• Published 16th Aug 2016
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Dusk Shine in pursuit of Happiness - bigsnusnu



Dusk Shine is sent to Ponyville to discover what is friendship. But could a colt that doesn't recognize the friendship, recognize love?

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Chapter 53 - The most expected night

The most expected night

The Ponyville Day Spa was busier than it usually was on a typical day, which meant that its owners, Aloe and Lotus, had to rush back and forth to attend to all their clients who had arrived all at once. However, the extra work left them a greater sense of satisfaction rather than stress. Afterall, a full beauty treatment to five mares would leave them a big gain in profit pride, resulting in the big smiles on their exhausted faces. The same type of smile that her favorite client, Rarity, had when she saw that for the first time she was in her favorite place with her four best friends.

While Rarity wore a face mask to relax her facial muscles, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie took a relaxing bubble bath in the huge spa tub, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack sat comfortably in chairs while the spa twins used all their skill to file their hard hooves. Although Rainbow was a bit twitchy at first when the mares started filing her hooves.

"How long has it been since your hooves were filed?" Aloe asked after breaking a file a second time while smoothing Applejack's hooves.

"Hmm... never?" Applejack replied scratching her head, causing Aloe and Lotus to make faces of horror. "Yeah well, working on the farm requires strong hooves." the farmer added quickly, looking away and blushing a bit.

"You see? I told you that it was good that we came to the Spa early, there is a lot of work to do!" Rarity said from her position. Although she didn't see what was happening due to her mask, she heard very well what was happening and could perfectly imagine the horrified faces of Lotus and Aloe. "Hoof scrub, relaxation massage, moisturizing mask, mud and steam bath, and not counting what comes next! Dresses, the manestyle, the makeup…" Rarity added thinking that one day wasn't enough to get totally ready, and she was so sure of it that she had even taken the dresses and mane dryers to the twins' Spa to save time and do everything right there.

"Whatever... I still can’t believe that Fluttershy tricked me into coming here." Rainbow Dash added looking sideways towards the tub, where the yellow pegasus was. Said mare just covered her mouth and laughed tenderly at her friend's inquisitive gaze.

"You and me both, sugarcube. Rarity even went looking for me at the farm!" Applejack said, remembering how when she woke up she had seen that in the dining room of her house Rarity was talking to Granny Smith.

"I went to Sweet Apple Acres for another matter, but I took the opportunity. Otherwise I wouldn't have convinced you to come." Rarity said, unable to help but lift a cucumber slice she had over her eye to look at her friend.

"I keep telling you, all this fancy-smancy treatment ain’t necessary. It’s already enough that I have to wear a dress." Applejack added, just as Aloe was finished exfoliating her hooves, which made them feel too soft for her liking.

"Don't forget where we're going, darling; the most prestigious party in Equestria! We cannot let those Canterlot nobles see us as simple village mares. And more importantly... Don't forget who we're going with." Rarity said, emphasizing the latter statement. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both blushed a little, knowing what she meant. "I could have had the beauty treatment on my own, but it wouldn't be fair to our little… competition. No, I want Dusk to see us all shine tonight, and believe me, you'll thank me when Dusk sees us tonight." Rarity added with a smile.

After Rarity's words, Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other and noticed that they were both still blushing, and then looked away, admitting that Rarity was right about something. Although the others didn't know it, each one had made the decision to make an important declaration that night. And if they wanted even a slight chance to succeed, it didn't hurt to accept Rarity's gift and look as radiant as possible for that special night.

As the fashionista anticipated, the day went by quickly with the five mares spending the whole day in the Spa, and when sunset came, finishing the last details before the big night. They now only had to wait for their beloved lavender colt, who had told them that he would go looking for them to pick them up, like a true gentlecolt. For his part, Dusk had also spent the entire day being very busy, but in a very different way from how his friends had occupied their time.

At that time in the afternoon, Dusk was already fully dressed in his gala tuxedo, something that hadn't taken him more than five minutes. After trying in vain to comb his crazy mane, Dusk decided that he was ready for the gala, so he spent the rest of the afternoon practicing a spell that he wanted to try to make the night extra special for his friends..

"Well, enough practice, it's already sunset. Time for the moment of truth!" Dusk said closing the spell book he had been reading.

Stepping out of the library with Spike, Dusk placed an apple on the ground and focused his magic into his horn. Then the apple began to shine and deform rapidly, until a great flash blinded them both. When the pair opened their eyes, before them appeared an elegant and large carriage, which kept its apple shape, but only aesthetically, since inside it was provided with comfortable seating. On the outside there was now a door and one window finely decorated for access to the interior of the carriage. In addition, the carriage had several inlaid gold linings, giving a greater air of elegance that combined perfectly with the wheels it now owned.

"Wooow... You've outdone yourself this time." Spike said in amazement when he saw his older brother's new spell.

"Hehe. It wasn't such a complex spell, but it took a lot of rehearsal to get it perfectly." Dusk said smiling proudly. "If we're to go to the Grand Galloping Gala, it’s only appropriate that arrive in an elegant carriage. I hope the girls like the surprise." Dusk added thinking about how he would surprise his friends with that carriage.

While Dusk kept his smile full of pride, praising himself in his mind for having done such a perfect spell, Spike looked around the entire carriage curiously and then looked at Dusk with a confused look.

"And… who’s going to pull the carriage?" Spike asked raising an eyebrow.

"I’ve also been practicing another spell, a spell that turns other living beings into equines for a short period of time." Dusk answered with a very exaggerated smile.

"Oh… And what will you transform? A mouse, or perhaps-" At that moment, Spike stopped talking when he noticed that his brother was still watching him with that huge smile, which added a level of terror to the colt that Spike thought he would never see. And the instant Dusk lit his horn, Spike knew what his brother was planning to do. "Waaah!" Spike yelled, jumping and dodging the transforming beam that Dusk threw at him, right at the last second.

"Don't move! The spell won't work if you don't stay still." Dusk said, scolding his brother.

"No! Definitely not! Get yourself another guinea pig for your crazy experiments." Spike answered, running behind the carriage so that it would come between him and Dusk.

"Oh, come on. It won't be that bad, you'll just turn into some kind of… equine dragon or something like that, I guess." Dusk said with a fake smile, thinking that even he wasn't sure what Spike would become if he used that spell. "I need somepony to pull the carriage."

"I won't do it for all the gems in Equestria!" Spike annoyingly yelled. "It's bad enough to know that you'll go to the Gala with Rarity. I’m not going to be some weird hybrid creature just to pull her carriage."

Seeing his little brother's refusal, Dusk looked away and exhaled in frustration, thinking that he must have been faster with his spell. Now that Spike was refusing to pull the carriage, he had to think of another alternative. He still had one last resort, which was to pull the carriage with his own magic, but for that he would have to go outside the carriage to see the way, and it would ruin the trip he had planned with his friends.

"Err, excuse me. Has the library already closed?" A deep voice suddenly asked. "I came to see if the latest volume of 'Forbidden Love' was available."

Looking up, Dusk saw with a bit of amazement that it was Bulk Biceps who was speaking to them, the huge and muscular white pegasus that lived in the town. And to Dusk's surprise, it seemed he was also a fan of Lyra's love comic.

