//------------------------------// // Chapter 26: The Grand Galloping Gala // Story: My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Stallion Edition // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// At long last, after months of waiting and anticipation, The Grand Galloping Gala was finally upon Shining Armor, Twilight, and their friends! And they couldn't be happier. And now, it seemed like all their dreams would come true. "Oh boy oh boy! I still can't believe it! At long last, The Grand Galloping Gala is tonight!" Braeburn shouted, bouncing up and down "It's gonna be so much fun!" "I'm sure it will be, but would you mind keeping your enthusiasm down a bit?" Shining Armor asked Braeburn "As I'm sure you can see, Twilight is trying to concentrate." "Sorry." Braeburn apologized "I'll try to keep it down." "Good, see that you do." Shining Armor replied "After all, without the spell Twilight's going to cast, we'll be stuck without transportation to The Gala. And we can't have that, can we?" "No indeed." Soarin stated "Although, I could always just pull a few strings and arrange for an escort. It's one of the perks of being a Wonderbolt. But if Spitfire asks, I told you nothing." "Thank you for the offer Soarin, but that won't be necessary." Shining Armor replied "Transportation is already being taken care of." "So, how's this gonna work?" Big Macintosh asked. "Well, first I'll need two apples." Twilight said, closing the spell book she'd been reading. "Two apples coming right up." Applejack called, puling two out from a cart and placing them on the ground. "Ooh! Are we having pie?" Pinkie Pie asked "Cause I love pie." "Just watch." Spike said "Twilight's been practicing this spell for a long time. Prepare to be amazed." Twilight lit up her horn, and cast her light purple magic onto the apples. The apples began to grow and expand, and suddenly, in a puff of purple smoke, they had transformed into a pair of carriages. "Whoa!" Braeburn gasped. "That's even more amazing than pie!" Pinkie Pie said happily. "Well, what do you think?" Twilight asked. "It is impressive" Fancy Pants commented. "But how are they suppose to move?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I've already got that taken care of." Twilight said "Thunderlane, Fluttershy, did you two bring your mice friends?" "Yes." Thunderlane replied "It's too bad Rumble can't come along, but I'm sure he's having the time of his life with The Cakes at Sugarcube Corner." "Promise me you won't hurt them Twilight." Fluttershy pleaded, letting the mice roam free. "You have my word. They won't feel a thing." Twilight nodded "And don't worry, they'll be mice again at midnight." Twilight then cast another spell, which turned the mice into two teams of horses. "Well, I must say, that's impressive." Rarity said, joining the group "You must teach me how to do that one day Twilight. I have a feeling it might come in handy." "You already know a lot of magic Rarity." Fleur said honestly. "I know, but this spell looks like something I could find a good use for." Rarity replied. "We'll see." Twilight stated "For now, let's decide who's going with whom." Before that could be done however, Opalescence arrived on the scene, and when she saw the mice like horses, she couldn't resist frightening them. The spell may have turned the mice into horses, but it hadn't changed their natural instincts. So when Opal frightened them, they turned tail and ran off. "Wait, come back!" Fluttershy shouted, but it was no use. The mice like horses disappeared. "Opal, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Rarity scolded "You know better than to terrorize poor innocent mice like that!" Opal seemed to look upset, and went away. "Well, that's one problem taken care of. I hope." Rarity sighed. "That may be, but we still have to figure out what we're going to do for transportation." Twilight admitted "Those mice were suppose to pull our carriages." "Oh no! Whatever shall we do?!" Rarity said sarcastically, winking slightly. "Miss Rarity, we talked about this." Fancy Pants said sternly. "I know, but this is an emergency." Rarity replied "Besides, I'm sure our neighbors have nothing better to do." "Even so, I think this is a bad idea." Fancy Pants sighed. "Just relax, I'm not going to make a habit out of this." Rarity stated, and walked over to nearby stallions. "Ahem. Excuse me gentlemen. I hate to ask, but would you mind doing a little favor for my friends and I?" A few seconds later, Rarity had convinced the stallions to pull the apple carriages. "Well, I guess that works too." Twilight commented. "I'm not impressed." Fancy Pants said with a sigh "I just know this isn't the last time Rarity's going to use her charm to get what she wants." "Have a little