Thunder and Magic: Season 1

by Rapane443

Episode 14 (Part 1): The Gala is Ours

"Well, it's finally time." Darklo coached to himself, standing in front of a mirror to fully observe his suit. After what seemed like ages, the most important event to ponies had arrived, but the colt couldn't lie and say he wasn't nervous. As he straightened his bowtie and took a present outside, he pondered the kind of ponies that would arrive there.

It'll be a no brainer that the high class will be present along with some significant figures from famous companies... I'll have to stay clear of them, shouldn't be difficult to tell them apart from the nicer folk. Or I hope so.

Eventually, Darklo reached the appropriate destination, a grassy plot of land south of the Boutique where the mane 6 waited. Pinkie was having a fun time jumping on a conveniently placed trampoline, to Rarity's chagrin while the rest watched Twilight scurry through a heavy book. "Sup everypony. Are all the preparations done for the day?"

"Oh hi Darklo. Glad you're here, I think I've got this spell down for us." Twilight stood up from her position cheerfully and tapped applejack on the side. They must have made a plan before he arrived since the Apple mare nodded and pulled an apple from her saddlebag, placing it on the floor in Twilight's range. One stream of magic later and the fresh fruit mutated into a carriage only seen in a fairytale. Everypony oo'ed at the marvel before them while the colt tilted his head in hesitance.

"We really gotta ride something that looks like a carnival ride?" Darklo asked, eyebrow raised as he analysed his sister's creation. "Damn, I really should've asked Spike to make an Ianue sign in Canterlot while he was there."

"And that's not all. Fluttershy, do you have them?"

"Yes, of course." In perfect timing, four mice resurface from Fluttershy's hair and promptly jump from their cosy habitat for Twilight. Though, it was a shock to see what form they would become after the magic settled, as what laid before them was what Darklo believed to be an amalgamation of a horse body and a mice head. It was so strange that everypony scrunched their faces.

"Uh, is that even ethical?"

"Don't worry about it brother, they'll be back to normal by midnight so- hey!" Twilight's attention was quickly shifted when Opal jumped from her hiding spot and pounced on the micey horses, resulting in the creatures jumping in fright and running off with speeds previously impossible in their smaller forms. "Come back!" Twilight called out, but it was for nothing as they were already long gone. She turned back to her friends, head dropped low. "How are we gonna get to the Gala now?"

Rarity swooped her mane in preparation to speak, but Darklo beat her to it, shoulders shrugging in advance. "Eh, I could pull it if y'all want."

"Now hold on there, as much as Ah can appreciate ya wantin' to help, that carriage would need at least two stallions to pull it. None of us want ya to be tired by the time we reach Canterlot so how about another idea?"

"Trust me Applejack, I got this. It's nothing Amplificare could handle."

"Amplificare?" Rainbow Dash questioned, hovering above the colt quizzically. "Now what runic mumbo jumbo is THAT?"

"Hehehe, Dashy you're so silly, it means amplify so it must boost Darklo's physical abilities by who knows!"

"... Uh, Pinkie. How did you know that?"

"Well duh, Amplificare. Amplify. It's in the name Darklo."

"Huh, I guess so." Darklo just nodded with pursed lips. With how many times Pinkie randomly spoke truths on instinct, he half expected the same to happen here, though, perhaps the colt would note to take the pink mare more seriously than before. Meanwhile, Spike walked over to the present that the colt brought with him, eyes fixed on it.

"Hey Darklo, isn't this that present Rarity gave you? Why did you bring it here?" Realising the dragon's intrigue, Darklo smiled expectantly at him.

"I brought it for you buddy. Go on, take a look inside." After being goaded on, Spike sunk his claws into the wrapping until the contents revealed itself.

"Woah! Is this what i think it is?" Spike took out the stuff from the box, showing a fashionable dark suit and a jade tie to everypony, which was the perfect fit for the dragon holding it. While Spike inspected the fabric, Darklo gave a goofy grin, scratching his chin in the process.

