“Oh my gosh! There’s no way! It can’t be! Or can it…?” Pistachio mumbled. Ever since Rarity--a fashion icon as well as his greatest idol--showed up at his family’s farm three years ago, he’d decided that he was ready to start his career as a fashion designer.

Rarity had made him her special guest at Manehatten’s Fashion Week, and ever since then, his career in couture had taken off. He now had his own fashion line sold exclusively at Rarity’s boutiques. It still amazed him that there were yaks in Yakyakistan wearing his designs right now! Well, a version of his designs modified to fit them, but still basically his designs!

Everything was looking up for him, but there was still one thing that could make everything even better; going to The Grand Galloping Gala. It was the most exclusive event of the year! Only the most famous ponies in Equestria were invited! Well, along with their dates of course. If he were to actually go, not only would his business skyrocket, but he was sure he’d have the best night ever!

But, despite briefly fantasizing about going to the gala as Hoity Toity’s date back when he was just figuring out his sexuality, he’d never entertained any ideas that he would ever be invited. Well, not until now at least.

He had gotten a lot more popular since the last gala, so he thought that he might actually have a miniscule chance at getting in. And now, he’d just received a letter from Princess Twilight herself! So, either he was invited, or he was in some pretty serious trouble.

“Oh Pistachio! Stop worrying and just open the envelope already!” his mom said, his dad right next to her bobbing his head up and down encouragingly.

“Oh my gosh! I’m so nervous I’m gonna puke!” Pistachio said. Then, he opened the envelope and read the letter.

Dear Pistachio,

My good friend and advisor, Rarity, has told me great things about you. After doing some research on you and your career, I’m delighted to say that you are cordially invited to The Grand Galloping Gala.

There should be four tickets in the envelope that held this invitation. One for you, one for each of your parents, and one for a companion of your choice. You may bring almost anypony, although due to past experience, I must ask you to please make sure that your companion is a coherent, living creature. Strange beings such as giant lumps of green slime that eat shiny objects are prohibited.

The Grand Galloping Gala will be held at The Canterlot Castle. Since you do not have access to any unicorns with the ability to teleport, your train tickets and hotel reservations will be taken care of by a third party. You are expected at The Biltmare Hotel by noon on the day before the gala is scheduled to take place.

I look forward to seeing you there,

Her Majesty, Princess Twilight Sparkle

“I’m invited! Somepony pinch me! This is a dream come true!” Pistachio said after reading the invitation. Sure enough, when he looked into the envelope, four golden tickets sat inside.

He couldn't believe that this was actually happening to him! Things like this didn't usually happen to noponies from Nowhere Equestria, such as himself, but it actually was! He was hoping he'd be able to introduce his designs to some of the influential ponies there, so he had to make the best impression possible. That meant having the perfect suit, accessories, hair, and… Oh… And the perfect date. How would he manage that? With all of the discrimination against gay ponies, there were bound to be at least a few ponies that wouldn't approve of any stallion he brought simply because they were a stallion.

Then again, did he even want to impress all the ponies that would judge him just for being gay? No, he didn't. They were pretty much all terrible ponies anyway. He still wasn't sure who he would invite though… Sweet Acorn Orchards was a difficult place to find ponies in the gay community.

"Who should I invite as my date?" Pistachio wondered aloud.

"You could invite one of our neighbor's sweet daughters! They’re very nice girls!" his mother suggested. Pistachio laughed.

"As if I'd date a mare," he said with an amused grin. His parents, who were almost always smiling, frowned deeply.

"What do you mean, son?" his father asked. Now Pistachio was very confused. They couldn't have forgotten, could they?

"You remember our conversation from when I was eleven, right?" he asked nervously. This was stupid. Obviously his parents knew he was gay. He'd told them five years ago, when he was eleven.

"Of course we do, honey!" his mother responded.

Phew, Pistachio thought. He thought back to his coming out talk. He'd been so nervous back then.

"M...mom? Dad? I… I have to tell you something," said eleven year old Pistachio.

"What is it, son?" his father asked. Pistachio took a deep breath, preparing himself to drop the bomb.

