Two ponies walked away from the apple orchard towards the big red barn at the center. They had been working in the orchard since the sun had made itself known on the horizon. It had started out as a friend helping a friend, before evolving into an all-out competition of who could finish their side of the field first. As high noon neared and the sun raised to its apex, the two had slowed down and began to work together on the few remaining trees. Apple Jet had just bucked the last tree and the two were heading in to the barn to unload the apples before they would taste the deliciousness of Rainbow Zap's Red Delicious Pies.
"Thank you kindly, Dawn, for helping me out." Apple Jet looked back at her party planning friend. "I bet Rainbow Zap I could get all these Red Galas in the barn by lunchtime. If I win, she's gonna walk down Stirrup Street in one of Fleur's new ensembles." The orange pegasus chuckled, imagining her adoptive sister in a ball gown.
"No problem at all, AJ." Dawn responded. "I'm glad the goal is lunchtime. All this hard work is making me hungry."
The purple dragon on the unicorn's back added in his two cents. "I know, right?" He threw another apple out of his mentor's saddle bag, deeming it unworthy of eating.
"Seriously, Gummy." The pink pony exclaimed, turning her head to face the drake. "You've been lounging on my back all morning whileweworked."
"Exactly," Gummy confirmed, twisting the situation to fit his mold. "You two are taking so long, I missed snack-time."
Before she could retort, Dawn's stomach began to grumble. "Heh," the unicorn glanced down at her stomach. "I guess we better get some food."
"Ah ha!" Gummy exclaimed, turning the ponies attention back towards him as he held up the perfect apple. Its red surface glittered in the sunlight, drops of condensation adding that touch of juiciness. Just looking at the gala apple made Dawn's mouth water.
"That looks delicious Gum'..." The unicorn could feel the drool condensating at her mouth's corners. It was so nice of Gummy to pick that apple ou--
Gulp
And just like that, the juicy apple on the entire farm was gone. It had dissolved into the stomach of a baby dragon, never to be seen again.
"Gummy" Dawn stressed, obviously very disappointed with her assistant.
"What?" Gummy questioned, apparently not registering his mentor's rumbling stomach, water mouth, or look of hunger. Suddenly, the dragon put his claw to his mouth. His cheeks bulged as he made a retching noise. Dawn slid him off her back and stepped away.
"You'd better not throw up." Dawn threatened, although she knew that he had no control over a situation like that.
Suddenly he leaned forward, and burped. Out came a swirling green flame, which materialized into a slightly yellowed envelope. Now sitting with a sickly stomach ache for the close connection of eating and messaging, Gummy rocked himself on the ground. Dawn seemed to have ignored him, as her focus was now on the envelope. She grasped it with her sky blue magic and opened the seal.
"It's a letter from Princess Celestia." She noted. She removed the letter from inside and unfurled it. Her eyes rapidly scanned over the parchment. Slowly her eyes grew wide as she reached the end of the letter. "This is quite possibly the best. day. ever!" She exclaimed, before beginning to hop up and down in excitement. Gummy, annoyed as he always was when his mentor failed to read aloud letters, got to his feet so that he could grab the letter. He cleared his throat before reading it himself. He was about to read it quietly when he realized that Apple Jet was equally curious.
"Hear ye, hear ye. Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the 21st day of, eh, yadda yadda yadda," He inserted, as he was never one to read all the details. Dawn would fill him in on anything that turned out to be important. "-cordially extends an invitation to Pinkamenia Diane Pie plus one guest."
The two mares gasped in unison, exclaiming, "The Grand Galloping Gala!"
"Woo-wee!" The orange pony exclaimed. "That's one hay of an invite!"
The young dragon felt his stomach rumble again. He covered his mouth as his cheeks went wide once more. Another burp produced another wisp of green smoke. This time, however, it materialized into two golden tickets with an apple emblazoned on the front. "Here are the two tickets," Gummy pointed out, grabbing the golden papers and holding them for the other two to see.
"This is going to be amazing!" Dawn exclaimed. "I've never been to the gala before. Something about nobles disliking the polka. What about you, Gummy?"
