Celestia had finally done it. It took a lot of sweat, tears, a couple of blood transfusions, a little bit of arson, several bribes and a few ponies had to mysteriously disappear, but Twilight had become friends with the rest of the elements of harmony.
Now they could finally wield the elements and purge her sister of her darkness… as soon as Dr. Incision allowed her to.
Celestia rubbed the scar left from the stab she received from the doctor when she tried to discharge her sister before his say so.
But that just meant that she had time to enjoy herself until her return, and she certainly needed some relaxation. And the Gran Galloping Gala was the least relaxing thing next to managing taxes.
That’s why she was hoping that the inclusion of Twilight and her new friends to the gala would liven things up and make it enjoyable.
And right now, she could see her shinning student running towards her with a face full of excitement.

“Princess Celestia!” she exclaimed.

“Twilight! It is so lovely to see my star student.”

The unicorn seemed to be about to jump in glee. “Oh, I'm so excited to be here! I want to be right by your side!”

“Oh! I would love the company.” Twilight stood next to her mentor with a smile in her face.

Applejack had quickly opened her little stand in the garden and announced that she was open for business.
In just a few minutes, a unicorn stallion sporting a monocle and black top hat approached her to look at her wares.

“What'cha hankering for? Caramel apple? Apple pie? Apple fritter? Apple fries?” the mare questioned, excited to make her first sale.

The stallion looked at her apples like a jeweler would a recently finished ring, and finally opted for one of the caramel apples. Applejack gave it to him with a big smile and was a little nervous as the stallion took a bite out of it and started to taste it like if he were some sort of sommelier.

“These are quite good,” he finally said. “And I assume you grow them yourself?”

Applejack smiled with pride. “Eyup. Mah family’s orchard had fed countless ponies over the years with all kind of apple products.”

The stallion nodded. “Very well. I must ask then; do you take orders?”

Applejack was surprised at the quickly developing situation but smiled at the possible earnings she could make. “Of course sir, you can make your order right here.” She gave him the proper documents, and the stallion filled them out with practiced professionalism.

“Glad to do business with you, Ms.…?”

“Applejack,” she responded with a tip of her hat.

The stallion gave a little nod and walked away, but several other ponies started to gather around her stand. “Well, if Maneopoly Colt is willing to invest, then I shall too,” The first one in the line said before filling another order.
Applejack’s smile was reaching both ears, her eyes sporting two big money signs.

Pinkie Pie jumped around the gala singing a song and annoying everypony while sneakily hiding some gifts around the room.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash looked around until she spotted her objective; The Wonderbolts.
They were all gathering in the VIP section of the gala, so her chances of entering were slim, until she saw Soarin walking around the food tables, looking hungry.
“Oh, I will get you something.” She quickly flew towards Applejack, who was drooling at the sight of so many ponies making orders. “Hey Jack, can I borrow a pie?”

“Sure thing Sugarcube,” she responded without looking, and Rainbow returned to the hall and landed in front of Soarin.

“Hey there, were you looking for something?” She showed him the pie and smiled as he licked his lips.

He sniffed it, and his smile grew larger. “Oh, this is my favorite!”

Rainbow chuckled. “As any good fan knows. Say, wouldn’t you be able to present me to the rest of the team?”

Soarin was already eating the first slice of pie. “Sure! Follow me.”

“Welcome to the Gala.” Celestia said with a little bow.

“Oh, Mr. Hoofefeller. It’s an honor to see you.” Twilight added as the old stallion shook her hand.

“The pleasure is mine Ms. Sparkle. I’m glad that you finally were able to attend one of the galas. I know that many of my associates would like to speak with you.”

“I will be right here, so everypony will have some words with me.”

Celestia looked with dread as the conversation between the two ponies continued, and it only got worse when she saw how long the line of ponies waiting was.
‘I hope this doesn’t take all night.’

Fluttershy had found the gardens of the castle and started to walk around them until she finally saw what she was looking for. “Oh! I see a toco toucan! And a spider monkey! And, oh! Is that a wallaroo?”
Fluttershy cleared her throat and started to sing a beautiful melody that got the attention of the animals. She started to walk around the gardens, counting in her head, and the animals followed her, listening to her beautiful song.

Meanwhile, Rarity had finally found what she was looking for; Prince Blueblood, distant nephew of the princesses, which put him in the status of royalty.
She smiled as she approached the unicorn with a big inviting smile. “Hello, you must be sir Blueblood.”

The white unicorn turned around, surprised at her sudden appearance. “Oh, yes, it is me. And who could you be?”

Rarity smiled with closed eyes as she put a hoof over her chest. “My name is Rarity, the element of generosity.”