"I noticed a while ago that you didn't have an attire prepared for the Gala, so I thought I'd use that favour for you." The colt averted his gaze from the group as a chorus of awe's that followed. "I-It was just a gesture, dammit. I didn't have anything better to ask for anyway."

"Gesture or not, I'm definitely gonna rock the Gala in this fit! Thanks bro."

---

"Seriously, you're all gonna love it in Canterlot." Spike turned his head to the side, checking on the group chatting and laughing in the carriage. Meanwhile, Darklo pushed along the road, pulling the cart thanks to the sign of Amplificare painted on his forehead, listening to Spike intently as he kept his eyes on the Castle ahead. "Rarity, I know you're gonna love the Crown Jewels, not to mention the Princess' garden would be so nice to visit with Fluttershy. Oh and we GOTTA check out my favourite donut shop."

Darklo presumed that the lizard had realised nopony in there was listening, given how his excited ramblings stopped. "Anything you think I'd like, buddy?"

"Oh, well... I think the archives will be open to the public. Though, nopony really goes there on these occasions."

"And what's in it?"

"The big stuff like Equestrian history, ancient texts on magic and all that. I think it'll interest you if you can get past the boring things. Something you wanna take a look at?" Darklo pondered it as he walked, immediately noting it down in his brain. It would be more worth his time than mingling with the nobles like a snobby suck up and nothing would feel better to him than finding a new spell or a fresh piece of knowledge that would be useful.

"You know what? Yeah, I think I'll stop there." The colt responded contently.

"Then we got ourselves a plan. Full speed ahe-"

"Spike, I pull at my OWN pace thank you very much."

"Oh, right hehehe... sorry."

"None taken." And after a few minutes, he stopped at the front gates of the palace. The colt wiped the sign from his head and tossed the pulling equipment aside as he waited for Twilight and her friends to get out, who were more enthusiastic about it than he was. he could tell since they and the bystanders erupted into song about how great the Gala will be.

There must be some sort of cartoon logic to this instinctual singing stuff. I mean, I never sung on improv yet it still happened to me so...

Eventually, the tunes ended and Spike slid in between them, a childish grin on his face. "Yeah! This IS gonna be the best night ever. And you wanna know why? 'Cause we are gonna spend this time at the Gala togeth-"

"Spike, sorry to burst your bubble but they already skidaddled."

"What?" Spike checked his surroundings and confirmed the colts statement. "Of course..." The dragon rested his chin on his palm before Darklo went up and patted him on the back.

"Well, no time like the present. Wanna help me find the archives? We can do some other stuff along the way."

"Sure! Better than walking through alone." Spike promptly climbed onto the colts back which made him snicker as he walked into the entrance.

"You sure love using me as a mode of transportation bud."

"What can I say? It's comfy and just my size. Like a chair."

"Oho, I guess it makes sense. I'm quite the 'chairful' colt after all." The unexpected comment must have caught Spike off guard as Darklo could hear a clear chuckle behind him, making him deadpan for a second. I wasn't trying to be funny...

Eventually, the colt escorted them through the halls and into the main event. What greeted them was a ballroom filled with fancy ponies. Luckily enough, very few of them had that annoying look of superiority that Darklo was expecting as many were only conversing warmly with anypony passing by. The colt strafed through them all with expert precision, passing the professional orchestra that caught Spikes attention and the dance floor where a few couples were mingling.

Oh my, is that a foal? Who brought their kid here?"

"Ah, I believe that is Miss Sparkle's adoptive brother. Her pet is on his back like a lazy cat after all."

"Oh right, should we say hello? That magic he knows might be useful for our company, and if we could gain favour with the elements that defeated Nightmare Moon, who knows the sales we could get!"

"Please keep your mouth shut dear, he-"

"Can hear you? Yeah, but I'll decline. Have a lovely evening." Darklo gave a plastered smile and fled the area, Spike gifting the couple an extended tongue until they were out of view, arriving to the end of the room where the glorified statue of Celestia stood.

But once again, there seemed to be something important missing.

"Where is Luna's statue? Wouldn't she have gotten one commissioned for the event?"