"No, and you should know that." The dragon deadpanned. Dawn always seemed to get like this when she was excited: mildly forgetful. "You are the one that hatched me from an egg after all. You're practically my mother!"
"Well, I did raise you." Dawn consented. "I'm sorry, I'm just so excited, you and I will be going to the Gala!"
"Why would I want to go to the Gala anyways?"
"It's not all frilly and froo-froo like you're thinking, Gummy." The unicorn responded. "Besides, it'd be a nice time to relax, and there would be free food." She paused, a devious smile coming to her face. "And since it'd be in Canterlot, I'd imagine they'd have some gems on the buffet...."
Gummy tried to keep himself from drooling.
"Free food?" AJ snorted. "The gala's a lot more than just free food!" She turned around to fully face her two friends. "Land sakes, there's so much to do there than eat food. There will be a bushel full of important ponies there. If I went to the Gala, I'd be able to drum up some more business for Sweet Apple Acres. I could get contacts with some of the fanciest business ponies around. We could expand our business beyond the borders of Ponyville. Maybe even get connections so I can pay for my family to have one of those fancy-smancy lawyers." The apple farmer paused a moment. "Every once and a while these two unicorn ponies come around showing off their newest apple-related machine, thinking they can put us out of business. We have a contract with the ponies of Ponyville--We're their only supplier, and those two are cutting in on our profits! A good lawyer could get those two troublemakers squared away for good."
"Well, I'd take you, but I'm pretty sure the ticket is for Gum-"
"WHOA!" A purple blur fell from the treetops above them. "Ugh. Are we talking about the Grand Galloping Gala?"
"Twilight Swish." Apple Jet scorned. "You told me you were too busy to help me harvest apples. What were you busy doing?" She got down on her forelegs and looked the sprawled out pegasus dead in the eyes. "Spying?"
"No," The purple pony retorted, jumping to her hooves. "I was busy fixing a hot air balloon. I just happened to fall into the trees after being knocked unconscious in the air by one of the sandbags. Then I just happened to fall into the trees after being knocked unconscious in the air by one of the sandbags. Then I just happened to wake up as you mentioned that you have an extra ticket."
"Technically speaking, but-" Dawn replied, trying once more to tell her friends for whom the ticket was actually intended.
"YES!" The new arrival shot into the air and did a loop-de-loop, cutting off her friend just as Apple Jet had done before her. "This is so awesome. The Magnabolts are at the Grand Galloping Gala every year." The pegasus landed on her hooves once more and made a dramatic sweeping motion with her front hoof. "I can see it now. Their latest invention broke down, and nopony knows how to fix it! Then, I, Twilight Swish, fly in through the clouds and use my good old-fashioned know-how and pegasus magic fix it! They would all be in wonder at my speed and smarts, they would beg me to teach them my secrets, and they would crown me captain of their team within weeks!
"Don't you see, Dawn? This could be my one chance to show 'em my stuff. You gotta take me!"
The pegasus was in Dawn's face at this point, so the latter was glad when Apple Jet yanked the other by her tail. "Hold on just one pony pickin' minute here." The orange mare spit out some of the hairs in her mouth from grabbing her friend's tail. "I asked for that ticket first."
"So?" Twilight blew a raspberry. "That doesn't mean you own it."
"Oh, yeah? Well, I challenge you to a wing-wrestle." She held out her wing. "Winner gets the ticket."
"You're on."
The two pegasi flew over to the nearest tree stump for an even wrestle.
"Girls! These are my tickets," Dawn said in a desperate attempt to stop their fighting. "I'll decide who gets it, thank you very much."
"Like whoever has the best reason?"
"Drummin' up business for the farm?"
"A chance to help the Magnabolts?"
"Lawyers to get rid of the frauds."
"Living the Dream."
"Those are all pretty good reasons." Another rumbling of the stomach interrupted the pink mare. She chuckled at the timing. "Listen to that, I am staaarrr-ving. I don't know about you, but I can't make important decisions on an empty stomach, so I'm going to go to lunch and get back to you two, m'kay?"
"Kay!" The lavender one said perkily.
"Right." The amber mare affirmed.
As soon as Dawn had departed, they returned to their wing-wrestling competition. Dawn swore she would never understand pegasi.