//------------------------------// // Living Their Dreams (At the Gala, At the Gala) // Story: MLP: FML // by Maniac92 //------------------------------// Caramel and a heavily-bandaged Lucky Clover pulled the apple carriage down the road to Princess Celestia’s castle. “Man,” said Spike, sitting at the front of the carriage, “I can’t believe you pulled us all up the mountain, Caramel. Um…you did know there was a road that would have led us here, right?” “RoAd’s ARE FoR puSSies!” said Caramel, wearing his leather jacket. “NoT LikE LEather jaCKEts…” he turned his head to glare at Lucky. “RIGHT?!” Lucky Clover, wearing a leather jacket of his own, gulped nervously. “W-whatever you say, Caramel! Just…p-please don’t hit me again…” The two stallions came to a stop in front of the castle gates. Spike hopped off his seat and went to the door of the carriage. “We’re here, you guys!” he said, opening the door. The six mares walked out of the carriage, wearing the dresses that Rarity had made for them. “Well?” asked Rarity. “What do you think about our dresses, Spike?” “…I mean…I’ve seen them before. We did all leave your boutique together, after all,” said Spike. “You all look amazing though.” “Oh stop, Darling! It’s too much!” laughed Rarity. After a moment of silence from Spike, she cleared her throat and said, “But really…keep telling me how pretty I look.” “Stroke your ego later, Rarity,” said Twilight. “We need to get inside.” She took a step forward and paused. “…Anyone want to launch into a musical number?” “No,” said Fluttershy. “Not really,” replied Rarity. “Seems stupid,” commented Rainbow. “There’s no real point, Sugarcube,” answered Applejack. “This isn’t a Disney movie,” said Pinkie. “Good point,” conceded Twilight. “Sorry I asked.” They all walked down the path to the castle, looking around at all the ponies surrounding them. Everyone was well dressed and chatting amongst each other. There was a crack of thunder and several uniformed ponies zoomed through the sky, storm clouds trailing behind them. “It’s the Wonderbolts!” squealed Rainbow Dash. “I can’t wait to talk to them again!” She turned to Spike. “Do you still have those breath mints?” “…Those what?” asked Spike, confused. “The breath mints,” repeated Rainbow Dash. “The ones that you had to get, which made you late to the boutique?” “…Oh!” said Spike, remembering his lie from earlier. “Right! Um…I didn’t mean to say breath mints, I meant to say…uh…” he faltered. “Yes?” asked Rainbow. “…Condoms?” said Spike hesitantly. “Condoms?” repeated Rainbow Dash, frowning. “You brought condoms to the Grand Galloping Gala?” “Sure…” lied Spike, putting his hand in his suit pocket and touching the Shifting Stone. Rainbow grinned. “Nice! I brought some too! Never hurts to think ahead, you know?” “Right!” said Spike. He took his hand out of his pocket and wiped his suddenly sweaty brow. Twilight looked up and spotted Princess Celestia flying into the castle. “The Princess!” she said excitedly. She paused. “…Why is she not wearing a dress? This is supposed to be a formal event.” Meanwhile: Princess Celestia landed at the top of the stairs and looked around at all the sharply dressed ponies littering the room. “…Shit,” she muttered, looking down at her bare body. “Was I supposed to dress up for this?” “YOU ARE THE PRINCESS!” yelled Gung-Ho Guard, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. “JUST SAY YOU WANTED TO BE NAKED.” “It’s not like anyone’s going to say anything about it…” said Depressed Guard, standing next to Gung-Ho Guard. “Good point,” said Celestia, relaxing. “It’s my party, I can be naked if I want to.” Back to the others: The ponies and Spike made their way into the entrance hall of the castle, fireworks going off in the night sky above them. “It looks like the party will be in there,” said Twilight as she pointed in front of them, where other guests were walking into another room. She looked around and said, “It looks like the courtyard and the gardens have been opened to the public as well.” She nodded towards the gateways on the opposite sides of the entrance hall, which led outside. “Well, that’s where Ah’m headed!” said Applejack. “Ah paid to have a stand set up in the courtyard.” “Wow…” said Twilight. “Princess Celestia was okay with that?” “What she won’t know, won’t hurt her,” said Applejack, shrugging. “She’ll be busy in here all night. I’ll have the stand taken down when we leave.” Meanwhile: Princess Celestia frowned and looked around. “I sense some apple-related bullshit happening around here…” she murmured. Back with the others: As Applejack left through one of the gateways, Fluttershy turned to the rest of the group. “I’m going to be out in the gardens if you need me!” She glared at all of them. “Do. Not. Need. Me. This could be my one chance to see the Princess’s animals.” She walked off, leaving the group. Another pony saw Fluttershy leave and