A few days passed, and it was getting closer to the Grand Galloping Gala. It had been a long time since I had brought my ticket from Celestia, plus I remember that whole fiasco with Twilight getting hers. I didn’t know much about the Gala besides what Celestia told me about the Sky Council and whatnot. I was eating my lunch outside by the tents when I heard a knock at the Gate door. I signaled the watcher, and he opened the Gate just enough. I looked inside, and it appeared that Rarity decided to stop by. The only reason was probably to drop off my suit, which she said she would make for me. I was in the middle of eating, and I was still in my normal clothes. I hoped Rarity wouldn’t think less of me if she saw me like this. I walked over to the door and saw Rarity levitating a box, presumably containing my outfit.

“Oh, hi Rarity”

“Hello, darling.” She took one look at me as she raised her eyebrow

“What on earth are you wearing, darling?”

Called it as I looked at myself

“Oh, sorry, this is what I usually wear when I'm not with you guys”

“I see. Well, I’ll have to make you some better clothes than that for you at some point, but for now, here is your suit, dear,” as she levitated it into my hands.

“Thanks again, Rarity”

“No problem at all, darling, I'll see you at the Gala”

With that, Rarity turned and disappeared into the darkness as the doors to the Gate began to close. I brought the box with me to the barracks and dropped it onto one of the bunks. At that moment, I could feel the presence of the Sergeant waft over me like a ghost.

“Who was that, sir?” he asked.

“Rarity, she just dropped off the suit she made for me,” I said without looking directly at him.

Even though I wasn’t facing him, I could sense him rolling his eyes or mouthing something terrible about her. The Sergeant walked away, and that’s when I began to undress, I opened the box to get my suit. The suit was black and made of a smooth fabric of great quality. I started to put it on one piece at a time. I didn’t have a mirror, so I couldn’t tell if I looked good, but I thought I did. That’s when the Sergeant came back.

“Sir, the Major would like to see you for the briefing”

“Great, he probably wants to know how I’m gonna steal this DNA”

After finishing up, we both headed towards the Major’s quarters. We stepped inside to see the Sergeant’s men and the Major sitting at his desk like usual. The Sergeant and I saluted him.

“Alright, Mel, tonight your mission begins perhaps you’d like to go through it with all those present step by step?”

“Well, if I recall, Celestia has a nurse station inside the Castle for her guards as well as other ponies that work for her, so if we need DNA, they might have some blood samples in there that we can acquire.”

I had to think hard about this whole ordeal, considering I was about to betray Celestia's trust as well as my pony friends. This whole thing felt like I was about to pull off the heist of the century or like those Ocean’s Eleven movies.

“Alright, step 1: we arrive at the Gala like normal. We mingle with the guests, and then we slip out into the courtyard. Step 2: we make our way back inside, going around, bypassing most of Celestia’s guards on the inside. Step 3: Once inside, we make our way to the Nurse’s station henceforth, the Sergeant’s team will create a Distraction, leaving the entrance open for me and the Sergeant. And finally, we’ll slip in, grab the blood, and make our way towards the exit.”

They all looked at me like I had just said the dumbest thing ever. That’s when the Major chimed in.

“Well, if that’s your plan, then I suggest you stick to it and try not to draw any attention to yourselves.” he then stood up from his chair.

“Good luck, Mel,” as he reached out to shake my hand

The Sergeant’s team and I all headed outside towards our Humvee. I used the window of the Humvee as a temporary mirror. I straightened my tie and made sure the laces on my shoes were neat. I looked pretty sharp, almost like a super spy, like that one British guy.

“Sir, are you ready?” the Sergeant asked.

“Ready as I'll ever be”

“How do you feel?”

“Like I'm about to commit a crime against Equestria”

“Very funny, sir, shall we?”

I nodded as we all piled into the Humvee and headed through the Gate towards Canterlot. I sat in my seat, contemplating my predicament as we drove along the side of the mountains. I thought about how well my plan for stealing this blood was going to be.

“Do you think stealing blood is gonna help us?” I turned to the sergeant

“It’s not my place to say, sir, however, if the President says we need it”

“Yeah, and if the President told all of us to jump off a cliff, would you do it?”

“Sarcasm aside, sir, if the Princess has an infirmary within her castle, that would be the obvious place to obtain some DNA.”

I vaguely remember Celestia bringing it up that she had an infirmary, but I don’t recall.

