ChangeAnon, Chapter 8 - The Gala

>The cold night air hit you as you stepped out of the carriage, finally having arrived at your destination.

>The Gala.

>You held a hoof out, helping the six mares lightly onto the ground. Each of them simply looked stunning in the outfits Rarity had made for them.

>She said they resembled something like the outfits they had worn last time, each dress matching the owner’s personality.

>Rarity had made an elegant, classy tuxedo for you. She apologized for it not being as ‘stylish’ as their dresses, but it didn’t bother you one bit.

>It felt right just being in clothes again. Ponies never wore any clothes, except to a few special events such as this, and you tried your best to adapt.

>You never fully got used to it, though. Without clothes you just felt..naked. Because you, well..were.

>After helping out each mare down, you all make your way up to the castle, walking on a red carpet along the way.

>You imagined if you were a famous Hollywood actor, it would probably feel a little something like this right now.

>There were quite a few ponies taking glances at you and the mane six as you walked in between them.

>A couple colts had been staring at you. You thought you caught a touch of jealousy on their faces. Maybe even a few from a couple mares. Weird.

>A huge set of golden doors met your view as you stopped, two guards standing in front of it.

>They didn’t seem to take notice of any of you, but opened the doors right away.

>You straighten your bow-tie and comb a hoof through your hair one last time.

>Time to make a good impression.

>The guards stepped aside as you made your way in. Your hooftsteps echoed lightly off of the shining, white marble floor laid out in front of you.

>Celestia. You immediately spotted her, standing on top of a staircase, greeting other ponies as they went by.

> But her eyes had been on you as soon as you stepped foot inside the building. Meeting them was something you instantly regretted, the gaze she gave you made your blood turn into ice.

> The sun princess greeted all of you as you made your way up the staircase, stopping at her feet.

>”Hello my little ponies..and Anonymous.”  

> The greeting was warm, except for the last bit. She must not have thought of you as one of her own. A pony. Technically you weren’t, but it still hurt. At least a little bit.

>”Hello princess!”

>Twilight practically ran up to Celestia, and gave her a hug. The purple mare had a huge smile on her face, looking excited. You reminded yourself that they rarely got to meet at times, each lived their own life, and Celestia was a princess who ruled over Equestria.

>It would have made you smile if the princess hadn’t been staring at you the entire time. The steely, iron cold gaze she was giving you brought a tingle down your spine.

>”I trust each of you have been having a good night so far?”

>”Oh yes, we have! Everything has been perfect. We’re so excited to be here, princess.”

>”I am glad to hear that, Twilight Sparkle. Now, go and enjoy the Gala, my little ponies. I shall be here if you need anything of me.”

>Twilight waved goodbye to all of you, as the rest of you nodded at her and the princess politely, making your exit.

>The six of you made your way into the night to enjoy the evening, but even as you walked away, the goddesses’ eyes burned into your back, making you shiver.

>You felt that the evening was going to be a bit harder for you to enjoy than the others.

 

 

>It was now a little later into the night and you were now sitting on a stone bench, alone.

>The girls had quickly split off to do their own things. Pinkie enjoying parties, Twilight spending time with Celestia (Even if they didn’t get to talk much).

>Rarity smoothly spreading around word of her shop and the fine clothes she made, maybe even looking for a royal pony to flirt with, while Applejack sold apple-related foods, but this time making them more ‘fancier’.

>Fluttershy trying to meet animals more patiently this time and Rainbow Dash attempting to get in with the Wonderbolts, or at least get to talk with them.

>You had been worried they would get caught up with the things they were doing, but the six mares had assured you they would hang out later in the night.

>They weren’t really the ones to break promises, but you felt otherwise. When those six put their minds to something, they did their best to achieve it.

>After all, they had their own dreams and goals. Friends were important, even helping you get back on your feet when times were rough, but dreams and goals were also equally as important.

>Who were you to deny your friends from reaching for theirs?

>It still didn’t feel right to you, they should be having fun with each other..but you did nothing, sighing in deep thought whilst kicking a nearby pebble with your hoof.

>”Troubling thoughts, Anonymous?”

>The voice startled you, but it turned out to be just Luna, which just made you even more nervous. Not knowing what else to do, you bow politely from your place on the bench and answer her question.

