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Ponies had been gathering all day, each group making a beeline for the Canterlot Castle. Tonight the princesses were hosting the Grand Galloping Gala, and anypony who had gotten tickets had been waiting all year for this one night. Vendors and chefs had been preparing all day, castle workers had been cleaning tirelessly, and royalty from all over Equestria had been traveling into Canterlot to make appearances. Persephone Sparkle, along with her siblings, had been wandering through the halls until it was time to get dressed, each excited for a different part of the Gala.

“I hope I can chat with Auntie Celestia tonight! She’s picked all new vendors this year for food, and I’d love to see what her criteria was!” Snow Quartz grinned, looking up at her older sisters as hand-mares assisted them in getting their outfits on. And because she was always way ahead of schedule, Snow was already dressed and ready.

“I’m sure her criteria was what food she hasn’t tried yet.” Persephone mused, pulling her mane out of precisely placed curlers as her hand-mare zipped up her dress. Clearly, she wasn’t fully invested in the conversation, instead staring herself down in the mirror with extreme focus.

Platinum Shield raised an eyebrow at Persie, chuckling at her intense gaze while trying to get the perfect curl before turning back to her younger sister. “Mama told me that Auntie wanted visiting ponies to experience food from smaller businesses in and around Canterlot. I think it’s a great way of supporting local restaurants.”

Snow nodded and glanced at a handful of loose papers next to her, all with her frazzled scribbles of handwriting as if remembering something. “Oh, right! I remember hearing about one of the chefs who’s supposed to be working tonight. Apparently, she’s allowing her son to contribute with his…” She squinted at the messy letters on the page, suddenly making sense of it. “...Spicy candies? I didn’t know candy could be spicy.”

Her sisters smiled, finishing up with the final touches of their outfits, Persie holding up the girls by adding another dozen spritzes of hair spray into her mane before allowing them all to leave together.

As they made their way down the hall, already hearing the start of the music, Snow Quartz turned to her sisters. “So what are you excited for tonight?”

Persephone paused, opening her mouth as if to speak and then closing it again, unable to think of something to respond with. Seeing her struggle, Platinum took the lead. “Well, I’d love to see if General Pharynx has some time to discuss armor, I think adapting one of my designs to model older changeling body armor, like their shells, would be really beneficial to making a tougher, lighter protectant.”

Snow and Persie groaned, obviously teasing their sister. Snow made a face, ignoring the fact that her own excitement for the night was to talk to Celestia about event vendors. “I mean for fun, not for work!”

“Got it. Well in that case, I’m looking forward to dancing with you, little princess!” Platinum Shield stuck her tongue out at Snow, the two giggling. “Make sure you save me a dance, okay? I promise, plenty of non-work fun and food.”

The youngest nodded happily, trotting to catch up with Persephone, whose long legs made it easier to outpace her sisters. As they entered the main hall, Boreal Dusk waved and made his way over, immediately exaggerating royal behavior and bowing dramatically to his sisters. “Princesses, you look so exquisite on this lovely evening!”

They all laughed, Boreal barely able to keep a straight face from the moment he spoke.

“Save all that charm for whoever you’ve got your eyes on tonight, Dusk. Don’t want to run out of charisma before the end of the night.” Persie made a face, turning back as the doors opened and presented all of the siblings to enter together. Their parents, already chatting with Celestia and Luna, turned their heads to give a smile.

“Please,” Boreal whispered to his older sister. “I have enough charm for everyone!”

Persephone stifled a laugh, and instead cleared her throat as they approached the other royals. They all exchanged hellos, giving quick hugs and glancing around at the turnout. The hall was filled with ponies, a mix of chatting, dancing, and taste-testing food they had gotten from the corners of the enormous room. No doubt that in the halls and outside, there were more tasty treats to be sampled.

As promised, Platinum pulled her sister to the center of the floor for dancing, both prancing around like two mares without a care in the world. Snow Quartz was clearly enjoying herself, flapping her wings with enjoyment as they danced. And once they had tired themselves out, they went exploring for refreshments. Leaving the main room made the hallway seem quiet, and they followed groups of ponies to another ballroom filled with enough food and drinks to satisfy an entire city.

Spotting a door on the other side of the room that lead to a balcony, the silver mare nudged her little sister forward. “Go ahead and get whatever you’d like, I’m going to get some fresh air. Meet you at that vendor with the spicy candy in 10 minutes?”

Snow Quartz nodded with a grin, immediately trotting off to look through all the cater’s food, stopping quickly enough to leave marks in the floor when she spotted ice cream soda floats.

After a few minutes outside, Platinum felt ready to rejoin the party, and almost instantly ran into a purple mare in a bright pink dress. “Oh, excuse me…” She started to apologize, instead pausing as she watched the stranger’s eyes grow wide with excitement.