"If I had to guess, she's probably not participating in the event to begin with." A light grimace formed on his lips as he twisted his head to partially meet his brothers gaze.

"But why? Surely it would be best for her to use this social event to convince the ponies of her reform. Why pass up this chance, is she shy or something?" The seriousness of his voice seemed to shock Spike, and he himself felt the same. Why am I so peeved about this? Luna is literally a princess, she can do what she wants. Yet... Darklo pondered it even further, recalling the absurdly long line the visitors made just to greet Celestia and the idle chatting of the ponies discrediting the moon princess' name. She shouldn't let them neglect her like that...

"Ah, if it isn't Spike, I thought you'd be with Twilight at the entrance. And is that little Darklo with you, I'm glad we could meet again." Ears flicking at the familiar voice, he turned around to see Mayor Mare wearing a crimson suit and a professional smile.

"Oh Miss Mare! It's a pleasure to see you here. Having fun at the party?"

"Oh shucks dear, you don't need to add on anything special. Just Mare will do, though I should've guessed that you'd share your parents respectful nature."

"Well, respect is the doorway to the soul for a reason." The colt felt the weight on his shoulders vanish, which indicated that his passenger had left, so he flicked his eyes to the side where he caught the dragon climbing onto the pantry. Now that he's out of the picture, I guess it would be a good chance to gain some insight about my parents. She's the Mayor after all so she's gotta know something I don't.

"Say... I know this sounds sudden, but how well did you know my dad?"

"Why, we were pretty close! He came to visit me from time to time for advise. Still, I do wish he told me about your previous situation sooner. That numbskull..." For the first time in Darklos perspective, the Mayor had a hint of frustration showing from her quaking lips. "I suppose that little amnesia problem still hasn't gone away eh?"

"... huh?" Darklos body went under a factory reset, flinching so hard that it looked like the poor thing was vibrating for a millisecond. "Uhm, how do you know about that?"

"He didn't tell you? Oh, I guess he didn't have the time since- never mind! Your father told me about it a while ago and don't worry, I no longer feel it to be necessary that you take a therapist. You seem to be doing fine since your stay and I believe that after all that transpired, you'd rather want to start anew. Right?" Darklo knew that Mare was just being considerate, but with the way she knowingly glared at him, as if she was looking through him. It felt wrong.

Does she know? Drats, of course the amnesia plot wouldn't have worked for long! But wait, perhaps I'm thinking too far head, or maybe she just doesn't care?... Well, she's giving me an out, might as well take it. "Right. But still, I think I should have a right to know them." Darklo closed his eyes, attempting to pay no mind to any wandering gaze. "I mean, when I saw an old photo of us, I couldn't help but be ashamed. That one image is all I can remember of my mother and my dad... I'll never learn more from him."

"Hey it's nothing to be ashamed of, little one." Mayor Mare soothed, putting a hoof on his shoulder for comfort. "Everypony has there problems, but it takes a very great pony to look past them. And if the ramblings of an old mare can help you out with that, then I'm happy to help."

"Old?" The colts vigour returned immediately with a smirk in tow. "That grey mane ain't fooling me, you don't look a day over 30!"

The comment almost took her by surprise for some reason, but she recovered immediately with a chuckle. "My, my. You certainly have your fathers charm. Though, I don't see how else he reeled in your mother."

Darklos horn flared up and hovered a glass of punch and orange juice before sharing it between them. "Speaking of my mother, what can you tell me about her."

"Well, Raindrop never came through Ponyville as frequently as your father, but I recall that she was a very stoic mare when she worked around here, though you should've seen how quick she flips when Heatwave was in her presence. The dear graduated from Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorn with a degree in Magical Artefacts and travelled Equestria to test them."

"That's a job?"

"Why of course. There needs to be ponies that can safely test anomalous creations, or else we could have some horrid consequences. In fact, I believe the two worked together in their jobs, your mother tested them and then your father sold them at a reasonable price. They made good headway with it, made some interesting discoveries here and there, they even had a particularly expensive crimson amulet for sale. I would've loved to have it but some backdoor merchant got there first. So sad that things went downhill after what happened to her..."

