Ash grinned as he watched Pinkie in the best of moods, as she ran around with obvious intend to party to the max as he smiled amused and knew he should have expected this as he walked over and pulled Pinkie away from a pair of high standard ponies that she apparently was starting to annoy and said “Pinkie, relax a little. The party will be great I know. Would you like some punch?”
She nodded with an eager grin and followed him with her usual light bounces as he led her to the table with the drinks. They both sat down as some ponies eyed them with a smile, obvious to anypony at the gala that they were a couple and quiet fond of each other.
Ash smiled to her and got up to get some punch for them both. He noticed a few ponies he had heard about due to Rarity talking about everything she wanted to talk about, when she was taking measures for the suit he was wearing. One of the ponies that caught his eye was the well-known stallion Fancy Pants, who weirdly enough in Ash’s opinion, didn’t wear any pants at all. He noticed that Fancy Pants walked over to him and smiled to him as he said “Hello. If I don’t mistake you must be the young Ash Ketchum everypony is talking about, the pony who introduced Pokémon to Equestria?”
Ash nodded with a smile and grinned “That is true sir.”
He held out a hoof to Ash and said “Then it is a pleasure to meet you my boy. I am Fancy Pants. I must say your culture is quite different, but I can’t deny that those Pokémon battles are quite entertaining and exciting to watch. I was there, when you held your first battle.”
Ash smiled a bit proudly, still unable to be a bit hotheaded when he heard someone liked his skills as a trainer and recognized him for his battles. He stuck out his hoof to Fancy Pants and shook it in a friendly, but mannered way, as he said “While it is always nice to be recognized for hard work, I don’t want to sound too confident or brag too much. There are still many things I have yet to learn about Pokémon.”
“I think we will get along just fine Mister Ketchum.” He replied with a friendly smile.
Ash nodded and said “I don’t want to be rude, but my marefriend is waiting for some punch if you don’t mind.” Fancy Pants just nodded with an understanding smile and turned around and let Ash get the punch as he returned to the table where Pinkie was still sitting and waiting for him, while she tapped her hoof in the ground and groaned “This is soooo boring! I could party and have fun right now!”
Ash chuckled and kisses her briefly on the forehead and said “Just relax a little. Enjoy the party with watching the others.” As she took her punch drink with a small blush, but smiled happily and nodded as she looked around excited, first watching Rarity, who was getting a bit flustered with trying to get attention from Prince Blueblood and Twilight who was also trying to get attention from Celestia, who looked like she was getting tired of the ponies she was constantly greeting. Eventually she whispered something to her sister, who smiled understandingly and nodded as she smiled to Twilight, who grinned widely back and they left the room to speak together like they so often did before Twilight left for Ponyville.
Ash looked up at Luna, who was looking a bit uncomfortable with saying hello to so many strangers, and he rolled his eyes, wondering why so many ponies were coming so late for a gala of this importance.
Ash smiled gently and asked Pinkie as she was done with her punch “Want to go and see the others? Might find some fun while we do that?” she grinned back happily and easily got up and said “It would be my honor Mister Ketchum.” She said with an amused voice. Ash chuckled with a grin and walked up to her and nuzzled her as they began to walk together through the gala, quite a few of the ponies smiled at the affection shared between the couple, while others were too busy with their own talk or dancing with their partners.
They walked through the gala and headed outdoors, where they were met with many ponies, just as many as there were indoors. They were all walking around and talking, a few sharing a bit of food or a drink. Mostly it was mares and mares talking together and stallions and stallions, but sometimes it was a mare and a stallion that talked together quite friendly. They finally noticed Applejack’s stall where she was selling apples of all kinds and Pinkie hopped happily towards her, Ash right behind her with a walk as he smiled gently. When they arrived was Ash the first to speak as he asked “How is the sale going Applejack?”
They were surprised when she groaned a bit a glares into the air “None to good Ash. These Canterlot ponies think they’re too good for my apples. Ah haven’t sold a single thing, except a pie to some blue pegasi.”
He frowned a bit, not really hungry and unable to help, until he heard a growl from his back and saw Pikachu blushing as he rubbed his small stomach, Pinkie giggled at the timing as he smirked and said “Then I take two apples. Pikachu seems to be a bit hungry.” She looked surprised at him, before she smiled to him happily and said “Thanks Ash. Ah am sure when the words get out, Ah will get more customers.” As he handed her four bits, two for each apple, and accepted the apples and handed them to his trusted friend and said to Applejack.
“No problem Applejack. And I will be sure to spread the message.”
She smiled and nodded, as Pikachu let out a burp from his back and rubbed his stomach, already done with the two apples as he threw them into a nearby bush. Ash shook his head amused and looked at Pinkie and said “Mind if I go for a few minutes? I want to say hello to Princess Luna.”
She smiled and said “It’s ok. I stay here and help Applejack with her stall! It will be fun!” as Applejack both gulped and looked grateful.
Ash walked off with Pikachu on his back, not noticed the knowing grins Applejack and Pinkie shared as they watched him walking off. He went inside as Pikachu was looking around curiously, searching for Luna and he yelled out “Pika-pii!” as he pointed towards the dark blue alicorn and ponies turned towards him in shock and a few looked affronted that somepony would bring a pet here to this grand and important gala.
“Urrgg!” He heard a voice say loudly as a white unicorn with some kind of uniform or dress up walked up to him and looked at him with disdain “I will have to ask you to leave ‘sir’.” He added the last part sarcastic and Ash frowned “You are not allowed to bring… pets.” He said this with a mocking smirk at Pikachu “Especially not misfit rats.”
