Dark Horse: A My Little Pony Story

It was finally the day. The Grand Galloping Gala would take place that very night. Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush all eagerly rushed from their houses to their meadow, ready to pick up their custom outfits from the Carousel Boutique.

"I actually cannot wait," Chorus admitted as the group came together, nearing the boutique.

"Me neither," Ginger sighed. "These outfits are all I've been thinking about."

The ponies came upon the door to the boutique. They looked at each other, preparing to meet their new clothes. Prose pushed open the door and the ponies entered the spacious purpley building. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were found chatting inside; Twilight was trying on her dress for the gala that very night.

"Prose! Chorus! Ginger Blush! Rarity was just telling me about the outfits she made for you three! I'm excited to see them," Twilight greeted the group.

"Twilight! I didn't expect to see you here," Prose happily gasped.

Twilight was wearing a custom designed dress. It was a silky deep violet, with underlying pinkish-magenta sparkles. The beauty of the dress made the ponies even more excited about their custom pieces.

"Well, I don't want to keep you from the big reveal," Twilight chuckled. "I'll let Rarity take it away."

Rarity faced Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush.

"It took me a short while, but I think I perfectly captured each of your distinct essences with these ensembles," Rarity prefaced.

One by one, she pulled three mannequins out of storage. Each mannequin was adorned by the ponies' custom designs. One by one, Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush felt their jaws drop at the sights in front of them. The ponies were in awe.

Prose was first to walk up close to her dress. A sleek midnight black gown laid before her. The silky, elegant fabric flowed off of the mannequin like a waterfall. Subtle diamond-like gems were embedded within the fabric, sparkling like the night sky. Black ribbons crossed over the chest, matched by the ribbons wrapping gracefully around the legs. It was beautiful.

"It's incredible, Rarity. I'm speechless," Prose speechlessly spoke.

Ginger Blush stepped forward to admire her new dress. A soft, beautiful, tannish-brown fabric laid delicately over the mannequin, draping into a white lace trim at its hem. White ribbons dotted the bottom of the dress, accompanied by delicate white line detailing encompassing the fabric. The front leg holes were wrapped with a ruffled white lace, tying together the whole look.

"Rarity, it's exactly what I wanted. It's perfect," Ginger expressed.

Chorus was the final one to take a full look at his outfit. A black, standard notch suit collar rested upon the mannequin's neck, accompanied by white, buttoned-up fabric beneath it. At the top of the front piece, a pink, sparkly bow tie glittered and shined. Each of the mannequins legs was decked with a shiny gold band. It was showstopping.

"You've really outdone yourself here, Rarity. This is outstanding," Chorus admired.

Rarity clapped her hooves together. "Oh, I'm so glad you ponies like them! You're going to totally steal the show at the gala tonight. Now, go ahead, try them on!"

Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush each carefully removed their outfits from the mannequins. They each delicately placed their hooves, legs and bodies into their outfits, until all of them were perfectly clothed. They turned around towards the mirrors and got a good look at themselves.

"We look spectacular," Chorus boasted.

"I'm so glad we finally have everything we need. The plans were made, I studied up on everything there is to know about Canterlot, and we finally have the perfect outfits," Prose sighed with relief.

"What about our ride?" Ginger Blush asked.

Prose stared blankly ahead. "Our ride?" she paused. "OUR RIDE! I completely forgot! How are we supposed to get there? This is really bad!!" Prose began to hyperventilate.

Twilight noticed the situation and chimed in. "It's okay, Prose. I know exactly how to get you a ride. All I need is a fruit or a vegetable!"

"A fruit or a vegetable?... on it! I'll get you one of those immediately!" Prose stormed quickly out of the boutique.

The ponies stood in silence for a few seconds, contemplating the speed at which everything just happened. Before they could finished contemplating, Prose had already returned with a carrot in her mouth.

"It was all they had," she said, muffled by the carrot in her mouth.

