As Kyle and Twilight made their way through Canterlot, Kyle found himself once again mesmerized by the beauty of the city. The buildings shone and glimmered in the sunlight, bouncing the light around between each other until they sparkled like a million precious gemstones. The streets themselves were immaculate, the white stone brick bearing not a scrap of dirt.
It was clear that the city was ready for the Gala. Banners and streamers had been hung, music rang through the streets, and the air was filled with good cheer. It was almost as though Winter’s Veil had come a month early. A small breeze blew past Kyle, bringing with it the smell of caramel apples and roasting cashews.
The Ponies, too, were clearly prepared. The last time Kyle had been to Canterlot, there had been a fair number of Ponies wandering around unclothed. Today, it seemed that Twilight was the only one not wearing something. Shirt collars and ties, top hats and monocles, dresses and tuxedo jackets, everyone was dressed up in something fancy. Kyle kept looking around and wondering how many of these Ponies were actually going to the Gala.
In Ponyville, it seemed the only Ponies who cared about the Gala were those that had received invitations, but here Kyle couldn’t turn his head without seeing the event’s influence on the city. Of course, it made sense that the Grand Galloping Gala would be a major deal here. Not only was Canterlot the city to host the event every year, but the Gala was originally started as a celebration of the city’s construction many centuries ago. Kyle likened it to the Ponyville Days Celebration that had happened only a couple of weeks ago. An event for Ponies to celebrate and be proud of their city.
As they made their way through the streets, Kyle couldn’t help but notice how Ponies would stop and stare at him as he walked past. Or maybe they were staring at Twilight, a Princess who was walking around under-dressed compared to everyone else. Or maybe they were staring at them both. Either way, Kyle began to feel awkward after the first few minutes of staring. It was with great relief that the massive gates leading up to the palace came into view. Half a dozen armored stallions flanked each side of the gate, a mixture of all three Pony races. They stepped aside as the gates swung open, and Kyle and Twilight stepped out of the city streets and into the palace grounds.
Here again, Kyle was forced to look around and take in the sights again. True, he had been here before - multiple times, in fact - but it always seemed that there was something new. The palace towered high into the sky directly in front of them, with the peak of the mountain looming even farther overhead. Off to his left, Kyle could see a row of hedges with a small gap in the wall - possibly a maze of some kind? A number of detailed statues of Ponies surrounded the maze. To his right, he could see a large open area with a few trees, benches, a few paths… very similar to the park in Ponyville, including a small stream cutting through. And closer to the palace was a large paved area with many tables and chairs and lights.
Kyle glanced over his shoulder for an instant - just enough time to see a flicker of movement atop the walls bordering the palace grounds. As he focused in on the movement, He identified the source. A Human, sporting a long, slender rifle. And not far away as a Night Elf holding a staff. And a Dwarf with another rifle. Indeed, all along the walls lay riflemen and archers and spellcasters, patrolling back and forth, looking out over both the grounds and the city. Security had definitely been stepped up - an observation that was reinforced as Kyle noticed for the first time the Hippogryph formations that flew over the city.
Dead ahead lay the palace doors, flanked once again by half a dozen armored stallions. on each side. As with the guards at the gate into the grounds, the door was opened for them and the guards stood aside, permitting them access. Twilight and Kyle stepped into the palace, and the door was shut behind them.
Despite the number of times Kyle had been to Canterlot, he had never once entered the palace through the front. In the past, he had come in through a balcony after riding Celestia from Ponyville, or through the dungeons. The doors opened up into a large entrance hall. They stood upon a red velvet rug draped over a marble floor decorated in a pale violet and white checkerboard. The rug continued on and on, stretching up the stairs ahead and also branching off to the left and right, with a sun symbol similar to Celestia’s cutie mark at the center of the four-way split. To his left and right, the velvet path continued around two identical mirrored bends and out of sight, while at the top of the main stairs in front of him it continued to the left and right up another small flight of stairs on either side and disappeared behind the walls.
The entrance hall itself was very large, easily able to accommodate over a hundred Ponies with plenty of room to spare. Tapestries were hung upon the walls, depicting various images - pictures of the sun or the moon, a crown, the crest of Equestria. High above them, a chandelier was illuminated by thousands of miniscule magical lights passing through thousands of equally miniscule crystals. It cast a warm light across the entire room, leaving not a single corner in darkness.
And there, waiting at the top of the stairs, were two familiar forms. Two familiar, royal forms.
“Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia smiled as the pair approached the stairs. “It is good to see you again. And you as well, Commander.” Her eyes were now focused fully on Kyle. “I see you are already prepared for this evening,” she commented. “You look -”
“ - Nice dressed up?” Kyle asked. “So I’ve been told.”
