Chapter 32: What Kind of Night Is This?
Chapter 32: What Kind of Night Is This?
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Azure was in a spot he expected to be, a lot earlier than he thought he would be. He was on a train bound for Canterlot. Ponyville seemed to have quieted down considerably due to the fact the Grand Galloping Gala was going to be happening that very day. The pony pictured himself riding in the train anyway, but he had at least two very good reasons for it.
One, he wanted to be surprised by how the girls, particularly Twilight, looked for the occasion. He himself had already gotten his own formal wear for the event, and was going home to see if he could straighten out his spikes at least a little.
Two, well, he had one other, incredibly good reason that trumped the other one by far.
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Azure was semi-preparing for his train ride to Canterlot. He was still somewhat debating going on ahead of the rest of the group. He had packed away his suit, making sure to take his ticket with him, and was pacing around, trying to decide if he should wait for the others, or go on ahead like he had intended to when he first got the Gala tickets.
Granted, things were different since then; Twilight was now closer to him than any of the others, and he did know it was more commonplace for couples to go together, and dance if applicable. Tonight was certainly going to be interesting; Azure couldn't deny that, but he wasn't sure if going on ahead would be the right move now.
He was called out of his thoughts, however, by a knock at the door. He answered it, and to his surprise he found Twilight (and a very amused-looking Spike) on the other end.
"Twilight? Spike?" Azure asked, "Why'd you come here?"
"Well, we're getting ready for the Gala, and I wanted to know if you'd be comfortable coming with us to the Boutique to wait or not..." Twilight responded, "I really don't think you're a patient colt when it comes to waiting."
Azure blinked, "You're getting ready for the Gala, already? Isn't it a bit early?"
"Yeah, well, I've got to make some preparations of my own to get us there. I've been looking into spells for that kind of purpose." Twilight explained. "And, well..." She sighed, "You know Rarity....she's the one getting us ready for everything."
Azure immediately opened his eyes, "Wait, so Rarity's the one getting you all ready?"
"Of course she is!" Spike barked, sounding indignant that Azure hadn't immediately figured that out.
Silence reigned.
"Yeah...if that's the case, I think I'd better go on ahead. Besides..." Azure said, looking to Twilight, "I want to see how you look for the Gala at the Gala..."
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"Kinda wish Spike wouldn't be so offensive about it..." Azure said to himself, "I wonder what's up with him today? He's usually not so...acidic, when it comes to Twilight and me..."
Azure sighed, really wondering how the whole thing was going to go down. "I wish I could know more about what's going to happen tonight. However, guess I'd better take some time, visit my parents, and see what else I can do before the Gala starts."
Eventually, the train arrived in Canterlot, and Azure stepped out, levitating his baggage with him as he stepped out. He had an idea of where he needed to stop at first.
"Alright, so I guess I should check in with my parents first..." the colt mumbled to himself. "Before I do anything else..."
With that, Azure Courage began to do one of the hardest things he would ever have to do...in terms of social events anyway, second only to resolving the triangular mess he had been in all winter. He began to head back towards his old, foalhood home, wondering what his parents would have to say to him.
I...don't plan to tell them about Twilight yet... Abruptly, he recalled he'd just met Shining Armor, his cousins' captain...and Twilight's older brother, Though I can't say the same about Twilight if Shining managed to find time to tell her parents about me!
After much walking around, Azure Courage finally made it to the front door of his parents' home. A million things were going through his mind as to what would happen as soon as he knocked on the door. He raised his hoof, and knocked on the door three times. He took a step back, ready for anything, including his own mother. The door flew open-had Azure been standing in front of it, he'd have been sent flying like a playground ball. Azure spotted who was coming for him, and before he could even command himself to start running, his mom was practically in his face.
"My little Azie has come home!" she chirped, practically gushing with emotion. "Give mama a kiss!"
Before Azure could do anything, his mother was taking a kiss from him, kissing him on the cheek. It wasn't that he now had a marefriend--it was embarrassing enough without that tidbit added on.
Celestia...awaiting banishment... thought Azure to himself, glad nopony else saw that happening or cared enough to look.
"Come on in, Azie, it's nice to see you again? How long's it been, a year?"
"Just about..."
Azure followed his mother inside, hoping to just blow past why he was back in town for the day. Unfortunately, one awkward problem often gave way into another. As soon as Azure saw who else aside from his father was home, his eyes opened nice and wide.
"Hey, Azure," Silver said, as casually as though he wasn't waiting for Azure to come in. Judging from the amusement Azure could see plastered on his features, he knew that his blind friend had heard all that had just happened at the door.
"What are you doing here?" Azure asked, forgoing the obvious question and suppressing the urge to deck the blind pony for his unexpected intrusion. Mother's love had always been an embarrassing subject since she still insisted on treating him like a foal, after all.
"Figured you'd stop by here first," Silver responding, moving right past the awkwardness that accompanied the situation, "Thought I could go with you and the girls." Azure flinched a little, remembering his parents were very much in the room, but at least they knew who he was talking about. "Where are they anyway? Didn't they come with you?"
"Well--" Azure couldn't even formulate his answer before his parents interjected, starting with his father.
"Girls, with an 'S'?" his father asked, while his mother didn't say much, her eyes sparkling at the mere thought of it.
"You mean the ones from his letters, Silver?"
"I've...met them, yes..." Silver responded.
"It's not like that," Azure half-lied, "I told you, they all happened to be mares when I showed up in Ponyville. They're all just my friends..."
He was pretty sure his mother wasn't listening at all; the thought of her little pony having a significant other was too much for her.
"Azure..." Silver said, "they don't know you're dating Twilight?"
Azure suppressed the immediate urge to skewer his blind friend on his horn for even thinking it was a good idea to mention it at that moment, and worse still, on the day of the Gala. Meanwhile, the memory of his letters sparked in his parents' minds; his mother was the first to speak up.
"The Princess's student!?" Azure's mother practically squealed in delighted disbelief. It was the only way to describe her emotional state upon hearing that.
"Silver...you're killing me today..." Azure grumbled, having had no intention of telling his parents that information yet. Now he had no choice.
"Aiming for the best..." Azure's father winked at his mother, making Azure second-guess himself on the idea of having a marefriend to begin with and making Silver feel very uncomfortable from his own magical "image" of the event, "Just like your dad..."
"Oh, dear, maybe it's time you had 'the talk' with him..." Azure's mother suggested. As his parents briefly talked about the whole event, Azure could focus all of his anger at the situation at Silver himself, who seemed to feel the hate that Azure was giving off.
