Pony Tails

by Bluecatcinema

A Night Like No Other

The time had come once again for the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in Canterlot castle. Ponies from across Equestria were in attendance for the biggest social event of the year. So many attendees (moreso than usual following the amendment of plus ones to the tickets), each with their own story.

As always, Princess Celestia was in attendance, but this year, she was joined by Princess Luna. Celestia wore a golden dress with a sun-shaped brooch, while Luna wore a silvery outfit and a necklace decorated with a crescent moon.

"I am glad you could join me this year, sister." Celestia smiled.

"Well, I'm not usually interested by those overly-formal occasions." Luna admitted. "But after hearing about how eventful the last two Galas have been, I thought it was time I experienced it for myself."

"A wise choice." Celestia grinned. "If the past two Galas are anything to go by, I would hope this year will be even more enjoyable..."

Numerous guests emerged through the castle's front doors, ranging from long-time attendees to first-timers.

Twilight was one of the first to arrive, wearing a midnight blue dress, her mane curled for the evening. Her plus one was her old friend Moondancer, who wore her silver dress, her mane held up in an elegant bun.

"Thanks for coming, Moondancer." Twilight grinned. "I know we haven't seen much of each other lately..."

"It's okay." Moondancer smiled. "I understand. You're the Princess of Friendship. You must have all kinds of royal duties to attend to. Not to mention a student of your own... It's no surprise your free time is limited."

"But not tonight." Twilight smiled. "Speaking of Starlight, I'm hoping you two get to meet each other. Starlight is really into studying, so I'm sure you'll get along famously."

"I like her already." Moondancer declared.

Pinkie Pie bounced her way in, followed by her twin sister Marble Pie. Pinkie wore a bright yellow and white dress, decorated with miniature cupcake patterns, while Marble wore a simple earth tone dress.

"This is gonna be great, isn't it, Marble?" Pinkie beamed.

"Mm-hmm." Marble nodded. She generally didn't enjoy being around large crowds, but she did enjoy spending time with her sister.

Across the ballroom, Starlight was standing in the center of the room, Trixie by her side as her plus one. Starlight was wearing a black dress that Rarity had made for her, her lower mane in a small braid, while Trixie wore a royal purple gown patterned with gold stars. Starlight was anxiously glancing around the ballroom.

"A little nervous, are we, Starlight?" Trixie teased her best friend.

"Nervous?" Starlight chuckled awkwardly. "Why would I be nervous? It's only the first meeting between my oldest friend and my best friend. It's not like I'm terrified the two of you aren't going to get along..."

Starlight had recently received a letter from Sunburst, telling her that Shining Armor and Cadance had arranged for him to receive a ticket for the Gala (as thanks for his work as Flurry Heart's Crystaller). Starlight was glad of the opportunity to see her old friend again, but fearful that he wouldn't click so well with her new friend.

"If he's half the pony you've described him as being, I'm sure we'll get along just fine." Trixie assured Starlight.

"Here's hoping..." Starlight bit her lip nervously.

"Starlight!"

Starlight in the direction of the voice. Sunburst was a short distance away. He was wearing a teal suit, and his usually-messy mane and beard had been groomed for the occasion.

"Hey, Sunburst!" Starlight smiled, as she and Trixie made their way over to him. "Well, don't you clean up nice?"

"You don't look so bad yourself." Sunburst returned the compliment. He then turned to face Trixie. "And you must be Trixie."

"The Great and Powerful Trrrixie, if you please." Trixie smirked.

"I'm Sunburst." Sunburst smiled. "I've heard a lot about you from Starlight."

"And I've heard a lot about you." Trixie nodded. "It's nice to finally meet you at last."

"And the same to you." Sunburst said curtly.

'So far, so good...' Starlight thought anxiously.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and her plus one, Scootaloo, were also enjoying the festivities. Rainbow was wearing official Wonderbolts formal attire, while Scootaloo wore a gold and red dress. They were at the buffet table, savoring the various foodstuffs available.

