The weeks between then and the Gala passed by quite rapidly. This was mostly in part because our days were filled with planning for the event. Most of our time was spent with Rarity, because, knowing her, she wouldn’t let us get away with attending the Gala without the finest garb. I was an especial focus, as Rarity had to create a design that nopony in Equestria had ever created before. Though, in the end, while she was astounded by her work, all she had really made me was an average suit. But, to be fair, it was a first for Equestrian style, so Rarity was rightfully commended for her accomplishment.

As for the rest of the girls, they were outfitted with beautiful outfits of their own. Spike was even outfitted with a snazzy little suit of his own. And, while I’m not trying to be biased, Fluttershy was the prettiest. Her dress was much like the one from episode twenty-six of MLP season one. Except, there were slight nuances to it. The train of her dress wasn’t as long, and the butterfly adorning her chest was now connected to the train. Rarity incorporated more pink into the dress as well, making it much more colorful. The minutiae of Fluttershy’s dress were perfected to a tee, and the same could be said for all the girls’ dresses.

On the evening of the Gala, the magic was in the air from the moment we got together to get ready. When we were all ready and gussied up, we took some pre-Gala pictures, as if we were going to prom. A majority of those pictures were of us performing vivacious actions with crazy expressions upon our faces. A particular favorite is me trying to lick Fluttershy’s ear with Pinkie trying to stop me with cake! And to think, the night hadn’t even truly began quite yet, and we were already having a blast!

Twilight used a beneficial spell to help us acquire a means of transportation to the Gala. It was much like the spell used in episode twenty-six (at this point, don’t be surprised if I continue to reference that), except this time, the mice she transformed didn’t look… weird… We had a solid means of transportation, aight?!

The entire ride to Canterlot, our carriage was filled with tumultuous excitement. We were joking about, playing contained jokes on one another, and playing loud music. Arriving in Canterlot, the sun was gone from the sky, making way for the moon to gleam brightly in its place. When we reached the castle, we found it littered with lights, decorations, and ponies. Everypony was dressed up in the finest of gowns and suits, and from outside the castle, you could hear the booming music from inside. Pinkie hopped right out of the carriage and cheered excitedly.

“We’re here, we’re here, we’re here!!! I can’t believe this is happening! This is the most exciting thing, ever!” she cried out. The rest of us followed her out.

“Pinkie, we pretty much come here every year. What’s so different about this time?” AJ asked.

“Well, it’s Matt’s first Gala. That, and I mean, come on, it’s the Grand Galloping Gala!” Pinkie retorted cheerfully.

“She’s got a point, AJ. It is a pretty awesome night,” Rainbow Dash added.

“I think awesome might be an understatement, Dash,” I said. “I mean, I know we’ve all had your fair share of exciting moments and get-togethers, but I’ve certainly never had one like this. There really isn’t any other time or place like the Gala to be with friends.” Fluttershy started to giggle. “What?” I protested.

“Nothing. I just love it when you get all sappy like that. It’s cute,” she answered, giving me a peck on the cheek. I rolled my eyes with a smile, giving her a little bump.

“Alright, you two, knock it off. Save it fer later. I think it’s time we do what we came here to do,” AJ stated.

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Spike asked.

“I think I know the answer,” Twilight interjected. We all looked to her in anticipation. “Enjoy a nice, relaxing evening with each other at the Gala.” We all deadpanned.

“Funny,” I said with a fake laugh.

“Aren’t I? Now come on, everypony! Let’s party!” she cheered. And it was into the Gala we went!

The castle was as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. Fancy party ponies, gorgeous (if a bit copious) decorations, appropriate lighting, and loud pumping music to go along with all of it. I guess Celestia had improved the standards of the Gala since the first debacle the girls caused. Good thing, too. Otherwise, I probably would have skipped out on the night all together.

We made our way through the main entrance hall, making our way to the dance hall. We were greeted by the Princesses shortly after we entered.

“Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!” Twilight was first to speak.

“Hello, Twilight. And hello to all of your friends as well,” Celestia greeted. We all exchanged short bows with the Princesses. “Ready for what the night may hold in store?”

“I sure hope so. We all know how out of control everything can get when we show up.”

“True. Especially considering we have a new arrival this year.” Celestia winked at me.

“Are you accusing me of being a problem?” I jokingly questioned. Celestia giggled with her sister.