faith in her dear." Fleur said calmly "And look on the bright side, our transportation problem has been taken care of." The stallions, for their part, were wondering just how they got roped into this situation. A short time later, everyone was preparing to get all dressed up and head to The Gala. Everyone, except Spike. Since his tuxedo would be produced magically, he was all set. Now he just had to wait for the others to finish with their preparations. "Ah, come on you guys. Let me in." Spike complained, banging on the door. "Just a minute Spike." Applejack called from the other side of the door. "Oh heavens no, you can't let him in here now." Rarity protested "We're getting dressed. It's not polite to barge on a lady when she is getting dressed." "Not all of us are ladies like you." Applejack said to Rarity "Besides that, we don't normally wear clothes. So it's not like Spike's gonna see anything he hasn't already seen. Unless you're trying to hide something from him." "Who me? What would I have to hide?" Rarity asked nervously "My life is an open book." "Well then, I don't see what the big deal is. Just let him come in." Applejack said firmly. Rarity sighed, and opened the door to let Spike in "I apologize for that Spike." she said honestly "But some of us DO have standards." She, and her friends were all getting their manes done. Shining Armor and his friends had already done the same, and were busy putting on their vests. "I already told you, we don't normally wear clothes." Applejack snorted "And you said you weren't trying to hide anything from him." "I'm afraid I have to agree with my sister." Big Macintosh chimed in "If you've got nothing to hide, then there's no point in trying to keep him out. He's a friend to all of us. It's not like he'll see something he shouldn't see." "Couldn't have said it better myself." Shining Armor finished "It's not bad to have standards. But there's really no need for them in a situation like this. Since we don't normally wear clothes, there's no point in keeping Spike outside." "Exactly." Spike said "Especially since we're all gonna get to spend time together with each other." "We'll just have to see Spike." Rarity replied, secretly putting on false eyelashes when she was certain noone was looking. "What do you mean?" Spike asked. "I'm afraid we're gonna be a might bit busy during The Gala." Applejack explained, as she helped Fluttershy get ready. "Busy having fun." Pinkie Pie said, poking her head out from a mane dryer. Her mane, which had flattened to try and look more stylish, quickly reverted back to its natural poofiness. "Couldn't have said it better myself Pinkie." Braeburn chimed in. "But, there'll still be time for us to do something together. Right?" Spike asked. "Hopefully yes." Shining Armor nodded "The Gala goes on for quite a while, but there's usually still a lot to see and do afterwards." As night fell, Shining Armor and his friends, as well as Twilight and her friends, climbed into their respective carriages, and set off for Canterlot. Shining Armor and his group would arrive first. Already, they were talking amongst themselves about what they would do once they arrived at The Gala. Spike, meanwhile, was busy making plans of his own. Before long, Shining Armor and his friends had arrived, and stepped out of their carriage. "Okay, now everyone remember where we parked." he said to his friends "I know we'll have a lot on our minds tonight, but let's make sure we don't forget where to meet back up after The Gala is over." "Don't worry. We won't." Big Macintosh nodded. "Wow! I can't believe we're actually here!" Thunderlane exclaimed "I've heard stories about how beautiful this place is, but I didn't think they were true. This is just like a fairy tale come to life." "No kidding." Braeburn commented. "Well, that's the city of Canterlot for you." Fancy Pants stated "They always do things in a grand way." "Oh right, I almost forgot. You and Shining Armor use to live in Canterlot." Soarin said. "Indeed we did, but it's been so long since I've been back." Fancy Pants explained "I must say, a lot has changed." "Well guys, with all our expectations, I think it's safe to say that tonight is going to 'The Best Night Ever'!" Shining Armor said happily. "Yeah, cause we're all gonna spend time together, as friends." Spike replied. Unfortunately, he had no sooner spoken those words when everyone except Shining Armor dashed off. "Sorry Spike." Shining Armor apologized "It looks like the guys don't want to waste any time. They're all really excited." "Are you gonna leave me too?" Spike asked. "Not if you don't want me to Spike." Shining Armor said honestly "I just came along because everyone else was going. I mean, I was hoping to talk to Princess Celestia. But I