"I think you should know that I'm… Different from other boys around here. I want to be a fashion designer when I grow up. I didn’t think I could do it if I told anyone, but if Fashion Plate and Hoity Toity could become famous, then maybe I can too. Mom. Dad. I… I'm-"

"Oh honey!" his mom interrupted before he could say ‘gay’. "We've always known that you're a little different, and yes, it's a bit unconventional, but we love you just the same! We couldn't care less about things like that. We just hope you'll be able to live your dream without ponies believing things about you that aren't true," his mom said. His dad nodded.

Pistachio teared up. Because of his parents' religion, he'd been terrified that his parents wouldn’t accept him. He felt as if a huge weight had been lifted now that he knew that they still loved him regardless. He ran over and hugged them.

“Thank you,” he said.

“So what’s wrong with me saying that I wouldn’t date a mare?” present Pistachio asked his parents confusedly. His father gave him a stern look.

“We know you’ve always been worried about ponies thinking that you’re gay because so many other fasion designers that are stallions are, but by joking about it, you’re encouraging all of those ponies to believe that. Homosexuality is not something to joke about, son,” his father said.

No way. No way! This could not be happening to him. He’d always been so thankful that coming out had been so easy for him, and now… Now…

“So wait… You both think I’m straight?” he asked, shocked. His mom gave him a loving smile that did nothing to help Pistachio’s mental panic attack.

“Of course, honey! It doesn’t matter how many of those articles say that you’re gay. We know you’re not. We would never think you would choose that path,” said his mother.

“It’s not a choice!” Pistachio yelled. His parents looked at him pityingly.

“Don’t let them get to you like that, son!” his father said.

“Just because so many ponies believe that you’re one of them doesn’t mean that you have to act like you are,” his mom added. Pistachio was furious.

“But I-” He cut himself off mid-sentence. A horrible thought occurred to him. He hadn’t actually come out to his parents. With them, he was still in the closet. Was it just them, or were there others that didn’t know too? Suddenly, he felt like that terrified eleven-year-old all over again. But now he had even more reason to be scared. He’d never really heard his parents talk about homosexuality before, and now he basically knew that they frowned upon it. Could he really still come out to them?

“What if, theoretically, I was gay? Would you still love me?” Pistachio asked, freaking out on the inside and attempting to hide it on the outside. His mom giggled.

"Oh Pistachio! We know you make mistakes sometimes, but you would never do something like that! You’re far too good to go there.” That might be one of the most hurtful things Pistachio had ever heard. He’d heard ponies say those kinds of things before, but coming from his own mother, it was painful. Especially since before this point, he’d thought his parents were supportive of it.

“But I just-”

“Enough, son! Let’s speak of other things,” his father said, interrupting him.

Pistachio wanted to object, but what would he even say? He looked down at the floor, unable to think of anything to talk about. In truth, he was holding back tears.

“What were we talking about?” his mother wondered aloud. “Oh! You’re date! Any ideas on who you’ll bring, Pistachio?”

Uh oh.

“You did what?” Plaid Stripes asked. She’d just gotten off of work from her day job at Rarity For You, and her father had been right outside the shop, waiting for her with an envelope. Now, they were attempting a conversation as they walked home

“Haven’t you always wanted to go to The Grand Galloping Gala?” her father asked. Plaid Stripes rolled her eyes.

“Yes, but I want to be invited because I’m wanted there, not because my dad told Rarity that if she didn’t get us invited, you’d kick her out of her boutique!” Plaid yelled. Now it was her dad’s turn to roll his eyes.

“Why does it matter how you get in if you get in?” he asked. It was just like him to say something like that. She loved her father, but he was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted, and Plaid was often left doing something she didn’t want to do as a result.

“Because I want to earn it myself!” Plaid exclaimed.

“Will you please just read it? I need to make sure that it says you’re invited,” her father said.

"Fine," Plaid responded unhappily.

The invitation had a bunch of stuff about being delighted to invite her, something about only coherent creatures being allowed at the gala, and information on what hotel they’d be staying at. The note-worthy part of the invitation was a paragraph at the bottom, written in a sloppier writing style than the rest.

P.S.
These invitations are prewritten. You're actually invited purely because Rarity started crying when I told her I wouldn't invite somepony just because their dad threatened her. So, if you do anything uncalled for, you will be kicked out, and not invited back, regardless of any juvenile threats that your father makes.