"What DID happen to her?" The tesnion in his voice became more prevalent.

"That's the thing dear, I don't know. She just up and left with no explanation or reason. It really did a number on the poor stallion, though his co-workers kept him afloat... oh sweet Celestia, if he only told me about his situation sooner-"

"Hey, it's alright Mare. In the end, all of us want to take the blame so we shouldn't beat ourselves up over it. I'm happy now, you're still doing fine and I bet his friends are trying to move on. He'd want us to keep living our best lives...it's what he wanted for me after all..."

"I... I see. I'm just glad you're recovering little one. I'm sure Celestia made the right choice letting you stay with Twilight."

"Yeah, that I'm sure." The air felt uncharacteristically bubbly and the colt felt a different kind of weight lifted off his shoulders. They may not be his first parents, but just knowing more about them and their relations with others made him feel more fulfilled than when he entered the world. Yet, something felt off and it wasn't him this time.

"Oooooo I can't believe I'm finally here! I'm at the Grand Galloping Gala, I'm at the Galloping Gala~" And finally, the pink mare arrived at the party and began bouncing around the ballroom in a sing song manner, blatantly annoying the noble ponies as she continued. As for Spike, he caught on immediately and attempted to catch her before something happened.

"Huh, Pinkie DID say she wanted to make the ultimate party at the Gala." Darklo averted his gaze to the doorway, where a pair of guards were stationed. "Sadly, I'd rather not stick around for the train wreck she's gonna cause the nobles."

"Fair enough. I'll stay around and keep her out of trouble the best I can. Hope you have fun tonight little one!" So with a quick wave towards the humble Mayor, the colt zoomed towards the closest guards near him. 2 snow white stallion with a blue mane and golden armour, though every guard he met had the same look so it wasn't necessarily special. However, their personalities definitely made them more memorable.

"Excuse me sir."

"Huh? What the hay do you want brat, can't you see we are on duty?"

"Stoneheart, please have some restraint. You're talking to a colt here! What do you need kiddo?"

"Uh, can I have some directions to the castle archives?"

"... Did I hear that correctly Luster?" The brooding guard apparently named Stoneheart gave his colleague a nudge on the rib. "Somepony ACTUALLY wants to visit that musty old place. You don't think the brat could be a spy or something?"

"Come on Stoneheart, not every creature you meet outside of royal uniform is a criminal in the making."

"Doesn't hurt to play it safe." The two of them continued to bicker with each other like siblings until the colt slammed his hoof into the flooring.

"Sorry kiddo! We got a little carried away." Luster tapped his helmet while smirking awkwardly.

"'We?'"

"Oh can it! Anyways, it's at the very end of the hall behind us. You should find a spiral staircase. Go up to the top floor and you should find a door with a silver platelet on it. Can't miss it."

"Thanks sir." Darklo gave him a thankful smile, being sure to pay no mind to the grumpy guard staring daggers at him. "Though, if your friend wants to do something fun, he should take a look at the chaos right in front of him." The colt pointed behind him at the resident Pinkie Pie performing a combination of instruments to all the ponies dismay while Spike and Mayor Mare tripped over the confetti and confections trying to catch up to her.

"OH WHAT THE HELL!" Stoneheart grunted, bolting towards the scene.

"Oh no... I better stop the dumb mare. Have a nice time kiddo!" And so the friendly one bolted to the scene, prompting Darklo to close the doors behind him, silencing the chaos within, and walking down the hallway.

"Well, lets hope I can find something useful there before dawn. Shouldn't take too long."

"..."

Wait a minute, that guard was a girl?!

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait. I lazed about but I hope to wrap this up before the week!

Anyway, Lux is learning a bit more about Darkloud's past and got to meet some guards! I don't know if I'll bring them back though. Probably will if guards are needed in an episode.

Thank you for reading so far, the last episode wont dissapoint!

Comments

[Spy986089]

Wait a minute, that guard was a girl?!

Which guard

[Rapane443]

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Stoneheart