"Having a good time, kiddo?" Rainbow asked.

"Mmm, yeah!" Scootaloo mumbled, her mouth full of honey tart. "This is some good food!"

"These fancy shindigs always have good eats." Rainbow agreed, taking a bite out of some broccoli.

"Hey, Crash." Spitfire joined them.

"Hey, Cap." Rainbow nodded. "What's happenin'?"

"We need you to join up with the rest of the team for a little meet and greet." Spitfire declared.

"Oh." Rainbow frowned. "Well, I've kinda got a plus one I need to stick with." She indicated Scootaloo.

"It won't take too long." Spitfire declared. "Besides, it's better for the team's public image if we're all together for stuff like this."

"Well, I'd hate to harm the team's rep." Rainbow smiled. "I'll be right there."

"Great." Spitfire grinned.

"But Rainbow, I thought we were gonna hang out all night." Scootaloo protested.

"Sorry, Scoots." Rainbow apologized. "This is my first Gala as a Wonderbolt. I gotta represent. You can hang out with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle for now. But I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay..." Scootaloo sighed.

"Atta girl." Rainbow ruffled Scootaloo's mane. "You just hang in there."

Rainbow went to join her fellow Wonderbolts, while Scootaloo sadly trotted over to join Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who were also in attendance, alongside their big sisters.

On the other side of the ballroom, Fluttershy and her brother Zephyr Breeze were making their way through the crowd. Fluttershy was wearing a shamrock green dress with forest green accents, and her mane was tied into an elegant ponytail. Zephyr was wearing a blue crushed velvet tuxedo with a lace cravat.

"Now this is my kind of scene." Zephyr smirked, helping himself to an hors d'oeuvre. "And now that the Breeze is here, the party can really begin."

"Of course it can, Zephyr." Fluttershy rolled her eyes.

"Fluttershy!" Called the voice of Discord. The Spirit of Chaos, donning an orange tuxedo and matching top hat, was once again joined by the amorphous green blob known as the Smooze, who wore a blue bow tie and top hat. "Sorry we're late. Smoozey lost his favorite bow tie. Spent almost an hour looking for it, then it turned out he was sitting on it all along..."

"It's good to see you again, Smooze." Fluttershy patted the slime creature on its side. "It was nice of you to invite him, Discord."

"Well, after how badly I treated the old boy last time, I felt I owed him one." Discord shrugged. He then looked around. "What, no Treehugger this year? I was hoping we could catch up."

"Oh, I'm afraid she's on a nocturnal animal watching trip." Fluttershy revealed. "So I invited a different guest. You remember my brother, Zephyr Breeze, don't you?"

"Hey there, big fella." Zephyr said awkwardly. "Been a while."

"Yes, it has." Discord said flatly. He and Zephyr had only met once before, but Discord wasn't a fan of the slacker Pegasus. "Fluttershy told me you finally got a job?"

"Yep." Zephyr smirked. "I'm a regular workin' stallion now."

"I suppose congratulations are in order." Discord clapped half-heartedly. "You finally made something of yourself. Bravo."

"Discord, be nice..." Fluttershy frowned.

"What?" Discord pouted. "This is me being nice! I'm genuinely complimenting Zephyr!"

"Of course you are." Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "Now, how about we all hang out for a while, and enjoy the Gala together?"

"Capital idea." Discord smiled. "Zephyr, why don't you get to know the Smooze a little better?"

The Smooze slid over to Zephyr.

"Uh... hi, there." Zephyr reached out a hoof, then immediately withdrew it as the Smooze's slime flowed over it. "Gross..."

"Zephyr..." Fluttershy frowned.

"Did I say 'gross'?" Zephyr said awkwardly. "I meant 'great... to meet you, Smoozer'!"

The Smooze planted a slimy kiss on Zephyr's cheek.

"Oh, look!" Discord smirked. "He likes you!"

