A Fifth of Starlight
Starlight and Spike returned to the Gala ballroom, leg in arm. Not much had changed on the surface. The same rich ponies were standing around, chatting about investments and the like. Pinkie Pie was trying to get ponies to dance with little success and Twilight kept getting stopped by various nobles trying to win her over no doubt, simply due to her royal occupation.
“Man, this place sure is kicking,” Starlight said, her eyes rolling.
“Yeah, this seems to be a bit of a down year,” Spike responded.
“Tell me about it,” a voice said, coming up from behind them. The two turned around to see Princess Celestia approaching. “This event seems to get more and more dull every year. I wish I had more of a say in who was allowed to attend to shake things up a bit. But, of course, if someone can afford a ticket or gets invited, they can come.”
Starlight let out a hefty sigh. “But you’re the ruler of all of Equestria. Surely you could have some sort of say in who attends these galas?”
Celestia shook her head, letting out a small sigh of her own. Her disappointment was aptly disguised by the smallest of smiles, a way of coping with the many noble ponies in attendance. “Unfortunately, that isn’t how the Gala works, Starlight. The Gala is a publicly funded event, and most of that funding comes from the upper echelon of ponies that are all too eager to display their wealth as if it is a contest.”
“What a load of bogus,” Spike added in his two cents, his barbaric lingo making Celestia chuckle.
“Fo’ shizzle, Spike,” the princess replied, bumping her hoof into the waiting fist of the drake. The two had always had a connection that others deemed ‘strange’, but Starlight could tell that Celestia was truly in her element around the young dragon.
Starlight blinked, looking between the two. That exchange had left her almost speechless. Almost. “And I thought Discord was insane.”
“Speaking of which,” Spike interjected, “why hasn’t Discord caused his usual chaotic commotion? I half expected the place to be underwater when we got here?”
“About that,” Celestia replied, putting her hoof to her face. “The Gala Fundraiser decided they didn’t want Discord to attend again after the slime debacle that happened at a previous function. However, I convinced them to allow his return under the condition that I ban the use of his magic here. He agreed, but only because Fluttershy specifically requested him as her date, this year. So, of course, I couldn’t even rely on my fallback option for some entertainment.”
“Unless…” Starlight grinned. An evil grin, one that Spike hadn’t seen since the whole timeline debacle.
“Uh oh, what are you planning, Starlight?”
Starlight cackled, just loudly enough to catch the attention of a few passersby ponies. After a few moments, they seemed to lose interest and Starlight went on. “I was just thinking that it would be a shame if something out of the fundraisers’ control were to happen. Something like… a rogue unicorn taking it upon herself to return the powers of one formerly evil draconequus.”
Celestia’s eyes darted back and forth before her attention focused on Starlight. Leaning down, she spoke in nary but a hushed whisper. “Can you really do that?”
“Are you two really about to do this?”
Spike’s interjection was met by a glare from Starlight, and the dragon decided it would be better to stay quiet on the subject for the time being.
“Depends on the level of the spell you had to cast,” Starlight said, looking back to Celestia.
“It was actually quite simple,” Celestia explained. “All I had to do was cast a binding spell in the area surrounding Discord’s body. That way he can do what he wants within a very tiny area, but can’t affect his surroundings.”
“Binding spell, huh? I can cast those in my sleep. Removing one that isn’t my own, though… that could be a little tricky.” Starlight looked around a bit, as if scanning the area for something. “I think I have an idea.”
Before either princess or dragon could ask just what that idea was, Twilight’s student was already off on her way. It was really going to be very simple, though the aftermath would be anything but.
Celestia leaned over to Spike. “If anypony asks, I was using the bathroom, alright?”
“Hey man, I left my oven on, I wasn’t even involved,” Spike agreed.
