The candlelight glinted off of the shining satin ribbons looped over the marble columns in the Equestria ballroom. Sweetie Belle checked the clock. It was thirty minutes to eleven. That's when she would sing. It was an exciting night; Not only did she get to sing, she got to stay up extremely late.
"Diamond Tiara must be so jealous!" Scootaloo said, looking around. "This is totally awesome!"
"Ah know, right?" Apple Bloom munched on an apple tart. "Ah think even mah sister's tarts taste better here!"
"Well, she does use all expensive Canterlot ingredients- Except for the apples." Sweetie Belle answered.
"C'mon, let's go outside for some air!" Babs suggested, and the other three fillies agreed. Even Sweetie Belle.
Outside, the moon glowed brightly. Luna's silhouette shone against it, as she faithfully watched over the night, even on a night such as the Gala.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders took deep breaths in the crisp, clean air. There was a sophisticated taste in the air that Ponyville didn't have. Sweetie Belle drank it in. Apple Bloom decided she preferred the earthiness in the air of Ponyville.
"Come on!" Sweetie Belle gestured with her hoof. "This party is part outside, too!"
Indeed, the Gala spilled out onto an outdoor dance floor, with lights strung in the trees. There was an are in the corner that was roped off from the rest of the outside area, with golden posts and velvet ropes. A sign on the rope loudly proclaimed that area to be for 'VIPs'.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders ignored the VIP area and headed straight to the dance floor. Pinkie had obviously asked Princess Celestia to add this little touch; It was nothing like the indoor ballroom and had Pinkie written all over it. The lights, the music, the confetti that spewed out of thin air every few minutes could not be anypony but Pinkie Pie's design.
As the Cutie Mark Crusaders danced, they noticed that the ponies in the VIP section were looking at them and whispering. After the song ended, a white unicorn stallion beckoned them over. Sweetie Belle recognized him as Fancy Pants, the pony that her sister was constantly talking about, and her heart skipped a beat.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders trotted over to the VIP section nervously.
"You are Sweetie Belle? The charming filly who performed yesterday?" Fancy Pants ignored Apple Bloom, Babs and Scootaloo.
"Yeah." Sweetie Belle answered. Fancy Pants unhooked the red velvet rope.
"Come in here as my guest!" Fancy Pants invited Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle looked at her friends. They shrugged, not wanting to stand in the way of Sweetie's success, but not wanting her to leave them. Sweetie smiled and trotted into the VIP section. Apple Bloom sighed.
"I took lessons for a month before the performance. Well, more like rehearsals. I've never had actual lessons." Sweetie Belle said earnestly. She sipped her hot chocolate as daintily as she could and nibbled at a tea cake.
"Remarkable." Fancy Pants said. "Quite remarkable."
"And you're such an adorable little filly, too!" Fleur Dis Lee added. she lifted a hoof and waved over a pony walking around with a camera. "Photographer! Over here!"
The pale green earth pony, barely more than a colt, started over, but was pushed aside by a blue mare.
"I will take this picture! It has the magics!" Photo Finish twirled her hoof and her assistants rushed to set up her equipment. Fleur Dis Lee posed by Sweetie Belle, who smiled and tried to look like she knew how to do this. The flashbulbs went off. "Filly- Tell me, Who are you wearing?"
"Carousel Boutique." Sweetie answered, proud of her sister.
"It also has the magics!" Photo Finish proclaimed.
"Give me a turn with the filly!" Sapphire Shores walked through the sea of lesser ponies watching the impromptu photo shoot and taking her place on Sweetie Belle's other side. Sweetie Belle felt like she was in a dream. How could this be real? More flashbulbs went off, and they probably would have gone on forever had Stagelight Glow not appeared and taken Sweetie Belle backstage to get ready.
"I can't wait to hear what you have ready tonight, honey!" Sapphire Shores called after the filly and her mentor. "You've got a lot of talent!"
Backstage, Rarity confronted Sweetie Belle loudly.
"Where have you been?" Rarity sighed dramatically. "You cut it so close, darling! I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, and then where would we be? Your career- Ruined!"
"Relax, Rarity. Your sister seems to have a business sense, actually. I had to drag her out of the grasps of a sea of reporters, Photo Finish, Fancy Pants, Fleur Dis Lee and Sapphire Shores!" Stagelight threw out the names casually, then chuckled at the astonished look on Rarity's face.
Rarity's mouth dropped open.
"Photo Finish said my dress had the magics!" Sweetie Belle piped up. "She took a gazillion photos of me with Fleur Dis Lee and Sapphire Shores." Rarity went whiter than she usually was.
"Darling, do you know what this means? If a sea of reporters was there, as you say, everypony in Equestria will hear that comment! Oh, Sweetie, think of what this means!" Rarity continued to babble as she touched up Sweetie Belle's makeup.
The minutes leading up to Sweetie's final performance passed quickly. Before she knew it, she was onstage.
This time, she knew how it would go down. It was only by the end of the song that she realized that her friends weren't in the front. They looked shunted into a back corner. Sweetie Bell felt a slight twinge of remorse. They looked so lonely. Still, they cheered her on as loudly as ever.
After this performance, like the last, the audience exploded in applause. Sweetie Belle took a bow and descended into the audience. This time, she was prepared for the ambush. She managed to talk a lot about her dress. Seeing her friends at the back of the group, waving frantically, she tried to communicate to them through hand gestures that she would talk to them later. They didn't seem to understand.
"How delightful that was." Hoity Toity said to Sweetie Belle as she followed Rarity out of the room. "Do visit me again."
"I will!" Sweetie Belle called over her shoulder as Rarity bustled her up to bed. She passed her friends on the stairs.
"Night!" They called to her.
"Good night." Sweetie Belle mumbled tiredly. They could barely hear her. She shut the door on them and then all they could hear was her snoring.