Friends, Forgiveness, and Magic
The Night that Lasted Forever
“Can’t…this…wait?!” Discord asked impatiently. The earth beneath him had turned into a wobbly, jelly-like substance. While he was talking, he bounced on the transformed earth like it was a trampoline.
Sunset Shimmer frowned as she pulled out a thorny root from the ground with her teeth. She spat it out and said, “It probably could, but if I don’t deal with this soon it’s just gonna bug me all night.”
Discord sighed and snapped his fingers. The earth beneath him solidified back into normal grass and he stopped bouncing. “Oh very well. If it gets us to the Gala sooner.” He snapped his fingers again and dozens of the mysterious weeds vanished.
Nightmare Moon smiled as she walked out of the library, carrying Smog on her back and a book in her magic. “Oh, thanks Discord. I was just thinking about dealing with those weeds myself.”
Discord huffed. “You can thank me by speeding this up. I’m growing very impatient and very bored.”
Sunset frowned at the ground in thought. “Did you guys notice anything odd about these weeds? Or is it just me?”
Discord groaned. “Oh, who cares? They’re gone now, right?”
“Rejoice my friends, for the wait is over! The Great and Powerful Trixie has returned from her journey and brought back a feast worthy of kings!” they heard Trixie announce. They turned around to see Trixie, Gilda, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Chrysalis joining them outside the library.
Smog blinked. “What?”
“Trixie brought us snacks for our ride to the Gala,” Gilda translated.
“Great. Did you guys also bring what I asked for?” Nightmare asked hopefully.
“Sure,” Gilda said as she tossed an apple to her friend. “But what do we need that apple for?”
“Watch this!” Nightmare said as she took a stance. She fired a beam of magic at the apple, causing it to transform and grow. Within the seconds, the apple had been turned into a pure black carriage.
Discord stared at the carriage and groaned. “Oh dear. I’m all for being fashionably late, but I would like to go to the Gala BEFORE it closes, thank you.”
“Oh my!” Chrysalis exclaimed as she admired the beautifully detailed carriage. “It looks perfect!”
Nightmare beamed. “Thank you.”
“Uh…I dunno,” Rainbow said as she eyed the carriage hesitantly. “It looks a little…evil.”
Both Nightmare and Chrysalis turned to look at her in confusion. “What?”
“I’m afraid I have to agree with Rainbow Dash on this. It looks very lovely, wonderful spell and with such attention to detail, I assure you. But the whole carriage does look a teensy bit sinister,” Rarity said with a nervous smile. “Perhaps if you removed some of the spikes? Added a splash of colour?”
Sunset looked at the carriage in confusion. “It looks fine to me.”
“It’s fine. A little plain for my tastes but it doesn’t look awful,” Discord said. “Can we please get going now?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with it?” Smog frowned. “Nightmare put a lot of work into that spell.”
“Oh please, Trixie knows that Nightmare Moon just started to look at that book this morning,” Trixie frowned. “And I believe I agree with Rainbow Dash and Rarity. This is the spookiest carriage that Trixie has ever seen.”
“Hey, I’ve got a question. Why are we wasting time here?” Gilda frowned. “I’m sure Discord, or even Nightmare or Trixie could just teleport us all to the Gala.”
“Thank you!” Discord exclaimed.
“That’s not the point. I want us all to make a grand entrance at the Grand Galloping Gala. Tonight’s Gala has some very special guests after all!” Nightmare smiled.
“Nightmare, as a friend I love you dearly. But you are dragging this conversation on for far too long. I’m getting bored,” Discord warned.
“The Shadowbolts?” Rainbow and Gilda asked hopefully.
“Us! The Elements of Redemption!” Nightmare clarified.
“I’m getting bored!” Discord grumbled again.
Nightmare rolled her eyes. “Not now Discord. Now, we just need to find some horses to pull our carriage and we can be on our way.”
Discord stared at the ponies. “I hate to borrow your catchphrase Nightie but…you're kidding. You’re kidding, right?”
“Oh, whatever shall we do?” Rarity mockingly asked before smiling. “Worry not darlings. I’m sure I can find a few gentle-stallions and ask them to-”
“BORED NOW!” Discord declared. He snapped his fingers and teleported all of them to the Crystal Empire, along with the carriage.
“No, that’s not right. I have to follow the checklist. Everything has to be perfect!” Princess Twilight cried as she paced back and forth in her bedroom.
Someone knocked at her door. “Sparky?” She opened the door with her magic to see her brother, Prince Shining Armor. “Everything okay?” he asked.
“Shiny!” she cried happily. “Thank goodness you’re here! You remember everything on the list I gave you right? Tonight is all about making a good impression. Now there are several important guests that absolutely-”
“Sweetheart, you’re panicking again.” They turned around to see their mom, Twilight Velvet, walk into the room. She wore a pearl necklace and a nice blue dress for the Gala.
“Your mom is right Sparky.” Their dad, Nightlight, walked in behind Twilight Velvet. He was wearing a fancy black suit, and carrying a red suit with his magic. “Just have fun tonight, and I’m sure everything will work out fine. And Shining, you really need to get dressed soon. The guests will be arriving in a few hours.” He tossed the red suit to his son, who caught it in his own magic.
“Thanks dad. Can’t believe I almost forgot that.” Shining turned back to his sister and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry Sparky. Things will be just fine tonight.” He gave Princess Twilight a hug and then walked out of the room with their parents.
The still worried Princess Twilight stared at her bedroom mirror. She frowned and muttered to her reflection. “Tonight will finally be my chance to make everything right! With all that I’ve imagined…every checklist, everything that I’ve planned for…the reality of this night is sure to make this a Night that Will Last Forever in our Memories. I finally have a chance to make this the Best Night Ever and I’m not going to let it slip by this time!”
“Sparky, would you please keep your frantic prattling to yourself? Some of us are trying to sleep.”
“Oops. Sorry Spike!” she called out to her friend in the next room.
“Alright! Looks like we got here early!” Smog said. They were just outside the Crystal Castle now, where the Gala would be held. He straightened out the black suit he was wearing and glanced back at his friends, taking a minute to admire all the hard work Rarity had put into creating their Gala outfits.
Nightmare Moon was wearing her boots and the chest plate off her armor, but was wearing a small black tiara instead of her helmet. She also wore a dark-to-light purple dress, with blue bolts of fabric that had images of a crescent moon stitched into them.
Sunset Shimmer wore a black dress, with bolts of red and yellow fabric over top. She also wore a black necklace with a gold heart at the front, and small gold shoes on her hooves.
Gilda wore a blue dress and dark blue talon-less gloves. She also had three fake blue feathers tucked in behind her head.
Trixie wasn’t wearing her hat and cape that night. Instead she wore a purple dress with images of stars stitched into it. Actually, her dress looked a lot like a larger version of her cape, the more she thought about it. She also wore gold shoes similar to Sunset’s.
For the first time since Smog had met her, Chrysalis was wearing her changeling queen’s crown, black with blue points. She also wore a dark-to-light green dress that had a few holes to match with the holes in her hooves and wings. A gold necklace with a blue heart adorned her neck.
Rainbow Dash wore a dress that had every colour of the rainbow running down it, with fluffy cloud-like material stitched into the hem of the skirt. She also wore gold hoof-socks and her usually messy mane was neatly brushed.
Rarity wore a sparkly pink gown, with bolts of purple and yellow fabric and glittering gems woven into the skirt. She also wore a necklace, earrings, a gold tiara, and silvery slippers. Not glass slippers, those are just silly.
