All our dreams and our hopes from now until hereafter...
It was a relatively quiet evening in Ponyville, which was something of a rare luxury given the constant problems and creature attacks that seemed to infest the area every few months. Cleanup was still going on from the dragon incident, and this meant that a few construction workers were still stabilising the clock tower. However, Large Bartholomew continued to chime proudly and distinctly in the sky.
Down in the town itself, at Sugarcube Corner, business was good as always. The small cafe was a popular spot for townsfolk to come late in the day and unwind over a coffee or meet with a friend and chat over a selection of cake, which was always on offer. After all, not only was the place run by a married couple called cake, they had Pinkie Pie, the expert on baked goods, on the payroll. As the evening continued to drift on, let us turn our attention to one of the tables.
Sitting at one of the tables was Twilight Sparkle, the personal protege of Princess Celestia. Whilst normally she would be studying at this late hour, given her dedication to the acquisition of knowledge for its own sake, tonight she was here seeing somebody. Sat opposite her was a young man with blue hair and eyes, whose attire was the definition of casual (T shirt, slacks, and biker jacket), compared to Twilight's considerably more formal turquoise blouse (which had a bowtie around the collar), a purple skirt with a star emblem on it, and black and purple boots. The chap was Flash Sentry, a royal guard in training whom Twilight had met on official business in Canterlot. Somehow, the two had really connected with one another, and tonight was one of their dates.
"So, learned anything interesting today?" Flash asked, adjusting his glass on the table so he had an uninterrupted view of her.
"I spent most of today with my friends," Twilight replied. "But I did manage to sneak some reading in. Did you know that alligators can go up to two months between meals?"
"Interesting," Flash answered. "It's just a problem that we don't know when they last ate. I would hate to run into one at the wrong time!"
"Me too!" Twilight said. "How about you? How's life in the cadets?"
"Training's been intense, but then again I expected that. We'll be passing out soon, ready for duty. All of Canterlot will probably be on high alert that day. We're still being trained on the new anti-Changeling combat techniques, based on what we were taught by the Wedding."
Twilight sighed. That had not been much of a fun day at all. Learning that an evil bug queen was impersonating your beloved (former) foalsitter was one thing, but to then have to fight off a whole horde of those things? Good thing they couldn't take an overload of love. At least the real wedding had gone without a hitch.
Twilight was so occupied in her thoughts that she didn't notice Flash speak her name at first. "Twi?"
She shook her head. "Sorry, momentarily distracted. You were saying?"
Flash continued. "You know, the Grand Galloping Gala is coming up soon, and I was wondering, seeing as I'll be in Canterlot that day, whether you'd want to go with me?"
Twilight inwardly cringed. Last year's Gala had been an absolute disaster; barring the misspelling of 'gala' as 'gallia' on one of the official programmes for the event, the entire incident had been nothing but a massive disappointment for her (and utter chaos and boredom for her friends). Rarity, in particular, had been incensed at that idiot Blueblood, who had used her as a shield to prevent him from being splashed by flying cake. Not to mention her dress was ruined and needed a lot of maintenance in the shop afterwards. "I'm not too sure. You see, last year was a bit of a mess."
"I heard all about it," Flash sighed. "But you won't need to worry this time. Shining Armour's been put in charge of proceedings this year, and I'm certain I can pursuade him to pull a few strings here and there."
"Really?" Twilight exclaimed. "My BBBFF, organising a public event! Perfect! The Guard has always been very good at organising things."
"You're telling me," Flash smiled. "It's about a week until then, so if you could let me know whether you want to go or not, that'd be great."
"It is a rather short notice decision," Rarity sighed, as she checked her collection. "I'm not sure I could make a new dress for you in such a short space of time."
"I'll just wear the one I wore last year," Twilight replied. "Besides, Flash said he'd make sure the event went better than last year."
"If he can keep that idiot Blueblood away from proceedings, then I may consider attending again. I'd rather not be used as a human shield again. Let's hope your measurements still hold up from last time."
"It's only been a year!" Twilight protested. "I can't have grown that much!"
"We'll see."
A few moments later, Twilight headed off into the fitting room, with Rarity on standby outside in case she needed any help getting into said dress. A few minutes elapsed, before Twilight emerged.
The dress she was wearing consisted of a light blue petticoat with dark blue streaks, which helped to give the skirt some volume, with a dark blue skirt atop that. The bottom of the skirt was a lighter blue, with stars dotted all across it. The bodice was, again, lighter blue, with dark blue straps across her shoulders, and looping across her upper arms to give some extra support. There was also a small collar attached from a further piece of fabric running round the back of her neck, which joined the two straps together.
