Grand Galloping Gala Part 3
Short Hand
A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfic By Andrew J. Talon
Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan based parody. MLP:FiM is the property of Hasbro and Lauren Faust. Please support the official release.
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After another morning of training, Twilight and I were reviewing some notes in the Carousel Boutique. Rarity and Spike were making some last minute adjustments to one of the dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala nearby. It was only a few days away, and our training was going very well. Even so, life was still going on and we still had other things to do.
Not that Twilight took any breaks. Yeah, I know, it was important. I was pushing myself hard too. The thing was, I knew how to manage my time better than she did.
At least I usually did.
Twilight hummed as she considered a map of the main ballroom of Canterlot Palace. I was alongside, holding up a red pen. Twilight preferred quills, but being an alien it was my right to utilize the obviously superior technology of my species.
No matter how annoyed she got about it.
“The best evacuation route is probably out into the gardens,” I said, pointing out the doors that led outside. Twilight hummed thoughtfully, tilting her head.
“Yes, I do remember the fire drill procedure for the palace. We had it every year. So we can get everypony out.” She squeezed her eyes shut, thinking hard. “Considering the average attendance of the Gala with the average safe speed of egress… We can empty the ballroom in approximately 55 seconds.”
“Almost a minute?” I asked, wincing. “That’s not good if we’re in the middle of a firefight.”
“We’ll focus on containment of any threat then,” she replied. “I’ve been practicing my magic shield spell.”
“If you can reverse gravity or something similar in an attacker’s vicinity, that would make things easier,” I suggested. Twilight beamed.
“Oh yes! I studied that spell in the Royal Library during the Spring Equinox Celebration!”
“Of course you did,” I deadpanned. Twilight flushed a bit.
“Well, I wasn’t as social back then,” she admitted.
Rarity’s ears perked up, and she turned away from the dress she was working on.
"Twilight, something just occurred to me,” she said. “You were in Canterlot when dear Shepherd was discovered, were you not? I mean, he appeared before that date, didn’t he?”
“Well of course I was!” Twilight huffed. “I’ve been at the Palace since I got my Cutie Mark!”
Rarity hummed thoughtfully, and looked over at Spike. She looked back at Twilight in curiosity.
"Then how did you and Spike never meet him?" She asked.
I blinked, and looked at Twilight. She was looking confused.
“I… Huh! Did we meet back then?” She asked. I frowned and thought back.
“I’m… Not sure. Then again, I was kind of overwhelmed with the whole ‘on an alien planet’ thing,” I admitted. “It kind of became a blur.”
Spike groaned.
“Of course you two met!” He insisted. “I remember the whole thing!”
“You do?” Twilight and I asked at the same time, looking at one another.
“Yeah!” Spike insisted.
Over one year ago...
So the Ponies hadn’t reached the Information Age just yet. Then again, having magic probably made the drive for technological advancement a lot less urgent. That said, I didn’t mind it too much. I love books: How they feel, how they smell, and they don’t hurt your eyes from staring at them for too long.
I’m easily pleased when it comes to information retention and transfer technologies.
My guide was Prince Blueblood, the nephew of the local God Queen, Princess Celestia. He was a bit snooty, but the moment we were out of sight of others he relaxed and became the chillest bro an alien monkey could have.
He gave me a smile as I gaped at the enormous extent of the Royal Canterlot Library.
Take the Austrian National Library and combine it with Minas Terith, and increase the size by about ten times, and you’ve got the Royal Canterlot Library. God, it was absolutely gorgeous.
“You’ll drool yourself into dehydration if you don’t close your mouth,” Blueblood observed. I shut my mouth and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly.
“Sorry,” I said. “It’s just… Amazing!”
“I’ll have to make sure you always have a chaperone,” the prince went on, amused, “otherwise you’ll get lost and never be found again.”
“Probably,” I agreed. I mean, it was a magical library of an alien species. This is the kind of thing an archaeologist would sell their children into slavery for!
We walked through the main foyer, into a study area where a few ponies were reading or talking softly at nearby tables. They all looked up and stared at me… But at Blueblood’s expression, they all quickly went back to what they were doing. I guess I’d have been staring too.
We went through beautifully sculpted halls covered in books to a balcony, with a picturesque view of the Canterlot Valley. I could see villages dotting the landscape, blending in with beautiful forests, fields and lakes as far as the eye could see. It was absolutely beautiful, the kind of view you’d see in a John Constable painting. I leaned against the parapet, watching some birds fly by.
“How much is a library card?” I asked. Blueblood chuckled.
“We’ll talk to the head librarian,” he said. “But again: You’re going to have somepony with you to keep you from becoming a book hermit.” He looked over to the left, and made a face. “Speaking of…”
I followed his gaze and spotted a small purple unicorn mare in another section of the library. At least, I think she was a unicorn-She was obscured by stacks of books on a large wooden table, only her rear half visible. Blueblood trotted over to the other side of the table, keeping the book barrier between himself and her. I followed, looking over the wall.
She was a unicorn, and she was busy reading through multiple books at once while writing down notes with her quill.
