My Rustled Jimmies

The ballroom band played gentle baroque music as the highest-class ponies from all across Equestria mingled and enjoyed boundless refreshments, courtesy of the royal castle chefs. Amongst the brightly dressed, jewel-clad mares in the ballroom, one outshined them all in both beauty and grace. Rarity glided past flocks of admiring mares and stallions; her complexion radiated confidence, but inside, she was getting anxious as the moment of meeting her true love approached. Somewhere in this ballroom, standing on the same tiles as her, listening to the same music as her, was he: Prince Blueblood. She passed the V.I.P. area, seeing the Wonderbolts arrive from their opening show.

“ Always hungry after a show, eh Soarin’?” asked Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts. The pale blue Pegasus stallion approached with his sacred pie from Applejack’s cart,

“ Yeah!” he replied enthusiastically, dropping the pie from his mouth simultaneously. The precious apple pie flipped in the air; Soarin’ gasped in horror as his prize dropped to the floor.

“ MY PIE!” The pie landed upside-down with a loud splat, oozing out steam and juices from under its broken crust. Soarin’ stared in stunned silence; his breath picked up, becoming shallow and on the verge of hyperventilating. Spitfire put a hoof around his neck,

“ Calm down, Soarin’; there’s plenty of food in here.” She comforted, but the stallion backed away from her.

“ NO! They don’t have pies, and I’m not eating any of that high-class horsecrap!” he yelled angrily, stamping his hooves. Spitfire shushed him,

“ Do not use that kind of language in the royal castle!” she hissed. Soarin’ clamped his eyes shut and his lip quivered; the Wonderbolts Captain once again put her hoof around him and guided him away from the V.I.P. section.

“ There, there, Soarin’. Now, where did you get the pie?” she asked. The sulking Pegasus stallion pointed a hoof to the ballroom doors.

“ You got it outside?” she asked; Soarin’ nodded.

“ Would you feel better if I got you another one?” Soarin’ nodded again.

“ Alright,” Spitfire finished, “ You wait here, and I’ll be back in a second with a pie that’s every bit as good as that one.” She flew above the party and out the ballroom doors. Rarity rolled her eyes at their unrefined demeanor and kept her stride whilst passing Soarin’s once-immaculate apple pie.

“ Honestly, I do not see what Rainbow Dash loves so much about those cads.” She muttered under her breath. But the Wonderbolts’ rude break of her concentration was short lived and as quickly as the pie incident had happened, Rarity was already back on track with her hunt for the dashing prince Blueblood.

That’s when it happened, a miraculous moment: the masses of ponies parted, a path was opened straight through the middle of the crowd, and at the end of that path, was he. A stallion in a fine black suit, with a flowing amber mane and tail, and a coat of pure, painstakingly groomed white fur, stood at the doorway to one of the castle’s many exclusive gardens. Physically, Blueblood was the epitome of masculinity; every muscle was toned and flexed with every step he took, his teeth were as immaculate a white as his coat, his eyes were an icy arctic blue that sent a delightful tingle down Rarity’s dress-clad back, because they were gazing right into her own.

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Elsewhere, Pinkie Pie hopped about in a separate ballroom of equal size and occupation. The band gracefully played on and many gentleponies mingled, but the pink pony trotted in place; her mouth was gaping and her cerulean eyes sparkled at the beautiful decorum of the Gala.

“ Big shiny dance floor? Check! Pretty party ponies? Check! Fancy band? CHECK!” she cried, racing to the centre of the ballroom.

“ Pinkie Pie? BIG CHECK! And with our powers combined, we form… THE BEST PARTY EVER!” she cheered, before breaking into song.

“I’m at the Grand Galloping Gala,
I’m at the Grand Galloping Gala,
I’m at the Grand Galloping Gala,
It’s all I ever dreamed!”

Pinkie capered and leaped along the shiny floor, hugging ponies at random and disrupting the band’s groove.

“ It’s all I ever dreamed, woo hoo!
It’s all I ever dreamed, yippee!
I’m at the Grand Galloping GalaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAA-“

Just then, she stopped cold; Pinkie scanned the room, the shocked and annoyed faces of the partygoers, the halted band, but it was not them that had unnerved her.

At that moment, her hoof began to ache.

“Huh… That’s funny. I don’t think my hoof’s ever done that before.” She mused, forgetting all about the shiny floor, the ponies, and the band. Her aching hoof told her that something was about to happen, but what? Was it even bad? She couldn’t be sure, but past experiences taught her not to let her guard down when her Pinkie sense acted up – even when the sensations all point to positives. So, instead of shaking her groove thang on the dance floor, or feasting, or drinking, or anything like she’d been dreaming of for the past few months, she stood there silently, wondering what to do next.

“ I… I wonder what Fluttershy’s up to.” She said aloud, earning every curious gaze from the others in the ballroom, before dashing away.

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Above the majestic Castle, the clear night sky seemed to be dressed just as extravagantly as the thousands of ponies partying below. The stars all twinkled like perfect diamonds and the moon’s calm, pale light caressed the capital city of Canterlot – still bustling with life, as well as the tranquil fields and woodlands that rest below the mountain on which Canterlot is perched. Though the noise of the Gala’s fireworks could be heard throughout the city and for miles around, a massive garden inside the castle walls was a haven from the racket, Princess Celestia’s personal garden. A spell held the sounds of the outside world at bay, so that the multitude of wondrous and exotic creatures within could live peacefully.

The secluded garden had few visitors besides the Princess – just a single groundskeeper and sometimes, an occasional guest of Celestia’s for more private meetings. But today, a new pony was wandering among the rare specimens of trees and flowers. Fluttershy buzzed just off the lush, grassy ground and gaped in awe at the magnificence of nature. Birds of all colors and kinds sang vibrant songs from the treetops, bunnies and monkeys and wallaroos roamed freely, every gorgeous flower was in bloom, and the best part: she could enjoy it all in private. No line-ups, or nosey stewards, or loudmouth ponies frightening all the animals away. The yellow Pegasus trotted into a clearing where several critters were lounging.

“Oh! I see a toco toucan! And a spider monkey! And, oh! Is that a wallaroo?” she gushed, raising her voice just above her usual noise level of silent, as she flew to meet the beautiful creatures. But as soon as they laid eyes on her, they sprang back into the thick underbrush and were out of sight. Fluttershy landed and sulked in the now empty clearing.

“ Oh, Fluttershy. You’re such a loudmouth….” She sighed. Just then, a melody caught her attention from farther in the garden. She perked up and listened to the simple, yet elegant song of an expert singer – one of Equestria’s many songbirds, no doubt. The yellow Pegasus lit up at another chance to befriend the timid fauna of Celestia’s garden. The melody repeated, and this time she joined it with her own rendition; Fluttershy’s softer voice was answered by the bird’s livelier warble, which made her squeak with glee.

“ I think it’s calling to me. It’s exactly what I wished for!” she said with renewed hope before racing in the direction of the songbird.