The Gala's Night

by Bronie312

Early Afternoon - Duties.

Silence.

No sound was heard all the way down the short and lonely corridor; the tranquility definitely had an overwhelming presence and there was nothing trying to disturb it. Not even the guards, being present, made any noise; perhaps, for them, it was too comfortable to feel peace like this one, which they rarely had at this time.

Neither of them moved, they were just there, standing, looking at nothing while they carried out their duty of guarding that particular and reassuring corridor; however, in an instant, that peace was interrupted by the remote, but also constant noise of footsteps emerging from the other side.

Both guards glanced towards the end of the corridor, searching for the source of the noise that had, somehow, acquired their attention; seconds passed, during which, the noise increased, not too much, but enough to be identified as human steps instead of equine’s.

It was then that the guards realized that it was Prince Alfred, although he could not be seen anywhere, it was attributed to that he was still walking down the other corridor, which connected with the one in which they were; therefore, both guards awaited.

However, and surprisingly, everything stopped. Silence reappeared immediately, once again dominating the same environment that, for moments, seemed to have life. Confusion appeared and the curiosity in both guards made them look at each other for a moment before a voice spoke…

“Boring morning, should I guess?” Asked the voice with a joking tone.

A few more steps were made present, at the same time, they saw how the Prince's figure appeared and turned to see them with a smile; immediately, both guards bowed before him and said in unison…

“Your majesty.”

Almost immediately, both guards returned to their initial position, taking the typical vigilant posture of the royal guards; Alfred walked towards them, taking one step after another while looking at both equines with a kind, sincere smile, which was rarely reflected on him…

“Good afternoon, your highness,” Greeted one of the guards. “heading to the ballroom, I assume?”

“Yes, Hanzal,” Alfred replied, then looked at the pegasus and asked. “Slept well?”

“Affirmative, sir.” The private answered. “Thank you.”

His gratitude made a brief memory flash through Alfred's mind, causing him to chuckle as he remembered that specific moment; then, and after a couple of seconds, he commented…

“Well,” He said. “It’s the least I could do for the one who… saved my life.”

“I assure you, your majesty. It was nothing.” The guard replied. “It’s my duty after all, sir.”

“I know,” Alfred responded. “but, if it wouldn’t be for you, Chrysalis would have gotten rid of me.”

Melancholy was reflected on his face. Alfred, every time he saw that same pegasus, remembered the very moment of that occasion, in which, during the Changeling invasion of Canterlot, that brave stallion stood between Alfred and almost certain death, risking his life for him.

The human sighed while looking at the pegasus, right on the eyes. Then, for no apparent reason, he approached the guard; consequently, Alfred knelt before him and extended his hand, in a clear sign of wanting to give him a hand/hoofshake.

The private, clearly surprised and with great confusion inside, took a while to accept the gesture, extending his hoof and giving a hand/hoofshake that he never thought he would be witnessing…

"Saving my life cost you a whole month in the hospital, a coma from which you barely survived... and the loss of your wing." Alfred said as his eyes looked at the stallion's crippled wing.

“You owe me nothing, your highness.” Hanzal commented while stopping shaking the Prince’s hand, but the human still had something to say…

“Wrong.” Alfred corrected. “I owe you my life.”

Once again, Hazal stood there, looking at Alfred with a shocked expression on his face while processing each and every word he had told him; meanwhile, a small, but a visible smile appeared on Alfred’s face as he got up, still looking at the stallion…

“We’ll talk later about your award, Private Hanzal.” He said, then walked towards the door; though, he didn’t open it, not yet…

“Have a good day,” Alfred spoke, posteriorly, glanced at both guards. “both of you.”

“Thank you, sir.” The other guard responded.

However, in Hanzal's case, the pegasus was silent, still staring off into nowhere with a shocked expression on his face; Alfred didn’t if to smile at the irony or feel worried about him, but instantly remembered that everycreature reacts like this after shocking news.

In the end, and after being silent for quite a while, the Prince finally opened the door. Then, took a few steps forward before stopping; immediately after, he looked back at the private and smiled slightly before closing the door…

---

The ballroom. It always had a charm that no living being could ignore during their first visit, always, there's been something that made it stand out from the other places of Canterlot Castle, besides the throne room, and that something was its importance and beauty. The interior design was perfect, large enough to host meetings or parties, but also small enough to not host thousands of guests.

While the considerable space offered by this place allows great freedom to the organizers of the important events carried out; the stairs, reserved for the guards and members of the royalty, impressed many guests with the great detail of these. At the same time, on the other side, the majestic windows left anypony who saw them, for the first time, speechless; single-color portraits of iconic Equestrian landscapes and the art depicted in them were the subject of admiration by many artists across the land.

Finally, the small size of the area allowed for musicians was the very place where the professional debuts of great artists and geniuses of entertainment took place; incredible performances, musical numbers, and plays were held there, some of them even becoming very popular, bringing instant successes to those who managed to surprise the monarchs themselves and members of the upper class.

An iconic place, with no doubts…

“Your majesty,” Greeted a voice. “such an honor to have you here, sir.”

Alfred, who was admiring the place, turned to look at the source of that voice, only to find the surprising presence of an acquaintance he hadn't seen in months…

“Commander Sentry,” The Prince replied. “didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Likewise, your highness.” Flash agreed…

“May I know the reason for you being here, Commander?” Alfred asked, to which the stallion responded…

“Prince Armor sent me here,” He said while taking out a letter from a bag he brought with him and handed it to the human. “he thought some help was needed here, your majesty.” Flash explained.