And lastly, the only other guy in their group was wearing a dark brown suit. Discord was also wearing a mischievous smile, but that was normal for him.
“Whoa! You all look amazing!” Smog said with a smile.
“We’re finally here!” Trixie beamed. “Tonight shall be a Gala to remember!”
Suddenly, and for no reason, Rainbow and Rarity both started to sing.
"At the Gala! At the Gala!
I will find him, my Prince Charming
And how gallant he will be
He will treat me like a lady
Just you wait and see!" Rarity sang.
"I’ve been dreaming, I've been waiting
To fly with those great ponies.
The Shadowbolts, their daring tricks
Spinning round and having kicks!" Rainbow sang.
They would have kept singing, when they noticed that no one else was joining in. The Elements bearers and Smog were all staring at them in confusion.
“What? We’re not singing?” Rarity asked, feeling confused and a little hurt.
Discord smiled and patted both her and Rainbow reassuringly. “Of course we’re gonna sing! Just not right now. I have a much better time and place planned for our group song.” He winked at them.
Rainbow’s wings twitched a little. “But I thought we were gonna make a big entrance and everything!”
Discord chuckled. “Don’t worry. We have Nightie for that.”
Nightmare glanced around at the other Gala guests who had shown up early. She cleared her throat and announced their arrival:
“CITIZENS OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE! WE HAVE GRACED TONIGHT’S GALA WITH OUR PRESENCE, SO THAT YOU MAY BEHOLD THE TRUE ELEMENTS OF FORGIVENESS! TONIGHT, WE SHALL CHANGE THIS ADEQUATE EVENT INTO A NIGHT THAT WILL LAST FOREVER IN OUR MEMORIES!”
Nightmare coughed as her voice settled down to normal. Her friends and a few Gala guests applauded their arrival, though some of the nobles just stared at them in bewilderment.
“Sweet introduction Nightmare! Ah yeah, tonight is gonna be awesome!” Smog said, smiling hopefully. “You know why? ‘Cause we're all gonna spend time at the Gala together!”
“Well, yes. But uh, maybe not the whole night together.” Chrysalis gave him a sheepish smile. “I think there’s some stuff we all planned to do at the Gala, but we’ll definitely have time afterwards!”
“Stuff? Like what?” Smog asked.
Nightmare grinned with excitement. “I’m gonna look for Loony. I know she takes some time every night to visit me in my dreams, but she’s always so busy during the day that I hardly ever see her when I’m awake. But tonight we’ll be able to talk all about magic, and her adventures, and my work with Princess Twilight, and all the friends I’ve made, and it’s going to be wonderful!” She clapped her hooves with glee.
Gilda and Rainbow both cheered as they saw three high-flying shadows whoosh past them. “There they are! The Shadowbolts are finally here! Now that I’m in, I’ve finally got a chance to talk with my heroes!” Gilda grinned. “It’s gonna be wicked awesome!”
Rainbow grinned and added, “From what I’ve heard, tonight will be double-awesome! I heard that Ahuizotl is gonna be here! I’m gonna ask him to autograph my copy of the first Daring Do book!” Rainbow brought out a blue book and showed them the cover.
Gilda raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Uh, Dash? That’s the second book in the Bravely Blue series. You, uh…you do know that Doctor Do is the bad guy, right?”
Rainbow blushed. “I know. But she’s just so cool! Even when she loses, she always manages to stay one step ahead of Bravely Blue! Dashing into the shadows and saying, 'You win this round! But I’ll get you next time Bravely!'"
“Are you sure that’s an exact quote?” Nightmare asked.
Sunset smiled. “Well I’m planning to visit Big Macintosh’s stand. I heard that during every Gala, Sweet Apple Acres sets up a booth with some of their finest apple treats. The stuff at the buffet is free but every year, Big Mac manages to get hundreds of paying customers.”
Nightmare frowned in confusion. “Really? I’ve met some of the nobility within the Crystal Empire and they’re usually really snobby. I can’t imagine that they’d be interested in ordinary apples, even if they do taste good.”
Sunset gave them a wink. “Ah, but here’s the interesting part! One of Big Mac’s regular customers at these events is Miss Jewel herself!”
“Miss Jewel?” Rainbow asked. “Who’s that?”
Rarity gasped. “You don’t know? Miss Dash, Applejewel is only the most important and influential business mare in Everfree! She’s the CEO of Apple Pie Incorporated! She has her own fashion line, a chain of restaurants, everything! She took the Big Apple by storm! As a matter of fact, they renamed the city after her! How could you not know who she is?”
Rainbow shrugged. “I guess I don’t pay much attention to stuff like that?”
Nightmare blinked at Rainbow. “Really? Apple Pie Incorporated is something of a mega corporation. They control almost all business within the Big Apple. Not to mention the business ties they have to Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Why’s that?” Rainbow asked.
“You mean their interest in Sweet Apple Acres?” Sunset said. “Well, some folks say that Miss Jewel used to work there as a farm girl, but that’s just a rumor. Even though everyone knows who Applejewel is, nobody really knows much about her. She never answers any personal questions or talks about her past during interviews.”
Sunset smiled. “But tonight I’m gonna talk to her.” Before anyone else could ask her the reason why she wanted to talk to Applejewel, something caught Sunset’s eye and she galloped off towards it.
Smog glanced at Trixie. “Three…two…”
“Trixie knows what she’s going to do! The Gala dances, the fancy music band, they will all PALE in comparison to the entertainment that Trixie will bring them! For nobody can put on a show better than the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
Smog watched the mad magician disappear behind one of her smoke bombs. “…And one. Knew it. What about you Chrysalis?” he asked.
Chrysalis licked her fangs as she watched two other ponies kissing. “Nothing quite as special as the rest of you guys. I’m pretty much doing the same thing most changelings do at these events.”
“Oh darling, are you sure that’s wise?” Rarity asked. “Even if changelings are more welcomed nowadays, there are still those who are…uneasy around changelings.”
Chrysalis smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. Besides, this is my big reason for coming here. The Grand Galloping Gala is a big event, and plenty of lucky couples use this opportunity to propose to each other.” She smacked her lips and stared as green mist swirled in the air near them. She opened her mouth and inhaled the love energy.
“I take it the appetizers have arrived?” Discord asked, chuckling at his joke.
Chrysalis giggled too. She then gave her wings a buzz and flew off in search of more excess love.
Rarity suddenly gasped as she spotted her goal for that night. Prince Shining Armor, the handsome brother to Princess Twilight was walking past them. She stared at his handsome red suit, his white coat, his sapphire blue mane, and those wonderful eyes…
She began hurrying toward him, while still trying to look as graceful as possible. “Hurry, Rarity...but not too fast! But you don't wanna lose him…have to play it cool. Oh, but don't be cold!” she whispered to herself.
Discord snapped his fingers and a clock with wings appeared before them. He scratched his chin as he checked the time on the flying clock. “The time is now 11:03 pm,” he announced with a smile. He turned to Nightmare and Smog and gave them a quick bow. “Pardon me but I’ll be…somewhere.” He paused. “Probably. You kids have fun and I might turn up later.”
As the rest of his friends flew off, Smog sighed to himself. “I guess I’ll see you guys later.”
Nightmare frantically searched through the crowd, looking for Luna. She didn’t see her mom, but she spotted the next best ponies. She flew up the stairs at the grand entrance and touched down. “King Sombra! Princess Twilight!”
