This story is a sequel to When the Man Comes Around
The seventh story in The Journey of Graves.
The Grand Galloping Gala. A night of social grace and fantastic delights for many. A night of traumatic memories best forgotten for many more. Nobody knows why, but when Twilight calls the girls together and shows them a letter plus six tickets, the conclusion is clear: they're being invited to have one more go at making it the best night ever.
Everyone's got a plan, everyone except for the reluctant Rarity. How's she supposed even enjoy herself after such a heartbreaking debacle with the horrendous Prince Blueblood? Can she still have a good time? Can a certain steely-eyed soldier help?
Chapters (12)
Yay! First!
"She hasn’t been this excited since the last gladiatorial matches that occurred some fifteen hundred years ago."
I like your Luna a lot now.
Me thinks Rarity has something (someone) else on the mind, not the dresses. Like a certain unnamed marshal.
so I'm assuming graves got a ticket as well? or will spike decide he doesn't want to go and give his ticket to graves? Ooh does spike know about Rarity and Graves growing "friendship"? Could lead to a moment of maturity with Spike giving his ticket to Graves so as to let him go with Rarity!
The plot thickens...
... Am I the only one playing the Opera Balroom Waltz from FFVI and VIII on iTunes while reading this story?
Hmmm... 1:30 time to go to be..*bing* new chapter!
Darn you J! Must read!
Keep them coming! Love your stories! Didn't need sleep anyway
Love this series, more sir, more.
Oh boy, I sense another disaster...
So that is probably the best Luna ever. Just sayin'
But now, as I look into my crystal ball, the future is revealed to me. I see:
-Spike happily giving away his ticket to the marshal, not wanting a repeat of last year.
-Rarity and Blueblood getting a little...heated over the events of last time
-Graves coming coming to Rarity's rescue when Blueblood goes to far.
-Rarity and Graves having (iirc) their first kiss.
And that is all I see for now. Let us see how this unravels and how close I get.
Well, another story in the epic continuation of humanized Equestria by Mr. GentlemanJ
However, I was expecting Graves to pop out and say:
"No-one bothering to ask me about my opinion?"
But, still excited about this, *Gives salute*
As always, GJ, Do your best and put your awesome skills to the test!
Foreshadowing about the getting locked up thing mabe..........mabe?
Five moustaches for the the good Gentleman, 'cos every chapter is 20% cooler than the last.
This Luna knows how to have fun. Or something.
Glad I finished getting caught up with the previous stories last night, it's always more fun to read and comment along as the story is published.
yes new chapter! I don't think all them uptight people will like the sight of Graves at the Gala.
good chapter, but it's a shame we didn't get to see graves at all.
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I WORSHIP YOU!*bows down*
And so it begins...
this gonna be good
New story? YES! YES!!!
INSTANT FAV!
Meanwhile elsewhere in Ponyville...
Graves: Why do I have the sudden urge to run.
Hehe, nyice chapter!
I wonder how Graves will be dragged in to this event
Another story in the Graverse? I can dig it.
And I spot a Romance tag, so I can only assume that Rarity will only get closer to the Grave(s). Wow, that's morbid.
Oh well, on with you. There needs to be more.
so I bumbled into one of these and I could not help but go back to the first and marathon them all up to this point.
Good stuff. Usually don't like humanized anything in MLP but I think I rather like this.
So...What is Grave's cutie mark?
How have I never seen these featured before? These are brilliant! I just finished reading all of them, and I can't wait for more. I fully anticipate you knocking this story out of the park.
I've always been fascinated with humanized mlp, and this does a superb job with it. Well done.
YEAH! YES YES YES I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!
:D
Not to be rude, but do you have an editor? I sometimes see some fairly obvious typos that can be corrected very easily, and I'm wondering if it's just because you don't have anyone helping out with editing?
Haha, yes! The plot thickens! Graves isn't going to know what hit him! On a more serious note, I love how you've set the previous stories up for us to be rooting for the poor bastard in a situation in which he's bound to at least be a little uncomfortable. You've set this up brilliantly.
Prepare the spell gun.
A certain upstart is getting his come-uppence soon.
994814
Haha, if he was nervous about his little "date" with Rarity, what do you think he'll feel about taking her to a high class party?
994929 I imagine he would rather take on that Chimera again. I don't blame him, either.
994952
Yeah. Kinda ironic though; A man who can face the mightiest of beasts...is scared of a date.
I suspect changeling Twilight.. just because of that comment you said about " Had Rarity been in a clearer state of mind, she would immediately have noticed that Twilight’s logic was completely inconsistent with her normally stickler-for-the-rules character." ... Let's see where this goes..
I WORSHIP YOU J*Bows down in reverance*
I see where this is going, just make sure blueblood gets punched in the face.
Or not. Either way it's bound to be entertaining.
994981 Ah, but facing the mightiest of beasts, the only thing that is being tested, the only thing that is on display, is your mettle: your strength of body coupled with your discipline and strength of mind. On a date with a woman like Rarity, your wit, your social grace, your charm, and most horribly, your dancing, are on display. The man under the mettle is being displayed for all the world to see, and this is a situation out of which one cannot simply fight one's way. At the end of a battle, if you fail, you die; your suffering is over. If he fails at this, he suffers on.
995177
That was a hilariously accurate description of the horrors that our dear marshal dreads to face.
I award you a Scootaloo of Lucidity for your marvelous words. 
995177
Well said, my friend.
And some ladies wonder why men are so nervous on their dates.
995280 YES! Validation! Now if only I could actually right that kind of conflict, instead of only action stories. Oh well, only way to get better is to practice.
995294 See, you get it! There should be a book, or something, for women. It should explain all the things that cause men to be uncomfortable when socializing with women. Then they would at least understand what's going on, and why we'd rather wrestle a man twice our size than do certain things that they want us to do.
995280 You seem to be handing out a lot of pegasi today...
Where are you getting them all from!
995605
I have a a secret store of ponies that I keep for just such occasions. Ask no more. In return, I give to you an Applejack of Convenient Silence.
Oh boy. Graves is not gonna have the night of his life.
Ooh, ooh. Can I get a unicorn? pwease? I'll trade you an awesome cosplay for it.
With all the comments being said, I conclude that GRAVES. IS. SCREWED.
When their at the Gala Graves has got to find a excuse to defend Raritys honor (punching blueblood might do it) to become pretty much everthing she wants.
Hmmm...No Graves in a Dress Uniform displaying all his medals? T'would be a good way to bring them into the story...
Actually, I was really hoping for that. I have no clue why, I just do.
Praise Luna, I love this!
-Delta-
996952
I agree with that Graves should be in Uniform.
Be because their is this line that has been passed down through the ages. "There is something about a man in uniform..."
Why?
A long introduction... A Romance Tag... Interesting
I have got a question:
Why the Gran GalĂ is "Galloping" in the Gravesworld? Now, they are humans, they haven't got any connection with the equin world.
In the next chapter you may explain that.
You explain divinely the Spike's physical differences in the frist chapter.
1000002
There really is no explanation for the naming. I separately defined Spike because I had planned to use those characteristics (which differ from dragons, who will serve a distinctly different function) in later stories. I kept the equine based names from the show simply because I like them: they're fun and full of puns, which just doubles the fun. Why would I mess with such a great thing?
Where can I get the covers for your stories? They're really beautiful and would really like to know who did them. So what is the source for this story?