Chapter 23 – At the Gala

At last, Rainbow Dash and I arrive at the grand opening of the Grand Galloping Gala, here in Canterlot! Hundreds, if not thousands of ponies line up as they make their way inside the majestic castle. As my beautiful companion and I follow the gathering crowd, we hear a jet-roaring sound as we look up to the sky. Right above us, the fame Wonderbolts are soaring through the air performing some illuminative skywriting that says, “Welcome to the Grand Galloping Gala!” After illustrating their greeting to the awestricken guests down below, several of the Wonderbolts rocket up into the air as each of them leave a flashy, glittering trail. Afterwards, they unleash some spectacular fireworks that light up the sky. Rainbow gasps breathlessly with a wide smile as we continue to marvel at her heroes’ vivid performance. Once the famed Pegasi leaves the scene, we continue our stroll to the Gala. Surely, this is going to be a magical night for both of us! I can only hope that I don’t have to participate in some spontaneous musical number. I like some of the songs from the show, but I can’t do well enough to sing for my own life.

Once we are inside the castle, the first thing that catches my eye is the two regal princesses on top of the colossal staircase, Celestia and Luna. I get really excited on meeting the princesses for myself. In my current pony form, the two sisters are much taller than me, making their presence a bit intimidating, but still, I am very anxious to meet them. It’s not every day you get a chance to meet with not one, but two goddesses face-to-face. Once Rainbow Dash and I make it at the top of the stairs, the two princesses smile warmly at our arrival at us as we bow courteously before them.

“Hello, Rainbow Dash. So nice to see you again.” Princess Celestia greets us in her usual, welcoming voice. “And who is this handsome gentlecolt you have brought with you?” I blush a little at receiving such flattery from a godly princess.

“This is Ford Mustang, Princess Celestia.” Rainbow gestures at me with a slight blush. “He’s a very good friend of mine.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintances, your majesties.” I say to them with a pleasant smile as I bow before them once more with a fore hoof crossed over my chest. In return, they bow lightly for my chivalry.

“Oh, so this is the mysterious stallion we heard so much about.” Celestia says to me grinningly. I cringe lightly as I fear that Celestia and her sister might somehow know of my human origins.

“Y-y-you know of me, princess?” I stammer nervously.

“Why, of course!” Princess Luna answers with an exciting smile. “Princess Twilight has told us all about you! We are most fascinated by what we have learned so far!”

Not wanting to discuss this any further, I try to divert our conversation into a different subject. “Speaking of which, where is Princess Twilight anyway?”

“She said she had to finish something up real quick.” Luna replies sincerely. “But don’t worry, she’ll be down here momentarily.”

“Anyway, it’s very nice to me you, Ford Mustang.” Celestia welcomes us with a warm smile. “And hopefully you and Rainbow Dash enjoy yourselves at the Gala this evening.” Rainbow and I bow one last time towards the princesses before we enter the main lobby of castle.

At the reception inside the main hallway, we look around to see hundreds of ponies gather together to socialize, eat, and drink. Mostly, it’s just appetizers and desserts they have to offer, but their abundant delicacies look quite fulfilling to serve as our main meals tonight.

“So, what should we do first?” I ask Rainbow.

“How about we get something to eat?” she suggests. I nod to her answer as we approach one of the tables to sample their delicious treats.

“Would you care for chocolate truffle, sir?” a waiter offers to me out of nowhere. I am startled by the sudden appearance of this tan-colored pony with the grey mane and goatee. But then, I look at his platter as it displays scrumptious-looking candies right in front of me.

“Ah, thank you, kind sir!” I say to the waiter politely as I accept one of his offerings.

Then, I pop the truffle into my mouth as I chew with delight to savor the milky, chocolaty goodness. There is even a filling in this truffle. It tastes like it has a sweet cinnamon flavor to it. Suddenly, the cinnamon starts to tingle my tongue intensely. I swallow what’s left, but that did little to cease the intense spiciness of the candy I was eating. Oh geez, now it’s burning my taste buds!

“Ford, what’s wrong?” Rainbow Dash asks concernly as she notices how puckered-up my sweating, hot face is. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“HOT! HOT! HOOOOOOT!!” I exclaim in distress as I rapidly inhale as much cool air as possible.

“Care for a glass, sir?” the same, mysterious waiter inquires as he offers a tall glass of ice-cold water this time.

“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” I pant greatly as I gratefully reach for the only means to my salvation.

At once, I close my eyes as I tilt the glass to allow the refreshing water to sooth my irritating mouth. I wait for a few seconds, but nothing has quenched my desperate thirst yet. I open my eyes to see what’s the matter, and to my surprise, I not only see the slanted body of water not moving at all, but I also see glass itself disappearing right before my very eyes!

“What the…?” I puzzle in shock. And after the glass vanishes out of sight…

SPLASH!

The water that was floating right above my face douses me immensely. I am completely soaked to the bone. Rainbow tries to stifle her laughing, while I on the other hoof just simply smirk at myself.

Then, we hear a sinister snickering from the waiter next to us. Suddenly, the cackling server places a hoof on his face as we see a zipper being pulled down. Rainbow and I gasp in shock as we see the true identity of our trickster: Discord!

“Ahh, that never gets old!” the oriental dragon-like prankster wipes a tear after finishing his uproarious laugh.

“Discord!” Rainbow softly scolds Discord with a smirk.

“Well, it was just a glass I was offering after all.” Discord responds innocently.

Rainbow Dash shakes her head while still bearing a smile. But then, she notices how I am in desperate need to cool my poor tongue off. So, she fetches me some refreshing punch nearby and hands it to me swiftly. I gratefully take the cup and finally cool my mouth.

I sigh in relief before saying to Rainbow with gratitude, “Thanks.”

“Here…” Discord gets my attention as he plucks the plushy ball of fur from the tip of his tail. “Allow me!" he insists before wipe my face briskly with his tailpiece. Surprisingly, my face is completely dry right now.

“Thank you.” I smile graciously to the tall, hybrid creature.