smiled. They quietly followed her out of the room. “I guess that leaves the rest of us to go into the other room,” said Twilight turning to everyone else. She frowned as she noticed someone missing. “What happened to Spike?” The other three ponies looked around, not seeing the small dragon anywhere. “I thought he was right behind us,” said Rarity. “He didn’t get lost, did he?” Twilight shook her head. “Spike and I know our way around this castle. He wouldn’t get lost…” “Did he go into the other room already?” asked Rainbow. “Maybe he’s talking with the Wonderbolts! Hey! Crazy idea, but let’s go see the Wonderbolts!” Twilight frowned at Rainbow Dash, but chose not to comment. She turned to Pinkie and said, “Will you keep an eye out for him while you’re partying?” “Yep!” said Pinkie. “I will totally party while looking for Spike!” “…Why does it sound like you’re prioritizing partying over looking for Spike?” asked Twilight. “Why are you asking me to look for him when you could?” shot back Pinkie. “Are you prioritizing talking to the Princess over Spike?” “…Fair enough,” said Twilight. She shrugged and said, “He’s probably ok. He’s probably just looking for the bathroom or something.” Meanwhile: Spike crept down the hallway, watching for any guards. “Ok…” he muttered to himself. “Blueblood’s room should be around here somewhere…” He stopped in front of a door with a note that read: Blueblood’s Room. No Commoners Allowed. “Perfect!” he whispered. He quietly opened the door and entered the room. The large suite-like bedroom was empty, aside from the furniture. However, Spike could hear shouts coming from the bathroom on the opposite side of the room. Seeing the door knob on the bathroom move, Spike quickly dove behind the couch and waited. A stallion with a black mane and a carefully trimmed beard exited the bathroom. “Really, Your Highness,” he said, “I don’t see why you can’t use the tap water to brush your teeth.” “Tap water?!” yelled a voice from inside the bathroom. “My god, Geoffrey, do I look middle-class to you?!” Prince Blueblood walked out of the bathroom, wearing a white robe and curlers in his mane. “I know that you know that I need only the finest mineral water to brush my teeth!” “Anything else you require, sir?” asked Geoffrey. “You to shut up and do as you’re told!” yelled Blueblood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to make myself pretty!” He strode back into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. “Arsehole,” muttered Geoffrey, walking out of the room. Once he was alone, Spike hopped out from behind the couch. “Ok…” he muttered, looking around the room. He smiled as he saw a chair against the wall. Grabbing it, he wedged it underneath the bathroom’s door knob. Satisfied with his work, Spike quietly exited Blueblood’s room. A few minutes later, Geoffrey walked into the room, levitating a bottle of water. “Sir?” he called. “Are you still in the bathroom?” The bathroom’s doorknob jiggled, but the chair prevented it from opening. “Geoffrey! I can’t get the door open!” Geoffrey looked at the chair and smirked. “Oh no, sir! That’s horrible!” he called, fighting the urge to laugh. He walked over to the couch and sat down. “I’ll go get help, sir!” he called, opening a box of cigars. He lit the cigar with his magic and leaned back. “It could be a while, though…” He took out the cigar and blew smoke into the room. “A long, long while.” Meanwhile: Everyone separated as soon as they walked into the room. Twilight quickly walked to the stairs, where Princess Celestia was idly picking her teeth. “Princess!” said Twilight excitedly as she reached the top of the stairs. “Mm?” said Celestia, looking up. “Twilight! Thank god! Do I have spinach in my teeth?” She smiled widely at Twilight, showing her teeth. “Uh…no, Princess. You’re okay,” said Twilight, deciding it would be rude to point out the pieces of spinach in Celestia’s teeth. “Oh good,” said Celestia, her face going back to its normal amused expression. “It’s good to see you, by the way.” “Thanks!” said Twilight. “I’m so excited to be here!” “Jesus, really?” asked Celestia. “This things are always so boring. At least for me anyway.” She smiled at Twilight and said, “That’s why I invited you and your friends. It’s nice to have an intelligent conversation once and a while.” “That’s what I said!” said Twilight, moving to her teacher’s side. “PRINCESS!” yelled Gung-Ho Guard. “THESE FUCKS WANT TO BROWNNOSE!” Celestia and Twilight looked and saw two Canterlot nobles walking up the stairs towards them. “Brownnose?” asked one of them. She laughed and said, “How ridiculous! We simply wanted to greet the Princess, is all.” She cleared her throat and said, “Of course, if we can convince the Princess that certain laws need to be passed during our conversation…well…that’s just a coincidence.” Celestia groaned and pressed her hoof to her face. “I need a