"Maybe there's a reason I never told them?" Azure asked, "Because we both knew they'd do this?"
He didn't care if his parents heard him; in fact, they didn't even seem to notice.
"Azure, I didn't kn--" Silver started, trying to apologize.
"Oh, manure, Silver, you didn't know..." Azure sighed, having thought Silver would have at least had some idea of how his parents acted whenever he reached a milestone. "Well, I'm going to be getting 'the talk' now, whatever that is. Maybe you should go do the same. It'll pass the time..."
"Azure, Azure, calm down--" Silver tried to reason with him.
"And to answer your first question, they're getting ready for the Gala already..." Azure refocused, getting back to Silver's initial question before his parents began their expected barrage of reunion banter.
"Rarity?" Silver asked, already knowing the obvious.
"Rarity," Azure nodded, feeling tired even though he hadn't even done anything active today.
"So...um...I guess I'll just..." Silver began shuffling towards the door, "start getting ready for the Gala too...And maybe I will get 'the talk' while I'm at it..."
With that, the two friends went their separate ways, and Azure turned to his parents, fully ready for whatever they might tell him...
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"I never want to hear that again as long as I live..."
Azure moaned this to himself when he finished getting "the talk", and he continued to repeat this whenever the words from his parents echoed in his mind. He didn't even want to remember it, since his cheeks flushed vividly whenever parts of "the talk" entered his mind. The fact his tongue was inside Twilight's mouth already hadn't made it any easier on him. Hours had passed, and the Grand Galloping Gala was pretty much starting now. Ponies seemed to be entering, but Azure opted to wait for the others first.
Azure's spiky mane and tail had been somewhat tamed for the occasion. He had also temporarily taken off his headband for the same reason, using it as an ascot. Apparently, Rarity hadn't seen the need to make a tie a part of the suit. The suit itself complemented his coat color extremely well, being a gentle red hue; not at all traditionally colored. At least, to what Azure understood. The undershirt was still a white color, but the suit itself also was trimmed with a very light gray. His hooves had been covered for the occasion as well.
I have never felt more comfortable in formal wear... thought Azure to himself.
"Hey there!"
Azure turned his head and saw Silver walking up to him as though he hadn't just sent Azure straight into the most mindnumbingly scarring event he ever shared with his father. Silver too had dressed up for the occasion, but his was a more traditional white tux (just like his mane). All Azure could do was glare, since because of Silver, Azure had to suffer through "the talk". All because Silver couldn't keep his mouth shut.
"Okay, Azure, I know you're still angry, so I want you to know I made amends..." Silver responded as soon as he felt Azure's wrath quietly boiling.
"How?" Azure asked, raising a brow.
"Had my own dad give me 'the talk'," Silver shivered, "I've never heard a metaphor like that before..."
Azure sighed, figuring that Silver's lack of sight somehow made it worse on him. Maybe it made it better, since at least he didn't have to deal with his own father's body language...
"Okay, we're even," Azure decided, poking Silver on the chest. "Just don't bring up anything between Twilight and me to my parents again, until I say it's alright."
"Fair enough..." Silver said. "On the subject, you think she might have you meet her parents while you're here?"
Azure physically froze. He could barely imagine how well Twilight meeting his own parents would go, and he had some ideas of how his own meeting with Twilight's parents would go. Neither case would end very well for either of them, he feared.
"Uh..." Azure needed a distraction, almost as soon as possible. Thankfully, that need soon vanished when he spotted what looked like a giant apple with windows coming towards the area. "Oh, look, they're coming now!" He could clearly see Spike riding on the chariot, being pulled by two colts he'd seen around town. Inside, he could see the silhouettes of the girls dressed up, and immediately, nervousness set in. He had no idea what Twilight would look like once she stepped out, and he had no idea how he would look to her.
"How's my mane?" The question was the first thing Azure could think to say, forgetting exactly who was standing next to him.
"Really, are you that nervous?" Silver wondered aloud, probably questioning the situation internally as Azure remembered Silver's blindness. Before he could push the point further, the chariot came to a stop. Now that the group was close enough, Azure could clearly see even the ponies pulling the cart had their own suits to wear. Spike himself wore a fitting black tux with a red bowtie, making him wonder if he'd had that since before moving to Ponyville or if Rarity had made that one for him too. He noticed them, but didn't pause for a moment to actually greet them; instead, he waved at the two, before motioning them to come closer.
"Silver, Spike wants us to come meet them," Azure said. "By the way, an apple is a fashionable carriage these days..."
"What?" Silver asked, honestly sounding somewhere between confused and shocked, "Sometimes I really wish I had my eyes..."
With that, the two colts quickly made their way over to the carriage, Spike already at the door and opening it for them. After that, he shuffled back.
"Presenting..." Spike said, with a very announcer-esque tone to his voice, bowing down to half-height as he did. Azure didn't do the same, but he did close his eyes, trying to gather himself. As soon as he heard hoofsteps coming out of the carriage, he opened them.
Rarity did not disappoint. From the first hoof out of the carriage to all six being in full view, the dressmaking expertise of the white unicorn did not escape a single stitch. Not only that, but just like with Azure's own outfit, she had made sure each pony's dress was tailor-made to express each pony's personality in clothing form as well. Rarity's was about as eloquent as they came, and even came with a tiara. Applejack's screamed "country", but looked just as formal as Rarity's. Fluttershy's brought out her love of nature, Pinkie's dress showing...more of her occupation than anything. Rainbow Dash's dress was just as in-your-face as she was, and...Azure noticed that her mane almost seemed longer than normal. Their manes had also been styled for the event; Rainbow Dash's seemingly pretty special.
All of them looked beautiful, there was no denying that, but when Azure fully saw Twilight, his eyes widened. Like the others, her dress also brought out her personality. Her dress looked similar to the night sky, and her mane was adorned with a star. There was something about her dress that made her stand out even more than the others.
Call me biased...but...she looks absolutely gorgeous here...
"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed, as soon as he saw them, "You all look...amazing!"
"Azure, that is most undignified!"
Rarity directly addressing him snapped Azure out of his haze, "Huh...oh...I...um..."
While Spike and Rainbow busied themselves with giggling at that incident, Rarity soon directed her attention to another problem.
"Never mind that; Silver, aren't you going to compliment Fluttershy on her dress?" asked Rarity, a bit indignantly, since Silver didn't react at all to the mares coming out of the carriage. "I put a lot of work into that, and I at least want to hear your...input..."
"Oh no, please, go on..." Silver said, making sure his pale, lifeless eyes were on full display.
"Oh...that's right...sorry." Rarity said sheepishly.
