The next day on a Saturday, as Celestia’s sun rose and showered warmth all over the land, the light shone through the window and blanketed Thomas as he slept in the soft blankets of Fluttershy’s bed, then he started to wake up and then he got dressed. When he arrived downstairs, he saw Fluttershy cooking her son’s breakfast, “Good morning, Momma.” Fluttershy turned around and saw Thomas standing right there, “Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?” Thomas nodded and then he saw a plate full of haycakes for him, then he sat down and enjoyed his breakfast.
“Thomas, do you wanna hear some good news?” Fluttershy asked. “What is it, Momma?” Thomas asked. “Me and your aunties, and their sisters, have been invited by Princess Celestia to the annual Grand Galloping Gala!” Fluttershy said. Thomas was surprised, “That’s pretty cool.” He then looked down in sadness. “What’s wrong, baby?” Fluttershy asked. “If I wasn’t invited, then who’ll watch over me?” Thomas asked. Fluttershy suddenly realized how he felt, then she went over to her son and gave him a comforting hug, “It’s alright, sweetheart. But here’s the best part. You were invited as well.”
“I WAS?!” Thomas asked excitedly. “Of course. What would we do without you at the Gala?” Fluttershy replied. “Thank you, Momma!” Thomas said, hugging her leg. “You’re welcome, Thomas,” she replied, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Let’s go see if Auntie Rarity can make you a suit, and then introduce you to somepony I met during my trip to see the Breezies.”
“Can I ride on your back?” Thomas asked. “Of course you can, baby,” Fluttershy said, then she lowered herself on her forelegs, then Thomas climbed onto her back and held onto her neck. “You ready to go, sweetheart?” Thomas nodded, then Fluttershy walked out of the cottage and headed on over to Ponyville.
While they were walking, they suddenly saw Fluttershy’s new friend she mentioned sitting at the cafe. She was a hippie earth pony mare with light harlequin fur, a light amaranth dreadlocked braided mane and tail with light vermilion highlights, pale light grayish eyes, a orangish yellow bandanna with white flowers, and her flank had a cutie mark of a red heart shaped tree.
“Hello, Tree Hugger,” Fluttershy said, trotting over. “Oh, Fluttershy. Hello,” Tree Hugger replied, and then Fluttershy turned towards her son. “Tree Hugger, I’d like you to meet my son, Thomas. He’s going to the Gala with us,” she said. “Thomas, this is Tree Hugger.”
“Hi,” Thomas said. “Wow. You have a son? That’s like totally legit,” Tree Hugger said. “Radical to meet you anyway. Really digging your vibe.”
“My vibe?” Thomas asked, with a confused look. “It's a compliment, sweetheart,” Fluttershy said. “Oh,” Thomas said. “Anyway, we’re still going?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah, totally,” Tree Hugger said. “Good, then we’ll come pick you up later after we get your dress ready,” Fluttershy said, and then she and Thomas walked over to Rarity’s boutique.
At the Carousel Boutique, Rarity was making some dresses for the Crusaders to wear at the Gala. “Oh, your first Grand Galloping Gala! The excitement, the anticipation! I wouldn’t miss it for all the jewels in Equestria!”
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle got excited and jumped on the pedestal cheering with glee, “We're going to the Gala! We're going to the Gala! We're going to the Gala!”
Applejack and Rainbow Dash were playing cards, “Alright, y'all, keep it down. It ain't like it's a life-changin' experience or nothiiiiing...” Applejack suddenly saw Apple Bloom in her dress for the Gala, then she her eyes started to tear up, “My little sister’s all grown up!” She suddenly started to cry, then she blew her nose onto Rainbow Dash’s tail, “Hey!” The Crusaders gathered around and bounced in excitement, “This is gonna be the best night ever!”
Rarity suddenly heard a knock on the door, and went to answer it. When she opened it, Fluttershy and Thomas were standing there, “Hello, darlings! Please do come in.” She saw Thomas with excitement in his face, then she had a warm smile. After Thomas got off his mother’s back, he went over to Rarity and gave her a hug on the chest, “Are you excited about your first Grand Galloping Gala, precious?”
Thomas nodded in glee, “Yes, Auntie Rarity! I’m really, really excited about it! And I really wanna look like you when you show your generous beautifulness, so... can you make me an attractive suit, Auntie Rarity? Pleeeeeeeaaaaassssseeee?” Rarity suddenly giggled softly and patted his head, “What you said about me and my beauty was very sweet, darling.” She gave him a kiss on the forehead. “But don’t worry, since I already have your measurements, I’m going to make you look magnificent tonight. Now, follow me and I’ll do some sketches on your outfit.” Thomas nodded and held her hind leg as they walked into the back room to do some designs on his outfit.
