bottle further as the memory of the moment when he obtained it became clearer and clearer. He'd paid a lot of money for only ten of these bottles, which, over the past 200 years, he'd been drunk; proud of it, he never was, but it became one of the few things that helped him avoid a mental breakdown... Sure, he would let all his trapped emotions and thoughts consume him, crying and sobbing, but something that was never told is that there were times when he drank while remorse killed him, deep inside... “Son… Don’t.” His father's voice took him by surprise. His eyes widened as the image of his parents slowly projected into his mind; one second after another, the scene surrounding them both became clearer and - in no time - their shack's room, their former home, was fully revealed. However, the center of attention was the bed, on it his parents were sitting, staring at Alfred, imploring him to stop… “Mom…” His voice broke, a tear fell and his expression changed. “...D-Dad.” “You’re better than this, honey.” His mother said. “Don’t let yourself be consumed by the past.” “I-” “Alfred,” His father called him by his name. “look forward. You have a bright future… but only if you let us go.” “I… love you.” “We love you too, darling.” Replied his mother… “Now, come and give us a big bear hug.” His father encouraged him with a smile… At carrying out the action, he dropped the bottle, letting it fall to the floor, causing it to break instantly; his attempt to hug those he loved the most was helpless, as the image of both parents vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving him - once again - completely alone. It took a whole minute for Alfred to process everything, but - in doing so - he didn't want to hold back his tears, letting them flow freely down his face as he sobbed immensely while he realized the stupidity he was about to commit; he rested his head on the right hand, still in full regret... He let himself be carried away by his impulse and that almost cost him dearly… Dear Dr. Whooves; I am humbly honored to inform you that you and another guest of your choice are welcome to tonight's Grand Galloping Gala; both Princesses and I would be very grateful to have you on this special occasion. I hope you and your companion enjoy the gala. Att: Prince Alfred. --- The Prince placed two gala tickets on the sheet, folded it, and proceeded to place it inside the envelope, then closed it and wrote the address to which the letter was addressed. Consequently, after looking at the envelope for a couple of seconds, he smiled and placed it next to him, as he had done with the others. With that, it ended a series of letters that he himself decided to write to citizens who - he believed - deserved the opportunity that few were given; it may have been centuries since the last time he was part of the gala, however, that fact didn't prevent him from thinking about the injustice around him. Many inhabitants of Equestria were born, lived, and died with the dream of attending the most prestigious party on the planet; and, while he refused to go, many others saw how only the nobles and members of the upper class wasted the invitation by chatting about business and private matters when they could do that at any time in their lives, instead of enjoying the occasion to dance, taste exquisite food and listen to great music. He put the pen on the table and looked at the envelopes; despite being on top of each other, it seemed as if Alfred was able to see through them all and read addresses, names, and the letters themselves; he thought one last time about what he was doing to make sure he was completely sane. Once confirmed, he turned to the clock and checked the time; it was 3:21 pm, perfect timing he had made writing the letters. Then, without thinking twice, he got up and picked up the envelopes. Now, all he had to do was give them to a mail pony, so these could be delivered to their respective recipients; but at no time did he need to look for somepony available, the Prince already knew the one - the incomparable - Derpy Hooves… “Here you go, Derpy.” Alfred said while handing the envelopes to the pegasus, who - with a big smile - replied… “Thank you, your majesty.” She said, then looked up at him and asked. “Anything else I can do for you?” “Currently, no.” The human responded, then smiled at her. “Again, thank you for offering to carry out the job.” “Ah, shucks.” Derpy chuckled. “It’s my job, after all.” Alfred didn’t hesitate on letting out a chuckle as well; then, after clearing his throat, he spoke… “That’s what everypony says,” The Prince commented, looked at the pegasus and said. “though, it’s quite curious to hear it come from you.” Derpy was surprised by the choice of words he had implemented since it’s something a common citizen wouldn’t hear from a member of royalty, though she always had the feeling Alfred was a… different kind of Prince; which - at the end - was very well received by Equestria’s population… “Really?” She asked, Alfred nodded in response… “Of course,” He said. “you’re a special pony. And, no… it’s not because of your eyes.” A grateful smile appeared on the pegasus's face after feeling flattered, since - besides the Doctor - there was nopony else who stopped focusing on her eyes to see more of her kind side; although, of course, she never liked to brag about it, so she just kept being the kind, somewhat absent-minded and affectionate pony that everypony knew… “I really like how you are with those who surround you.” He commented. “Even when interacting with royals - such as Celestia, Luna, and myself - you don't bother trying to impress us with an attitude that isn't yours at all; you are the complete opposite, you don't try to impress us, however - and somehow - you do it masterfully by only being yourself…” Then, he made a pause, looking at the mail mare with a growing smile as he thought about the last words to say… “That does say a lot about you, Mrs. Hooves.” At this moment, the mare was already blushing in bright red; there were hardly a few who dared to look beyond her exterior to deep into her true being and came to flatter her - only - for how she behaved. Then, in a demonstration of respect, she bowed before Alfred, to which the human responded with a sincere smile and said… “I devoutly wish you a great life, Mrs. Hooves.” He commented as he looked at the window and walked towards it… “...Enjoy it while you can.” He was unsure whether to do it or not; in the morning, his behavior wasn't the most appropriate when they both talked about the gala, but - now - Alfred thought deeply about it and felt the need to go to Celestia and apologize for what happened. With Celestia's door in front of him, Alfred waited to regain the courage to knock. After finally being able to talk to somepony who had not interacted with for decades, he himself - surely - caused the image that the alicorn had of him to change radically. Yet here he was... waiting for the opportunity to put an end to all the madness of his mental state and - in this way - try to move forward. He took a deep breath, it was now or never… And he wasn’t going to waste another chance like this… Knock, Knock, Knock. And so - without further ado - he waited patiently for the door to open… Celestia stared at the door, she could recognize those knocking wherever she was and she knew his reason for being here; but - despite being disappointed with him - she believed that Alfred had finally realized his mistake. So, taking a deep breath, she got up from her chair and walked calmly towards the door; when she arrived, she did not open it immediately but waited for the knocking again, nevertheless, she heard nothing- Knock, Knock, Knock. That was her signal… Slowly, Celestia used the magic of her horn to open the door gently, revealing the human that made her reflect so much; Alfred stared at Celestia and she returned the gaze. Neither of them had cold looks - on the contrary - they both shared glances of kindness, although - in Alfred's case - he had included some sadness and guilt reflected in his eyes… “Hey, Tia.” He greeted, to which Celestia replied… “Hello, Alfred.” She said. “Anything I can do for you?” He looked at the ground and sighed. "Yes," Alfred replied. "I came to... apologize, Celestia." The alicorn did not reply - indeed - she longed to see the definitive change in Alfred; the Goddess of the Sun longed to see her old friend being able to start a new chapter in his life, letting the past be what it is and regain his old being... A fiar, loyal, generous, and respectful man, at last... She wanted to witness the return of who she considered a brother… “Back, in the dining room, I-” He tried to vocalize his words, but he knew these words were used many times, and sighed… “Who am I kidding?... You certainly have heard this kind of speech many times throughout your life.” He finally expressed, then looked at Celestia and opened his arms - in clear intention to hug her -; the alicorn was quite impressed - at first -, but she let out a small chuckle and smiled. Then, she corresponded the hug… Alfred once more. “I’m sorry, Celestia.” He apologized… “It’s okay,” The alicorn replied. “we all commit mistakes, don’t we?” Alfred chuckled in response and said. “I guess you’re right.” TO BE CONTINUED...