//------------------------------// // At the Gala // Story: My Filly, Nightshine // by The Abyss //------------------------------// As the sounds of the Gala grew louder and louder, Jason started to feel his fur stand on edge, though he chalked it up to being in a new environment in a whole new body. A shiver ran down the back of his neck as they slipped into the long line of ponies waiting to gain entrance into the event. Everyone walked across a long red carpet that stretched up a wide flight of stairs, moving towards a large archway that stood tall at the top of the stairs. Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight stood on the right side of the carpet as they welcomed everybody in, speaking with each pony one by one.  “Oh, wow…” Jason said under his breath as his eyes settled on Princess Twilight. Her dress was a mix of the colors akin to the setting sun, the leading edge shining in a radiant orange color that faded to a dark purple further up her back. Her wings were freshly-preened and had been coated in a shimmering blue and purple glitter, sitting outside her dress. Her mane was freshly-done and styled in a way that exuded royalty, matching her outfit with ease. Princess Celestia wore a similar dress in white, its edges containing every color of the sun. She was adorned with her usual regalia, complete with a pin of the sun on her breast. Jason looked back over his shoulder, wondering if he’d recognize anyone else from back home in Ponyville. He shook his head as he felt another prickling sensation tickle the back of his head, sending a shiver down his spine.  Lily peered up at him. “You okay?” she murmured, keeping her voice soft enough to keep Nightshine from hearing. “Hey, are you still with us?” she asked, nudging him with her shoulder when he didn’t respond.  “Y-Yeah, I think so. I feel–”  “We’re getting close!” Nightshine squeed, drawing the attention of those around them.  Jason noticed some looks from a few ponies further up the line. His eyebrows narrowed momentarily before he glanced down at his daughter. She was prancing in place, unable to contain her excitement. Thankfully, she was blissfully unaware of the stares ponies shot their way. “Yeah, we sure are, sweetie!” Jason replied. He looked around and noticed a light-green stallion murmuring to his partner a few groups in front of them. His eyes narrowed as he flicked his ears forward, barely able to hear the words ‘thestrals’, ‘kid’, and ‘doing here’ slip from his mouth. He nudged Lily with his shoulder, only noticing that her ears were flicked forward as well after the fact. “Yeah, I know,” she said. “It’s okay; it’s pretty rare for a thestral to attend the event, much less three, and especially with a filly. They’re not saying anything rude… yet.” Jason relaxed a little bit. “Okay, good. How can you hear them from all the way back here?” Lily smirked. “Training. It’s easier to understand what they’re saying when you learn how to read their lips.” “Oh yeah? Let’s see!” Jason chuckled then mouthed the words, “You look beautiful.” Lily felt her cheeks warm as her ears flicked back. “Thanks,” she said. Noticing that the green stallion was looking back at them again, she lifted her head and nuzzled underneath Jason’s chin in front of everyone, then let her gaze come to settle upon him as she tried to scare him off. The green stallion glanced away then pointedly looked forward again, making her smirk deepen. “You know, they might think we’re a family.” Nightshine’s ears perked up at that. With her eyes going wide, she turned around and glanced between the two of them. “Hey, so…” She rubbed the front of her right leg. “I know this is your first date and all, but…” Her ears flicked down as her smile faltered. “I, uh… never mind.” Lily cocked her head to the side. “What is it?” she asked.  “Yeah, what’s on your mind, sweetie?” Jason asked. Nightshine’s eyes flicked back between the floor, Jason, and Lily. “Lily just gave me an idea, is all. Don’t worry about it.”  Did she hear someone say something that I didn’t hear? he thought with worry. They all walked forward several steps, then stopped as the line progressed further. He lay down beside her, feeling that same tickling sensation come back on the back of his head. Ignoring it, he shot Nightshine a warm smile and nuzzled her cheek. “Is something the matter?” Nightshine giggled. “Nah, I just had a silly idea. It’s…” She glanced up at Lily with a wistful look. “You wanna whisper it to me?” Jason asked, flicking his right ear towards her. “I’m all ears!” Nightshine leaned in close, then whispered, “I know it sounds kinda silly, but… can we pretend to be a family? With Lily?” Jason’s eyes lit up. “Of course we can!” he said without a moment’s hesitation. “I figured we already were,” he said as he stood back up.  “What’d she ask?” Lily asked as Nightshine hopped up and down in place. Jason leaned in close and whispered, “She wants us to pretend that we’re a family tonight.” He chuckled, then said, “I hope that includes a few smooches for me later on. Ya know, for the whole image of us being a family.” Lily gestured forward with her head, prompting them to move forward with the line again. “Of course, but only if you promise to show me a good time tonight,” she said with a sultry smirk.  Their conversation lapsed into silence as they made their way up the grand staircase. Jason’s stomach started to grumble, earning him another look from Lily. As they neared the top of the stairs, he locked eyes with Twilight and watched her smile falter. She excused herself from the group in front of them and hurried over to him and his group. “Hey, is everything alright?” he asked as she walked up to them, drawing murmurs from the crowd. “Uh… kind of. Can I speak with you in private?” Twilight asked. She beckoned back behind her with her wing. “Yeah, sure.” He looked at Lily and asked, “Can you watch her? I shouldn’t be more than a minute or two.” “Of course I will. I’ll just have Nightshine tell me silly stories about you,” Lily said before nodding after Twilight. “Go, we’ll be fine,” she said with a wink. Jason followed Twilight into the corner of the room behind Celestia, far away from prying ears. “What’s going on?” he asked, feeling a headache form out of nowhere. He groaned and rubbed the back of his head, that same tickling sensation growing twice as strong.  