King Sombra smiled. “Nightmare! It’s great to see you again. We have so much to catch up on!”
“You’re absolutely right. But um, do you know where Loony is?” Nightmare asked with a hopeful smile. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful to see you both. But having Loony here too would truly make this the Best Night Ever!”
Princess Twilight smiled. “I’m afraid Captain Luna is on security duty with the other guards. Just a precaution though, you know how these things are. I asked her to join us when she finishes her rounds.”
Nightmare grinned and stepped up to stand in between the king and the princess. “In that case I’m gonna stay right by your side the entire evening!”
“A wonderful idea,” King Sombra said. “We’ll have plenty of time together, and your company should be able to make tonight tolerable at least.” He lightly groaned as a few more ponies and other creatures walked towards them. He then forced a smile and said, “Ladies! Welcome to the Gala! Have a wonderful night!”
As the mares walked away, the king’s face relaxed again. “Oh dear. The night’s barely begun and I already feel weak. Sparky, I fear I might not make it,” he bemoaned.
“Well for the first time in over a hundred years, I’m here. We’ll face this Gala together, just like old times!” Princess Twilight assured him.
Rarity hurried into the gardens where Prince Shining Armor was. She slowed her pace to a walk and cleared her throat. “Good evening. I am Rarity.”
Prince Shining looked over Rarity in confusion, before giving her a nervous smile. “Oh, um…hi there Rarity. I’m Prince Shining Armor.”
Rarity’s eyes darted to a flower in the garden bushes. “Oh my, what a lovely rose,” she said, hoping that he would take the hint and offer it to her.
Prince Shining glanced at the rose. “That one? I guess it looks kinda of nice.” His eyes lit up as he got an idea. He grabbed the rose with his magic and caught it in his teeth.
Rarity blinked in shock as her prince started walking away from her. “What? Prince Shining, where are you going?”
“Pardon me,” he said. “There’s a friend of mine I wanted to give this too. Goodnight Miss Rarity.”
Rarity blinked again, before he face twisted into a determined frown. She wasn’t about to let him go that easy! She hurried after Prince Shining.
“Welcome to the Gala. Good to see you, welcome to the Gala.” King Sombra sighed as he kept up the forced smile and continued to greet guest after guest.
Princess Twilight sighed. “This wouldn’t be so bad if we had some water,” she whispered. Nightmare heard her, and levitated over a few glasses for them. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Um, King Sombra? Do you know when Loony is stopping by?” Nightmare asked again.
The king sighed. “Patience my student. She’ll be here to save us – I mean, relieve us – soon enough.”
Princess Twilight’s eyes widened. “Huh. Speak of one alicorn and another one shows up.” At Sombra and Nightmare’s confused looks, she pointed at the next set of guests.
King Sombra smiled once he saw them. “Countess Cadenza, wonderful to see you here! Who’s your friend?”
Nightmare recognized the pink alicorn from both her own experiences and the visions her friends had shared with her. Cadance wore a simple dark pink dress with a gold necklace and gold shoes.
Cadance's friend was a little harder to remember. She was a yellow pegasus with a long pink mane. She wore a pretty green dress with matching shoes.
Cadance bowed. “Thank you King Sombra, but just Cadance is fine. We’re at a party, aren’t we?”
“It’s nice to see you again Cadance,” Nightmare said.
“Oh, it’s nice to see you too Moony! Seems like it was only yesterday that you were still a filly. You were so cute!” Cadance giggled.
“I’m surprised you remember. You only babysat me for one week, and I couldn’t have been that interesting. Not when you had just ascended.”
Cadance giggled, pointing at her horn. “Oh, like this silly thing would stop me from doing what I love.” She cleared her throat and said, “Sorry, I should introduce you.”
She pointed at the yellow pegasus by her side. “This is Fluttershy. She’s one of my dearest friends, and my assistant. Kinda like you and Smog, Nightmare.”
“Welcome to the Gala Miss Fluttershy,” Nightmare said.
Princess Twilight grinned. “It’s so nice to meet you. I haven’t seen you here before, is this your first time in the Crystal Empire?”
Fluttershy eyed Nightmare, Sombra, and Twilight cautiously. She made a few gestures with her hooves, gave her wings two flaps, and finished with another gesture.
“She says, ‘Yes, this is my first time. Thank you for inviting us.’” Cadance translated.
Princess Twilight stared at Fluttershy with confusion and a little concern. “Oh. I’m sorry, are you...mute? Deaf?”
Cadance shrugged. “Sorta. Legally mute, maybe? Is that right? She can talk but it’s incredibly difficult for her, so she uses sign language.”
“Really?” Nightmare glanced at Fluttershy. She finally recalled seeing a pink-haired, yellow pegasus in Gilda’s vision that looked a little like Fluttershy.
“Well, we hope you two have a wonderful night here at the Gala,” King Sombra said. Cadance and Fluttershy both bowed again and went to join the party.
“Upper Crust, will you marry me?” Chrysalis heard a stallion ask.
“Jet Set! I…yes! Yes I will!”
Chrysalis hurried forward and found two ponies kissing each other. She hungrily inhaled the excess love that was pouring off the couple.
“Excuse me?” the mare said. Chrysalis instantly stopped feeding off their love and backed away.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. It’s just, the love you two have for each other is so wonderful, and I couldn’t help myself!”
The stallion, Jet Set, chuckled. “That’s alright miss changeling. Or would that be Your Majesty?” He indicated her crown.
The mare, Upper Crust, gently smiled. “As long as you don’t steal too much of our love, it doesn’t bother us.”
Chrysalis thanked them for the meal and went off to find more happy couples. She saw a few other changelings lingering near pony couples too. Spotting another stallion sitting close to a rather tall and beautiful mare, Chrysalis hurried to absorb more love.
But as soon as she started inhaling that green mist, she found that this couple wasn’t as happy about it. “Excuse me! What do you think you are doing?” The mare hissed.
Chrysalis took a step back. She recognized the mare as Fleur-de-Lis, the famous supermodel. The stallion appeared to be Fancy Pants. She remembered him coming up in a conversation she had with Rainbow, but she couldn’t remember much about what Rainbow had said about Fancy.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I just wanted a bit off that excess love you have and-”
“You’re not getting a single drop of my energy parasite!” Fleur hissed, scowling at Chrysalis. Fancy and Fleur turned away from her, with obvious disgust and contempt.
Chrysalis cringed. Parasite was a really harsh insult, for everyone but especially for changelings. She tried to calm down. Just because one couple was scared of her, it didn’t mean they’d all be scared…right?
Princess Twilight raised an eyebrow as the next Gala guests stepped forward to meet them. A tiger, a cheetah, a lynx, a panther, and a white house cat walked up the steps. The tiger and house cat stepped up from the group and gave them a bow. “Um…welcome to the Gala?” She shot King Sombra a look and whispered, “Help?”
King Sombra smiled. “Princess Twilight, these cats are all friends of Ahuizotl. He’s the author of the Bravely Blue series, remember?”
Princess Twilight’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh yeah! It’s a great series! Definitely on my recent favourites list. Sorry, I didn’t know these were friends of Mister Ahuizotl.”
“Excuse me, Your Highness! But we are individuals and as much as we respect the friendship we have with Ahuizotl, it is not our SOLE defining trait!” the tiger said.
Nightmare blinked at the tiger. She looked over her shoulder and called out, “Discord! I don’t know why you’re making the cats talk but make them normal again!”