drink…” she muttered. “If only Luna didn’t chug all of the wine…” “Where is Princess Luna, anyway?” asked Twilight. Celestia smiled at her. “She’s a little under the weather. But she has someone looking after her.” Meanwhile: “Are you sure you’re okay, Aunt Luna?” asked a pink Alicorn with a multi-colored mane. Luna, who was in lying in her bed, rolled her eyes. “I’m fine, Cadance. I just have a small headache. Honestly, this is the best I’ve felt this past few weeks.” She sighed and leaned back against her pillow. “I just need some rest.” Cadance laughed and said, “Yeah, hangovers are the worst, aren’t they?” “Mm-hmm…” said Luna, closing her eyes. “I remember the first time I drank,” said Cadance wistfully. “My head was pounding and the three stallions I was with were snoring so loudly! Talk about rude, right?” “Uh-huh…” yawned Luna. After a moment, her eyes opened and she stared at Cadance. “Wait…what?” “Yeah,” said Cadance, “I couldn’t believe it either. They all passed out after four or five hours. So much for stamina, right?” “What?” repeated Luna. “You would have thought the zebra would have lasted the longest out of all of them, but he was done after the first two times,” complained Cadance. “And don’t even get me started on the griffon!” Meanwhile: Spike looked into the room. He spotted Rarity looking around, as if she was trying to find someone. “Ok…” he muttered, pulling his head back into the hallway. He looked around and made sure the coast was clear. He reached into his suit and pulled out the glowing Shifting Stone. “Here goes nothing…” he said. He closed his eyes and concentrated on how Prince Blueblood looked. A bright blue glow enveloped Spike, hiding him from view. When it died down, Prince Blueblood was standing where Spike had been, his eyes tightly shut. Spike opened his eyes and looked down at himself. “Whoa…” he said in Blueblood’s voice, looking at his new hooves. “This is weird…” He looked down at the ground, where the Shifting Stone was lying. The once blue gem was now white and glowing faintly. He reached out to grab it, only to realize he had a hoof. “How am I supposed to do this?” he questioned. He looked down at his body. “I don’t even have a suit to hide this in anymore.” Spike frowned and looked around. An idea came to him as he spotted a potted plant. He leaned his head down and bit the gem. He walked over to the plant and dropped the gem into it. Digging a hole with his hoof, he pushed the gem into it and covered it with dirt. “Perfect!” Spike said triumphantly. “Now…” He walked over to the entrance to the other room and poked his head around the corner. “All I have to do is act like a dick to Rarity. She’ll be so angry with Blueblood and forget all about her crush on him.” Spike chuckled evilly to himself and walked into the room. As he walked across the room and into the gardens, he saw Rarity gasp and start to follow him. Hiding his smirk, Spike walked to the edge of the gardens and watched as Rarity started walking towards him. Meanwhile: Fluttershy was in another part of the gardens, watching as birds of all kinds flew above her. “Wow…” she whispered in awe. “This is amazing…” From behind a tree, a blue-furred pony wearing sunglasses poked her head out to stare at the distracted Fluttershy. “Indeed, it is amazing…” said Photo Finish, smiling as she watched the other pony. “My little Flootershy…” Meanwhile: Applejack was at her stand in the courtyard watching with dismay as nobles turned their noses up at her products. “This ain’t workin’,” she said. As a stallion passed by the stand, she called out, “‘Scuse me, partner! Wanna buy one of mah apple pies? Ya look mighty hungry.” The stallion smirked and said, “While I am ‘mighty hungry’, I would prefer to eat food prepared by ponies of class. Not the common dreck you hicks find appealing.” He chortled to himself and walked away. Applejack frowned. “Jackass,” she muttered. She looked around, noticing that no one looked remotely interested in her products. She sighed and took off her hat. “Fuck it…” she muttered. As a mare passed by her stand, Applejack cleared her throat and spoke in a posh accent. “Pardon me, darling!” she called, getting the mare’s attention. “Would you care to try a sample of these fine apple products?” The mare smiled and came closer, as did several other ponies. “You sound like a mare who deserves to be here,” said the mare. “Not like that country bumpkin that was here just a second ago. She looked like you, only with a dirty cowboy hat and a goofy accent.” “What an odd coincidence,” replied Applejack, her eye twitching. Meanwhile: In another part of the courtyard, Rainbow Dash was watching as Spitfire and Soarin were chatting as they walked down the path. “Ok, Rainbow…” she said to herself. “They’re coming closer. They’ll see you any second now. Just play it cool.” She cleared her throat and watched as the two Wonderbolts