Silver Spoon giggled as she strollef through the grassfield, butterflies flapping their wings while the night sky was decorated with bright, spoon-shaped stars.
She walked to a table in the middle of the land, where a plushie version of her best friend, Diamond Tiara, gestured her to join her for a tea party.
But just as Silver Spoon got ready to join her, a large shadow loomed over them, and they turned around to see the source.
The Canterlot Castle.
The table and plushie vanished in a cloud smoke, and Silver Spoon was left alone to witness the castle gates lowering, until they suddenly dropped to the ground with an intense thud.
Her curiosity overpowering her, the filly trotted into the castle... and froze in place upon seeing what was inside.
It was a group of Ponies of all races dressed rather elegantly, and the interior seemed to be decorated for some kind of celebration.
However, what disturbed Silver Spoon was the fact that not only were the Ponies completely frozen in place, but they had no faces whatsoever.
"This dream just got a whole lot weirder and disturbing," the filly spoke as she inspected the area. "Wait, why did I say that out loud? I was just thinking it... oh wait, right, this is my mind, duh."
"Play with us..."
Startled by the voice, Silver Spoon looked around until she saw a trail of dark Purple mist forming a path, just in time for the voice to speak again:
"Play with us..."
Silver Spoon, though a bit hesitant at first, braces herself and followed the mist trail, skipping the throne room and the guards, who were just as frozen and faceless as Everypony else.
The trail lead her upstairs and towards a hallway, ending at a room with an odd, moon-shaped symbol.
Silver Spoon knocked the door as the mist vanished, and before she could knock three times, it opened slowly, creaking as the filly backed away.
Once fully open, Silver Spoon shivered as she walked inside, the door slamming shut as soon as she entered.
"Okay, that wasn't creepy at all." Silver Spoon took a deep breath. "Alright... hello? Anybody here?"
Silver Spoon looked ahead at the darkness that composed the room, with only a window leading to the starry sky.
And then, a pair of blue eyes opened.
"Play with us..."
"P-Play?" Silver stammered.
"Yes..."
The eyes stepped forward, revealing themselves to be a small blue... Alicorn. One that sported a saddened look as she said:
"Yes, play with us, please."
And next thing she knew, Silver Spoon awoke in her bedroom, the morning light filtering through her window.
"Silver Spoon, wake up darling!" a male voice exclaimed from downstairs. "You're gonna be late for school!"
"Uh, right! Thanks, Daddy!" Silver Spoon exclaimed back. "I'll be ready in a minute!"
Silver Spoon took a deep breath and put on her glasses, gaining a determined look before she got ready for the day.
Once at the school, Silver Spoon spoke with Diamond Tiara once recess rolled around, the duo sitting away from the other foals to have some privacy.
"So, you mean to tell me," Diamond Tiara started, her tone dripping with skeptical disbelief. "That Princess Luna, of all Ponies, interrupted your dream to ask for your company at the castle?"
"I know it's hard to believe, but it really happened," Silver Spoon said, adjusting her glasses. "At least, I think that's what she meant."
"Okay, stop, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Diamond said, waving her hoof. "First of all, what even happened in your dream?"
"Well, I was strolling in a grassfield while butterflies were flying by and the sky was filled with spoon-shaped stars."
"Spoon-shaped what?"
"And then I found a table in the middle of the grassland, where a toy version of you invited me for a tea party. Before I could accept, however, the Canterlot Castle appeared out of nowhere!"
"And then you went inside?"
"Yeah, but here's the weird part: while I was looking around, I noticed that the place looked like it was in the middle of the Grand Galloping Gala."
"The Grand Galloping Gala?" Diamond Tiara raised a skeptic eyebrow. "But I thought you've never been to the Gala before?"
"I haven't, but Princess Luna has, so I'm thinking she manipulated the Castle to bring that event to mind. Not only that, though, she also guided me to her room."
Diamond Tiara hummed and scratched her chin. "So, from what did she say once you arrived?"
"Play with us," Silver Spoon answered plainly. "But with a more ghostly and creepy tone."
"Play with us... that sounds like an invitation to play with the princess, but is that really it?" Diamond Tiara shrugged. "She's a princess! Why would she want to hang out with the common folk? In fact, why ask to play with you at the Grand Galloping Gala, of all times?"
"Maybe because it's the least weird option?" Silver Spoon tilted her head. "I can't just walk up to the castle like it was nothing, but if I get a ticket to the gala, I can go there and see the princess."
"But then the problem becomes getting a ticket to the gala, and that's a pretty hard thing to do," Diamond Tiara argued. "What if only your father's invited, like every other time he's gone to the Gala?"
Silver Spoon adjusted her glasses with confidence. "Elementary, my dear Tiara, I have a feeling that today will be my lucky day. Once I go home, I'm confident Daddy will have-"
"Only one ticket again?!"
"Yes, I'm afraid so, darling," Silver Spoon's father, Hoity Toity, remarked as he revealed his single ticket. "I was so confident this year would be different, but I guess not."
Silver Spoon stomped and neighed, kicking the air angrily before dropping to the ground in exasperation.