“I thought you promised to use your chaotic magic for good instead of evil.” Rainbow says to Discord with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“Why, of course I am!" Discord claims with a smirk matching with Rainbow Dash’s. “I’m just doing these poor, dull saps a favor by livening up this party, that’s all! Besides, what I’m doing here tonight is practically harmless compared to what you and your friends pulled off the last time you were at the Gala!”

Rainbow laughs nervously before mumble to herself embarrassingly, “Don’t remind me.”

“So, Rainbow Dash, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend here?” Discord asks of her.

“Oh, sure!” she begins to introduce me to Discord. “Ford Mustang, this is Discord! He’s… a bit loopy, but he can be a pretty fun guy sometimes!”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Discord.” I extend a hoof, and he, in surprise chivalry, shakes my hoof.

“Ford Mustang, huh?” Discord comments. “So, this is the unmarked pony I’ve heard so much about from the Princesses.”

“Yeah, I know.” I brush it off with a smile. “It’s a bit strange for a pony for like me to not have a Cutie Mark, isn't it?”

“Strange, huh?” Discord says with confounding look on his face. “Ford, in case you haven’t notice, I am a reformed villain that consists of nearly every basic animal in the kingdom with powers that can bend fabric of reality itself! To me, anything that is considered strange is just plain normal to me!”

“Well, I don’t think you’re that strange, Discord.” I respond casually with a smile. “You’re pretty an interesting guy once ponies get to know you better. Plus, you have a wicked sense of humor!"

Truth be told, Discord is my favorite villain (scratch that, ex-villain) in the series I’ve watched. I’ve enjoy how charismatic and witty he is as a character. Discord stares at me speechlessly before breaking into a wide grin.

“You know, I like you, Ford Mustang.” he smiles at me. “And for being such a good sport, I’m gonna try something that might help you get your Cutie Mark!” I stare blankly at Discord before snapping back into reality.

“R-r-really?” I flabbergast before showing an optimistic smile. “You can do that for me?!”

“Why of course I can!” he boasts grinningly. “To me, it should be as simple as a snap!”

And with a snap of his clawed fingers, a flash of white light illuminates on my flank. I glee anxiously as I couldn’t wait to see what it is. At last, the magical light dies down as I finally get to look at my new Cutie Mark. And it’s… a corporate logo of the Ford Motor Company?

“What the--?!” I exclaim puzzlingly as I see the cursive trademark signature of my own name.

“Why would you have your own name as your Cutie Mark?” Rainbow Dash asks me in confusion as well. I shrug in response as both of us look back at Discord.

“Oopsie!” Discord says with an uneasy smile as he gingerly presses his index fingers together. “Let’s… pick something else that doesn't involve copyright infringement, shall we?”

And with another snap of his fingers, another flash of light erases the first Cutie Mark, and in it’s place…

“OH SWEET, MERCIFUL LUNA, NO!!” I shout out loud hysterically as an embarrassing blush radiates on my face.

“Did somepony call out for me?!” I hear Luna calling out in the distance.

“Sister, it’s only a figure of speech, remember?” Celestia reminds her dear sister.

“Right, of course!” Luna responses bashfully. “It’s… still quite confusing to say the least.”

Eventually, after that surprising outburst from Princess Luna, I turn back with wide-eyes to look at my second Cutie Mark again: it’s a curvy bow armed with an arrow, featuring… sigh… a tip that’s shaped like a heart. Ugh… somebody shoot me, please!

“Oh come on, Ford!” Rainbow tries to reassure me while controlling her chuckling at my latest Cutie Mark. “It’s not that bad! It’s… kind of cute and fitting to say the least!” I frown upon hearing her saying that as she continues to stifle her laughter.

“Rainbow Dash, how many colts do you know that have hearts as part of their Cutie Marks?!” I retort with a glare. She ponders for a bit before she just shrugs with a smile as she thankfully couldn’t think of an answer. Sorry, Rainbow, but just because I tend to help out with our friends with their romantic relationships, doesn’t mean that I want my special talent to be about matchmaking!

“Please, Discord!” I turn my attention back to him as I beg him. “Change it to something else!”

“Are you sure?” Discord smirks at me. “A lot of fans are going to be disappointed to hear you saying that.”

…

WHAT FANS?!

“Discord, I’m begging you!” I plead continuously. “Change it for me, please!”

“Ooh… picky picky. Sigh... very well. Let’s see if third time’s a charm.”

And with one final snap, the embarrassing Cutie Mark is gone in a flash. In its place, I gasp with an awestricken smile as I see my third Cutie Mark: a simple paintbrush with its brushy tip coated in a vivid, tri-colored paint of red, yellow, and blue as it leaves a painted, S-shaped trail.

“There! How’s this?” Discord smiles at his work.

“Hey, this is perfect!” I answer ecstatically. “Thank you, Discord!”

“Yeah, that looks pretty awesome, Mustang!” Rainbow approves gleefully. “Hey, the colors on that paintbrush kind of match with the lightning bolt on my Cutie Mark!” I couldn’t compare my Cutie Mark with hers because of the dress she’s wearing, so I carefully look back at my new Cutie Mark. Closely inspecting the paintbrush, I seem to recall how it does resemble the colors of Rainbow’s lightning bolt. I wonder if there is a special connection behind that.

“Yeah… I guess it kind of does, doesn’t it?” I remark with a blushing smile.

As I continue to admire my Cutie Mark, I gasp in horror as I see my prized tattoo slowly disappearing before my eyes. Once it is gone, I gape at this horrification as I could feel something twitching in one of my eyes.

“Wait… what happened?! Why did it disappear all of a sudden?!” I ask stunningly.

“Hmm… it’s just as I was afraid of.” Discord contemplates as he gently pulls his goatee.

“What do you mean?” I ask him in confusion.

“Cutie Marks have their own special kind of magic.” Discord continues his explanation. “A magic that is far beyond my own powers. Cutie Marks are meant to be earned, and they have their own paths of self-discovery. There are no shortcuts into obtaining them. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any more use to you, Ford.” he pouts sorrowfully.

