Year 2042 in Equestria.
You sat in at a desk inside the Arcanium. Even if you weren't Grand Magister anymore, you were still welcome here. Not that there was anypony to kick you out, the place was deserted at the moment. But still you sat here, silently pouring over ancient research notes as you drew up your design.
It had to be perfect...an elegant but simple design. Something artificial to allow for naturalism.
Your magnum opus.
You pause in your research as a light giggle echoes through the Arcanium.
"Working hard, Anon?" says the voice coming from every direction at once.
You knew what this was, you had heard this voice often. "Oh, just had a sudden bout of inspiration."
The laughter came back a bit stronger. "He stepped down as Grand Magister almost a millennia ago, but he still spends all his time here."
A thousand years...it felt like yesterday when you handed in your resignation to go off and see the world.
"Oh, I don't spend all my time here." you say to the sort-of empty room.
The shadows on the walls seem to separate themselves and slide behind you as look over your notes. The light clinking sound of horseshoes heralds the midnight blue face rubbing up against yours.
"So I'm aware." Luna says.
The two of you had kept your..."arrangement" going for a good long while now. Even by timeless standards, the two of you spent an awful lot of time together.
Nothing official yet, Luna still had her episodes every so often. They were getting few and far between now, though. Which was good.
Luna looked down at the paper you were working on. "A new project?"
"Something like that, my biggest one to date."
Luna's eyes drift over the paper and widen. "How are you going to power such a monstrosity?"
You lean back. "I...hadn't gotten that far yet."
Hmm...Considering what you were aiming for here...
"I guess a shit ton of mana batteries could work, or maybe I could patch it into a leyline..." you say.
Although...considering what you were planning...
"Remember the Hybrid Cannon?"
Luna arches an eyebrow. "What could you possibly want with that thing again?"
"Remember how we powered it? The Moonstones and that Fusion thing?"
Luna silently nods.
"I'm thinking that could work. Especially with what I'm going for."
Luna looks back over the blueprint. "An ambitious design, Anon."
Got that right.
"But not one for you to tackle tonight, I'm afraid." she says.
You looked out the window at the lights shooting up from the castle proper.
"This is going to be my first Grand Galloping Gala in a long while." you say as you stand.
Luna takes a look at you. "Well then, let's ensure you dress the part."
A glow springs from Luna's horn and takes hold of your clothes. You feel them shifting and changing on your skin to reveal a deep navy tuxedo.
"I feel snazzy already." you say.
Looking up you see Luna in a similar glow, revealing an evening dress when it dies down.
You walk up to Luna and hold out an arm. "Shall we, m'lady?"
"We shall, good sir." she giggles.
The Grand Galloping Gala hadn't changed much over the years. Lots of high class ponies still just walking around talking to each other for a night, filling up on snack foods and drinking wines.
As well as Mous sitting alone in the corner asleep on a chair. Keep on keeping on, buddy. At least you knew you didn't miss much.
Attending on the arm of a Princess was a new experience, however. You certainly met more ponies this way, you had almost doubled your number since the last time you were here with Dash.
Wow...that took you back. Dash and the girls had been invited to the Gala the year the two of you got married, you were her plus one. You could have spent the entire night watching her regale the crowed with tales of her stunts... Watching her trot back over to you, give you a peck on the cheek and say... "Anon, are you alright?"
You snap back to the present and turn to see a concerned looking Luna.
"Yeah, sorry. Million miles away."
Luna had brought you up to some pegusi stallion in a blue bodysuit. The Wonderbolts still hadn't changed their uniforms...
The Stallion holds out a hoof. "Thunder Dasher, I'm the Wonderbolts captain."
You grasp his hoof and give him a firm shake. "Captain, eh? Seems I'm a magnet for those here."
He and the rest of the ponies around him look at you in confusion.
"Sorry, sorry, my mind gets away from me sometimes. I was married to Rainbow Dash way back when." you say.
That grabs this guys attention. "You and Rainbow Dash?"
You slowly nod. "Uh...yeah?"
You hadn't kept up with Thunderbolt issues after Dash passed, this guy's interest was beyond you.
"Did she ever speak about how she did the Inverse Duckwalk Backflip?" he asks.
Talk about it? You helped her work it out.
"A bit. You see, the trick is..."
You began to explain the physics behind the Inverse Duckwalk Backflip to the captain. Who knows, maybe it could come back into play? You looked around the room as the two of you were talking and had a startling question form in your mind.
Where the hell did Mous go?
-Mous PoV-
"Are you sure about this?" she asks.
"Coppertone, I've thought of everything. The path, the exit, how to steer, everything. Just get on."
Celestia hops on top of the food cart behind you and sits down.
"Alright now, hang on, use your wings to help us steer, and listen to what I say."
Celestia nods with a look of confidence on her face.
You looked down the spiraling staircase in front of you. Yeah...this was gonna be good.
You grab the string tied to the break under your wheels as you reach down to the stereo you had hidden on the lower rack of the food cart.
-Music-
"HI, I'M LOGICIAN MOUS!"
"And I'm Princess Celestia!"
"AND WELCOME TO THE GRAND GALLOPING GALA!"
You pull the break out from under your wheels and start to drift down the stairs.
The two of you rocketed down the stairs and breakneck speed.
"Use your wings! Keep us towards the center!" you call to your back passenger.
As Celestia uses her wingspan to steer the food cart, you lean to the side to give it that extra oomph. You clear the bottom of the stairs with a smash and continue to rocket through the ballroom on momentum alone.
Now comes the hard part. Keeping the momentum up.
Celestia levels out her wings as you pass a very confused Ex-Grand Magister and his Princess of the Night.
"HEYANONHEYLUNA!" you shout.
You smash through the doors to the dance room and hop up to a low crouch and try to steer yourself to your target. You lean hard to the left as you position your cart dead on to smash through the refreshment table. Through the table and through the window behind it.
And straight into the pond below.
-Anon PoV-
Dammit, you were having a very nice conversation about aerial stunts and your dead wife too. You and Luna had chased the errant food cart as it barreled through the Gala. The sight in the dance room was one of utter chaos, smashed tables, a broken window, and a collapsed statue.
How the hell did the statue collapse?
You run to the shattered window and spot the carts occupants crawling onto the shore of the pond. Of course, they were laughing like madmen.
"Th-that part when those waiters had to jump out of the way!"
"Or the part where the band saw us and tried to keep playing!"
The two of them rolled around on the grass as they reveled in their fun. Luna trots up to you and sighs at the sight.
"This normal Gala behavior?" you ask.
Luna grows a deadpan stare. "Every twenty years, like clockwork."