“O-oh..hello Princess. How did you know?”

>Luna gives you a small smile, even giggling at you a bit, much to your confusion. She did take part in setting up your execution, and you thought she would have even been more brutally cold to you than Celestia was.

>”You are out here, and thy friends are inside. May we?” She motioned at the bench you’re sitting on and scooted over to make room for her.

>Luna took almost the whole bench to herself and you would have no room if you hadn’t been sitting like a human.

>”So..princess-“

>”Please, Anonymous. Thou dost not have to act so formal around us. Call us Luna.”

“..Alright. Luna. How come you’re not acting like Celestia? From the way she was looking at me, I thought she would have liked to kill me herself.”

>The moon goddess put a hoof to her chin, thinking for a few moments before addressing you. “I have seen thou around Ponyville, working tirelessly to help others with deeds of kindness. It reminds me of somep0ny. An old friend, long since passed..”

>The look she was giving you was strange. You couldn’t quite describe it, but it was like she was looking at you, but saw somebody else instead.

>”..As for ‘Tia, she feels regret, even sadness for that..incident earlier, but does not want to reveal those feelings to you, or others.”

>That made sense. Celestia had been keeping up a strong emotional front. She was one of the main rulers over Equestria, after all.

>”But, she is still suspicious, maybe even a little..afraid. Or should I say more so of the thing resting inside of thou. The changeling. Dost thou not feel the need? The hunger?”

>Giving her a confused look, you shook your head. What was she talking about exactly?

>Luna thought about this for a moment and then continued on. “Changelings need to feast on others emotions. For them, it is like food.”

>”Doing so also gives them a considerable boost in their magic, which in turn drove the changelings into corruption by feasting too much on those feelings.”

“Drove them into corruption? They used to be different?”

>Luna gave you a sad frown and nodded. “Yes. They used to be such a kind, peaceful race. Much like the ponies. We used to live together in harmony. All was well…”

>”And then one day a changeling took in too many emotions, boosting his magic by at least threefold. Other changelings saw this and word quickly spread.”

>”Changelings everywhere started to feast on more emotions than they needed. It did increase their power, but it had one unfortunate side effect..”

>”It starts slow at first, a gnawing inside of you and, as you take in more emotions, it only grows. A hunger for power. Many changelings succumbed to this, becoming evil, greedy, wanting only more.”

>”They then started to rebel, believing they were the superior race, ponies being the inferiors. War broke out soon afterwards. It was..”

>Luna paused, a grim look on her face. “Bloody. Many died on both sides...In the end; we barely defeated them, having holded them off with the Elements. We then banished them to the badlands. But it seems they are returning, looking for revenge..”

>That was a lot to take in all at once. It sounded like the changelings, more or less, couldn’t control themselves. You felt a pang of sadness for them.

“Okay..but I’m not even a changeling, just part of one. What does all of this have to do with me?”

>”Indeed. The pony in thou must counteract the changeling, and do not have the need to feed like one. But be warned, Anonymous, if thou do feed on other’s emotions then there will be consequences. Some more severe than others.”

>That face she was giving you was creeping you out. You didn’t even feel the ‘need’, or whatever it was, so feeding on emotions is something you won’t be doing soon.

“R-right. What does this have to do with me, though? I haven’t even been here that long.”

>Luna’s face took on a sage-like appearance. “I fear you have a greater part to play in this than all of us. Thou’s past-life intrigues me..something must have brought you here for a reason.”

>”And thou just happen to be both changeling AND pony? That is no accident, Anonymous. Fate has been put into your hooves, and someday thou will have to make a choice. Whether ‘tis bad or good.”

>”One last warning. The changeling queen, Sillis, has a sort of ‘hold’ over her minions. I am sure thou have felt it when she has been near. Be wary around her.”

“But I believe as long as thou’s friends are by thy side, thou will be fine. Now..”

>Luna got up from her place on the bench, her features changing to that of a warm smile. “Enough of this serious talk. Spend time with thou’s friends. When thou are around, they seem more..happy, and enjoy thy company. Go and enjoy my night, Anonymous.”

>You returned her smile, genuinely. If they didn’t want to hang out together, you would at least spend time with them and help each of them out with the things each were doing.