"Is it possible if you could remove the collar this time around? I'm not sure it was such a good design idea."
"On reflection, it does look a bit odd," Rarity admitted, and made the adjustments in her journal. "But, I must say it does still look good on you. The frame still reaches the ground, and the overall flow still looks good on you. Just one slight problem. You're a bit taller than last year, aren't you?"
"Am I? You don't have a tape measure on you, do you?"
Rarity indicated to the bottom of the dress. "The petticoat is visible under the bottom of the skirt. I'm not convinced I could extend the skirt enough in time. The easiest solution would be to pin it up, but that's potentially messy."
"Let's leave it as it is," Twilight said, and looked at the time. "I'd best be on my way home, but thanks for the help! See you tomorrow!"
"Please leave it neatly on the hangars!" Rarity called. "Ironing these sorts of fabrics is an absolute nightmare if they get creased, and I'm still finding glitter everywhere inside my store!"
After much waiting and deliberation, the rest of Twilight's friends confirmed they would be going to the Gala again as well, and once again they would simply wear what they wore last year. The afternoon of the Gala soon arrived, and with their outfits safely packed away inside packing cases and carefully prepared boxes, the girls headed for the train station. They had decided to avoid going by carriage as that'd been a complete fiasco last year. Not only that, train was faster, being able to maintain an average speed of 45 miles per hour as opposed to a carriage's 9. They stood there, idly chatting as they waited for the train.
"Will the Wonderbolts be there again?" Rainbow Dash asked Applejack. "I kinda need to make amends from last year."
"Oh, they know Ponyville alright," Applejack replied. "That dragon incident put us on the map. Ah'm certain they're good with ya, especially after you helped with their aerobatics display at the wedding."
"You kidding? Getting to fly a Mantis was incredible!"
"I think I'll avoid the forest this time," Fluttershy said quietly, which was how she said most things. "I hardly want to cause a fiasco like the one last year."
"Probably a good idea," Rarity sighed. "Applejack, you're not bringing your food stand again, are you?"
"After such poor sales last year? Nope, that ship has sailed."
"Will the music be more lively this year?" Pinkie asked. "All those old dances are boring! Where's the jazz?"
"Luna was apparently interested in getting a jazz band for the Gala," Twilight said. "But preferably slow jazz. Try dancing something quick in what I'll be wearing! That's a recipe for disaster!"
"Here comes the train!" Rainbow Dash called, and sure enough the train puffed into view. But it wasn't the usual engine that worked the Friendship Express. Instead, a mighty, majestic tender engine rumbled into view. It was painted in a striking Royal Blue, and four small front wheels and four big driving wheels to propel it along. Behind it were a set of magnificent coaches, painted in chocolate and cream livery, with plenty of space for all the passengers.
"Hold on a minute!" Twilight said. "That's Cadence's private train! What's this doing here?"
"Private train?" Rarity asked. "I've never heard anything about a private train!"
"Each of the princesses have their own private train to convey them quickly and comfortably across the country to wherever they need to go," Twilight explained. "An added perk is they get the most up to date and modern locomotives to pull them. This is the brand new Manehattan class tender engine, introduced as a replacement to the Appaloosa class tank engines on the busy Manehattan long distance routes. They'll be introducing much bigger tank-"
Twilight was interrupted by a loud yawn from Rainbow Dash. "Boring!"
"To you, maybe," Twilight countered, in an unusually fast quip for her. "But the world is changing faster than ever before. Who knows, Celestia and Luna may even retire!"
"If that ever happens, I'll eat my hat!" Rarity exclaimed.
The driver of the engine stepped onto the platform. "Miss Twilight Sparkle?" he asked.
"That's me!"
"Orders from Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. I am to convey you to Canterlot with all deliberate speed. This train is a special in the logbook, so we'll get priority clearance at all junctions. The staff will help you with your bags, so board whenever you're ready."
Twilight and her friends got onboard as the porters loaded their luggage. The guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag, and the engine whistled in reply. Before long, they were off!
Author's Note
Hello everybody! Welcome to my newest work, and another experiment for me; write a story set in the early years of the show.
I used the following image for reference for Twilight's dress.
The costume in question was originally produced for a convention in 2012, and was made by this exceptionally talented user; https://www.deviantart.com/rose0fmay. The gag about Twilight's height is a reference to the following incident from that cosplay group, reproduced below;
For those familiar with our MLP group from Dragoncon 2011, you’ll notice we have a different Twilight from last year. While we were super sad to lose Positori, we were very fortunate to have someone like Ashley come in. Fortunately the switch out happened before the dress was cut, but I had already finished the petticoat several weeks beforehand and forgotten all about the height difference between the two girls until Ashley went to get dressed at Dragoncon…which is why Ashley’s petticoat is visible all the time. Could we have pinned it up for the time being? Sure, buuuuut we didn’t.
