Chapter 10: The Gala
Celestia hated the Gala. Truly she hated it with her very being. She missed the short period after Canterlot was finished when she thought the idea of a "Grand Galloping Gala" was a good idea. At first, it was created to bring ponies together. Ponies from all parts of Equestria could join in the gala. But that was hundreds of years ago.
Now it was a formal event, filled with Canterlot's richest, the richest ponies from all the major cities and maybe the limited amount of ponies she was allowed to invite if Gala's planning board agreed with it. She stood in one spot and just gave the words she was required to give, playing the same game over and over.
Thankfully, this year, she managed to invite Twilight and the other elements. She told the board members that they were heroes so of course it qualified them. She longed for the days when her word was law and no pony could disagree more than once. Instead, she got arguments back about how Applejack was just some apple farmer, and Fluttershy was some nopony from Cloudsdale. Rainbow Dash had at least some credit to her name for her job on the weather team. Rarity was a low-class fashionista and Pinkie Pie was, yet again, some low-life rock farmer, whose job was now a party planner living in the attic of some bakery. Maybe she should have been glad they did their homework for once but frankly, they were a group full of idiots.
The only pony they managed to not insult on their quest to prove their pointless option as to why the elements shouldn't have gone was Twilight Sparkle, only because she was her personal student. Even they knew if they pushed that far there would be major problems to deal with.
She had to bark out a long drawn-out speech about what Equestria was founded for. A speech she had given a hundred times over and knew by heart. She knew the lies in the speech but recite them anyway for the sake of the damn rich mortals being content with their lives.
It convinced them. Whether to just get her to be quiet or because they actually cared about other ponies, she wasn't sure. It didn't matter anyway. She got them in.
Luna opted out of going. She couldn't blame her. Luna hated parties and didn't have the energy to stand around and smile as she greeted every pony who trotted in with an attitude. She certainly would be ready to threaten ponies after a good hour and it doesn't look good when the newest ruler of Equestria starts reciting how they used to deal with boring ponies in the olden days with a helpful sword or a well-placed assassin from her newly rebuilt bat pony night guard who patrol the population at night for their safety being used in ways that would very much scare a rich mortal.
Celestia didn't like parties either but somepony had to make an appearance. Luna had only returned to Equestria a few months ago and needed more time to adjust.
She gave a long sigh of contentment because not only did the elements come, but they brought exactly what she was hoping they would bring.
Complete chaos.
Everypony was in shambles, animals ran all over the place, and the ballroom was a disaster. She smiled as the staff quickly hustled the guests remaining out of the room.
All her happiness went away the moment she saw her nephew coming up the stairs to demand something with a furious expression.
"Aunt Celestia!" Her nephew, Prince Blueblood barked as if he ran the castle as he marched towards her. "This is outrageous!"
She fought the urge to roll her eyes as he moved to stand beside her and pointed to the disaster of the ballroom.
"Hello, Prince Blueblood. Dear nephew. I heard about an interesting story tonight." She said, her voice dripping with annoyance as she narrowed her eyes with a side glance. He gave a long dramatic groan.
"Never mind that, Auntie. There are more important things right now! How could you invite such low-lives to such a grand event? They made a mockery of us, of Canterlot, of Equestria!"
"Oh, will you be QUIET!" Celestia barked far too loudly. The servants that littered the room, including the guards, as they attempted to help clean the mess and clear the animals out came to an abrupt stop to look at the pair. Blueblood shot her a slightly scared look before they both glared at the room to continue their work. "I know what you did, dear nephew. You practically dragged Rarity around all night and frankly, you got exactly what you deserved."
Blueblood was silent for a long moment before he wiped some more cake gracefully off his hoof, finding himself unable to look her in the eyes. Celestia shuttered at her own words. Usually, she would sugarcoat the issue. Jump around it to avoid being as blunt as she just was. But frankly, he was a spoiled brat.
"This doesn't sound like you, Auntie."
This doesn't sound like her. He was right. For once in his miserable life, he was right. She wouldn't say this. She would have never said that a year ago. But her patience was growing thin with society.
"You don't actually know me, dear nephew." Celestia retorted. "From now on I expect more from you. I have allowed you to continue such awful behaviour that causes the royalty of this country to look bad. No more. If you don't find a way to change your behaviour, I am revoking your title. You made a fool out of yourself. A complete and utter fool."
Blueblood looked ashamed. Actually ashamed.
He nodded, not muttering a single word out of his mouth as he quickly moved down the stairs and disappeared into the many corridors of the castle. Celestia let out a long breath she didn't know she was holding. She had rage building in her chest that she struggled to push down when she heard a pair of hoof steps sounding behind her.
The servants and guards who had done their best not to eavesdrop as they moved around the lower levels, couldn't help but glance at each other for a brief moment with confusion and slight...fear. It was impossible not to have heard that unless you weren't in the room. Anypony who could shut Blueblood up was quite scary indeed.
She knew Blueblood had only listened to her now due to the shock of her tone and the fact she was so honest. Soon he would go back to his usual self, perhaps with more hesitancy on being so noticeably rude but for now, for now, he was silent.
"I have never seen you speak so harshly before, sister."
Celestia gave a quick backward glance to Luna, who slowly moved to replace the spot Blueblood had a moment before. Celestia fluttered her wings. Resisting the urge to fly into the night air and just escape the confines of the castle for just one night.
"You don't know what he did, Luna."
"No, no I heard the same tale you did, Celestia. The servants talk to me as well." Luna replied. She raised an eyebrow in Celestia's direction. "He was right. That did not sound like you. That did not sound like the Princess of the Sun."
She was getting sick and tired of ponies telling her she was not sounding like herself. Was she not even allowed the freedom to speak harshly? Was she not justified to put a selfish pony in his place?
"Sometimes the Princess of the Sun," Celestia replied with venom. "Needs to put ponies in their place when they have gone too far. Now, Twilight is most likely panicking based on what happened. I need to assure her she is fine. She made the gala liveable to get through after all."
Luna's frown of suspicion was raised to a small nod and a smile as she gestured with her wing to the room.
"I will handle the rest of the night, sister."
Celestia nodded, she gave a fake smile of gratitude to her sister. She practiced the smile as she ignited her horn and teleported to another part of Canterlot to fake another small part of her life as the seconds passed.
Luna was left staring at the spot where her sister previously stood, wondering about the mystery of a pony she was struggling to accept as the sister she knew.
She could recognize a fake smile, a fake happiness when she saw it.
Her sister's rather well-hidden mask was slipping.