“I will. Thank you for this talk, Luna. It has been..enlightening. I hope to see you later.”

>Even though she asked you not to be so formal, you bowed in front of her one last time before running off toward the castle.

>What Luna had said worried you, but your friends came first. You could worry about everything later, but for right now, it was time to spend the night with the best friends a pony could ask for.

 

 

>”CUPCAKE FIGHT!”

>You immediately duck as you enter the room, a cupcake flying past your head and hitting the wall behind you.

>Pinkie Pie was up on a table, reaching into her mane and pulling out several cupcakes all at once.

>Royal ponies left and right were comically falling, getting a face full of cupcake. You couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

>”Oh, hey Anon!”

>The pink mare was already in your face before you could even blink, smushing a cupcake across your face.

>You wiped some of the cupcake away from your eyes with a hoof and tried to give Pinkie one of your best glares, to which she just meets with a smile.

>The corners of your mouth started to twitch upwards a bit. Damnit, her smiles were too infectious for you to resist.

>A few seconds later and you and Pinkie where on the ground, sharing a laugh.

>”S-sorry Anon! I couldn’t help myself!”

“Don’t worry Pinkie, at least I got you back.”

>She gave you a confusing look before you returned the favor, taking the frosting you wiped off earlier and rubbing it on her face.

>Pinkie giggled at you, easily wiping off all of the frosting on her face with her tongue.

>You swore her tongue must have grown at least twice as long. She must have been hiding her horn somewhere in that poofy mane of hers, and used magic when you weren’t looking.

“..Anyways, how’s that party been going, Pinkie?”

>”Booooring. Until you showed up that is! Come on, let’s square dance!”

>Before you could protest, Pinkie already had a hoof locked around your own, and Polka music started to play from the nearby band.

>Oh, why not? Pinkie always was able to lighten your mood and make you enjoy even the little things, like when you would help her clean the shop up after a busy day.

”Boring, huh?”

>Pinkie nodded. “Yeah! All these ponies do is walk around, talking with each other! They really need to let loose, have a bit of fun and shake those flanks!”

>You gave out a laugh, Pinkie cocking her head to the side at that. “What’s so funny, mister?”

“Pinkie. This is..different than your usual type of parties.”

>”Yeah, somep0ny in the crowd told me that. So I pulled out my DJ stereo and partied even harder! I don’t think any of the ponies liked it though..”

>She di- but where did she even get- Ugh, whatever. It’s Pinkie Pie. She never really knew how to tone things down, hold herself back a bit.

“Of course they didn’t. This is a more ‘delicate’ type of party. Ponies here just like to talk, have light conversations. Maybe a little bit to drink or eat, now and then.”

>Pinkie gave you a shocked expression, mouth falling open. “But..but that’s no party at all!”

>You laughed and nodded. Ponies with a lot money like this must not know how to let loose, be themselves. To you, it seemed like they were more robots than ponies.

“Yeah, I know. It’s weird, but this is how ponies like them have parties. This is how they relax. Here, let me show you. It isn’t all that bad.”

>The next several minutes were spent walking around with Pinkie, talking to a few of the fancy ponies. They seemed to be cautious of your companion at first, but you made sure she didn’t burst out into one of her usual antics.

>Pinkie did surprisingly well after you walked her through a couple steps, but it was obvious she wasn’t really interested in things like this.

>You wave goodbye to the last couple you were talking to, but stop when you hear Pinkie’s voice.

>”Anon..I don’t think..I can..”

>Wow. You take a good look at her face. Her eyeballs seemed like they were about to pop out of her head, and she was tapping the floor with a hoof whilst vibrating up and down peculiarly.

>”I can’t do this anymore! It’s too boring! I just..I have to PARTY!”

>Pinkie Pie set off like a rocket, fireworks literally exploding from her as she zipped around the room, throwing streamers, blowing horns, and raining confetti while playing Polka music the entire time.

>You facehoofed. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, after all. Pinkie wasn’t really able to hold herself back. Well, at least nop0ny could say you didn’t try.

>Leaving the Canterlot ponies to deal with the Pinkie Pie’s newest mess, you head off to find the rest of your friends.