could do that at any time on any given day." "You don't have to hang out with me if you really don't want to Shining Armor." Spike stated "Go ahead and go do whatever you want. Don't let me stop you." "Are you sure that's what you want Spike?" Shining Armor asked. "Tonight should be a night for you to do whatever you want." Spike encouraged "If that means talking to Princess Celestia then that's fine." "But what about you Spike? What will you do if I go off on my own?" Shining Armor asked "Twilight and her friends are sure to have their own agendas." "I'll just head over to Donut Joe's and spend the night gourging on donuts." Spike explained "You and the others can meet me there when you're done having fun. I'll be okay, I promise." "Spike, you don't have to lie to me to make me feel better." Shining Armor stated "It's really not that big of a deal if I don't get to talk to Princess Celestia." "I'm not taking no for an answer." Spike said firmly "Go ahead and have fun. You deserve to enjoy yourself after everything you've done. I'll be fine on my own." "Well, if you're really that certain about it, I guess I'll see at Joe's." Shining Armor said to Spike "Try to save some donuts for the rest of us." "No promises." Spike stated "Now go." "Alright, see you later Spike." Shining Armor said, and raced off. Spike simply sighed "Alone again, like always. Oh well, Donut Joe and his hot chocolate are all the company I need." And with that, Spike left to go "eat away his sorrows". It didn't take long for Shining Armor to find Princess Celestia. She was waiting just above the entrance hall to the castle, where The Grand Galloping Gala was being held. "Princess Celestia!" he exclaimed happily. "Hello Shining Armor, it is nice to see you again after all this time." Princess Celestia said with a smile "It is a shame you could not come to Cloudsdale during The Best Young Flyers Competetion. Our brief meeting during my breakfast at Sugarcube Corner was decent, but I've longed for the chance to see you without any sort of hassles." "I know." Shining Armor nodded "We really need to arrange another meeting sometime. Even if our personal lives keep us very busy." "Indeed." Princess Celestia replied "I would love to continue talking to you, but The Grand Galloping Gala will start soon, and it always required that the highest ranking political figure of the host city to greet any and all patrons that arrive. So, I shall be very busy." "That's okay, I understand." Shining Armor stated "Have you told Twilight this?" "I'm afraid I haven't." Princess Celestia admitted "I have tried to send her messages, but none have gotten through. And each time we've met personally, something has come up that has prevented me from telling her." "Well, I'm sure you'll find some time to talk to her." Shining Armor said hopefully "Do you want me to stand guard by your side?" "That will not be necessary Shining Armor." Princess Celestia explained "Security preparations for The Gala were made from the moment it was decided that Canterlot would host it this year. I'm afraid that, since the preparations were made while your promotion to captain was still fresh, the nobility would not allow me permission to let you oversee security." "Is that why you sent Twilight that extra ticket?" Shining Armor asked. "I already told you that the extra ticket was a test." Princess Celestia said firmly "However, I probably would've sent you one anyway. I wanted you to be here tonight. Even if our time together will be brief." "Well, regardless of whether or not we get the chance to talk to each other again for the rest of this night, I just want you to know that I am happy to see you again and talk to you." Shining Armor said with a nod "Now, I think I'll go see what my friends are getting up to, and if Twilight and her friends have arrived yet." "I hope you will not find The Grand Galloping Gala too boring Shining Armor." Princess Celestia said, as Shining Armor left "Or at least, not as boring as I find it." Almost immediatly after leaving the entrance hall, Shining Armor saw Fancy Pants and his wife Fleur, looking at someone. Curious, Shining Armor went over to them. "Hey Fancy Pants." he called "Who are you and your wife looking at?" "That stallion over there with the blonde mane." Fancy Pants said, pointing a hoof. "He's trouble." "Who is he?" Shining Armor asked. "None other than Rarity's so called 'Prince Charming'." Fleur said, her tone of voice hinting that she really didn't like the stallion she was looking at. "He's Princess Celestia's adopted nephew, Prince Blueblood. He and I use to date before I met Fancy Pants." "What was he like?" Shining Armor asked "From the looks of things you two obviously didn't hit it off." "Indeed we didn't, and that's because