"Swell." Zephyr rubbed the slime off his cheek. "This is gonna be a long night..."

"Give Discord a chance." Fluttershy whispered. "He can be really fun once you get to know him."

"Only for you, sis..." Zephyr sighed.

Meanwhile, Sunburst and Trixie were still getting to know each other.

"So, Starlight told me you're a stage magician of some kind?" Sunburst inquired.

"The best kind, actually." Trixie bragged.

"That's an... interesting profession." Sunburst asked. "Seems a little like showing off, though. Doesn't it?"

"Excuse me?" Trixie frowned.

'Oh no...' Starlight cringed.

"No offense, but putting your magic on display like that seems a little... overly boastful." Sunburst pointed out.

"Well, I'm no Royal Crystaller, but I have to make a living somehow." Trixie huffed. "And my magic shows are what bring in the Bits. No cushy foalsitting job for me..."

"Trust me, it's far from 'cushy'." Sunburst sighed. "Flurry Heart can be quite a hoof-ful."

"Try keeping the awe and attention of a large crowd." Trixie countered. "It's harder than you think."

"Fair point." Sunburst conceded. "I suppose performing is all about keeping the audience entertained."

"So true." Trixie nodded. "And Trixie does it so well... But then again, the same could be said of looking after a foal."

"No joke." Sunburst agreed. "And at least you get to travel all over Equestria."

"That is a nice little perk of the job." Trixie grinned. "I've been meaning to drop by the Crystal Empire at some point, but I haven't found the time yet. Perhaps little Flurry Heart would enjoy my performance..."

"Well, she has very discriminating tastes." Sunburst joked. "But if you're half as good as Starlight tells me you are, you might just be able to catch her interest."

"I'm every bit as good as Starlight says." Trixie smirked. "No 'if' about it, mister. Come to one of my shows sometime, and I'll teach you the difference between 'showing off' and playing to a crowd."

"A generous offer." Sunburst admitted. "One that I might just take you up on."

Starlight breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that tensions seemed to have diffused.

"Hey, about we get some punch?" She offered.

"I am kind of thirsty." Sunburst nodded.

"And I wouldn't want to trouble this throat of mine." Trixie agreed. "Not for my sake, you understand, but that of my adoring fans."

As they made their way to the punch bowl, they passed by Scootaloo and her fellow Crusaders, Applejack and Rarity nearby. Scootaloo wasn't taking Rainbow's absence very well.

"What's taking her so long?" Scootaloo frowned. "How long does it take to talk to some fans and sign a few autographs?"

"I'm sure she'll be back soon." Apple Bloom, wearing a white and yellow dress, assured her.

"Yeah." Sweetie Belle agreed, looking nice in a blue gown. "Why don't we go and get some food? It's better than just waiting."

"Yeah, sure." Scootaloo sighed.

"Is it okay if we get some food, Applejack?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Sure, li'l sis." Applejack nodded, wearing a simple apple red dress.

"Just don't stray too far." Rarity added, wearing a more extravagant dress of black and scarlet.

"Sure, sure." Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "Boy, it's like they think we're still foals..."

"At least they're sticking with you." Scootaloo growled. "And didn't ditch you for their new celebrity friends."

"Ah'm sure Rainbow didn't ditch ya." Apple Bloom assured her. "She jest has responsibilities. It's like Applejack and the farm. She may be busy sumtimes, but that doesn't mean she's ditchin' me."

"Lucky you." Scootaloo snorted.

"And isn't Rainbow like your honorary big sister?" Sweetie Belle pointed out.

"That's what I thought too..." Scootaloo said bitterly. "But not any more..."

As Scootaloo trudged off to the buffet table, her fellow Crusaders glanced at each other worriedly.

Starlight stood by the punch bowl, watching happily as Sunburst and Trixie talked about the Crystal Empire (mostly about the best place for Trixie to perform in).

'I almost can't believe they're getting along so well.' She grinned. 'My new friend and my old friend, being friends, just like I hoped.'

