All In

by blowngasket

Expectation

Expectation

Canterlot Castle, a serene location high up for all to see. It was a setting of peace and tranquility, known by all who lived in the land.

"How long are we going to have to wait?"

The voice came from an annoyed man, dressed up in a white bakers uniform. He paced back and forth, drawing in the bored stares of others dressed like him.

The preparations were coming along fine. A large banquet was in the works, and they were tasked with preparing the delectable confectionery desserts for the event. They were doing quite well, until the arrival of the pink hurricane responsible for their boredom.

"This is getting ridiculous!" the impatient baker yelled. "Powdered, you're in charge. Do something!" he spoke in a half agitated half condescending tone, staring at the oldest of the bakers standing around.

"It is in our best interest if we wait out here, young Cookie," Powdered responded, shaking his head.

"But what about our jobs?" he asked, the signs of worry showing on his face.

"What about our lives?!" Powdered snapped. "If you step in there, you might not make it out! Do you have any idea who you would be dealing with?!" Cookie shook his head, fear in his gaze as he stared at the elder baker, his wise eyes speaking volumes. "That is the Element of Laughter..."

---------- ---------- ---------

"Oh will you hold still?!"

"You're making it too tight!"

The large room resembled an explosion of cloth, fragments and pieces every which way. The light from the sun was partially blocked by the translucent curtains drawn over the large castle windows. The two ladies in the room were the only things moving around and making noise.

"...Aaaaaaand done! There, was that so bad?" one of the girls said, backing away from the other one, admiring her handiwork. "I must say, Twilight. That is one of my finer works. Fit for a princess."

"I can barely breath," Twilight, the other girl in the room, said as she slowly stepped down from the platform. "Really, Rarity, does it need to be so tight?"

Rarity did a walk around Twilight, double checking her work for any imperfections. The dress on her friend was a mixture of pink and purple, meant to accentuate the odd natural highlight in her otherwise dark blue hair, as well as bring out her eyes. It was also designed to match the wings curled up awkwardly against her back.

"Perfect!" Rarity chirped, grinning happily as she removed her dark purple framed glasses from her face. Even with glasses, style was everything as they were meant to bring out the blue in her eyes. "And yes, Twilight, it is meant to be tight. You only become a princess once in your life, so looking your best is key. You don't have the curves to show off, so this design will better show your slender figure."

"I'm not sure if I should be insulted. So can I take it off now?" Twilight asked, reaching behind her for the zipper holding the dress up. She bumped into her wings and made them shoot open. "Stupid...how does Fluttershy and Rainbow deal with these?!" she gave up, dropping her arms to the side in defeat.

Rarity giggled and walked behind her, pulling the zipper down enough for Twilight to get out of her new outfit. Twilight held up the dress with her hands and walked behind the changing curtain. Rarity could hear her rustling about, and took the opportunity to clean up the distastes created in her wake.

She stopped for a second when she walked past the full sized mirror, admiring herself in it. Her dark purple hair was still curled just right, giving it a majestic bounce. Her white sundress flowed down to just above her knees, three light blue diamonds embroidered on the sides being the only design of note on the otherwise blank outfit.

Her self admiring stopped as Twilight stepped back out, wearing what she preferred. A simple white blouse and a purple skirt, though modifications were made to her shirt for the wings. She continued to fidget with them to get them through the holes properly. "Could you give me a hand, Rarity? I think a feather is stuck."

"Of course," Rarity walked over and gently moved the cloth around until her wings were fully through. "So, did you tell Cata yet?" Rarity asked playfully.

Twilight's eye's nearly popped out of her head. "Oh my gosh!" she yelled loudly. Rarity jumped from the sudden yell, staring quietly at her friend. "I missed my date!"

"He works for the princesses, dear. I am sure he knows and understands." Rarity said comfortingly, a small smile on her face.

"What if he thinks I am different?! What if he never wants to talk to me ever again?! What if he thinks I hate him and didn't feel like showing up because he thought I thought he wasn't good enough for me now and thinks I am a completely different person?!" Rarity quietly listened to Twilight panic. She sighed and shook her head.

