//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Confrontations // Story: A Night at the Gala // by Locomotion //------------------------------// Time passed slowly for Locomotion, and indeed it seemed that Discord was in for even more of a surprise than him. With almost all the others in his party scattered throughout the castle and its grounds, and only Firelli, Hornette and Mistral for company, he found the Gala dull and tedious, and didn't enjoy himself one bit. Hornette found it hard to enjoy herself too. Though nopony had said anything about her or even spoken to her over the past hour, she could sense discomfort, and even disdain, radiating from several of the nobles, business tycoons and celebrities who happened to gaze upon her. It didn't help that some of them were so smartly dressed as to make her look slovenly; and even the food on the buffet table looked a little alien to her, apart from some of the desserts. Only Locomotion's presence, and the sound of Octavia and her group performing onstage, made her feel any kind of comfort at all. Eventually, Firelli and Mistral stopped to talk to a few university friends who had also been invited to the event. They were gracious enough to introduce Locomotion and Hornette, but soon became so distracted chatting with the three unicorns, one llama and one other hippogriff that Locomotion quickly grew bored again. Unsure how best to join in on the conversation, he just stood listlessly until Hornette told him she needed to relieve herself. “Uh, excuse us, Elli,” he interjected, “we're just off to see if we can find a toilet.” “You need me to come with?” “Nah, don't let me interrupt you guys,” replied Locomotion. “We'll be back in a tick.” Firelli looked a little worried. “Are you sure? It's a pretty big place, this castle; and supposing you should bump into someone...less than savoury?” “We'll be alright,” objected Locomotion, almost dismissively. “It's not like we're venturing into Manehattan gangland.” “Alright then,” conceded Firelli, “but if you're not back in ten minutes, we'll come looking for you.” In truth, Locomotion was already beginning to regret his bravado. He had only really turned down Firelli's offer out of sheer impatience, completely disregarding his earlier concerns about bumping into some outspoken snob with dated views on changelings; but now that he and Hornette were on their own, he wished he hadn't. Luckily, Spike and Rarity happened to be nearby. “Hey, Spike,” called Locomotion, trotting over with Hornette close behind. “Hello, Loco,” answered Spike. “Everything okay?” Locomotion discretely rolled his eyes. “About as okay as can be, given the circumstances,” he grumbled under his breath; but quickly composed himself. “You're familiar with this castle, right?” he ventured. “Any chance you can direct us to the nearest restroom?” “Sure, it's over there.” Spike pointed across the ballroom. “Enjoying yourselves?” chimed in Rarity hopefully. The only response she got from Locomotion was a subdued mutter of, “What is there to enjoy about this dreary snob gathering?” as he and Hornette took their leave. Dismayed, she gazed at Spike who only gave her a grave frown in reply. Discord wasn't too happy either. From his vantage point in the rafters, his eyes followed the changeling and her stallion across the ballroom floor before turning back to the checklist perched on the tip of his tail. “Hmm...” he hummed grimly. “This is turning out a lot harder than I thought it would be. What have we managed so far?” He scanned the list, reading its contents out loud; Gala Checklist for Loco and Hornette Befriend new prince and/or princess. Make speech and be applauded for it. Meet very important changeling guest. Reacquaint with old friends among high society. Show the world that changelings are cool. ??????????????? ENJOY YOURSELVES!!!! “...and not one single ding-dong criterion satisfied?!” Discord stared disbelievingly at the list for a moment. “I can't believe it,” he muttered to himself, his eyes boggling as he fiddled with his tie, “I'm losing to a bug.” But not for long if I have anything to do with it! His eyes narrowed with determination as he slipped the list into one of his pockets and drifted down towards the floor. Privately, he had resolved not to meddle directly in the young couple's affairs unless they really needed it – but after a whole hour of watching and waiting with bated breath, he could see he had little choice... “I say, Discord,” called a familiar voice, “you wouldn't happen to know where I can find a couple named Locomotion and Hornette, would you?” “Find them, Blueblood?! I've had my eye on them the whole time!” retorted Discord. “Stalking them, eh?” Despite his reproving tone, Blueblood struggled to fight back a small smirk. “You do realise, O' Mischievous One, that you were advised to be on your best behaviour tonight? Unless I'm very much mistaken, that means no shoving your snout into other creatures' private affairs.” “Oh really?!” Discord shot back smugly. “Fine words coming from a prince who just happens to be...what's