the so called Prince is nothing more than a pompus plot!" Fleur said crossly. "Really?" Shining Armor asked "I've heard stories about him, from a certain source that I shall not name. But I wasn't sure if they were actually true." "Oh believe me, Blueblood isnt as bad as the rumors make him out to be." Fleur stated. "That's good to hear." Shining Armor said with relief. "Because he's much worse than them." Fleur explained "He is quite possibly the most arrogant and vain pony I have ever met." "And you know this, how?" Shining Armor asked. "Just go ask him yourself." Fancy Pants suggested "I'm sure that once you've met him, his true nature will reveal itself." "Well, alright." Shining Armor said reluctantly, and walked over to Prince Blueblood. "Excuse me?" he asked. Prince Blueblood turned around and eyed Shining Armor suspiciously, as if he didn't recognize him "What do you want?" he asked crossly "It had better be quick, I have more important things to do than waste my time talking to uncouth commoners like you." "Hey!" Shining Armor snapped "I'll have you know I'm captain of the Royal Guard." "Oh really?! A pony like you, in charge of the royal guards?!" Prince Blueblood asked "I doubt that very much. After all, if you're captain, then why aren't you in uniform?!" "I'm not on duty at the moment!" Shining Armor explained. "How dumb do you think I am?!" Prince Blueblood snorted "I wasn't born yesterday, I know a lie when I see it." "I'm not lieing!" Shining Armor protested. "Don't waste my time, I know you are!" Prince Blueblood said crossly "And even if you weren't, you've stil done nothing but bother me! Now go away, and don't talk to me again! I am a prince, and if you will not bow down and worship me, then you will learn to fear my wrath!" "You're bluffing!" Shining Armor said smuggly "But I've wasted enough time talking to the likes of you." "About time you finally realized that." Prince Blueblood said snobishly "Now leave my sight at once, I think I need some fresh air after being in the prescene of filthy low lifes such as yourself." And with that, Prince Blueblood stormed off in a huff. "See what I mean?" Fleur asked "That guy's trouble." "Yeah. I feel sorry for Rarity." Shining Armor said with concern "Prince Blueblood is certain to do anything but let her down gently." "Well, she'll learn her lesson about how looks can be decieving." Fancy Pants stated "Besides, there's not much I can do to stop her from fawning over him." "I see." Shining Armor said reluctantly. "Say? Why don't you hang out with Fleur and I?" Fancy Pants asked "We're catching up with some of our old friends." "Thanks, but I think I'd rather see how the others are doing." Shining Armor said honestly. "Well, I think I saw Thunderlane and Fluttershy heading off into the gardens." Fancy Pants explained "Why don't you go see if they've met any new creatures yet?" "I'll do it." Shining Armor said with a nod, and headed outside "See ya later." "Hey Fluttershy, do you hear that?" Thunderlane asked. "I most certainly do." Fluttershy replied "It sounds like the call of a meadow lark." "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find it!" Thunderlane said happily, and he and Fluttershy ran off to trace the source of the whistling. From what Shining Armor could see, they seemed to be doing pretty well. "Guess I'll go check and see how Applejack and Big Macintosh are doing with their apple stand." Shining Armor said to himself. "That'll be four bits. Sorry Soarin, but I can't just give you a discount because you and Big Macintosh are friends." Applejack explained. "Fine by me. I wouldn't be comfortable accepting free food anyway." Soarin said, forking over the required amount of money "Even if it IS really good!" "Well I'll be. First minute and we've already made our first sale!" Big Macintosh said happily once Soarin had left. "That's great Big Macintosh. That's gotta be a good sign." Applejack replied. "Hey Big Macintosh, what's up?" Shining Armor asked. "Not much really. Applejack and I are already set up for business, and we had our first sale just a minute ago." Big Macintosh explained. "I know." Shining Armor nodded "From the looks of things I'd say Soarin and The Wonderbolts are done with their show." "They probably are. Spitfire tells me Soarin's always hungry after a show." Big Macintosh explained "And from what I hear, he's got a weakness for apple pies." "Well who wouldn't want a piece of Sweet Apple Acres brand apple pie?" Shining Armor asked "After all, it's got that level of quality that you just don't find in other brands." "You have a point there." Applejack admitted "If we can get a few more customers like that, Granny Smith's saggy old hip will be as good as new again." "In that case, why don't I help you