The Party Must Go On

“Oh great, just my luck.” Gala said to herself when she got home. It was slightly later than she would usually get home and both Discord and Fluttershy had already fallen asleep. She sighed and grunted and then went to her room. She carefully stuffed the note somewhere safe where she knew neither Fluttershy of Discord would find it.

She crawled into her bed and tried to sleep, but she just couldn’t get to sleep after everything that had happened that day. Her mind drifted off and she relived all the events of the day in her head. She blushed when she remembered that Pound had asked her to be his marefriend.

Tears formed in her eyes as she remembered the letter. She was tempted to read it again before she fell asleep. She had a small debate in her mind and decided not to read it. Reading it again would probably keep her up all night crying. She used her blanket to wipe away her tears. She shook her head and tried to think of something else. She tried to focus her mind on Pound Cake until she finally fell asleep late into the night.

She woke up the next morning, and she was extremely tired from staying up so late the night before. Despite her tiredness, she got herself up and ready and then headed off for work. She arrived slightly later than usual since she had slept later, and walked slower. But she eventually made it to Sugarcube Corner and Pound Cake let her in.

“Good morning, Gala. Are you alright?” He asked, noticing how tired she looked.

“Good morning. Yeah, I’m fine. I just didn’t get much sleep last night, but I’ll be ok.” She said, smiling at Pound slightly. He smiled back at her and watched as she walked into the kitchen. She stared at the wall where the door to the basement was hidden as she walked past it.

When she made it into the kitchen, Mr. and Mrs. Cake had already each started a batch of cupcakes. Gala accidently let out a yawn as she walked into the kitchen. “Good morning.” She said to them.

“Good morning, Gala.” Mrs. Cake said. She paid no attention to the fact that she was later than usual. Since she was still perfectly on time, it didn’t matter.

“Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Cake.” She said as she walked over to the kitchen counter she usually worked at. She pulled out a cookbook and turned it to the page it was at most of the time, the recipe for cupcakes. She stared at the recipe for a minute, remembering what her mother had written in the letter she found the day before. She gave a small gasp and jumped back slightly.

Neither Mr. or Mrs. Cake noticed, and Gala was glad they hadn’t. Though, Mrs. Cake walked over to her. “Gala, were you planning on baking cupcakes today?” She asked.

“Ummm….” Gala looked down at the cookbook in front of her, which was opened to the cupcakes recipe. “Yeah, I was.” She looked back up at Mrs. Cake. “Why?”

“I was thinking that you should try baking a cake so you could expand your baking skills.” Mrs. Cake said.

“Oh, ok.” Gala said, slightly relieved that she wouldn’t have to bake cupcakes today. She turned the pages of her cookbook to a recipe for a cake. She gathered all the ingredients from throughout the kitchen and began mixing them in a big mixing bowl. Mr. and Mrs. cake left the kitchen a few minutes later, once they were sure that Gala could handle baking a cake by herself.

Once Mr. and Mrs. Cake had left, Pound Cake came into the kitchen and pulled out a cookbook. Gala stared at him for a minute, slightly confused. “Pound? I thought you didn’t usually work in the kitchen.”

“I don’t.” He said blatantly as he flipped through the cookbook, trying to find the right recipe. “I was just worried about you, so I asked my mom and dad if I could take a shift in the kitchen today to work on my baking skills.”

Gala smiled at him even though he wasn’t looking at her. She turned back to the cake she was baking. Once she had all the ingredients stirred up, she poured the batter into a cake pan and put it in the oven. She checked to cookbook to see how long it would have to bake, and she set the time. She walked over to Pound to see how he was doing and if he needed any help.

“Do you need any help with anything?” She asked him.

“I think I got it.” He said, clumsily pushing a messy tray of cupcakes into the oven. He turned to Gala and gave her a smile. Gala held her hoof over her mouth to keep herself from laughing and her mane became extremely curly. “What?” Pound asked.

Gala began giggling uncontrollably. Pound had flour and batter all over his face and in his mane. Pound continued staring at her, wondering why she was laughing so hard. When she had finally calmed down she wiped a tear out of her eye. “Go look at yourself.” She said. Once she had said it, she immediately burst out into laughter again.

