//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: A Day in Foalchester // Story: A Night at the Gala // by Locomotion //------------------------------// It was a peaceful morning, not many ponies out on the streets as yet, and Locomotion couldn't help but enjoy the tranquil atmosphere as the four friends moseyed along. Only a quiet, melodic hum from Sweetie-Belle broke the silence, eventually giving way to actual singing as they neared the town centre. “Little town In the heart of the mountains, At the start Of a brand new day. Little town Full of cheerful ponies Waking up to say...” “Good morn'!” “Good day!” “How do you do today?” Only then, as if on cue, did the erstwhile peace give way to the hustle and bustle of daily life. Shops, restaurants and street kiosks began opening up, traders and shoppers trotted diligently back and forth, and the air was soon filled with chatter. “There goes the baker with his tray full of bread and cakes, And there's the mailmare on her rounds... For every shop, stall and cafe, It's another pleasant day, For this typical rustique Equestrian town.” Hornette could only smile at Sweetie-Belle's lyrics. She certainly wasn't wrong, she thought, for this place didn't seem all that different to Ponyville; the architecture was very similar, there was that same air of friendliness among its inhabitants, and while there were no other changelings to be seen, she did notice the odd griffin or donkey amongst the many ponies who lived here. But something she failed to notice at first was the stir her presence was causing. It went without saying that since her and Locomotion's part in the coup against Chrysalis, creatures the world over would almost certainly have heard, or read, about their exploit. Thus it was no surprise that several townsfolk should see them in their midst and instantly recognise them; but most of their remarks were not so much admiring as curious and bewildered. “There goes a changeling down the street – no question; That girl's the strangest we've seen yet! She's the shape of an equine, With a jet-black chitin shine – No denying she's a funny girl, Hornette!” Locomotion overheard them, but tried not to let it bother him. At least they weren't outright sneering at her, he reassured himself; they were just mystified, that was all. He ambled on after Hornette, Sweetie-Belle and Lickety-Split, trying to maintain a cheerful expression as he listened reticently to the chatter of the townsfolk. “Good morning.” “Good day.” “How is your family?” Presently, his train of thought was interrupted by a grocer genially calling out to him, “Good morning.” “Good day,” answered Locomotion, trying to sound polite even though he didn't know the pony. The grocer's eyes briefly flicked over to Hornette, taking on a cheeky look as he jokingly asked, “How is your wife?” “What?!” Locomotion stared back at him incredulously. Surely it was a bit too soon to be assuming he and Hornette had gone that far with their relationship, he thought – but before he could correct the stallion, he was interrupted by a red-faced mare dashing up to the shop, panting heavily as her husband caught up to her. “I need Six eggs!” “That's too expensive!” Unable to get a word in edgeways, Locomotion simply shook his head in dismissal and continued down the road; but again, Hornette remained oblivious to what was going on. She was too busy chatting with Sweetie-Belle, and taking in her busy yet pleasant surroundings; “How nice to sample all this local life.” Presently, they paused to ask a passer-by for directions; for although Locomotion had brought a map with him, he still wanted to make doubly sure they were on the right path. The stallion recognised him from the “Battle of the Griffins” movie, and was only too happy to oblige. “Keep going down the main road about...four blocks,” he said, tracing on the map where they were to go. “Turn right at Faroe Lane, and it's second on your left.” “Ah, good,” replied Locomotion, “just as I thought. Thanks, mate.” “No problem. Any chance of an autograph while you're here?” asked the stallion, pulling a pen and a sheet of paper from his saddlebag. “It'd really make my eldest son's day.” Locomotion shrugged casually, “Eh, why not?” he conceded, and scribbled down a quick greeting and his signature, adding: P.S.: Hornette sends her regards. “Hope you don't mind...” “Nah, that's great. Thanks a lot, Loco, and, uh...a good day to you, Miss Hornette.” “You too, sir.” Hornette smiled politely as they set off again, paying little attention to the tiny nagging feeling in the back of her mind. Like all changelings, she had a sixth sense which her kind aptly called the Empathy Touch, something that allowed them to detect emotions in other creatures by telepathy; and judging by her own, this stallion seemed to find her more than a little alien. Not unlike the tavern patrons who were chattering behind her back as she trotted to keep pace with Locomotion; “Look, there she goes with that young red-furred unicorn! I wonder just how sweet they'll get; Even though she's not our kind... Well, he doesn't seem to mind. What a puzzle to the rest of us, Hornette!” Still, she thought gravely, what was new? Even Locomotion had been a little spooked by her at first sight, and he was proud to call her his marefriend, bless him! These ponies just didn't know