"On the subject, while I'm not able to appreciate the work you did on her dress and mane, I can smell her perfume...and it's heavenly."
Fluttershy blushed lightly and all was well again. Twilight had a rather determined look on her face the whole time, though it had been slightly offset by the light blush that had painted her cheeks ever since she and Azure met eyes. Azure decided to push these thoughts aside for the moment, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
Please don't let family be here, please don't let family be here, pleasedon'tletfamilybehere...
"Well then..." Azure made his way next to Twilight, extending a foreleg. "Shall we?"
Twilight eagerly accepted Azure's offer. That much might have been on a list she had somewhere, for all Azure knew. Silver mimicked Azure's gesture. Fluttershy hesitated for a moment, but eventually she too took her colt's forearm...
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One musical number later...
"Hey! Hold on! Why are you skipping over it!?"
Pinkie, nothing changes from the show!
"But it's a song!"
I can't think of anything that would make this noticeably different! The only reason why I included all the other ones was because the plot could do something with them!
"Aww...you're no fun..."
Sorry, it's what happens when you wind up in the mood to write past midnight...
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Azure hadn't thought of it mid-song, but now that everypony was done, he had noticed something important.
Where'd Applejack's accent go...?
"Azure," Twilight said, "Could you...um, let me go...talk to the Princess now?"
"Huh?" Azure was called out of his thoughts. "Oh...like you sang about...I understand."
"Thank you! I promise I'll spend time with you later!" Twilight smiled heavily, very quickly hugging Azure before bounding off for Princess Celestia.
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The evening seemed simple enough. Each of the friends had their own goals for the night. Twilight was going to discuss magic with her mentor. Rainbow Dash was going to impress the Wonderbolts (again, considering what she did at the Young Fliers' competition). Pinkie Pie was going to have fun. Applejack was going to sell a lot of apples. Fluttershy and Silver were going to spend the day tending to the animals at the castle. Rarity was going to try and woo Prince Blueblood. Azure was going to avoid causing a ruckus for once.
Fluttershy and Silver went to the garden where the animals awaited. If Silver could see, he would have been able to see the vast, well-maintained garden that awaited the two.
"Oh, I can't wait to see all the animals that live here," Fluttershy excitedly stated as she looked around the garden.
"You must have really been looking forward to this," Silver commented, walking beside Fluttershy.
"Oh yes, I've been waiting so long for this night, and I couldn't imagine anything better," Silver's ears pricked up at this information, and immediately flattened.
"Oh, I see..." Silver frowned.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Fluttershy quickly apologized, picking up on the tone in the unicorn's voice, "Seeing the animals here was a dream I've had before I met you...and..." Now she blushed, "Invited you to come..."
It was a little bit on short notice, but Fluttershy had Twilight mention there was one more to the party going to the Gala. With a little bit of luck, another ticket had been given to Silver.
"No, no, it's alright. This is your dream..." Silver started, "But maybe later, if you want, we could...dance, maybe?" Silver asked, slightly blushing now.
Fluttershy paused. Sure, it didn't seem like that bad of an idea, but the mere fact she would have to dance in public was already making her want to back out. However, Silver had always managed to find a way to make her feel comfortable.
"I'd like that..." Fluttershy said, hesitantly, hoping beyond hope that the dance floor wouldn't be crowded later--
A light chirping was heard overhead, and Fluttershy looked up, obviously seeing-- "Oh my, a meadowlark!"
She was obviously following the bird, which began to sing, "I think she's calling out to me..."
Fluttershy began to follow the sound, beginning to hum to herself. The sound was like honey to Silver's ears.
If she's going to hum like that all this time, this will be a good day... Silver thought to himself as she followed Fluttershy deeper into the garden.
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Azure Courage was finally remembering why he didn't want to come along. One, though the party wasn't nearly as girly as he thought it was, it was still formal. Two, it was incredibly boring. Three, it reminded him of all the reasons why he moved away from Canterlot in the first place. With the others pursuing their own visions of the perfect Gala night, Azure was in need of something to do.
Azure rubbed at his mane, wondering what he could do to pass the time. From what he knew, Rarity was off trying to work her charms on a nobleman, so that wasn't going to fly. Rainbow Dash would kick his teeth in later if he tried to talk to her while she was trying to show off for the Wonderbolts. Twilight was pretty much off-limits because of her teacher. As for Pinkie, while he was sure she could breathe life into this party, he wanted to avoid causing a ruckus. Fluttershy and Silver were off animal watching, which just didn't seem to work because he just didn't want to be there.
"...I feel like I could go visit Applejack..." Azure remarked to himself, looking up. "I need to do something..."
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Fluttershy was not having the luck she hoped for when dealing with the animals at the garden. She would get within about ten feet of them, if that, only to have them run off when she got too close. After several minutes of failures, it had started to get to her.
"Fluttershy...what are you--?" Silver asked, not able to see precisely what she was doing. All he knew was that something was placed on the ground nearby, within the garden.
"Shhh...they'll hear you," Fluttershy replied softly before grabbing one end of a rope with her teeth. The other end was tied to a stick which kept one end of a box off the ground. Underneath this was a carrot which was being used as bait. "I just need to be more bold, like Twilight says..."
By this point, Silver was convinced she might not be talking to him anymore. Ever since that donkey's song lead them off the trail, Fluttershy had been slowly slipping in front of him.
"I'm so sorry to have scared you, my friends!" Fluttershy said, at a volume louder than Silver thought possible from her, particularly when it came to animals, "But I'm leaving now, so you can come out now!"
"Um...Fluttershy?"
"Ssh!!"
The sound of something munching on something filled Silver's ears, and then Fluttershy said, "Gotcha!" She tugged on the rope, snaring whatever it was in the trap.
"It's okay..." Fluttershy said as she walked towards the trap, "I promise not to hurt you, I just want to be your--"
She uncovered the trap, revealing something unexpected. "Friend?"
"Sounds good to me," It was the gardener that had sprung the trap, probably viewing the carrot as a free snack. Fluttershy was not amused, and Silver could feel it.
"Um..." Silver started, "Maybe you should try taking a little break?"
"Oh no," Fluttershy said, her face setting into an expression of anger, "I'm not giving up yet. No more Ms. Nice Mare."
Silver paused, unsure if he should be here. Things were getting awkward, and the fact his father gave him "the talk" earlier didn't help any.
"Didn't Dad tell me about something like this..."
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Azure made his way outside, breathing in the fresh air. He passed Rainbow Dash actually seemed to "hang" with the Wonderbolts. By her terms, anyway. It seemed like the two ponies in question were more or less being forced to ignore her. Such was Canterlot society for you.