While they were waiting, Fluttershy talked to the girls about her outfit, “So I asked Rarity to make mine look a little animal that’s like something royal and elegant with beautiful colors, and one for Tree Hugger.”
“You mean... like a peacock?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Mmhmm,” Fluttershy said. “Do you want some cookies, Fluttershy?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Thank you, dear,” Fluttershy asked, then she took a small dish full of sugar cookies, and ate some of the cookies.
Later on, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and the fillies were waiting for Thomas to be ready.
“Momma?” a voice appeared. When the mares turned around, they saw Thomas wearing a silver glittery blazer jacket with black trimmings, a white dress shirt underneath a black glittery vest, a red bow tie with gold stripes, charcoal gray pants, and black formal sneakers. “Oh, sweetheart! You look so cute!” Fluttershy said as she held him in her hooves. “Thank you, Momma,” Thomas said, then he hugged his mother’s neck and nuzzled his cheek on her chest. “I like your dress, Momma. It’s beautiful.”
Fluttershy smiled warmly and then she gave him a kiss on the cheek, “Thank you, baby.” Rarity suddenly walked over and placed her hoof on his shoulder. “Are you ready to go, precious?” Rarity asked. “Yeah, let’s go!” Thomas said, as he climbed onto his mother’s back and then they walked to the train station after Fluttershy went to go get Tree Hugger.
After they all got to the station, Applejack went to the booth to pay for the tickets. Thomas saw his Aunt Starlight in her dress for the Gala. It was a gradient of black and dark to pale light purple, and there were sapphires on the skirt. She had a purple collar with a gem on her neck and purple glittery shoes on her front hooves. “Auntie Starlight!” he exclaimed as he ran over to her, and hugged her neck and nuzzled with her soft chest fur. “Hey, Thomas. Are you excited, honey?” Starlight asked. “Mmhmm. I’m glad you’re coming, too, Auntie Starlight,” Thomas said, snuggling her fur. “Aww... Thanks, sweetheart. That means so much to me,” Starlight said, until she gave him a kiss on the top of his head. “I love what you did with your mane too,” Thomas said. “What? This? Pfft! I just wanted a new style,” Starlight said, puffing her mane. Thomas then tried to reach fit it. “Aww, you wanna play with my mane, sweetheart?” Thomas nodded, and then Starlight lowered her head down towards him after she held him with one hoof and tickled him with her mane, causing him to laugh, and then she brought him for another hug but he nuzzled with her mane with a warm sigh, causing Starlight to smile.
“Alright, y’all! Let’s get a move on!” Applejack said, then Starlight levitated her nephew on her back and boarded the train. When they sat down and then felt the train moving, Thomas sat next to Fluttershy, who sat next to Rarity and Tree Hugger. While they were chatting and laughing, Thomas unexpectedly got uncomfortable, until Fluttershy looked down at him, “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
“I’m bored,” Thomas said. Fluttershy then thought for a moment, then uncovered an empty space underneath her dress, “Come here, sweetie. You can sit by me.” Thomas nodded and scooted closer to his mother’s side and looked at her one more time, “Can I lean on you?” Fluttershy smiled warmly, then nodded. Thomas then nuzzled with the softness and warmth of the fur on her belly, then he fell asleep until she gave her little colt a kiss on the cheek and covered him with her dress skirt and wrapped her wing around his shoulders.
“Aww... He’s just like a little foal,” Twilight said. “He’s absolutely precious,” Rarity said, who placed her hoof over her heart. “I’ll wake him when we get there. So for now, let’s try to be very quiet,” Fluttershy said. The others nodded in agreement and continued to enjoy the train ride.
After the train arrived in Canterlot, the group of ponies got off and walked over to the ballroom to enjoy the Gala. “We're here! We're here! We made it to the Gala!” The Crusaders said in unison. “Oh! It’s even more magnificent than I ever dreamed of!” Rarity exclaimed. “Let’s get this party started!” Pinkie Pie said, then the mares went off to enjoy themselves. “Momma, thank you for bringing me,” Thomas said. “Aww... you’re welcome, sweetheart. I didn’t want you to miss out on this moment with your mother,” Fluttershy said. “But what made you want to come if you really wanted to?”
Thomas then started to explain, “I just wanted to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna again. And to be honest, I just wanted to spend some more time with all of you rather than by myself, and wanted to see how beautiful you would look, and peacocks are too.” Fluttershy smiled warmly with a warm blush, and then nuzzled his cheek after he hugged her neck gently, and then gave him a soft kiss on the forehead, “I’m glad you made a decision. Now, let’s go find a table and get something to eat.” Thomas nodded, “Is it okay if I ride on your back the rest of the evening?”