The tiger frowned. “Excuse me madam, but my companions and I have always been able to speak! Though, they do not speak as many languages as I.” His frown faded and he bowed to King Sombra and Princess Twilight. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Baron Tobias Tigerius. This is my half-sister, Tiana Tigerius,” he added, indicating the white cat.
“Charmed,” Tiana purred.
King Sombra nodded. “I am familiar with your name and your work, Baron. As well as the names of your friends. Forgive my student, she didn’t mean to offend you. She doesn’t really get out much.”
Nightmare gave the king a light frown before offering an apologetic smile to the Baron. “Heh, yeah. Sorry, I just don’t see talking cats that often.”
Baron Tobias nodded. “Apology accepted. Now, to business. I am afraid our friend Ahuizotl has been called away on urgent business and cannot make it to the Gala at this time. Shame too, he was rather looking forward to it.
“No, today we are escorting another individual. Miss Applejewel.”
King Sombra and Nightmare both blinked in surprise. They looked down the stairs to see a group of six ponies, plus the other cats that were with Baron Tobias. Within that crowd of ponies was Miss Applejewel.
She wore a large green and red dress that covered up most of her form. Nightmare Moon could see the mare’s orange front-hooves, but she couldn’t see her tail, her back-hooves or if the mare had wings or not. A fancy hat covered the mare’s head and mane while a gold mask covered her face. It was possible that the orange pony was a unicorn, but the horn would have to be very small. In conclusion, Nightmare couldn’t tell much about the pony from sight alone.
Baron Tobias cleared his throat and said, “Announcing the arrival of Miss Applejewel.”
The six ponies walked up to King Sombra and bowed. Five of them parted and Applejewel stepped forward.
“Always a pleasure to see you my friend,” King Sombra said. “The mask is new.”
“Miss Jewel was in an accident,” Baron Tobias explained. “She said that the doctors would be able to take the bandages off as soon as her face is healed. But she didn’t want to miss the Grand Galloping Gala. The mask covers her face while still being very fashionable.”
Nightmare glanced at Applejewel with uneasy skepticism. “Uh huh,” she said as nonchalantly as possible. “Sorry but um, is there a reason Miss Applejewel can’t tell us all this herself?”
“She has a sore throat," Tiana said.
Princess Twilight giggled. “Really? So would you say that she is a little hoarse?”
Just about everyone in the room raised an eyebrow at Princess Twilight’s corny joke. But surprisingly, the joke got a few giggles out of Applejewel, before she covered her mouth and coughed a few times. Applejewel leaned over and whispered something in Baron Tobias’ ear.
“Miss Jewel wishes to inform you that ‘That was a good one.’”
King Sombra gave a weak chuckle. “Well all joking aside, welcome to the Gala.” Applejewel nodded her thanks and wandered off to another part of the castle, her entourage following her.
Rainbow flew over to where Gilda was and touched down. “Hey. I just heard from a talking cat that Ahuizotl isn’t gonna show. Any good news on this end?”
Gilda grinned. “We’re in luck Dash.” She pointed over to the VIP section. “The Shadowbolts finished up their routine and they’re all showing up now!”
“Really? Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh-” Gilda quickly stuffed an apple that she had bought from Big Macintosh’s stand into Rainbow’s mouth.
“Quiet! This is hard for me too, but we need to play this cool. We don’t want the Shadowbolts to think we’re a couple a’ obsessed fans.”
Rainbow removed the apple and said, “But we are obsessed fans.”
While the two friends argued over how to handle the situation, a Shadowbolt carrying an apple pie in his mouth flew down. The uniform he was wearing was dark purple with pure black on the hooves and from the head to the neck, the black separated from the purple by yellow lightning bolt patterns. The Shadowbolt logo, a skull with wings, was located on the uniform’s flank. Most of the Shadowbolts were wearing their purple and gold goggles above the eyes.
“The one with the pie! That’s Vortex!” Gilda joyfully pointed out. “Ooh, and there’s Descent!”
“That one over there! That’s Dusk!” Rainbow pointed, bouncing with fan girl glee. “They say he’s distantly related to Princess Twilight.”
“Ha! You call that trivia? Starry Sparks over there once saved someone from a tornado!”
“I’ll admit that’s awesome, obviously. But that one over there…” Rainbow trailed off as they saw another Shadowbolt touch down on the ground to chat with Vortex. The Shadowbolt had a blue mane like most of the other Shadowbolts. But she had an electric bluish-white coat, while most of the other Shadowbolts they could see had stormy black coats.
“It’s Nightingale!” Rainbow and Gilda both squeed. "EEE!"
Gilda shook her head and groaned. “Ah man, did I just squee? Lame.”
“Eh, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I mean come on, it’s Nightingale!”
They heard Nightingale chuckle. “Always hungry after a show, eh Vortex?”
“Yep!” Vortex said, accidentally letting go of the pie once he opened his mouth. Gilda’s eyes widened as she saw her chance for a great first impression. She flapped her wings and dashed forward, catching the pie before it could hit the ground.
“Whoa, nice catch! You saved it!” Vortex said. “Thanks!” Gilda handed the pie over to him. He set the pie down and started to dig into it.
Nightingale rolled her eyes. “Vortex, didn’t anyone ever tell you not to talk with your mouth full or else you’ll drop the food you’re carrying?”
“I can’t think clearly when I’m hungry!” Vortex mumbled as he chewed.
Nightingale eyed Gilda and Rainbow. “Hey, I know you two. You’re one of the Elements of Redemption,” she pointed at Gilda. She pointed at Rainbow next. “And you’re friends with Captain Luna and Princess Twilight.”
“Yes sir! I mean, ma’am!” Rainbow corrected. She smiled nervously.
Gilda’s smile wasn’t much better. “Yeah. Sorry for spazzing at ya. It’s just, we’re both really big fans!”
Nightingale chuckled. “Hey, I’m a fan of our work too. Boy, the stories I hear about your flying stunts. From the Brave Bird’s Blitz to the Sonic Rainboom, I’d say you two are impressive fliers. You guys want to hang with us?”
“Sure,” Gilda said, trying to act as cool as possible.
“Sounds awesome,” Rainbow said, following her example. As soon as Nightingale’s back was turned, they both squeed again to get it out of their systems.
Discord calmly sipped his drink. “So ladies, have you attended the Gala before?” The five girls around him giggled. Two of them were Diamond Dogs, another two were changelings, and one of them was a dragon with glittery blue scales.
“Oh no my friend,” the dragoness said. She spoke with a strange accent. Actually most of those girls spoke with an accent he wasn’t familiar with. “This is our first time coming to Gala. But the evening has been most pleasant, no?”
“Ooh! Zoe!” One of the Diamond Dog girls nudged her friend and pointed at Baron Tobias and the cat he was talking to. “Like I told you. It es ze Baron Tigerius und his half-sister!”
Discord glanced at the two. “A tiger and a house cat? Half-siblings you say?”
“Ugh. Forgive my silly Sophia,” Zoe said. “I do not know vhat she sees in cats.”
“Come now sister!” Sophia said. “Ze time for silly grudges between dogs und cats es long gone. Und zuch a handsome cat he does make.” She walked away and went to talk to the Baron.
“Hey Discord.” Discord turned around to see a gloomy Sunset Shimmer walking toward him.
“Why hello there Sunny! Why the long face?” Discord asked as he grabbed Sunset’s face and stretched it out. At Sunset’s unamused glare, he rearranged her face until it was normal again and chuckled.
“I just went to visit Big Macintosh at his booth. I actually saw Applejewel there and I went over to say hello, but she wouldn’t even give me the time of day!”