And then, the door opened, allowing a certain Purple Dragon to enter the house.
"Hi, Hoity Toity? Are you here?"
"Oh, Spike! What a delightful surprise!" the fashionable stallion said as the Dragon approached them, and Silver Spoon stood up. "Silver Spoon, this is Spike, a friend of mine."
"You're friends with a Dragon?" Silver Spoon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Not just any Dragon, but the assistant of Princess Celestia's faithful student," Spike answered with a hint of pride in his voice. "And speaking of Twilight, I'm just coming from her treehouse."
"And what brings you here, my good old pal?" Hoity Toity asked.
Spike reached for his back and took out two tickets. "Twilight and her friends just got their tickets for the Gala, and Princess Celestia was nice enough to give me two tickets for it."
"And you wanted to give me one?'" Hoity Toity asked, earning a nod from the Dragon. "Well, I'm afraid I already got one, but my daughter Silver Spoon would like to go."
"Is that so?" Spike showed one of the tickets to the filly. "Well, here you go?"
Silver Spoon lowered her eyelids, grabbed the ticket, and took a closer look at it.
"How strange. Why would Princess Celestia give you two tickets, but not inform you my Dad already got one?"
"Actually, the letter I got from her explicitly suggested me to go see if Hoity Toity would like to take it," Spike clarified. "And I decided to give it a shot."
"That makes this even weirder; she's the one who hands out the tickets," Silver Spoon looked at the ticket again. "Wouldn't she knew if she already sent my Dad a ticket?!"
"Let's be honest here, Princess Celestia's really old," Spike pointed out. "She probably forgot by accident. It sometimes happens."
Silver Spoon, however, got another idea.
Or...
Her eyes widened upon seeing her reflection on the ticket.
She did it on purpose...
Author's Note
Not gonna lie, while I'm supper happy to release this story into the world, I'm kinda upset about the fact that this Season 1-based story didn't get out until AFTER the show ended.
Still, better super duper late than never, I guess, and here we are.
Let's just hope Silver Spoon doesn't cause too much trouble. XD
The night had come.
Silver Spoon and Hoity Toity arrived at the doorstep of Canterlot Castle, and one simple look at the building made Silver Spoon realize how much more imposing the place was than in her dream.
Especially considering what she was planning to do.
"I can't believe I'm finally going to the Grand Galloping Gala," she remarked as she hopped off the carriage. "It's like a-"
Silver Spoon paused, and winced at what she was about to say.
"A dream come true"? Seriously? Even if nobody but Diamond Tiara knew of Silver Spoon's plan, it was still just something so... cheesy.
"I know what you mean, sweetie, it's like a dream come true for myself as well," Hoity Toity said, causing Silver Spoon to cringe. "After so long, you'll finally get the chance to experience the Grand Galloping Gala for yourself! I assure you, you're gonna have a lot of fun!"
Silver Spoon couldn't help but grow a little nervous. Not only was the place mostly filled with high profile Ponies, but if her plan came off without issue, things would definitely be funny only to her.
But enough about that, the carriage arrived!
Silver Spoon and her father hopped off the vehicle and moved to the castle's entrance, whose size quickly caught her attention.
"It's just as big as in my dream..."
"If you think it's big now, wait until you see the interior," Hoity Toity replied. "But seriously, stay close to me, okay? It's very easy to get lost inside."
Silver Spoon nodded, and made a mental note about that.
The father-daughter pair kept walking until they reached the throne room, where they bowed against the illuminous-and massive-presence of Princess Celestia.
"Hello, Hoity Toity," the princess gently said. "Who's the little filly by your side?"
"She's my daughter, Your Highness," the Pony answered. "Her name's Silver Spoon."
"Well, it's quite a pleasure to meet you, Silver Spoon," Celestia said as she lowered her head, meeting the filly's gaze. "I hope you enjoy the gala. Trust me, it's going to be a lot of fun."
That remark, coupled with the princess winking at her, quickly got the filly thinking that she had something to do with her dream.
Nevertheless, she had a mission, and she needed to stay focused... which is why she was a bit upset that something else caught her attention:
Diamond Tiara and her father, Filthy Rich, who her father approached.
"Hello there, Flithy Rich!" Hoity Toity greeted. "I didn't expect to see you here!"
"I was surprised at my invitation too," Filthy Rich sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he added, "After last year's disastrous gala, I had a feeling I'd never be invited again."
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, Rich, how were you supposed to know that your wife would be such a buzzkill?"
The stallions continued their conversation as their daughters trotted away to a spot far away from them... and the other guests.
This was much harder than it seemed, but they managed.
"Okay, so, are you ready to begin operation "you-know-what"? Diamond Tiara asked with a smile.
"I don't remember agreeing to call this an operation," Silver Spoon pointed out. "And besides, we haven't even discussed what we're gonna do yet."
"No duh, we're in public, but you know the goal, right?"
"Yes, I know what the goal is. But what good is a goal if we don't have a way to reach it?"
Diamond smiled with confidence. "I may have an idea, come here."