"Excuse me," The voice was as uptight-sounding as it could be, "Don't I know you, lad?"
Azure turned to see a pony with a monocle, a white moustache like the mane and tail he sported (finely groomed too), and a black tux on.
"No...I don't think we've ever met..." Azure said, trying to be polite.
"I feel like I've seen a colt like you jumping around like some kinda rabbit..." the pony calmly said, adjusting his monocle. "How'd a wild foal like you get into the Grand Galloping Gala?"
"Oh, you know, just here with some friends," Azure had never so badly wanted to get away from a pony before. He was remembering now more than ever why he moved away.
"Really?" The pony asked, seeming concerned. "Well, do make sure not to cause a ruckus. I hear Princess Celestia doesn't like that sort of thing at this event."
Azure smiled, "I don't plan on it..."
The pony left him alone, and Azure breathed a sigh of relief out.
Okay, I made it through that... thought Azure to himself. Now...visit Applejack...try to keep myself from going "prim idiot" from all this...
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Fluttershy just seemed to be getting worse and worse as the animals continued to brush her off. She went from the gentle, meek pony, to a forceful mare. Fluttershy just abandoned all pretense and tried to run up to animals and catch them in her hooves. This was not helping her any; the animals were becoming more and more scared of her.
"Come out!"
At this, Silver immediately dove for cover behind a nearby tree. He was convinced Fluttershy didn't even see him now, only the animals that dared run from her.
Wait...I remember now! This is that 'time of the month' Dad warned me about...what'd he call it again? Silver recalled "the talk" he got earlier, and after a while, it hit him: The seven day heat wave? Silver's dad always used metaphors to better paint a picture for Silver's lack of eyesight, something he picked up on over the years. He never did get to know what the metaphor actually was before his mom cut in. Silver was warned, however, that it was best to keep your distance during that time.
Keep my distance, but can I just leave her like this...? I'm sure she'll revert back to her sweet self soon enou--
"I'll catch you yet, my pretties! Oh yes...as soon as one of you birds, or monkeys, or bears touches this net, you'll be mine! Mine!"
This was then followed by the craziest laugh Silver had ever heard in his life.
"...So I wonder what Azure's doing right now..."
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Azure eventually managed to find his way to Applejack's cart. She seemed positively down on herself, and Azure couldn't figure out why. Hadn't she sold a single apple...product since coming here?
Now that I think about it, didn't that one Wonderbolt have some pie encrusted in his mane...
Azure continued to think back, wondering how well the others' nights were going, when he caught two ponies from the corner of his eye. One of them was Rarity, and the other was a stallion taller than her. He had a golden mane, white fur, and blue eyes, and practically reeked of royalty.
"Oh, that's why Spike was in a bad mood earlier..." Azure remembered aloud. "That's Rarity's 'prince'...I can't remember what his name was...Prince...Bluebell...? Bluebill...?"
"Blueblood, Azure, Prince Blueblood..."
Azure blinked, and turned his head to see Silver standing right there.
"Silver? Where's Fluttershy?" Azure looked around, slightly worried now. He didn't want to have his teeth kicked in by everypony else if Silver happened to break her heart by abandoning her.
"I...don't want to talk about it..." Silver shuddered. Azure was even more curious now, but he couldn't voice his question fast enough.
"Ahem!"
Both colts turned their heads towards Applejack's cart again. Rarity and her prince had found something that night, but from what Azure could tell, it was just an argument. But it wasn't one of those foalish arguments he and Twilight would get into all the time; oh no, it was something more serious.
"I'm going to have to pay, aren't I?" Rarity sighed. Azure physically twitched. He thought all ponies in Canterlot at least knew that much. Even a "wild foal" like him knew it was usually the male that paid.
Guess I can brush this off... Azure thought, gritting his teeth. Though--
"It's okay, Rarity, I got'cha covered..." Applejack said. Azure twitched again, hearing this.
"Azure..." Silver said in a warning tone.
"That was not an argument to have between a couple..." Azure responded, walking up to the cart with Silver following close behind. "I would know, Silver. Applejack shouldn't have had to do that..."
If Azure were human, he'd have been subtly clenching his fists, urging himself not to act. Blueblood was no mare, that much was certain. However, Azure was holding himself back since Rarity was still hanging around him and Blueblood was still royalty, no matter how much he abused that f--
"Bleah!" Prince Blueblood immediately spit out the apple fritter that he had started to eat. He had perfect aim; good enough to knock off Applejack's hat. "Apple fritters, dumplings, caramel apples! My royal lips have touched common carnival fare!"
Azure stopped dead in his tracks, unamused yet unsurprised by Blueblood's display of utter lack of taste in anything below horse doves or whatever they called those party snacks. He'd been away from those kinds of gatherings for so long out of disinterest he'd forgotten what he was called. Silver stepped ahead of him, taking charge of the situation.
"Don't you think you're overreacting...a little?" Silver asked. Blueblood turned to him, and scoffed.
"Please, food like this is better left to the dogs!" the prince huffed, walking off with Rarity following close behind, clearly disgusted at the behavior. Azure lowered his head, allowing his mane to obscure his eyes.
Oh...you spoiled excuse of a pony... Azure thought to himself, Of the kinds of ponies I didn't like in Canterlot the most...you're right there at the top of the list...Can't treat mares right, don't know the meaning of good food unless it's a name I can't pronounce without curling my tongue...That's it, you've just been put on the list of "Ponies I Have To Clock"...
"Azure, where are you going?" Silver asked as soon as he noticed Azure was moving.
"I'm just going to go talk to the royal pain--I mean, prince," Azure stated.
"No, Azure...don't."
Azure found his momentum had been arrested, and now he was hovering a few inches off the ground, being pulled back by Silver's magic. "The last pony you talked to didn't go near another mare in over a month..."
"He called Applejack's food dog food..." Azure hissed. "Wouldn't know a gift if it smacked him in the face, but it'd probably feel good if I did it myself..."
"Hold your horses there, Az," Applejack said, catching Azure's attention. "I appreciate the thought, I really do, but if you go knocking heads with a prince it won't be pretty..."
"Unless you somehow hit him so hard he forgets who he is..." Silver realized almost immediately afterward what he said came off more as a suggestion to the angry Azure.
"...Doable." Azure responded, starting after them again.
"Az..." Applejack said, "I really didn't wanna go there, but how do you think Twilight'd feel if she knew you knocked out Princess Celestia's nephew?"