The steam engine working the royal train was inspired by the Caledonian Railway 721 Class, or 'Dunalastairs' for short. The carriages are modelled on Caledonian 45ft bogie coaches, but painted in a chocolate and cream livery reminiscient of the Great Western Railway.
...All that we've been wishing for will happen at the Gala!
The train made incredible headway across Equestria, steam pouring from its funnel as it thundered along. Despite the relatively small size of the engine, the train wasn't too heavy for it, and it puffed and snorted along the main line towards Canterlot, weaving through the mountains (filled with spiral tunnels) and across spectacular viaducts. The train rattled and bounced along, keeping up speeds that the older engines would have struggled to maintain.
Inside, the girls sat chatting with one another. "Well, who do you think will be there?" Fluttershy asked timidly.
"Anybody and everybody who's important in the Canterlot hierarchy will be there," Rarity explained. "This unfortunately means putting up with people like Blueblood or Jet Set. I hoped to see the back of those fools, to be honest."
"Maybe Fancy Pants will be there," Applejack suggested. "And he's pretty nice, from what Ah've heard."
"He is indeed!"
"So, what's our timetable?" Twilight asked rhetorically. "I've already drawn up a full list of timings to answer that question. According to the guard, we'll be arriving in Canterlot at 18:00 hours sharp (the royal family always times things to perfection), which then gives us 60 minutes to change into our dresses. At 19:00 sharp, the event opens, and this is followed by 45 minutes of fraternising before the band starts to play."
"Have you heard who Luna hired to play the Gala this year?" Dash interrupted.
"Who?" Pinkie asked. "Ooh! A giant alligator, a frozen popsicle, maybe even a giant cake monster who has drowned all the world's cake in cake?"
"Maybe we should let Rainbow tell us, Sugarcube." Pinkie fell silent following Applejack's statement.
"They booked Benny Goodhoof!" Rainbow answered. "Ya know, the big band leader from Manehattan?"
"He plays that new music, doesn't he?" Rarity enquired. "Sweetie Belle has many of his records, along with the collaboration he did with Countess Coloratura. It sounds very strange indeed."
"We will shortly be arriving at Canterlot Terrace Road. Please ensure you have all your bags prior to departure. We hope you have enjoyed your journey with Equestrian Railways."
The train wheeshed along, and began to slow down. The shovels of white steam slowly decreased, and the train slowed to a perfect stop at Terrace Road. As Canterlot was a rail junction, most trains were routed through Canterlot Exchange, from where you could catch trains to Manehattan, Las Pegasus, Baltimare, Fillydelphia, and Boston. However, royal trains used a special station called Terrace Route, which was much closer to the centre of the city and was only accessible to those with Royal permit. Hence, the station had bag checks and metal detectors to ensure nothing unwanted got taken in or brought out. After completing all the checks and being cleared through, Twilight and her friends set off for Canterlot Castle.
Canterlot Castle was as stunning as it had ever been. The towering towers (as towers are known to do) and gleaming roofs and spires never ceased to amaze the onlooker, and the interior was just as dazzling. The changing rooms were marked off to the left, and a crowd had already developed of Canterlotians 1 waiting to enter, dressed in all their finery.
"Look at them!" Rarity said. "Don't they look splendid!"
One of them looked back, and his moustache quivered like a terrified squirrel had been glued to his face. "Who let the commoners in?"
"There really is no need to be so rude about others," announced the voice of Fancy Pants, adjusting his monocle as he did so. "Regardless of wealth or social station, they are all equally welcome at the Gala."
The other noble spluttered like a beatboxer for a few moments. The girls, however, took this as their opportunity to change, speeding off as they did so.
As the girls emerged, themselves dressed in all their finery (though Rarity had, once again, overdone it), they joined the back of the queue.
"Will we need to sing again?" Pinkie asked, bouncing up and down.
"What now?" Dash asked, confused.
"Remember how we last entered the Gala all singing in turn about what we wanted to achieve at the Gala and the other guests came up with a chorus and inexplicably knew all the lyrics and we didn't sing over each other and-"
"We live in a world where bursting into song for no readily obvious reason is the norm," Twilight reasoned. "I don't see why it won't happen again."
"The gates have opened!" called a voice at the front. "May young and old, all from far and wide, enjoy tonight's wonders and festivities!"