Plaid was not at all surprised at the note that the invitation had ended on, which was very sad. She supposed that she was just used to her father manipulating every situation in order to get what he wanted. Come to think of it, she did need to talk to her dad about something that she was sure would come up.

“It says I’m invited…” she said as her father smirked. “I’ll go, but please don’t make me design my own clothes! Or accessories! I’ve felt like an idiot wearing all the things I’ve designed. I feel much more beautiful in other ponies’ designs,” Plaid said.

“Perhaps your designs haven’t been the most… Mainstream, but at least it prevents ponies from seeing how openly gay you are. I’d say you could try some other feminine profession, but your hand-sewn plaid heart as a cutie mark could mean few other things,” her father said shamelessly.

“First of all, my special talent is knitting! I may be gay, but it’s not like knitting is considered masculine! Isn’t knitting enough, without having to be a fashion designer? And second, I don’t care if ponies know I’m a lesbian, Dad. I’m not ashamed of it. It’s just a part of who I am,” Plaid said. Her father stopped in his tracks, his face turning a bit red from anger.

“Well maybe you should be ashamed! Gays and lesbians don’t deserve the equality they get in Equestria! Your mother was a lesbian, and look how that turned out for us!” her father yelled. She left you to find a new life where she could be her true self. It’s not her fault she didn’t love you that way. Mom may not be a good pony, but she doesn’t represent all gays and lesbians, Plaid thought. She thought things like that all the time, but she never actually said them. She doubted it would make a difference with her father anyway, so what was the point?

“Whatever Dad… Just please don’t make me design my own dress like you did for that last party I went to. I looked horrible,” Plaid pleaded. Her father looked thoughtful.

“Hmm. Fine, but I’ll pick out your dress,” he said. Plaid sighed. She supposed that was better, but she’d much rather pick out her own. She’d bet he wouldn’t let her wear her spoon earrings either…

She’d found her favorite spoon earrings at a garage sale a few years prior, and she wore them all the time. They even inspired her ‘spoon clothes’ idea, although that had of course been terrible. Probably because she didn’t want to create new, trendy styles. Her father had seen an opportunity for her at Rarity For You, and told her that she had to take it. Her dad had told her to come up with ideas for Rarity by the end of the day, and spoon clothes and glow in the dark teeth *Plaid cringed at the memory* were the best she could come up with. Plaid just felt sorry for Rarity since she was forced into it too.

Hopefully Rarity didn’t dislike Plaid because of it. Actually, Plaid didn’t think Rarity actively disliked her, but she didn’t think she actively liked her either. Honestly, Plaid figured Rarity probably thought of her as some psycho teenager, because when they’d first met, Plaid sort of had a bit of a crush on her, and let’s just say that when Plaid was around a crush, she could get pretty flustered and weird.

“Of course, the dress is not the only issue. We also have your date to think about,” her father said.

Sometimes, Plaid felt like she’d do anything to go back to being that naive twelve-year-old girl, nervous about coming out to her father, but hopeful that just maybe he’d accept her. Now, she had no hope at all. Her father hadn’t accepted her then, and he didn’t accept her now. Why would that ever change? Maybe it would’ve even been easier if she hadn’t come out to him at all. Maybe that would’ve allowed her to be more like her natural self. Yes, she would have had to hide her sexuality, but at least her father wouldn’t have been looking for every possible thing about her that ‘isn't femminine enough’. Maybe he would’ve accepted her as just a regular mare who didn’t want to be a trendy fashionista if he hadn’t known she was a lesbian. She supposed that she would never know if that was true though.

“I have a guy in Canterlot who owes me money. His son is around your age. If you can’t find a stallion to go with you before the gala, I’ll just have him go with you,” her father continued.

Uh oh.

Author's Note

Hi guys! I hope you liked this first chapter, and if you did, make sure to leave a like, comment, and stay tuned for the next chapter!

Also, remember to check out the Pride and Positivity group. (Linked in this story's description) For each story they get, $40 is donated to charity, so if you can, donate and/or submit a story.

P.S. This story will have a happy ending.