Contact

I step out of the carriage into Canterlot, and the view is stunning. The castle looms in front of us, and all outside it are avenues lined with so many lanterns that you’d think it was daytime. Hundreds of ponies, donkeys, and just about all the four-legged creatures you could think of are scurrying about in the crowded streets, shopping at the places offering everything from souvenirs to jewelry to fine dining. This place just has a feel of magic to it.

“Wow!” Twilight exclaims as she steps out. “It really looks a lot different than last year!”

“This is going to be the best party ever!”

“I wonder when the Wonderbolts are performing.”

“It is simply magnificent here tonight!”

“I hope the animals are nicer than last year…”

“Well shoot, Ah should’a set up an apple cart this year!”

“Okay girls, remember,” Twilight says, “We all planned to stick together this year so we would enjoy it more. Who thinks they have a fun way to start off the evening?”

Instantly, all the other ponies start rapidly yelling out ideas, trying to drown out all the others. “Enough!” Twilight yells, flailing her hooves. “Maybe we should just all meet here in an hour?” As soon as she finishes her sentence, everypony else bolts in some different direction.

“I think I’ll just see what’s going on on the main street,” I tell her.

“Have fun.” She turns around toward the castle. “I’m going to be talking with Princess Celestia. Everypony’s still excited about the royal wedding, so they’ll be wanting to talk to my brother and Princess Cadence, giving Princess Celestia some free time she said she’d spend with me.”

So apparently, in addition to nailing an Equestrian general in the face a few months ago, it turns out he was also a prince. I open my mouth to ask Twilight if this means she’s technically royalty, but decide to just walk down the street instead.

For the first time, I realize how useful it is to stand on two legs; even though the street’s ridiculously crowded, I can see above everyone’s heads. I push and shove down the street, catching quick glimpses of the various stalls and shops as I go down.

Eventually, I feel a talon reach out and touch me on the arm. “Bonjour, madame,” someone says in a French accent, “Would you care for some something sweet?”

I turn and see who’s talking to me. It’s a griffin with a poofy chef’s hat and a thin, cartoon antagonist-like mustache on his upper lip. He’s standing at a small stall with lots of little bits of fudge and all other sorts of fancy looking chocolates everywhere. “I guess I could go for a little chocolate,” I say.

He takes a small square of chocolate and hands it to me. “Try this one,” he says.

I put the little bit into my mouth and smile. It’s better than anything I’ve ever tasted, candy or not. “This is really good. How much for it?”

“Complimentary,” he says. “It is an honor to create fine chocolate for you.”

“Me?” I blush.

“But of course! There are not many humans in this world, so it is a pleasure.”

“Thanks.” I take a few steps back into the main drag and turn back to him. “I’ll probably be back soon for more.”

“I will be right here,” he says.

“Let’s go get something from the griffin!” somepony says. “If the human likes it, it must be good!”

I’m not sure if using me for free advertising was intentional or not, but he gave me free chocolate, so I can’t complain.

***

After an hour of window shopping in Canterlot, I go to the entrance of the castle to find everypony and Spike there.

“Everypony ready to go in?” Twilight asks. We all nod in agreement, and start walking to the entrance.

“So what’s different about this year than last?” I ask, since I heard the nightmare stories about last year.

“Mostly, it’s less exclusive,” she says. “It usually was a lot of highbrow ponies that just came to brag about going to the Gala. This year, it’s not invitation only. Anypony can buy tickets.”

“That it?” It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be that much different.

“There are a lot more changes, but they’re mostly smaller. It’s going to be so much fun!”

We get up to the castle and enter a pretty stereotypical entrance room. Up ahead, there’s a large staircase with two ponies at the top. One is the unicorn I recognize as Twilight's brother, and there’s a pink mare with both a horn and wings next to him, which is probably the princess. Twilight practically jumps up the staircase to Shining Armor and hugs him.

“Twily!” he says excitedly, returning the hug. “How’s my little sister doing?”

“Just great.” She exits the hug and turns to the princess. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake,”

“Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” she finishes. They both giggle and hug each other.

“It’s been a while, Cadence,” Twilight says.

“Too long,” she agrees. “We’ve got to get together once all this wedding hubbub has died down.”