"It's perfect," Twilight said. "This will do nicely. Now, if you ponies would meet me outside I can show you how to really get a ride to the Grand Galloping Gala."

Prose passed the carrot from her mouth to Twilight's hoof and the ponies followed her as she headed towards the boutique door. Rarity, Twilight, Chorus, Prose, and Ginger all exited the building and waited outside for Twilight to do whatever she was about to do. Twilight set the carrot down on the dirt road outside of the boutique.

"Everypony stand back," she instructed.

The group backed away from Twilight Sparkle and the carrot on the ground. They all watched as Twilight's horn began to sparkle with a pinkish glow. Magic spouted from her horn and formed a direct stream into the humble carrot. The orange vegetable began to grow and change shape. It expanded in a swirl of pink magic, growing into a large, carrot-shaped, pearly mass. The ponies watched as the carrot-thing grew wheels and windows. It became apparent Twilight was turning this carrot into an impressive carriage. Gold accents sprawled across the carriage, perfectly framing and decorating its design. Once the carrot had fully transformed into a beautiful carriage. Twilight gently set it back down onto the road.

"There," Twilight said. "A carriage fit for royalty."

Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush stared in awe at their incredible new ride.

"A marvelous job as always, Twilight," Rarity complimented. She turned towards Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush. "You ponies should step inside. Time is ticking, and the gala isn't necessarily close by."

"You're right," Prose agreed. "We should probably get going. Thank you, once again, Rarity. These outfits are flawless. And thank you, Twilight. This carriage is more than we could've ever asked for."

"Yes, thank you guys. You've really helped make this night even more special than it already is," Chorus added.

"Seriously, thank you so much," Ginger finalized.

The ponies walked up to their elegant carriage and each followed each other inside of its velvety, intricate interior. They marveled at the beauty of the carrot carriage.

"It's beautiful. A beautiful carrot carriage. A carrot-age, if you will," Chorus joked.

Ginger Blush and Prose stared at Chorus.

"I know, I regretted it as soon as I said it," Chorus admitted.

Twilight and Rarity stood outside of the carriage, ready to send the ponies off.

"You three should be there in about... two hours? Around two hours, I would say," Twilight informed the trio.

"What do you mean? How are we getting there?" Prose asked out of the window.

Twilight flashed a quick spark of magic out of her horn, enchanting the carrot-age wheels to burst into motion.

"See you ponies there!" Twilight shouted after them.

"Have such a marvelous time, darlings!" Rarity added.

The carriage drove itself through the dirt streets of Ponyville, passing by all the familiar landmarks and ponies that Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush had known all their lives.

"It's actually happening. We're on our way to the Grand Galloping Gala," Chorus laughed.

"Canterlot is like one of the most beautiful places in all of Equestria. It's going to be like a night-long sightseeing tour," Ginger Blush fantasized.

"There's so much history in that city. It's like a citywide museum. The gala itself is a historical artifact. I also love a good party as much as the next pony," Prose expressed.

Ginger Blush's eyes glowed as a thought crossed her mind. "What if we all, you know, meet somepony," she giggled. "Like, somepony special. The gala would be a perfect place for that!"

Prose and Chorus sat in an awkward silence. Neither of them wanted to comment on that thought, both for different reasons.

"Okayyy, I guess I'll change the subject then," Ginger awkwardly stated. "I heard there's going to be a live band. And Pixie Dust will be joining them."

"Pixie Dust!?" Chorus and Prose gasped.

"Like, famous singer Pixie Dust?" Chorus asked.

"The one and only," Ginger confirmed.

"This is sure to be a night to remember, then," Prose added.

The carriage rolled just outside of the city limits, and the ponies looked back out of the windows at their hometown. It was going to be a crazy change going straight from Ponyville to Canterlot, but it wasn't anything Ponyville's saviors couldn't handle. The ponies chatted for a long time about their hopes, dreams, plans, and rumors about the gala. They were too distracted by their lively conversation to feel the carriage jolt as it ran over a stray, ominous black crystal in the middle of the road.