“Nonsense.” I reassure him with a soft smile. “You are a good friend, Discord, and I truly appreciate your efforts. Besides, I would probably be more content on earning my Cutie Mark through hard work and perseverance anyway.” He is a bit surprised by how I was thanking him, but eventually, he smiles warmly at my sincere gesture.

“Hey! I told you I wanted a wine spritzer with only just a few ice cubes! This has too many! Get it right this time!” The three of us turn our attention to the interruption of a familiar, snooty prince as he shoves his disapproving drink to a timid, younger waiter.

“Y-y-yes, Prince Bluebood. I'm so sorry for the trouble.” the caterer responds frightfully as he bows to the disrespectful prince before taking his leave.

“Hmph! It’s so hard to find good help these days.” He says smugly to his esteemed colleagues as they nod along without question. Rainbow, Discord, and I are all probably thinking the same thing regarding with the discourteous nature of this so-called prince.

Then, I get an idea. An awful idea. I get the most wonderful, awful idea!

“You know, Discord…” I turn to him with a very devious smirk. “…that stallion over there looks pretty tensed. Maybe you can help him loosen up a bit.”

Once Discord gets the hint, his smirk matches that with my own. “You know, that’s not a bad idea! I always wanted to put my magic to good use! Any suggestions?”

I gesture a waving fore hoof to Discord so he could come closer. I whisper my plan into his enlarged ear. After explaining it to him, his smirk stretches even wider than my own.

“Buddy, I like the way you think!” Discord praises me. “If you two would excuse me, I have some chaos to wreck!”

After Discord leaves us in a jiffy, Rainbow Dash turns to me with a curious grin on her face and asks, “So, what did you suggest to Discord?”

“You’ll see.” I smirk back at her. Suddenly, I’m distracted by a floating platter of my favorite appetizer: cheesy bread with a bowl of warm marinara sauce on the side! Yum!

“Ooo! Is that cheesy bread over there?!” I say gleefully with hungry eyes. “Rainbow, would care for some?” She nods delightfully before I rush over to receive our first meals this evening.

After retrieving our precious cheesy bread from a kind waiter, I observe a mini version of Discord at one of the punch fountains nearby as his plan goes into action. Using his chaotic magic, he levitates a tiny glob of the pink punch as he takes aim at our targeted prince. With the flick of his fingers, Discord sends the tiny pink orb towards Blueblood and makes a direct hit on his foreleg. Immediately, Blueblood feels the trickling speck on his coat as he inspects the tiny spot on his foreleg with curiosity and disgust.

“Hmph! How did that get there?” Blueblood scoffs at the offensive spot on his flawless, white coat.

Taking one of the napkins from a table nearby, the pampered prince damps that tiny spot to hopefully get rid of it. Once he removes his napkin however, he puzzles at the pink spot still being there. And from the looks of it, the irritating spot isn’t as small as before. So he tries rubbing it off, but the immovable spot just gets slightly bigger. Then he desperately tries to scrub on it as hard as he can, but it’s just making it worse as the pink blob begins to spread across his foreleg.

“Wh-wh-what’s happening?!” Blueblood stammers in fear as more and more rapidly growing spots start to appear all over his body.

I arrive with our plates of cheesy bread and marinara sauce to stand next to Rainbow Dash as she gleefully continues to watch the frantic prancing of our “most beloved” prince. After bring her share, Rainbow happily accepts it as we munch on our appetizers whilst enjoying Blueblood making a fool out of himself. Ponies around him gawk at the terrified prince as his sudden infection finishes its course. Before us all stood the once-proud prince, who is now completely embarrassed over his newly pinked coat.

“Oh no!” Blueblood panics significantly. “I’ve must have contracted some kind of new commoner’s disease! I CAN’T DIE THIS WAY! I’M TOO PRIVILEGED TO DO SO! QUICK, SOMEPONY FETCH ME A DOCTOR!”

In a mad, directionless dash, the pretty, pink prince runs away screaming pathetically just as Applejack has described to me. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash and I continue to casually enjoy our cheesy bread as we see our source of entertainment fleeing the scene.

“Well, what do you know? Dinner and a show!” she comments with grin before we have a good laugh to ourselves.

After finishing our meals as well as thanking Discord for his well-deserved prank and saying our goodbyes to him, Rainbow Dash suggests on searching for her icons, the Wonderbolts! She said that she met them at the VIP section last time, so hopefully we’ll find them again this year.

“Look! There’s Spitfire and Soarin over there!” Rainbow estastically points them out as they are inside a section, which are enclosed by a set of connected poles. “Come on, Ford! Let’s go see them!”

We anxiously fly over to the VIP’s only entrance where it is blocked by a Unicorn attendant with a small moustache, who is leviatating a clipboard.

“Excuse me, sir!” Rainbow ask the attendant. “Can we pass through here? We just wanna say ‘hi’ to Spitfire and Soarin!”

“Name.” he replies simpliy.

“What?” she says in bafflement.

“Name, please.” the mustached attendant repeats more sternly.

“Oh, right! Name’s Rainbow Dash! Maybe you have heard of me!” she boasts grinningly while wiggling her eyebrows.

The emotionless attendant glances at the pages on his clipboard before saying, “Hmm… Sorry, but you’re not on the list this evening.”

“List?” Rainbow says to herself in surprise.

“Yes, this list…” he says matter-of-factly while taping his clipboard with a levitated pen. “…where only those with special privileges are allowed to enter the VIP section.”

“Ha! List schmist!” Rainbow brushes it off with an amusing smile. “Okay pal, jokes over! Can we get through please?”

“Ma’am, I don’t make jokes.” the attendant says with firm sternness.

“Well, I figure as much considering how terrible you are at telling them!” Rainbow retorts. “Seriously, why can’t we get in there? I was able to get into the VIP section last year, so why not this time?”

“Whether you got in last year or not doesn’t really matter.” The attendant responds tiresomely. “The list will always change from time to time. If you’re not on the list this year, then you’re not getting in. It’s as simple as that.”