"Are you different?" Rarity asked subtlety. Twilight pointed towards her back, the wings puffing out. Rarity shook her head. "Please, Twilight. You and me both know he won't be bothered by that. Did you actually try talking to him?"

"...No."

"Well what do you think you should do?"

"Talk to him?" Rarity smiled and clapped, Twilight blushing in embarrassment.

"You remember where he lives, don't you?"

"423, Mane Street, apartment number 213," Twilight recited from memory, even though she has never actually been there herself.

"Then don't wait for me to give you permission. Go to him, darling," Rarity said with a wink. Twilight smiled and nodded, grabbing her shoes and bolting out the door. "Some things will never change," Rarity told herself. She smiled as she proceeded to finish cleaning up.

---------- ---------- ----------

Twilight hopped down the hallway on one leg while trying to put her shoes on. She managed to get them on, but her lack of focus caused her to bump into someone else, knocking them both to the ground.

"Ow...I am sorry...Applejack?"

Twilight looked at her victim, a blond haired woman wearing a Stetson hat. Her orange plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and dusty boots made it an easy guess even from a distance.

"I am so sorry, Applejack. Here," Twilight got up and held out her hand.

"Thanks, Twi," Applejack said, taking her friends hand and pulling herself up. "Yer in quite the hurry," She moved her head and stared down the hallway. "Nope, nothin' chasin' ya, so what's the rush?"

"Well it's like this," Twilight took a deep breath. "With everything that happened yesterday I forgot to meet Cata for our date and now he probably hates me so I am going to his apartment to apologize and ask him to not hate me and I am in a hurry because there is so much to do today and I gotta meet Shining and Princess Celestia to discuss the arrangements for the," Twilight stopped for a second, taking in another gulp of air, "coronation tomorrow and I am nervous enough without not knowing what is going to happen from here on out and I don't want to make Cata upset as well so I will talk to you later!"

Twilight quickly began her mad dash through the castle corridors, leaving Applejack behind with only a simple wave goodbye.

"What just happened?"

---------- ---------- ----------

No matter how quickly she was trying to leave, it was hard to ignore the large group of angry looking bakers standing outside the bakery, especially when they block her path as they notice her. Twilight came to a stop, trying to decipher what the problem was with everyone speaking at the same time.

Eventually, Twilight's patience ran thin, and she was fed up. "Enough!" she yelled out, everyone become quiet at the same time, obediently awaiting her next words. "Umm...that's kinda weird. Please don't do that again," Twilight asked. The bakers' stiffness vanished and they all relaxed, though they remained silent regardless. "Now that I can understand you, what's wrong?"

"Princess Twilight, we need your assistance." Powdered approached Twilight calmly. "We have been kicked out of our bakery while preparing the confectioneries for your ceremony tomorrow.

"Twilight is fine. I'm not exactly comfortable with the princess title yet. Also, how did you get kicked out of your own bakery?" Twilight looked towards the door, listening to the sounds inside.

"Well you see, that is where I was hoping you could help us. It is your friend..."

"Pinkie?" Twilight finished, not exactly hard to put together when she heard it was a friend of hers. Powdered nodded slowly. "I'll see what's going on," Twilight said, sighing slightly. She moved towards the door and opened it, all the other men backing away quickly.

Twilight didn't have a chance to look inside, as she was suddenly knocked to the ground by a pink blur's dive tackle. "Twilight! No peeking!"

"Pinkie, why did you jump on me?" Twilight asked, staring up at her friend from the ground, partially annoyed. The woman on top of her was wearing a bright pink dress with many different colors of balloons designed into it, though the frilly pink apron covered most of it.

"Because," the pink haired girl gave Twilight a huge smile, "there wasn't enough time to close the door. So whatcha up to?" Pinkie asked innocently.

"Well for starters, I am trying to go see Cata. Secondly, why did you hijack the bakery?"

"I wanted to make you an awesome 'congratulations on becoming a princess' cake, but I wanted it to be a secret."

"So instead you kick everyone who was working out into the hallway?" Pinkie nodded quickly. Twilight sighed, shaking her head. "Just...hurry up. They are getting antsy."

"Can do! Good luck with that thing you," A ding interrupted her, causing Pinkie to jump off quickly. "Gotta go!" she ran back inside the kitchen, leaving everyone standing around the scene speechless.

