//------------------------------// // What a Pony Would Give // Story: Ticket to Gallop // by Starpony999 //------------------------------// (Background Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=MK6TXMsvgQg ) Now, if Dawn thought her friends' actions were crazy, there was no way in Equestria that she would have been mentally, or physically, prepared for what happened next.   Word spread like wildfire (and no, she did not mean Wild Fire, the leading earth pony in the Magnabolts), and soon enough, it seemed as if everypony in Ponyville knew about Dawn's supposed "extra ticket." In fact, Dawn wouldn't have been surprised if ponies in the next town over had heard about it, because there were mobs of ponies rushing this way and that, chasing desperately after Princess Celestia's personal protégé. Even Random Rose {as Dawn and Gummy now dubbed her} was there, keeping an even pace of five hooves behind the fleeing duo. The mob called out several favors, ranging from washing dishes to doing taxes. Dawn was embarrassed to admit she considered stopping for that last one. After turning corner after corner, desperately looking for a place to hide, Dawn realized she still had no idea how the town was laid out. She was incredibly lost, and there was no time to stop for distractions, er, directions. Her heart was beating heavily in her chest as she galloped at a pace that rivaled the royal guard. Her eyes darted left and then right, frantically looking for an escape route. "I'll run your bakery," Somepony called out. "I'll polish your horseshoes." Called another. Dawn flattened her ear against the back of her head. Her head was already swimming with all the possible ways that this event could turn out, and each favor yelled out behind her only added to the madness she was slowly descending into. Dawn had had enough. Tears flew down her cheeks as she shut her eyes, she was ready for this whole dilemma to be over. Her horn began to glow as her thoughts turned to her home at the bakery. She didn't even realize her horn was beginning to cast a spell until it was over. As a sky blue flash surrounded her and Gummy, she finally slowed her gallop to a stop. Ponies continued racing forward, apparently lost in the excitement of the mob. Dawn stood still for the blink of an eye before collapsing onto the hardwoord floor of her room. Tears flowed freely as she began to cry, the stress of the situation completely overtaking her. Gummy slid off her back, moaning something about the headache he had acquired due to the teleportation. "Ugh...Warn me next time you're gonna do that." The dragon spoke up. In light of the extensive use of the spell over the last five years, it was odd that he still hadn't grown accustomed to it. Dawn did not look up from the floor as she answered her assistant. "I didn't even know it was gonna happen." The pain could be heard in her voice. "Please, lock the doors, quick." Gummy was quick to do as she asked, rushing to every window and every door in the entire room before slipping out to the lower floors to do the same there. However, it seemed as though some pony had managed to slip through the door from which he had just exited. "I..I can't do this, I just can't tell them." Dawn cried, unaware of the other pony in the room. "It's, it's important to a-all of them and I just, just--can't stand to disappoint any of my friends." "Sounds like you could use a sweet to cheer ya'self up!" Came a slightly country voice. Dawn mustered the strength to lift her head and turn towards the voice. The first thing she saw were soft, rose-colored eyes looking at her curiously. "S-Sweet?" Dawn questioned, barely managing to move herself to a sitting position. Tears still trickled down her face as she wiped away her sunrise-colored hair from her face. Rainbow Zap, the rainbow-maned pony in the room, came in front of the crying mare and sat down two pies in front of her. "I was downstairs in the kitchen testin' out some ideas I had, and I whipped up some excellent pies, if I do say so myself." She paused, taking a moment to sit down beside her friend. "I think you in particular would enjoy them." "Not you tooooo," The unicorn moaned. "Rainbow, I can't accept any more favors. Not in return for hopes of something that is rightfully Gummy's" "I have no idea on Equis what you are talking about. So hush that nonsense, why don't you? A friend doesn't need anything in return for gifts, that's not how generosity works." Rainbow slid one of the pies closer to her friend. "Here, have some pie. This one here is Zap Apple Pie, and this one over here is Rainbow Gem Pie." Dawn was still hesitant, was this some kind of ploy? It was the kind of thing she had seen ponies like Fleur de Lis and Sassy Saddles do quite often. Oh sure, it was just a favor, you weren't supposed to give them anything in return. But now, you owed them. And they would consistently remind you of that. Someponies, like that one pony from magic kindergarten, would just lord it over you, reminding you that you owed them, and they would never, ever, redeem it. Gummy returned to the room at that point, and was surprised to find two ponies in the room. "Dawn! I am so sorry, I could have sworn-" "Relax Gummy," Rainbow cut the small dragon off, "I was already in the building." She paused, as a devilish smile spread across her face. "...making pies like this one." She slid the other pie across the floor, her Rainbow Gem Delight. There were visible rubies, sapphires, and emerald peaking out from underneath the top layer of crust. Gummy's eye's widened as he caught sight of the delicacy that was set before him. He could feel his mouth watering, but he held