Subject 25: Strategic Celebration Infiltration
And so the mission was simple. The griffons would be looking to arrive tomorrow. But if I could convince Twilight to accept the batponies, then they would have no need to start up any sort of deal between themselves and the griffons. As far as the griffons themselves go, I would do my best to reason with them on their own. If they turned violent, I would deal with them myself. Perhaps even find out just why they lacked stability and had to turn to such a method of destruction.
Crazy, but logical. There was only one thing I could do for now.
Pray I didn’t have to dance.
I looked up at the tall castle that was alight thanks to the moon’s reflective rays. “Wow...Canterlot is way different at night than the day.”
“Isn’t it? The moon looming over everything makes it that much better,” Luna commented as she went ahead of me, “Well? Come now, you don’t want to keep your date waiting do you?”
Why was she like this? I mean, I didn’t dislike it. But did everything have to be a tease? No matter. This was my first and only chance to get closer to my goals. “Coming,” I trotted up with her. “I am curious as to just what Twilight Sparkle has done to alter the Gala system.”
“You are in for a surprise, dear Pale,” Luna continued her brisk walk. She looked like an overly excited schoolfilly ready to show her class the fancy new backpack she purchased.
Wait a second. Was she? Nah, I don’t think she would be the type to do that. “If you say so. You’re going to have to guide me since I’m not too familiar with how the castle is set up.” I knew the basic layout, of course. But being inside the massive castle itself was another thing entirely. “And this event is to celebrate the anniversary of the completion of Canterlot, correct?”
She nodded and led me through the massive main hall. A set of double-doors not unlike the Empire’s was at the end of it. Could this be where the festivities were located? “Indeed. It’s a very important event in Equestrian history and culture. The Royal Garden is also open to the public as well which is a spectacle in itself. There are many rare types of plants outside that you cannot find anywhere else.”
“Quite intriguing,” I responded with confidence. Though, I had to be honest. I was somewhat concerned. I was about to enter a pretty damn prestigious party with a former princess. Would everyone stare at me or would they just go about their business? Time to find out.
“And here we are. First, I think we should do a bit of dancing, then maybe check out the food that is being served, followed by a personal tour of the garden from yours truly, and then--”
“Woah woah.” I cut her off. She was really excited for this, but I had no clue how to approach such an event. I needed to be taken through this slowly before I blew my stack. “Um...sorry. I know you’re hyped up, but one thing at a time, if you don’t mind?”
“Ah, yes. That makes more sense. After all, you need to keep an eye open for Princess Twilight,” Luna said as she triumphantly pushed the doors open with her magic. “Then let our mission commence!”
I sighed. She was absolutely not agent material. That wasn’t a surprise to me, though. What was a surprise, was the sheer nature of the Gala itself. “What the…”
I couldn’t believe my eyes. This was not the same affair I had done research on in my books. Instead of high class ponies waltzing about, the room was filled with ponies from all over Equestria. Not only that, but other races were in attendance also. Griffons, dragons, hippogrifs. Amazing. The lack of batponies would be something I would work to correct, though.
There was also an array of food for the guests. Carrot-dogs, fried corn dogs (made of actual corn cobs), and even special things like gemstones for the dragons. Wait, did I also smell hayburgers? And Applejack’s famous apple pies?!
The music had also undergone some changes. Octavia was still here, but she was accompanied by her boisterous roommate Vinyl Scratch who had electronic music playing to go along with her classical group. It worked and meshed together beautifully. And everyone danced without a care in the world with no regard for form or proper movements.
Was this a Gala or a highschool reunion? “Well now…ah!”
Luna grabbed me up with her magic to pull me to the dance floor, and I immediately regretted every decision I had made in life. “Come on, Mr. Vest! Don’t tell me you forgot how to dance!”
Why? Of all times, why now? Thankfully, no one seemed any wiser at Luna’s disguise. Were the glasses really that effective? Guess the comics were right. “Um…” I stepped left, right. My best efforts were made to follow the music. It was pretty bumpin’ I won’t lie. But I was not a good dancer. I found myself tripping over my own hooves a few times. But Luna was having fun, and that’s what mattered.