 

 

>It took you a little while, but you finally spotted Rarity talking it up with a fancy looking prince.

>He certainly looked the part, like he came straight out of a movie. Flowing blond hair, blue eyes, tall, ect.

>When you came closer to the two of them, it sounded like they were having a less than great conversation, though.

>”You call that ‘thing’ a dress? Why, I’ve seen a better dress on one of those filthy commoner ponies.”

>”That ‘thing’?! Blueblood, you are simply just..just-“

“Pardon me, but may I ask your professional opinion on something, Prince Blueblood?”

>Blueblood. You had heard about him from a few stories Rarity had told you, but didn’t want to make your own opinion of him until you met him in person. Well, you have for only a few seconds, and she seemed to be right about him on everything.

>A smile played across your features as you went through your soon to be unfolded plans in your mind. Rarity had remained silent while you interrupted, but was still glaring daggers at the prince.

>The prince looked you up and down before addressing you with a small smile. “I suppose I have enough time, I wasn’t talking to anyp0ny important anyway. Go on.”

“What do you think about my suit? It was created by one of the best fashion designers I know. But what’s your opinion on it, Prince?”

>You noticed his smile grew a bit bigger every time you mentioned the ‘prince’ part of his title. If everything went as planned, it’d be wiped off of his face soon enough.

>Blueblood leaned in closer to you, inspecting your outfit. “My, my! This has to be one of the best suits I have seen, using only some of the finest silk. May I perhaps ask who made this for you and if I may..buy one of my own?”

“Of course! Just place an order with Rarity and she’ll be sure to make you one right away.”

>You and Rarity both gave him a sly grin before erupting into full blown laughter. Blueblood tried to stammer out a reply to you, but instead turned and held his head high, giving out a loud ‘Humph!’, before walking away.

>It took you both a few minutes, but you finally calmed down from you laughter. “Oh, I must thank you Anonymous, for handling that brute. I honestly can’t remember what I ever saw in him.”

“It was no problem, Rarity. Someone needed to put that jerk in his place. I think you’d be better off looking for a colt back in Ponyville anyways. The ponies here just think of themselves a little too highly. They’re a little..stuck up, y’know?”

>Rarity blushed a bit but shrugged it off, thinking about what you said for a moment, her eyes on you the entire time. “A colt in Ponyville? I will think about it, darling. Now, why don’t we get to know each other a bit better over tea, hmm?”

>You nodded, walking with your friend over to the confections table and pouring her a cup once you reached it. Tea wasn’t exactly your ‘thing’, so you chose to stick with water.

>Rarity brang the cup lightly to her lips, taking a few ladylike sips. “Anonymous, you must simply go into further detail about your old life. It’s hard to get to know one when they refuse to talk about themselves.”

>That was true, you guess. Only Rainbow had really known a lot about you, and it was getting increasingly easier to talk about your past life.

>You had come to terms with it, being dead and all, stuck in a new world, unable to return.

>These ponies did have magic, and a lot of them were good at it too, but you doubted any of them even had the power to rip a hole through time and space, go through different dimensions, and be able to return you back to your world, safely at that.

>And even if they could, what then? You’d be returning back to a dead body. It killed you to admit it, but your time on Earth was done, whether you liked it or not.

“..Alright then. Let’s talk about my two girls. They were into fashion a lot like you.”

>Rarity and you carried on the conversation for about half an hour. Seems she was pretty interested in human fashion, and even liked a couple ideas you had for her.

>You weren’t particularly into fashion, but you remembered a few designs your daughters had shown to you.

>”I must say, Anonymous, your girls are really something! Fashion prodigies! When we get back to my shop, I must start working on these new ideas right away.

>A smile was brought to your lips at that. They were good at what they did, just like Rarity was. She even reminded you a bit of them..

“I’ll be sure to come over and help you, then. For now, I’m gonna go see what the others are up to. I hope you have a lovely night, Miss Rarity.”

>”You’re too kind to me, darling. I must repay you in someway..Oh! I have just the thing!”

>You gave her a confused look as she moved over to your side, but quickly changed to one of surprise when she gave you a light kiss on the cheek.

>Rarity gave you a grin as she went off into the night, to enjoy talking to the frivolous royal ponies around the cstle.