guys out?" Shining Armor asked "I think I'll take one of your apple fritters." "Alright then, that's two bits." Applejack explained. "Here you go!" Shining Armor said, forking over the bits and helping himself to the apple fritter. "You might wanna go check on Braeburn and Pinkie Pie." Big Macintosh suggested. "Why?" Shining Armor asked. "Because, knowing those two, they're bound to get into trouble." Big Macintosh explained "And those Canterlot elites don't seem like the type to put up with their antics." "I'd say 'What's the worst that could happen?' but I get the feeling that would be pointless." Shining Armor said with a sigh "Guess I'd better go find them and hope they haven't already ticked off the nobles." "I don't know about you, but I think those nobles are real uptight." Applejack commented, as Shining Armor raced away. By the time Shining Armor find Pinkie Pie and Braeburn, they had already found out just how uptight the nobles were. "Sheesh, tough crowd." Pinkie Pie said to Braeburn. "Tell me about it. What's wrong with a little singing and dancing?" Braeburn asked "Isn't that part of The Gala?" "Apparently these ponies don't think so." Pinkie Pie guessed. "Indeed they don't." Shining Armor stated. "Oh hey Shining Armor! I was wondering where you were!" Braeburn greeted cheerfully. "Twilight was looking for you not that long ago, before she headed off to spend time with Princess Celestia that is." Pinkie Pie explained. "Listen carefully you two." Shining Armor said seriously "I know you two want to have a good time, and so do I. But these nobles are very stingy. So please, do me a favor, and stay out of trouble. Okay?" "We'll try." Pinkie Pie promised. "That's all I can ask for." Shining Armor said, and walked away. "Come on Pinkie Pie, we're not gonna let those party poopers bring down our spirits!" Braeburn said eagerly. "That's the spirit Braeburn!" Pinkie Pie cheered. From what Shining Armor could see as he passed by the entrance hall, Princess Celestia was indeed very busy. And poor Twilight looked incredibly glum. He waved to her, but she didn't return the favor. She was focused solely on the long line of ponies, and the fact that they prevented her from talking with her mentor. "Call me crazy, but I don't think this here Gala is going to work out quite like all our friends had hoped." Shining Armor thought to himself. And from what he could see, he seemed to be right. Outside of Fancy Pants and Fleur, none of his friends seemed to be happy. Applejack and Big Macintosh hadn't made a single sale since Shining Armor had come along. They kept waiting and waiting, but no one seemed to notice them. Pinkie Pie and Braeburn sat at a table in the dance hall, watching the fancy band play. But it wasn't much fun when no one else seemed interested in dancing with them. Rarity was already learning that Prince Blueblood was anything but charming. In fact, he seemed to take little interest in anything other than his own appearance. Twilight refused to do anything but stand by Princess Celestia's side the entire time. Even as the line of ponies that arrived and needed to be greeted, grew longer and longer. Soarin and Spitfire were trying to hang out with Rainbow Dash, but every five seconds someone kept pulling them aside to talk to to them, or take pictures with them. Rainbow Dash was trying everything she could think of to get their attention. And Fluttershy and Thunderlane found out that the whistling they'd been hearing, was just the groundskeeper Mr. Greenhooves. When they finally found some exotic animals, their prescence scared them off. But despite all of this, they wouldn't give on their dreams. They'd been waiting for this moment for over a year, and they were not about to let it slip by if they could help it. They were determined to make this night, the best night ever! And nothing was going to stop them from doing just that! "Are you really sure this is gonna work Fluttershy?" Thunderlane asked. "Of course I'm sure." Fluttershy replied "I just have to be more bold, like Twilight says. Is the trap ready?" "Yes." Thunderlane nodded. "Good. Operation White Flag is a go." Fluttershy stated "I'm ever so sorry to have startled you all, my fine friends." she winked at Thunderlane. "I'm sorry as well." Thunderlane said loudly "We're leaving now, so you can come out and enjoy the scenery again." Suddenly, there was a light crunching sound. Someone or something was eating the carrot that was being used for bait. "Now Thunderlane!" Fluttershy whispered. "Right!" Thunderlane nodded, and pulled the string. A small box fell down, trapping the unsuspecting victim. "It's okay. I promise not to hurt you." Fluttershy said, racing over to the trap. "Yeah she and I just want to be your... friends?" Thunderlane