“Mmhmm. You’re more than welcome,” Fluttershy said, then she and Thomas went to the buffet to grab some dinner. When they went to the table, Fluttershy amd Tree Hugger got themselves some nice salads, and Thomas got himself some spaghetti. After they ate, Fluttershy let Thomas climb off her back and looked down at him, “Sweetie, I’m gonna go talk with Tree Hugger for a little while. Why don’t you go dance with your friends?” Thomas then hugged his mother, then she let him have fun.
“Hey! Girls!” Thomas said, running over to her. “Thomas!” Sweetie Belle said. “Wow, you look handsome!”
“Auntie Rarity made it for me. You three look beautiful!” Thomas said. They suddenly blushed, and then Thomas heard a voice, “Thomas?”
Thomas turned around and saw Diamond Tiara wearing a pearly pinkish white dress with a pink rose on her mane, and Silver Spoon wore a black diva dress. “Wow...” Thomas said. Diamond Tiara saw Thomas take out his hand, “Can I have this dance with you?” Diamond Tiara suddenly felt her heart melt over his generosity, then she took his hand and helped him get into position by putting her right foreleg on his shoulder, then Thomas placed his right arm on her shoulder and his left arm around her foreleg, then they slowly danced together while Silver Spoon and the Crusaders smiled warmly. When the song was over, Thomas then thought of another idea, “Girls, do you wanna go outside for a stroll in the gardens?” They nodded and Diamond Tiara let her coltfriend ride on her back, then they all walked outside for a nice stroll in the moonlight.
Fluttershy giggled while talking with Tree Hugger, “Really?” She then giggled again. “The aura coming off the waterfall was so alive! So, like, magic manifestation,” Tree Hugger replied. “Wow,” Fluttershy said. “How did you even know to look for an aura on a waterfall?”
“Well, it wasn’t easy,” Tree Hugger said.
Meanwhile, Princess Celestia and Luna came over with their Gala dresses. Princess Celestia wore a red celestial robed dress and Princess Luna wore a nighttime themed robed dress like her sister. “Princess Celestia, this is my new student, Starlight Glimmer,” Twilight said. Starlight suddenly bowed her head towards her majesty, “You may rise, Starlight. There’s no need to bow.”
“Sorry. I just realized you were both royalty material, so I kind of felt like it,” Starlight said. “I understand, dear Starlight. But what I’ve heard from Twilight’s report about you, I’m sorry about your pain,” Princess Celestia said. “Thanks, but Thomas showed me true love and comfort his mother taught him,” Starlight said. “He was the sweetest, kindest, and most special boy I’ve ever met, and I’ve been so happy that he accepted me as an aunt.”
“Well, I’m proud. So, did he receive the invite?” Princess Celestia asked. “I believe so,” Twilight said. “Otherwise, his whole night would’ve been so miserable,” Starlight said. “But thanks for inviting me so that I can meet you, your highness.”
“It’s a pleasure, my dear Starlight,” Princess Celestia said. “Plus, this night wouldn’t have been special if I’d haven’t invited Thomas over as well. I didn’t want to break his heart.”
“I know what you did was necessary,” Twilight said. “Indeed,” Princess Luna said. “Now, how about if we all enjoy this Gala together?” They all nodded and went to catch up with the other ponies.
Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara and Thomas were walking through the gardens as the Crusaders and Silver Spoon followed. Suddenly, Thomas poked Diamond Tiara’s flank, causing her to turn around, but he poked her again, until she turned to the front of him, and she saw him holding some flowers for her. “Are those... for me?” Diamond Tiara asked. “Mmhmm,” Thomas said, until Diamond Tiara placed the flowers on the ribbon on her waist, then she came closer and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, cutie,” Diamond Tiara said softly. Thomas suddenly blushed softly and then hugged his girlfriend. The Crusaders and Silver Spoon awwed as they loved the moment.
When they were about to head back inside, Thomas suddenly ran into somepony and fell back. When he looked up, he saw a white unicorn stallion with a blonde mane and tail and blue eyes. He also had a black colored tuxedo on his crest. “Watch where you are walking!” He snapped in a very harshly regal tone. Thomas suddenly walked back towards the fillies as she tried to comfort him. “Oh. I’m so sorry, sir. I-I didn’t mean to,” Thomas said. “SILENCE!” The unicorn yelled again, stomping his hoof and making Thomas whimper. “You will as such address me as Prince Blueblood!”
“P-Ple-Please! Just leave me alone. We were j-j-just going back into-“ Thomas was cut off again. “Enough! You’ve ruined my perfect grooming with your filthy dirty ape fingers! Now thanks to you, filthy heathen, I have to get a new one! And the only place you’re going to is the dungeon! After I tell my auntie what you-!”