“If I do this and they find out, I’m not gonna be responsible if Celestia torches you all by bringing the sun closer to Earth”

“If we have their DNA, we’d be able to fight back and ensure that that doesn’t happen”

“AHA, I was right”

“I can neither confirm nor deny what we plan on doing with the supposed DNA if we obtain it”

“Ah, the Government always counts on plausible deniability”

As I stared out the window, thinking about the girls and how they wanted this night to be the best night ever, I hoped that they would. I thought about how disappointed they would be in me and probably hate me for stealing blood from Celestia. We drove on, and I could see Canterlot in the distance, I took a good look one last time, considering I was never going to see it again. We drove right up to the gate and parked off to the side. We all got out and headed towards the castle. Before we entered, we all put our weapons and gear into the Humvee since we weren’t going to be needing them.

“Gentlemen, we’re going in. Just take it slow, and we should be fine.” I took a deep breath as we headed up the stairs and into the castle. By the door was a stallion in a fine suit, he took one look at me before he headed into the foyer and announced me to the other guests.

“Announcing the Ambassador from beyond the Gate,” he then stepped aside.

All of a sudden, every single guest was staring at me, so much for keeping a low profile. Soon, they all gathered around to greet me and shake my hand.

“Ambassador, how splendid it is to see you,” one said

“How are you liking Canterlot so far?” another said

“What a stunning suit,” a mare complimented

I was getting overwhelmed and hot as I tried to focus on the task at hand, I looked up and saw Celestia and Twilight at the top of the stairs. Twilight seemed relieved that she and Celestia could have a moment together. So, I just continued to mingle and try to make our way outside.

“It’s wonderful to be here among such admirable ponies”

I took a glass of champagne from a maid that was standing by.

“Canterlot is a wonderous and magical place to be in, and to be here at this luxurious party tonight, I couldn’t be happier”

“And to answer your question, a good pony friend of mine made this suit for me”

Some of them were stunned to hear.

“Who, I would love for them to make me one?”

“Oh yes, can she make a dress for me?”

To be honest, I wasn’t sure if Rarity could handle all these potential future orders.

“Well, she does have a shop in Ponyville you’ll have to talk to her”

I mingled and answered as many questions as I could as my team and I slowly worked our way towards the outside. We were nearing the direction of an exit when I heard Twilight.

“Hey, Mel,” she said, slowly approaching.

“Hey, Twilight.”

Some of the guests were shocked to see me and Twilight conversing.

“You know Celestia’s star pupil?”

I looked at her and gave a smile.

“Why yes, I do, me and her and very good friends”

Chatter started immediately when I said that.

“Mel, you didn’t greet me or Celestia”

“Yeah, sorry I was-” I looked at all the guests “Preoccupied at the time”

“Well, I wanna thank you. If you hadn’t shown up, I probably wouldn’t have had a moment to talk to Celestia at all”

“You're welcome, why don’t you join me I could use some friendly company tonight”

“Sure,” she said as we made our way outside.

Haynes came right up beside me and leaned in.

“Sir, we’re supposed to be focusing on the mission!”

“Calm down, I'm freaking out as it is, just roll with it!”

We soon made our way into the courtyard with my entourage. The courtyard was laden with grass and had long stone pillars with vines wrapped around them.

“I love your dress, Twilight”

“Thanks,” she blushed a little. “You look rather dapper in that suit; I take it Rarity made that too?”

I nodded my head as we continued down the path. I looked back at all the ponies still following me and was getting worried that my main mission wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought. Soon, we came to yet another familiar face as Applejack had her cart set up with all sorts of delicious goodies available for purchase.

“Howdy Mel, glad to see you here”

“Likewise, Aj, how’s business?”

“Well, it ain't been booming like I had hoped,” she said as she grew a small frown.

I looked at her display and decided to give her a hand. I reached into my pockets to pull out some bits.

“My men and I will take some of those fritters and some cider,” as I placed my bits on her cart.

“Thank ya kindly, Mel,” she said as she handed me and my team her treats. That put a smile on her face, knowing that I was helping her cause

My men took them and started to eat them, and as they savored them, they soon realized that they were the best thing they had ever eaten. I could soon hear ponies chattering amongst themselves again, and soon, a lot of them stepped right up to Aj’s cart demanding treats as well. Before Applejack knew it, her cart was sold out within a couple of minutes. She could hardly believe it herself.

“Well, look at that, I hope you spend that money wisely, Aj,” I said

“Land-sakes because of you, I sold out everything”

“Way to go, Applejack I'm proud of you”

“Well, since my cart is empty, I don’t suppose I could join you?”

“Not at all”

Applejack joined in as we continued to walk through the courtyard, hoping to find a way back in. We continued walking, and we soon came to Celestia’s garden, which Fluttershy mentioned held beautiful flowers that would bloom tonight and housed critters of all sorts. The flowers were amazing and smelled of sweet floral hints one would find in their perfumes. Suddenly, some of the critters and birds zoomed past me in what seemed to be an attempt to hide, and soon Fluttershy came out from the side, trying to get their attention to no avail.