Azure froze. He knew very well what Twilight's reaction would be. He really didn't want to disappoint her today. Given how well things seemed to be going so far for the others, he didn't want to add on to any of it. Even if Blueblood had it coming...
"Fine..." Azure sighed, looking in the direction where they'd gone.
"...You're not giving up, are you?" Silver asked. "You're going to follow them..."
"...maybe..."
"Well..." Silver said, after some silence, "I'm going to tag along and make sure you don't get out of hoof, but first..." The unicorn turned to the apple cart. "Two apple fritters, please."
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It wasn't that hard to see where they were going next. Azure realized in an instant they were going inside. Blueblood was no doubt going to cleanse his pallet with more snacks with names Azure couldn't pronounce. However, the crown prince of clowns and Rarity stopped at the door. It occurred to Azure almost instantly that Prince Blueblood had no intention of opening the door for her.
I'm in even less of a forgiving mood than usual!
Azure huffed, and once again began to move forward at a quickened trot. However, he was soon cut off by Silver, who had managed to catch up.
"Easy, Azure, easy, I don't like this any more than you do..." Silver responded automatically.
"Then why'd you leave Fluttershy at the garden...?"
Azure wasn't sure if he imagined a distant, frustrated screech at that exact moment, but whatever it was sent shivers up Silver's spine, and he visibly shuddered.
"Anyway, there's no way you can expect to do that without something going wrong..."
"Just once?"
"Not even once!" Azure snorted, looking around for anything, anything at all that he could use for his purposes. Soon enough, he found it, and his horn lit up.
"Why don't I just throw this at him, then?" Azure lifted up a large rock that was off the path in his magic.
"No! Not only would it be kinda obvious somepony threw it with their magic, you'd probably just hit Rarity too!"
Azure huffed, letting the rock drop back down in the walk. The colt continued to watch the two ponies fight over the door without so much as an actual word said to each other. Eventually, though, Rarity relented and opened the door for the spoiled prince. A few moments later, Rarity walked in after him, slamming the door shut behind her.
"Okay, how can he be related to Princess Celestia..." Azure asked the very first question on his mind, followed by the very first statement that came to his mind. "They're polar opposites!"
Silver asked something sarcastic, but Azure didn't even pay enough attention to make out his words, entirely focused on taking down all of Blueblood's antics in a mental list he would make sure to pay back later. With Silver following him, Azure followed the two in, and began to search through the crowd of ponies for a white mare and a spoiled brat of a colt.
"Say, Silver, could you help me find them?"
"It'd be easier if most of the ponies in this room didn't feel annoyed with something..." Silver remarked, looking around through dead eyes as he tried to do as he was asked. "I'd say Rarity is annoyed, but...so are most of the other ponies in the room?"
"How and why?" Azure questioned, but Silver didn't need to answer.
"C'mon, everypony, you want to party?" Azure could pick out that voice any time, anywhere. "Now it's a paaaaaaaartaaay!" Azure lowered his eyes to the crowd, and could pick out Pinkie Pie bumping into several ponies trying to get them to dance right along with her. All this did, however, was annoy them. Azure didn't need eyesight to know this; he grew up in this atmosphere.
"Azie!" Pinkie wrapped her foreleg around his neck as a greeting before Azure could react, "Good! You're here! You've gotta help me teach these ponies how to party!"
Azure knew Pinkie meant well. She really did. However, Canterlot ponies didn't like even the slightest bit of wild behavior. He knew firsthoof, being "that wild foal".
"Sorry, Pinkie, Canterlot ponies aren't the kind of ponies to have wild parties..." Azure tried to explain, but his words fell on deaf ears.
"Nonsense," Pinkie waved her hoof dismissively, "They just need somepony to show them how! Trust me! It'll be fun!"
Azure immediately stopped dead in his tracks. Every single time Pinkie had said that to him, it had ended badly for him. And tonight was not going to be an exception. Pinkie immediately dashed back into the crowd trying to encourage the other ponies to dance along with her. Azure backed away, not at all convinced hanging around was a good idea.
The door slammed open, and Azure immediately feared the worst. He turned, and was relatively relieved to see Applejack was entering the room. However, he saw potential catastrophe in the form of what was on her cart: a large cake.
"Okay, all you high-class ponies," Applejack said loud enough for the room to hear. "Here's a highfalutin apple cake for your hoity-toity taste buds!"
"Stage dive!" Pinkie called out, doing exactly as she said. She made a perfect dive, getting an impressive amount of air time. The landing would have been stellar had it not been for Applejack's own agenda for the gala. The party pony landed on the cart in such a way that it caused the cake to catapult into the air. Azure followed the cake with his own eyes, and realized it was soon to land on Blueblood and Rarity. It was Blueblood's last chance to redeem himself.
Too bad Blueblood had all the chivalry of a cactus, as Azure would see once and for all.
All Azure could do was watch, eyes widening as Blueblood grabbed Rarity and used her as a living shield to keep the cake off of him. All Rarity could do was gasp as she was covered in frosting. As soon as he processed the action he saw, Azure stomped his left forehoof down. He wasn't sure if he cracked the floor or not, but with that last act, Blueblood had placed a large, flashing bulls-eye where his horn was, and Azure was gunning for it now, with absolutely no regard for what would happen afterward.
"How about now?!" Azure asked, literally already marching over to Blueblood. Silver quickly halted his advance.
"Azure, cool it! Let karma take care of things..."
Rarity had snapped; Azure had finally picked up on this as soon as he caught the look on her face. Azure stopped trying to pull away from Silver's grip.
"You, sir, are the most uncharming prince I have ever met!" Rarity snarled, stepping towards Blueblood who backed away in utter terror. "In fact, the only thing royal about you is that you are a royal pain!" Blueblood had been backed against the door by this point, and was practically shaking in his horseshoes.
"Stay back, I just had myself groomed!" He whined, holding his hooves up for protection, all the while acting like he didn't bring it upon himself.
"Afraid to get dirty?!" Rarity questioned before shaking herself violently. This got the frosting mostly unstuck from her dress, and most of it splattered all over Blueblood and the floor immediately in front of him. As Blueblood cried out in protest, Rarity turned her nose up to the prince and walked away. Though Azure didn't exactly like the final outcome (since Rarity didn't do what he was about to), he did like the buildup. Seeing Blueblood utterly frightened of the mare he'd no doubt been more or less shunning by virtue of his position in royalty was the highlight of the night so far.
"Now's my chance!"
