The Adventures of Damon Lipton
Chapter XXIV - At The Gala Part I.
Twilight bit her lip as she paced back and forth in the library, her mane askew and her fur grimy. It was the day of the Gala, and she had been a nervous wreck. Spike came down the stairs and yawned, rubbing his eyes gently. He stopped when he came to the bottom of the stairs and watched her with a frown.
“Twilight… did you stay up all night, again?”
Twilight didn’t answer him, she merely muttered to herself as she kept pacing.
“Twilight, I think you need to at least have a bath and maybe rest for a few hours. You look—
Twilight stopped and snapped her head at the dragon who gulped softly, “How can you even suggest that?! The gala is this evening and I don’t know what I’m going to do about my date! Do I talk about myself? Do I talk about him? None of the books really helped! Do I—”
Spike rolled his eyes, “I doubt he would care what you do, as long as you two have fun together.”
“You’re right, Spike,” Twilight sighed, “I’m just nervous, this is the first date I’ve been on since I was in school. And the Princess is counting on me to not only make sure he has a good time at the Gala, but assist him with the nobles of Canterlot.”
“I know, Twilight,” Spike replied. “But you need to make sure you look okay first, and no offense, Twilight. You look a mess.”
Twilight was about to protest but caught sight of herself in the mirror hanging on the wall and cringed, “Yeah… I do look a bit… off.”
Spike raised his brow as a knock on the door caught their attention.
“I’ll get it,” Spike said.
Twilight sighed as Spike walked to the door. The princess’ request still spinning in her mind, two days after he had been asked.
“Kalanar?” Celestia asked. “Would you be willing to do me a favor...?”
“What’s that, Miss Celestia?” the elf replied.
“I was wondering if you would be willing to take my dear student with you to the Gala,” she said before pausing, watching Twilight’s eyes widen and her cheeks redden. “As your plus one.”
“My plus one?” he asked, to which the alicorn nodded. “I’d be delighted, if Miss Twilight would that.”
“I-I’d like that,” the unicorn stuttered and smiled nervously at the elf.
“Then it’s settled,” Celestia grinned to Luna. “It’s a date.”
“Very good,” Kalanar smiled. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to return to the library. Good day, Miss Celestia, Miss Luna. I will see you back at the library later, Miss Twilight.”
Luna and Celestia nodded as Kalanar vanished in a sudden flash. No sooner had her left, Twilight started to jump around the two alicorn’s in absolute glee.
“YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!” Twilight all but shouted before coming to a screeching halt, noticing everyone had since walked over to the trio and were looking at her with amused expressions.
“What’s gotten into ya, Twi?” Applejack asked.
“U-uh, nothing?” Twilight sheepishly grinned.
Applejack simply raised her eyebrow as the unicorn’s ears lowered, struggling to keep her poker face.
“Oh, it’s nothing, Applejack,” Luna explained. “Twilight here is merely expressing her joy about her ‘date’ for the Gala.”
“You have a date?” Rarity gasped, her eyes widening as a grin formed on her lips.
“W-well, uh, sorta?” Twilight replied.
“Who is it?”
Twilight mumbled her answer as her friends leaned in closer.
“Uhm… what was that?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“She’s going to be escorted by Kalanar to the Gala, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia replied with a smirk as Twilight covered her face in embarrassment.
Rarity and Applejack looked to one another and smirked before Rarity tittered, “I knew it. I can always tell when somepony has a crush on somepony else.”
“Y-you knew about my crush?!” Twilight spluttered.
Rarity giggled, “Well, I actually wasn’t one hundred percent sure. But thank you for confirming it.”
Twilight blushed and grumbled as Rarity suddenly appeared by her side.
“Now come along, dear. We have work to do!”
Before Twilight could reply, she was whisked away by the white unicorn.
Twilight sighed happily as she let her mind wonder. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t hear Spike walk back.
“Still not sure what you see in him though, Twilight,” Spike said. “I mean, you hardly know him.”
Twilight sighed happily again, not hearing the dragon. Spike poked her and she blinked a couple of times.
“Huh? Wah?”