Discord sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He smiled again as he summoned up another flying clock and said, “The time is now 11:25.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “…Why do you keep checking the time?” Discord just chuckled mischievously and took another sip of his drink, giving her a wink. “Well whatever it is you’re planning, leave me out of it.”
“Oh, but it won’t be as fun without you,” he said, still chuckling. Sunset shook her head and wandered off to another part of the castle.
At last, Trixie had found the ballroom. A perfectly sized room that even had a stage. Sure, some fancy band occupied that stage but these Gala guests really probably bored by that slow music.
“Time for some real entertainment!” Trixie declared as she teleported onto the stage and telekinetically shoved the band players off. “Guests of the Grand Galloping Gala! Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic you have ever seen!”
Just as she was about to perform her first trick, an annoying voice interrupted her. “Young lady, this is not that kind of party!” A earth mare with a pink-purple coat and a curly yellow mane said. “I believe you have the wrong address. The 2-year-old’s birthday you were likely hired for is probably across town from here. I suggest you get moving, miss.”
Trixie cringed. The mare’s criticism stung pretty badly. Trixie had of course faced negative criticism before, but never to that extent. Seeing that none of the other snobby nobles were interested in her act, her eagerness to perform faded away and she got off the stage. She found an empty table and sulked.
“Hello, my king! I am Rover, the Diamond Dog!”
“Nice to meet you Rover. Welcome to the Gala,” King Sombra said, still wearing a forced smile.
“Good evening, Your Majesties! We’re the famous Flim Flam brothers!”
Nightmare titled her head. “Hey, didn’t I see you two at Sunset’s farm?”
“Oh, you know Sunny? Yeah, we stopped by her place for a little get-together.”
“Funny story actually…”
“Okay you two, move it along,” Princess Twilight said. She turned to the next guests. “Welcome to the Gala. Hi, welcome to the Gala.”
Nightmare perked up as she saw the next guest. “Zecora! It’s nice to see you here.”
Zecora smiled. She wore a blue dress with images of a spiral sun dotted along the dress. Her mane was combed back a little and she wore a gold and blue necklace. For some reason, she was also carrying Smog on her back. “It is good see you too my friend. Are you having fun at this Gala you attend?”
Nightmare sighed. “Not as much as I’d hoped. King Sombra said that my mom would stop by here soon, but she's not here yet. The rest of my friends are off trying to have fun too, but I'm not sure how that's going.”
Zecora nodded. “I was afraid of that," she sighed. "Along the way, your friend Smog I did meet. He was saddened by your absence and so stuffed with sugary sweets.”
She took Smog off her back and set him down. “But I wanted another doughnut!” he whined.
“Smog? You okay buddy?” Nightmare asked with some concern.
Smog blinked in confusion and anger. “He forgot the rainbow sprinkles! Bad things happen if you forget the rainbow sprinkles!”
Nightmare chuckled nervously. “Okay, I think somebody needs a little nap.” She picked Smog up with her magic and cast a small sleep spell before placing him on her back. “Sorry about that Zecora. Welcome to the Gala.”
Sunset found an empty table and sat down. She got out a common yellow crystal and began rolling it along the table, batting it back and forth with her magic.
“Hi Sunset. How are you feeling?” Chrysalis said as she sat on the other chair.
Sunset glanced at Chrysalis and sighed. “Meh. I already said hi to Big Mac, I still haven’t talked to Applejewel, and all our other friends are busy. I’d say I’m feeling really bored right now.”
Chrysalis sighed, “Better to feel bored instead of unloved. Nightmare was right, some ponies just aren’t comfortable having someone like me feeding off their emotions.”
“Come on, you’re not unloved. You’re adorable. If other ponies can’t see that, they’re just weird,” Sunset said reassuringly.
Chrysalis smiled and breathed in. “Thanks Sunny. Even if it’s only love for a friend that tastes really sweet.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Are you feeding off my emotions?” Chrysalis stared at her with hurt puppy-dog eyes. “Ugh. Fine, go ahead.”
They sat quietly for a minute before Trixie silently walked up to them and climbed up on the table, her legs dangling off the end. “Hey,” she greeted flatly.
“What happened?” Chrysalis asked.
“And could you please get off the table?” Sunset asked. “There’s another chair here.”
“Trixie didn’t get to perform! She was trying a different tactic to get the crowd’s attention, but as soon as they heard about the fireworks some snobby guard kicked me out the ballroom! It’s not like Trixie was planning to set them off where someone could have been hit!”
“Oh. There you are.” They turned around to see a blonde-haired, white-coated unicorn guard glaring at Trixie. “Don’t think I’m letting you off the hook. Another stunt like that and you will be kicked out of the castle too, Element or not.”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Yes Mister Blueblood.”
“That’s Colonel Blueblood!”
“Really? How high is that rank in the guard?” Sunset asked.
Blueblood didn’t meet her gaze. “That’s none of your concern. Remember, I’ve got my eye on you,” he warned as he walked away from them, still glaring at Trixie.
“Hey girls.” They turned around to see that Gilda had joined them this time. “That guy bothering you? Want me to rough him up a bit?”
“Trixie thanks you for your loyalty and zeal, Gilda. But she advises you not to take those actions, as enjoyable as it would be to watch. Blueblood over there is a royal guard. He might kick us out.”
Gilda snorted. “He doesn’t look that impressive. I could ask Dash or Nightmare to talk to Captain Luna about him. I know she outranks him by a lot.”
“Speaking of Dash, where is she? Why aren’t you with her?” Sunset asked.
Gilda groaned and flopped onto the table next to Trixie, ignoring the chairs. “I got to hang with the Shadowbolts. For about three minutes. Since they’re so popular, they kept getting pulled away by some snobby dweeb. Dash and I decided to take turns trying to get their attention. Pass me a drink, will ya?”
Sunset spotted a castle servant carrying drinks and levitated a glass off the tray and towards Gilda.
“Thanks,” Gilda said before gulping down the fancy water.
“Excuse me? Do either of you know this mare?” They turned around to see Prince Shining levitating a sheepish Rarity in the air behind him.
“Prince Shining, please! Surely this isn’t necessary. I understand that perhaps I seemed a little assertive or even aggressive, but I’m sure if we can just sit down and talk we can resolve the issues between us!”
Rarity’s voice faded at the glare Prince Shining shot at her. “Miss Rarity. I have tried my best to be subtle and polite, but that doesn’t seem to be working. So let me be blunt: No thanks. I’m sure you’re an nice mare, but I’m not interested. I have a crush on someone else. Please leave me alone.”
He released his telekinetic hold on Rarity and dropped her next to Sunset and Chrysalis. “Regardless of what happened, I hope you ladies have a pleasant night. Now if you’ll excuse me.”
As Prince Shining walked away, Chrysalis immediately rose from her chair to comfort the depressed Rarity. “Oh dear. I’m so sorry things didn’t work out.”
Rarity sighed. “I should have known he wasn’t interested. The entire time I spent with him, I could tell he was trying to get me to leave. He tried to be polite but I stubbornly chased after a prince who could see that I…I am no princess.”
Gilda patted her on the back with a wing. “Hey, come on. Don’t beat yourself up about. You’re the prettiest, prissiest pony I know. You’re totally princess material.”
“Why thank you Gilda, I’m quite…did you just call me prissy?” Rarity frowned.
“Doesn’t that mean prim and proper and whatnot?”