So, the line began to move, with the crowds soon reforming into a rank and file, putting the CRG [2] to shame. Before long, they were through the gates in perfect line and were into the Gala! Naturally, the girls all went their separate ways, based on what they wanted to do. Twilight, naturally, headed straight for the princesses, who were greeting new visitors. Luna was there too, temporarily relieved of her duties of monitoring dreams.
"Twilight!" Celestia smiled, as she saw her favoured student approaching. "It's wonderful you could make it tonight. I can only hope this year's event manages to go better than last year."
"As do I," Luna added. "From what you tell me, it was horribly boring and there was some minor property damage."
"If you count toppled columns as minor property damage," Twilight admitted sheepishly, then changed the topic. "Will you two be mostly greeting people tonight, or will you do other things as well?"
"I hope I get a chance to go to the ballroom," Luna replied. "It has been far too long since I last danced, and Tia has given me a new gown that I think will work perfectly."
"You'd have plenty of time to dance on the moon," a noble said rudely, as he walked past. Sadly, a lot of the upper aristocracy still gave Luna grief over her past.
Thankfully, Luna had a quick response lined up. "You try dancing when there is nobody else to dance with!"
Twilight, sensing tension, took quick action to change the topic. "Have you seen one of the guards anywhere? Flash Sentry?"
Another guard answered her question. "Private Sentry is in the ballroom. He said something about waiting for somebody."
"Thank you!" Twilight replied, and sped off into the ballroom.
Twilight made good speed despite the weight of her skirt slowing her down. Dodging between butlers and waiters, and other people who seemed to look down upon her, she entered the ballroom- onto to trip on somebody's foot. She shouted in surprise and flew through the air, about to hit the ground when suddenly a hand caught her.
She glanced up to see who it was. "Flash?"
He looked immaculate in the Royal Guard dress uniform of a red jacket with golden collar, a white shirt, a brown belt with a golden buckle, cream pants, and black shoes polished to absolute perfection.
"It's nice to see you too," Flash smiled, as he helped her back up. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Not at the moment," Twilight replied. "Shall we dance?"
And so they did, as the band launched into another waltz.
Not long after, two other guests arrived to great pomp and fanfare (provided by a great army of trumpeters).
"Their Royal Highnesses, Prince Shining Armour and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!" announced a voice.
Moments later, the Royal Couple entered. Shining, as suited the occasion, was wearing the Guard dress uniform. Cadence, on the other hand, had settled for a white hoopskirt and pink bodice. Apparently, she had fancier outfits, but preferred practical wear.
Guess where they went first?
"Hey, Twily!" Shining called, and walked over to his sister. "How's my LSBFF?"
Flash looked confused. "Sir, you wouldn't mind clarifying the meaning of LSBFF?"
"Little Sister Best Friend Forever." Shining's expression briefly changed. "Twilight, I know I should've said this sooner, but I'm so, so sorry for snapping at you at the wedding."
"Hey, it's OK. I've already forgiven you for that. Besides, I didn't exactly go about voicing my suspicions in the right way."
"Is this the guard whom you're dating?" Cadence asked.
"Yep!" Twilight replied. "His name's Flash Sentry!"
As per protocol, Flash bowed politely, the straightened back up. "My lady, it is an honour to meet you."
"I understand military protocol requires formality, but I'm perfectly happy for you to call me Cadence."
Flash nodded, as Shining took over the discussion again. "So, you're dating my little sister, eh?"
"Yes sir."
"Well, I'd like you to know this; you have my approval so far, as a talented recruit and a by-the-books guard. But know this; you hurt her, and you won't live to regret it."
If Flash was alarmed by this statement, he didn't show it. "Yes sir."
Seconds later, the band flared up, and everybody took to the dance floor. At the end of the dance, on the impulse of the moment, Flash and Twi went for it, and kissed. For the first time.
Unbeknownst to them, Twilight's parents were watching from nearby, being regular attendees of the Gala. Night Light smiled. "I think we may have another wedding happening soon!" he said.
Twilight Velvet wiped her eyes. "I hadn't realised how fast Twilight had grown up," she smiled.
"She's more than prepared to take on the world. She could even lead Equestria one day!"
"Don't be silly!" Velvet replied, putting her drink down. "Shall we dance again, before we say anything else ludicrous?"
"Anything for you, my princess."
Author's Note
A resident of Canterlot.
Canterlot Royal Guard.
Well, that was fun to write! To everybody who took part in the competition, good luck!
For those interested in those sorts of things, Luna, Celestia and Cadence looked like this;
