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Morning - 1st Part: The Talk.1,932 words
Morning - 2nd Part: Reflections.2,541 words
Morning - 3rd Part: The Invitation.1,372 words
Early Afternoon - Duties.2,159 words
Mid Afternoon - Letters and Apologies.2,043 words
Late Afternoon - Preparations.1,040 words
Early Evening - Welcome to the Gala.2,037 words
Mid Evening: Part 1 - Joy at The Gala.1,891 words
Mid Evening: Part 2 - A Night to Reflect.1,568 words
Late Evening - Last Dedication.1,780 words
Midnight - A Hug of Friendship.798 words

Late Afternoon - Preparations.

Author's Note:

The whole chapter - divided into 3 parts - is ready in only 2 days?! Wow, I did not see this coming!

Tea time had just passed. Both Alfred and Celestia decided to spend some time together, chatting and remembering some happy moments, in an attempt to put those bad ones behind - even if it was - for a few minutes. Celestia made jokes about how the citizens related her so much to tea and Alfred to hot chocolate, even, they both knew that Luna has always been related to coffee, this being - in fact - her favorite drink.

Unfortunately - for both of them -, there came a point where they were forced to go back and carry out their duties; also, in Celestia's case, inspect the final preparations for the gala. Meanwhile, Alfred still had to choose a suit for the gala, he did not want to attend it in his common clothing.

The alicorn and the human got up from their chairs and said goodbye with a warm hug; then, at the same time that Celestia was heading to the ballroom, Alfred took the route to his room. Halfway there, he bumped into the royal secretary, Raven, who greeted him…

"Your Majesty," she said. "Haven't seen you for days. How's your day been?"

"Quite strange at the beginning," he admitted. "However, I wouldn't say it was bad."

Raven smiled. “Glad to hear it, sir.” Then, she took an envelope and gave it to Alfred, who took it and asked…

“Is it for me?”

Raven nodded. "Yes, your majesty." She said, then added...

"It's from Derpy, the mail mare."

“Really?” He raised an eyebrow, then looked at the envelope and chuckled…

“Guess she’s faster than I thought.”

“Indeed,” The pony replied. “despite her… vision issue, she’s pretty good at her job.”

Alfred chuckled again. “Can’t deny it.” Then, he opened the envelope, took out the folded letter and read it…

---

Dear Prince Alfred;

I hope this letter will reach you before the gala. I'm excited to tell you everything, but I must be brief; Dr. Whooves - who happens to be a great friend of mine -, after receiving the letter, offered me almost instantly to be his companion for the gala, to which I agreed without thinking twice.

I look forward to talking with you a bit more at the gala, although I don't want to be a distraction; have a very good afternoon.

Sincerely, Derpy Hooves.

---

“Who would have guessed?” He murmured…

“Excuse me, your majesty?” Raven asked, to which Alfred looked at her and replied…

“Derpy has a companion for the gala.”

Raven was impressed by his response; those words were the ones she least expected to come out from his mouth, yet they did. And, with great curiosity, she asked again...

"Really?" She said. "Wow... That's- *Ahem* ...quite unexpected, to be honest."

“I know,” Alfred responded, though he chuckled. “but… that’s life. Am I right?”

She nodded in response and turned back to leave; nevertheless, the Prince commented…

“Although, I believe this will end up very well for both the Doctor and Derpy.” He smiled while looking at the ground.

Raven turned around and gazed at him, then spoke…

“Wait, did you say the Doctor?” She asked. “You mean, Dr. Whooves?”

“Yes.” He answered immediately and looked up at her. “I’ve met both of them, but I never thought they could be friends… Or, maybe, even more than friends.” He chuckled once more and commented…

“How surprising life can be, isn’t it?” He asked…

“Agreed,” Raven replied. “though, it’s quite sad to know that she only has a few friends.”

“Aren’t you considering me?” Alfred asked with a joking tone of voice; Raven, surprised at hearing that phrase, questioned…

“Does she consider you a friend?”

Alfred turned at a window, looking at it, he answered…

“I’m not sure,” The Prince said. “maybe… but I do consider her a friend of mine.”

He turned to look towards where Raven was, who was still looking at him somewhat surprised; however, her expression of surprise was gradually replaced by one of happiness…

“I’m glad you’ve finally taken a step forward, your majesty.” She commented with a grateful smile on her face.

Raven, being one of the few to know about the past of Equestria's rulers, was aware of the emotional state that Alfred had because of everything that happened; she always thought that he should step up and let go of the past or - at the very least - realize that it was not worth having remorse for things that can no longer be fixed. Now, seeing so much joy and happiness reflected on her face, she was happy to know that - at least - she was taking the first step on the right path…

“Thank you, Raven.” Alfred thanked her for those words. He needed to hear the opinion of some creature other than Celestia and, although he had already heard it from Corporal Hook, he required to hear it coming from somepony else…

The sound of the door closing took possession of the silent room's atmosphere; a few steps began to make an appearance all over the place, although these were quite calm and peaceful. The human walked towards a closet with his gaze on it; when he arrived, he opened it and examined its interior, looking for a suit that might be perfect for the special occasion of the evening that was approaching.

His gaze runs through each suit, each pant, each jacket that were inside, discarding some and taking others into account until he can properly organize the way he would be dressed for the gala; then - miraculously -, his eyes fell on a suit. It wasn't too fancy, but it wouldn't look wasteful for the occasion either; so - after examining it carefully - he grabbed it and closed the closet in front of him.

However, he laid it on the bed. About to change of clothes, he noticed something; the suit was somewhat worn and you could perfectly see a hole in the jacket - quite notorious -. Then, after thinking it over, he went to his desk and searched among the drawers for tools that could be used to fix the suit; after a few minutes searching, he finally found a roll of thread and a needle for sewing. He looked at both objects and then said…

“I can make this work.”

TO BE CONTINUED...

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