Rarity sighed again. “I suppose that’s still a compliment. At least Prince Shining was polite even as he broke my heart. That was the most mature rejection I’ve ever received.”
“Hey, who knows? Maybe he only likes stallions,” Sunset suggested.
“Do you think so?” Rarity asked hopefully.
“No, he likes mares alright,” Chrysalis said.
Gilda raised an eyebrow. “How can you tell? Can changelings sense the kind of people a guy is attracted to?”
Chrysalis pointed to where Prince Shining was. “Well yes, but I was referring to his obvious attraction to Countess Cadance over there.” Following her hoof, they saw that he was indeed talking with Cadance. And he looked a lot friendlier than he was a minute ago.
“So that’s the friend he had a crush on.” Rarity groaned. “Why must fate be so cruel?!” she cried.
“I’m sensing some definite attraction there. But it looks like the relationship is still in its early stages. You could still win this,” Chrysalis informed her.
“No thank you. I realize now that it would never work between us,” Rarity sighed. “Perhaps I’ll find another prince charming some day.”
“You could try asking King Sombra out,” Gilda suggested.
“Mm…no thanks.”
Gilda quickly sat up and crouched as if she was about to pounce on something. “What do you want?!”
They looked up to see a sheepish Prince Shining, followed by Cadance. “Look I don’t want any trouble,” he said to Gilda. “I just came back to say sorry to Miss Rarity.”
Rarity gave him a small smile. “Oh, I understand Prince Shining Armor. All you had to do was tell me that your heart belonged to another, and I would have left you alone.”
“Just Shining is fine Miss Rarity. Even so, I’m sorry for snapping at you.”
“Apology accepted…Shining.”
“Um, excuse me?” Cadance said as she shyly made her way towards them. “Are you the Elements?”
Gilda nodded, already calmed down. “Well we’re missing Nightmare and Discord, but yeah.”
“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you all! I just wanted to say…” Cadance trailed off as she stared at Chrysalis. “…changeling.”
Gilda frowned. “Ya got a problem with that?”
Cadance blinked. She blinked again. She then smiled and said, “Nope. I’m fine. Just surprised. Nice to meet you.”
Chrysalis smiled. “Nice to meet you too. Countess Cadance, right?” Cadance nodded. “Uh, I heard that you’re great with love spells. Um, if it’s okay…could I see it?”
Cadance bit her lip. She looked like she wanted to refuse. She hesitated for a few seconds before she gave Chrysalis a small smile. “Okay.” A bluish-pinkish aura surrounded her horn before a pink, cartoony heart materialized. Chrysalis stared at the floating heart, drooling a little. Cadance took an uneasy step back but Chrysalis just leaned in closer. Cadance abruptly stopped the love spell and the heart faded away.
Chrysalis also backed away from Cadance. Her face fell, making her look like a little kid whose birthday cake had just been stolen. “I’m sorry.”
“N-no, no. It’s fine,” Cadance assured her. “Um…listen could you do something for me? My friend Fluttershy is out in the garden. Could you ask her to come back here?”
“Anything for you Miss Cadance,” Chrysalis said. “What does she look like?”
“Oh…you’ll know her when you see her.” Chrysalis nodded and left the table, heading into the palace gardens.
As Chrysalis left, another pony came up to the table. “Excuse me? Are you Rarity?” the stallion said, looking at the fashionista.
“I am,” Rarity nodded, examining the stallion’s expensive-looking suit.
“Miss Applejewel would like to speak with you,” he said. Almost every jaw at the table dropped at that message.
Rarity closed her mouth again. “I-I, well…I-I-I…” She slapped herself in the face and a huge smile appeared. “I would love to speak with her.”
As Rarity got up to follow the stallion, Sunset spoke up. “Wait! Would it be okay if I came with her?”
The stallion shook his head. “I’m sorry ma’am. Miss Applejewel wishes to speak privately with Miss Rarity.”
Sunset’s face fell. “Oh. Okay then. See you when you get back Rarity.”
“Welcome to the Gala…welcome to the Gala…”
King Sombra, Nightmare, Princess Twilight, and Smog all sighed. “This isn’t what I hoped it’d be,” Nightmare whispered to herself.
“I’m sure Captain Luna will be here soon,” Princess Twilight said, smiling reassuringly.
“Whoa!” They both turned around to see King Sombra, unexpectedly looking very surprised and a little happy. “Um, I mean…Lord Tirek! This is a surprise.”
Princess Twilight, Nightmare, and Smog all gasped as they saw the next guest. He was twice as tall as any of them, mostly because he was a centaur. He had red skin, black fur, a white beard, short white hair between two bull-like horns, gray hooves, and black and yellow eyes. He also wore a plain black vest.
The centaur smiled gently. “Just Tirek is fine, thank you. How are you doing, old friend?”
“I-I um, I’m doing great!” King Sombra said nervously. “Uh…you remember Princess Sparkle, right? Look, she got better!”
“Ah, Princess Sparkle! So nice to see you again. May I kiss your hoof as a sign of respect?”
Princess Twilight stared at him with surprise and confusion. She looked as if Eternity had appeared riding on top of Spike before politely asking her out on a date. She paused to reorganize her bewildered mind before saying, “Um, no thanks.”
“A-and t-this is Nightmare Moon, daughter of Captain Luna and our personal protégé. And her assistant Smog.
“A pleasure to meet you Nightmare Moon. May I?” Tirek asked.
Nightmare hesitantly nodded. “You may.” She raised a hoof and Tirek knelt down so that they were a little closer. He kissed her hoof lightly before standing back up. He then turned to Smog and smiled.
“Ah, another dragon assistant. Good to meet you Sir Smog,” Tirek said, shaking Smog’s claw with his own red claws. “Much like Garble and Spike. How is the little guy doing?”
“Well, Spike’s grown up quite a lot. He’s a very grumpy nowadays, but he’s also very sweet sometimes,” Princess Twilight said.
“Hmm, I still remember him when he was just a young thing. Give him my regards.”
“How’s your brother doing?” King Sombra asked.
Tirek sighed, his smile fading. “We’ve been arguing over different matters lately. I thought it best to give Scorpan some time alone, to clear his head.”
King Sombra nodded. “Right. So…what brings you here? You don’t visit our kingdom that often.”
“I’m doing a check on the seals. Have you found her yet?”
The king sighed. “I’m afraid not. Captain Luna still goes on expeditions in search of her, but no luck yet.”
Tirek nodded. He lowered his head to the king and whispered, “Is the trickster still contained?”
King Sombra growled, his face darkening. “Yes. That little demon is still trapped in stone, may she never darken our kingdom with her madness ever again.”
Princess Twilight flinched slightly. “I admit she was out-of-control, but she wasn’t too bad. Doesn’t that seem a bit harsh?”
He glared at her. “You were there. You saw what that little monster did.”
“Um, sorry?” Nightmare asked. “Trickster, demon? Who are you talking about?”
King Sombra glanced at her. “Hopefully you’ll never have to know. Let’s just say, I can’t think of a bigger threat to the safety of our kingdom than her.”
“I can think of two. Maybe three,” Tirek mumbled to himself. “Either way, I just stopped by to say hello.” With that he walked away from them, toward the palace gardens.
“What say you, Mister Discord?”
Discord summoned another flying clock and glanced at the time. “11:45. I’d say it’s almost time.”
“What? No, I meant about the palace garden’s exotic animals. Aren’t they fascinating?”