Silver Spoon leaned closer and her best friend whispered her plan in her ear... and it was one of those plans.
"You realize the kind of chaos that could ensue if you go through with that?!"
"You realize that, with the wielders of the Elements of Harmony and the blank flanks around, things are bound to get chaotic anyway?"
Silver Spoon hummed. "Fine, you make a good point. But as soon as it seems that the plan's gonna fall apart, you better be ready to fall back!"
"If it ever comes to that, I'll consider it," Diamond Tiara waved her hoof. "Now let's go!"
With their minds determined, the fillies trotted down the same hall Silver Spoon did in her dream... which none of the guests seemed to notice.
"You know, I thought we were gonna need to be a little more... stealthy?"
"Most of the Ponies are either aristocrats or high profile: nothing short of a dragon attack would catch their attention."
"Hey, I heard that!"
Silver Spoon flinched at the comment, but the pair kept trotting to avoid suspicion.
They kept going until they reached the stairs leading to upstairs... which was guarded by two members of the Royal Guard.
"Great, it's being guarded," Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow. "Though I thought there'd be a bit more security than a pair of guards."
"Don't complain about things that benefit us, Silver Spoon," Diamond Tiara remarked. "Anyway, let me handle this."
The pink filly stepped forward to get the guards' attention, and once she did, she proclaimed:
"Princess Luna's the better princess! Princess Celestia's got nothing on her!"
Diamond Tiara ran away soon after, cackling like a villain.
"Did you hear that?!" one of the guards exclaimed. "Another Pony who appreciates Her Lunacy!"
"We can't let this golden chance escape!"
And so, the guards ran after Tiara, shouting:
"Come back, little filly! Let's talk about Her Lunacy's greatness together!"
Silver Spoon came out of hiding and tried to process what just happened.
"Okay, that's not the way I thought it'd go, but what matter's that it worked," the grey filly looked at the staircase. "Time to find Princess Luna!"
The filly went up the staircase... and immediately flinched at the change in atmosphere.
It's not that there were a million guards guarding the place; quite the contrary. But the silence of the second floor, to the point that her hoofsteps echoed, easily sent a shiver down her spine.
"Okay, just get to the room of Princess Luna and be done with it," she told herself. "Now, which door was it again?"
Silver Spoon inspected the doors, bathing in the moonlight as she did. Though for the most part, she only looked at the design of the door.
"A heart? Whoever could that be... a sun? That's gotta be Celestia's room..."
And then, she found it: a door with a symbol similar to a crescent moon, bathing in darkness.
She knocked the door three times, the third time causing it to creak open slowly.
The filly hesitantly walked inside, closing the door with a gentle kick as she scanned the dark interior of the room.
"Hello? Princess Luna, are you here?"
"You call for us?"
The filly flinched and jumped back... only for her fear to turn into relief once she saw a small filly with an ethereal mane walk out of the darkness, most likely a smaller form of Luna.
After all, who else had flowing manes but the princesses?
"Princess Luna! You're here!" Silver Spoon chirped. "So I was right; this is your room!"
"It is us indeed, but please keep thou voice down," Luna said as she looked around. "Downstairs, there's a lot of sound, but here, silence govern the hallways, and we prefer it that way."
"Tell me about it, the only thing I could hear outside were my hoofsteps," Silver Spoon shivered. "Though now that we bring it up, why is there nobody guarding this floor?"
"The guards are making sure nobody enters the castle," Luna frowned. "And besides, nobody ever comes here."
"Still, that seems like a pretty glaring security mistake," Silver Spoon shook her head. "But whatever, I got your message in my dream. You needed me for something, right?"
Luna raised her head. "That is true. We need you to do something for us."
Silver Spoon gulped as the princess raised her hoof, pointed at Silver Spoon, and revealed the mission:
"Please... keep us company."
Silver Spoon blinked twice. "... What?"
"Ever since we were freed from the moon, our sister has insisted we stay here to recover our strength," Luan lowered her head and looked elsewhere. "But nobody ever comes here besides our sister and... it feels lonely at times."
Silver Spoon frowned sympathetically. "I know how that feels. Sometimes, when I'm not tagging along with Diamond Tiara, I'm left with nothing to do and it's kinda... boring."
Luna raised her head, smiling while frowning at the shared pain.
"There's a garden behind the castle. We could go play there, if that's fine by thou."
Silver Spoon raised her head, and lowered her eyelids with a smile.
"Princess Luna, I came here because I thought you needed me for something important, but I guess I got a little over my head. If the only thing you want is to play, that's fine by me, but I think you should take the lead."
"R-Really?"
"Sure. I've always been more of a follower anyway. So, you call the shots."
Princess Luna gained a wide smile, and trotted to a window, kicking it open as she exclaimed:
"Then let's make haste, for the night is still young!"
Author's Note
Oh hey there! Did I keep you waiting for too long? Sorry XD
But seriously, don't worry, as this won't be a long story at all, I'm confident that the waits between chapters should be a bit smoother going forward.
Anyway, next chapter... let's just say the Mane Six aren't the only ones turning the gala upside down.