"Hi, Starlight." Twilight smiled, as she and Moondancer made to get their own refreshments. "Enjoying the evening so far?"

"Definitely." Starlight cast another smile at Trixie and Sunburst. "Sunburst and Trixie seem to really be getting along."

"I'm glad to hear it." Twilight smiled.

"And you must be Moondancer?" Starlight turned to Twilight's plus one. "Twilight's told me a lot about you."

"Same here." Moondancer smiled. "So you're the lucky mare Twilight chose to be her student?"

"Lucky is right." Starlight nodded. "I couldn't ask for a better teacher."

Twilight smiled bashfully.

"Twilight always was into studying." Moondancer recalled. "And so was I."

"Me too." Starlight smiled. "Growing up, I did a lot of research into magic."

"Did you ever read The Life and Times of-" Moondancer started.

"Morari the Maneless?" Starlight finished. "Sure have. The Complete Works of Hayscartes?"

"Couldn't put it down." Moondancer grinned.

"You should definitely drop by the castle sometime." Starlight smiled. "We've got tons of books over there."

"I know I'd like having you there." Twilight added.

"Maybe I will." Moondancer smiled. "It is about time I saw my old friend's place of residence... and maybe I could give you some studying pointers."

"Or vice-versa." Starlight smirked. "Well, I should get back to my own plus one... plus another one. Don't want them thinking I've abandoned them."

"Of course not." Twilight nodded. "You two have fun."

"And you." Starlight declared, as she went to join Trixie and Sunburst.

"She really is just like you described her." Moondancer told Twilight.

"I like to think I know my student pretty well." Twilight said proudly.

Across the dance floor, Jet Set and Upper Crust watched with disdain as Fluttershy, Zephyr, Discord and the Smooze passed them by.

"Oh, sweet Celestia. Look who it is." Jet Set muttered to his wife. "It's that insufferable chaos spirit... and the slime creature that nearly wrecked last year's Gala."

"I remember the days when the Grand Galloping Gala was a dignified affair." Upper Crust sneered. "Only the most high-class of ponies were invited."

"And now they're just letting in any old magical riff-raff in." Jet Set added.

Discord, having heard every word, snorted indignantly.

"I'll show you two high-class..." He smirked.

With a snap of his claws, Discord turned an entire section of the ballroom into rubber.

"Come on, everypony!" He cannonballed onto the floor, then bounced back up. "Let's have some fun!"

As the rubber floor rippled on impact, Jet Set and Upper Crust found themselves flung upwards, then bouncing uncontrollably.

"My word!" Jet Set yelped.

"This is not dignified!" Upper Crust squealed.

"I should hope not!" Discord smirked, as the Smooze and Zephyr joined in on the fun.

"Now this is what I call a party!" Zephyr chuckled, as Fluttershy hovered above. "Maybe the big guy isn't so bad after all..."

"Told you." Fluttershy smiled.

"Oh, yeah!" Pinkie chuckled, as she dived in, bringing Marble with her. "Let's bounce!"

"Mm-hmmm!" Marble squeaked, bouncing in time with her sister.

"That's it!" Discord guffawed. "The more, the merrier!"

"This is no joke, spirit!" Jet Set growled, he and his wife continued bouncing beyond their control.

"We demand you cease this madness at once, or-" Upper Crust started.

The Smooze suddenly landed on top of them. When he bounced away, both of the snobbish ponies was pinned to the ground by his slime.

"There, you stopped bouncing." Discord taunted. "Happy?"

Jet Set and Upper Crust could only scowl as the others bounced around them. Not too far away, Twilight and Moondancer watched the scene.

"Is he allowed to do that?" Moondancer asked, frowning in Discord's direction.

"Believe it or not, this is actually pretty tame compared to what happened last year." Twilight declared. "But as long as ponies are having fun, I suppose there's no harm in letting him continue."

Meanwhile, Sunburst had taken a break from talking to go to the little colt's room. Trixie returned to Starlight's side in the meantime.