the word...stalking the same creatures?” “Touché,” commented Blueblood, rolling his eyes. “I don't suppose we're on the same page as regards to our intentions?” Discord laughed dismissively, only to respond with a very blunt, “Yes. I made sure to show them as much when they arrived,” and he produced the checklist he had been perusing. The royal unicorn scanned dubiously through its contents, only to shoot Discord an unimpressed deadpan. “And how many criteria have you fulfilled as yet?” he queried. “Well, let me see...as far as I can tell, the number of goals achieved by this gracious young pair...um...” Discord's face fell further and further as he tried to think of a suitable reply. This really wasn't doing his pride any favours, he thought gravely. “...ooh, nearly one,” he finished lamely. “Nearly one?” asked Blueblood sceptically. “Uh, call it none.” “As I suspected. Don't take this the wrong way, Discord,” said Blueblood, almost sympathetically, “you obviously have the best of intentions towards those two at heart, but you won't win any friends by shoving those intentions in their faces. What they really need is support.” “Oh, and I don't suppose you can do any better?” reproached Discord indignantly. “Very well – if that's the way you want to play it, I accept the challenge. Where are they now?” “Wander over yonder, but watch you don't fall in the bog!” spat Discord, pointing towards the restroom. “Good. Then watch and learn, my dear Discord,” said Blueblood loftily, “while I show you how it's really done. I shall talk to them personally.” Discord's injured scowl gave way to a look that was somehow smug, doubtful and anxious all at the same time. “Do you think that's wise?” he asked innocently. “Discord, please,” scoffed Blueblood, “I'm a prince. I command the respect of our subjects – they'll gladly accept my assistance. You leave this to me,” and he strode off with his head held high. But Discord knew better. “Oh, sure,” he muttered sarcastically under his breath, “leave it to high and mighty Blueblood – there's no way Loco would refuse his help, right? Right? Anyone? Bueller? We'll see about that!” While all this was going on, Locomotion was waiting outside the restroom for Hornette. The hum of Octavia's cello managed to soothe his nerves a little; and uneasy though he may have been about the Gala, he nevertheless found that the momentary solitude allowed him a much-needed chance to gather his thoughts. He and Hornette seemed to have done well, he thought, to have avoided clashing with any of the other guests so far; but just how long would it last? “And now, fillies and gentlecolts, we are proud to present one of the most magically talented unicorns in all the world! Please welcome...the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Yeah – emphasis on “one of”, thought Locomotion with a derisive half-smile as the azure unicorn mare appeared onstage. He had been so preoccupied that he hadn't even noticed Octavia and her group had stopped playing, but he was even less credulous as to how that embarrassment of a magician had been invited here in the first place. “What was that about, Loco?” In his distraction, he didn't see Hornette coming out of the restroom, but didn't react to her sudden presence. “That,” said Locomotion, “was the so-called 'great and powerful' Trixie. Did Twilight tell you about her, perchance? How she made an absolute monkey out of herself the first time she came to Ponyville?” “Uh...no, I don't think so. What happened?” asked Hornette. Locomotion smirked and rolled his eyes as if in amusement. “It's what she didn't do that came back to bite her,” he explained. “I was about eight at the time, but I remember it well – how she rolled into town, put on that pointless magic show and proceeded to make a mockery of anypony who called her for the braggart she was. She even came out with this cock-and-bull story about fighting off an Ursa Major in Hoofington and living to tell the tale.” “Did she?” “Well...Snips and Snails certainly bought it, the silly twits,” continued Locomotion, “and they lured out what they thought was an Ursa Major for Trixie to deal with. Big mistake there, mates – that thing was so cranky from having its sleep disturbed that it went on a right rampage, and Trixie couldn't even harm a hair on its body! You can draw your conclusion.” “Hmm...yes, I can,” murmured Hornette gravely. “What about the Ursa Major? Were there many ponies hurt?” “That's the joke – that creature was just a cub, an Ursa Minor!” Locomotion could no longer stifle the chortle he had been fighting back. “And luckily, no-one was hurt thanks to Twilight; but she ended up having to use the municipal water tower as a makeshift baby bottle after lulling the creature back to sleep. We had no running water for a whole week after that,” he finished gravely. “They had to bring it up by rail, and even the engines at Ponyville MPD had to be stabled at Portpaddock or Trotley Ferrers because the water columns at the shed were out of action.” “You said that was only the first time she came to Ponyville,” put