"Uh... No, sorry, somepony else took that comic from the library this afternoon." Dusk answered a little confused, who still hadn't read Lyra's famous comic.

Hearing that, Bulk Biceps lowered his head sadly and turned to leave. At that moment, seeing the huge muscles of the white pegasus, a great idea popped up in Dusk's head.

"Hey, Bulk Biceps, you… are you busy tonight?" Dusk asked a bit nervously, since he had actually only talked to the stallion once before, who, from what he remembered, was very kind despite his intimidating appearance. "I need someone to pull this carriage to Canterlot for the Gala, and I… thought maybe you could help me with this, obviously I'll pay you!" Dusk added quickly, so that the pegasus wouldn't think he was abusing him.

"The Grand Galloping Gala?" Bulk Biceps whispered as he imagined himself at the prestigious party. Then he quickly shook his head back into reality and flexed his muscles hard before answering. "YEAH!"

After Bulk Biceps accepted the proposal, Dusk sighed in relief, indicated to the pegasus how he should hook onto the carriage to pull it. Then he approached Spike to say goodbye.

"Don't stay up late, and don't eat too many gems before bed." Dusk said looking apprehensively at his little brother.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Spike said with a big smile.

Reassured over his little brother’s wellbeing, Dusk gave the dragon a quick goodbye hug before he left. Then Dusk got into the carriage and Spike stared at him as he went away.

"Okay, time to do the secret mission that Rarity gave me." Spike whispered to himself after he was left alone. Then the little dragon opened the library door and ran in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

Meanwhile, Dusk rode comfortably in the carriage, satisfied with how comfortable the seats were and how spacious it was inside. He then leaned out of the carriage window to see Bulk Biceps, who was heading slowly towards the outskirts of town.

"Bulk Biceps, before we leave, we need to stop by the Spa, so you can go faster if you like." Dusk said a little concerned when he saw the carriage move slowly and thinking that it was because the muscular pegasus didn't want to make Dusk stagger inside the carriage.

"It's… it's just that I'm saving energy… for Canterlot… it's… it's a long way…" Bulk Biceps replied with a weak smile.

Upon hearing that response, Dusk looked closely at the white pegasus, and only then did he realize that despite the pegasus's great musculature, his hooves weren't as strong as the rest of his body, so Bulk Biceps probably wouldn't have enough strength to pull the carriage for the entirety of the trip to Canterlot.

"Wait, Bulk Biceps! We need another plan." Dusk said quickly, making the pegasus stop. "Maybe this wasn't the best of ideas..." Dusk added getting off the carriage.

Seeing Dusk's worried face, Bulk Biceps quickly put on a serious look.

"Not! Leave it to me, I… I can do it!" Bulk Biceps said, a little embarrassed and disappointed to see that his big muscles would be useless for this occasion.

"If it's for money, I'll pay you anyway-" Dusk added, ready to take out some bits.

"I don't want money! I… I want to be of help!" Bulk Biceps said quickly, surprising Dusk. "You're a good pony and… I like to help good ponies and get to know them better…" Bulk Biceps added shyly.

At that moment Dusk opened his eyes wide as he translated and understood what Bulk Biceps really meant.

"Does he want to be my friend?" Dusk thought with surprise, noticing that what Bulk Biceps wanted was to form a bond of friendship with him. That thought led to another big question. "Could it be that I’ve been so focused on my friendship with my five friends, that I hadn’t realized before that other ponies also want to be my friends?"

"Wait! I have an idea!" Bulk Biceps said suddenly, breaking free of the carriage and running towards the center of town.

While Dusk waited, thinking about this new revelation about friendship, it didn't take long for Bulk Biceps again, only this time he was accompanied by three other colts.

"So this is the carriage that needs pulling… Yeah, it won't be a big deal between the four of us." Said a brown colt with a horseshoe cutie mark, whose name was Caramel, whom Dusk had seen walking around town several times.

"Yeah, it's lucky that we didn't have anything to do tonight, unlike you, huh?" Said another of the colts, one with gray fur and clovers like cutie mark, named Lucky Clover, who playfully tapped Dusk's shoulder.

"If we could go flying, we would’ve gotten there right away, but hey… I suppose it'll be useful to exercise our hooves." The last colt added, a blackish gray fur pegasus with a cutie mark from a thundercloud with lightning, a pegasus that Dusk had seen on Rainbow Dash's weather team named Thunderlane.

"A-Are you all going to help me?" Dusk asked surprised.

"Sure! B.B. says you need to go to the Grand Galloping Gala. And if you go to such an elegant party, you gotta arrive in a carriage. Shows class." Lucky Clover replied smiling.

"Yeah, it's our way of thanking you for all that you have done in town." Thunderlane said while he and the others hitched themselves to the carriage. "You've saved the town a couple of times, haven't you? So, I guess that's fair."

At the hearing that, Dusk had to smile as he feel a warm sense of joy to discover that while blinded by his feelings for her friends, perhaps many more ponies had also wanted to become his friends.

"Yeah, also... we can stay at the entrance and see the beautiful mares that come to the party..." Caramel added with a silly smile, the same smile that the other colts that pulled the carriage also made.

Then the four colts started laughing, and then Dusk also joined in the laughter, noticing the real reason why they wanted to help him.

"Maybe that's the real reason... Or maybe it's just an excuse to get closer to me, help me and form friendship..." Dusk thought smiling, briefly remembering the time when his five friends had changed gender and how that situation had led him to discover that friendship with colts was a little different. Less sincere when expressing feelings, but no less strong in the sense of comradery.

While the carriage was guided in the direction of the town's Spa, Dusk and the four colts talked about various things. They were topics without much meaning but made them laugh a lot. One such topic included some questions from the colts about Dusk's true relationship with his five mare friends, to which Dusk always responded sheepishly that they were just friends, and hid the fact that in his heart, he had many times wanted to be more than a friend to someone of his friends.

"I'm telling you dude! We're a minority! In this town, for every colt there are at least seven mares!" Caramel said, pretending to be scared. "There should be a law that allows us to be with seven mares at a time!" The brown colt added with an amused grin, making everyone laugh.

"By the way Dusk, when you have some time... Could you introduce me to your pretty sister?" Bulk Biceps suddenly asked when they were about to arrive at the Spa. "I think her name was Twilight."

"Oh yeah! She was cute." Lucky Clover added smiling.

"Yeah... I don't think that's possible..." Dusk replied completely red, grateful that those colts didn't know that ‘Twilight’ was actually his female alter ego.

"Hey, don't push him. Nopony likes slackers flirting with their sister." Thunderlane added, noticing that Dusk looked uncomfortable.

"Who are you calling slacker!?" Lucky Clover said pretending to be offended.

"Well, you, who else?" Dusk added, feeling more confident, causing everypony to start laughing again.

"You know Dusk, I thought you would be some lame bookworm who only talked to girls." Caramel added looking askance at Dusk. "But you turned out to be more fun than I expected."

Hearing that, Dusk didn't respond, he just smiled warmly, thinking that in that short period of time, he also thought the same.

"This is strange… Is it really so easy to make friends?" Dusk thought, just as the carriage stopped in front of the Spa. "If so… why do I keep thinking that my five friends are even more important than any new friendships I might form?" Dusk kept thinking, even though deep in his heart he already knew the answer... 'Because you see them as more than friends!'

