Chapter 29: The GGG 4

Starlight couldn't help but cringe as she looked at Twilight Sparkle trying to start a conversation with Princess Celestia, only for another guest to arrive and greet her instead, forcing the poor mare to sit by and wait for them to leave, only for yet another pony to take their place.

Just walk around the Gala and come back later, when the guests are done greeting the princess, why is she still standing here? This is the most obvious course of action.

"Em, Prince-" "Princess Celestia, It is so wonderful to see you!" Twilight was interrupted once again, and Starlight started to really feel bad for the younger mare.

"Psst," She tried to catch her attention, But either she wasn't heard, or was ignored by the purple Unicorn, seeing as Twilight didn't turn to look at her.

Welp, So much for trying to be nice. Have fun standing around doing nothing all night.

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"Excuse me, Miss Applejack," Applejack turned to see who called out to her, coming once more face to face with the blonde pony from before.

"Hey, Rarity was looking for you, did you talk to her yet?" She asked the Unicorn, getting a confused look in his eyes as a response and his lips silently mouthing "Rarity?"

"Ahem," Applejack turned her head once more, staring at a slightly shorter Earth Pony who almost seemed to blend into the background, even with the red dress she was wearing.

It might sound rude, and so Applejack wouldn't say it, but the mare honestly looked like a Background Character from one of those comic books Big Mac used to read.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there, How can I help you?" Applejack asked the lady before rattling off the wares that she was selling, from Apple Fritters to Apple Pie, Caramel Apple, and Apple Fries.

"Can you please show me your permit?" She asked, and It was Applejack's turn to once again be confused.

"Excuse me?"

"Your Permit? The waiver you signed? Any document on your person that pertains to the handling of this here food stand?"

"Emm, Just a second," Applejack told her and quickly ducked behind her stand, opening a small drawer and taking out a printed document.

"Here,"

The Mare took the paper and read it over, a neutral frown on her face as she combed the wording of the document before handing it back to Applejack and lifting her glasses up her nose.

"I'm going to need to ask you to take down your stand," She told her, and Applejack gaped in shock.

"Excuse me?!" She yelled at the two white ponies in front of her, causing the so-called 'Prince' to speak.

"I really don't know how things work in whichever town you arrived here from, but it is the proper procedure to sign waivers and gain a permit if one wants to open up a foo-" Applejack quickly interrupts him.

"I know what permits are gosh darn-it, I'm asking why you need me to take the stand down?!" She yelled at the Unicorn, he took a step back with an offended look on his face, looking at her from his higher point of view as if she said something so unbelievably stupid he was in awe.

"Because you aren't allowed to sell on Canterlot Castle grounds." Now it was the mare who answered, her tone clipped and business-like, the type AJ wasn't used to dealing with.

Especially on their home turf.

"But I-" Applejack tried to interject, only to pause as she heard a familiar voice screaming loudly.

Turning their heads to look at the source of the sound, Applejack smiled when she spotted one of her friends coming to help her in this situation, followed immediately by a confused frown when the friend she was looking at started sprinting full tilt in her direction, which turned to horror as the missile of a pony didn't seem to be slowing down at all!

"Oh no-" She heard the Unicorn say in a defeated town before the friend-shaped missile crashed into him, throwing the two ponies into a tangle of limbs on the ground.

"Don't worry Applejack! I caught the Evil Ghost Pirate Wizard!" The Pink earth pony said loudly as she stood on top of the downed body of the blonde Unicorn, the crowd of onlookers staring in silent shock at the scene.

The silence was broken by one of the nearby guards tackling Pinkie Pie onto the floor and placing cuffs on her hooves, "You Are Under arrest for Assault on the member of The Crown!" The guard yelled before being joined by two other Pegasus guards and flew away, carrying the cuffed earth pony away as the crowd stared in shocked silence.

"Don't worry," The Silence ended once again when the white earth pony turned to Applejack, "She's not in any real trouble," She then grumbled under her, and Applejack could pick up the word "...Elements of Harmony..." somewhere in her grumbles.

"And I hope I don't need to ask you again to take down your Stand, Miss Applejack, This Castle has a strict set of rules that all guests must adhere to, National Heroes or Nobility matters not." She told her before moving to the downed prince and picking him off the ground, placing him on her back and effortlessly carrying him inside as he groaned in pain.

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 "And that's how it happened Your Highness, We did as you asked and kept a vigilant guard on the Prince." A Red Pegasus said as she and her two friends saluted the Princess of the Night.

"The Threat has been taken care of and placed in a cell," An Orange Pegasus added, followed by a nod from the third and final, Green Pegasus.

"Very Good..." Princess Luna said as she looked down the window of her room at the top of the castle, staring at the many ponies walking around the Gala like little ants.

"But Ma'am," The Green Pegasus said, "Won't she simply be released tomorrow morning because she's an Element of Harmony?"

Luna sighed at that question and shook her head slowly. "Alas, we can do nothing on the subject of Pinkie Pie's importance to the nation as the Element of Laughter, However, we are assured that she will learn her lesson to not- how do you say this? Glomp Prince Blueblood in the future," She said with a serious tone of voice, causing the two smaller-built Pegasus to almost burst out laughing at the Princess's usage of modern terminology.

"You may return to your prior duties now," Luna told the three Pegasi, receiving a quick salute from the trio before they flew out of her window and returned to the duty she assigned them.

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"Applejack!" The pony in question sighed as she turned away from sadly packing up her stand, to look at the pony who called for her.

"What can I do for ya' Rarity?" She asked the Purple-Haired Unicorn, who was busy looking at the ponies around as if searching for somepony.

"I heard that Prince Blueblood was seen here again, do you know where he went?" Rarity asked her, and Applejack looked at the small path of ruined grass from where Pinkie Pie tackled him into a roll.

"He went inside, Rare," She told her, receiving a quick and thankful nod before her friend once again left her.

"...Maybe Spike still wants to hang out?"