“Okay, look, just tell Spitfire who am I…” Rainbow suggests sharply. “…and I’m sure we can sort this whole mess--!”

“Miss Spitfire is busy at moment…” the attendant rudely interrupts her. “…and she doesn’t have time to deal with the likes of you. Now please, move along, ma’am.”

“But--!”

“I said, move along, ma’am.” he repeats very strictly.

Rainbow looks like she is about to explode, but to my surprise, she grumps out loud, “Fine!” Then, she turns around sharply as she trots angrily away. “Sigh… come on, Ford.” she says miserably as she walks pass me. “Maybe we can catch up with them later.”

Poor Rainbow Dash. I haven’t seen her so dejected before. It… it isn’t fair! I can only assume why so many background ponies in the cartoon show can be so oblivious due to the writers and animators not caring much about them. But why is nearly every snobbish pony in this world so friggin’ ignorant to the many accomplishments of Rainbow Dash and her friends?! Somepony should start waking these rich fools up from their blissful ignorance! And it looks like that somepony is gonna have to be me! I gather my courage and restricted anger and march over to that stuck-up attendant to settle this myself!

“Ford?” Rainbow Dash calls out to me concernly, but I am too focused on my task as I stand right in front of the attendant while he is too preoccupied with his little clipboard.

“Excuse me, sir?” I get his attention as politely as possible. “Are you quite certain that Rainbow Dash isn’t on that list of yours?”

“Sigh… how many times do I have to say this?” he sighs in aggravation. “Yes, Miss Rainbow Dash isn’t on the list.”

“THAT’S OUTRAGEOUS!” I shout in a sudden outburst that not only gets the attendant’s attention, but also almost every other pony around me. “How could you not have her on your precious little list?! Don’t you know who she is?!”

“I don’t believe so--!” he answers startlingly.

“This is THE Rainbow Dash!” I point out to my stunned date across from me. “You know?! One of six heroes, who bear the Elements of Harmony, who are tasked by Princess Celestia herself to save the world on a daily basis?! Why if it wasn’t for her, you would have been hiding in constant fear in the everlasting night of Nightmare Moon! Without Rainbow, you would be nothing more than a mere toy for Discord to play within his reign of anarchy!”

“HEY--!” Discord calls out from the distance. “Oh, wait! I suppose that’s true! Carry on, Ford!” As Discord leaves the scene with a self-contented smile, I glance at one of some of murals in the background until I recognize one of them: it’s a mural depicting on how the Mane Six defeated Discord.

“LOOK!” I redirect the attendant’s wide eyes onto the mural I was looking at. “SHE HAS A PICTURE OF HERSELF ON A BUCKIN’ MURAL OVER THERE!! And you don’t think she’s qualified enough for your little private party?!”

“I-I didn’t make the list, sir, I just enforce it--!” he answers tremblingly.

“Tell me something then…” I ask with raised eyebrow. “Are the princesses on that list too?”

“Well… no… they don’t need to be.”

“And Princess Twilight Sparkle is not only a dear friend of Rainbow Dash, but she’s also one of the Elemental Bearers of Harmony! So why doesn’t Rainbow Dash get the same treatment as well, huh?!”

I’m pretty satisfied on shaking this guy up, but that’s not my main purpose for my ranting. There is just one other pony I really wanted to get her attention if I’m going to make this plan work for Rainbow Dash.

“And one last thing, while Rainbow Dash may not have the same privileges as the Wonderbolts, she is just as good, no scratch that, EVEN BETTER as any Wonderbolt out there! Why, even Spitfire would have to agree with me on that considering that she witnessed most of Rainbow Dash’s accomplishments herself!”

Within the center of the VIP section, I begin to see Spitfire’s ears perk up and twitch a little as it looks like my plan is working. Just need to push it a little longer. “Yeah, that's right! Not only was Spitfire one of the judges for the Best Young Flier Competition, but Spitfire was also one of the ponies Rainbow Dash saved while performing the legendary Sonic Rainboom! Why, she practically owes Rainbow Dash her life for that!”

As I keep emphasizing her name, Spitfire finally turns around and starts to take notice of my actions. “Spitfire was also the one who trained Rainbow Dash in the Wonderbolts Academy, and she acknowledged her not only for her flying abilities, but also for recognizing her as an exceptional team leader! Rainbow Dash deserves to be a Wonderbolt with all that she has proven in the past, and Spitfire, Soarin, and every one of them should consider themselves lucky to have her on the team!”

I take a brief pause as I let all of my words begin to sink in within the petrified attendant. I think I can see Spitfire making her approach to the VIP’s entrance. So far so good.

“But you know what?” I finish it off. “Fine! She doesn’t need to prove herself by joining your little get-together! If fact, one day, she’ll get so famous, that maybe we’ll set our own exclusive club, and we’ll see how you feel when your name isn’t on our list! Good day, sir!” I make a sharp turn as I leave the stunned Unicorn behind while walking away with my head held up high and a smug grin on my face.

I walk back to Rainbow Dash as I am certain she would be so happy on what I have done for her. But instead of seeing her smiling, I saw her head so low to the ground, that I couldn’t ever tell what her expression is on her face.

“Ford… how could you…?” she hesitates quietly. My smile drops gradually when I hear her saying that as I puzzle over this.

“HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!” Rainbow snaps furiously as she shows her red-hot, fuming face to me. I immediately get terrified by her sudden anger towards me.

“Wh-what?” I flabbergast softly.

“I don’t mind if you had to defend me, but how could you embarrass me like that in front of Wonderbolts, let alone involve Spitfire in this?!”

Oh my gosh… she’s right. How could I have been so selfish like that? I only wanted to help get in, but my uncontrollable outrage not only humiliated her for overstating her accomplishments, but may have also ruin her chance to see Spitfire and Soarin tonight. Maybe even worse that that.