Alfred opened the letter and immediately read it, written by Shining Armor indeed, since the calligraphy and orthography were quite terrible; in it, what was said by Commander Sentry was corroborated, so Alfred allowed Flash to stay and help…

“Alright then, Commander.” The Prince commented. “You may stay.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” Replied the stallion, then looked up at him and asked. “Is there anything I can do for you, sir?”

“Actually,” Alfred responded, though he stopped for a few seconds, thinking about his answer carefully before giving it…

“there it is something.” He said, then looked at him. “Is chef Crème Brûlée here?”

Flash stood silent for a second while thinking of the answer; fortunately, it didn’t take much for him to respond…

“I... think so, your highness.” He said. “Though, right now, I have no idea of where she is.” He commented…

“If it is possible for me to go and search for her, I wouldn't hesitate in doing so, sir.” Flash immediately explained as his eyes looked back at Prince Alfred, who immediately nodded in response and replied…

“Very well, Commander.” He said as a smile of gratitude appeared on his face. “You have my permission.”

---

His eyes fixed on those majestic windows; it's been a long time since he'd seen them and admired the art impregnated. Alfred witnessed when they were placed, although that memory was blurry enough to not be able to remember it clearly. However, it wasn't necessary at all to remember, just seeing them one more time satisfied him.

Once again, a smile appeared on his face; finally, expressing himself to Celestia and both guards who he trusted the most worked. He was already able to not focus so much on the past, but rather on the present and future…

“Enjoying the decorations, I assume?” Asked a voice.

Alfred took a few seconds to answer…

“Kinda,” He said, then turned his head towards the voice’s source. “you?”

“Well, I-” The pony interrupted herself, then took a deep breath and continued…

“A-Apologies, your majesty.” She commented while bowing before him, then got up and said…

“I’m… nervous.”

He chuckled. “I know the feeling.”

“I-I… I still can’t believe you, the Princesses and the entire Canterlot’s nobility selected me as the official organizer for the gala!” The pony exclaimed, though she cleared her throat…

“It is a-... I’m very honored to be here, your highness.”

“Glad to know it, Mrs. Star.” Alfred smiled…

She nodded in reply. “Thank you, your highness… However, you may call me Amethyst, sir.”

“And you may call me Alfred,” The human replied with a smile. “there’s no need for formality.”

Then, after a few seconds of silence between the two of them, the Prince began to look all over the place, running his eyes over those previously mentioned decorations; he enjoyed witnessing optimal organization and maximum beauty throughout the ballroom. He always witnessed beauty in his life, but when it came to decorations, he had to admit that he was impressed to see such wonderful ones.

Pleased. That’s the word he was looking for...

“Lovely.” He declared as his eyes returned to look at Amethyst, who was slightly blushing at the compliment…

“Very lovely,” Alfred assured. “Congratulations, Amethyst. You’ve achieved to impress me.”

“Thank you, your majesty.” Amethyst thanked him. “It means a lot to me.”

After chatting for a couple more minutes, both Amethyst and Alfred had to say goodbye to each other; while the pony bowed before him, the Prince preferred to nod towards her to say goodbye politely. Then, when Amethyst stepped away, another pair of ponies approached Alfred; these were Flash Sentry and chef Crème Brûlée, both of them jogging towards him, so it didn't take them long to reach him…

“Found her, your majesty.” Commander Sentry commented…

“Where was she?” Alfred asked, to which Brûlée chuckled.

“I was in the kitchen.” She said. “The poor one was lost and another guard had to guide him to where I was; then, after he informed me about everything, I guided him back here-” Another laugh came out from her mouth, which also made Alfred laugh since he’d been repelling the laugh for too much and finally gave up…

“Your majesty, not you too!” Flash begged…

Alfred laughed for a few more seconds before stopping and catching his breath; a big smile formed on his face from the suppressed and subsequently released laughter. Even a tear, from laughing so hard until running out of oxygen, came out of his right eye; the Prince didn't notice it at first, but as he did so, he immediately took it off and apologized…

“I-... I’m terribly sorry, Commander.” He said, though another chuckle escaped, making it difficult for him to continue apologizing…

At the same time, Brûlée’s laugh didn’t stop yet; however, she had a reputation to maintain. In no time, her laughter stopped abruptly as she cleaned the tears that had escaped from her eyes. She cleared her throat and commented…

“Anyway, sir.” She changed the topic. “Didn’t you require my assistance?”

"You're right." He replied. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Of course, your majesty," Brûlée replied. "What do you need me to do?"

Alfred nodded and took out an object from one of his pockets, it was a sheet of paper folded several times; he gave it to Brûlée and she levitated it with her magic, then opened it and read its content...

"Is this... a recipe?" The chef asked...

"Yes, it is." The Prince replied, to which Brûlée looked at the sheet, reread it, and asked...

"And what do you want me to do with-?"

"Mom's recipe." He interrupted...

Brûlée - stunned - stared at the Prince, who now has a totally different expression than a few seconds ago; surprisingly, there was no happiness or sadness on his face, but a feeling of longing very well expressed on his face. Alfred looked straight into her eyes amid a deep, emotional silence; there was nothing to be said for the chef to understand exactly his request, she nodded and said…

“It will be done, your majesty.”

“Thank you.” Alfred replied with a small, grateful smile and nodded…

---

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note:

Finally, after a long time... here it is... the 1st part of the 2nd chapter. I hope you've enjoyed it.

Comments

[Bronycommander]

Strange, got a notification for the next chapter but not this.

Still, nice to see Hanzal here! Still private? Should have got a promotion or medal for this. Yet, you wrote Hazal at one point