“Blueblood!” he was cut off by a familiar voice. Thomas saw Rarity and ran up to her for a hug, until she held him with one foreleg in a cradle and he turned towards her chest and cried on her fur as he hugged her crest, and he saw Fluttershy with Rarity and Rainbow Dash on each side of her, until the fillies went to Rarity and Rainbow Dash. “Momma, Auntie Rarity, make him go away!” Thomas wailed. “Don’t worry, precious. We’ve got this covered,” Rarity said, giving her nephew a kiss on the temple of his head.
Rainbow Dash suddenly flew closer towards the cruel-hearted prince and went nose to nose with him, “Just who do you think you are?! Huh?! Why don’t you pick on somepony your own size?!” Prince Blueblood suddenly tripped over a rock and landed into a puddle of mud and crawled back towards the statue, then Fluttershy came closer to him with a death stare, “You should be ashamed of yourself! You do not, repeat do not threaten, yell, or hurt my son like that! And you will not lay a hoof on him! First of all, this is supposed to be a special moment for my precious little Thomas at his first Grand Galloping Gala with us, and it’s going to be like that because your auntie invited him! Secondly, this is also Princess Celestia and Luna’s castle.”
Thomas saw his Auntie Starlight come out and then she held him close to her chest and let him play with her curly streaked mane. Rarity suddenly walked over to him, “And as for you, I’m still angry at you for the way you treated me at the Grand Galloping Gala a few years back! And like she said, I do not like the way you yelled at my nephew and his marefriend!” Diamond Tiara got hugged by Rarity.
Fluttershy got angry at him again and stared at him in the eye, “Now look here, if you ever... I repeat: EVER... come near my son again...” Rainbow Dash then finished off, “Then you can worry about your stupid grooming because it’s a regret you’ll never forget! Do you understand me, you jerk?!” Prince Blueblood nodded while trembling in fear, then Fluttershy scared him off with a couple of birds pecking at his grooming, causing him to run off.
“No ruffian hurts my darling little nephew and gets away with it!” Rarity said, then Fluttershy turned around and saw Starlight cradling Thomas, who was still crying. “Are you alright, Thomas? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Fluttershy asked, rubbing her hoof on his shoulder. “I’m fine, Momma. But... But w-wh-why... WHY WAS HE SO MEAN TO ME?!” Thomas wailed as he hugged his Auntie Starlight. “Shhhhhh... There, there, honey. It’s all over now. Do you want your mommy to hold you?” Starlight replied softly. Thomas nodded and then he was held by his mother and then carried back inside as he laid down on his back while cradled on one of her forelegs. When she sat down, she rocked her son gently so he could calm down. After a few gentle rocks, he started to calm down and was held into a warm hug that was close to his mother’s soft chest.
“Thomas? What’s wrong, dear?” Princess Celestia asked. “Prince Blueblood was mean to me,” Thomas said, wiping his tears. “He called me an monkey, and he yelled at me.”
“Aww... poor baby. It’s okay. Momma’s here, sweetie. Momma’s here,” Fluttershy said, then she gave him a kiss on the forehead. “It’s alright, dear one. I’ll talk to him,” Princess Celestia said, as she rubbed his chest with her golden slippered hoof and then she left them both alone. “He’s not taking it so well, isn’t he?” Tree Hugger asked. Fluttershy shook her head, and then Tree Hugger thought of an idea, “All he needs is some, like, calming auditory therapy. I know I always feel really at peace when I'm being bathed in positive vibes. Maybe he'll calm down with some sonic bliss.”
Fluttershy nodded and then held her son closer to her, and then Tree Hugger took a deep breath, “Ommmm. Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee! Ommmm. Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee!” Tree Hugger repeated it, and then Thomas was finally calm. “Do you feel better now, sweetheart?” Thomas nodded and then she and Tree Hugger walked Thomas around the ballroom, until they danced together as mother and son. “Does this feel nice?” Fluttershy asked. “Mmhmm,” Thomas said, as he held onto his mother as she nuzzled his head.
After a few minutes of dancing, Fluttershy and Tree Hugger sat down as Thomas sat on Fluttershy’s lap. “Do you want to go get some cake?” Fluttershy asked. Thomas nodded and then she placed him on her back carefully and then they went to go get some cake, which was a vanilla mousse cake with butterscotch vanilla frosting and had floral and royal decor on each side and corner of the cake. After they had their cake slices, Fluttershy wiped his face with her napkin, and then she saw him softly yawning, “Are you getting sleepy?”
“A little, but I’ll be fine. Can we stay here until the party ends?” Thomas asked. “Of course we can,” Fluttershy said, then she went back to the dance floor and she held her little colt with one foreleg in a soft and slow dancing cradle so that they can resume their dance. “I love you, Momma. Thank you and Auntie Twilight for bringing me with. And to be honest, this was the perfect night for me,” Thomas said. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. Momma loves you too,” Fluttershy said, then she gave her son another comforting hug.