“You’re Princess Platinum Shield!” She gasped, her hooves rapidly tapping the ground as if she couldn’t contain the absolutely joy in her body. “Hi, my name is Bell Pepper!”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Platinum smiled politely, raising a brow curiously at Peppa’s stimming. “Is this your first time at the Gala?”

Bell Pepper nodded quickly, pointing over to her parent’s spot in the hall of food vendors. “My mother is Cayenne Pepper, she’s got some of the spiciest foods here. I recommend it if you like spicy stuff. I don’t!”

Upon spotting Cayenne’s work area, Platinum shrugged. “I’m not a huge fan of extremely spicy foods, but my sister wants to try the spicy candy that’s supposed to be there. A little spice is fine with me, but I prefer leaving the whole ‘breathing fire’ thing to the dragons.”

The two laughed, and after a moment, Bell Pepper seemed to relax a bit, her hoof tapping slowing down, but not for long. “Sorry if this seems weird, but I am such a fan of princesses. Not like those crazy princess fans. My other mom was OBSESSED with Princess Twilight when she was younger, she even went on a cruise with her friend because the royal family was on it too. What I mean is that I think it would be so cool to be a princess, and you’re actually a princess!”

Unable to help it, Platinum Shield smiled at Bell Pepper’s clear enthusiasm and the fact that she didn’t run over and bow or instantly try to network. Goodness knows that everyone pulled that kind of stuff with Persephone and Boreal Dusk at events.

“Personally, I think you look more like a princess than me. I love your dress.” She commented, making Peppa bounce up and down excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. It was obvious from her response that ‘princess’ was the exact vibe that she was going for, and hearing someone mention it made it all worth it, giving an excited thank you.

Not realizing how much time the two had spent chatting, Platinum was surprised when Snow Quartz ran up, her face scrunched up as if she tasted something she didn’t like. “I tried the spicy candy without you because I couldn’t wait and it was WAY too hot!”

The three broke out into laughter, Snow fanning her tongue with her wing as if it would offer any relief. Bell Pepper, knowing how to fix the problem, motioned to a vendor that the youngest princess had already stopped at.

“Their ice cream soda floats would help! My brother told me that everypony runs there after trying the candy he made.”

Not hesitating, Snow hurried to the stand, her sister close behind. When she noticed Peppa wasn’t following, she stopped and turned. “Are you coming? Unless your mother needs you to help her, of course.”

Knowing full well that her mom brought her and her brother to help, Bell Pepper shook her head and quickly caught up with the princesses. “Nah, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind!”
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Description

Ponies had been gathering all day, each group making a beeline for the Canterlot Castle. Tonight the princesses were hosting the Grand Galloping Gala, and anypony who had gotten tickets had been waiting all year for this one night. Vendors and chefs had been preparing all day, castle workers had been cleaning tirelessly, and royalty from all over Equestria had been traveling into Canterlot to make appearances. Persephone Sparkle, along with her siblings, had been wandering through the halls until it was time to get dressed, each excited for a different part of the Gala.

“I hope I can chat with Auntie Celestia tonight! She’s picked all new vendors this year for food, and I’d love to see what her criteria was!” Snow Quartz grinned, looking up at her older sisters as hand-mares assisted them in getting their outfits on. And because she was always way ahead of schedule, Snow was already dressed and ready.

“I’m sure her criteria was what food she hasn’t tried yet.” Persephone mused, pulling her mane out of precisely placed curlers as her hand-mare zipped up her dress. Clearly, she wasn’t fully invested in the conversation, instead staring herself down in the mirror with extreme focus.

Platinum Shield raised an eyebrow at Persie, chuckling at her intense gaze while trying to get the perfect curl before turning back to her younger sister. “Mama told me that Auntie wanted visiting ponies to experience food from smaller businesses in and around Canterlot. I think it’s a great way of supporting local restaurants.”

Snow nodded and glanced at a handful of loose papers next to her, all with her frazzled scribbles of handwriting as if remembering something. “Oh, right! I remember hearing about one of the chefs who’s supposed to be working tonight. Apparently, she’s allowing her son to contribute with his…” She squinted at the messy letters on the page, suddenly making sense of it. “...Spicy candies? I didn’t know candy could be spicy.”

Her sisters smiled, finishing up with the final touches of their outfits, Persie holding up the girls by adding another dozen spritzes of hair spray into her mane before allowing them all to leave together.

As they made their way down the hall, already hearing the start of the music, Snow Quartz turned to her sisters. “So what are you excited for tonight?”

Persephone paused, opening her mouth as if to speak and then closing it again, unable to think of something to respond with. Seeing her struggle, Platinum took the lead. “Well, I’d love to see if General Pharynx has some time to discuss armor, I think adapting one of my designs to model older changeling body armor, like their shells, would be really beneficial to making a tougher, lighter protectant.”

Snow and Persie groaned, obviously teasing their sister. Snow made a face, ignoring the fact that her own excitement for the night was to talk to Celestia about event vendors. “I mean for fun, not for work!”

