The Grand Crimson Gala

by MagentaBloom

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The four of us gaze at the bright metal cannon resting inside the box.
“Come on and help me lift this thing!”
The earth ponies, twins, widen the box opening, while the pegasus lifts from above. He flaps his wings, ruffling our manes, as he struggles to hoist the hefty object up and over the edge of its container. The cannon thuds onto the tile and I swear I saw more than a few cracks spread like spider webs.
“I don’t know how that mailmare got this package through the door.” he pants, wings drooping limply at his sides.
“What does it matter,” snaps one of the twins, “ Let’s see if it’s loaded!”

The pony studies the instrument of total party awesomeness, before noticing a small engraving on the underbelly: The Party Maker. Use with caution.
Curiously enough, she sticks her head near the rim of the cannon before plunging it inside!
“Daisy no!”
The green-maned mare is already neck deep down the barrel and inching further by the second.
The pegasus stallion leans over to me, and whispers in my ear.
“Was that really necessary? It’s not that big of a cannon.”
I shrug and continue to watch Daisy’s twins’ feeble attempt at pulling her sister from the bowels of The Party Maker.
“I need help Gala! Daisy is stuck! We need you too, Red!” Petunia screeches. Her eyes dart from me to the pegasus apparently named Red.

I wrap my forehooves around Petunia’s waist and brace my legs. I pull with all my might. Red hooks onto me and I can feel his powerful wings sending gusts of wind from behind me. We tug as a unit to no avail. Daisy’s head is just about as stuck as before. I let go of Petunia, without warning, and Red sends us flying backwards into the wall on the opposite side of the room.
“Ooof!”
The air gets knocked out of us, as we lay on the ground. I tilt my head just slightly and take a glimpse at a nearby clock, hanging a few feet away. 1 hour left.

Will I be able to get everything done in time or will this Gala be a disaster?

I lie on the cold floor, the chill barely registering in my mind. My thoughts are racing and time slips by. This Gala is a disaster. How will I fix this in time? What can I do?

I can do nothing. To think, today started out on such a light note. Just look at me now.

Slowly, I tuck my hooves under me and steadily rise. Red is already up and stretching his wings.
“Tell me before you do something crazy like that again, eh?”
“Ok.”
The word barely manages to slip out from between my lips. I lock my gaze on the stallion infront of me.
“Will you come with me to Ponyville? I guess we better return that cannon to its rightful owner. This year’s party is ruined anyway.”
I kick my hoof and avert my gaze. Red stares at me for a bit before turning around and trotting back to the twins, where Petunia is still battling The Party Maker for possession of her sister.
“Let’s get Thing #1 free and then we can head on out of Canterlot.” he says. “We can’t give Pinkie a cannon with a mare attached!”

Red, at the far end of the ballroom by now, strikes his hoof against the fuse on The Party Maker. The fuse lights and a small flame sizzles down the rope before disappearing at the base of the cannon. Wait...that means…
BOOM!
The cannon fires and a shower of pink and blue confetti comes bursting out, leaving two completely covered ponies in its wake! I gallop to the two mares laying on their sides, entirely covered in confetti like multicolored mummies!
“Red! Look what you did!”
“Well, I got Daisy out, didn’t I?” he retorts.
One of the mummies blinks and a muffled voice comes from inside.
“Come on. Let’s just tell the cleaning crew about this and head to the train station. They’ll be fine without us.” Red says.
The mummified mares protest and a cacophony of grunts and shrieks ensues. One even manages to roll towards me, coming to a rest at my hooves as if saying, “Please! Take me with you!”
I step over the pony and glance at Red. The stallion is about my height and has a deep crimson coat. His black mane hangs low over his eyes. I quickly look away, hoping he hasn’t noticed. We hoist the cannon back into the box and Red loads it onto my back with a grunt.
“We really need a cart for this thing, Gala.”

I grimace and head towards the open doorway leading out onto the Main Room. Unsurprisingly, the room remains as crowded as when I first entered during my search for Twinkleshine. I groan and cover my eyes with a foreleg. How in Equestria are we going to work our way through this?
“Red, fly overhead and guide me through the mob of ponies out here. I think it’s our only option.”
“Ok, see ya in the skies!”
The pegasus flaps upward and is airborne. I steel my nerves before making the plunge into the fray.
“Alright Crimson Gala! You can do this” I silently cheer.

I take a couple hoofsteps and keep trotting forward. There’s barely any breathing room with all the activity going on. A team of unicorns levitate several food platters through the air as I pass. I crane my neck upwards and spot a glimpse of Red in the packed space above the crowd. Not only is there no room down here for us terrestrial ponies, but the pegasi are having a bad time with traffic too!
Red weaves between a pair of pegasi sharing the burden of Princess Celestia’s royal gauntlets. They must be on their way to be polished. I follow the trail of red and black as we trace through the packed room. Red swoops low to avoid a collision with a scrawny pegasus toting a camera.
“ How ya doing CG?” he asks.
I start to feel the pressures of the box on my back and it’s getting heavier with each step.
“Red! I think I need some help down here!”
Red glides down to my level, but stops to hover above my head.
“There’s no room to land, Crimson! I’ll have to take the box!”
Oh, there is no way that is happening. I remember the last time he flew with our package.
“How close are we to the other end?” I question.
“We’re about halfway. Do you think you could make it?”

Could I make it? I lower my neck and focus on the path in front of me. My vision swims with the mess of ponies in varying colors as they dart to and fro. I shake my head in an attempt to clear it and continue forward.
“I can make it Red!” I say, my voice wavering slightly.
I watch as Red slowly rises up into the sky and leads on. Sweat starts to bead on my brow, but I can’t stop to wipe it away. I notice other ponies struggling as well. Three earth ponies are dragging tables to be arranged in the Dining Hall. A lone, purple pegasus is barely managing to hold a jumble of lights meant to be strung around the Canterlot Gardens. I watch old Mr. Greenhooves tote a cart filled with garden tools in the same direction as the pegasus. They must be sprucing up the outdoors.

As I trudge onward, I start thinking about my options for the Gala. Everyone seems so busy, but is it really worth it? I doubt the chefs can make another Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue Madness in time for the guests. That minty unicorn hasn’t even returned with our decor yet. There isn’t enough food and with only one hour left, there isn’t much we can do. The Princess will be so disappointed. This would have been her first Gala with Luna after her return from the moon. I can’t believe i’m letting her down.

I snap awake from my thoughts.
“Focus, Gala, focus!”
The exit doors are in sight, along with a place to dump this heavy box. I strain against the the thinning crowd, each hoofstep heavier than the next. Finally I feel the sweet relief of open air as I break from the mass of ponies and pause in the doorframe. My pegasus companion beat me to our destination and stood next to me to allow me to bump the package over onto his backside. I couldn’t help but collapse after being released from all the pressure weighing down on me! My knees wobbled and I felt like a pony sized glob of gelatin.
“Come on CG! This box is every bit as heavy as it looks! Let’s get goin’!” calls Red from quite a ways down an empty corridor. I didn’t realize he had gotten so far! I rise with a smile and trot after him as fast as my jelly legs can manage.