“Perhaps I am. I guess you’ll never know. Please, enjoy yourselves!”

“Alright! Let’s party!” Pinkie cheered. In the blink of an eye, Pinkie was gone, surely now in the dance hall. We all laughed and followed suit.

As we entered the central ballroom, many of the ponies were already enjoying themselves. Thanks to the antics of the girls their first time around, the Gala was now much more lively than it usually was. The band was playing more up-beat music, ponies were actually dancing, and the food had a larger variety of choices (a few of Applejack’s treats were being served, surprisingly). I hung with the girls for a while until I decided to wander about myself. Most of the ponies of Equestria were aware of my presence in their world, but a grand majority of them had never seen me. So, as you can imagine, I got a lot of stares.

But, my night was far from uneventful. I met an assortment of ponies, all originating from different points all across Equestria. I managed to relate very well with the ponies of Manehattan (I wonder why). The Canterlot ponies seemed to have a hive mind of egotism, which disturbed me very much. Needless to say, the crowd of the Gala was indubitably lively and diverse. Soon enough, I found myself settling down for a pleasant meal with Fluttershy.

“I must say, I don’t know what this stuff is, but I’d be damned to say I’m not loving it!” I exclaimed, scarfing down more food. Fluttershy giggled at my enthusiastic eating as AJ approached us.

“Careful there, Matt. Ya don’t wanna cramp up when we hit the dance floor, now do ya?” she joked. I rolled my eyes and swallowed.

“AJ, please, the dance floor is certainly lively, but we’re not throwing down in a mosh pit or anything. C’mon,” I chortled. She rolled her eyes at me and sat down, letting out a heavy sigh. “Tired?” I asked.

“You bet. Pinkie Pie challenged me to a dance off. Ah was certain Ah’d win. Unfortunately, Ah lost… And now, Ah’m tired. And hungry…” She paused before she began to devour the food in front of her. I laughed with Fluttershy as she stood up and gestured for me to follow her outside.

As we stepped out into the moonlit night, I took in a deep breath of fresh air. A content smile spread across my face. Fluttershy giggled at me, which I responded to by bumping her with my hip.

“What? It smells like pompous in there,” I joked. Fluttershy raised a brow in confusion.

“Pompous?” she giggled.

“I mean that there is way too much properness and formality in there. It’s cramping my style.” I chuckled as we walked towards the gardens. I could tell that Fluttershy was growing even more cheerful as we made our approach. She loved the gardens. Though, I imagine after her first Gala, she’d be staying away from the critters wandering within.

As we entered the gardens, we found a small gazebo to sit down in. I sat back in my seat and fluttered my wings, finally being able to move them freely about. I worried that, as they are quite large, they would knock ponies and decorations over inside, so I had kept them folded in all night. It was extremely uncomfortable. But as my wings parted, Fluttershy managed to snuggle up to me, allowing me to bring them back to pull her in close.

“This night has been pretty mellow, I have to say,” I told her, scrunching up my face. She giggled and shrugged.

“I don’t know. I think it’s been a wonderful night. Certainly much better than the last Gala,” she said, giggling as she seemed to recall the hijinks of her and the girls’ first Gala. I laughed as well, thinking about the endless antics that each of the girls went through.

We soon found ourselves just staring up at the stars, leaning up against the railing of the gazebo. I continued to hold her close, ensconcing her in my wings. The stars in Equestria seemed to entrance me in various ways that the stars back home just couldn’t do. The constellations were easy to spot in Equestria, and they all seemed to tell unique stories and tales, rather than just show you different images and shapes. Honestly, if I hadn’t become an actor, I would have become an astronomer.

“You know, it’s nearly impossible to get a view like this back home,” I said, chuckling. Fluttershy looked at me with a concerned look. I looked back at her, my brow furrowing in addled confusion.

“Matthew, do you miss home? Your home, I mean,” she asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, only that you’ve been very… reminiscent lately. It seems that you’ve been thinking very much of your home back on Earth. You miss your family and friends, you miss the things you used to do…” She paused, her concern becoming ever more apparent as she turned away.

“Fluttershy, are you worried I’m going to leave you?” She jumped to reply.