“I said, I’m still not sure what you see in him. You barely know him,” Spike repeated.
“I could say the same thing to you about your crush on Rarity,” Twilight replied. “You didn’t know her more than a second before you fell for her.”
Spike’s eyes widened and made cutting motions across his throat as the unicorn in question walked in, levitating a dress behind her.
“What are we discussing?” Rarity asked as she examined the dress, not yet looking at Twilight.
“N-nothing!” Spike said with a nervous smile.
Twilight smirked in triumph as the dragon glared at her, leaving the two mares alone in order to get something to snack on.
“So, Twilight. Looking forward to this— Goodness me!” Rarity gasped, seeing the state Twilight was in. “Why you look like you haven’t slept properly!”
“I… kinda didn’t much,” Twilight admitted.
Rarity tutted as she sorted out the unicorn’s mane, “This won’t do, Twilight. Don’t you want to make a good impression for your date this evening?”
Twilight blushed lightly and nodded. Rarity giggled and smiled softly, levitating a brush from the nearby table.
“Then let’s begin!”
Damon yawned as he leant back into the sofa, a smile of contentment on his face as he patted his stomach. Pinchy curled up beside him, snuggling as close as she could to the lich and yawned as well, closing her eyes and settling in.
“That was a good lunch…” Damon murmured. “Compliments to the chef.”
“Thanks,” Colgate smiled as she took a seat adjacent to the sofa. “Nopony can resist my pasta bake!”
Berry giggled as she entered the living room where they were and took the seat next to Colgate, “How come I never get complimented, hmm?”
“Because Colgate is a guest cooking for us?” Damon shrugged. “Besides, you know I love your cooking, Berry.”
“Uhuh,” Berry replied with a smirk.
Kalanar then entered, sitting on the sofa beside Damon and Pinchy, “There, that enchantment will clean the dishes for you, Miss Berry.”
“Thank you, Kalanar,” Berry replied before looking at Damon. “How come you never do that?”
“You never ask,” Damon replied.
Kalanar shook his head and gave the back of Damon’s head a smack as Pinchy giggled and yawned again.
“Tired, Pinches?” Damon asked.
“A lil…” she murmured.
“Let her sleep,” Berry said. “She needs to get some sleep before the Gala tonight.”
“Want me to put her to bed?” Colgate asked, turning her head to the other mare.
“Please,” Berry smiled.
Colgate smiled back and trotted over to the now sleeping Pinchy and levitated her carefully onto her back where the filly instinctively snuggled into the mare’s neck with a soft sigh.
The three watched as Colgate took Pinchy out of the room and up the stairs before Berry smiled at Kalanar.
“So, looking forward to this evening?” she asked.
“Of course,” Kalanar replied. “We’ll finally be able to reveal ourselves to the public and interact fully with pony society. I’m certain it will go off without a hitch.”
Berry blinked at the mage, “Actually… I was referring to you and Twilight.”
“Hmm? Oh, that. Why I’m looking forward to it, perhaps Miss Twilight would be delighted if she and I visited the royal archives.”
Berry slapped her forehoof, shaking her head as the elf missed her point again.
“If you will excuse me, I have some errands to run. Good day, Miss Berry. Please tell Miss Colgate I said farewell and I thank her again for an excellent meal. I’ll see you later, Damon.”
Berry was about to speak but Kalanar quickly teleported, leaving the two alone. She sighed and looked at Damon.
“For a wise master of the arcane, he isn’t that bright. Is he?”
“It’s like I said the other day,” Damon yawned. “He’s useless at love.”
Berry let her mind wander back a couple of days prior, when princess Celestia confirmed about Kalanar escorting Twilight to the Gala.
The group watched Twilight get whisked away by Rarity, unable to resist snickering at her predicament before they all decided to call it a day.
“We should be heading back to Canterlot now, we look forward to seeing you all at the Gala,” Celestia said with a smile.
“It shall be most entertaining,” Luna added.
The group said their goodbyes and watched as the alicorn sisters took to the skies towards Canterlot before saying their farewells to one another. As Berry, Colgate, Pinchy and Damon made their way back to Berry’s home, the mare turned her head to look at the lich.