“Rainbow Dash… I’m sorry.” I whimper remorsefully. “I-I was just trying to--”

“Well good going, loudmouth!” she chastises me without mercy. “Thanks to you, the Wonderbolts will probably never want to speak to me ever again! Heck, they might even forbid me from ever joining in their team! My dream on becoming Wonderbolt is about to be completely shattered, and it’s because that this is all your fault--!”

“Rainbow Dash?! Is that you?!” Spitfire calls out to her from the VIP’s entry gateway. Rainbow and I pause from this, and we swiftly turn our attention to see the cool and collective Wonderbolt Captain right next to the nervous attendant.

“Oh… Hey, Spitfire!” Rainbow greets Spitfire nervously. “I-I mean… good evening, ma’am--! Uhh, I mean captain!”

“At ease, soldier!” Spitfire lightly chuckles. “This is a party, not a training exercise! What are you doing over there?”

“Well… I… just wanna… come by to say ‘hi.’ But I wasn’t on their list… and… well… I see that you’re really busy right now so...”

“Pfft! List schmist! You’re always welcome to hang out with me anytime! Hey, let her in already!”

“B-b-but, Miss Spitfire…” the edgy attendant responds. “…she’s not on the list--!”

“That wasn’t a request. That was an order. Let her in NOW.” The fiery-haired captain growled with authority.

“R-r-right! Of course, Miss Spitfire!” he pathetically submits to Spitfire’s command as he steps aside to let Rainbow Dash in.

Rainbow is amazed by what just happened. But before she takes another step further, she looks at me with a remorseful expression.

“Go ahead, Rainbow.” I wave her off with a soft, reassuring smile. “You deserve this. I’ll just… meet up with you later, okay?” Still frozen in her spot, Rainbow conflictingly shifts her gaze between me and Spitfire.

“Come on, Rainbow!” Spitfire waves to her smilingly. “What are you waiting for?”

I decide that it would be best for me to take my leave so that Rainbow Dash can go talk to her favorite celebrities. As much as I want to meet them myself, I am only happy enough that Rainbow gets a chance to meet them before me. As I turn away, I’m suddenly caught by surprise as Rainbow Dash pulls me closer to her with her wing wrapped around me.

“Sorry, Spitfire.” Rainbow says with resolve. “But if he’s not coming in, then I’m not coming in!” I couldn’t believe this! Rainbow Dash is willing to give up chance to see the Wonderbolts over me! A warm smile begins to emerge on my face as I recollect on this realization.

Meanwhile, Spitfire is surprised by Rainbow’s sudden determination over me, but eventually she says to us grinningly, “Well of course he can come in! Any friend of Rainbow Dash’s is a friend of mine!”

Both Rainbow Dash and I smile ecstatically like a bunch of crazed fans as we happily follow Spitfire into the VIP section. I am almost tempted to stick my tongue at the defeated attendant, but I didn’t want to taint my victory anyway.

Inside the exclusive club, Spitfire leads me and Rainbow Dash through the immense crowd of celebrities, social elite, and businessponies. Eventually, we reach up to Soarin as he greets us with a enthusiastic smile.

“Well, look who it is! Rainbow Dash! Save any delicious pies from falling to their doom lately?” Soarin asks grinningly.

“Hey, as long as I’m around, Soarin, no pie will ever face its crumbling demise under my watch!” she remarks with a smirk.

“So who’s this you brought with you, Rainbow?”

“Go on, introduce yourself!” Rainbow nudges me towards Spitfire and Soarin.

I nervously approach them and say, “Umm… hi, my name is Ford Mustang, and I first just want to say…” With a second thought, I quickly got down on all fours as I continue saying, “I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!” I apologize hysterical to Spitfire and Soarin. “I didn’t mean to offend you all like that! I was trying to get your attention so that Rainbow Dash can get in! I really truly think you’re some of the coolest and most awesome ponies I know, besides Rainbow Dash at least! Please don’t take it out on her for what I’ve just said earlier!”

Spitfire chuckles at my apologetic pleading as she says to me with a reassuring grin, “Calm down, buddy! I knew what you were trying do for her, and I think that’s pretty cool of you to do that!”

“R-really?” I stammer in complete surprise.

“Yeah, totally!” Soarin agrees. “Beside, we should be thanking you! We needed a break from having to deal with all these aristocrats and sponsers all night long! Publicity is nice and everything, but it sure takes its toll on us when all we ever want to do is have fun and socialize!”

“So, tell us, Ford, how did you come into contact with somepony as cool as Rainbow Dash here?” Spitfire asks with a curious smile.

“Well… a few months ago…” I explain with mild shyness. “…I somehow arrive in Ponyville without most of my memories, and Rainbow Dash and her friends have been really nice to me while they help me get back on my hooves. I couldn’t even figure out on how to fly on my own back then.”

“Ah dude! That must have sucked!” Soarin comments.

“Actually it wasn’t that bad.” I reply casually. “Rainbow Dash was kind enough to teach me on how to fly again. I would have never progress this fast on my training if it weren't for her, so I owe her everything for that!”

“Hey, it’s no big deal, Mustang!” Rainbow blushes lightly to my compliment. “You’re sort of like my secret protégé! Hey, Spitfire! If things go well with Ford’s training, maybe you should let me whip those cadets of yours into shape next time!” she teases the Wonderbolt captain.

“Nice try, Rainbow…” Spitfire responds with a chuckling grin. “…but you've got a long way to go before you ever get a chance to be my replacement!” Then, all four of us share a good laugh together.

“Psst! Spitfire!” Soarin whispers to her. “Should we go ahead and tell her?”

“Hmm… I don’t see why not.” Spitfire shrugs with a smile. “She’ll find out sooner or later.”

“Find out about what?” Rainbow asks to the two grinning Wonderbolts.

“Well, Rainbow…” Soarin answers gradually. “…we’re planning to send out invitations in a few days after the Gala, but we just want to let you know that within a month from now, we’re going to do tryouts at the Cloudsdale Cloudeseum.”

“Tryouts?” Rainbow puzzles a bit before she realizes in awestruck on what Spitfire and Soarin are implying. “GASP! Does that mean…?!”