“There you go! You are slicing the carpet!”
“It’s...cutting a rug, but thanks?”
To be quite frank, my dancing was horrible. But from within the crowd, we sashayed and wiggled through the crowd to the best of our ability. My real focus was on finding the Princess. She shouldn’t be hard to spot. Last I checked, she had her appearance changed to match that of Celestia’s tall stature to reflect her nature as ruler. Somewhat intimidating to imagine. Celestia was the only pony out there with such huge proportions, so it was intimidating to imagine someone else with similar features.
Strangely enough, I didn’t see her. Not yet anyway. Which was odd on its own. Shouldn’t the princess be present at the Grand Gala? She should stick out fairly easily with a body of that shape. What gives?
We danced until we were tired. Well, more like I was tired, and Luna wanted to give me a break. “That was fun, wasn’t it? Oh, did you spot Twilight yet?”
I shook my head to erase the sense of dizziness I had picked up. “Brrr. No, not yet. Kinda weird isn’t it?”
“I must admit, that is somewhat concerning. Perhaps we should go looking for her?”
“No no...we don’t want to stand out,” I replied, and took a gander around the room to survey the perimeter. “You never know who could be watching.”
Luna mimicked the movements of my eyes, much to her own confusion. “Oh come now, Pale. I think you are too ingrained in your occupation to suspect trouble at an event like this.”
“Didn’t Discord nearly nuke the place with a slime monster a few years ago?”
She held back some laughter. “Pfft--okay, maybe there could be--ooh! Does this make us like the other comic book ponies?”
“No….no--”
“Yes! Batstallion and his sidekick Canary! Ooh, Bruce Mane would attend parties just like these in the movies.”
I nodded with a bit of shame since I knew just what movies she spoke of. “Yes...that is--wait…” I thought about it for a second. She could very well be onto something. Events like this always had somepony dirty that you never expected to appear later on. Mr. Mane met Catmare at such a party in the second--wait, why was I using movie logic too?
“Mmm-hmm…” Luna gazed at me with a smug expression, “Come now, there is no shame in admitting that I have the right mentality here.”
“Gah, you are troublesome. But I have to agree. If someone were to start up something, now is the time. With Twilight missing, things are looking a bit strange right about now. And for the record, I preferred the Power Ponies comics when I was younger. Mistress Mare-velous and High Heel were among my favorites.”
Her eyes were starry. “Ooh! Mine too! I suppose that means you prefer dominant mares, hm? And I’m sure Twilight will turn up soon. Until then, why don’t we dine a little bit?”
Yet again, I had no choice in the matter. The moon mare would forcefully pull me around like I truly was her little sidekick brother or something. I didn’t hate it. I just wish she gave me a warning first. Though the comment in reference to my preference of mare irked me ever so slightly.
“Ah! I’ve always wanted to try fried corn, how about you, Pale?”
She was already stacking her plate high with food, but I couldn’t help but think about the possibility of something happening under our noses. “Huh? Oh right, well--actually I haven’t tried that before,” I replied as we sat at a table. It was pretty far away from the dance floor, so at least I didn’t have to listen to music.
Luna would eat, but I would merely nibble at the items she had gathered for me. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing! I’m just a bit concerned…”
Our conversation was interrupted by a familiar green mare. “Yooo, it’s the Pale bro.”
“Oh? Do you know her?”
I nodded at Tree Hugger, “Er, somewhat. Are you having a nice evening, T.H.?”
“For sure. By the by, who’s your new friend?” she asked and eyed up what was clearly Princess Luna in a short dress and glasses. “She looks kinda familiar, but I don’t recognize her.”
Wow. Either she was delirious, or played it off for our sake. Luna responded with a giggle. I didn’t know what to believe. “Er...you could say she’s from another plane of reality entirely. But more importantly, have you seen any weird activity happen here so far?”