"Why are we stopping in front of the Spa? I thought you were heading to the Grand Galloping Gala on your own." Thunderlane said raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, no. I’m not going alone. I’m actually-" Dusk replied, who became silent when he saw that the door of the Spa opened, and out of it appeared the five most beautiful mares he had ever seen.

Dusk's five friends sparkled in the evening light, wearing the beautiful dresses that Rarity had made especially for each of them, which accentuated the unique personality of each mare. Dusk had already seen those dresses on his friends before. However, unlike at the fashion parade, now the mares seemed to shine even more. Their manes and tails were well combed and so perfumed that they would drive any colt that passed by their side crazy. Their coats were so clean and soft after the spa treatment, that they seemed to shine on their own. And finally, their faces appeared softly made up, enough to highlight the beautiful features of each one. Faced with such a vision, Dusk and the other colts froze, their jaws dropped at what they saw.

For their part, the eyes of the five mares were amazed when they stepped out of the Spa and saw the beautiful carriage in which Dusk had arrived in, something that none of them expected. However, that astonishment took a back seat when they saw Dusk's expression. They knew that they looked pretty for the Grand Galloping Gala, not in vain had they spent the whole day preparing, but not even in their wildest fantasies had they thought that they would impact Dusk Shine in such a way, which made the five of them blush.

"You're welcome." Rarity whispered with a proud smile, looking at Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who had reluctantly agreed to all that beauty treatment, but now they were both very happy to see that they had left Dusk flabbergasted with their beautiful appearances.

After that, Rarity was the first to move and advance towards Dusk, who for his part remained static. The poor colt’s brain still couldn't accept that he would really go to the Grand Galloping Gala with such beautiful mares.

"What a splendid carriage, darling!" Rarity said approaching Dusk. "Won’t you be a dear and invite us up?" Rarity added with a playful smile, enjoying the charm she had caused in Dusk.

"I… Uh, Y-Yes! Of course!" Dusk said awkwardly, realizing that he had been left with his mouth open for too long. Then Dusk rushed to open the carriage door and made a small bow while extending a hoof to Rarity to invite her to get on the carriage, like a good gentlecolt.

“R-Rarity,” Dusk partially mumbled. “You look…quite extravagant tonight.”

“I know, dearest.” the white unicorn replied, trying her hardest to suppress the blush lighting up her cheeks. “But it means the world to me to hear that from you.”

Rarity gently took Dusk's hoof and got into the carriage. Meanwhile, the other mares also did the same one by one.

"Do I look pretty to you, Dusk?" Pinkie Pie asked when she reached Dusk's side, being the second to approach him.

"Y-You look beautiful." Dusk said shyly, inevitably looking away, blushing at admitting what he really thought.

Hearing that answer, Pinkie Pie put on a big, flustered smile, then took Dusk's hoof to also get into the carriage.

"I... I'm not used to wearing this type of clothing..." Applejack said when she reached Dusk, shyly looking away while blushing. “Hope you ain’t too disappointed.”

"The dress only highlights your natural beauty." Dusk said, trying to ease the mare’s nerves, only to realized that he was too honest and that he had actually given his friend a romantic compliment.

"Yeah... uh... I better get in the carriage." Applejack said quickly, lowering her head as her ears flared red and got into the carriage with her other friends.

The next to approach was Fluttershy, who curiously seemed less nervous than her other friends. She breathed slowly, as if she had been practicing not to get so nervous on such an important night.

"Y-You... You look very handsome in your suit, Dusk..." Fluttershy said, trying to speak casually but couldn't help stuttering from nerves.

"Thank you... But you look much prettier in your dress." Dusk said with his cheeks flushed, because he knew that his friends would definitely stand out much more than him at the Grand Galloping Gala.

All plans to be firm and confident in front of Dusk flew right out the window when the yellow pegasus couldn't help but blush and smile shyly at Dusk's compliment, and then she got into the carriage. Thus, finally Rainbow Dash was the last to approach Dusk.

"Don't say anything!" Rainbow Dash said immediately as she approached Dusk, very blushed. "If you say anything about my appearance or that I'm wearing a dress, I-I swear you'll pay for it!" Rainbow Dash added, red in embarrassment.

Dusk just kept quiet and stretched his hoof for Rainbow Dash to get into the carriage.

"You look very pretty, Rainbow Dash." Dusk said from behind when Rainbow Dash already had a hoof inside the carriage.

At that moment Rainbow Dash stopped and froze, feeling her entire face turn red with shame yet felt so happy that she wanted to scream, but she held back and quickly entered the carriage so that Dusk wouldn't see her like that.

After his five friends were inside the carriage, Dusk stared inward with a silly smile, thinking how he was the luckiest colt in the world to be with those five beautiful mares. Then, while maintaining his silly smile, Dusk turned to indicate to the colts that it was time to leave. However, his smile disappeared instantly when he saw that the four colts, especially Caramel and Thunderlane, looked with penetrating gazes at Dusk, as if they’re looks could kill.

"Is... Is everything okay, guys...?" Dusk asked timidly, seeing that the colts that until a few moments ago were laughing with him and practically already considered him one of their own now they saw him with murderous looks.

"Yeah…all good. Just remembered that we'll have to charge you triple for tonight!" Thunderlane said frustratingly, looking with obvious envy at Dusk, turning with the other colts to begin his trip to Canterlot.

Seeing the surly attitude of his new 'colt friends', Dusk only lowered his head in resignation, thinking that finally the trip would be much more expensive than expected. However, he couldn't blame those colts, after all, they had just seen that another colt would go to a big party surrounded by five beautiful mares... What colt wouldn't be consumed with jealousy!? And without saying anything else, Dusk got into the carriage and finally everyone started their journey to Canterlot.

As the carriage began its journey, Dusk only stared at the window next to the door with Pinkie Pie. Despite the fact that Dusk wanted to talk to his friends, he was still ashamed of having been so stunned by seeing them when they left the Spa. Now he feared that being alone, surrounded by them, would once again cause him to ogle at them like a fish with its mouth open.

"What were you talking about with those other colts?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"It's nothing, just that I think… they would like to be in my place." Dusk said with a nervous smile.

"Why’d you say that? You telling me they actually want to go to the Gala too?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No, I don't mean the Grand Galloping Gala. I mean being surrounded by five beautiful mares." Dusk said with a small smile, making his friends blush. Then Dusk again realized that he was being too sincere and blushed. "I-I mean..." Dusk stuttered, until he realized he didn't really have to fear being honest, after all he was with his best friends. "I mean, any colt would be the happiest in the world if he was the coltfriend for any one of you." Dusk added with a tender smile, slightly blushed.

"So… does that include you?" Fluttershy asked shyly.

At that question, Dusk was very surprised, and he blushed deeply. He then looked up at the ceiling and put a thoughtful look as he remembered everything he had experienced with his friends, and mainly, how his feelings had changed, going from a point where even he couldn't sleep when thinking about how his feelings changed, until he spent more time with each of them and finally realized his epiphany.

"Yes." Dusk said sincerely, looking away to hide his blush and pretending to see something interesting outside.