This was Rainbow Dash saying something out loud to herself. Before Azure could even realize what had happened, a rainbow streak blasted past him and towards a statue he only just realized was falling. The pegasus managed to catch it on her back. At first, it seemed like the situation had resolved itself, but quickly, Rainbow Dash lost her balance, stumbling around with the large statue on her back.
"Pinkie...you just had to say the magic words..." Azure grumbled, getting ready to move. "Silver, we've got to get out of here..."
"Too late..." Silver couldn't see what was happening, but he pointed right to it like he could. Rainbow completely lost control of the statue and bumped into one of the cement support beams. This caused it to hit the one next to it, and the pillars began to fall in a domino effect, knocking over the remainder of the beams in a circle.
Azure watched the whole spectacle, blinking. The whole night had just gone from boring to bad to worse...and to make matters even more complicated, Twilight and Princess Celestia, no doubt having heard all the commotion, walked into the room. Instantly, Azure could only think of one thing as they surveyed all the damage.
Please don't blame me...please don't blame me...please don't blame me...
"Well...it can't get any worse," Twilight assessed the situation.
"It's about to..." Silver said clearly, having picked something up via his echolocation. Just then, the floor below began to rumble, like an earthquake was going off underfoot. The door to the garden banged open, and several animals began to flood inside, running from somepony. The smoke revealed...
"You...are going...to LOVE ME!!!" This was Fluttershy, of all ponies, having lost total control of her temper. Azure could only blink, not knowing what else to say at this.
"Okay..."
Azure whipped his head around, seeing Silver hiding behind him like he was scared of the pegasus gone haywire. "...What?" His question was more or less directed at the situation in general, but he still didn't get why Silver responded to Fluttershy's statement directed at the animals.
"What?" Silver cleared his throat, pretending like he hadn't just broken down over the issue. Azure was just about to ask what happened in the garden, but a loud whistle broke him from his thoughts. He and Twilight met eyes, but that was pretty much for an instant, so Azure couldn't tell if she blamed him at all for what happened. Twilight and the others began to run for the exit, past the sun princess. However, the crowd went into full panic mode, and Azure knew he and Silver wouldn't be able to reach the door without getting stampeded by ponies and squirrels.
"Silver, let's go!" Azure called out, tapping Silver on the shoulder. The two quickly made their way out the closest door before anypony could notice either of them and accuse them of doing something they had absolutely nothing to do with.
-------------------------------------------------------
Azure and Silver managed to escape the hall before anypony noticed them standing around amidst the chaos.
"And they were worried about me...!" Azure groaned, feeling almost hurt by the whole thing. "Anyway...Silver, what happened in the garden?"
Silver looked away, shaking his head, "She...Well, it looks like the night was a disappointment for most of us..."
Azure didn't know what Silver was getting at, but soon enough, he didn't care. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a pie-encrusted Blueblood walking along, trying and failing to be useful to even himself. A grin split Azure's face.
"Well, since the Gala's been wrecked for the night..." Azure began to take a few steps forward, fully intent on delivering his own brand of justice.
"Azure, I wouldn't do that if I were you..." Silver warned. "Besides which, I can hear a beehive somewhere around here..." Azure looked around, checking above his head for the beehive in question so he could avoid tromping under it. That alone got bees defensive.
"Where?" Azure asked.
"Over there...in what I'm guessing is a tree..." Silver motioned towards the tree, which so happened to be... "A tree that Blueblood happens to be standing next to....You know, it'd be amazingly unlucky if it fell..."
Azure looked over to Silver, almost confused.
"Well...I'm going to go find the others before they disappear on us..." Silver said, walking away from Azure. As soon as Silver disappeared around the corner, Azure's face became gleeful. He was about to get some revenge.
Azure looked around, finding a decent sized rock before too long. Blueblood continued to fidget about, trying to get the frosting off of him. Apparently, he was so spoiled he couldn't even shake the pastry from his fur. The fact he was covered in the stuff would make him a bee magnet, for sure. Azure closed one eye and stuck his tongue out, taking aim.
"I can not believe what that wicked witch did to me!" whined the prince as he continued to brush himself off ineffectively. Azure nearly bit his tongue out of anger, but that alone did not mess up his concentration and he made his magical throw count. The stone bounced perfectly on the beehive with enough force to knock it loose. And without anything holding it to the tree, the beehive fell, the hole at the bottom falling almost perfectly onto Blueblood's horn.
"What is the meaning--!" Blueblood called out, apparently not noticing Azure nearby. The loud buzzing of hundreds of angry bees soon made him realize exactly what it was on his horn. "No, no, not the bees!" He began to run, but he was no match for the speed of bees. As far as the bees knew, the spoiled prince had knocked their hive down, and they were making him pay by stinging him repeatedly, each sting giving off a rather satisfying yelp as Azure watched him attempt to flail his way away from the insects.
Blueblood had finally managed to elude the bees-due to pain-induced dizziness, Blueblood had managed to slip and fall into a fountain not too far from where the chase had started. The remaining bees that hadn't given up their lives in their valiant struggle to defend their now utterly soaked hive flew off, no doubt going to make a new hive elsewhere. Blueblood emerged from the water, moaning to himself, totally soaked and covered in red bumps from forehead to flank.
"Karma...it stings..." Azure mused.
He then walked away, now completely satisfied at what had happened. Deciding to split before ponies found out the real story, the colt quickly beat it out of there, hoping to find Silver and the others before they got too far.
-------------------------------------------------------
It wasn't that hard to figure out where the others were heading off to. Silver was able to remain behind and tell Azure they had headed to Donut Joe's, probably the least high-class establishment in Canterlot that Azure was aware of - in terms of food, anyway. The two were able to get away from the Gala while dodging some of the upper-class ponies. After a while, they just walked to the establishment.
"Did it work out the way you wanted?" Silver asked ambiguously.
"It went better than expected..." Azure replied with a smug smile. "At least he can say he got a free bath. Wonder if Rarity'll accept stings as a beauty treatment, though..."
"Nah, she's high class, but she also doesn't view other ponies as lowly creatures meant to serve her..." Silver responded.
"You know, Twilight and me got into an argument about this not too long after we all got our tickets..."
"That's not surprising..."
"Wonder if she still remembers what she said to me..." Azure said. "I believe she said 'You probably wouldn't last more than a half-hour before you get so restless you start bouncing off the walls and then deck royalty'..."
"She was half-right, you know," Silver pointed out, but Azure ignored it.
"Well, we're here," Azure peeked inside, seeing the girls with Spike at a table together. The girls all looked like they'd had to endure a majority of a stampede, and Rarity still had some pastry on her. Apparently, Spike had holed up here after everypony went their separate ways for the night. "That's why we didn't take the front door..."