This made Ash angry as he frowned deeply and said “Pikachu is not a rat. He is a pokémon and my best friend. So mind your own business and we won’t bother you.” He had never one for fighting needlessly.
The unicorn frowned even more and said “I said you will have to leave. I am prince Blueblood and I demand that you leave this gala now!” he said with a weak authority that made Ash raise an eyebrow.
“Prince? But you are not an alicorn.” He said as a matter of fact, which made Blueblood grow red in anger and huff out.
“I don’t need a pair of useless wings to be a prince.” This was really the wrong thing to say as he got many dirty looks from all around the hall, the conversation listened too and even Luna frowned at her nephew. Many pegasi glared at him with rage and anger and even quite a bit of unicorns looked at him shocked and offended that he could talk like that about some of their dear friends in that manner.
Ash, who had two best friends with wings, glared and said “Take that back now or I make you.” and he gritted his teeth.
Blueblood looked shocked and said “You dare threaten a prince?! Guards I command you to kick this stallion and his… thing, out of Canterlot!” none of the guards moved, some of them pegasi and looked annoyed at him “What? You disobey! This is revolution against the throne!” he yelled out “I will have you fired!”
Ash groaned in annoyance over his stupidity and said to Pikachu “Would you?” Pikachu nodded with an evil glare and a smirk towards Blueblood and released a wave of electricity and Blueblood froze in place, unable to move and when he tried he struggled greatly. Ash walked over to him and glared down at him, most ponies silent as he said “You will not insult my friends again Blueblood. You might think you are better than me, but I don’t need horn or wings to beat the snot out of you.”
Blueblood was trembling in fear, his eyes wide as Ash looked at the guards and said “He will return to normal in ten or fifteen minutes.“ The guards nodded with some respect and smirked as they dragged Blueblood out of the hall. He looked around at the crowd, confused as to why so many ponies watched him. Suddenly Fancy Pants, who was in the front row, began to stomp his hoof into the ground with a smirk, doing what was equal to clapping for a human. It was not long after more ponies began to stomp and smile, a few cheering with a grin as Ash blushed and Luna walked down to him with a proud smile as he looked up confused “Why is everypony cheering princess?” once again showing his lack of knowledge for Equestrian customs.
“Because you stood up and defended the whole pegasi race, even if you didn’t know it at that time. With you standing up
Blueblood and went against his cruel words, you became a friend of the pegasi race as a whole. As a princess I can be sure and say you will always be welcome in Cloudsdale after this day. To call pegasi wings, their whole life and everything they stand for, useless is to insult their very race and all pegasi over Equestria.”
He nodded, unsure what to say, as a pegasi with a fiery mane and a yellow fur landed in front of him and said “Thank you man. I would personally have knocked him down for what that jerk said, but I liked your way better. Nopony got hurt and you still scared the crap out of him.” As she hit Ash’s shoulder with a grin “So why did you, an earth pony, get so angry for him insulting pegasi?”
He smiled and said “Two of my best friends are pegasi. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. You may know them?”
She grinned suddenly and said “Rainbow Dash? Yeah I know her, great girl, good wonderbolt material even if a bit hotheaded, but she got the skills down to a ‘T’ and even more than that. Problem is that there are no current positions empty for her or she would get the part instantly. Actually… you can tell her that when the next wonderbolt retire is forced to leave, she can report to the canterlot flying dome to a try out for the part.” And with that she flew off, leaving Ash with wide eyes and totally shocked, but happy for his friend.
He smiled to Luna, who smirked amused and proudly, her eyes shining in mirth as he said “Well… that was interesting… If you don’t mind me, I will go and find Rainbow Dash with the good news.”
She smiled and said “It is ok. You can leave young Ash.” He nodded with a grin and left to find his flying best friend, looking around with a smile as Pikachu was on his back, searching as well with a smug grin, quite pleased with himself after what he did to Blueblood.
Ash found her after a good few minutes as she was sitting at a table with a glass of punch in her hoofs as she smirked, leaning back and relaxing, something she really loved to do. He walked over to her and said “Hey Rainbow.”
She looked up surprised at him and grinned as she raised her glass and said “Hey Ash! Come and join me. How is the party swinging?”
He smirked and said “Nothing special, been a bit with Pinkie, gave Prince Blueblood a good talking down too.”
Her eyes widened, she smirked and asked curiously “And why would you do that?”
He frowned a bit and said “He called pegasi wings ‘useless’.” He looked at Rainbow who suddenly growled and looked angry as she said with anger.
“I hope you gave him a good kick!” He smirked and said “Not really, but Pikachu paralyzed him for about ten minutes and he was thrown out of the gala. Also got to talk a bit to Spitfire I think. She wanted to thank me for defending pegasi honor.”
Her eyes widened even more than before in shock and she whispered “Y-You talked to Spitfire…? That is so awesome! What did she say!? Did you mention me?! Did she mention me?!” She asked excited.
He laughed and said “Don’t worry. I did mention you when she asked who my pegasi friends were and I got a message to you from her.” She grinned in excitement, wings trembling as she grinned, waiting for the message “She told me to inform you that the current wonderbolts are filled and can’t take members, but when somepony on the team becomes unable to perform anymore, she would like to see you at the try outs for the position.”
He heard the sound of a pony hitting the floor and looked down and saw Rainbow Dash had hit the floor, now unconscious in the shock he gave her and groaned “Can somepony get something?” he asked, half amused half annoyed.
As a pony got a bag of ice and some water, Ash walked away with a smirk as he thought, Now would be the time to get the surprise up. I just hope the boys are ready. As he silently left the room.