Hearing that, and out of sight of Dusk, the faces of all five mares grew even more red. In that moment, Dusk had just admitted that he could fall in love with one of them. If that same question had been asked to Dusk in the past, the lavender colt would have been very nervous and evade the question. He had even undergone great stress thinking that he could be in love with one of them, which was precisely why the five mares had decided not to romantically attack Dusk so directly. However, Dusk had changed. He seemed no longer stressed by that, and in fact some of them had already noticed that Dusk acted more confident in certain romantic situations. The previous admission from the colt was just the final confirmation to the mares’ suspicion.

"W-Wow! W-What a beautiful night!" Rarity said quickly, feigning disinterest and looking out of her own window.

After that, the five mares began to quickly talk about other topics. Unbeknownst to Dusk or each other, each of the mares had made a decision that tonight would finally be the night that they would profess their love for the lavender colt. However, they all knew that they were among their fellow rivals in love, so it felt risky to discuss the topic further in the presence of each other.

So time went on, with the six ponies talking about simple trivia and their plans for the Grand Galloping Gala, which Dusk already knew from the time his friends argued about the extra ticket. Then Dusk told his friends that he too had plans, as he wanted to spend more time with his beloved teacher, Princess Celestia, and talk face-to-face with her about the advances and discoveries he had made about friendship.

So immersed were they in their conversation that they only realized they had reached their destination when the carriage stopped. The six ponies all looked out the window and widened their eyes in amazement to see the enormous Canterlot Castle in front of them, fully decked out for the Grand Galloping Gala, with dozens of guards guarding the surroundings and hundreds of elegantly dressed ponies entering the castle. The night sky was beautifully lit by various fireworks that heralded the start of Equestria's largest annual party.

The six ponies got out of the carriage, with the always chivalrous Dusk helping his friends down, and they quickly headed for the castle gate. As they walked towards the door, each of the mares recalled their dream about what a perfect night would be like at the Grand Galloping Gala, and although none had given up on that dream, the five of them knew that in addition to fulfilling that dream, they had another mission: To declare their love!

As the ponies approached the castle gates guarded by two guards who were checking the invitations before admitting the guests, they began to get excited as they heard the music of the orchestra and saw through the windows and through the open door all the ponies that were already inside the castle, enjoying the Grand Galloping Gala.

"It's the princess!" Dusk said excitedly as he noticed through the open door that his beloved teacher was in the main hall near the grand staircase, greeting the newly arrived guests.

When Dusk saw the princess, he was very excited and started to run to reunite with his mentor. However, he only managed to take one step before realizing that he couldn't run off, because he had to wait and stay with his friends.

"No problem, sugarcube. Go ahead, we'll catch up you later." Applejack said smiling, the same approving smile that her other friends gave to Dusk, knowing how important it was for him to talk to the princess.

"Thank you! I’ll meet with you guys later, I promise!" Dusk said excitedly, running to show his invitation and quickly enter the castle before the princess went elsewhere.

After Dusk left, Rarity put a hoof to her mouth to try to hide a mischievous smile, because now that Dusk was gone, it was time to put her plan into action.

"At last! We're in the Grand Galloping Gala! Where all our dreams will come true!" Rarity said with a big smile, acting theatrically. Then she scooted really close to Pinkie Pie. "The only thing that disappoints me a little is that nopony here celebrates like we celebrate in Ponyviile..."

At that instant, Pinkie Pie's ears perked up.

"What do you mean?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"Well, see for yourself." Rarity said, pointing to the ponies they could see through the window and the open door of the castle. "Nopony is laughing, singing or jumping around... I’ll bet this soiree will really jump up a notch if a certain party expert shows them how it’s really done." Rarity added glancing at Pinkie and smiling, while her pink friend paid close attention to every word she said.

In that instant, Pinkie Pie felt the call of the party and knew that Rarity was right. Then her whole body began to tremble with impatience and excitement, and she finally ran towards the door to enter quickly.

"You're right! See you inside!" Pinkie Pie screamed worriedly, thinking that her friend was right and that if the party wasn't being fun, there was only one party pony like her to help everyone start laughing and enjoy the real biggest party in the kingdom.

"Wow... Pinkie was in such a rush." Fluttershy said a little surprised to see the pink mare bolting to get into the castle quickly, just like Dusk.

"And who wouldn't be in a hurry? I would be too, especially in your situation, darling." Rarity said, this time moving closer to Fluttershy and feigning disinterest.

"My situation?" Fluttershy asked confused.

"Of course. You said that you wanted to take the opportunity to see the royal gardens that are open only for this great occasion, and thus see the cute little animals that live there." Rarity said with a fake thoughtful look. "But if you want to enjoy the animals, you would most likely have to go soon, before the gardens fill with ponies and the animals get scared away with so much noise..."

Hearing that, Fluttershy widened her eyes, realizing that her friend was right.

"Sorry! I think I'll get ahead too!" Fluttershy said quickly, this time being the one who hurried to skip the line and quickly enter the castle before the gardens filled with ponies.

"Pinkie and Fluttershy had the right idea. We should just skip the line so that we can get in faster.” Rainbow Dash said, a little upset seeing that three of her friends had already gone ahead of her to enter the castle, and she didn't like being behind anypony.

"We must have patience, darling." Rarity said smiling. "It's not like we are VIP guests, unlike the great Wonderbolts, whom must already be sharing the VIP lounge of the party."

"How do you know that!?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously and excited to hear about the Wonderbolts.

"Well, it's something I heard from one of my clients for whom I make their dresses for the Gala." Rarity said thoughtfully, glancing at Rainbow Dash and smiling mischievously. "The Wonderbolts have such a busy schedule, so they make their show in the middle of the party and then they leave before it gets too late.

Rarity didn't need to say anything more. Hearing that the Wonderbolts were already inside and that they could leave at any moment, Rainbow Dash knew she couldn't miss her chance and quickly flew to skip the line and enter the castle as well.

Finally, there were only two mares left out of the six that had started in the group, and Rarity looked at the last rival in sight to be disposed of.

"I know you’re up to something, Rarity. So I’m not moving a muscle until I figure out what it is!" Applejack said crossing her hooves and staring at her unicorn friend.

"What are you talking about? Why would I want to be alone? I just want you to go and enjoy your dream night." Rarity replied with a big smile.

"Well, then you won't mind if I stay with you and go into the castle together." Applejack said, looking suspiciously at her friend.

"Excuse me. Are you Miss Rarity?" A young colt dressed in messenger garb suddenly asked.

"That would be me." Rarity replied smiling, feigning surprise.

"Your package arrived without problems. I t's located in the carriage sector, as they don't allow us to bring packages to the castle gates." The messenger said, taking out a scroll and a quill. "Sign here please."

As Rarity signed, Applejack looked at her very confused.

"A package? What did you ask to be brought here?" Applejack asked suspiciously.

"It's not for me, it's a surprise for you, darling." Rarity said with a generous smile, to Applejack's surprise. "I spoke to Granny Smith earlier this morning about making some samples of her delicious apple candies, and I asked Spike to ship the order on the afternoon train. So you too can fulfill your dream and promote the products of your farm at the Grand Galloping Gala."

Hearing that, Applejack's jaw dropped in surprise, as she never imagined that that was the reason why Rarity had been so early at her house that morning.

"Y-You really did that for me?" Applejack asked, a little excited.

"Of course! That's what friends are for." Rarity said with a big smile.