Discord glanced at the earth mare that he’d been talking to. Her name was Coco…something. Pommel? No…Puffs? Yeah, Coco Puffs, that sounded right. What was she saying again? Oh yeah, boring animals and stuff.
“Oh yes, I see a toucan and a monkey. Very fascinating.” His gaze lazily traveled across the gardens until he found something interesting. “Ooh, a platypus! I always loved those little guys.”
Coco wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Quite.” She managed a polite smile again and asked, “Are there any exotic animals that you’ve encountered before tonight?”
“Well there is one,” Discord said. He snapped his fingers and Polaris appeared. “There ya go. Here’s a Windigo!”
Coco screamed at the sight of the wintery hate spirit and ran back inside, hoping to find some courageous guards to protect her from the beast.
Discord sighed and gave his pet Windigo a hug. “Oh Polaris. Why can’t they love you?” Discord glanced over Polaris’ shoulder and spotted Chrysalis.
Letting Polaris go so that he could explore the gardens, Discord followed Chrysalis, who was unaware that she was being watched. Chrysalis buzzed her wings and calmly flew through the garden until she had reached a mare who was happily cuddling dozens of the garden’s exotic animals.
“Hmm. Now who's that pegasus? She’s rather cute,” Discord muttered to himself. “Well, for a pony.”
“Excuse me, Miss Fluttershy?” Chrysalis said. “Cadance asked me to ask you to come back inside.”
Fluttershy smiled. “Hello. I’m glad you could join us,” she spoke softly.
Chrysalis blinked. “What?”
“Oh, it’s okay. Come here, my little bunny,” Fluttershy said gently as she stared at Chrysalis. They both stared at each other for several seconds.
Growing bored by the inactivity, Discord got up to teleport next to them and maybe throw a pie at this Fluttershy as a sign of friendship. He had just conjured up a blueberry pie, when something even more interesting caught his eye.
As Tirek made his way to the center of the garden, a bright flash of light appeared in front of him.
“Tirek, I presume?” Discord asked with a big grin.
Tirek blinked in surprise before smiling. “Discord? My, you’ve grown up since I last saw you. How’s your dear grandmother doing?”
“Granny Babel is doing great, thank you for asking! The other members of my family, well…you know how we are.”
Tirek chuckled. “I do indeed. Pardon me, I was just about to check something on my way out.”
“Ooh. May I see?”
Tirek nodded and led Discord to a statue in the middle of the garden. The statue was of an earth pony with a long mane and tail. Its mane hung limply, covering part of its face.
“There she is. What a nasty piece of work that maniac was.” Tirek sighed heavily. “She used to be such a nice girl too.”
Discord eyed the statue. “…Am I missing something here?”
Tirek stared at Discord for half a minute before sighing again. “I’m surprised you don’t know about her, but perhaps that’s for the best.”
Tirek walked closer until he was right in front of the statue. His fingers reached up and touched the statue’s head. “…The seal is weakened. But…it feels like she’s still asleep. Or perhaps…”
Tirek stepped away from the statue and made his way to the exit. “Excuse me Discord. I need to speak with Sombra and then I’ll be on my way out. Until we meet again.”
Discord waved goodbye to Tirek, then turned back around to face the statue. He examined the statue a little before poking it too. He pulled his finger back as he felt something akin to an electric shock.
“Ooh. Tingly,” he said as he examined his talons and fingers. His magic felt stronger for some reason.
Discord leapt up on top of the statue and danced on its head. “Oh happy day, happy day! This’ll work wonderfully.” He stopped dancing as he heard an alarm go off. A clock submerged in a block of gravity defying, floating water appeared. “Ooh, 11:50! Better round up my friends. I bid you adieu, dear ominous statue!” And with that, Discord teleported back inside.
“Hey, Nightmare!” Nightmare Moon turned around from the Gala guest she’d been talking to and saw Rainbow hovering in the air next to her. “I heard you’ve been looking for your mom. She’s finished her rounds and she’s with our friends right now!”
“Excuse me, Your Majesties,” Nightmare said to King Sombra and Princess Twilight. Carrying Smog on her back, she flapped her wings and flew after Rainbow as she led them to the table their friends were waiting at.
Captain Luna bolted from her seat and ran to Nightmare. “Moony!” she sang
“Loony!” Nightmare cried happily.
They stopped in front of each other and sang:
Sun shines and Moon gleams
Owls awake!
Clap your hooves
And give your wings a little shake!
They danced together as they sang, clapping their hooves together and shaking their wings at the appropriate times. The two dark alicorns giggled and hugged each other tightly.
“Mom. I’ve been so excited to spend time with you tonight, but you were so busy and I was helping King Sombra and Princess Twilight and…”
Nightmare trailed off as her mom smiled kindly at her. “Oh Moony. I’m so sorry I put you through that. But I’ve finished my guard duties for tonight. I have but one duty now: to love you.” Luna and Nightmare hugged and nuzzled each other happily. “I love you so much Moony,” Luna whispered.
“I love you too Loony. More than you can imagine,” Nightmare whispered.
“Wow. Next time I should go straight to you two. The love you have for each other is delicious,” Chrysalis said as she rejoined them at the table.
“‘Sup Chrysalis? You’ve been gone a while,” Gilda said.
“Oh, I was just talking with Countess Cadance for a minute. She’s very nice,” Chrysalis said as she inhaled some of the excess love that was pouring off of Nightmare and Luna. "Mmmmm..."
“I have returned,” Rarity said as she rejoined the group too.
Sunset shifted in her chair. “So? How’d it go with Miss Jewel?”
Rarity shivered a little. “The conversation was…intense, I’ll tell you that much. I felt as if she could see my soul.”
The dark alicorns finally let go of each other and turned to face their friends. “So, how has your Gala been going?” Nightmare asked. With that, her friends went on to explain all the trouble they’d been having all night.
“Ooh…that doesn’t really sound like a night that will last forever in our memories,” Nightmare muttered dejectedly.
“More like a night we’d rather forget,” Smog added.
“Yes, I can’t recall a night when I ever had fun at a Gala. But cheer up my friends!” Luna said. “The night is still young and this is the first time I’ve met my daughter’s friends face-to-face. Let us enjoy the night by ourselves, so that we may celebrate all that you have accomplished!”
“Yeah! Captain Luna’s right!” Gilda said, determination blazing in her eyes. “Who needs all these snobby noble ponies? So let’s hang out, just the ten of us!”
Smog looked around at the group and counted. “Rainbow, Rarity, and...,” he mumbled to himself. He spoke up a bit louder, “Make that nine. Where’s Discord?”
“GUESS WHO?” Discord sang as he teleported on top of the table.
Sunset groaned and her horn stopped glowing. “You really need to stop startling people like that. I almost blasted you!”
“Aw, I missed you guys too,” Discord said, tousling Sunset’s mane. He snapped his fingers and a black, heart-shaped mug appeared in front of Chrysalis. The mug was filled with swirling green love. “Like it? Sunset’s friends Flim and Flam came up with the mug design. I’ve been passing these out to any hungry changelings I see.”
“Thanks Discord,” Chrysalis whispered happily before inhaling the love inside the mug.
As Sunset tried to brush her mane back into its previous neatness, Gilda said what everyone else was thinking. “So where’ve you been all night?”
“Oh, here and there. I had hoped you guys would be able to have fun by yourselves, but it appears that you are all hopelessly lost without me to liven things up!” He snapped his fingers and summoned a flying clock for them to see. “Sunny, you asked me this before. The reason I keep checking the time is because I have a trick planned that will actually make this party into a paaartay! I’ve been waiting until midnight to make this trick really special!” He checked the flying clock. “Ooh! 11:57!” Discord tossed the clock away and began chuckling mischievously.