"Just give her a few more minutes?" Twilight said, smiling awkwardly from her spot on the ground.

---------- ---------- ----------

There it was. The exit to the castle. Distraction after distraction, Twilight finally managed to make it to the exit.

"Twilight!" she slowed down, cursing her bad luck. The voice was easily recognizable as Rainbow Dash. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and turned around.

"Can I...help you?" Twilight asked, her eye twitching slightly.

Like she guessed, her rainbow haired friend was there, dressed in her usual outfit, a light blue tank top with matching shorts. She wasn't the only one there, though. Twilight noticed the light pink hair barely visible from behind Rainbow's blue wings. Tilting to the side, to get a better view, Twilight recognized the person as her friend, Fluttershy. She was wearing a warm looking yellow sweater and pair of white pants. The two stared at Twilight for a second, slightly scared of Twilight's reaction.

Breaking the silence, Fluttershy was the first to speak. "We're sorry if we came at a bad time," she said meekly, peeking over Rainbow's shoulders.

Twilight stared at the two, taking a deep breath and releasing a light sigh. "It's fine. I guess I am just a little stressed out, that's all," Twilight said, a smile returning to her face. "How can I help you?"

"Please please please let me perform at your princess thingie!" Rainbow said quickly. "Heck, just make me a wonderbolt! Come on, it will be awesome!"

"We have been over this a dozen times. I can't just make you a wonderbolt. That wouldn't be right. You have to earn it yourself," Twilight scolded.

"But they already know how awesome I am. They just need a good reason to invite me." Rainbow begged. Twilight began rubbing her temples, tired of explaining why she couldn't do it.

"Do you need anything as well, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, ignoring the annoyed groans from Rainbow.

"Oh no. I am just fine. Thank you for asking, though," Fluttershy responded happily. Twilight smiled as well, partially relieved.

"All right. I have to get going, now. See you all tomorrow!" Twilight said, turning and waving before sprinting off.

"Hey, what about me?!" Rainbow yelled out. Either Twilight didn't hear her, or she just ignored her. Whatever the case, Rainbow grumbled and walked back into the castle, Fluttershy following behind.

---------- ---------- ----------

"So...this is the place?" Twilight asked herself, standing outside of a slightly dirty looking apartment building. The place had definitely seen better days, and could easily benefit from a new paint job.

Not wanting to wait any longer, Twilight entered the building, instantly blown away from the odd smells coming from the corridors. Taking one more breath from the outdoors, Twilight ventured into the building and up the first flight of stairs. Thankfully the smell got better the higher she went, but it wasn't pleasant. She wandered down the halls, staring at room numbers as she passed by. "Eleven...twelve...ah! Thirteen!" she said happily. She held her hand up to the door, ready to knock, when she stopped.

She was entering unknown territory, a much bigger event than she had anticipated this would be, and her nerves started getting the best of her. Thoughts began shooting through her head, every worse case scenario played out. She almost backed away, if not for the nagging voice in the back of her head telling her to just knock.

She did.

She waited, listening at the door. There were no sounds of movement coming from inside. It was past two in the afternoon, so he was definitely awake. She knocked again a bit harder and waited for a response, but again no one was coming to the door. Not one to give up, with all the little distractions that happened, she tried one more time.

Still no response. Twilight sighed and walked away, slightly saddened that he wasn't actually home. It was always a possibility, but she still wanted to see him. As much as she would have waited, she had important matters to attend to. She could only hope that he would be willing to show up tomorrow.

---------- ---------- ----------

A bottle in one hand, and a photo in another, Catacomb silently laid by the wall of the door, trying to keep himself together as the women he loved walked away. The picture was of them together during his stay in Ponyville, both smiling happily, arms wrapped around each other. Taking another sip of the amber liquid from the bottle, it only numbed the pain he felt. His silent realization was followed by even quieter tears.

Comments

[satnapillowpants]

Cata, why u so stupid?
Who cares what the nobles think?
Actually, they probably won't care since he is a prince and she is a princess.
If anything the nobles will just think that the relationship is purely political.
PROBLEM SOLVED