Then Applejack came over and hugged Rarity.

"Thank you! I... I didn't know if it was right or not to bring some products from the farm, but... if you made all that effort for me, then I'll not hesitate and fulfill my dream." Applejack said as she hugged her friend tightly.

After that, Applejack turned around and followed the messenger who would lead her to the package Rarity sent.

"Rarity, wait for me here. I don't want you to go ahead alone." Applejack said suddenly, turning around and looking at her friend, who was now alone in line.

"Of course! I'll wait for you, don't worry." Rarity answered with a big smile, as her friend turned around again and continued on her way to the carriage sector.

Losing sight of Applejack, Rarity let go of her facade, put aside that huge smile she had had, and began to laugh sinisterly.

"I'm sorry dear Applejack, but I will not be wait for you. I need to go in alone to take advantage and get closer to Dusk now that everyone's gone, fufu..." Rarity laughed maliciously, finally showing her true intentions.

Seeing that the ponies in front of her were finally entering the castle, Rarity fixed her mane and prepared to enter the castle, thinking that all is fair in love and war.

"Your invitation, please." The castle guard said as Rarity was about to go through the gates.

"Of course." Rarity said smiling as she reached for her invitation in the inside pocket of her dress. At that moment Rarity's smile slowly faded as she began to touch her entire body looking for the invitation, which was nowhere to be found.

"If you don't have an invitation, you can't come in." The guard said seriously, noticing that Rarity wasn't handing him anything.

"N-No… wait a second. I-I'm sure that I had it with me..." Rarity said nervously, thinking she was sure she had come down from the carriage with her invitation. Then the fleeting memory of Applejack's hug crossed her mind, and Rarity's face was disfigured with anger as she discovered what had happened. "APPLEJACK!!"

Not far from there, way to the carriage sector, Applejack was walking with a cheeky smile, with an extra invitation tucked away safely in her dress.

"I knew you were planning something Rarity, so you'll not be entering until I enter the castle with you." Applejack laughed as she walked, thinking, like her unicorn friend, that all is fair in love and war.


After leaving his friends, Dusk had quickly entered the castle and immediately headed towards where Princess Celestia was, completely ignoring the elegant ponies lined up in a line that were waiting to greet the princess before him, and who looked at him with disdain to see him skipping the line.

"Princess!" Dusk said happily when he finally reached his teacher's side.

Seeing that her beloved student had finally arrived, Celestia's face lit up for a second. But she immediately realized that she couldn't show such personal affection for Dusk in front of so many ponies present, so she quickly returned to her poker smile and I greet him in the same way as she greeted everyone who arrived.

"Dusk Shine, it's a pleasure that you were able to attend." Celestia said calmly.

Realizing that his teacher needed act with the greatest possible dignity in front of the other ponies, Dusk bowed and also adopted the same attitude.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, princess." Dusk said with great respect.

Then both ponies stared at each other, while their eyes shone and they both knew that although they couldn't put it into words, they were both very happy to be together again.

"Ahem!" A couple of ponies annoyed coughed, after Dusk was interrupting the official princess's greeting that everyone expected to do.

"Oh! Sorry." Dusk said quickly, getting out of front and sighing sadly when he saw the long line of ponies that came to greet the princess. He would have to wait a long time before he could talk alone with his teacher.

Seeing Dusk so down, Celestia couldn't help but feel sorry for her beloved Dusk, and against what was expected of her, she decided to go out of protocol a bit.

"Dear Dusk, if you would like, you could stay by my side while I finish my greetings." The princess said with a big smile. "You can update me on how your studies are going." The princess added quickly, so those snobby Canterlot ponies wouldn't think it was personal.

Hearing that, Dusk put on a big smile and stood proudly next to his teacher, while she continued greeting the ponies, only this time, she also introduced Dusk Shine as her personal student. While Dusk knew it was out of protocol, he still felt very happy because it was a way in which the princess indirectly told everypony that Dusk was important to her.

Celestia and Dusk Shine continued to greet all the ponies that entered the Gala. And with Celestia's great memory, the princess greeted everypony by name and title, what made those who waited to meet the regent of the kingdom very happy. And best of all, since the ponies had to go up the stairs before greeting them, that gave Celestia and Dusk a few seconds between one pony and another so that they could talk to each other.

"So, you have to greet all the guests one by one? How many guests are there?" Dusk asked after greeting a couple of very elegant ponies, who greeted the princess with a big smile, and greeted Dusk Shine with a more forced smile.

"Normally there are always about 500 guests." Celestia replied, only glancing at Dusk, as the next couple was already approaching to greet her.

As the new couple greeted the princess, Dusk couldn't help but worry as he realized that with such a large number of guests, the princess would spend most of the night greeting instead of soliciting at the party. So Dusk quickly calculated, thinking about the guests who had already entered and the little time they had to talk between each greeting, finally concluding that he could only converse with the princess for about thirty minutes, always being interrupted every 5 seconds, which it disappointed Dusk a lot.

"Maybe someone could replace the princess in the official greeting..." Dusk thought, looking for some way to talk longer with his teacher. And then he remembered somepony very important. Somepony he also wanted to see very much that night.

"B-By the way... Where is Princess Luna?" Dusk asked, blushing for some reason unbeknownst to him.

After greeting the pair of ponies in front of her, Celestia looked at Dusk carefully while raising an eyebrow.

"It's funny that you ask about Luna. She also seemed interested in knowing what time you would arrive." Celestia said curiously. "She said maybe she would come down later, but for some reason she seemed to be very nervous."

Hearing that, Dusk lowered his head in disappointment.

"I guess that confirms it… It seems that Princess Luna doesn't want to see me again." Dusk thought sadly, feeling that he really wanted to see the princess of the night, and especially, talk about what happened at the end of the last dream they had seen each other in.

For her part, Celestia kept glancing at Dusk as she remembered the talk with her sister before the Grand Gala...

"Dusk Shine is always punctual. He'll surely be one of the first to arrive at the Gala." Celestia had answered when Luna had asked her about Dusk.

Hearing that response, Luna had bit her lip and ran to see herself in the mirror.

"I… would like to see him… But I mustn't! I must prioritize my royal duties!" Luna whispered as she looked at herself in the mirror, very upset to think that she was still unable to obtain her true form in the real world. Only her mane had managed to partially change. "Sweet Caramel! I need to see my ball gowns!" Luna cried nervously.

Instantly, Luna's maid entered the room and took out several dresses from the closet, which Luna levitated while posing in front of the mirror.

"What am I doing!? No! I shouldn't see him!" Luna cried in frustration, turning around and dropping her head hard on her bed. "I can't go, sister... Maybe I'll come down for a while when the Gala is about to end..."

"I wonder why Luna was so nervous... Will she still think she can't appear in public until she regains all her powers?" Celestia thought, coming back to reality after remembering that situation with her sister.

To everypony in the castle, it was already obvious that Princess Luna was in love, after seeing her act like a filly in love for the first time. But for Celestia, who knew everything in her great kingdom, her sister's infatuation continued to go unnoticed, being the only one in the castle who didn't know the truth or couldn't imagine it for some reason.

"It seems like you and Luna have seen each other a lot lately." Celestia said looking at Dusk as he widened his eyes and blushed. "It makes me very happy that you and Luna are becoming so close. She is in dire need of some good friends while she adjusts back after her…extended absence." Celestia added with an appreciative smile.