“This is Auntie's apprentice, Twilight Sparkle,” Blueblood explained. “Hello Twilight!"
“Blueblood,” Twilight returned in an utterly disinterested tone. “If you’re here to bother me, now is not a good time. Not that it ever is.”
"This is Andrew Shepherd,” Blueblood continued, nodding over at Shepherd, “he is a visitor from another planet."
I waved awkwardly.
“Hello,” I said.
This didn’t even make Sparkle look up. Her ears didn’t even twitch.
"That's very nice and I'm glad to meet you,” she stated, still not looking up at us, “I have a lot of work to do so... Go away."
Blueblood rolled his eyes.
"Gladly,” he said.
Okay, so she was rude. But hey, I was technically an ambassador of my species to the Ponies. I should try to be sociable.
“So, what are you studying?" I asked. “I mean, if you don’t mind telling me-”
“I do mind,” she replied, as unmoved as before. “They’re important things that I can't bother to explain to anypony right now. So please, go away."
Blueblood smirked. I sighed and shrugged.
"Okay...? Nice meeting you, I guess,” I replied.
Blueblood led me away from the bookworm pony, shaking his head.
"Charming, isn't she?” Blueblood asked dryly. I sighed.
"She's all set up to be Madam Pince, complete with an empty house full of pet cats,” I muttered. Sure I’d gotten the cold shoulder from plenty of ponies, but Princess Celestia had been nothing but kind, warm and understanding! How could her apprentice be so… Rude?
"I don't get that reference,” Blueblood said, “but Pince seems to sum it up nicely. Anyway, I'll show you my office. I have several interesting books on Equestrian history and politics that won't bore you to death like most of the volumes that prissy nag has."
I smothered a snicker. I grinned at my friend.
"Does it include how to use weather as a weapon?"
Blueblood grinned back.
"Several volumes of it! I also have whiskey."
"Bitchin', let's go."
I’d probably forget about Celestia’s rude apprentice in no time, with all the wonders of this world to explore. Also the alcohol would help.
Had I stayed a bit longer, I might have seen a little purple dragon watch us go. The little dragon rolled his eyes, and looked over at Twilight.
“That was a freaking alien, Twilight!” The little dragon cried.
“Sure thing Spike,” Twilight replied, “but I’m busy deciphering an ancient prophecy that might reveal when Equestria is doomed. So if you will go get me dinner?”
The dragon groaned.
In the present...
Twilight looked aghast, and turned her guilty eyes to me.
"Oh my gosh! Shepherd, I'm so sorry! I was so rude-!"
“Hey, hey! It’s okay!” I replied, holding my hands up. "I called you Madame Pince! I'm sorry!"
"Now now, what's done is done,” Rarity soothed. Twilight relaxed a bit. Spike rolled his eyes.
Rarity then hummed thoughtfully.
"Though of course,” she continued, “had Twilight properly met Shepherd, all of this romantic competition may not have popped up at all and everything would be smooth sailing between you two! Which would have been far more boring, honestly.”
"Come on Rarity!" I groaned, as Twilight’s jaw dropped.
Spike, with the air of an assistant who needed some catharsis, glared at his big sister.
"And maybe Twilight could have gotten laid and stopped spazzing out every five seconds,” he said.
"I DO NOT SPAZZ!” Twilight shouted. “And-And I'm not unhappy about how I was! I just regret it! Deeply! Okay so I am really unhappy!” She groaned, hooves on her face. She then paused and hummed thoughtfully.
“Although I could research a time spell and alter the-"
I sighed, pulled Twilight into my lap, and began to massage and cuddle her. She melted happily, reduced to soft whimpers and whinnies. I gave Spike and Rarity glares, as the two exchanged a hoof and fist bump.
"Seriously?” I asked.
"She needed to relax, desperately,” Rarity said.
“That’s how she is all the time!” I protested.
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Well, that escalated quickly..
love the short update!
keep up with the chapters!
You aren't disproving the point.
Heh. Cute chapter.
D'aww and lol.
Very brave very powerful
How to make Friends: Beer and Explosives Edition.
10744069
Coincidentally too much beer and too many explosives is how you can loose friends.
10744187
It is a fine line to balance. Mostly goes bad when someone says, "Hey, watch this!".
Very happy to see an update. You matched my headcanon for BB. He maintains a snobbiness in public to keep the bit-diggers away but he's a Bro's Bro with good friends.
HA.
Cute and funny , just what the doctor ordered.
Diggin' the story composition so far.
Looks like I'm caught up! Time to move from Read Later to Tracking! OH! And favorite!
To be fair, saving the world does take precedent over greeting friendly aliens. And she got better over time.
Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes!Yes! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MORE!!!
Thank you for not making BB a total dick.
Holy shit... That made me chuckle...
Blueblood
Blue & Shep = Best drinking buddys
10746325
Okay counter argument, would it have been much to take literally a few seconds to say, "hi can't talk right now"? Especially since she idealizes Celestia and her kind and warm ways. Eh, she got better.
How long before the Summersun Celebration was that?
Spike and Rarity make already a great team.
The shipping friend and the little pranking brother.
I will miss the cuteness and humor