“We should get moving.” Twilight steps to the side. “Don’t want to hold anypony up. We’ll try to get together sometime soon.”

“Deal,” Cadence says.

The first room off the entrance is a large ballroom with a small group of ponies playing music. There are lots of ponies on the dance floor, and just as many sitting at tables or at the bar.

“I love this song!” Pinkie exclaims. In a flash of pink, she darts onto the floor and is lost in a sea of other dancers.

“This seems fun," Twilight says, "We should stay here."

“I think I see the Wonderbolts!”

“Oh my, is that Fancypants?”

“I’m just going to, umm…go into the garden for a bit…”

“Well howdy, that dinner table looks delicious!”

I turn to Twilight, the only one who hasn’t rushed off somewhere for some reason. “Looks like it’s just us now.”

“I’ll be back real soon!” she says. “I can see my parents, I just want to talk to them really quick!” And just like that, Twilight’s whole idea of staying together for the night completely falls apart. Oh well.

I decide to head over to the bar and try to keep myself occupied there. The bartender turns to me. “Can I get you anything?” he asks.

“Just surprise me.” He turns back and starts mixing something. A minute or so later, he pours something into a shot glass and passes it to me.

“Careful,” he warns. “It’s strong. I’ve found that non-pony creatures prefer their drinks stronger than most ponies.”

I down the concoction, which isn’t very strong at all. Guess ponies aren’t great at handling their liquor.

After a few more pitifully weak drinks, I can feel a hoof tapping on my shoulder. I turn around and see Twilight, no longer wearing her dress or makeup and with her hair normal. “We have to go!” she says hastily.

“What?” I look at her strangely. “Slow down and explain.”

“I can’t!” she insists. “We have to go!”

“Twilight, wh-“

“Now!” She grabs my hand and starts pulling me away.

She keeps pulling me through the room and out into the hallway. Eventually, she brings me to a small, empty corridor that’s away from the rest of the Gala.

I yank my hand away, and she looks at me with confusion on her face. “What’s wrong?” she asks.

“You tell me. What’s so important that we have to break away so fast? And where’d everything you were wearing go?”

“You’re just going to have to trust me,” she insists.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“We can’t tell them!” she quickly says.

“Why the hell not?”

“We’re in danger! If we tell them, we could get in more danger!”

“Danger? Danger from what?”

She looks around quickly, then walks to a door and opens it. “In here!”

“I’m not going anywhere until you explain something.”

She walks closer and looks me worriedly in the eye. “Please, I know this is difficult, but I need you to trust me more than any other time in your life.”

“Okay Twilight.” I go down to get on her eye level and smile. “I trust you.”

She smiles and points to the door. I walk into a dark room, and Twilight comes in and closes the door behind her. I pull on a little string hanging from the ceiling, activating a weak lightbulb. We’re in a small, dank broom closet with shelves and racks of cleaning supplies all around.

“Okay, Twilight. What is it we’re in danger of?” I wait for a few moments, but she doesn’t respond. “Twilight?” I turn around, but she’s not there anymore.

Rolling my eyes, I go to the door and try to open it, but it’s locked. Dammit. “Twilight?” I yell. “You out there? Can you hear me?” Silence again. “Twilight, this isn’t funny. Open the door.”

I finally get a response, but it’s not a good one. Something drops from above onto my shoulders and tries to bring me down.

Instinctively, I back up into the wall, making whatever’s on my back fall off and onto the ground. I can now see what it was; some…thing that looks like the unholy crossbreed of a pony and a beetle. “What are you?” I ask it.

It glares and hisses at me. “The Queen has displayed much interest in you, human.”

“The Queen? Queen of what?”

It jumps onto my chest and sinks its fangs into my arm. “You will be Hers!” it shrieks.

“Get off me!” I try and pull it off, but it’s biting me hard. With the combination of the intense pain from the bite and the warmth of the blood flooding my skin, I can feel myself getting light-headed already.

“Stop resisting!” it yells again.

Against all my better judgment, I sprint quickly toward one of the shelves. With a satisfying crush, the thing releases me and falls off my chest. The shelf teeters a little, then leans foreword and lands right on top of me. There are some muffled voices panicking somewhere far away, and a giant ball of purple blurriness goes into my field of vision. First purple, then black.