Rainbow Burst and Spike had returned to Ponyville proper, the young dragon now riding on the unicorn's back. Spike was still steering back toward the road they had come from.

"You've been pretty quiet," Rainbow said, causing Spike to jump slightly.

"Oh." Spike shifted, tapping his claws together. "Uhm..." He looked down at them and the ground. "I was just... you know, thinking. About The Gala."

"The Gala?" Rainbow asked, "Or Twilight going?" She turned to look back at him, smirking at the way he was turning pink.

"Don't be ridiculous," he huffed out, turning away and crossing his arms. "I mean... yeah, it would be nice if she went. I would get to see her wearing some beautiful dress. I bet her face would really light up with excitement when she met The Wonderbolts. Plus, since there would be music, she would probably be willing to dance with me at least once..."

"I thought you didn't like the gala either," Rainbow said. "I mean, last time we talked about it, you called it 'girly.'"

"Well, yeah," Spike admitted. "It does seem like most who go there like to show off their silly, frilly outfits. Normally I would hate the whole thing. Still, a chance to spend a night with Twilight..." He wrapped his arms around himself, smiling gently as his gaze turned distant.

Rainbow Burst looked at him a moment more before she resumed walking. It seemed to her that Spike had it pretty bad. In her life, Rainbow had been through her own share of crushes. Sometimes it would have been nice if she could somehow have spent time alone with somepony she had feelings for. Maybe if she had, she would have actually worked up the courage to say something.

A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"You know," she said, turning to see Spike from the corner of her eye, "if you really wanted, you could probably take her yourself."

"Really?" Spike turned to look at Rainbow.

"Yeah. I bet that if you wrote to Princess Celestia and asked, she would be willing to send you two tickets of your own. That way..."

"... I could take Twilight to The Gala!" Spike finished. "That's a great idea. I should write to her right away." His stomach let out a gurgling growl. "Or maybe I'll wait until after lunch."

Rainbow chuckled, giving a shake of her head. There was a small cafe that she had wanted to try, so that was where they were heading. Between the exhaustion from earlier, talking to Spike, hunger, and being so close to their goal, Rainbow Burst was not exactly paying attention to things around her.

The door to Sugarcube Corner as Pinkie Pie came rocketing out. She slammed into the distracted duo, sending them sprawling into the center of the street. With the impact, the tickets went flying up into the air. Fluttering and swaying, the came down and landed gently on Pinkie Pie's face. In response, Pinkie Pie jumped up and let a gasp.

"Bats!" she cried out. "Bats! Don't let them get in my mane! I'll never get them out and they'll steal my candyyyy." This last part was turned into a long, drawn out cry.

"Wait." Pinkie turned back to where she had been. Her horn lit up. "These aren't bats." She picked the tickets up. "They're..." she let out a gasp before shouting "tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala!"

The pink aura of magic was replaced by a rainbow colored one as Rainbow Burst took a hold of the tickets.

"Yeah," Rainbow said. "Princess Celestia sent them to me."

"Oh! Oh!" Pinkie Pie cried out as she bounced over. "Can I go? Can I? Can I? Can I?" With each "can I," Pinkie moved closer until she was practically nose to nose with Rainbow Burst.

For her part, Rainbow Burst stared at Pinkie Pie, blinking. The other mare's hyperactive speaking method and the request were taking a moment for Rainbow to process.

"You mean you want to go too?" she finally managed to ask.

"Are you kidding?" Pinkie cried out, hopping up and down. "Why wouldn't I want to go?" Turning away her horn lit up. Balls of raw magic formed in the air around them, shifting and changing to take various shapes.

"They would have all sorts of decorations: like streamers, and fairy lights, and pinwheels, and piñatas. All sort of treats and goodies: cookies, and cakes, and honey crunch bars, sugar cubes, and sugar canes, and licorice. Games like Pin the Tail on the Pony and The Pony Pokey. It's the biggest, bestest, most amazing party in all of Equestria."

The images vanished as Pinkie stopped using her magic. She then turned her full attention to Rainbow Burst.

"What kind of party pony would I be if I didn't want to go?" Pinkie asked.

Rainbow shifted, one ear flicking as she looked away from Pinkie. With a deep breath, she turned her attention back to the other mare.

"Pinkie," she said slowly, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm afraid The Gala is nothing like that."

"Did I just hear somepony talking about The Gala?"

Rainbow, Pinkie, and Spike all turned to face the new arrival. Rarity approached the three of them, tossing her head to make her luxurious purple mane bounce and sway.

"Rainbow Burst got two tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala," Pinkie answered. "I was just asking her if she would take me."

Rarity's eyes went wide as she let out a gasp of excitement. She turned to Rainbow Burst.

"You got tickets to The Gala?" She let out a sigh. "I design ensembles for The Gala every year, but have never had the option to go." She brought her front hooves together against her cheek. "Oh, the society, the culture, the glamour. It is truly where I belong, and where I am destined to meet him!" As she said the last word, hearts filled the mare's eyes.