"Yes... friends, hehe..." Dusk murmured with a blush, remembering the kiss Luna had given him before saying goodbye. "Maybe-"

"Ahem!" A pony coughed again when he saw that Dusk again captured the princess's attention too much, causing the queue of the official greeting to be delayed. Then Dusk closed his mouth and continued waving next to the princess, feeling increasingly uncomfortable when he realized that if he continued like this, he wouldn't be able to converse alone with the princess. Also, he wouldn't even be able to have a pleasant time with his friends again.

As Celestia returned to greet another new pair of ponies that were arriving, she couldn't help but glance at Dusk again and notice that now he seemed more unmotivated than before. Then the alicorn began to think about what she could do to cheer up her beloved student, until a wicked idea made her smile.

"Dear Dusk, could you continue with the official greeting while I go to the bathroom for a second?" Celestia asked, approaching Dusk's ear and putting on a big smile.

"Uh?" Dusk said, surprised at the princess's request. The alicorn princess didn't wait to hear his answer and simply withdrew while Dusk stared at her.

"It feels nostalgic… I haven't seen the princess smile like that in a long time. She only smiled that happily after…" Dusk thought smiling, but then his smile vanished when he realized the truth. "She only smiles like that after pulling a prank on me! She… She’s not come back!" Dusk thought terrified, realizing the truth very late.

Dusk immediately prepared to go after the princess, but for the third time that night a pair of ponies stood in front of him and coughed to make themselves known when they saw that no one greeted them.

"Where is Princess Celestia?" Asked a mare with a very upturned nose, looking at Dusk Shine with some disgust.

"Uh… T-The princess had some business to attend to… She said she would be back soon. In the meantime,… I'll welcome you to the Grand Galloping Gala." Dusk said with a nervous smile.

Hearing that, the pair of elegant ponies only looked away in disgust and withdrew. After they left, Dusk wiped his sweat from how nervous he was, but immediately another pair of ponies stood in front of him, forcing him to stand gracefully again.

"Where is Princess Celestia?" The new couple of guests asked, which made Dusk sigh in resignation, knowing that now he would have to take the place of the princess and greet everyone, and that everyone would ask him the same question. However, even though he would have a new and unexpected job at that party, Dusk couldn't help but smile a little as he felt nostalgic and remember that he and the princess hadn't played jokes like that for a long time.

"Nothing better to lift your spirits than a little joke." Celestia thought as she smiled and was glad to find a replacement for her royal work, which would give her the opportunity to enjoy the party a bit before returning to Dusk.


After entering the castle, it had taken Fluttershy a while to get to the royal gardens, as inside the castle there were a large number of ponies, all enjoying snacks and chatting in the large corridors, which made moving a bit difficult. However, finally Fluttershy had reached a part of the castle that had far fewer ponies around, which was precisely the door that led to the big royal garden.

Once she got there, Fluttershy was surprised to see the huge, beautiful garden illuminated only in moonlight with well-tended trees and shrubs, all with the beautiful spring flowers sprouting from their branches. Then Fluttershy put on a big smile, thinking that that the garden was even more beautiful than she had imagined. However, a great detail was missing for everything to adjust to what her imagination had presented her.

"How strange... There doesn’t seem to be any animals nearby." Fluttershy murmured, a little worried. Although it was well known that the royal gardens had the most beautiful animals in Equestria, there wasn't even a bird flying and the air was void of any sounds from critters, only the sound of water flowing from the fountain.

Thinking that the little animals might want to be further away from the bustle of the castle, Fluttershy wandered further into the huge garden. She searched among the treetops and stuck her head in various bushes looking for signs of life. She found only traces of animal hair and feathers, but other than that, she couldn't find any animal.

"I know you’re here... Please don't be afraid." Fluttershy said, speaking in her sweet voice as she looked around.

At that moment, a small squirrel and a small monkey poked their heads fearfully from a distant bush, looking at Fluttershy with great caution.

"Is that a red squirrel and a spider monkey!?" Fluttershy said gleefully when she recognized those two little animals that she normally didn't see in her forest. She then ran quickly towards where those two animals were, but when she did, the squirrel and the monkey immediately got scared and ran to hide elsewhere. "No! Please don't go." Fluttershy said sadly.

As Fluttershy pursed her lip in disappointment, she looked up and saw where she had been before running, where she could see the heads of a toucan and a spotted owl poking out of the treetops. Then she raised her hoof again to say something that would prevent those birds from fleeing, but before she even said a word, both birds flew fearfully to hide again in another tree.

"Oh my... I thought I was shy..." Fluttershy whispered, sad to see how shy the animals were.

At that moment she heard a beautiful whistle of a bird. While a whistle that she couldn't specifically identify what bird could be, it excited the pegasus even more. So she quickly went to where the whistle was coming from, but began to walk slowly and stealthily, so that this time the bird wouldn't fly away.

"Maybe I should catch the bird before it flies away, to show it that I can be its friend and that I won't hurt it." Fluttershy thought once she found herself behind the bush where the whistle was coming from. So, she decided to take a chance and leapt through the bush to catch the songbird with her hooves.

"I caught you!" Fluttershy yelled happy to feel that she had caught something. However, her happiness didn't last long, since when she opened her eyes she saw with disappointment that what she had really caught between her hooves was the snout of a pony.

"Easy lady! If you don't want me to whistle anymore, just say so." The pony said with his lips pressed together by Fluttershy's hooves. This pony was the gardener of the place, an old stallion dressed in his work clothes.

"I-I'm sorry." Fluttershy said quickly, red with embarrassment, releasing the gardener's mouth.

As Fluttershy lowered her head in shame, she was surprised to see out of the corner of her eye that several animals were peeking out of the bushes to see her, but as soon as they noticed that she saw them, they quickly hid again.

"This is not how I imagined this..." Fluttershy thought sadly.

While this was happening in the royal garden, Pinkie Pie was in the center of the ballroom, looking around as if looking for something.

"Lots of ponies, lots of food, lights and music, all perfect, but… where's the fun!?" Pinkie Pie thought confused, seeing the faces of the ponies that were there, all finely dressed, talking briefly among themselves, but there was no laughter or dancing, or anything that Pinkie Pie knew a party should have.

"Rarity was right... Somepony is missing to liven up this party!" Pinkie Pie said with a huge smile.

Then Pinkie Pie climbed up on a table and began to sing aloud as she danced, singing from the heart as she always did in her beloved Ponyville. She sung about what she was feeling at that moment to share her feelings with the other ponies so that they could join her in a great and fun song.

"~ Here I am at the Grand Galloping Gala~ The bestest best party in Equestria! ~ But the one thing it was missing was a pony named Pinkie! ~ For I am the best at parties, all the ponies will agree ~ Ponies singing, ponies playing. Dance with me at the Grand Galloping Gala! ~" Pinkie Pie sang as she jumped and danced wildly like she always did.

After singing that verse, Pinkie Pie smiled and widened her eyes to look around. But unlike what she expected like what happened in the town, where the ponies immediately accompanied her by dancing and singing, the ponies of the Grand Galloping Gala were still static in their places. The only thing that had changed was that now everyone had stopped talking and now they were looking at her with looks of confusion, and even displeasure.