"They scuffed up a little?" Silver asked, unable to see the details Azure could.
"Yeah, just don't tell them I told you or this'll be my last night ever..."
Azure opened up the door, and he and Silver passed inside. The bell signifying entry sounded off, just as Spike finished saying, "That sounds like the worst night ever!"
"It was!" said the others, laughing it off. At this moment, Twilight caught sight of Azure and Silver at the door.
"You two made it!" Twilight said, moving away. "Azure...what were you doing?"
"Just...taking care of a pest control problem..." Azure responded casually, walking towards the table, Silver following him.
"What?" Twilight asked.
"Nothing. Let's just say I was too late to stop somepony from getting harmed by said pest..." Azure responded, not putting any real emphasis on any of his words. If anypony was going to understand the double meaning of his statement, it was going to be whoever saw Blueblood's true nature...and how a beehive fell perfectly on his head.
"Um...okay," Twilight didn't understand what Azure was getting at, but she seemed happy that they were all there now, "I just hope that Princess Celestia isn't upset with us for ruining the Gala..."
"That was the best Grand Galloping Gala ever!"
All heads turned towards the door at the voice. Azure blinked.
"Princess Celestia?!" everypony shouted at once in surprise.
Oh man, tell me she didn't see what I did to her nephew... Azure thought to himself.
"Pardon me, Princess, but tonight was just awful..." Twilight responded after getting over the fact the princess had basically followed the whole group there.
"Oh, Twilight, the Grand Galloping Gala is always awful..."
Now that was a surprise. Then again, Azure had learned quick that the sun princess was full of them. She had walked in on him gloating about the fact Nightmare Moon returned and told him what he had actually done and had to do. So far, he'd done a good job of keeping that part of the "no harmony without courage" thing under wraps...but that was just the start.
"It is?" Twilight asked, apparently just as unaware as everypony else about the whole thing.
"That is why I was thrilled to have all of you attending tonight. I was hoping you could liven things up a bit..." Princess Celestia trailed off. Her gaze now focused almost directly on Azure. "Though...I had expected you, Azure, to have something to do with it."
Azure's first instinct was to bury his face in the table in response, earning a chuckle from the sun princess. Aside from Blueblood, he had kept that side of him under wraps...
"Eh, I didn't think the other ponies aside from us would have enjoyed some wall galloping..." Azure recovered easily enough. Besides, showing off is Rainbow's thing...
Azure wasn't sure if he imagined two pairs of eyes quietly burning into the back of his head as he said that.
-------------------------------------------------------
The group continued to enjoy the night even though it hadn't turned out as expected for most of them. For the time being, the girls just shared their stories with Azure and Silver, who hadn't been there to hear most of it. Even though it hadn't been as they planned, the lesson that Twilight took away from all of it was that she could laugh it off afterwards with friends.
Even so, Azure began to feel just a little guilty. Even though he wasn't at all the cause of the chaos that happened that night, he couldn't help but feel bad. Twilight never actually got to talk with her mentor about anything. Azure could see she was okay with that, but he felt like he could have done more for her than just wander aimlessly around the castle...
"Something on your mind, Azure?"
Azure's ears flicked up, and he turned to see Princess Celestia herself behind him specifically once more. Except this time he was pretty sure he wasn't thinking out loud this time. The others turned to look, and Azure could only look around the table with some nervousness at their faces. However, since the Princess had been able to sense his thoughts...
"Um... can I talk to you...in private?" Azure asked.
Princess Celestia raised a brow, but nodded with a smile as she got up from the table. She lead him away until both out of earshot.
"Is something wrong?" Celestia asked, her voice filled with only genuine concern.
"Kind of." Azure responded with a sigh, "I feel like this night was supposed to be special for Twilight. I thought that if I left her with you like she wanted and just did my best to stay out of trouble, then everything would be fine. Sure, she seems okay with it all now, but...I can't help but feel that I should do something so she doesn't remember this night ending with what happened in the dance room..."
Princess Celestia looked over to the table, where the others were still in a conversation about what happened. After some time, she looked back to Azure, "It's rare to see a colt or stallion go far out of his way to ensure the mare in his life is happy..."
Azure immediately blushed and began stammering. Somewhere deep down, he was sure he would have done the same thing if she had hinted about him having a crush on Twilight way back when he first talked to her personally.
"W-what do you mean...?"
The princess only giggled lightly in response to Azure's question, "Oh, nothing. Now then, did you have any ideas on how you would attempt to improve Twilight's night?"
Azure shook his head no, and took a deep breath, trying to think of what to do. He looked over to the table, and spotted something.
Rarity was standing up from the table. Azure wasn't sure what she was about to do, but she had helped him before.
"Rarity..." Azure whispered. When Rarity didn't seem to respond, he repeated, just a little louder, "Rarity!"
Rarity caught his voice the second time, and she immediately appeared confused when Azure motioned for her to get over there.
"Azure, what is it?" She was more confused than anything.
"I need your help with something..."
---------------------
Twilight turned over to where she knew Azure had gone, and found that he and Rarity were talking. She blinked, wondering what they were talking about. The others didn't seem to notice her concern too much, until Twilight noticed Rarity's blue eyes sparkle. Rarity clapped her hooves together just once. But that wasn't weird enough. The two then practically ran out of the shop together without saying so much as a word.
Please..not again...
"Are you okay, Twilight?" Princess Celestia asked of her.
"I...um..." Twilight stood up, fully prepared to chase them down. "Where'd Azure and Rarity go?"
"They had to take care of something," her mentor answered, "Do not worry. You will find out soon enough..."
-------------------
The phrase "do not worry" was not in Twilight's dictionary. She couldn't help but worry. The image of Rarity and Azure running out together did not leave her mind in the least. The Princess had told her a few times she didn't have to worry about it, but wouldn't say any more than that. Eventually, though, Princess Celestia had gotten up and informed them it was getting late. She offered the group to stay in the castle until the next morning, an offer that they could not refuse.
"Princess, I'm still sorry about the damages," Twilight said, still walking alongside Princess Celestia. The princess didn't even seem to care about it.
"I assure you, it's nothing to worry about," Princess Celestia once again said, "The damages aren't that bad..."
Twilight wasn't sure. She saw the destruction with her own eyes, and it looked like a mess. She could only imagine what kind of stuff the animals did to other rooms of the castle, but the dance hall was particularly bad off due to that statue accident.
"Listen," Celestia continued, almost as though reading her mind. "If you're still unsure, why not take another look?"