Beside her sister, Luna nodded. “You should consider -”
“Dressing up more often? Aye, I’ve been told that too.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow, though her smile did not falter. Twilight nudged Kyle and shot him a look before smiling back up at the Princesses. “It’s good to see you too, Princesses.” trotted up the stairs, and she and Celestia shared a quick nuzzle. “I’m ready to help with the preparations in any way that I can,”
“We are nearly ready for tonight,” Luna replied. “Though there do remain some ribbons to be tied in the main ballroom. If you would follow me…”
Luna walked down the stairs with Twilight right behind her. Kyle turned to follow, but stopped as Celestia spoke up. “Commander.” Her voice was as warm as ever, but Kyle didn’t miss the curtness that it now held. “A word with you, if you would?”
“Certainly.”
Kyle turned away from Twilight and Luna and walked back up the stairs towards the solar princess. She turned and walked up the left-hand staircase, motioning with her tail for Kyle to follow. They walked through the halls for a moment before pausing. Celestia turned towards him. Kyle met her eyes, and he saw something in them. Something that he hadn’t expected to see.
Amusement.
“So, Commander,” she began. She let silence fall for a moment before smirking slightly. “You and Princess Twilight?”
Kyle blinked. This wasn’t at all what he had been expecting. “Uh… not really…” he said as he shook his head. “We’re friends. Just friends.”
If Kyle hadn’t been paying attention, he wouldn’t have noticed Celestia’s smirk dip ever so slightly. “I see,” she said as her face fell back into a more neutral expression. “I had thought... never mind. Of course, this is not the only reason that I wished to speak to you. I received your letter about the Horde here in Equus.”
Kyle sighed. “Aye. They’re in the Macintosh Mountains, not too terribly far from Appleoosa. I found them while looking at that disturbance you sent me to investigate. They’re -”
“- Not our problem,” Celestia interrupted.
Kyle blinked. “Huh?”
“They are outside of our kingdom,” Celestia continued. “As I said in the letter I sent to you. They are in the territory of the Minotaur Tribes now, and therefore their problem.” Her gaze hardened slightly. “I would also like to warn you against wandering outside of Equestria in such a manner again. Had the Minotaur spotted you, it could have sparked an international incident. Many of the other kingdoms of Equus are uneasy enough at our new pact with the Alliance. I would rather not give them any more reason to distrust us. Am I clear?”
Kyle nodded quickly. “Aye. Crystal clear.”
“Good.” Celestia’s expression relaxed once more. “Tonight, several important members of both the United Minotaur Tribes and the Griffonian Empire will be joining us at the Gala. Two of whom I think you may remember. But I digress. I would ask that you refrain from mentioning the Horde settlement in their territory to the Minotaur. My sister and I will be the ones to bring the topic up.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Now, I believe we can move on from such heavy topics.” Celestia’s usual calm smile returned as she looked at Kyle. “I assume you are ready for the dance tonight?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. The dance will open the Gala, at 8:00 sharp. The four princesses of Equestria, along with their partners - that’s you, Commander - will be ready in the ballroom. We will start the dance, and others will join in as they see fit. All that is required for tonight is that you dance with Twilight for one song…” Celestia’s eyes twinkled as her smile took on a more mischievous appearance. “... Although none will complain should you choose to continue beyond that.”
“Wait…” Kyle held up a hand. “You mean… we’re starting… alone?”
“Along with myself, Luna, and Cadence, yes.”
“I uh…” Kyle found himself overcome with another round of nerves. But just as quickly, it faded away, and he gave out a loud sigh. “You know what? Forget it,” he muttered. “I’m done freaking myself out over this whole thing.”
“Likely a wise decision.”
For a moment, silence descended upon the hallway. It was broken only when Kyle could stand it no longer. “So… if you don’t mind me asking, who are you going to be dancing with tonight, princess?” he asked.
Celestia flashed him one of her trademark smiles. The ones that said nothing and yet everything that needed to be said at the same time. “Ah, but then the fun would be spoiled,” she replied with a wink. With that, she turned and walked away back down the way they had come, leaving Kyle alone in the middle of the hallway
Which, he realized only too late, was in the middle of a palace that was as good as the hedge maze outside.
“Damnit…” he muttered as he set off after Celestia. After all, it couldn’t take too long to find his way back.
---
Apparently it could take too long.
He’d only recalled walking with Celestia for a moment or two, but it took him a good hour of wandering through the castle (And several sets of directions from the guards) before he finally made his way to the entrance hall - down the flight of stairs opposite the ones Celestia had led him up. He shook his head and let out an exasperated chuckle. Maybe he’d find his way around this place one day.
One day, but not today.
Kyle walked back down the main flight of stairs and into the center of entrance hall. Off to his left, he could hear muffled voices and an occasional giggle. Having nowhere better to go, Kyle decided to investigate. He turned and followed the voices out of the entrance hall and around a corner to his left. They became progressively louder as he turned to his right and came face-to-face with a large double door, cracked slightly open. He slowly pushed the door open and stepped past it.