asked, when he saw who the trap had caught. "Hey, sounds good to me." Mr. Greenhooves replied, happily munching on the carrot. "Curses, I thought for sure that trap was fool proof." Fluttershy said furiously "Oh well, back to the drawing board." "Don't you think this is going a little too far Fluttershy?" Thunderlane asked. "Relax, we're not hurting them." Fluttershy explained. "Come on Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash said to herself "If The Wonderbolts don't notice you, then you just've got to make them notice you!" She slowly made her way over to a random stallion, and whistled innocently. When she was sure no one was looking, she "accidentally" kicked the stallion, sending him flying into the air. She quickly caught him, but The Wonderbolts were too busy talking to some of their fans to notice. "Just give him a chance Rarity." Rarity muttered to herself, as she and Prince Blueblood walked through the halls of the castle "No need to be picky. I'm sure his princely side will reveal itself if you just give him a chance." Prince Blueblood suddenly gasped "Miss Rarity! Stop right there!" he shouted. Rarity quickly realized why Prince Blueblood had done that. Just in front of her, was a puddle too big to walk around or step over. "Oh thank you Prince Blueblood." Rarity said kindly "That's so chivalrous of you." "Indeed. One would hate to slip and fall." Prince Blueblood explained. "Yes, one most certainly would hate that." Rarity replied. "One's cloak should easily take care of the problem." Prince Blueblood suggested. Rarity realized what he was saying "Oh, of course it will." she replied reluctantly. She'd heard of the old saying "Beggers can't be choosers." but she was really starting to wonder if Prince Blueblood was worth the trouble. Braeburn sighed "I'm bored." he complained. "Not for much longer." PInkie Pie said, a smile breaking out across her face. "Pinkie Pie, we promised Shining Armor we'd try to stay out of trouble." Braeburn said with concern. "Some rules are meant to be broken." Pinkie Pie replied, and trotted away to talk to the band. Braeburn recalled that Pinkie Pie had mentioned earlier, that the cello player was her cousin Octavia. So, from the looks of things, Pinkie Pie was going to use that connection. And she did, as she whispered something into the ear of the band members. Then, she tapped on a microphone, attracting everyone's attention. "C'mon, everypony! I know what will make you shake those groove-thangs!" she shouted "Hit it!" Reluctantly, the band began to play a song, and it went something like this. Braeburn was quite surprised by what he heard. But the rest of the Gala attendes didn't share his enthusiasm for it. "Young lady! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" a mare scolded "I don't know what you think this is, but I will have you know that this is not THAT kind of party!" "Ohhhhhh..." Pinkie Pie thought to themselves "They don't want a party. These ponies want a paaartay! Well I'm gonna give it to em!" "Two apple fritters, please." Rarity said, placing an order at the apple stand Big Macintosh and Applejack had set up. "Two apple fritters comin' right up." Big Macintosh called. "That'll be four bits, if you please." Applejack said. "Oh, of course." Rarity said nervously, just a moment. She turned to Prince Blueblood and shouted "Ahem." Prince Blueblood mearly replied with the same thing. Rarity tried to argue with him to pay up, but it was no use. Prince Blueblood refused to do so. Rarity sighed "I guess I'm going to have to pay for this, aren't I?" she asked. "Nonsense Rarity. I got you covered." Applejack said honestly "These apple friters are on the house." "Thank you very much." Rarity said happily "At least somepony around here has good manners." Prince Blueblood sloppily took a bite of his apple fritter, and immediatly gagged on the taste. "Oh! Fritters! Dumplings! Caramel apples!" he complained "I don't believe this! Somehow my royal lips have been allowed to come into contact with common carnival fare!" "And where do you think YOU'RE going?!" Rarity asked crossly. "To the banquet hall of course." Prince Blueblood snorted "The hors d'oeuvres they serve there are much better than the excuse for food that exists at that pathetic little stand. I'm just glad nopony saw me stoop so low!" "Did you hear that Big Macintsoh?!" Applejack asked "A banquet hall?!" "I sure did Applejack!" Big Macintosh replied "No wonder we haven't been getting any customers! They've been loading up on fancy-schmancy vittles." "Well, our down-home apples are plently good enough for that crowd." Applejack said crossly "Now we just need to come up with a way to show em!" "Why don't we just move the stand to the banquet hall?" Big Macintosh