>You weren’t quite sure what to feel as you walked off; holding a hoof to the cheek Rarity had kissed.

 

 

>”Hey Anon, what can ah do yah for?”

>Applejack happened to be next on your stop as you ran into her selling her apple related delicacies. You had to admit, she really went all out this time.

“Wow, you really went out of your way on these things! They all look good, AJ.”

>She grinned at you while tipping her hat. “Eeyup. Made sure of it this time, last ah was here all these fancy ponies didn’t want none of our ‘commoner’ food. Anyways, what do yah want, partner?”

>All of the fancy cakes and treats were appealing, but for you, it was a bit too over the top.

“I’ll just stick with an apple, thanks.”

>Applejack chuckled and tossed you an apple over the cart, which you caught in your hooves. “I knew yah would, sugarcube. Got a couple stashed in here.”

>You nodded your thanks and took a bit into the apple. The apples in the world were way better than the ones you had back on Earth. It didn’t make any sense to you, so you just chocked it up to magic.

“How’s the business been going so far? Got enough bits to retire your whole family yet, and more?”

>Applejack gave you a chortle, but shook her head. “Nope. It’s been a tad slow, but ahh guess ahh can’t complain.”

“Slow, huh? I think I can fix that..”

>She cocked an eyebrow at you as you stood up on two legs, taking a look over the crowd to find a certain somep0ny.

“..There he is. Don’t worry AJ, you’ll be swarmed with ponies when I’m done.”

>Applejack just gave you a confused look as you cut a small piece into one of her apple cakes and made your way into the crowd, after dropping back onto all fours. “Well, if yah say so, sugarcube..”

>Rarity had also told you a bit about the pony you were heading too. Apparently, he had quite the influence on these Canterlot ponies. Everything he liked, everyp0ny else loved.

“Hello..Fancypants, right? Can I take just a moment of your time?”

>Fancypants turned away from his adoring crowd of mares, taking a look at you. “Yes, I am Fancypants. And I don’t see why not, chap. Lovely suit, by the way.”

“Thank you, sir. Now, my friend told me these cakes here are one of the best made in Equestria, but I’m not so sure. I see you’re a man of exquisite tastes, and wanted to get your opinion on it first.”

>You gave him a smile while you held the cake up to him. Fancypants looked you and the cake over one last time before giving you a nod. “Of course. Let us see what all this fuss is about.”

>He took the cake into his hooves and took a small bit into it. You could practically see his eyes light up as he did so, and he went back for more, finishing it in a few seconds.

>”I dare say, these ARE one of the most delicious cakes I have eaten in my entire life. Your friend seemed to be correct. Now, who made these delicious treats?”

>You pointed a hoof in Applejack’s direction. “That fabulous looking mare over there with the green cart?”

“Yup, that’s the on-“

>The crowd behind Fancypants rushed past you, all stopping in front of Applejack’s cart and practically waving bits at her to get some of her foods.

>Applejack waved her Stetson at you with a grin on her face and you returned it with a hoof, laughing as you made your way into the night. She was going to have a busy night ahead of her.

 

 

>It took you sometime to find her out in the gardens, but all you had to do was follow the sound of somep0ny singing.

>You push a branch aside and stepped under it, and sure enough, there was Fluttershy. She seemed to be singing at some nearby trees with birds in it, but they didn’t seem to want to come out and just ignored her.

“Hey Flutters, no luck with the animals yet?”

>Fluttershy flinched a bit when you talked, but calmed down when she noticed it was just you. “O-oh. Hey Anonymous. No, I’m not having any luck at all..”

>That was strange. Usually, Fluttershy was the best pony you knew with animals, but these ones seemed to be shyer than she was.

>Her eyes started to tear up. “I-I just wanted to see the Meddowlarks and the Wallaroos..but I don’t think they want to see me..”

>Oh god, no. You don’t think you could handle a crying Fluttershy. C’mon Anon, think..

“Wait, Fluttershy! I think I might know something that can do the trick.”

>Fluttershy looked up at you with hope in her eyes. “You do? But I thought you weren’t any good with animals, Anon..”