“Got it. Well in that case, I’m looking forward to dancing with you, little princess!” Platinum Shield stuck her tongue out at Snow, the two giggling. “Make sure you save me a dance, okay? I promise, plenty of non-work fun and food.”

The youngest nodded happily, trotting to catch up with Persephone, whose long legs made it easier to outpace her sisters. As they entered the main hall, Boreal Dusk waved and made his way over, immediately exaggerating royal behavior and bowing dramatically to his sisters. “Princesses, you look so exquisite on this lovely evening!”

They all laughed, Boreal barely able to keep a straight face from the moment he spoke.

“Save all that charm for whoever you’ve got your eyes on tonight, Dusk. Don’t want to run out of charisma before the end of the night.” Persie made a face, turning back as the doors opened and presented all of the siblings to enter together. Their parents, already chatting with Celestia and Luna, turned their heads to give a smile.

“Please,” Boreal whispered to his older sister. “I have enough charm for everyone!”

Persephone stifled a laugh, and instead cleared her throat as they approached the other royals. They all exchanged hellos, giving quick hugs and glancing around at the turnout. The hall was filled with ponies, a mix of chatting, dancing, and taste-testing food they had gotten from the corners of the enormous room. No doubt that in the halls and outside, there were more tasty treats to be sampled.

As promised, Platinum pulled her sister to the center of the floor for dancing, both prancing around like two mares without a care in the world. Snow Quartz was clearly enjoying herself, flapping her wings with enjoyment as they danced. And once they had tired themselves out, they went exploring for refreshments. Leaving the main room made the hallway seem quiet, and they followed groups of ponies to another ballroom filled with enough food and drinks to satisfy an entire city.

Spotting a door on the other side of the room that lead to a balcony, the silver mare nudged her little sister forward. “Go ahead and get whatever you’d like, I’m going to get some fresh air. Meet you at that vendor with the spicy candy in 10 minutes?”

Snow Quartz nodded with a grin, immediately trotting off to look through all the cater’s food, stopping quickly enough to leave marks in the floor when she spotted ice cream soda floats.

After a few minutes outside, Platinum felt ready to rejoin the party, and almost instantly ran into a purple mare in a bright pink dress. “Oh, excuse me…” She started to apologize, instead pausing as she watched the stranger’s eyes grow wide with excitement.

“You’re Princess Platinum Shield!” She gasped, her hooves rapidly tapping the ground as if she couldn’t contain the absolutely joy in her body. “Hi, my name is Bell Pepper!”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Platinum smiled politely, raising a brow curiously at Peppa’s stimming. “Is this your first time at the Gala?”

Bell Pepper nodded quickly, pointing over to her parent’s spot in the hall of food vendors. “My mother is Cayenne Pepper, she’s got some of the spiciest foods here. I recommend it if you like spicy stuff. I don’t!”

Upon spotting Cayenne’s work area, Platinum shrugged. “I’m not a huge fan of extremely spicy foods, but my sister wants to try the spicy candy that’s supposed to be there. A little spice is fine with me, but I prefer leaving the whole ‘breathing fire’ thing to the dragons.”

The two laughed, and after a moment, Bell Pepper seemed to relax a bit, her hoof tapping slowing down, but not for long. “Sorry if this seems weird, but I am such a fan of princesses. Not like those crazy princess fans. My other mom was OBSESSED with Princess Twilight when she was younger, she even went on a cruise with her friend because the royal family was on it too. What I mean is that I think it would be so cool to be a princess, and you’re actually a princess!”

Unable to help it, Platinum Shield smiled at Bell Pepper’s clear enthusiasm and the fact that she didn’t run over and bow or instantly try to network. Goodness knows that everyone pulled that kind of stuff with Persephone and Boreal Dusk at events.

“Personally, I think you look more like a princess than me. I love your dress.” She commented, making Peppa bounce up and down excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. It was obvious from her response that ‘princess’ was the exact vibe that she was going for, and hearing someone mention it made it all worth it, giving an excited thank you.

Not realizing how much time the two had spent chatting, Platinum was surprised when Snow Quartz ran up, her face scrunched up as if she tasted something she didn’t like. “I tried the spicy candy without you because I couldn’t wait and it was WAY too hot!”

The three broke out into laughter, Snow fanning her tongue with her wing as if it would offer any relief. Bell Pepper, knowing how to fix the problem, motioned to a vendor that the youngest princess had already stopped at.

“Their ice cream soda floats would help! My brother told me that everypony runs there after trying the candy he made.”

Not hesitating, Snow hurried to the stand, her sister close behind. When she noticed Peppa wasn’t following, she stopped and turned. “Are you coming? Unless your mother needs you to help her, of course.”

Knowing full well that her mom brought her and her brother to help, Bell Pepper shook her head and quickly caught up with the princesses. “Nah, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Characters shown:

Background:

Enjoy my content? Please consider supporting me on Patreon! It has early access to work, WIP sketches, sneak peeks, and other fun rewards! www.patreon.com/techtock