any better... Passing through a park just beyond the town centre, Sweetie-Belle decided to pause under the shade of a sycamore tree for a rest. She had brought her favourite romantic novel along with her, and sat almost dreamily on a nearby bench as she read through the second chapter. This, she explained to Hornette, was the part she enjoyed best; the young heroine of the story meeting a handsome stranger, whom she would later find to be a prince. Hornette was most impressed, but she and Locomotion were so keen to see Firelli that they didn't stay for long. With a tactful farewell, they carried on towards the other side of town, still trying to tune out the idle gossip from all around them. “No doubt at all that girl is sweet for a changeling - She's got the looks and etiquette.” “But behind that cute facade, I'm afraid she's very odd Very different from the rest of us...” “She's nothing like the rest of us; She's different from the rest of us, Hornette!” At last, they reached a small cottage close to the outskirts. It backed onto a nearby river, and its back garden included a sizeable pond which doubled as a swimming pool for the creatures who lived here. Just like Mistral and his family to choose such a place, thought Locomotion wistfully as he knocked at the front door; soon to be answered by a tall green female hippogriff. “Oh, hello, Loco,” she greeted. “Morning, Zonda. Elli and Mistral nearly ready?” “Just about,” smiled Zonda. No sooner had she said that than Firelli ambled downstairs, followed closely by Mistral who gave Locomotion and Hornette a friendly nod. The scarlet mare trotted forward and drew her brother into a hug. “Hey, Loco,” she said fondly. “Hey, sis,” smiled Locomotion warmly. “How's it going then?” “I'm good, thanks. How about you and Hornette, you okay?” “Pretty well, thanks, Elli,” chimed in Hornette. Locomotion simply nodded in agreement before adding, “And how's Mistral?” “Yeah, I'm all good,” responded Mistral casually, giving Locomotion a brotherly hug of his own. “Shall we get going then?” Locomotion readily conceded, and watched with a small smile as the young hippogriff said goodbye to his parents. Mistral may have been fairly laid back on the surface, but his energetic streak was still clear for all to see, and the red-furred unicorn had known him long enough to realise how eager he was to be out and about. As they made their way back to the station, he began making small talk with Firelli, while Hornette did the same with Mistral. “So, you looking forward to the Gala, Hornette?” asked Mistral as he hovered enthusiastically next to her. Hornette hesitated. She had been trying hard not to think about the Gala since they arrived. “Well...I'm not sure,” she confided uneasily. “I mean...with me being a changeling, I...” Her brow furrowed as the same question began prodding at her; “...how will the other guests take to me?” “Chin up, Hornette,” said Mistral optimistically, “you're not the only one.” Having spent the early part of his life underwater in Seaquestria, he hadn't even heard of changelings before meeting Firelli, and so he never found Hornette the least bit intimidating or unsightly. If anything, she was quite the curiosity to him. “I'm not a hundred percent pony myself,” he added, “and nopony has a bad thing to say about me...” His eyes took on a fond look as he gazed at his marefriend. “...least of all good old Firelli Brazen.” “Well...no, that is true, I guess,” Hornette replied doubtfully. True of Elli, at least – but if you only knew, Mistral, what we changelings have been through...her train of thought was cut off as Mistral fondly enthused about the young mare; “When I first met her up in Canterlot last year, It's little wonder that I fell For a creature with a mind That's as smart as she is kind. Guess I'm lucky to be the boyfriend of El'.” Locomotion overheard, and could only smile warmly in agreement. He had taken a shine to Mistral ever since Firelli had introduced him, and had no objections to her dating him – even though he had cheekily toyed with the idea of playing the overprotective brother and issuing idle, nay, comical threats should Mistral ever hurt her, he could see that wasn't going to happen. And why bother breaking up such a beautiful relationship anyway, he thought? That hippogriff was definitely a keeper, and woe betide any young stallion who thought they could do better than him as her suitor. Heck, there were probably plenty of mares fawning over him too! As if to add weight to that remark, he couldn't help noticing voices from somewhere behind him... “Look, there They go! Oh, aren't they dreamy? Loco, Mistral, They're both so cute!” Looking back over his shoulder, he saw that the voices belonged to three doe-eyed bimbettes who were watching him and Mistral from a nearby side street. They didn't even seem to care that the two males had marefriends by their sides, and sang flirtatiously in their direction as if trying to seduce them. “Be still, My heart! I'm hardly breathing – They're fine, they're strong, They're both such handsome brutes!” Locomotion only scowled with exasperation, failing to find any kind of flattery in the swooning mares' words. If anything, it felt more like an affront, like they thought he was far too good for the likes of Hornette – like they were trying to split them up out