“Oh, I'm sorry I—” Fluttershy looked up to notice me. “Oh, Mel, I didn’t expect to see you here. Well, I mean not here at the party, but in the garden…. It’s nice to see you.” She tilted her head and saw Twilight and Applejack.

“Hi, girls.”

“Fluttershy, what are you up to?”

“Oh, I was just trying to make friends with the garden critters, but it’s been a little difficult, I thought it would be easy since I'm so good with the critters in Ponyville”

“Well, that is peculiar,” Applejack uttered

I thought about Fluttershy’s predicament and looked around the garden. I have been in this garden before. I knew what needed to happen. I walked over to the bushes and picked some berries. Once I had enough, I walked back over to Fluttershy.

“Sit on the grass for me,” I said

Fluttershy was confused, but she then sat down on the grass as she was told.

“Close your eyes and breathe slowly”

As she did, I moved her hooves out and placed the berries on her hooves.

“Stay like this, and I'm sure you’ll meet some new friends”

I urged Twi and AJ to follow me out of the garden to give Fluttershy space. We waited at the edge of the garden and watched as Fluttershy stood very still.

Then, a few birds landed on the ground and looked at Flutters. They hopped closer and closer, sensing food was near. They flew up to her hooves and started to inspect the berries. When they felt that Fluttershy was not a threat, they began pecking at the berries. Fluttershy slowly opened one eye to see them. Remaining still, she whispered.

“Hello, little friends, I won’t harm you”

Soon, more birds and creatures came out from hiding and slowly approached Fluttershy. She opened her eyes fully, and finally got to know the critters more, and had conversations with them. I couldn’t understand what exactly she was saying, but I'm glad that she got to have her moment. When she was done, she trotted on over towards us.

“What did you end up talking about?” I wondered

“Oh, They were just wondering if I was an intruder or not, and once I explained myself and said I was sorry for chasing them, they opened up”

“You always find a way to make new critter friends, don’t ya, Fluttershy?” Applejack spoke

Fluttershy blushed, and she, in turn, joined our group, and we all headed towards the patio. The patio housed a great number of guests as they all gathered around another group of ponies. I looked over and saw the Wonderbolts in their blue and yellow uniforms. I remember Rainbow mentioning them as the greatest aerobatic flying team. When I got close, the crowd all looked at me like they did before, and soon, the Wonderbolts came forward to meet me.

“Hey, you’re the human Ambassador everypony has been talking about, well, sir, it’s an honor to meet you,” Spitfire said as she and her team all saluted me.

“Likewise, captain, I’ve heard you guys are the best of the best when it comes to flying and stunt performing”

“You bet it takes a lot of practice to do what we do,” Soarin said

“Well, I just happen to know a pony who’s very good at flying with insane stunts and wants to be a Wonderbolt”

“Really, who?” Spitfire said

Before I could answer, I could see Rainbow off to the side, waiting to talk to them. I waved and motioned her to join me. Without a moment of hesitation, she flew and did a few twirls and flips before landing perfectly next to me.

“This is her, Rainbow Dash.”

“You know her?” Soarin said

“Why, yes, she’s a close friend of mine, you should see her, she can do all sorts of stunts, she’s really good”

Rainbow blushed a little, and soon, the Wonderbolts all gathered around her to chat about stunts and training.

“That was nice of you, Mel,” Twilight uttered

“Well, she is my friend, after all, and we help each other out from time to time”

After the Wonderbolts exhausted all their questions, they went to mingle with the other guests. Rainbow then came over to us.

“Hey Mel, thanks for helping me with the Wonderbolts I've been trying to hang with them for a while now”

“Eh, no problem”

I looked and saw an entrance leading back into the castle. As Rainbow joined our group, we soon found ourselves in the dance hall. Live music was being performed as guests danced in the middle of the room. The music was very calm, almost soft and graceful, like a swan. Out of all the ponies in the room that caught my eye, Rarity stood out as she was standing by herself next to Prince Blueblood. Blueblood, from what Celestia told me, was very full of himself, and Rarity was not having it. I felt bad for her since she was busy standing instead of dancing.

“Wait here a minute, girls,” I said as I headed over to the musicians.

I leaned and asked them if they knew a particular waltz. They nodded and began to play it slowly and softly. I then walked over to Rarity and held out my hand.

“May I have this dance, miss?”

Rarity’s eyes went wide, and she blushed a little. She looked back at Prince Blueblood and looked away in distaste as she took my hand as we moved to the middle of the room. I held Rarity in both my hands as she stood on her hind legs, and we danced to the music.