"I have to say, Sunburst is quite a delight." Trixie noted. "He's given me some interesting suggestions for my act. Things I never considered..."

"I'm so glad you two are getting along." Starlight smiled. "You're both so important to me. I'd hate it if you couldn't stand each other or something."

"Perish the thought." Trixie grinned. "He talked about you a lot too, you know. Mostly about how great at magic you are, and what a great friend he thinks you are."

"Really?" Starlight blushed. "He said all that?"

"Oh, yes." Trixie nodded. "He really does think highly of you. Very highly."

"...What are you getting at?" Starlight frowned.

"Oh, nothing." Trixie smirked.

Just as Sunburst made his way back to them, the Gala musicians started a slow number.

"You should ask him to dance." Trixie whispered.

"What?!" Starlight laughed nervously. "Why would I do that?"

"You are such close friends, aren't you?" Trixie grinned. "Why not?"

"I think I'll pass." Starlight muttered.

As Sunburst neared, Trixie nudged Starlight into him.

"Whoa!" Starlight yelped, nearly falling over.

"I gotcha." Sunburst caught her.

"Thanks." Starlight smiled, as Sunburst helped her up.

"...I don't suppose you'd like to share a dance with an old friend?" Sunburst offered, his hooves still holding hers.

"Oh, I'm... not much of a dancer." Starlight cringed.

"Neither am I." Sunburst admitted. "But I'm sure we can muddle our way through."

Seeing the hopeful smile on her childhood friend's face, Starlight couldn't help but nod in agreement. The two slowly started to move in time to the music.

"You sure you're not much of a dancer?" Sunburst asked. "You're not so bad."

"Neither are you." Starlight admitted sheepishly. "This is... kind of fun."

"Maybe we can do it again sometime?" Sunburst offered.

"I'd like that." Starlight blushed lightly.

Trixie watched them dance from nearby, a broad grin on her face.

"Am I, or am I not, the best friend ever?" She smirked.

On the other side of the Gala, Rainbow, having finally managed to tear herself away from her admirers, located Scootaloo. The filly was sitting at a table, completely despondent.

"Hey, squirt." Rainbow smiled.

"Oh, hey, Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said flatly. "Finally managed to tear yourself away from your admirers?"

"Sorry it took so long." Rainbow apologized. "There were a lot of autograph-seekers. My hoof's kinda numb, if ya wanna know the truth."

"Yeah, it must be such a drag, being idolized by a ton of ponies." Scootaloo pouted. "Means you have no time for fans closer to home. Fans you were supposed to spend the night hanging out with."

"Aw, I'm sorry, squirt." Rainbow sighed. "But I'm a Wonderbolt now. I got a lot of new responsibilities."

"So you forgot about the old ones?" Scootaloo scowled. "Like your honorary little sister?"

"I'd never forget about you, kid." Rainbow assured her. "You're my number one fan, remember? And as your honorary big sis, I'd never leave you behind."

"...You mean that?" Scootaloo smiled.

"You kiddin'?" Rainbow ruffled her mane. "This is the Element of Loyalty you're talking to here. The day I abandon you is the day I turn in my wings. Besides, you're more important to me than a bunch of autograph hounds."

"Thanks, Rainbow." Scootaloo hugged her idol.

"You're welcome, kiddo." Rainbow beamed. "Now, let's get over to the buffet table, before all the good eats are gone."

"And we wouldn't want that, would we?" Scootaloo smirked.

Not long after, the festivities began to wind down. But Discord wasn't about to let things fizzle out so easily.

"Anypony up for a..." He materialized two chocolate pies in his claws. "Food fight!"

Discord flung the pies across the room. One struck Pinkie in the face. She licked the mess off with her unusually long tongue.

"Mmm, chocolate!" She smiled.

"Mind cuttin' me in on the action, big guy?" Zephyr asked.

"Gladly!" Discord created an entire pile of cakes for ammunition.