The room beyond was absolutely massive. A fully grown drake from Azeroth would easily be able to fly around the room high above the floor. It was almost entirely square, with the exception being a relatively small semi-circle inset into the wall to Kyle’s right, though even this was large enough to seat two dragons comfortably. The wall displayed three stained-glass windows - one each of Celestia’s and Luna’s cutie mark, with the center one being the crest of Equestria. In between each stained glass window was a pair of smaller, clear windows, along with a door leading to an outdoor balcony.
The semi-circle itself was populated with numerous chairs and tables, as was the outer edges of the larger room. Each table sported two chairs, a snow white tablecloth, and a 3-armed candelabra. A large raised platform on Kyle’s left had no tables, but instead bore four rows of chairs in a semi-circle around a small podium - no doubt where the orchestra for the evening would be performing. Marble Pillars lined the outer-edges of the room as well, supporting the ceiling. The very center of said ceiling disappeared into a beautiful glass dome that allowed natural sunlight to flood the room. Spotlights were placed between each pillar to shine down upon the center of the room. Ribbons had been tied around each pillar, connecting them to each other.
The central area itself stood out greatly from the rest of the room. Underneath the glass dome above, it was illuminated brightly in the mid-day sun. It was not the same violet-and-white checkerboard pattern that the rest of the floor was, but was instead a well-polished, light-colored hardwood. This hardwood centerpiece took up a good majority of the enormous room, easily able to accommodate a hundred Ponies or more with room to move around comfortably.
It was the ballroom, of that Kyle had no doubt. Where he and Twilight would be dancing in a mere few hours.
And speaking of Twilight…
Another giggle echoed across the vast ballroom. Kyle directed his eyes to the source and spotted Twilight and Luna on the opposite side of the room. Next to them was Princess Cadence, who was giggling at something. Something embarrassing, apparently, for Twilight’s cheeks had turned bright red even against her lavender fur. Kyle cleared his throat to announce his presence as he made his way around the dance floor towards them.
Cadence turned her head towards him, and her smile grew wider. “Kyle!” she exclaimed happily as she trotted forward. “It’s great to see you again!”
“Good to see you too, prin… er, Cadence,” Kyle cut himself off as Cadence nudged him. “How are things going in the Crystal Empire?”
“Better than we expected,” she beamed. “We’ve had a lot of help getting everything sorted again. Most of the damage to the city is repaired, and we expect that the Equestrian Games will be able to continue as planned.”
“Well that’s great to hear.” Truth be told, Kyle had no idea what these Equestrian Games were - he vaguely remembered Scootaloo and her friends winning the right to bear Ponyville’s flag at the games months ago, but he still didn’t know what they were about. But it was obvious that they were important to the Ponies of Equestria. “So everything’s back to normal?”
“Just about. Thanks to you and Twilight.” Her smile arced upwards into a small smirk. “How did you two end up coming to the Gala together, by the way?” she asked.
“Well I learned about the ball from Rarity,” Kyle began. “And I really didn’t have anyone to go with. So I figured I’d ask Twilight. We’re friends, and she was going anyway, so it made sense.”
“I see…” Cadence glanced behind her towards Twilight before returning her gaze to Kyle. “Well if I were you, I’d be wary of Shining Armor tonight.”
“Hm?”
“Well he is Twilight’s big brother, after all,” Cadence explained. “Even if you two are just friends right now, he might not see it that way, and he may want to have a… little chat with you.”
“Noted.” Not that Kyle felt he had anything to fear from Shining Armor. There was no reason for him to be nervous about such an encounter.
A loud chime echoed through the room, and all three princesses instantly look up towards the sky. “Oh dear, it’s already one o’clock?” Cadence asked. “Sorry to cut this short, but I’ve really got to go and start getting ready for the Gala. I’ll see you all later!” She turned away from Kyle and trotted out of the ballroom.
“I believe Twilight and I should go prepare as well,” Luna said. “As for you, Commander, you already appear dressed for the evening’s activities. Please do make sure to not dirty yourself between now and then.”
Kyle nodded. “I’ll… find something to do, I guess.”
“Perhaps a study of Equestrian dance may help you for tonight?” Luna suggested. “You can find several tomes on the subject in the library. Simply ask a guard for directions… or in your case, perhaps an escort would save you some time?” she added with a mischievous grin.
Kyle ignored the friendly jab. “I may do just that…” he murmured. He watched as Luna and Twilight walked out the ballroom as well, murmuring back and forth between themselves. As they stepped through the door, Kyle saw Luna snort as Twilight reeled back. And then they were gone, leaving Kyle alone in the ballroom.
Though not for long. Kyle quickly made his way around the central dance floor once more and out of the ballroom, following the corridor back to the entrance hall. At this point, he faced yet another dilemma - he had no idea where the library was in this labyrinth of a castle. And despite Luna’s suggestion, Kyle saw no guards around.
Oh well. Kyle made his way towards the staircase and ascended them, going up the right-hand path this time. No reason to wait around. He’d encounter a guard patrol that could help him get to the library sooner or later.
With his luck, most likely later.