Pound pulled out one of the shiniest cookie sheets and looked at himself in it. He saw the flour and batter on his face and in his mane and he blushed slightly knowing that Gala had been laughing at him. He wiped his face off and shook his head to get the flour out of his mane. He walked back over to Gala, now being  mostly clean.

She had finally stopped laughing, but she was still fighting small bursts of giggles. “I see you’re feeling better.” Pound said to her with a smirk. Gala nodded, giggling slightly.

The oven beeped and Gala stopped giggling and rushed over to it. She pulled out the cake that she had put in earlier and waited for it to cool off. “Your cupcakes are probably ready.” She said to Pound.

“Oh, right.” He had been watching Gala take the cake out of the oven. He walked over to the oven he was using and pulled the cupcakes out. They were all different sizes, and some were even different colors. There were drops of batter on the pan where they weren’t supposed to be. Gala giggled slightly at the sight of his cupcakes.

Once the cake and the cupcakes had cooled down, Gala carefully pulled the cake out of the pan and set it down. It seemed to have turned out nicely. She nibbled on some crumbs and was satisfied with the taste. She checked on Pound’s cupcakes; he was having a hard time getting them out of the pan.

One of the cupcakes had hopped out and Gala picked it up. She stared at it for a moment and then she looked at Pound, who was still trying to get the rest of the cupcakes out. “Pound Cake….” She said.

Pound stopped shaking the tray of cupcakes and turned to Gala. “Yeah?” He asked nervously.

“Did you forget to use cupcake liners?” She asked.

“Cupcake whaters?” He asked.

Gala sighed and walked over to him. “Pound, we can’t sell these. All cupcakes need to have cupcake liners.” She said. She pulled out a pile of them and set them on the counter in front of Pound.

“I thought we put the cupcakes in those once they were done.” He said awkwardly.

Gala giggled slightly. “I can’t believe you live and work in a bakery but you don’t know the most basic instruction for baking cupcakes.” She said, setting the cupcake down on the counter. “Do you know how to ice cakes or cupcakes?” She asked.

“Of course, I’m not stupid.” He said. Gala stared at him blankly.

“You’re lucky I love you.” Gala said.

Pound blushed and once Gala realized what she had said, a blush spread across her face as well. “You…. You do?” He asked.

“Ummmm….... Yeah, of course I do.” Gala said, forcing herself to look him in the eyes. “To tell you the truth….” She started, looking away from him nervously. “I’ve had a huge crush on you since the day we first met.” She stared at the ground, not wanting to look up at Pound to see his reaction.

Pound brought his hoof up to Gala’s chin and tilted her head up so she was looking right in his eyes. She noticed that there were tears in his eyes and he was crying slightly, but there was still a smile on his face. “I love you too.” He whispered. Tears formed in Gala’s eyes as well and the two joined together in a passionate kiss.

One of the ovens beeped and they jumped away from each other, both of them being ripped back into reality. “Since you know how to put icing on cakes and cupcakes, then go ice the cake I made, I’ll start another batch of cupcakes.” Gala said.

Pound nodded, tears still in his eyes, and walked over to where Gala had been just a minute ago. He pulled out a bowl of icing that had been tucked away and began putting it on the cake. Gala began another batch of cupcakes.

Once Pound had finished icing the cake, he brought it out to his parents. They cut it up into equal pieces. They kept one piece for themselves so they could taste test it, and they set the rest out for the customers. They each took a small bite of the piece of cake. “Pound, go get Gala.” Mrs. Cake said. Pound nodded and went back into the kitchen to get Gala.

“Gala, mom and dad want you out there to tell you what they think of your cake.” He said.

“Ok.” Gala had just taken the cupcakes out of the oven and she rushed out as soon as she could to see Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

“Gala, this cake is delicious.” Mrs. Cake said. Mr. Cake nodded in agreement. Gala smiled and thanked them for the compliment. She trotted back into the kitchen to see Pound carefully taking her cupcakes out of the pan.

“Oh.…” He said awkwardly when he saw that the cupcake liners were already on the cupcakes. Gala giggled and Pound jumped, startled by the noise. He turned to see Gala and his face turned red with embarrassment.

“Would you mind icing those for me?” Gala asked. “I’ll start another batch while you ice them. Or maybe we could both ice them and then I could show you how to bake cupcakes as good as I do.” She said.