"Him?" Pinkie asked. "Him who?"

"Ugh," Rainbow grunted out, rolling her eyes. She did not need to ask who. She had a pretty good idea. Her horn started to light up with magic.

"Him," Rarity repeated with a dreamy sigh. "I can see it now: I would stroll through The Gala, and all would wonder 'who is that mysterious mare? Why have we not seen her before? Who made that absolutely gorgeous dress she is wearing?' They would never guess that I am a simple pony from Ponyville."

Rainbow Burst and Pinkie Pie glimpsed at each other, but said nothing.

"I would cause such a sensation," Rarity continued, "that I would be invited for an audience with Princess Celestia herself. And the princess would be so taken by my style and elegance, that she would introduce me to him: her nephew: the most handsome, eligible unicorn stallion in all of Canterlot."

Rainbow wrapped her magic around Spike's mouth, holding it shut. Still, she could not resist rolling her own eyes and giving a shake of her head at the claim.

"Our eyes would meet," Rarity stated, her cheeks turning pink. "Our hearts would melt. Our courtship would be magnificient. So many ponies would be jealous: stallions of him for having me; mares of me for having him; and couples of how amazingly wonderful our relationship would be.

"He would ask for my hoof in marriage, and of course I would say 'yes!'" She jumped in excitement. "We would have a wedding befitting a princess." She giggled. "Which is exactly what I would be after marrying him, the stallion of my dreams. Then I shall live happily ever after, raising a family in the lap of luxury."

"How romantic," Pinkie sighed.

"I know," Rarity agreed, eyelashes fluttering as she was still lost in her fantasy.

"Yeah, yeah," Rainbow grumbled. She let out a sigh and gave a shake of her head. "Listen, Rarity. I really don't want to be the one to step on your dreams bu- HEY!"

A white rabbit had come running through the group. It had run up Pinkie Pie's back and leaped into the air, grabbing the tickets from Rainbow's magical grip. As soon as it landed, the rabbit took off, bolting from the group with the tickets.

Rainbow gave chase, with Spike, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie following close behind. A large part of Rainbow was tempted to let the thing get away with them, but she doubted Princess Celestia would believe "a rabbit stole my tickets" as an excuse for not attending. Plus, she did not like the idea of letting anything get away with stealing from her.

The rabbit raced through the street, heading directly for a yellow mare with pink mane.

"Angel?" Flowershy asked as the rabbit came to a stop in front of her. "What do you have there?" Reaching down, she took the two tickets from the rabbit and looked at them. A gasp escaped the mare.

"Where did you find these?"

Instead of answering, Angel darted past Flowershy, hopped up her tail, and used it to climb onto her back. Shortly after, Rainbow Burst, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike came running up.

"Did you see a rabbit with two tickets come by?" Rainbow asked.

"Do you mean these tickets?" Flowershy held up the ones Angel had brought her. "Are they yours?"

"Yes, and yes." Rainbow took them back. "Thank you."

"No problem," Flowershy said. "So... uhm..." She shifted, watching her hoof in the dirt. "I... I noticed that there are two tickets there."

The other four all turned their full attention to Flowershy, causing her to squeak and crouch down.

"You mean you want to go too?" Rainbow asked.

"No," Flowershy answered. "I mean... yes." She shifted, hiding behind her mane. "I mean... not exactly." Taking a deep breath, she straightened up and looked at the others.

"It's not really The Gala that I'm interested in. It's more of getting to see the royal gardens that surround it. They say that the flowers are the most beautiful and fragrant in all of Equestria. Some are so rare, they are believed to be impossible to find anywhere else. Plus on the night of The Gala, they are all supposed to be in bloom.

"And that's just the flora. Don't get me started on the fauna. Why, just the birds alone are amazing. With loons, toucans, and bitterns. Hummingbirds that actually hum. Buzzards that actually buzz. With blue jays, red cardinals, white doves, blackbirds, and pink flamingos. Oh how I wish I could see them all."

"It does sound lovely," Rarity admitted.

"Yeah," Rainbow agreed.

"So does that mean you will take me?" Flowershy asked. She looked up at Rainbow Burst with her eyes wide, smiling hopefully.

Rainbow Burst took a step away from her friend. Her ears pulled back as she looked away, jaw clenching. The look that Flowershy was giving her was so cute, that Rainbow was finding it hard to resist.

"I'll... consider it," Rainbow managed to say. "You're not the only who wants to go. So do Pinkie, and Rarity... and Applejack... and Twilight..." She shifted. "So, instead of saying yes or no to any of you right now, I'm going to think about it. Now if you'll excuse us, Spike and I are hungry and trying to get some lunch. Come on, Spike."

With that, the two hurried to leave the others behind and continue their way toward the cafe.