of spite. Hornette seemed to be on the same page, because she had shuffled over to her beau and was clinging to him with a look of injured possessiveness. Mistral heard the three admiring ponies himself, but didn't take much notice. He was used to having mares flirting behind his back, and if they thought him such a hot chick, then the best of luck finding one of their own, he thought with a hearty smile – Firelli had got to him first, and that was that. By the time they reached the town square, of course, that flirting had given way to general chatter as the four teenagers picked their way through the now crowded streets. To Locomotion and Hornette, however, it seemed as if all eyes had turned back to stare at the young changeling, gossiping with ever-increasing volume about how weird she was. Hornette in particular was beginning to look really uncomfortable, almost like she wanted to curl up and die of embarrassment on the spot. Firelli and Mistral didn't seem to notice – to them, it was just another typical day. “How nice to be out in this provincial town,” sang Firelli contentedly. “With Loco and a changeling of world renown!” agreed Mistral. Yeah, but you don't have to announce it, Mistral, thought Locomotion, his patience wearing thin. But before he could say anything about it, he heard the townsponies singing behind his and Hornette's backs one last time; “Look, there she goes, that girl's a strange young creature, The most peculiar we've seen yet. Unicorns we know just fine; We see them all the time – But she really is a funny girl That changeling is a funny girl She really is a funny girl... Hornette!” At last, Locomotion lost his temper. No sooner had the song ended than he spun around and glared pointedly at the unwelcome onlookers, taking Firelli and Mistral completely by surprise as he demanded crossly, “And you've got a problem with that because...?!” Nopony endeavoured to reply. With nary more than a few awkward murmurs, the townsfolk sheepishly went back to their daily business as if nothing had happened. “I rest my case,” declared Locomotion huffily. Firelli gripped him gently by the shoulder with her wing, trying to discretely usher him away. “Come on, Loco,” she counselled, “don't rise to them.” I wasn't! Locomotion knew that wasn't strictly true, of course, so he refrained from saying it out loud. “Well, I suppose we've got better things to do than listen to nosy ignoramuses!” he retorted, making sure everypony around him could hear, and stomped off before Firelli could chide him any further. He remained silent and surly for the rest of the morning, and was glad when they finally returned to the train. Hornette was relieved too, not least because of how many ponies still seemed to be talking about her in hushed tones – if Locomotion were to hear them, things would have become even more embarrassing than they already had been. Not until lunchtime did Locomotion finally manage to calm down; but Firelli was still concerned about him. Locomotion told her and Mistral all about his anxieties regarding the Gala, and how Sweetie-Belle and some of the others had all but goaded him and Hornette into attending. “I wondered why you were so quick to anger earlier,” murmured Firelli in dismay. Locomotion nodded gravely. “I just don't get it,” he complained. “Rarity, Sweetie-Belle...even Rainbow Dash, for ponies' sake – to hear them talk, you'd think the whole Gala would raise a cheer as soon as look at us! Don't they know who they're talking about? How the elite will react when they see Hornette passing through the ballroom? You saw how they took to her back in Foalchester. Why should Canterlot be any different?” Firelli smiled gently, trying to reassure him. “Probably more so than you might think,” she observed. “Foalchester is more rural than Canterlot, don't forget; ponies there are bound to be more inquisitive, especially when it comes to strangers or newcomers.” “Nosy, more like!” muttered Locomotion. “They were like that with me and my family when we first moved in,” chimed in Mistral sagely, “but they got used to us after a while. And believe it or not, when I started at uni, few of the others there cared that I was a hippogriff and not a pony – as far as they were concerned, I was just another ordinary student.” “Yeah, but were any of them from elitist families?” “Um...one or two – but they never seemed to have a bad thing to say either. Some of them will surprise you.” “Maybe,” went on Locomotion pessimistically, “but then you guys never built up the negative reputation that Hornette and her kind did. And I know from Rarity how stuffy those upper class types can be – especially that Blueblood!” he finished through gritted teeth, tears of anger pricking at his eyes. Mistral blinked. “Who's Blueblood?” “It's a long story,” cut in Firelli hastily. “I'll tell you after we've eaten, Mist, I promise.” “Oh...okay.” Mistral was still confused, but thought better of pressing the matter as they made their way to the dining car. “You coming, Loco?” “You go on ahead. I need some time alone.” But Firelli wouldn't leave without giving him a reassuring nuzzle at least. “Don't feel you have to bottle it in,” she whispered kindly. “If you need to offload...you know where I am.” “I know,” sighed Locomotion with a weak, sombre smile; knowing deep down that he probably