“Nothing, man. Though I have been getting some weird vibrations from the plants outside. It’s like they’re afraid, yo…”
Luna adjusted her glasses, “Afraid? Of something outside? I wonder…”
“Thanks for the tip, Tree,” I said with a smile.
She laughed, and returned the smile with her usual mellow gaze. “Doooope. Don’t forget, if you ever wanna join me for some more body painting, my house is open,” she waved and left us alone. I didn’t even see if she had a plus-one.
And Luna was just as confused as I. “What an...interesting mare.”
“That’s one way to put it. But what she said, has my attention. The plants outside are afraid...could there be something going on?”
“Ohoho...are you sure your friend isn’t off her rocker?”
“Nope. In fact, she’s completely on it.” I laughed and finished up the food on my plate. I had to admit, it was nice to have a different array of things to eat for a change. I got up from the table. “Now weren’t you going to give me a tour of the outside anyways?”
Luna followed me with a grin on her face, “Oh? Finally taken an interest in the culture I see.”
“Ugh, just teleport us out there.”
She giggled, and with a flick of her horn, we flashed and were suddenly in the back gardens of Canterlot. Several of the more high class ponies had taken shelter out here to avoid the noise of the inside dance floor.
“Oh my, what’s their problem?” Luna asked with a concerned frown as she looked at the ponies who relaxed in the garden.
“Ah they just want some quiet. Let ‘em be, I say. C’mon. I wanna see what special plants you have out here.” And maybe catch a glimpse of Princess Sparkle.
Luna meanwhile seemed much too eager to engage in the subject. She started to dance in place on her hooves, “Eee! I thought you would never ask. Come on! I’ll show you the new spitter plants we’ve acquired!”
I followed the ecstatic alicorn with a steely gaze. Twilight had to be around here somewhere…
For the time being, I was led to a small patch of bulbous flowering plants in the garden. They were green in color with pink stems. “Are these the--”
“Shh! Not so close. These are extremely dangerous...one wrong move…” she picked up a stick with her hoof and tossed it at the plant. It spat up a corrosive magical pollen that burned the stick to ash. “Aha! See? Aren’t they amazing?”
I stopped in my tracks to watch the strange plant at work. Very interesting indeed. “Well now...you have my attention.” These could certainly be utilized for other types of potions and weapons. Oh the possibilities.
Luna would continue to show me around. I thought it would be pointless to roam about out here, but as it turns out, there was a lot to enjoy in the garden. After a while, we sat in a bed of dandelions under the moonlight. Though, I couldn’t help but wonder about what Tree Hugger mentioned to me. Why would the plants be scared? Hmm…
“...so Vestige, do you have a special somepony?”
Wow. Such a casual way to ask the question. But I suppose it was only fair to answer, given that she had explained some of her past relationship troubles to me. I wouldn’t refuse her question. “Well, no. You could say that I’m married to my occupation. I’ve never had the time to court a mare.”
“Ah. I see.” It seemed like she understood what I had meant, but that teasing dream demon had other ideas. “So instead, you wish to meet as many mares as you can so you have a buffet table’s worth of options at your disposal.”
I reacted with a stammer, and a blush. “I w--hey! I’m just doing my job!”
“I kid, I kid!” she replied while she tried to hold back her laughter. “Hehe. I respect that, though. Not all of us are built for such levels of bonding. So we simply make do with what we have...you know what I mean?”
I nodded. While I did sometimes entertain the idea of settling down one day, I simply never...found the perfect match. It was hard to explain. “Yes...my team, my friends. We’re like a family that can’t be broken. I don’t really need a mare for satisfaction in life.”
“Well, as long as you’re sure of yourself. I can respect an individual with drive. However, if you ever come across somepony you do acquire feelings for, don’t push those feelings down deep.” She looked off to the side. Did she speak from experience, perhaps? “If you do, then you will live an eternity of regret once the opportunity passes. I spent many a Hearts & Hooves day in regret.”
As gloomy as her point was, she was right. Letting anything pass me by would be absolutely detrimental to my progress. Not to mention my mental stability as well. The last thing I wanted would be to go through life wishing for ‘what could have been.’ I couldn’t stand...not knowing things.