Starlight walked into the heavily populated ballroom, searching out her targets. No one was privy to what she had planned, at least not yet. Making her way back over to the punch table, she eyed her first subject. The ladle everyone had been using to gather their punch was sat in the bowl, and nopony was around. The first part of her plan would require a bit of stealth. Wrapping the ladle up in her magical grasp, she pulled it from the punch bowl and made herself a cup.
What nopony saw, however, was the spell she cast on the ladle. This chain-breaking spell should do the trick, she thought to herself.
Now came the fun part. She had already spotted Discord, along with his shy little date, before making her way over to the punch table. Keeping the ladle tethered tightly by her magic, she reared it back behind her head. With a simple flick of her magic field, the ladle was on its way to its target. “Hey, Discord, catch!”
The draconequus turned at the last second, doing exactly what he was told. Starlight could tell that he was about to offer up some very crude words, but then he looked down at the ladle in his hand. “Ah, now I understand.”
Starlight snickered, uncaring of the attention her shout had received. That snickering grew into full-blown laughter as Discord flew up into the air, Fluttershy clinging onto his arm the whole way and hanging from him like a fleshy Hearth’s Warming ornament.
“You fools. You call this a party?” Discord announced for all to hear. With a quick snap of his lion’s paw, a disco ball found itself attached to the domed ceiling of the ballroom. From seemingly nowhere, but everywhere, strange music began to play. “Now this is how we partied back in my time.”
Instantly, every suit and dress in the room were gone. Ponies found themselves wearing throwbacks to Discord’s time. Flashy bell bottoms and sparkly shirts appeared on every pony in attendance, even the princess herself. Every overly-done hairdo was replaced by a giant afro, pink comb included. A series of gasps could be heard throughout the ballroom, but were quickly drowned out by the coursing beats of the music.
It was too hard, now. Princess Celestia and Spike found themselves holding back tears of joy at what had just transpired. By the time Starlight had made it back to them, they were both staring at the newly created dance floor. “Ah, hay to the nobles,” Celestia laughed, “let’s go dance!”
Spike and Starlight did just that, their afros bouncing lightly along the way. “Well, I can safely say I didn’t expect this,” Starlight giggled. Once the two had reached the middle of the dance floor, she extended a hoof in his direction. “May I have this dance?”
“Oh, heck yeah!” Spike giddily responded. And so, the pair started dancing. Neither would consider themselves a great dancer, but they lost themselves to the beat before long and just went wild. Before long, they were joined by Twilight and the rest. The sight of their beloved Elements of Harmony dancing freely, having so much fun, was enough to convince even a few noble ponies to join them on the floor.
“Now this is a party!” Discord yelled excitedly from above. “But I think it’s time we change to an even better song.”
As the music changed, most of the ponies who had been dancing stopped what they were doing. Their attention was redirected to Discord, who blushed. “Oh, phooey to all of you. This song was huge in my time.”
Celestia let out a hearty laugh. “C’mon, Discord, let’s show him how it’s done.”
Discord and Celestia ran to the front of the room and as soon as the chorus hit, they threw their arms and hooves into the air, mimicking the letters ‘YMCA’ over and over again. It didn’t take long before everypony in the room followed suit, dancing along. What was once a room full of stiffs had now erupted into a full-blown party, the likes of which had never been witnessed by half of those in attendance.
“Yeah, Celestia, you know what’s up!” Discord shouted, laughing aloud. “Try to keep up everyone!”
As the music bounced and the lights flashed, everypony in attendance danced the night away, leading to the best night ever.
*****
After the party finally came to an end, Starlight and Spike exited the Gala, unable to control their laughter.
“Ha!” Spike shouted out, trying to control himself. “Did you see the look on that one dude’s face when all his clothes disappeared? Priceless!”
Starlight erupted into an even stronger fit of giggles in response. “I know! He totally had it coming, though. It was about time all those snobs learned to have some fun.”
“That… That was the best Gala ever,” Spike replied, slowly coming back down from his humor high. “You’re so awesome, Starlight.”