“Great idea.” Pound said. He was being slightly sarcastic, a little upset that she had pretty much insulted his baking. But he knew he was bad, and he knew that she loved him, so he ignored it and began removing the rest of the cupcakes out of the pan.

Gala began icing the cupcakes that he pulled out, and once he had pulled them all out, he began icing the ones that Gala hadn’t gotten to yet. They finished somewhat quickly and brought the finished cupcakes to Mr. and Mrs. Cake on a tray. They went back onto the kitchen and Gala began a batch of cupcakes, making sure to show Pound how she did everything so he could eventually do it himself.

While the cupcakes were baking, Gala started a batch of cookies. Cookies were much easier to bake than cupcakes, but Pound still wasn’t sure if he could do it. Gala showed him and then put them in the oven. Once they were in the oven, the cupcakes had finished and Gala asked Pound to pull them out. He did, carefully, and set them on top of the stove.

When lunch time came around, they each took a cupcake and sat at a table. They ate their cupcakes happily. They looked at each other and they were both pretty messy. Though Pound was covered in all kind of baking ingredients. Gala just had some batter on her hooves and face.

Once they had eaten their cupcakes, they went back into the kitchen. Gala began baking something else, and Pound tended to the customers while his mom and dad took their lunch break. Gala started another batch of cupcakes and a batch of cookies. Once the cupcakes were done, Pound joined her in the kitchen.

He helped her ice them and he took them out to his parents as Gala took the cookies out of the oven. He started his own batch of cookies while Gala began mixing some ingredients for cupcakes. She put the cupcakes in the oven, and brought the cookies she had made a little earlier to Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

The few minutes she was out of the kitchen, she saw her younger brothers a the counter.  Seeing them triggered memories of Pinkie Pie, her mother, and the basement underneath Sugarcube Corner. She gasped slightly at the sight of them and they turned to look at her.

“Oh! Gala! Hi, how are you?” Skittles asked.

“Oh, I’m good, how have you been?” She asked them.

“Do you know them?” Mrs. Cake asked.

Gala nodded.

“We’ve been good.” Chocolate Rain answered. Gala noticed Skittles wince slightly at the sound of Chocolate Rain’s voice. Gala gave them a small smile. Skittles smile back at her, but Chocolate Rain didn’t react. He seemed to always be in a bad mood and he seemed to boss around his brother.

“I should probably get back to work now.” Gala said, turning around and starting to walk back towards the kitchen.

“Gala, you’re welcome to take a little break to talk to your friends if you want.” Mrs. Cake said.

“Actually, we’re her brothers.” Chocolate Rain corrected Mrs. Cake.

“Oh! Goodness.” Mrs. Cake said. “Gala, by all means, take a break and talk to them.”

“But I’ve already taken my lunch break.” Gala protested.

“It’s alright, you’ve only ever taken one day off, you’ll have plenty of breaks ahead of you.” Mrs. Cake said.

Gala sighed. “Alright, I’ll take a break and talk to them. After I get my batch of cupcakes out of the oven.” She said, walking back into the kitchen.

“What took you so long?” Pound asked.

“My brothers are here.” Gala said. She pulled the cupcakes out of the oven, which had gone off just seconds earlier.

“That’s great!” Pound said.

“It’s really not.” Gala said. “Mrs. Cake insisted that I take a break to talk to them. But we have nothing to talk about. Would you mind icing these for me if I’m not back by the time they’re ready?” She asked, changing the subject.

“I’m sorry…. And yeah.” He said. He had started his own batch of cookies which were still in the oven. He refrained from starting another batch as he waited for the cupcakes to cool off. Gala thanked him and left the kitchen again. She pulled off her apron and sat down at the table the twins had chosen.

“So what do you two want to talk about?” Gala asked as she sat down.

Each of the twins had a cupcake and were munching on them slowly. They both shrugged and Gala sighed. “I knew we would have nothing to talk about.” She said, mostly to herself than to her brothers.

“The only thing we have in common is our mom and dad, and we never even met them.” Chocolate Rain said rudely.

Gala suddenly remembered that she had discovered the basement and that it had sort of belonged to their parents. She got a sudden urge to tell them about it, but something inside her told her that she shouldn’t tell them. She looked around them, to see it there was anyone listening to their conversation.