"W-Why isn't anypony singing?" Pinkie Pie said in confusion, because it was something new for her, the feeling of feeling rejected, something that began to make her feel uncomfortable.

"~ Ponies singing, ponies playing. Dance with me at the Grand Galloping Gala! ~" Pinkie Pie sang the last verse again, repeating the same dance. Only this time she approached a table where there was a young couple of unicorns and held out a hoof to invite them to dance, while maintaining a nervous smile.

Seeing how that strange pink pony looked at them and invited them to dance with her, both unicorns looked at each other and covered their mouths while bursting into laughter.

"Yes! Finally!" Pinkie Pie said very happy to see that finally some ponies began to smile.

"How ridiculous!" The elegant unicorn mare said, retreating from there and looking with disgust at Pinkie Pie as she did so. It was clear that she wasn't really laughing because she found something funny, but to make fun of that vulgar pony who had been invited to the Gala.

"Uh?" Pinkie Pie said, opening her mouth in surprise when she realized what was happening, as if a bucket of cold water had suddenly fallen on her.

At that moment all the snobby ponies of the place began to talk among themselves again, all with a new topic of conversation: that unrefined mare that had disturbed them for no reason.

"This… is not how I imagined this..." Pinkie Pie said slowly, lowering her head sadly.

"That dance was so much fun! Would you mind if we talked a bit?" a voice behind Pinkie suddenly said, making the pink mare jump in surprise...

Not far from the ballroom, in a long and wide corridor of the castle, was Rainbow Dash. Her mouth and eyes were wide when she saw that at the end of the corridor, which connected to another large room, were her great idols. The most fantastic pegasi in all of Equestria: the incredible Wonderbolts.

After a couple of seconds of shock, Rainbow Dash slowly raised her hoof and slapped her own face to wake up.

"Okay, calm down... It's not the first time you've seen them. You just … just go up and remind them who you are." Rainbow Dash murmured to herself, remembering Cloudsdale competition and how, despite having talked with Wonderbolts that time, she had to go to rescue Dusk from the cloud in which she had left him. "Now there's nothing stopping you from having a long talk with them and showing them how cool you are."

After giving herself courage, Rainbow Dash walked confidently towards the room at the end of the hall. However, when she was about to take her first step inside the room, a gray hoof stood in her way and prevented her from moving forward. After the surprise, Rainbow Dash looked towards the owner of the hoof, who was a big unicorn guard with gray fur and golden armor, who looked at Rainbow Dash with a serious look.

"This is the VIP lounge." The royal guard said without removing his hoof in front of Rainbow Dash.

"Oh! Well, I guess then there’s no problem. I was invited by the princess herself after all." Rainbow Dash said with a proud smile.

"Name?" The guard asked unfazed, as he levitated a list with his magic.

"Rainbow Dash!" The blue pegasus said with her characteristic proud smile. "The fastest pegasus in Ponyville, soon to become-"

"You're not on the list." The guard quickly interrupted, causing Rainbow Dash to halt halfway through her grandiose presentation.

"Oh, come on! I'm famous!" Rainbow Dash said annoyed. "Nightmare Moon? The Elements of Harmony? The Element of Loyalty...?" Rainbow Dash added raising her hooves in surprise.

"Hmm... No, it's not ringing any bells." The guard replied without changing his gesture, but this time moving completely in front of Rainbow Dash to completely block her path. "If you are not on the list, you cannot enter."

Seeing the serious look of the guard, Rainbow Dash looked at him with a very annoyed look. Then she looked behind the guard and could see how, just a few steps in front of her, were the great Wonderbolts. So close to her that she could almost touch them, if it were not for that stubborn royal guard. Then Rainbow Dash frowned and told herself that no lousy guard would stop her from fulfilling her dream.

"Do you know why else I'm famous...?" Rainbow Dash asked, glancing at the guard. "For being the fastest pegasus in the world!" the daredevil added almost in a shout, leaping, spreading her wings wide, and flapping at full speed to fly over the guard to sneak into the VIP lounge.

"That’ll teach him!" Rainbow Dash thought with a proud smile as she flew at full speed. However, after a few seconds, she widened her eyes when she saw that despite how fast she flapped, the VIP lounge didn't seem to be approaching any closer.

Seeing this strange phenomenon, only then did Rainbow Dash realize that she was surrounded by a faint golden aura. An aura that made no matter how much she flapped, she remained motionless in the air without advancing. Then Rainbow Dash looked at the guard and saw that he was the cause.

"And do you know why I am famous?" The guard asked with a mocking smile, as his unicorn magic caused Rainbow Dash to land and still unable to enter the VIP lounge. "I'm famous for stopping intruders who don't know their place."

Seeing that the guard's magic had been faster than her reflexes, Rainbow Dash pressed her lips together in frustration, then she turned and walked away grumbling as the guard laughed and mocked her.

"So close... yet so far away..." Rainbow Dash thought in frustration, then putting on a sadder look. "This... this is not how I imagined this..."

"Whooops!" A pony suddenly screamed as it fell, throwing a tray with various sandwiches.

Looking up, Rainbow Dash saw the tray with the sandwiches flying through the air, ready to fall and cause a mess. Then Rainbow Dash's sharp reflexes made her instinctively jump to grab the tray and fly swiftly to catch the food before they hit the floor.

"Wow! That was amazing!" The pony that had stumbled said, who was then more surprised to see who was in front of him. "Wait a second... I know you!"

While that pony saw Rainbow Dash, the blue pegasus kept holding the tray with the sandwiches, however she almost dropped it to the surprise of seeing who was talking to her...

Away from the bustle of the party but living a situation similar to that of the blue pegasus, Rarity was still standing in front of the great castle door, without even being able to enter the Grand Galloping Gala yet.

"How do you not know that I am the bearer of an Element of Harmony!?" Rarity said extremely frustrated, yelling in front of the guard's face that prevented her from accessing the castle.

"I know about the Elements of Harmony, but I don't know anything about bearer mares or anything like that." The guard replied without even looking at Rarity. "But that doesn't matter. Without an invitation, you don't come in, no matter who you are, that's the rule!"

Rarity closed her lips tightly, feeling like she wanted to cry and scream helplessly. She had been waiting a long time for Applejack to come back, but as much as she waited, her friend never came back. And the worst thing was that almost all the guests had already entered, so at the castle gates only Rarity and that stubborn royal guard remain.

Seeing how the other guests entered and enjoyed the most elegant party of the year without her presence, Rarity had tried everything to be able to enter without being seen. She had even gone so far as to hide herself under the enormous skirt of a pompous mare that had entered, but the guard had always discovered her and blocked her way.

"Please! If only you would let me talk to Dusk Shine. Look! He's right there! He's the student of Princess Celestia, he'll tell you that I was invited!" Rarity yelled, frustratingly pointing towards the inside of the castle, where she could see Dusk, who seemed to be greeting all the guests who entered. However, the line of guests was so long, and the bustle inside was such, that for more signals and screams that Rarity made from the door, Dusk couldn't see or hear her.

"I've already told you so many times, madame! Without an invitation, you cannot enter!" The royal guard said angrily, looking annoyed at the white unicorn, who kept insisting and wasting his patience.