would need to have a good rant at some point. For while he was genuinely concerned for Hornette first and foremost, his distrust towards Blueblood was far more personal, and the mere thought of meeting him even without his beloved changeling was enough to make him seethe. If only that Sweetie-Belle hadn't been so insistent...! “Uh...Loco?” The red-furred stallion relaxed slightly. “Yes, Hornette?” “Are you alright? You still seem a bit tense.” “Yeah, fine,” said Locomotion. “Just the whole Gala business getting to me again.” Hornette nodded thoughtfully. “Me too,” she sympathised. “After hearing all that gossip about me...oh, Loco, that was more than I could bear! And there I was hoping Foalchester would be no different to Ponyville.” “Well...early days yet, I guess,” replied Locomotion. “What do they know about changelings anyway? Ignorant twits, that's what they are – and I'll wager they'll be five times worse in Canterlot. I swear, if I see Sweetie-Belle again, I'll...I'll......” “That's the thing,” Hornette interjected. “I had a little moan about it with her earlier, and...she said she was sorry for dragging us into this Gala business in the first place. She's still trying to be optimistic, sure, but I could tell from my Empathy Touch that she's beginning to regret it.” “I should think so too!” grunted Locomotion feelingly. “She's gonna have a lot more regrets than that if it all goes wrong.” Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the very mare standing nearby. “And don't even think about trying to charm us further, Sweetie-Belle,” he added severely. “I'm sick and tired of all this Grand Galloping Gala fairytale garbage!” “Yes, I can see that, Loco.” Sweetie-Belle ruefully looked away, but tried to keep a brave face all the same. “And I know I've...kinda rubbed you up the wrong way...” “You think?!” “...but believe me, I only acted with the best intentions, and so did the princesses,” continued Sweetie-Belle. “You and Hornette are more than just a throwaway example of how changelings and ponies can coexist – you helped to make it happen in the first place, and you gained the Celestial Peace Medal because of it. So what if others object? You deserve to be part of that Gala.” Knowing that Locomotion still wasn't prepared to accept her apology, she left him to let it sink in and shuffled off to the dining car without another word. The only response Locomotion could give was a subdued murmur of, “Yeah – sure(!)” The rest of the journey went without a hitch, but Locomotion and Hornette were still brooding when the train arrived at Canterbury West. It was rush hour, and the platforms were packed with commuters waiting to return home from the city centre – so crowded, in fact, that Hornette was almost too afraid to leave the carriage. When at last she did, she was sorely tempted to turn herself invisible as she had done when she escaped from her homeland, but Firelli tactfully advised against it. “It's easy to get lost in Canterlot,” she explained gravely. “Better if we can still see you than if nopony else can.” Locomotion was quick to agree; he had rarely ever been to Canterlot before, and didn't know his way around as well as Firelli did. Even so, he and Hornette tried to keep a low profile as they and the other passengers collected their luggage. It wasn't easy for Hornette, of course; as a changeling, she stuck out like a sore hoof among her pony companions. Mercifully, she couldn't hear anypony gossiping about her, but she still felt most uncomfortable under all the gazes of bewilderment, and even disdain in one or two instances, from the many strangers they passed on their way to the hotel. Only when they finally checked in and received their room keys could she feel the faintest sense of relief. But deep down, she knew it wouldn't last – they only had a few hours before the Grand Galloping Gala, and no matter how much Locomotion and Firelli tried to comfort her, Hornette couldn't stop worrying. “They won't like me there. I know they won't,” she fretted under her breath, fidgeting with the sleeves of her dress as Firelli helped brush her mane and tail. “They'll all be scowling at me as soon as I show my face in that castle.” “Don't count your hens before they've hatched, Hornette,” soothed Firelli. “You've made good friends with high class ponies before – Rarity, Octavia...even Diamond Tiara took to you pretty quickly. You never know, there might be somepony there who thinks well of you.” “Not that couple Loco rescued at Horse Junction at any rate.” “They were probably just too shaken to think straight,” Firelli reasoned. “A train crash might do that to anypony.” “Yeah, but from what Octavia told me, they were just as bad even before the crash,” replied Hornette. “If they were prepared to badmouth her for her romantic preferences, what does that do to my own chances?” Firelli smiled ruefully. “Well...there's always somepony who has a problem with who you are,” she said wisely. “But that doesn't mean you should take them to heart; and neither do you have to come along to the Gala if you really don't want to. But Princess Celestia invited you specifically to show that changelings have a place among ponies, and if you do want to go there, and others think you shouldn't be...they'll just have to live with it.” Privately, Hornette could only hope they would!