She opened her mouth to tell them, but her mind was screaming at her to keep quiet. She closed her mouth and eyes. She looked over at where Mr. and Mrs. Cake were standing at the counter. They each gave her a reassuring smile and smiled back. She noticed Pound Cake standing next to them, watching her carefully. Her eyes darted to the spot on the wall where the entrance to the basement was.

Pound saw this small action and shook his head and mouthed, “No.” Gala sighed and nodded. She turned back to her brothers. They had both finished their cupcakes and were looking at her curiously.

“Were you going to say something?” Skittles asked.

“No.” Gala lied. She really wanted to tell them, but she knew she couldn’t. Even if she did tell them, she couldn’t tell them in a public place like this. “I should probably get back to work, they need me in the kitchen.” She said. She stood up to leave, but Skittles stopped her.

“You work in the kitchen?” He asked,

Gala stopped and sat back down. “Yeah.” She said.

“So you baked those cupcakes that we just ate?” He asked.

“I did.” She said.

“They were really, really good.” He said with a small smile. Gala smiled back at him.

“Thank you.” Her mane had been straight up to that point, and when he had said that, it poofed up slightly.

“Woah, what’s with your mane?” Chocolate Rain asked rudely.

“Oh,” Gala said. “It gets curly when I’m happy, and the more curly it is, the happier I am. When I get sad, or nervous or any other bad feeling, it gets straight.” She explained.

Both the twins nodded. They actually began talking and laughing like family who hadn’t seen each other in a long time, which was exactly what they were.

They all looked out the window at around the same time, and the twins spoke up. “We should get home. Mom and dad said that we couldn’t be home too late, they’ll be wondering where we were all day.” Chocolate Rain said. Skittles didn’t seem as scared of him as he was earlier and he actually seemed to be in a good mood.

“Alright. I should be getting back to work anyway.” Gala said. They got up and parted ways. The twins went out the door and Gala went back into the kitchen.

“How did it go?” Pound asked when she returned.

“How did what go?” She asked.

“Talking to your brothers.” Pound explained.

“Fine.” Gala said, putting her apron back on. Her mane had been curly when they were talking, but it had straightened out when they left. Now it was slightly wavy because she was with her precious Pound Cake, but still not completely curly.

“Did you tell them about the….. You know…?” He asked.

“Almost, but no.” She said.

“Good, you really don’t need to tell them.” He said.

“But Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich were their parents too.” She said. “I think they deserve to know.”

“But they’re so much younger than you.” Pound said.

Gala sighed. “I know, but I still think they should know. I’m sure that Discord will know something about this, I need to ask him about it.”

“Are you sure he’ll understand where you’re coming from?” Pound asked.

“I sure hope so.” Gala began mixing a batch of cupcakes. Pound sighed slightly and began a batch of cookies. The day ended quickly and Pound walked Gala most of the way home.

“Can I walk you to work tomorrow?” He asked.

Gala smiled, “That would be great.” She said. He smiled back at her. Gala leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. She began to walk away but Pound stopped her.

“Gala, wait.”

She turned around. “Yeah?” She asked.

He pulled her into a tight hug. She didn’t notice, but there were tears in his eyes. “Please stay safe.” He whispered into her ear. He pulled out of the hug and planted a soft kiss on her lips and then turned and left her. She watched him as he walked away. Then she finally turned herself around and walked the rest of the way home.

When she arrived back at Fluttershy’s cottage, the first thing she noticed was that all or most of the lights were on inside. She wondered why and hurried inside. “Fluttershy, Discord, I’m home.” She called.

“We’re in the kitchen!” Discord called. Gala knew that Fluttershy couldn’t have called for her because she was so quiet, so it wasn’t weird that Discord had called for her. Gala made her way into the kitchen and at the kitchen table she saw three familiar faces.

“Scootaloo? Sweetie Belle? Apple Bloom?” Gala asked happily. They all nodded and her mane poofed up as she squealed and hugged each of them. They all hugged her back happily. Fluttershy sat at the end of the table next to Discord. She was on a hugging spree and hugged both of them as well.

“How was work today?” Fluttershy asked her.