himself back. He looked over toward Dawn, apparently awaiting her approval. Dawn made eye contact, but said nothing. Her tears had stopped flowing, but one could tell that they were still present in her eyes. Her stomach took that moment of silence to speak up. It rumbled. It was probably the loudest it had been all day. Rainbow pushed the pie ever so closer before wrapping a hoof around the pink mare to offer consolance. "Come on, Pinkiems." The blue mare said gently. "Your stomach's a callin'." Slowly Dawn gave turned to look at her friend. Her ruby-red eyes were full of sincerity. Maybe, maybe this wasn't just a favor. Maybe this truly was a gift. Generousity.... Perhaps it meant more than expecting something in return for a gift. Dawn wipe away the tears with her hoof and nodded at Gummy. He could enjoy the pie. And she would as well. She looked back at Rainbow and gave her a full-on hug. "Thank you." She whispered, before pulling back and slicing herself a piece of pie. As she ate the pie, she began to recount the day's events so that Rainbow would know exactly why she had had such a breakdown. True, it didn't seem like much of a reason to have a complete mental breakdown, but thankfully Rainbow was willing to listen. She didn't seem to understand exactly, as she had never gone through a similar situation, but Rainbow made sure to make the point that it was a valid response. Maybe not the best, which Dawn herself agreed with, but it was valid. Dawn took a deep breath as she wrapped up her story. "It's not that I don't want to tell them, I've been trying all day! Apparently not hard enough, though. I just can't figure out how to get the message across without hurting their feelings. It's important to all of them and I just can't stand to disappoint any of one of my friends, and giving me gifts and doing me favors won't make any difference, because they're all my friends and I wanna make them all happy and I can't, I just can't!" Once again, she burst into tears, receiving a hug from her earth pony friend. "Dawn, sugar, I didn't mean to put so much pressure on you," A southern-sounding voice said. It was coming from the other end of the room, so it couldn't have been Rainbow. As Dawn released the hug, she found that Apple Jet had made her way into the room as well. "And if it helps, I don't want the ticket anymore. You can give it to somepony else. I won't feel bad, I promise." "Me too." Came a small voice. Rarity stood next to Apple Jet, apparently having come in just after her. "I feel just awful that I made you feel so awful." "And me too." Twilight apologized, right behind the white mare. "It's no fun upsetting your friends." "Dawn, mon chou, it was unfair of me to try to force you as I did." Fleur added, honestly admitting her mistake. "So...this means the ticket is mine?" Gummy asked carefully, trying, but failing, not to irritate any of the five other mares that weren't having an emotional crisis. "Nevermind," He murmured. "We all got so gun-ho about going to the gala that we couldn't see how un-gun-ho we were making you." AJ spoke up again. As if they had planned it, the four apologetic mares apologized formally in unison: "We're sorry, Dawn." With a mix of gratitude, forgiveness, and sadness, the magician addressed her assistant. "Gummy, take down a note. "Dear Princess Celestia, "I've learned that one of the joys of friendship is sharing your blessings, but when there's not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can make you feel pretty awful. So, though I appreciate the invitation, I will be returning both tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala." Again, they spoke in unison, with Rainbow joining them. "What?!" "If my friends can't all go, I don't wanna go either." "Dawn, please, you don't have to do that." The flying cowpony pleaded. "Nope. I've made up my mind. Gummy, you can send the letter now." "Wait." Rainbow placed her hoof on the dragon, stopping him from his given task. "What do you mean, we can't all go?" Dawn glanced at her oddly, she had literally just told her entire story to this mare. "...I mean Gummy and I are the only ones with tickets." "While ah hate to break this sappy moment up-" The cyan mare coughed a 'not really' into her explanation.  "We all have tickets.  Fleur," she turned towards the fashionista. "You weren't at home when Muffins delivered your mail.  Since she knew we were friends, she dropped off this, ahem, 'very important envelope forwarded from Prance'." She pulled out said envelope from underneath her cowmare hat and hoofed it over to Fleur, who picked it up with her lime-colored magic. The green-eyed unicorn squealed when she opened the envelope and examined the contents. "Muffins also dropped off the Apple's family tickets. Since the gala is named after our great-great-great-great-oh-so-many-greats Grandma Gala, who put the whole thing together, the Princess sends us these tickets every year or so in honor of Grandma Gala. Since Applebloom isn't yet old enough to go, we were given four tickets. Granny Smith is too old to go, and Big Mac isn't up for all that quote-unquote 'fancy smanchy girly froo froo stuff.'  That leaves us two extra tickets for our two best ticket-less friends." Immediately, all five girls raced up to hug Rainbow, who resisted it. "Ah, come on girls." Rainbow may have been a good listener, but she still wasn't a fan of overly emotional outbursts.  "I was only stating facts!" "This'll be the best night ever!"  Twilight exclaimed. The irony of the mare's statement escaped her, for while she was aware of the author, narrator, and reader, Twilight Swish did not possess any sort of 'Pinkie sense.'