"Sweet!" Zephyr threw a cake.

"Mah turn!" Apple Bloom joined in.

"And me!" Sweetie Belle followed.

One cake struck Trixie in the side of her face.

"Big mistake." She smirked, gathering up the debris with her magic and flinging it back.

"Shall we back her up?" Starlight asked Sunburst.

"Of course." Sunburst grinned.

As the trio joined in on the volleys, Twilight and Moondancer observed the confectionery conflict.

"That Discord really is... lively, isn't he?" Moondancer said awkwardly.

"You have no idea." Twilight rolled her eyes.

Discord threw a piece of cake towards the back of Twilight's head, but she stopped it with her magic.

"You're slipping, Discord." She turned, smirking widely. "I saw that coming a mile away."

Twilight threw the cake back at Discord, who avoided it by briefly plucking his head off his shoulders.

"Oh, really?" He grinned, returning his head to its proper place. "Did you see this coming?"

A gigantic cake appeared above Twilight and Moondancer. Reacting quickly, Twilight grabbed her plus one and teleported them away just before the cake dropped.

"Okay, I didn't see that coming." Twilight admitted as they rematerialized a few feet away from the impact zone. "But thanks for the ammo!"

Twilight and Moondancer flung bits of the cake at Discord, but the Draconequus nimbly avoided them.

"You'll have to do better than that!" He teased.

"Just watch us!" Moondancer chuckled, getting into the spirit of things.

In a matter of minutes, most of the guests had joined in on the cake flinging, while those who hadn't were cowering behind overturned tables.

"This is some fun, huh, Marble?" Pinkie giggled, as she threw some cake.

"Mm-hmm." Marble nodded, throwing a piece of her own.

"Hey, Rarity!" Applejack called out to her friend, who was one of those hiding behind a table. "Why donchya join the fun?"

"And risk staining my gown?" Rarity scoffed. "Absolutely no-"

Rarity's words were cut off by a splatter of cake in her face, courtesy of Sweetie Belle.

"Gotcha!" Sweetie Belle teased.

"Oh. It. Is. On!" Rarity growled, wiping cake from her face. "I'll get you for that, Sweetie Belle!"

"You'll have to catch me first!" Sweetie Belle giggled, dodging the returned fire.

Rainbow flew over the Gala from above, Scootaloo on her back.

"Let's show 'em how it's done, Scoots!" Rainbow cheered.

"You know it!" Scootaloo threw down pieces of cake like bombs.

Jet Set and Upper Crust, dodging cake volleys, raced over to Celestia and Luna, who were watching the fracas from nearby.

"Princess, that... thing is making a mess of the whole Gala!" Jet Set said angrily.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Upper Crust added.

"Yes, I am." Celestia nodded, her horn lighting up.

Suddenly, chunks of chocolate cake splattered onto the snobs' faces.

"If you can't beat them, join them!" Celestia chuckled at the stunned couple.

"Oh, I am so glad I came here!" Luna smirked, flinging some cake at her sister's face.

"Well played, little sister." Celestia smirked. "My turn..."

Laughing merrily, Luna dodged Celestia's volley, then returned fire.

"I am definitely attending next year's Gala!" She giggled.

It was without a doubt the most eventful Grand Galloping Gala yet. Though the guests all left exhausted and covered with cake, there was no doubt in any of their minds that they would remember the night fondly for years to come.

Comments

[OmniFox]

I love a good food fight.

[Panzerzerstorer 1]

I was kinda waiting for Starlight and Sunburst to kiss you know

. And maybe, just maybe, we'll get to see the stallion Trixie has her eyes on.

[Sky Blazer]

A night to fondly remember... just not for the snobs, as you see.

[Darth Redbeard]

Looks like with Discord, each Gala gets better all the time.

[buttonbelle]

A gigantic cake appeared Twilight and Moondancer

You missed putting in 'above'. Despite that, thi is my favotite chapter yet!