“No! Not at all! I just… I just worry for you. I don’t want you to be sad. I can’t stand it when you’re sad. It almost hurts to see you disappointed or unsettled. I just want you to be happy.” She sniffled, her eyes beginning to get watery. I turned to her and put my hands on her shoulders, urging her to look at me.

“Hey, look at me.” She did after a moment of hesitation. I smiled into her eyes. “I’m as happy as could be. I’ve got you, the girls, Spike, and many others in Ponyville who care for and adore me. I’m living in the most beautiful and magical place in the universe. And there’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here, right now, with you. I love you Fluttershy, and don’t you dare think for a moment that I’d ever leave you. I’d sooner end my own life than leave you… Poor choice of words, but you get the point!” My smile spread wider across my face as a grin of her own began to coalesce. She was slightly hidden behind her hair, which I motioned to run my hand through, but before I could, she had locked her lips with mine. As we parted, she looked back up to the sky as a giggle escaped her mouth. She seemed to be filling up with bubbly joy, as she bounced in her seat. I laughed at the sudden change in her demeanor. “And what’s got you so jittery all of a sudden?” She pushed her hair out of her face, allowing me to properly look into her eyes again.

“Just look up,” she told me. I did, and what I saw could only be explained as a coincidence. A group of stars had come together to form a heart. It wasn’t perfect; in fact, it had an oblong shape, but it didn’t seem to matter to me.

“Did you get Luna to do that or something?” I asked Fluttershy. She giggled.

“Nope. It’s just one of the many constellations that graces Equestria’s skies every night of the Gala. I’ve always wanted to look up at those stars with my special somepony by my side. And now, I finally get to do that!”

“Wow…” I was speechless. The stars forming the heart were far more lucent than the others around them. They seemed to scintillate brighter than the rest. They seemed to magnify the love in my heart for Fluttershy. It felt like my heart was ready to burst with love. I turned back to Fluttershy and planted my lips against hers, gently caressing her in my arms. We melted in the kiss, and as we parted, the smiles on our faces couldn’t have been more synchronous.

“And when we get home, I have one more surprise for you,” she whispered to me. Curiosity flooded my mind as I grinned in suspicion.

“Oh yeah? What is it?!” I asked jocularly. She giggled, stood up, and pranced to head back inside.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” she teased, gesturing for me to come back inside with her. I did as she asked and walked back in with her.

We joined the rest of our friends at our table inside. Spike had cake smeared all over his face, with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie laughing hysterically at him. Rarity was frivolously adjusting herself, which came as a surprise to nopony. Applejack and Twilight were snacking on AJ’s sweets. As Fluttershy and I sat down, everypony’s attention turned to Princess Celestia and Luna. They stood on the stage to thank everypony for the most successful Gala in years. When they finished speaking, the crowd of party ponies began to disperse into the night.

The girls, Spike, and I headed back out to our carriage. The ride home was pleasant and lively, as the group couldn’t help but to fill up the carriage with conversation of the night. I simply gazed out the window of our ride and continued to gaze at the mesmerizing heart constellation. Fluttershy was resting her head on my shoulder. A content smile formed on my face as I imagined what surprise Fluttershy had in store for me.

As we arrived back home, our group dissipated. When Fluttershy and I arrived back at our humble abode, I got undressed, took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and dropped like a boulder on our bed. Fluttershy laughed at my condition. I replied by throwing a pillow at her, which she quickly chucked back at me. I was too tired for a pillow fight, but I would have loved to have one with her otherwise. As I rested my head, waiting for the moment sleep would overtake me, Fluttershy planted a soft kiss upon my lips.

“Goodnight, Matthew. I love you,” she said. I smiled as I felt myself finally slipping into unconsciousness.

“Goodnight, Fluttershy. I love you too,” I copied, passing out.

The next morning, when I woke up, I looked to my right, hoping to see my lovely mare sleeping beside me. But she wasn’t there. Palpable confusion surfaced upon me, as I began to lift myself up from slumber.

“Good morning, Matthew,” I heard Fluttershy’s voice say. I rubbed out my eyes and smiled as I recognized the voice.

“Oh, there you are, you silly mare. Good morning,” I replied, clearing out my eyes. But when I looked at the doorway to our room, Fluttershy was not to be found. Instead, a gorgeous woman stood in her place.

And then I realized, gazing upon her silky pink hair; that gorgeous woman was Fluttershy.