“Good.” Gala said. “Chocolate Rain and Skittles stopped by and Mr. and Mrs. Cake let me take a second break to talk to them.”

“That’s great.” Fluttershy said.

“Who are Chocolate Rain and Skittles?” Scootaloo asked. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom nodded in agreement to her question.

“They’re my brothers.” Gala said.

“You mean, Pinkie Pie and Cheese had more kids?” Sweetie Belle asked, surprised.

“Yes they did.” Fluttershy said.

“Wow.” Apple Bloom said. “They must have gotten busy after they ran away.”

“What do you mean?” Gala asked.

The girls looked at each other and then at Fluttershy and Discord. “Does she not know?” Apple Bloom asked.

Fluttershy shook her head sadly.

“Know what?” Gala asked.

“Nothing.” They all replied in unison.

Gala scowled and her mane flattened out. “I’m going to my room.” She said grimly. She stomped off up the stairs and into her room. She collapsed in her bed and fell asleep almost immediately. She’d had a long day and she was very tired.

* * *

The next morning, Gala woke up earlier than she normally did, due to that she had fallen asleep so early. She got out of bed, got ready and walked down to the living room. She saw Discord sitting on the couch.

“Oh, hi Discord.” She said.

“Gala!” Discord nearly shouted. He was obviously surprised. “You’re up rather early.” He said.

“I know.” Gala said. She thought of what she had been wanting to ask him. Especially after the events of the night before. “Ummm Discord?” She asked.

“Yes?”

“Can I ask you a question about my parents?” She asked.

Discord lifted up one of his eyebrows and tilted his head slightly. “I guess so.” He said cautiously. Gala smiled slightly and dashed up to her room. She came back down with the note in her mouth.

“I found this in a basement that’s in Sugarcube Corner. Did you know anything about this?” Gala asked him.

Discord didn’t have to read the note to understand that she knew that her mother and father were serial killers. He sighed and put his claw to his forehead. “Gala…” He started.

“Please tell me.” Gala begged him.

“Gala, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you.” He said, shaking his head slightly.

“B-but… Discord…” She said sadly. “Please?” She whimpered, tears in her eyes.

“Gala, I said I couldn’t tell you. I never said anything about not being able to show you.” He said, an evil looking smile appearing on his face.

Gala was very confused at what he had said, and she didn’t understand his meaning. She tilted her head and lifted a single eyebrow just as he had done earlier. Discord placed his claw and paw on the sides of Gala’s head. Gala’s eyes went wide and the last thing she remembered seeing was the evil smile on Discord’s face.

* * *

Gala awoke to find herself standing on a moving cloud. She looked down at the cloud and at her own hooves on the cloud. She lifted one of her hooves up to her face and looked at it, or more accurately, through it.

She began to freak out a little, but then she heard Discord’s voice. “Don’t worry, you’re just in a memory.” He said. Gala breathed a sigh of relief. “Make sure you watch this.” Discord said. “Even the smallest of details is very important.” Gala nodded. She looked out into the sky and she saw a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail flying through the air towards a big city that looked like Canterlot.

“Rainbow Dash…” Gala whispered to herself.

“You know about your mother and father killing ponies to make cupcakes, right?” Discord said. Gala nodded as she watched Rainbow Dash fly through the air. Rainbow Dash flew into Canterlot and landed in front of Canterlot Castle. She nodded at the guards and they led her in. The small floating cloud that Gala was standing on followed Rainbow Dash as she went into the castle.

She saw Rainbow Dash follow a guard through the castle and into Princess Celestia's throne room. “Princess Celestia?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Gala noticed that her voice seemed more vibrant and she looked much younger as well. Of course, this was fifteen years ago.

“Yes, Rainbow Dash?” Princess Celestia said.

“I have news for you about the disappearances in Ponyville.” Rainbow Dash said. All the guards around the Princess gasped and stared at Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow Dash, could I speak with you privately?” Celestia asked.

“Of course, Princess.” Rainbow Dash said with a little bow. Gala’s cloud followed the Princess and Rainbow as they walked to a small, private room.

“What is the information you have for me?” The Princess asked Rainbow Dash.

“I know how the ponies have been disappearing.” She said,

“How?”