Blueblood seemed impressed at the title. “Wow, that’s quite the title. What does it mean?”

Rarity opened one eye to see if he was serious, and to her misfortune, he seemed to be. “I guess it will take more effort from my part.”

“What do you mean?” the prince asked with confusion.

Rarity straighten her dress and adjusted her hair. “Tell me prince, am I not one of the most beautiful mares you’ve ever seen?” she asked while making a little pose and looked at him with seductive eyes.

The prince took a moment to admire her looks. “Hm, six out of ten.”

Rarity rolled her eyes and got closer to him. “Oh, but I’ve something that will make you change your mind.” She pushed him behind the bushes so nopony could see them and lifted the back of her dress, taking out a small dagger from a hidden pocket and putting it against his throat.
“Now listen to me carefully prince. You are my ticket to the luxuries of Canterlot, and I won’t lose it just because your maturity got lost in a silver platter.” She pushed the dagger against his neck. “So, we will go inside, you will present me to your acquaintances, and after that, you will declare me your future wife.”

“Uhm, isn’t this going a little too fast?” Blueblood asked nervously.

Rarity smiled as she pushed the tip of her dagger against the underside of his jaw. “Oh, just pretend that it’s a romantic fairytale. Love at first sight and all that.”

The prince was starting to sweat. “And what happens after we marry?”

“Oh, you will be a wonderful husband that will allow me access to every event in Canterlot, take me on long vacations abroad, and buy every little thing my heart desires.” She lowered his head so they would be face to face, her smile never fading. “And if you don’t, I will just be a sad widow.”

Rainbow and Soarin reached the VIP section, and the stallion guided her to Spitfire, who seemed surprised to see them. “Hey, I know you, you're the pony that won The Best Flyer Competition. Rainbow Dash, right?”

Rainbow smiled with pride. “Hay yeah! I’ve been anxious to meet you guys.”

The mare smiled. “Big fan of the Wonderbolts aren’t you?”

“Of course, I will enlist once I’m of age. But that’s not the only thing I’m a fan of.” Spitfire said nothing, but the other Wonderbolts turned their attention to her. “And I want in,” Rainbow whispered. The Wonderbolt raised an eyebrow. “Give me one chance, and you will want me in your team.” Spitfire looked towards the rest of her team.

Soarin shrugged as he ate a portion of his pie. “She already bought my vote.”

Spitfire turned back to Rainbow, who still looked determined. “Very well. Let’s go to the real private section.”

Celestia’s eye was twitching.
After her long talk with Hoofefeller, they had only welcomed four ponies, and all of them had an equally long talk with Twilight.
And the long line of ponies didn’t even seem perturbed by the wait, in fact, if anything they were more anxious to talk with Twilight rather than entering the gala.
Once her student finally said goodbye to the mare she was talking to, she pushed her aside so they could have a quick talk.
“Twilight, don’t you want to enjoy the gala?”

The unicorn looked at her confused. “But I am. After being in that rural town so long I really wanted to come back to the royal life.”

Celestia had to make a mental double check. “What?”

“I mean, it’s constantly being attacked, and the food is horrible, and honestly the library is a nice touch, but Golden Oak is a real downgrade from the tower I was living before.”

‘Since when does she-?’ Celestia shook her head. “And what about your friends?”

Twilight made a raspberry. “Oh, they sure are fine. I don’t have to babysit them here.”

The princess turned around, seeing that the line was patiently waiting for Twilight to come back to welcome them. “Uhm, how about you go buy me an apple from Applejack?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Can’t you just summon a cake at will?”

“Oh, I wish I could. Now go.”

“But-”

“Don’t question me!”

Fluttershy had already gone around the entire garden collecting animals with her voice, and once they were all together, she herded them to the center of the garden before diving into one of the bushes.
She came out of it wearing a black hoodie with bunny ears and pulled out a bamboo blowgun before walking towards one of the garden’s guards.
A short blow sent a dart into his neck, and the guard fell to the ground unconscious.
“Seven left.”
She kept walking stealthily along the perimeter of the garden, taking out the guards one by one.
“Six left.”
“Five left.”
“Four.”
“Three.”
“Two.”
“One.”
“Done.” She pulled out a transmitter from her hood and put it on her ear. “Lance-2 this is Shy-1, report.”

“This is Lance-2. I’m in position.”

“Tree-4 this is Shy-1, report.”

“Tree-4 reporting, we’re at the ready.”

“Guards are neutralized, the cargo is waiting.”

“Understood.”

“Lance-2, do your part.” Fluttershy heard cables being snapped in half, and part of the castle lights went dark.

“You have five minutes. Lance-2 out.”