walked up to her. “I’m just saying that we need to give our team a break every now and again,” Soarin said to Spitfire. “We can’t just run everyone ragged.” “And I’m just saying that we need everyone at their best in order to be the best,” argued Spitfire. “If we don’t constantly train, other stunt teams will catch up to us. We won’t be the best anymore. Besides, I’m not the only one who thinks so. Fleetfoot agrees with me.” “That’s because Fleetfoot’s just as competitive as you are,” said Soarin. She looked away from Soarin and her eyes met Rainbow. Smiling, she walked over to her. “Rainbow Dash, right?” she asked. Rainbow squealed in excitement. “You saved us in Cloudsdale and drank with us, right?” asked Spitfire. Rainbow squealed again. Smirking slightly, Spitfire leaned in and clapped her hooves in front of Rainbow’s face. Rainbow jumped and said, “O-oh! Uh…yeah. That was me.” Spitfire laughed. “A little starstruck, huh?” “Little bit…” said Rainbow Dash sheepishly. “It’s cool,” said Soarin, walking up to them. “You’re not the first to get a little excited around the Wonderbolts.” He chuckled and said, “You should’ve seen Spitfire when she met Captain Surprise when we joined up. Spitfire worshipped her. Hell, she even followed her into the toilets and tried to-” “Hey!” said Spitfire quickly. “Wasn’t that one mare selling apple pie? You should go get some!” Soarin chuckled and walked away from the two mares. “Jesus…” muttered Spitfire, rubbing her forehead. She smiled at Rainbow Dash and said, “Sorry about that. Guy’s like my brother, but there are times he gets under my skin.” “N-no problem,” said Rainbow nervously. “I don’t know if I mentioned it before,” said Spitfire, “But that was some damn fine flying at that competition.” “Oh…it was nothing!” said Rainbow. Spitfire smiled and said, “If that was nothing to you, then maybe you’d be up for a real challenge?” “Challenge?” repeated Rainbow Dash. “What challenge?” Spitfire looked around and said quietly, “Don’t tell anyone this, but we’re setting up an Academy to train potential Wonderbolts. If you’re a serious flier, you should consider enrolling once it gets set up. We could use someone like you.” Rainbow almost choked. “R-really?” she asked. “Hell yeah!” said Spitfire. “Come with me to the VIP section. I’ll tell you more about it and introduce you to the rest of the team.” Rainbow Dash squealed again before fainting. Meanwhile: Pinkie bounced into the ballroom and looked around. “Oh my god!” she squealed. “The lights…the ponies…the band!” She looked up at the stage, where four ponies were playing classical music. Pinkie squealed in excitement before pausing. “Wait…” she said. She took another look around the room. “…Whelp, no Spike!” Pinkie said after a moment, shrugging. “I did my job. Now…where was I?” She thought for a second. “Oh!” she said bonking her head with her hoof. “I remembered!” She squealed in excitement and ran out onto the dance floor, determined to shake her groove thing. Meanwhile: Twilight watched as pony after pony walked up to Princess Celestia and greeted her. Most were polite, but there were a few that had tried to persuade the Princess to do something for them. “Marry me, baby!” cried one elderly stallion, kneeling and offering up a wedding ring. Celestia giggled and said, “Mr. Waddle, you flirt, you ask me that every year. I keep telling you that I’m not looking to get married right now.” “And yet you keep inviting me back here every year just so I can ask,” said the stallion, pushing his large glasses back into place. “I’ll get you to say yes one of these days, you little minx!” He chuckled to himself and slowly walked back down the stairs. “He’s been asking me to marry him ever since he was a little colt,” whispered Celestia to Twilight. She chuckled and said, “It’s almost like a game between us now.” “Ok…?” said Twilight slightly confused. It wasn’t every day she saw her teacher getting proposed to, after all. She sighed and patiently waited for the next pony to come and talk to the Princess, imagining it to be another Canterlot noble. So imagine Twilight’s surprise when she saw that the next guest wasn’t a pony at all. “You seem to be doing well, Celestia,” said the visitor. “Aside from the spinach in your teeth, that is.” “Shit!” muttered Celestia. She covered her mouth and lightly glared at Twilight. “I thought you said I didn’t have spinach in my teeth!” “Princess…” began Twilight, pointing at the visitor. “Who is that, exactly?” “Hmm?” asked Celestia, pausing in her teeth picking. “Oh! I never told you about her, did I?” She smiled and looked at the visitor. “Perhaps you’d like to do the honors?” The black, insect-like visitor smiled at Twilight, showing her fangs. “Hello, little pony,” she said, her green eyes locked onto Twilight’s, “My name is Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings. And I’ve heard a lot about you…”