Seeing that the royal guard was getting very upset, Rarity got a little scared and lowered her head sadly. Then she turned and walked away from the door.

"Silly Applejack! I just wanted to distract the others while I was getting closer to Dusk, but I can't believe that she did something as low as leaving me out of the Grand Galloping Gala!" Rarity thought with a mixture of anger, sadness and frustration, hitting the ground several times with her beautiful glass slippers. Then she took a second to breathe and calm herself and began to think more clearly. "No, Applejack would never do that. Maybe something bad happened that delayed her, that's all. I... must have faith in my friend." Rarity thought while she was undecided whether to go find her friend or stay in case Applejack came back to look for her.

"Oh, what a beautiful dress!" An elderly mare said suddenly as she passed Rarity, who was elegantly dressed, accompanied by her partner, also an elderly stallion.

Hearing that compliment from who seemed to be a very refined and distinguished mare, Rarity quickly raised her head and put on a smile to appear calm despite how bad she really felt.

"T-Thank you very much! It's one of my own designs!" Rarity said smiling, responding proudly while striking a small pose.

"It's divine! Would you mind if we continue talking about your beautiful dress inside the castle?" The elegant mare added, smiling as her partner indicated that they should hurry up and enter the castle soon.

"Uh... I..." Rarity replied very nervous, looking askance at the guard, who seemed to hear that talk and looked annoyed at Rarity, showing her with the look that it was better for her not to approach again if she didn't have an invitation. "I... I'm sorry, but I lost my invitation..." Rarity added with a sad smile.

"Oh, it seems as though I was mistaken." The elegant mare said, drastically changing her gaze, giving Rarity a scornful look before taking her eyes off her. "This party is only for the elite of Equestria. Not for the common rabble. While it’s adorable that you’re trying to play dress up to appear like a high-born, elegance is in the blood, not in the clothes, fufu..." The mare scoffed before continuing on her way and entering the castle.

After those cruel words and being left alone again, Rarity pressed her lips tightly and again hit the ground hard with one of her hooves to vent the frustration she felt. However, as she did so, suddenly the glass slipper with which she hit the ground broke its heel, causing Rarity to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

Once on the ground, Rarity froze, feeling that she could no longer bear her frustration and tears began to fall down her cheeks.

"This is not how I imagined this..." Rarity whispered sadly, trying in vain to hold back her tears.

"Please don't cry." The tender voice of somepony who had approached her suddenly said, causing Rarity to raise her head and be surprised to see who was speaking to her...

Several minutes before the events at the castle gate, on the far side of the castle's outskirts, Applejack had finally reached the carriage sector with the messenger Rarity had hired. There, he had given her a huge suitcase that Applejack recognized as the one that her family used when they wanted to set up a small stand to sell their products. From the weight of the suitcase, Applejack could guess that Granny Smith had prepared a lot of candies from apple to sell on that special occasion.

"Hey, Applejack! What are you doing here?" Thunderlane suddenly greeted Applejack there, who had decided to stay a while in this sector along with the other colts that had pulled the carriage from Ponyville, all chatting flirtatiously with some passing mares.

Seeing the four colts reunited, Applejack decided to try something before entering the castle, and kindly offered them some free apple rolls from her big suitcase. Tasting the sweet apple rolls, the four colts put on big smiles as they tasted those delicacies.

"Hmm! I would be the happiest colt in the world if I could eat these sweets every day." Lucky Clover said as his friends nodded at that.

"Good! That was the proof I needed! Everyone at the party will love my family's apple candies!" Applejack thought confidently, as she began to drag the heavy suitcase with her products to go back to Rarity.

"Applejack, if you want to get into the castle faster, you should enter through the service door." Bulk Biceps said as he finished eating his apple roll and pointed Applejack towards a door that was next to the carriage area. "I think if you walk in that way, you'll avoid making such a long detour to the front door."

Seeing the service door, Applejack hesitated for a second, since she had to go back to the main door to enter with Rarity. However, the suitcase was very heavy, and just as Bulk Biceps said, if she entered through that door, she could go straight through the corridors of the castle and thus get faster to the main door inside the castle. Having made that decision, Applejack said goodbye to the colts and entered through the service door, where another guard looked at her strangely, since all the elegant ponies liked to show themselves in front of everyone entering through the great front door. But the orange mare seemed not to care about that, and most importantly, she had her invitation, so there was no impediment for her to enter.

Minutes passed, and to Applejack's terror, she still couldn't reach the front door.

"Rarity is going to kill me!" Applejack thought as she dreaded to bear witness to the unicorn’s fury.

For Applejack, a country mare who was used to working outdoors and living in a small town, it was impressive to walk through a place as huge as the castle, full of hallways and large halls. However, it was also quite overwhelming as well. It had gotten to the point that she had become lost in the winding corridors and was no longer even sure where the front door was now. She had tried to ask some of the nearby partygoers for directions, but it seemed that her inelegant accent had driven them to just ignore the country mare.

"I can't go on like this... Gotta find my way back to Rarity before she ends up serving my flank to me on a silver platter!" Applejack said frustratingly as she kept pulling on her huge suitcase, and sweat began to appear on her face.

Applejack had thought about deploying the suitcase to make use of the internal wheels to make it easier to move, but there was something that was preventing her from displaying her products. Applejack dragged her suitcase through the great corridors of the castle, she saw how there were dozens of tables with thousands of elegant sandwiches, most of them so elegant that she didn't even know what they were. And when she saw those fine snacks, all the confidence she had had in her family's delicious apple candies slowly began to fade, shaming herself at the thought that a simple apple roll could even compete with treats prepared by the palace's royal kitchen itself.

"This is not how I imagined this..." Applejack thought sadly, thinking that not only had it been useless to bring her apple sweets, but also, because of her, her friend Rarity couldn't enter the party. Then Applejack shook her head and decided that at least she could do something to prevent the latter.

Having made the decision to forget her dream and go in search of her friend, Applejack dropped her suitcase and started to run through the corridors until she found the front door. However, she didn't manage to take even a step, since when she dropped her suitcase, it fell to the floor and the blow caused it to open automatically. The case extended to obtain the shape of the small sales stand that had her family’s apple products, with a small table with several trays of apple rolls and apple pies.

Seeing that strange apple stall surprisingly spread out, the ponies around Applejack looked strangely at the stand and Applejack, who just clenched her teeth hard, blushing with embarrassment.

"What is this!?" A plump, finely dressed stallion asked in disgust when he saw that simple apple stand in front of him, which made Applejack shyly crouch as she felt observed and criticized by all those elegant ponies that surrounded her...

Until that moment, the six ponies of Ponyville thought that the expected night of the Grand Galloping Gala had been a failure, far from everything they had hoped and dreamed of, even more, going in the worst possible way they could imagine. However, the night was only beginning, so there were still many different emotions that the six pony friends were about to experience.

End of chapter 53

Author's Note:

Many thanks to 'Scribe of the Nightwings' for his help :twilightsmile:

By the way, I saw the results of the vote, and I must admit that the Harem option won by a lot :twilightblush: I didn't think that option would have such an advantage haha:rainbowlaugh:

And now I would like to ask you another question:
If Dusk Shine had a son or daughter, what would it be called? You choose who he would have that child with :pinkiegasp:
You can leave your suggestion in the comments :twilightsmile:

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