“A trick? Trixie is intrigued. Tell us more!” Trixie demanded with a growing smile.
Discord chuckled again. His eyes began to change colours, swirling hypnotically. “I should inform you that I haven’t done this part in ages.”
Luna, who had previously been just as eager to hear this plan, looked a little uneasy now. “Discord. There is a reason that draconequui like yourself stopped using that ability,” she warned him.
Discord waved her concern off. “What’s the harm, just this once? If it’s only a teeny-tiny, temporary mind control that my friends are okay with, surely that’s not so bad?” Discord asked with a hopeful, yet still very mischievous smile.
“Uh…I dunno…” Rainbow mumbled. Nightmare felt like she agreed with her, but she was having trouble concentrating.
“Aw, come on,” Discord whispered as he cupped her chin and stared into her eyes. “Trust me…”
Within less than a minute, Discord had implanted a tiny suggestion into everyone’s minds at the table. Smog blinked and looked at his friends. Their eyes had all turned yellow-red, just like Discord’s eyes. They all had sneaky grins spreading on their faces too. Much like the one spreading on his own face, Smog realized.
Chrysalis purred a little. “Ooh, what is this feeling? I feel funny,” she said, giggling a little.
Trixie giggled too. “If Trixie had to guess, Discord merely added a little mischief to our minds.”
Luna and Gilda shared a big grin. “So what’s the plan?
Nightmare chuckled mischievously. “I think I know where this is going. Rarity? Looks like we’ll get to sing after all.”
Sunset and Rainbow shared a few giggles too, while Rarity tried to remain prim and proper. Even though her eyes were just as yellow-red as the rest of them. “Ooh, I’m liking the direction this prank is taking already.”
With that the ten friends quickly finished out the details on their scheme. Tonight, would be the Night that Would Last Forever in their Memories.
“But Sombra, this speech is only a few lines long. What are we doing exactly?” Princess Twilight asked as she read the slip of paper she had been given.
King Sombra chuckled. “We’re just setting something up. Try to hurry though, it’s a minute before midnight.”
Princess Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”
King Sombra winked a yellow-red eye at her. “Never better. I just had a talk with Discord and the other Elements. Trust me, you’ll like this.”
Princess Twilight shrugged before clearing her throat. All of the Gala guests had moved into the ballroom. She was onstage instead of the fancy band. She saw Nightmare and Luna waving at her from a corner of the room, cheering her on.
Princess Twilight announced, “Attention everyone! Your princess requests your attention please!” Once everyone was listening to her she read the last line. “Thanks. Okay everybody, now it’s time for a change of pace.”
Nightmare and Luna grinned as they cast a spell, enshrouding all the lights in the ballroom with magical shadows. “Lights out.”
The crowd gasped as the entire ballroom was plunged into darkness. Princess Twilight’s horn glowed as she tried to locate the source of the disturbance. “Huh?!”
A spotlight lit up the area around her. “Right you are Princess Sparky!” She turned around to see Discord standing behind her with a big grin.
“This is a party, you know. And with just the right touch…”
The king’s magic gently lifted the princess offstage, allowing everyone to focus on Discord and his friends. Discord struck a pose and began singing:
“This could be quite the place,” he sang
“Full of wholesome, happy faces,” Nightmare sang too
“Hanging out,” Trixie sang.
“Feeling fine,” Gilda sang.
“Where everyone’s a friend of mine,” Sunset sang.
“Inside this crystal castle,” Nightmare chuckled.
“We’ll take what we want, without the hassle!” Trixie declared.
“This night will live in our memories,” Nightmare, Luna and Discord all sang.
Everyone looked at the clock. Three…two…one…midnight.
“And last FOREVER in history! Ha, ha, ha!” The Elements and their friends all laughed evilly. Most of the snobbier Gala guests were feeling uneasy, but some guests began to sing with the Elements.
It’s our Gala now! It’s our Gala now!
“It’s the fact you can’t ignore,” King Sombra sang as he cast a spell at the floor, causing crystals to burst from the ground.
Gilda pushed a lightning cloud into the room and gave it a kick, sending lightning crashing into the windows.
“Storm the windows!” she sang.
“Transform the doors!” Discord added as he turned the front doors into a pile of bananas.
It’s our Gala now!
“Raise your mugs
You love-hungry bugs!” Chrysalis sang as she drank from her love-filled mug. Other changelings got heart-shaped mugs full of love too as they all drank in the energy greedily.
“Join the chaos-causing crowd
It’s our Gala now!”
“Every cat and dog fits in so purr-fectly,” Tiana sang as she rubbed her head against Rover, purring gently.
“Every dark queen gets due respect,” Luna sang.
“That we do!” Nightmare and Chrysalis sang.
“So forget your troubles,” Chrysalis sang as her eyes glowed green.
"Put your trust in me,” Discord sang as his eyes swirled hypnotically.
“It’s time for fun!” Rarity sang.
“It’s time to play!” Rainbow sang.
“For every Diamond Dog has his day!” Rover sang.
It’s our Gala now
It’s our Gala now!
“What a place for baking bread!
Things are better when
We’re with our friends,” Smog sang as he toasted a sandwich with his fire breath.
It’s our Gala now
"What a party," Sunset and Trixie sang.
So join the fun with no regrets
And party with the nicest monsters around!
“The night is ours!” Nightmare cheered.
“We’re the greatest!” Gilda roared triumphantly
“Devour all the love!” Chrysalis laughed
“Chaos is the best!” Discord sang.
It’s our castle now
Don’t bother coming back
It’s our Gala now!
All of the snobbier Gala guests had fled by the time they finished their song. But several guests were still there along with the Elements, including their friends, the Royal Family, and the Shadowbolts.
“Well, tonight turned out to be fun after all!” Discord said, clapping his mismatched hands together and casting more chaotic spells.
King Sombra nodded in approval. “Easily the best Grand Galloping Gala ever.”
“I just hope that the other members of the nobility who fled can forgive us after tonight,” Princess Twilight said.
“Don’t worry my friend. Remember, we were hypnotized into acting like that by a chaotic draconequus. We weren’t in control of our actions. What? It’s true,” King Sombra said with mock-innocence, chuckling at the half-truth.
Nightmare smiled and nuzzled Luna. “I think you're right about tonight's Gala being the best. Tonight I learned that friends have a way of making even the worst of times into something pretty great.”
“And all it required was a successful hostile takeover!” Discord added.
Nightmare rolled her eyes at him before looking at Smog. “We should have listened to you Smog. Tonight would have been a lot more fun if we just stuck together.”
“It’s cool. What matters now is that we spend the rest of the Gala having fun together!” Smog said.
“Not all-night though,” Luna reminded Nightmare gently. “You need your sleep. Still, let’s have some fun!”
“I can raise a toast to that!” Discord cheered as he raised a piece of buttered toast and drank it as if it were wine instead of toasted bread.
And so they all partied the rest of the night away before returning to their homes and going to bed. The Elements were successful in their quest. That night would be known as the Night that Lasted Forever.
But not for the reason they were thinking. It wasn’t so much the Gala itself that would be remembered, but what happened afterwards.
Something else had enjoyed the party too. Something had soaked up the energy generated from such a chaotic, friendly, fun-filled party.
Within the palace gardens, a large crack began to spread across a certain statue. Laughter could be heard coming from the statue.