“Mel, I had no idea you were such a good dancer,” she said

“I may have watched a YouTube video on how to waltz properly”

We both giggled and danced as the guests and the girls all looked in awe. When the song was over, everypony began clapping their hooves. It was nice being the center of attention, even if it was for a moment.

“Thank you, darling, for such a wonderful night”

“My pleasure,” I said

I then looked over and saw Pinkie Pie all alone at a table, looking rather disappointed. I walked over to check up on her.

“Hey Pinkie”

My presence made her smile a bit.

“Oh, Hey Mel”

“Why the long face?”

That got a chuckle out of her.

“I just thought that the Gala would be the best party of all the parties I've partied at, but it just wasn’t what I had hoped,”

I felt bad for Pinkie and looked back at the girls all standing together. I knew something had to be done. So I went back over to the musicians and requested some more upbeat music. A grey pony with black hair holding a cello nodded and whistled for her friend. In a flash, a white pony with a blue and light blue mane wearing purple shades came up on stage with a high-tech sound system. I pulled out my phone and picked a song that I knew was not just appropriate but also perfect. I handed my phone to her, and she plugged it into her console. Soon, Safety Dance was playing, and everypony could hear it.

“Come, Pinkie, let’s dance.” I grabbed Pinkie as we headed to the dance floor

We can dance if we want to
We can leave our friends behind.
Cause your friends don't dance.
And if they don't dance
Well, they're no friends of mine.

Say, we can go where we want to
A place where they will never find
And we can act like we come.
From out of this world
Leave the real one far behind.

And we can dance
Or sing

As we sang and danced, everypony started clapping to the beat, and some joined in dancing like they never danced before. Twilight and the girls also joined in, and soon, the Gala wasn’t so bad.

I say we can dance, we can dance.
Everything's out of control.
We can dance, we can dance.
We're doing it from pole to pole.
We can dance, we can dance.
Everybody look at your hands.
We can dance, we can dance.
Everybody's taking the chance.

Oh well, the safety dance
Ah, yes, the safety dance
Oh well, the safety dance
Oh well, the safety dance
Oh yes, the safety dance
Oh, the safety dance, yeah
Well, it's the safety dance.
It's the safety dance.
Well, it's the safety dance.
Well, it's the safety dance.
Oh, it's the safety dance.
Oh, it's the safety dance.

As the song concluded and everypony was almost exhausted, I slipped away when no one was looking. I caught up with Haynes and his men as they were waiting for me.

“What took you so long!” Hey asked.

“I was busy now we can get the damn blood”

Haynes’s team and I walked through the halls, trying to find the nurse’s station. As we came around the corner, I saw the station with two guard ponies standing outside the door.

“Alright, you men, create a distraction,” I said

They looked at me, puzzled and confused.

“What should we do?”

“I don’t know, just get their attention away from the door.”

The men looked at each other as they rushed towards the guards.

“Help, there's an injured pony in need of help.”

The guard’s ponies left their post and followed the men down the hall. Haynes and I crept towards the station. Haynes stood by the door while I entered. Inside were beds, IV stands, spacers, medicine cabinets, and a fridge. That must be where the blood is stored. I walked over slowly and tried to open the door, but it was locked. I pulled out one of my knives and tried to shimmy the lock. After a few seconds, I was able to open the door. Inside were vials, syringes, and bags of various natures, but I looked and saw a set of blood vials. I grabbed three of them, placed them in a special metal case, and put the case in my suit pocket. I closed the door and made my way back towards the major.

“Mission complete”

“Alright, let’s get out of here,” Haynes said as we made our way back to the Gala.

We left as we tried to regroup with the men. From the shadows of the castle, a dark figure stood vigilant, watching. Haynes and I made our way to the dance hall, where our men were hiding amongst the guests. I waved at them as they all converged on me.

“Let’s go, gentlemen,” I said when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

“Where are you going, Mel?” Twilight said

I looked and saw the girls all gathered behind me. Just what I needed right now.

“Oh, sorry, Twilight, I didn’t see you there, I…just got word that the President needs to see me right away”

I felt bad lying to them as I knelt.

“And I probably won’t see you guys for a long time”

They all were shocked and disappointed upon hearing that.

“Why not?” Rainbow yelled

“The President will have me working on something important on the other side, and I won’t return for quite a while”

That all made them sad as they looked at the floor.

“Hey, don’t be sad you guys just had the best night ever, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose, and we have you to thank for that, Mel,” Twilight said

“Thanks, Mel,” The girls said as they gathered around me and gave me a hug

“I’m gonna miss you guys a lot,” I said as a tear formed in my eye.

They let me go, and my team and I headed towards the exit. I looked back one more time and saw the girls as they all waved goodbye, and it hit me right in the soul.

Author's Note

almost done sorry it took so long and i will be finishing this story by the end of the year