The two came to a total halt right in front of a door. Twilight immediately noticed it was the door to the dance room. She couldn't imagine what could have happened after everypony fled the scene.
"Well..." Twilight started, her horn lighting up its magenta hue as she opened the door. "Here goes nothing!"
She surveyed the room, and blinked several times as she processed everything. The room looked totally different now that the lighting in the room had changed. The light was focused solely on the dance floor, which the studious mare knew wasn't the case while the party was going on. The dance hall itself looked fixed up a little, but as soon as she saw who was waiting for her under the spotlight, she felt herself go numb from shock. Not once did she break contact from his eyes as she walked up to the smiling Azure Courage.
"A-Azure...what are you..." Twilight stopped just a few steps from Azure, too shocked to form statements as fluently as normal. "What's going on?"
"Sorry I ran off earlier, but I needed time to get everything ready..." Azure started, closing his eyes. "I was glad that I didn't do anything to embarrass you tonight, but I still felt bad that your night didn't turn out the way you wanted. And...well, I wanted to be able to fix it. I wanted to make this a night that you would never forget."
Music started, and Twilight felt confusion set in once again. Up until then, she had listened intently to Azure, but she looked around as the slow song started.
Two steps came from Azure's direction, and Twilight looked again to him. He had one hoof extended, and he spoke: five words, "May I have this dance?"
Twilight blinked harder than she ever thought she would in her life. In disbelief, she uttered, "B-but you said you wouldn't dance..."
"I know, but I'm willing to give it a try," Azure responded, as though it wasn't a big deal, "For you..."
Twilight blushed, and her jaw fell open against her will. However, she quickly recovered. With a smile, she took Azure's hand, and the two began to move, slowly waving side to side out of rhythm at first, but both quickly adjusting to the rhythm of the music.
"...You're really good at this..." Twilight said.
"I never said I couldn't dance, just that I didn't expect to..."
After this exchange, the two ponies remained completely silent. Soon, the rhythm was the only thing guiding them as they continued to move about. As the song continued, Twilight began to think to herself.
A-Azure...I'm glad we met up again...I don't care how wild you can get when the ponies you care about are in danger...But sometimes you get really, really carried away with it...
The song ended, both ponies ceasing to dance. The two remained close, opening their eyes as they looked intently into each other's eyes. This was a moment Twilight knew couldn't last forever--her scientific side wouldn't let her believe it too much. However, she did want it to.
She took a deep breath, and nuzzled her check against Azure's.
"Best...night...ever..."
-----------------
Silver and Fluttershy had once again broken off from the rest of the group upon arriving to Canterlot Castle once again. Neither one said anything as they walked, but it wasn't an awkward silence.
"Um...Silver?" Fluttershy spoke up, not paying any attention to where she was being lead to. "I'm sorry about how I acted earlier..."
Silver remembered quite well how Fluttershy got, but he wasn't about to remind himself of that. "It's okay, Fluttershy. I should be the one to apologize anyway. I shouldn't have left you like that...that's not something a colt should do..."
"It's not your fault...I promised we'd dance...and I completely forgot..."
The two went back and forth, apologizing to each other about what they themselves did wrong. Eventually, though, Silver came to a stop, cutting in front of Fluttershy, his blind eyes open wide, a smile on his face.
"Apologize all you want, but I'll never blame you...besides, I want to be at fault..."
Fluttershy looked up to Silver, intent on once again apologizing, but she stopped when she realized that the two had wound up back in the garden. The animals that were there before were gone now, no doubt hiding from her after what she had done earlier.
"So I can make it up to you..."
"W-why'd you bring me here?" Fluttershy asked, but Silver didn't answer right away. Instead, he sat down, his horn lighting up.
"You'll see, just listen..." Silver said softly. He focused, his eyes closing. The glow on his horn fluxed gently. Fluttershy was just about to ask what he was doing when she heard a sound. It was a noise, but it wasn't music. All the same, the noise sounded pleasant. Fluttershy felt nothing but bliss building up inside her the longer she listened to the noise. She closed her eyes, attempting to enjoy the music.
However, the sound of movement nearby startled her out of her trance. She turned, and saw, with increasing delight, that all the animals she had so thoroughly frightened earlier were coming out of hiding. They were moving cautiously toward the two, obviously afraid that Fluttershy would snap again.
"Silver...are you calling to them?" Fluttershy said in a tone that was barely above a whisper. Overhead, birds hovered inches above her. Slowly, gently she raised a hoof and to her amazement, the bird landed on it, as though earlier she hadn't chased it down like a timberwolf hungry for--
She saw the other animals were cautiously moving towards her and the source of the noise. The animals were further away from her than Silver; the animals closest to her were a few steps away. The animals flinched as she inched her way toward them, but as soon as she touched a few, very, very gently to show she really didn't mean any harm, they started to warm up to her.
"Animals react to sound, Fluttershy," Silver said, very quietly so as not to speak above the note he was playing. "Play a tone they find pleasant, and they won't be afraid..." Fluttershy looked over to Silver for a few seconds. He had pulled her back here to make sure that she could live her dream. He wasn't going to let the animals or the pony he knew get away again. Fluttershy slowly walked up to the unicorn as a smile spread across her face. Silver was so deep in focus he couldn't notice her.
Thank you...Silver...
Fluttershy did the same thing to Silver that she did to Azure when he made sure that she didn't have to doubt herself. She puckered up and planted a quick kiss on Silver's cheek. The sensation caused Silver to lose focus.
"I...I..." Silver's horn flickered and the spell wore off. The Canterlot animals quickly abandoned the two ponies and scurried off back to where they came. "I-I'm sorry, I'll just...redo the spell..."
Silver tried again, but Fluttershy stopped him with a hoof to the shoulder.
"No, you don't have to do that...I got to live my dream because of you..." Even if it was only for a moment... Fluttershy sat down next to Silver. "Now...it's your turn to live yours...Do you...still want to dance?"
At this point, Fluttershy was almost certain there wouldn't be music in the dance hall anymore, but if Silver would have provided with that sound, she felt she could dance to that. Silver finally seemed to get his focus back.
"Actually..." Silver began to blush. "I just want to spend some time with you, if that's okay..."
Fluttershy smiled again and leaned against Silver's shoulder, grateful that they were alone.
"It's very okay...Silver..."
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Must resist erge to daw......... Daw! .... Dame.
"If she's going to hum like that all this time, this will be a good day... Silver thought to himself as she followed Fluttershy deeper into the garden."
Silver's a girl?
Twilight took his hand and started to dance?
I hope she gave it back afterwards, do you know how hard hands are to come by in equestria?