“That’s right!” Spitfire replies gleefully. “You, Rainbow Dash, will finally get your chance to become an official Wonderbolt!”

I’m so happy for her! Her moment to shine has come! I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face! I anxiously turn my head to face Rainbow, but to my disappointment, she only shows a blank, wide-eyed expression.

“Uhh… Rainbow?” I wave a hoof in front of frozen face. “Rainbow, are you okay? WHOA!” I yelp out in great surprise as Rainbow launches into the air suddenly like a dazzling rocket as she shouts out load in overwhelming joy.

“YEEEEEESSSSSS!!” Yep… there we go.

After Rainbow Dash starts to calm while making a smooth landing, Spitfire speaks to her in a more serious manner, “But just remember this, Rainbow. We’re your friends, but we’re not going to give you any special treatment when the time comes for us to judge you on your performance. Everypony gets a fair chance at this when tryouts begins. So don’t slack out this opportunity we’re giving you. Is that clear?”

Rainbow takes a moment to think about all of this before she replies with a confidant smile. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, ma’am! Besides what’s the point on being the best if you can prove it in the first place?”

Spitfire grins broadly after hearing Rainbow’s answer as she says to her. “That’s what we like to hear!”

“Hey, Spitfire! Soarin!” somepony calls out for the two lead Wonderbolts. “We need you for another promotional photo-shoot! Pronto!”

“Sigh… Duty calls. Take it easy, pie-saver!” Soarin waves goodbye to us before leaving.

“Good to see you again, Rainbow!” Spitfire says Rainbow before hugging her. “And it’s nice to meet you too, Ford!” she shakes her hoof with my own. “Take good care of her for us, wouldn’t you?” she winks to me with an all-knowing grin before taking her leave. I blush a little from her teasing before waving her goodbye as Rainbow Dash and I happily leave the VIP section.

“OhmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshOHMYGOSH!!” Rainbow continues to gush over the exciting news from the Wonderbolts as we walk around the Gala for a bit. I just keep smiling and chuckling to myself over how cute she is when acts all gleeful like that.

“I can’t believe it!” she continuously excites over this. “I’m finally gonna make my dream come true! This is going to be SO AWESOME! Oh wait, that’s means I should start training right away! What should I focus on first?!”

“Rainbow.” I softly try to get her attention.

“I mean, I’m the only pony out there who can pull off a Sonic Rainboom, but they’ll just think of me as a one-trick pony!” Rainbow starts to worry gradually.

“Rainbow.” I try getting her attention again sweetly.

“Maybe I can try to come up with something new!” she panics increasingly. “Or maybe I could do a different variation of a Sonic Rainboom! Perhaps I should--!”

“RAINBOW!” I snap her out of her paranoia.

“WHAT?!” she snaps back.

“Calm down. You’ll have plenty of time to figure out your routine until next month. And whatever you come up for your routine, I know it’s going to really knock their socks off! Well… if they ever wear socks at least.” Rainbow giggles with relief at my awkward sense of humor.

“For now…” I continue to reassure her. “…let’s just enjoy ourselves at the Gala and have fun tonight, alright?”

After taking a deep breath, she smiles tenderly towards me. “Yeah. Fun sounds good.”

“Good.” I smile in content as we carry on with our stroll around the hallways. Suddenly, we hear a rhythmic, booming sound from somewhere close by.

“Wait? Do you hear that?” I ask Rainbow.

“Yeah...it sounds like it’s coming from the Ballroom.” she makes an educated guess a she points to the grand entrance to the ballroom. From the large doorway, we see flashing neon-colored lights from the very dim room. Curiously, we step into the room to see what’s inside. Once we enter the ball room, our jaws nearly drop to the floor as we stare at what’s before us.

“NO. WAY.” I gasp shockingly.

Inside the grand ballroom, we hear that familiar sound of the bass as Rainbow Dash and I get a good glimpse at who’s responsible for this unexpected musical madness, Vinyl Scratch, of course! She grins passionately as she stands before so many party-enthusiastic ponies over her might turntable.

“Good evening, Canterlot!” Vinyl announces grinningly. “I’m your ever lovable host, the devious disk jockey herself, DJ-PON-3!” In response, the crowd hollers in excitement over their DJ this evening.

“You know…” the DJ continues. “…I remember hearing about on how absolutely boring the Gala was last year, well unless you count that crazy mishap that nearly trashed the place, ‘cause that was hilarious!” That helps earn Vinyl some good laughs from the crown. Everypony else is laughing except Rainbow Dash who tries to cover up her embarrassing face.

"So, I’ve decided to crash this party myself (with special permission from Princesses of course) and to show you ponies out there on how to have a good time! So tell me something… are you ponies ready to rock?!” That earn several cheers from the enlarged group, but I know that’s not enough to satisfy Vinyl’s inflated ego.

“Ahem! Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough. I SAID ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!” This time, the entire room shakes with hundreds of exhilarating screams from the restless party-goers.

“He-heh Yeah! That’s what I like to hear! Well then…”

And with her spinning records set on her turntable, the ultimate party is about to begin.

“LET’S GET READY TO PAR-TAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!”

For a countless amount of time, we dance none-stop thanks to the Vinyl Scratch leading the electrifying party. In the midst of this awesome party, Rainbow and I meet up with the rest of our friends, except Princess Twilight. Maybe she’s still working on that project of hers. In any case, we continue our joyful dancing. Even Discord decides to literally cut loose as each his separated body parts does a merry jig for us. We all got a good kick out of that!

Eventually, the music shifts to a different beat into something softer and more romantic. Yes! This is what I have been waiting!

“Okay everypony!” Vinyl takes a moment to speak up. “We gonna start taking things nice and slow from here, because this next segment goes out to all of you lovey-dovey couples out there! So grab your partners and let the music do all the work for you! And for all those who don’t have any partners to dance with, GET OFF THE DANCE FLOOR! Thank you and enjoy! Pinks! Take over for me, will ya? I owe a certain cellist a special dance on this one!”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie Pie cheerfully replies as she switches places with Vinyl.