Fluttershy looked as five big chariots loaded with cages landed on the garden, surrounding the animals she had gathered.
A dozen ponies descended form the chariots, half of them helping the animals get in the cages while the rest, armed with heavy crossbows, formed a perimeter in case of being discovered.
One of them walked towards Fluttershy, pulling down her bandana. “Can’t believe we are actually pulling this off,” she said with nervousness in her voice.

“Keep it together Tree Hugger. This doesn’t end until all these animals are free in their homes.”

Tree Hugger nodded, and they both watched as the last of the animals were loaded into the chariots. “You better go now before someone suspects.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Good luck.” The mares shared a quick kiss and the pegasus dived back into the bush where she had changed, getting back in her gala dress.
She turned around, seeing the chariots getting away form the castle just as the lights started to turn back on again.
She smiled with relief. They had made it.

Spitfire smiled confidently, one hoof under her chin and the other leaning on the table. However, her confidence paled in comparison with Rainbow’s, who simply leaned on her chair, one foreleg over its backrest while the other throwed a bag full of bits on the table, clashing against the small bed of coins in the center of it.
The rest of the Wonderbolts, a minotaur, two diamond dogs, a griffon, three changelings, and several royal guards in the far back of the room observed with attention.
Spitfire presented her cards; a poker of tens.
Rainbow put her cards face down on the table and turned them over one at a time.
A two, an ace, a king, a queen, and a jack, all of them of hearts.
There was a general murmur in the room, and Spitfire’s muscles tensed for a second, but then she smiled. “Not a rookie by far.”

Rainbow smiled with pride as she collected her earnings. “These hooves earned me with a Cloudominium of my very own.”

“You’ve all the skills of a true Wonderbolt.” Spitfire outstretched her hoof. “Welcome to The Undergrounds.”

Twilight approached a beaming Applejack as another pony finished to write a new order. “Did you make a sell?” she asked her after noting that the stand had almost all its products unsold.

“Look by yerself,” the farm pony said, giving her the pile of orders.

Twilight made a quick look, and her eyes filled with shock. “What is this?!”

Applejack smiled with pride. “The biggest sale I’ve ever made.”

“Yeah no shit Sherclop! 50 tons of apples?!”

Applejack’s eyes opened wide. “What?!” She snatched the orders from Twilight, seeing that all of them had a similar if not more quantity of apples required from her farm. “These are more apples than my family has ever produced!”

Twilight was slowly recovering from the shock. “Did you seriously not read any of the orders until now?”

“I never expected for them to order this much! Who can even eat these many apples?”

Twilight facehoofed. “These ponies are more filthy rich than Filthy Rich. They own massive corporations and they just saw an idiot with no larger scope of business that they could simply exploit so they could get apples cheaper than the general market.”

Applejack seemed to be about to faint. “I’ve to cancel all of these.”

Twilight shook her head. “You can’t, they will destroy your farms image at best.”

“And at worse?”

“Crowbars and kneecaps.” Applejack hit her head hard on her stand. “You’re doomed.”

“If I could get your attention please.” Blueblood called out in the center of the gala, Rarity standing very close to him. “Now that all of you got to know this lovely mare at my side.” Rarity smiled and gave a little wave with her hoof. “I would like to announce my plans to marry her.” Blueblood felt the dagger press against his most sensitive parts. “Because, there is no beauty compared with what I see in Rarity’s eyes!” He quickly added and turned to see her in the eyes, but the act was more pleading than romantic.
There was a round of cheers for the new couple, even if almost nopony cared about Blueblood’s personal life.
The most uncaring one, Celestia, was so sour she was making the sugar in the food banish from existence.
Twilight had come back to chat with the entire line of ponies, and with the night so uneventful and boring, Celestia had to magically force a smile on her face.
“I will get something to drink,” she excused herself, not caring if anyone responded, and hoped to discreetly drink a few bottles of wine to numb her frustrations.
‘Why do I keep torturing myself with these events?’
Suddenly, Pinkie appeared in front of her with a big smile and beady eyes that were actually kind of creepy.

“Here, this will cheer you up,” she said before putting a small metal box with a red button on Celestia’s hooves.

“What is this?” the princess asked, but Pinkie had vanished without a trace.
She examined the box, wondering to what it could be connected to, but she had stopped caring a while ago.
“Oh buck it.” She pressed the button, and each of the presents Pinkie had been hiding in the castle exploded into an expanding ball of cotton candy that quickly filled the entire gala, trapping the ponies in a sticky cloud of candy.
‘I’m not sure what I was expecting.’ Celestia thought while eating the cotton surrounding her. ‘I think I need to stop making plans and just embrace madness and wing it.’

Author's Notes:

The unexpectedly expected sequel, hope you like it.

Have a nice existance.

I will be watching you.