Twilight turned around, made sure her dress wouldn’t get in the way, then sat down with a guilty look on her face. “I… I think I made a mistake. I noticed that you’re not feeling too well. Do you feel any kind of pressure?” she asked, looking him up and down with worry. “Perhaps in your head or neck?” “Yeah, I just got a headache and it felt like someone was tickling the back of my head. Why?” Jason shook his head, trying to feel just how bad his headache was. And on tonight of all nights, too… Why’d it have to be tonight? “Years ago we had an… incident. Canterlot was invaded by creatures that could change their appearance at will called Changelings. Ever since then, we’ve put up an anti-changeling shield that prevents them from impersonating anyone. It’ll force them to revert to their old self,” she hurriedly explained.  “And the headache and tickling feelings are all just warnings to not come any closer?” Jason asked with a groan. “So what, if I go into the Gala am I going to turn back into a human? Without any pants?” “Well… Celestia could try to create a temporary opening. She’s the one in control of the shield, so… I don’t think it’d be that big of a deal. On the other hoof, you might not even be affected by it. She knows all about you and your situation as a temporary thestral, too.” She peered up at him then cocked her head to the side, looking up at him with a look of guilt. “Are you… feeling okay?” Jason grimaced and rubbed the side of his head as he felt his headache worsen. “No. No, I’m not. If we’re gonna do this, we probably should do it quickly. My head is starting to kill me.” “Right!” She stood back up, then motioned for him to follow her as they walked back towards Celestia and the grand archway. “Lily and Nightshine look great, as do you. Rarity always finds a way to make everyone’s inner beauty truly shine through her work.” “She sure does. Both Lily and Nightshine have been looking forward to attending this event for quite some time.” “For someone who watched over the Gala only to never attend? I can only imagine how she’s feeling right now.” Twilight slowed to let him catch up to her. “And to catch someone like you? She’s a lucky gal.” “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were just hitting on me,” Jason joked, earning a nervous laugh from Twilight. His tone lost its mirth as he watched her face for any hints. “Are you hitting on me?”  “Oh, no, of course not!” Her gait slowed momentarily as she shot him a sheepish smile. “It would be so incredibly rude of me to try to step in on your date. I hadn’t even considered the notion of dating someone like you.” She froze, then looked up at him with her ears flopped back. “N-Not that you’re not a total catch, either!” she stammered before she caught herself. “Sorry. My mouth can run away from my brain sometimes.” “Don’t worry about it, I was just teasing you,” Jason said with a grin, though it wilted under another stabbing feeling from his head. He winced from the pain, then felt Twilight tug him forward towards Celestia. “Princess Celestia?” Twilight glanced back at Jason as Lily and Nightshine finally walked up to them. “As I suspected, Jason isn’t faring too well because of the shield. Can you drop it or create a small opening for him?” she hopefully asked. “I think it’s safe to say he’d have a major wardrobe malfunction if he walked through the shield,” she said in a softer tone of voice. “Daddy, what’s wrong?” Nightshine asked. Princess Celestia sighed. “I am afraid not. Lowering the shield for even a moment might put us all at risk. However, since he’s not a changeling, I do not think that he would be affected by the shield. Did you use changeling magic or spells similar to their magic when you gave him this form?” Twilight shook her head. “As far as I know of, no, I did not.” “Then why does my head hurt this bad?” Jason asked. Celestia’s eyes narrowed momentarily. “That is a good question, though I suspect that your ailment will fade once you step through the barrier.” “Really? I sure hope it does.” Jason blinked, then looked around Celestia and into the archway. The light shimmered, slightly blurring the inside of the event. He took a deep breath, then walked up to the shield. He heard a light humming sound. As he stood there drumming up his courage, he felt Nightshine nuzzle his leg with her cheek. “Do you need me to go through it first, Dad?” she asked. “It’s okay to be scared. We can be scared together!” she said, trying her hardest to make him smile again. “I-It’s not that, I–” Before he could finish, Nightshine jumped through the barrier. “See, Daddy? It’s nothing!” Nightshine hopped back back through the barrier, then hopped through it again.  Lily walked in front of him, sat down, then sighed. “How’s your head?” She lifted a wing and brushed some stray hairs out of his face.  “It feels like nothing I’ve ever felt before,” he said, trying his hardest to smile for his date. He noticed her smile fade away, then come back with a reserved acceptance. She stepped near him once more, her lips mere inches from his ear. “It’s okay if you can’t go in,” she whispered. “We can go somewhere else for dinner,” she wistfully said in a near-whisper as she looked over her shoulder, gazing upon the partygoers. She looked back up into his eyes as her ears flopped down in shame. “I’m sorry for–”  “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. I don’t think anyone could have foreseen this. But thanks for saying that,” he said, his mind already made up. “And we aren’t leaving.” With a deep breath, he grabbed Lily’s left hoof with his right one and pulled them through the barrier, holding his breath as he stepped through to the other side. “See, Daddy? Nothing to it!” he heard Nightshine say with glee. He opened his eyes and looked down to find that he was still a thestral, one with a beautiful partner in hoof. The pain in his head gradually melted away, leaving him feeling just a tiny bit sore. As he let go of Lily’s hoof, he felt her lips against his cheek, planting a kiss upon him that silently spoke volumes of her appreciation. “You two ready for one heck of a night?” he asked, looking between the two of them as they stood before those at the Gala.