“Damon… is Kalanar aware of Twilight’s crush, right?” she asked.
Damon snorted, “I doubt it, the old fart is useless when it comes to love and what have you.”
Berry rolled her eyes, “The Gala’s going to be entertaining.”
“You got that right,” Colgate added.
Unbeknownst to the two mares, Pinchy was whispering to Damon as the two cackled quietly concocting a devious plan.
As Berry came out of her train of thoughts, Colgate returned downstairs and looked around.
“Kalanar gone then?” she asked.
“Mhm, he said to say goodbye and thank you for the meal,” Berry replied.
Colgate smiled and sat on the chair beside Berry again before looking up at Damon.
“So, why didn’t Trixie join us for lunch again?” she asked.
Damon shook his head, “The mare’s been in her carriage all day preparing herself for this evening. Practising her tricks and what have you as well as sorting her wardrobe out, honestly, women… we’ll see her at the library later on.”
Damon ignored the look Berry gave him and leant back, looking at the two mares side by side. He smirked and stood up, stretching his back and cracking it as he bent back slightly.
“You two can have the sofa, more room to relax on it,” he said.
“Alright, thanks,” Colgate smiled and hopped off, trotting over to the sofa as she took a seat.
Berry, however, eyed the lich with a suspicious look before she slowly got off and joined Colgate. Damon smiled innocently as he took a seat and twirled his hand, producing a book which he started to read. Colgate yawned softly and smacked her lips.
“Berry, you mind if I take a quick nap? I don’t wanna go home ‘cos I’m comfy,” the unicorn said as she put on her best puppy dog eyes at the other mare.
Berry giggled and booped her nose, “I already told you, you’re always welcome here and this is your second home.”
“I know, I just like it when you boop my nose,” Colgate said before sticking her tongue out.
Berry blushed softly and smile, before catching Damon’s grin and scowled at him. Damon snickered to himself softly and went back to reading his book.
“What are you up to, bone boy?” Berry asked.
“Who, me?” Damon asked with a mock gasp. “Absolutely nothing!”
“Uhuh,” Berry replied, unamused. “Why do I get a bad feeling when you say that?”
Colgate giggled, nuzzling Berry’s cheek playfully, “You worry too much, Berry. Just look forward to tonight, you, me and Pinchy at the Gala. Just imagine it!”
“Yeah…” Berry replied with a dreamy smile. “It’s hard to imagine we’re even going.”
“You’re welcome,” Damon smirked. “I believe it’s thanks to me you can even go at—”
Berry interrupted him with a pillow to his face, rolling her eyes with a soft giggle, “Just don’t embarrass yourself, okay?”
“Yes, mother,” Damon replied with a grumble.
“It’s more or less so Kalanar doesn't beat your backside again with his ‘disciplining’,” Colgate added with a smirk.
“Hey, in my defence—” Damon started.
“Well, he doesn't really have a backside, I don’t think he does anyway. Bones and all that,” Berry interrupted.
“Yeah, but—”
“Good point,” Berry replied before smirking and turning to Damon. “Did you ask anyone to go with you to the Gala?”
“Well no, but—”
Colgate interrupted with a knowing grin, “That’s because you got nobody to go with.
There was a long silence as the three looked at each other. Berry blinked and looked to colgate who was struggling not to laugh, but upon seeing Berry’s face, both mares burst into fits of giggles as Damon glared at them.
“You know, I could take these bone jokes as racism,” he grumbled.
“Oh lighten up,” Colgate teased, sticking her tongue out.
Damon grumbled but chuckled anyway and shook his head, “Yeah, yeah. I’m gunna go take a walk, I’ll see you guys later, okay?”
“Okay, Damon,” Berry replied.
“Later,” Colgate added.
Damon walked out of the room and then the home, closing the door behind him. As he started walking, a mischievous grin formed on his face.
“Operation love birds is a-go…” he cackled to himself, glancing back at the home one last time.