suggested. "Are you crazy?! That will never work!" Applejack shouted "We won't be able to compete directly with them!" "Well then, do you have a plan B?" Big Macintosh asked. "As a matter of fact I do." Applejack said with a smile "I'll just need to dress up our apples a little bit. That'll show them!" "Uh Fluttershy, I think this might be going a little too far." Thunderlane said nervously. "Silence! You will do as I say!" Fluttershy said sternly. Thunderlane refused to argue. "I'll catch you yet my pretties." Fluttershy said, an evil grin breaking out across her face "Oh yes. Just as soon as one of you innocent little birds, or monkeys, or even bears touches this net... you'll be MINE! ALL MINE!" Fluttershy proceeded to laugh wickedly. Unfortunately, by doing so, she lost her balance, and fell into the net. "Are you okay Fluttershy?" Thunderlane asked nervously. "Just shut up and get me out of this thing!" Fluttershy shouted "I'll catch those animals if it's the last thing I do!" "I think Fluttershy's lost her mind." Thunderlane thought to himself. Meanwhile, back in the ballroom, Pinkie Pie was unknowingly about to set off a chain reaction. "Come on, everypony!" she shouted, pulling out a turntable "You wanted a partay? Well now it's a paaartaaay! Yeah!" "What do you think you're doing Pinkie Pie?" Braeburn asked. "Giving these uptight nobles something to smile about!" Pinkie Pie replied. "I've got a bad feeling about this." Braeburn said nervously "Maybe you'd better stop." his suggestion fell on deaf ears. "Okay, all you high-class ponies." Big Macintosh said, helping Applejack wheel an apple cake into the ballroom. "Here's a highfalutin apple cake for your hoity-toity taste buds." Applejack called "Who wants a slice?" Then, it happened. "STAGE DIVE!" Pinkie Pie shouted, and leaped into the air. "PINKIE NO!" Braeburn shouted, but it was too late. Pinkie Pie hit the cart holding the apple cake, sending it flying through the air. Its target was Prince Blueblood, and when he saw the cake flying towards him, he screamed, and shoved Rarity in front of him to use as a shield. It worked, but Rarity decided then and there, that she had put up Blueblood's behavior for long enough. "You, sir, are by far the most uncharming prince I have ever had the displeasure of meeting!" she said crossly "In fact, the only thing even remotely royal about you, is that you are a royal pain in the butt! I can't believe I ever had feelings for you! You, are a disgrace to the royal throne!" Prince Blueblood probably would've been quite upset at the idea of anypony calling him out on his behavior, but right now he was grossed out at Rarity's appearance. "Ewww...! Uh, stay back! I just had myself groomed!" he said nervously. "Oh, what's the matter prince?" Rarity asked sarcastically "Afraid to get DIRTY?!" "You wouldn't dare!" Prince Blueblood said, cowering in fright. "Try me!" Rarity shouted, and flung some of the smeared cake onto Prince Blueblood. The anything but charming prince whimpered and backed away in fear. Unfortunately, in doing so, he bumped into a statue of Princess Celestia. The statue now threatend to tip over and shatter into pieces on the ground. "This is my chance!" Rainbow Dash shouted, and raced forward. She caught the statue before it could tip over. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes! That's sure to get them to notice me now!" she said to herself. Unfortunately, she had spoken too soon. The statue was too heavy for her, and she couldn't hold up its weight. "Whoa!" she cried, as the statue made her wobble around. In the process, she knocked over several pillars. Then, the statue itself fell and broke. "Um, oops?" Rainbow Dash said nervously, as the crowd cast daggers at her. "What is going on here?!" Shining Armor asked. He had heard signs of a comotion, but he hadn't expected to run into this. The Grand Galloping Gala didn't look so grand anymore. To make matters worse, Twilight and Princess Celestia, as well as Fancy Pants and Fleur, were also observing the aftermath of what had unfolded just a few seconds ago. The ballroom looked like it had been the scene of a horrific battle. "I'd say it can't get worse, but that would be jinxing it." Shining Armor thought to himself. Suddenly, the door to the ballroom began to rumble, as if there were an earthquake. A second later, the door burst open, and Thunderlane came running in ahead of a crowd of animals "Run for your lives, Fluttershy's gone mad!" he shouted. "You're... going to LOVE ME!" Fluttershy bellowed. Ponies began to scream and run as various animals began to mix in with the chaos caused by the destruction of the ballroom. "This is bad!" Shining Armor said. "I know." Soarin replied, he and the other stallions had quickly rushed to