Starlight beamed. “Thanks, Spike. You’re pretty awesome, as well. Just, you know, I’m slightly better.”
“After what you did in there, I have to agree with you. I’m not sure I ever would’ve thought to pull off something like that. I’m definitely making sure you get to come back next year.”
The two walked side-by-side away from the building back toward where the carriages were waiting. There was an awkward silence hanging in the air around them, each one trying to think of what to say before the date officially ended.
“Well,” Spike spoke up, breaking the silence. “I had a great night. Best date ever, in my books.”
Starlight felt her cheeks heat up. “I, uh, I would totally have to agree with that. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.”
Having finally reached the area carriages, a pony hopped out of one of them to greet the two. “You two ready to head back? Hop right in!”
Spike held out his claw, as a true gentledrake would, helping Starlight into the carriage. He followed suit and got in right after her. The two got comfortable in the back seat.
“Thanks so much being my date,” Starlight responded. “I know I wouldn’t have had this much fun with anyone else.”
“I totally agree,” Spike said, moving a bit closer to her. “We should, maybe, do something like this again. You know, there’s a Disco dance club opening up in Manehattan in a few weeks. Might be worth it to check it out.”
Starlight rubbed her chin. “Hmm, I think I can find that in my schedule. Under one condition, though.”
“Which is?”
“We get to ditch the rich pony clothes and just let loose, next time. Fair enough?”
“Deal.”
The two let out a hearty laugh as the carriage started moving. As the laughter subsided, the two inched closer to each other as another silence overtook them. This one, however, was much more natural, resulting purely from the contentment between the two.
Spike turned to Starlight. “You know what, I may never get another chance at this, so here goes nothing.”
He leaned forward and planted his lips on hers, gently using claws to hold her face. Starlight’s eyes popped open in shock, her brain trying to process what was happening. However, she quickly decided to just relax and let her eyes close, enjoying the experience.
Spike let go and leaned back. “Sorry, but sometimes, a dragon’s gotta do what a dragon’s gotta do.”
Starlight tried to stifle a laugh, but couldn’t and just grinned at him.
“Yeah, we’re doing this again.”
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I hope you all enjoyed the story! Let me know what you thought.
8228174
And it is done.
Perfect, from the beginning to the end, really a cute little story
Well that was cute and all, also nice to see this being extended.
Still am I the only one who doesn't see the humour in ruining the Gala over and over? I get that most of the attendees are a bit stuck up, but that doesn't change the fact that the so-called 'heroes' are ruining who knows how many nights of planning and preparation just so they can have their own fun. Am I supposed to feel better because two or three had a good time at the expense of hundreds of others?
8228354
My opinion is this. The Gala is not necessarily about having a good time for the more prude visitors. it's about social status. Like, simply attending makes you cool in the eyes of others. So, when they characters try to have an enjoyable time at said Gala, it's usually a ways into it so all the rich folk had ample time to feel on top of the world, but fun needed to be had.
That's just my two cents, though.
Well, seems my earlier comment last chapter is what happens when you leave the story open for several hours at a time before finishing it after you come back, thinking that no updates happened in the time!
Wonderful story dude, always like what you have to offer!
8228397
Thanks man!
It was worth it, nowadays there aren't too much Gala-focused stories, so this feels refreshing in many ways.
I liked the dynamic between Starlight and Spike. Personally I don't ship them together (she goes with Sunburst and he goes with Rarity [or Ember as a close second]), but here their friendship feels authentical.
I'll give you a plus for finishing this story, since many people don't even bother nowadays. I loved it.
My nizzle
Woohoo
That was a fun ride
The fact that Spike and Celestia are total bros is more awesome than it has any right to be.
And in face of the Barcast's "Spike Abuse" contest, this story is here~
Great job!
Whoo hoo! Glad to see the conclusion to this story! I'm so glad I waited till the story was complete. It was a lovely story to read.