>That was true. You were never really good with any animals. Hell, you couldn’t even afford to keep one long-term, but you did learn a thing or two from someone who was good with them.

>She even reminded you of Fluttershy, in a way, and you don’t think your heart could handle seeing her cry.

“I picked up a few things from somep0ny that was. I haven’t done this in a long, long time, so it might take a moment.”

>Fluttershy silently watched you as you pursed your lips, trying to get the tune you had in mind perfectly.

>How long since you had heard it? Ten years? Possibly more? Your heart felt heavy as you started to whistle, but you didn’t stop.

>The whole garden seemed to fall silent, all ears were on you. The notes sounded a bit off, but that was okay, you were never great at doing it as she was.

> The sound could only be described by one word, beautiful. The whole thing was bittersweet to you. A rush of memories that you had pushed somewhere in the back of your mind came flooding over you as you finished it up.

>Flocks of birds had circled around you and Fluttershy as you wrapped it up, along with a few spider monkeys, Wallaroos, and other exotic creatures.

>”Wow! That was amazing, Anonymous! I never knew you could do something like that before. Who did you learn to whistle like that from?”

>You gave Fluttershy a smile, still trying to keep your appearance up, but inside you were hurting. You thought you had moved on, you wished you had, but a small part of you still clung on to her, like sand falling through your fingers.

“Just a friend, Shy. A friend I didn’t get to spend nearly enough time with…Excuse me, I gotta..head to the bathroom. I’ll see you later.”

>You quietly exited the gardens as Fluttershy and her new friends whistled back the tune you had taught them, the sounds freshly echoing in your ears.

 

 

>The night finally started to die down a bit as you made your way up to the stairs where Celestia and Twilight had been talking. Looks like all the ponies had shown up for the party, and they had all been greeted.

>Even with what Luna had told you, the sun goddess resting her eyes on you still unsettled you, making you a little nervous.

“Hey there Princess, hello Twilight. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

>Twilight shook her head. “No, we were just talking about the times I’ve spent in Ponyville and things I’ve learned, stuff like that.”

>At least Twilight didn’t need help with anything. All she wanted to do was spend time with her teacher, Celestia.

>They continued the conversation where they left it off at, talking about advanced magics with each other. You would have tried to include yourself in it, but all of it went way over your head.

>You let them keep on talking for a several minutes afterwards, but you had to interrupt them at some point. You needed to talk with Celestia.

“Celestia, if it’s not too troublesome, may I have a word with you? Alone?”

>She gave you a nod and the room was soon evacuated, guards and all, including Twilight. You had to do a bit of persuading with her, but she still left all the same.

>”Want did you want to speak about, Anonymous?”

“Well, I..I know that you don’t exactly trust me, heck, you might be even a little afraid of me, but I want to convince you that I’m not a threat. That I’m just a regular..pony, like everyone else.”

>Celestia narrowed her eyes at you, taking in what you said. “I see Luna has had a few words with you. Afraid of you? No, I am just worried about my subjects, and the elements. My ponies.”

>”And you are NOT just a regular pony, the fact remains that you are quite unique. One of a kind. I also do not know what you are capable of, as you are not of this world.”

“Capable of? I’m harmless! I wouldn’t hurt anyp0ny! If I wanted to do that, I would have joined the changelings at my execution, but I turned them down. Or do you not remember?”

>”That was..necessary. I fear history will repeat itself, and there will be a war upon us soon. I had to make absolutely sure you were not just using them, and they trusted you.”

“Why are you still watching me, then? I’ve seen your guards around. I am not your enemy, Celestia.”

>Celestia’s face got closer to your own. It was..intimidating, to say the least.

>”No. You are your own. I’m sure my sister has already filled you in on the details of it. You’re a bomb, Anonymous, waiting to explode. How long until you give into your own desires? Greed, power?

“I..I wouldn’t do anything to hurt anyp0ny. Even if it meant ending myself, I would do it.”

>Celestia drew back when you said that. You guess she hadn’t been expecting an answer like that. “We shall see about that. Now, is that all, or did you want to talk with me about something else.”

“..No, that was all. Bye, princess.”

>You didn’t even bother to bow like you had done with Luna. Instead, you just hurriedly left the room right away, passing by a Twilight Sparkle.