in Hornette. “What about the other times?” “Uh...only one other time springs to mind, and again, Twilight more than managed to put her in her place in the end.” “Oh right? What was Trixie up to then?” All traces of amusement vanished from Locomotion's face, and he cringed awkwardly as he recalled a corrupted Trixie breathing down his and his colleagues' necks, forcing them to repaint one of the engines in the same blue as herself, to clean and polish it until it shone brighter than the sun – and all this with the worst paint and the minimum of polish available! And then there was the accident with Uncle Steamer and his engine, steadily approaching from the east with an express, only for an oversized glass dome to come down over Ponyville, leaving him barely enough time to slow down before his engine banged into the almost invisible wall... “It's a long story,” he said meekly. “Anyway, let's move on. I can think of better things to do than waste time with that overblown charlatan.” Secretly, Hornette was a little curious; but then this Trixie probably wasn't worth the bother anyway, she told herself. Anyway, she didn't want to get into a scrape with some braggart who would do her utmost to upstage her, even if she couldn't match the abilities of a changeling. They had only taken a few steps, however, when... “Good evening, and salutations to you both.” Hornette froze. In front of them stood a tall white stallion with a blond mane and tail; he had a compass rose for a Cutie Mark, and was smiling ingratiatingly. She shrank back a little, trying to recall where she had heard of him before as she braced herself for the worst, whilst Locomotion bristled with sullen fury. The stallion was mildly taken aback by the red-furred youth's demeanour, but pretended not to notice. “I don't suppose the two of you know me,” he went on. “I am...” “I know perfectly well who you are, Prince Blueblood!” scowled Locomotion. “And you've got some nerve, taunting me with that tone of voice!” “I...I beg your pardon?! Is this the way to...” “Don't come it with me, you old stuck-up! You don't get off the hook with me that easily, not after how you insulted my aunt's memory!” In that moment, Locomotion couldn't seem to care less that he was addressing royalty; all he could think about was how this stallion had hurt him all those years ago. “Eight-hundred creatures lost their lives when REA Flight 759 crashed, including Aunt Carnation Petal, and did you even think of them? Did you think of all the hundreds of creatures whose lives were changed as a result?! Creatures who are still struggling with the loss of their loved ones?! Did you even think of them?!” Blueblood stuttered in dismay, trying to defend himself. “No you didn't! You never bothered to find out why those poor souls died! You didn't even let the investigation teams do their job properly!” Locomotion ranted on. “All you could give a toss about was the smugness you felt for this country having the biggest passenger plane in the world! You put bloody prestige before other creatures' lives, and made others pay the price for it; and you want me to lick your hooves like you're the best pony that's ever lived?! Why not rub it in further and revoke the 1887 Rail Safety Act?!? See how much pleasure you get from seeing ponies killed from a lack of automatic train brakes and suchlike?!” He glowered venomously at Blueblood, hyperventilating with rage. Blueblood suddenly looked very guilty and unsure of himself. “I...I only wanted to be of help...” “Yeah?! Well, you can 'help' us by staying the flabberwocky out of our way and not showing us your mug again at any other point tonight!” scolded Locomotion. Unwilling to wait for a reply, he stomped over to the windows on the other side of the room for some fresh air. Hornette followed, giving Blueblood an apologetic frown as she left him alone with his thoughts. “Well, Blueblood?” Discord materialised above him and floated so low that Blueblood could almost feel the smug grin on his face. “What was that you said earlier about commanding respect?” But Blueblood was so hurt and ashamed that he could barely think, let alone speak. “And there I...I thought...” “Yes, you ‘thought’!” reproached Discord with a twinge of sympathy. “Exactly what you should've done years ago – and only now do you begin to see why? I'm surprised with you, Blueblood. If this is how it's really done – hurting the feelings of an innocent, expecting him to automatically forgive and forget – then colour me wholly unimpressed.” “Well, you've no room to talk!” protested Blueblood defensively. “We're supposed to be standing up for those two, showing the elite a thing or two about changelings – and all you can be bothered to is loaf around like you don't care!” “That's the pot calling the kettle black!!” snapped Discord, steam hissing out of his ears. “If you cared so much yourself, why kill so many airline passengers in cold blood?!” “I did not kill...” but Blueblood never finished. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see two faces he knew all too well approaching Locomotion – and they didn't look like they were about to shower him with praise. Locomotion barely heard the argument he was so angry. He just stood by the window, trying to compose himself as Hornette placed a calming hoof on his shoulder. “You alright, Loco?” she asked quietly; even though she knew the answer already. “No I'm not,” muttered Locomotion, staring down at his hooves. “Last pony I ever wanted to see...well, among many, I admit. But that's beside the point – who does that Blueblood think he is, laughing in the face of my aunt's death, and then trying to ingratiate with me as if I've forgotten all about it?” “I know,” whispered Hornette. In truth, she thought she could sense something other than smug pride from Blueblood, and wondered if that might be why he didn't deride her there and then. But she knew Locomotion wouldn't buy it, so she kept it to herself. “Some 'best night ever' this is turning out to be,” complained Locomotion wearily. “First Discord, then Blueblood – whatever next?!” “I wondered where I'd seen that face before.” Locomotion cursed inwardly and wished he hadn't spoken so soon. He recognised that voice – and if there was anypony he wanted to speak to less than Blueblood, that mare and her husband were at the top of the list. “A fine choice of clothing, I must say – for a commoner,” continued the voice snootily, “but I fail to understand what business an insolent lout with ideas above his station has to attend an event like this.” “I quite agree, dearest Upper Crust. It beggars belief that Princess Celestia should allow a young pretender to intrude on the Grand Galloping Gala.” “Speak for yourselves!” growled Locomotion under his breath, trying not to look them in the eye. “I don't suppose it was enough, young stallion, to act like you were the star employee of the railways? At only eight years old?” From the way Upper Crust was talking, she clearly wasn't showing a great deal of mercy. “You really should learn to mind your place, and not try to fill horseshoes that are too big for you. Isn't that right, Jet Set?” she added emphatically. “Exactly so,” agreed her husband. “A young faker like you belongs in a common cleaning role, not that of a professional train driver.” Hornette didn't take kindly to this. “Loco is not a faker!” she protested. “He's one of the best engine drivers around, and an even better pony! He helped me end a war! He was the star of a movie! He helped a number of passengers out of a wrecked train,” pointing at Upper Crust, “including you, and this is how you repay him? By kicking him while he's down?” This turned out to be a mistake. The blank, almost emotionless stares on Jet Set and Upper Crust's faces turned to derisive smirks as they turned their attention to the young changeling. “So,” remarked Jet Set, “not only do we have an unworthy youth in attendance – now we find there's a lowlife changeling here! This gets worse and worse!” “Two delusional pretenders in one evening!” chimed in Upper Crust. “And one of them an overgrown horsefly to boot! What's the matter – can't get enough love from the criminal classes from which you changelings hail?” “You won't be getting any from us, you slug!” finished Jet Set rudely. “Why don't you crawl back to your nest where you belong?! We could well do without war criminals like you in our society!” Hornette opened her mouth to reply, but was drowned by haughty laughter from the two unicorns and several of the other guests. Tears of injured humiliation pricked at her eyes, and she bolted for the exit with an anguished sob before Locomotion could stop her – if indeed he had the willpower, that is. Instead, he just stood in shock at what he had just heard, deaf to everything save for the elites' heartless guffawing. When at last he did manage to speak or even move, it was with untold fury that he turned on Jet Set and Upper Crust and bellowed in their faces, “YOU SNOBS!” The laughter stopped almost instantaneously at this point, giving way to a ripple of horrified gasps and indignant mutters. “YOU STUPID, STUCK-UP, TOFFEE-NOSED, HALF-WITTED...UPPER CLASS PILES OF...PINGU!!!!” screamed Locomotion, his eyes bulging with rage. “YOU DARE TALK TO HORNETTE LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF ME!! TREAT HER LIKE A SKUNK WITH NO FEELINGS, DO YOU?! GRIND HER INTO THE DIRT JUST FOR EXISTING, WHY NOT?!” “Now listen here!” exclaimed Jet Set angrily. “That's no way...” “SHUT UP, YOUR BLEEDING HIGHNESS!!!! HORNETTE IS THE BEST CREATURE IN ALL THE WORLD, AND IF YOU CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO ACCEPT THAT, THEN YOU CAN GO ROT IN THE DEPTHS OF TARTARUS!!!!!!” and Locomotion stormed out of the ballroom, unaware that an equally shocked Blueblood and Discord had seen and heard everything. “Well,” remarked Blueblood, “that could've gone better.” “I know I promised myself I wouldn't interfere directly,” put in Discord, “but for once, I think you're right. It's high time we called in the cavalry – and by that, I don't mean the Royal Guard.” “Agreed,” said Blueblood grimly. “But first things first...”