Very nicely done. And it opens the door for a sequel without so much pressure. Love it!
Awesome job!
Favorite line and Season 7, episode 10 is now my fav.
This is a very cute little story.
Enjoyed it very much. 
First one year, then one day...
You really can't decide, can you?
Anyway, it seems the story is finished.
But now we have to hope the Gala Fundraisers won't sue them...
They broke their rules, after all.
During the real party I had this song in my head:
If someone says any gangsta-like street talk in this season or next MLP season then all balls will break loose.
8229690
Almost a full year.
8229236
True, but I'm an equal opportunity writer.
Cute, nice to see this finally done.
Also:
The way you wrote Celestia alone is a good reason to upvote this. It's going in the library for sure.
Okay, I was pleasantly surprised to see this had updated, and very pleased at how it progressed. Sweet little story.
8239366
Thanks a bunch! It was long overdue.
Short and sweet, I love it, good job
Discord knows how to boogie!
REALLY people? No one else is gonna post it? I gotta be the guy? Okay then...
orig04.deviantart.net/cbfe/f/2012/065/4/2/generation_gap_by_greycat_rademenes-d4rvx7y.png
This was nice.
Although, I would've like to see some TwiPie action.
The dialogue is very wordy and telling, but other than that it's a cute story.
8553051
Well thank you! I take pride in how I write spike.
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/211585/reviewers-cafe/thread/308771/reviews?page=7#comment/6238901
8602858
Can't even hate, man. I could argue with the character presentation because it capitalizes on Starlight's nervousness in being in a new situation, but I can't argue with the technical issues. That just comes from it being an older story and my lack of care with it.
Anyway, I'm thinking you're not a fan of my quicker, cute stuffs. Perhaps I'll submit Heart Invasion or a longer one like that next time.
8602950
It's not the quick, it's the roughness and the missed opportunities. If a story has at least 3K words, that's enough for me think it has a fighting chance. Thanks for taking it so well. :)
PS: Open right now -- go do it while you can!
8603028
Bruh, you don't get 1200 followers without having at least half that many people tell you your stories aren't good. I've had people PM me telling me to kill myself or calling me a pedophile for writing Spike. A bit of constructive criticism is a good thing.
8603033
Yeesh, never had that happen to me.
First off, I want to apologize for taking forever to read this(its been on my read list for awhile and I'm only now getting into this lol). With that said, let me just start off by saying this insanely cute. Like, so cute that I could die from cuteness overload lol. I never really thought of them being shipped but you've proven me wrong.
The writing is on point, all the charaters(expect maybe AJ and to an extent Spike but that's more of a nitpick and in the latter's case, it wasn't a bad OCC so I'm not complaining) were in character and the way you describe everything made me feel like I was there(if that makes any sense).
Overall, a great story and you have gotten a favorite from me. Keep it up
9230377
Thanks so much for reading! I've actually written 3 or 4 stories shipping these two. I absolutely love the dynamic of how they interact.
Finally got around to finishing this and totally loved it! This pairing is really good
this reminds me of a silly story called "anything but the Gala", where Celestia keeps trying to get Luna to take her place...
in that story, it was a charity event, so if she didn't show up, nobody else would, and the charity would get nothing...
You know, I didn't expect this to work at all, yet it did... perfectly. I wish Spike was used more like this, he's aloof, confident, but also extremely caring towards his friends, instead of just being a comedy relief or a punching bag. And him acting this way and convincing a more timid Starlight to come along with him all night was great.
Nice job!
10370376
Thanks for reading it! I love giving Spike some actual positive character so I'm super glad you enjoyed it!
I’m by no means a writer so I’m really not qualified to say this but the way you present Spike and Starlight is just so perfect. I can’t get enough of how much I love your presentation of them!
I read this story a few months back and felt the need to read it again thanks to just how sweet it is!
10703587
Thank you so much!! That means a lot!