>”Well? How did your talk go with the Princess?”

“It was..okay. I don’t really want to talk about it that much. We’ll talk later back at Ponyville, alright?”

>Twilight gave you a nod and you left her to be alone with her teacher. You needed to calm your nerves a bit, relax.

 

 

>It was late into the evening now, some ponies even heading back to their homes.

>You make your way through the crowd to reach Rainbow, who’s waving off the Wonderbolts as they make their way into the starry, night sky.

“Get in with them yet?”

>Dash dropped her head and turned it to the right to look at you, a frown on her face. “Nah, I tried to get a few words in with them, but they’re famous ponies after all. Everyp0ny wanted to talk with them.”

“So it was a lot like last time, huh? Don’t worry Rainbow, I know you’ll get in with them someday. You’re the best flyer in Equestria! They’ll see it, just like I do.”

>She gave you a grin at that. “Duh! Of course I am, it’s just a matter of time. I just gotta be patient…which I suck at.”

You chuckled, to which you got a hoof to your side. “I’m serious, Anon! I don’t think I can wait any longer! It’s killing me!”

“I know, I know, but you just have to wait. I’ll help you get in, and I’ll be there for you when you do.”

>Rainbow looked up into your eyes. “Promise?”

>You rubbed her mane a bit with a hoof, chuckling.

“Yeah, promise. I always keep my word. Besides the Wonderbolts, how’s the night been going? Boring?”

>She gave you a nod. “Yeah, way boring. But..I know something that could help make my night a lot better.”

>You quirked an eyebrow at her, but you already had a good idea on what it was.

“Oh? And what would that be?”

>Rainbow Dash gave you a shy smile and led you through a few rooms, eventually ending up in the ballroom.

>The room was huge with crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, huge windows on each side to let the moonlight in, and a nice classical orchestra playing on the stage.

>There were already several pony couples about, dancing with one another. You saw Dash open her mouth to speak, but you stopped her by raising up a hoof.

“No, I’ll ask you. I want this to feel as real as possible. Alright…Rainbow Dash, may I have this dance?”

>You knew it was a little corny, but you didn’t care.

>Rainbow gave you a small nod and, even in the darkened room, you could tell she was blushing lightly. “Y-yeah. Let’s..”

>You led her down to the dance floor with her hoof in yours. When you reached it, you both put a hoof on each other’s shoulder, head on the other one.

>It was a bit hard to get into at first, but you both got into a good rhythm, moving your hooves to the beat.

>The both of you kept your eyes on each other the entire time. You had never really noticed before, but when her mane hit the moonlight, it shown brilliantly, like a rainbow of its own.

>You drew back a bit, and couldn’t help getting a little lost in those rose colored eyes of hers, but snapped out of it at the end of the dance.

>There was a strange kind of feeling going on in your chest, one you couldn’t quite put your finger on. You hadn’t felt something like it in years..

>You participated in a couple more dances with Rainbow, just enjoying each other’s company during the night.

>It had to end at one point though, you and Dash finishing up your last dance for the night. It was getting late and it seemed like the Gala was finally drawing to a close, ponies leaving to head back to their homes. Rainbow’s voice stopped you from leaving, though.

>”..Hey, Anon. Can I..ask you something before we head out?”

“Sure, Rainbow. You can ask me anything. We practically live together, I don’t mind.”

>She gave out a little laugh and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof, but you could tell she was nervous. “Yeah..right. I was just..wondering, y’know…How do you f-“

>You both broke apart, jumping at the sudden noise coming from the main room of the castle. “What was that?!”

“I don’t know..it sounded like somep0ny fell and broke something. C'mon, let’s check it out!”

>Rainbow and you sprinted ahead, rushing towards the source of the noise. You had a bad feeling about this, especially after seeing the few ponies who were still in the castle running away from the noise, and the guards towards it..

>The doors were already open for you two when you arrived, the both of you halting at the sight ahead.

>There were several guards in the room, along with all the other Elements, all looking at Celestia.

>She was on the floor, unconscious, with blood slowly pooling around her head.

>Along with..

>”Anonymous. I told you we would meet again.”

>None other than the Queen of the Changelings stood before you, Sillis, a hoof settled on Celestia’s head.