The library was full of chatter, everyone gathered in the main room all dressed and ready for the Gala. All the girls were dressed up in their dresses, with Rarity’s and Twilight’s being the most extravagant. The latter due to Rarity wanting Twilight to succeed. Trixie, who had finally shown up after spending the entire day getting ready in her carriage, was nattering away to Pinkie who simply stood there, taking in what the showmare was saying but not processing it.
Spike was sitting on the sofa reading a comic, wearing a small tuxedo and a large hat on his head. Beside him were Pinchy and the cutie mark crusaders, the latter had also been invited along to the Gala. Sweetie Belle was sitting as close as she could get to the drake, a shy smile on her face. Scootaloo, Applebloom and Pinchy resisted the best they could to call out the fillies obvious ploy.
The chattering came to a stop as they heard footsteps coming from the stairway and looked over to see Damon and Kalanar descending the stairs. Both Damon and Kalanar sporting the outfits Rarity had designed for them.
***Damon was wearing a dark blue shirt that poofed out slightly at the arms, tucking into elbow length brown gloves. He wore a pair of dark trousers that tucked into brown, knee high boots. A large belt fitted with a solid gold buckle wrapped around his waist and a dark blue cloak that covered his right arm and dangled to his waist, attached with his brooch. Atop his head, was a large black hat with a large white feather dangling from it. Damon had cast a simple enchantment on his robes to make it appear as if he still had skin, in order to make the clothes look more fitting on his person.
Kalanar was wearing an extravagant looking white shirt that also poofed out at the arms with a dark red cravat. He, like Damon, was also wearing elbow length brown gloves that the shirt tucked into. Covering one of his shoulders was a crimson cloak, like Damon’s, came to an end at his waist, his broach holding it in place. Like Damon, he wore black trousers with a large gold belt buckle that tucked into knee high brown boots and a similar hat rested atop his head.
Twilight’s jaw nearly dropped as the elf smiled at her, her cheeks turning a soft shade of red.
“I feel silly,” Damon grumbled as he tugged at his shirt, only to have Rarity smack his hand away.
“Nonsense, darling. You both look simply handsome,” Rarity smiled.
“Sure I do,” Damon grumbled sarcastically.
“Trixie thinks you look acceptable,” the showmare sniffed.
Kalanar walked over to Twilight who was still gawking at him, “Are you alright, Miss Twilight? Your cheeks are a little red.”
Damon smacked his face as the others resisted the urge to do so.
“I’m f-fine,” she managed to say. “Just a little nervous.”
“There’s no need,” he said reassuringly. “We’ll have a fantastic time.”
A knock on the door caught their attention. Spike clambered down and opened it, revealing a stallion in royal armor and a large chariot behind him.
“On the request of her majesty, we have arrived to escort you to the Gala,” he said.
“Then let’s not keep her waiting!” Damon grinned, picking up Pinchy in her little dress and plonking her on his head. “Let’s party!”
Before anyone could stop them, Damon rushed out followed closely by Pinkie and jumped into the carriage.
“That boy…” Kalanar sighed as the group exited the library for the carriage.
As the carriage landed, everyone looked outside to see the palace lit up. The excited chatter starting up once more as they all exited the carriage. They had landed away from where everyone else was due to arrive so Celestia and Luna could keep Damon and Kalanar hidden until they were ready to announce their arrival.
“Wow! The palace is huuuuuuge!” Pinchy cried from atop Damon’s hat.
“It sure is, Pinches. And I have bad, bad memories of this place…” Damon replied.
“If you’re referring to your arrival, that was your own fault,” Kalanar chuckled. “It could have gone smoother had you fallen into your negotiation skills I taught you.”
The girls giggled as Damon grumbled and waved him off with a gloves hand, “Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get inside shall we?”
“Tonight’s going to be the best, night, EVER!” Pinkie squealed.
“Of course it will!” Damon grinned. “What could possible go wrong?”
In the gardens, away from all the excitement and partying, a small wind suddenly whipped up. It ducked through the arc of the archway that stood at the entrance around the many statues that dotted the Canterlot gardens, before twirling around the statue that contained Discord. And just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished as it reached the top.
And a single crack… appeared on his stomach.