“Somepony has been kidnapping them and torturing them to death.” Princess Celestia hardly reacted.

“Do you know who?” Celestia asked.

“Pinkie Pie.” At this, Celestia’s eyes widened and she released a small gasp.

“Are you sure?” She asked.

Rainbow Dash nodded solemnly.

“Rainbow Dash, are you not the Element of Loyalty? Wouldn’t you remain loyal to your friend Pinkie Pie?” Princess Celestia asked.

Rainbow was surprised that her princess would ask such a question. “Well, yes… But…”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t accept this from you.” Celestia said. “If this had come from Applejack, I might have accepted it.”

“Princess Celestia, Applejack is dead.”

“Oh…” The Princess replied grimly. “I’m sorry for your loss. Now, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave.” She stood up, towering over Rainbow Dash, and left the room. Rainbow Dash followed behind her and left the castle. Gala’s vision went black and once again, she saw nothing.

Slowly, it brightened up and Sugarcube Corner came into Gala’s vision. Though, it looked much older and it was in the middle of the night. She heard a few muffled sounds, but she didn’t pay attention to them. Instead, she watched as the two princess of Equestria, the princess of the day, and the princess of the night, flew down over Sugarcube Corner.

Princess Celestia’s eyes glowed a bright yellow and her horn lit up. The entire top of Sugarcube Corner lifted up and her magic lifted Pinkie Pie and Cheese out. Gala glanced inside and she saw the three fillies she grew up with sitting inside. Her vision went black again.

When her vision cleared, she looked around and it seemed like she was in a dungeon. She saw Pinkie Pie and Cheese, her mother and father, sitting inside a cell together. The princess came down the stairs and walked over to Pinkie and Cheese’s cell. They talked to them for a few minutes. Gala didn’t feel like any of the details were very important so she didn’t listen very much, thought she continued to watch.

Princess Celestia used her magic to lift up both Pinkie and Cheese and she and her sister flew out of the castle. They flew over Canterlot, and Ponyville and even the Everfree Forest. Gala’s floating cloud followed them all the way to the old castle and down into the dungeons.

She watched as Celestia and Luna tortured her mother and how her father escaped and attacked the princesses and escaped with Pinkie Pie. There were brief details on them running away and stopping at Fluttershy’s. The ‘memory’ went through quickly, and she saw her parents run away, and they lived in a cave, and then she saw winter go by.

Eventually, she saw her mother die, with Cheese by her side. Cheese left the cave and turned himself in to the princesses and Gala’s vision went  black before she could see the details of how her father died.

Gala slowly blinked her eyes open. At first, everything was kind of blurry, but then she blinked again, and the water in her eyes ran down her face as tears. She had somehow ended up laying down on the floor. She stood up and looked at Discord.

“I-is this all true?” She asked.

Discord nodded sadly. “I’m afraid I can’t change visions like this except skipping parts and making them go faster.” He said.

Gala wiped away her tears with her hoof and went back up to her room to grab her saddlebag. She heard a knock at the door while she was upstairs. She figured it was Pound Cake and while she was upstairs, she couldn’t answer the door, which meant that Discord would answer it.

She started down the stairs, but stopped when she heard Pound’s voice. “Oh, uhh, hello sir. Is Gala home?” She heard him ask.

“Yes, I believe she just went upstairs, I’m sure she’ll be back down in a second.” Discord said. “You must be this Pound Cake I’ve heard so much about.” He said with a smirk.

Gala ran down the stairs. “Thanks Discord, I’ll just be off to work now.” She said, stepping out of the house and standing next to Pound Cake. “Bye.” She said to Discord.

She closed the door and turned to leave. Her face had gotten red, and her mane was as straight as ever. She and Pound made their way to work.

“Hey, umm.. Gala? Are you alright.” Pound asked nervously, trotting to keep up with her fast pace.

“I’m fine….” She said somewhat angrily.

“But…” He started.

Gala turned around to face Pound and he bumped into her because she had stopped so suddenly. When they bumped into each other, their noses touched slightly which made them both blush, but Gala quickly shrugged it off. “Look, Pound, I’ll tell you after work in the basement.”

“Uhhh…. Ok…” Pound said awkwardly. The two of them walked in silence the rest of the way to the bakery that Gala now knew the secrets of.