“Luna, there might be someone that--”
Before I could finish my sentence, our time was cut short. The purple alicorn herself teleported in front of us. I was so absolutely floored by how massive she was that I could feel my pupils shrink as I stared at her.
“Princess Luna--er, Luna. I need your help.”
She removed her glasses, “What is the matter, Princess Twilight?”
Twilight pointed a wing towards the main building. “There’s something going on inside. I could use your help.” I guess she noticed that I was staring by now, “Uh...is your friend okay?”
“Oh that? Uh, hehe--he’s just...surprised to see the current Princess of Equestria in her full glory.”
“Ahem...hello, Princess,” I felt my focus return. That was rather scary.
Twilight gave an exasperated eye roll. “This is why I prefer to stay in my regular-sized form.” With a flash of magic, her body reverted to a much more comfortable-looking, normally sized mare for someone her age. “Alright. Now if there are no more interruptions or scares, Luna I need your help.”
She rose from her spot, “Whatever it is, I’ll do my best to help. Would you mind excusing me for a while, Mr. Vestige?”
“No problem,” I responded with a nod. If there was a conflict that brewed without our knowledge, it would be best to handle it right away. “I wanna stay out here for a while longer anyways.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon. Now what’s the matter, Twilight?”
The alicorns both left to head back inside.
Now that Luna was gone, I could think more critically about the information I received from Tree Hugger. Just what could she mean by the fact that the plants were...wait.
I felt something. Beneath the earth.
There was something going on. A strange signature of magic that flowed through the ground. The scary part was that it didn’t even feel alive. Though someone like Sombra left behind a limbo signature, this was completely different. “Hmm…”
I stood up, and started to trot through the garden. Everything seemed normal for a moment, until I felt it again. It was powerful, something that I had never dealt with before. There was something wrong here.
“Hugger, if you’re simply off your knob again…” I muttered to myself about what the green mare told me. But to my surprise, she was completely accurate. I stepped into the small hedge maze just behind the castle itself. It took me a while, but I navigated my way to the middle.
Once there, I couldn’t believe my eyes at what I saw in the open area of the maze. “...” I hid behind a hedge and tried to make use of the earpiece that Flash Drive gave me, “Come in. Terminator to Quartermaster...Terminator to--shit!” The magical frequency used to power the device had been disrupted along with everything else in the area!
That’s what I heard someone speak from directly behind me. “Of course a rat like you would stick its nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.101 seconds
Total duration
747 users online
1,044,890 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I will say that its not a surprise that the Gala is being modern but that one part
Is Luna the Equestria of Omi?
10422453
Yup. Changes have been made. Though Luna doesn't fully understand some phrases. XD
Neighsay?
10422458
Jump out here? On the front lines? At his age? No way. XD
I liked the Pale/Luna bonding and the buildup to this new danger. Hopefully everything will turn out alright.
That does not seem safe to put in a public garden.
That was unexpectedly sudden. How nice to see them finally meet!
I'm gonna guess that the E gang stole the trio so Pale can't save Cozy.
Leave it to Pale to stumble into new people in the most sudden and occasionally obnoxious ways possible. Hopefully he will get out of this unschathed.
10422461
I was thinking Discord, but he's under house arrest. Maybe one of the girls? Or Luster? Or maybe Spike?
10422478
Yup. Luna's is really cool to hang around when she's not controlling dreams. And don't worry, the flowers only attack bugs.
Sadly, Twilight had to deal with other business. But he'll get a chance to talk to her soon!
Maybe, maybe not. There's no telling what Pale has stumbled into this time. Stay tuned!
10422481
Would they really call him a rat, though? Spike maybe, but he doesn't know Pale yet lol. Find out on the next chapter!
10422478
My thoughts exactly. Not to mention the possibilities of someone nefarious getting their limbs on it.
I imagined she can transform but only her outworldly appearance, you can't de-age or accelerate it from what I think it's possible.
10954091
Yeah pretty much lol. :P