As the soft, soothing music get a bit louder, I see Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Big Mac taking their cue as they join on the dance floor. I eagerly look at Rainbow Dash, but my smile begins to sink when she timidly backs away.

“Oh, well… we should… uhh… probably take a break, don’t you think?” she says to me nervously with an awkward smile.

She almost takes flight frantically. But thanks to my knowledge of the show, I quickly grasp her colorful tail with my teeth as I spin her around right into my fore hooves. Sorry, Rainbow Dash, but you’re not going to get away this time!

“Ford, what are you--?” she asks in trembling surprise.

“Just one more dance, Rainbow. Please?” I plead to her softly as I steadily lead her to the dance floor.

“Ford, I… I never done anything like this before.” she confesses bashfully once we are in the middle of room.

“It’s okay.” I comfort her gently with a confident smile as I place her right fore hoof onto my left shoulder as I follow suit by place my hoof on hers. “This time, I lead, you follow. Alright?” With a softly blushing smile, she nods to my request as we begin our dance steadily.

With me taking the lead, I show Rainbow Dash on some of the basic steps I’ve learned from Rarity’s dancing lessons. She surprisingly starts off very shyly, which is very cute by the way, but eventually, I notice how she’s starting to get the hang of it as she eases up a bit whilst we continue our waltzing smoothly.

“See?” I praise to her. “You’re fast learner! You’ve got this!”

“You’re one to talk!” she comments with a blushing grin. “How did you learn all this so quickly?”

“Let’s just say… I owe it all to a very generous friend of yours.” I answer with a smirk as I point out to somepony behind Rainbow with a tilt of my head. She looks back and sees Rarity grinning and winking at us while she is dancing with her amused partner, Applejack. Rainbow just smiles and shakes her head before we continue with our slow dancing.

This equine dancing is nice and all, but I really hope to do something that’s more human-relative. As soon as the music shifts to a different song, I figure that would be my cue to ask Rainbow for something different in mind.

“Rainbow, might I ask we try something else?”

“Sure. What do you have in mind?”

“Can you stand on your hind legs for me?”

“I’ll… try.” she replies bashfully. Seeing how she’s struggling with standing on her two hooves, I can understand how difficult it is to take this unusual stance. But fortunately enough, we able to counterbalance with each other as her forelegs wrap around my neck and shoulders, and I wrap mine around her lower back.

“That’s it.” I encourage her tenderly. “Just wrap your forelegs around me and don’t let go, okay?”

“Why would I wanna let go--WOAH!” She yelps in fright as I slowly lift her up in the air while a slightly startled Rainbow Dash is holding me tightly.

“It’s okay, Rainbow. I got you.” I reassure her as we hover nearly a dozen feet in the air.

Eventually, she begins to calm down while flapping her wings to match with my own pace as her grip relaxes around my shoulders. As we sway gracefully in midair, Rainbow looks down below as I can tell by her expression how tense she is by my sudden chance in dancing. No doubt the ponies down there are staring at our unorthodox dancing style.

“Ford… they’re looking at us.” Rainbow states the obvious uneasily.

“I thought you always wanted to be the center of attention.” I teasingly smirk at her.

“Yeah, well… not like this!” she retorts with a nervous blush.

“Well… forgot about them.” I shrug with a smile. “Just focus on me and nopony else.” She looks into my eyes as I see that tender, dreamy smile I have always admired. She lets out a comforting sigh as she lays her head onto my chest while we continue with our aerial dancing. I blush a little by how close she is to me, but nevertheless, I welcome it dearly.

“Ford?” Rainbow asks gently.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for coming to Gala with me. I really appreciate it.”

“I should be the one to thank you, Rainbow.” I smile tenderly at her. “You have no idea how much it means to me to be here with you.”

“Well… there’s something else I wanna say.” She takes a moment to collect her thoughts before quietly saying to me, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? For what?” I inquire confusingly.

“For being so angry at you before when all you were doing was trying to get me in to see the Wonderbolts.”

“You don’t have to apologize for me, Rainbow. I probably shouldn’t have gotten overboard like that. It’s not your fault--”

“YES, IT IS MY FAULT!” she snaps in mix of anger and sorrow as she suddenly breaks into tears. “I shouldn’t have done that to you! You went all this way to do something just for me, and all I did in return was act all hotheaded towards you, like I always do! How can you be so nice and understanding and forgiving after the way I treated you like that?!”

After saying how regretful she is, Rainbow shoves her crying head into my tuxedo as I can feel her remorseful tears drenching my suit and coat. But I didn’t care about that. I only care about how I can comfort her like this when she is filled with so much self-pity for herself. I take a fore hoof and gently stroke her sleek, multicolored mane while hugging her closely into my fore hooves.

After her lamenting starts to die down, I begin to speak to her tenderly, “Listen to me, Rainbow. It’s true I did felt a bit hurt from what you said to me. But I mostly felt that way because of how I hurt you. How I didn’t take into consideration when I got so carried away without realizing that it might make it look bad for you. I should have told you about my plan first or at least I should have handle that in a much more civilized way next time. So in a way, I was just as hotheaded as you were.”

She begins to lift her head up with tearful eyes as I continue with my reassuring speech. “And besides, you got to see Spitfire and Soarin, right?” She pauses before nodding her head gently.

“And you just found out about your invitation to their tryouts next month, didn’t you?” She answers again with a nod.

“So in a way, it all worked out in the end, didn’t it?” Her tears may still be watery, but Rainbow begins to show a very small smile for me.

“And tell me this, Rainbow Dash. Why were you willing to stay behind with me even if that means you weren’t going to see your idols tonight?”

“Because… it wouldn’t be fair for you not to see them yourself, and I… couldn’t just abandon you after what you’ve done for me.” she answers sincerely.