Shining Armor's side the moment Fluttershy arrived on the scene. "What are we gonna do?" Thunderlane asked. "The only thing we can do." Big Macintosh stated. "And that would be?" Fancy Pants asked. "RUN!" Braeburn shouted. Shining Armor and his friends did so, and as luck would have it, Princess Celestia had encouraged Twilight and her friends to do the same thing. They quickly fled from the castle, not caring who might see them. It had been a rough night for Spike. All of his friends were off living their dreams, and here he was, sitting all alone in Donut Joe's shop. Loading up on donuts and hot chocolate. "Hey, Donut Joe." he said glumly "Another donut please." "Uh, don't you think you've had enough for one night Spike?" Donut Joe asked. Spike slammed his mug down on the table "I'll tell you when I've had enough! Now bring me another donut, with extra sprinkles!" "Okay, okay." Donut Joe said. He figured it was no use arguing with his only customer of the night. All his other customers were at The Grand Galloping Gala, stuffing their faces at the banquet hall. Then, to Donut Joe's surprise, the bell rang. He hadn't been expecting other customers. But he quickly recognized the face of two of them. "Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor! Ha, ha. Long time no see." he greeted warmly "I've missed having you guys drop by my shop for treats." "Hey Donut Joe." Shining Armor said wearily "Got room for twelve more customers?" "Of course, outside of your little friend here I haven't had a single customer all night long." Donut Joe explained "Help yourselves." "Hey, how was the Gala?" Spike asked "How was your best night ever?" Shining Armor sighed "It's a long story Spike." "Well, it's not like I've got anything better to do." Spike nodded "Let's hear it." "Okay." Shining Armor said reluctantly, and he and his friends, as well as Twilight and her friends, told Spike everything." "Wow. That sounds more like the worst night ever!" Spike said, needless to say, he was quite surprised at what he had heard. "It was!" everyone said, and they all laughed. Twilight however, quickly grew concerned. "I just hope Princess Celestia isn't too upset with us for ruining The Gala." "Oh, don't worry Twilight. In my opinion, that was the best Grand Galloping Gala I've ever seen!" Princess Celestia said happily, appearing in the doorway of the shop. Needless to say, everyone was surprised to see her. Especially after what had happened only mere moments ago. "Uh pardon me Princess, but tonight was just awful." Shining Armor stated "You saw what happened." "I did, but The Grand Galloping Gala has always been rather dull." Princess Celestia said with a nod "It's mostly just an event for the rich and famous." "It is?" Twilight asked. "Yes." Princess Celestia confirmed "And that is why I was so happy you were all attending. I was hoping you could help to liven things up a little. Though you did go a bit overboard. some of you more than others." "Sorry about Princess Celestia." Fluttershy apologized "I don't know what came over me back there." "Hey, don't feel bad Fluttershy." Thunderlane said kindly "It happens to the best of us, and look on the bright side, nopony got hurt." "Indeed they didn't." Princess Celestia stated "My nephew's ego may be a bit bruised, but he'll recover. And hopefully he will have learned his lesson." "I hope so too." Rarity said honestly "I'm just a bit sad he didn't turn out to be the prince charming I had hoped for." "Blueblood is but one stallion Miss Rarity." Fancy Pants reassured her "I'm sure you'll find the proper mate eventually." "While the evening may not have gone as you planned, I'm sure you'll agree, that in the end it didn't turn out so bad for this tightly connected group of friends." Princess Celestia stated. "You're right about that Princess." Shining Armor said with a nod "I think we all learned something tonight. Friends have a way of making even the worst of times into something pretty great." "As horrible as our night may have been.." Big Macintosh started. "...being together here has made it all better." Fancy Pants finished. "In fact, it's made it..." Braeburn began. "...the best night ever!" everyone besides Princess Celestia said at once. They then all began to laugh. "Shouldn't you be getting back to The Grand Galloping Gala?" Shining Armor asked Princess Celestia. "The Gala is pretty much over as it is." Princess Celestia explained "Besides, hardly anyone will notice I'm gone. And it's been such a long time I've had the chance to share a late night snack with not only my Captain of The Guard, and my faithful student and her number one assitant, but also the ponies they've chosen to befriend." "This night just keeps getting better and better." Donut Joe said happily.