“See?! Exactly! You’re not as selfish as you’ve claimed to be! You are the perfect representative on what it truly means to be loyal! You didn’t turn your back on me, and I know you wouldn’t turn your back on anypony else! That’s why I admire you so much, and that’s why I will go all this trouble just for you! Seeing you happy is what makes me happy! Do you understand what I’m saying?” It took a brief while for Rainbow Dash to compose herself as she ceases her tears, but eventually, I finally see that beautiful smile of hers as she gazes at me with her magnificent, magenta eyes.

“Now, no more crying.” I say to her tenderly as I help wipe away her remaining tears with a gentle hoof. “Smile.”

Once her tears have dried away, she once again nuzzles her head against my chest affectionately as she embraces me tighter than ever. After sighing in content, we carry on with our graceful dancing.

“You know what I like about you, Ford?” she asks me as she nuzzles me continuously.

“What’s that, Rainbow?” I respond smilingly.

“You make me feel… special.” she answers with a blushing smile.

“You’re special enough already.” I chuckle lightly. “You don’t need me for that.”

“Well yeah. I’ve got the best friends I could’ve ask for, some of the sweetest moves and tricks to show off, and I got the most awesome dream, which I am so close to achieving that I can hardly wait! But… despite all that, you’ve always manage to make feel even more special than before. Do you understand what I mean by that, Ford?”

I take a moment to process on what she just said to me. I never would have dreamed that she would think so highly of me like that! With a tender smile, I lay my head onto her soft, rainbow hair as I reply to her warmly, “Yeah, I think I do.”

We finally stop our mid-air dancing as we land gracefully onto the dance floor. Afterwards, I escort Rainbow Dash out of the ballroom with my wing wrapped around her back as she cuddly leans her head against my own. I know for certain that the moment I’ve been waiting for has arrived, and it’s time for me to seize it!

“Rainbow?” I ask her softly.

“Yes?” She responds kindly.

“Can we… go out to the balcony? There’s something I really need to tell you.”

She stares at me briefly with wide eyes, but then she smiles broadly before replying, “Of course!” I instantly beam at her answer with high hope as I gleefully lead her to a balcony nearby. But as we are so close to our destination, I hear somepony calling out my name.

“FORD!” I turn around and I see Princess Twilight rushing towards us with an enthusiastic grin. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over you! I’ve got something really important to tell you!”

I turn to Rainbow and say to her with a soft smile. “Good ahead, Rainbow. I’ll meet you outside.” She nods lightly and waits for me outside.

Once it is just me and Twilight, I speak to her, “Okay, Twilight, what’s got you so excited about?”

“I did it, Ford! I finally did it!” Twilight glees uncontrollably. “I didn’t think I would achieve this so quickly, but I’ve manage to pull it off in such a shorter amount of time that what I have originally estimated!”

“Pulled what off?” I inquire puzzlingly. “What are you talking about?”

“FORD, I FOUND YOU A WAY BACK HOME!” she shouts excitingly.

…

“…What?” I mutter quietly to myself.

“You know, back to your own homeworld!” Twilight explains matter-of-factly with an excited smile. “The one called “Earth”, remember? And not only that, but this inter-dimensional spell I have just perfected can also change you back to your original human form! Isn’t it that great?!”

“Yeah… that’s… that’s great, Twilight.” I reply awkwardly with a fake smile. “I’m… so happy to hear that.”

“Well, I don’t want to take too much of your time!” she continues cheerfully. “We can go over this later tomorrow morning at my place! Sounds goods?”

“Sure… why not?” I sluggishly shrug in response.

“Great! See tomorrow then!” she says goodbye to as she rejoices the party while I stand frozen from this suddenly unexpected news I’m facing.

No…

No…

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

I was so happy on how things were turning out for me this evening, and then I’ve nearly forgot about on how I was supposed to return to Earth at some point! And to make it worse, Twilight has already figure out a way back for me in half of the time she said she would complete it in! I haven’t even confesses my feelings to Rainbow Dash yet!

Wait… even if Twilight does complete the spell within six months like she said before, and if I do confess my feelings and Rainbow Dash returns them, what would be the point of it all? Sure, we’ll have three months together to ourselves, but then, once the time comes, I’ll have to leave her to go back to Earth, and we probably end up heartbroken in the end. I can’t do that to Rainbow.

Oh, wait a minute! Twilight wouldn’t force me to go back, would she? She would understand if I wanted to stay in Equestria forever, right? But then… what if… I have to tell Rainbow the truth about my identity? I want to forget about my old life, but it’s what made me who I am. It’s what made me aspired to become an artist as well as made me appreciate animated films and shows, include “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” And I know for certain, that I can’t hide the truth forever, let alone about my knowledge on how I know so about Equestria. So… what would happen if Rainbow Dash finds out about me? Would she reject me just because I was a different species, would she distrusts me for not telling her the truth before, or… would she hate me on fact that I am pretty much just a big fan on a fictional show based off of her life and the lives of her friends?

I feel so hopeless at confessing my love for her no matter how I look at it in this complex situation I’m in. Sigh… What am I going to do?

I depressively enter the balcony as I see my lovely date stargazing at the celestial night in front of us. I slowly approach her as I join next to her while looking at the twinkling stars as well.

“They're beautiful, aren’t they?” Rainbow Dash comments about the shimming stars above us.

“Yeah… beautiful.” I reply quietly. Of course, in my eyes, the stars aren’t the only things that are beautiful this lovely evening. Unfortunately, it won’t matter much to me anymore.

“So, Ford…” Rainbow gets my distracted attention softly as she stares at me with her mesmerizing eyes. “…was there something you wanted to tell me?”

“Oh, right… o-of course! Well… you see I… I...” I stammer uncertainly.

Come on, Ford! It’s now or never!

“I…”

Make up your mind now!

“I…”

DO IT! NOW!

“I… can’t.”

Author's Notes:

MAJOR EDIT (8/7/13): So... apparently I was a complete idiot for not realizing before that pepporoni bread is NOT an appropriate dish to serve to ponies (since they're herbivores and such). Thanks to one of the comments for this chapter, I've decided to substitute that with cheesy bread. It's just as enjoyable as pepporoni bread, except... you know... WITHOUT MEAT IN THEM.