//------------------------------// // 297. Made in Manehatten - Part 1 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// In the library of the Castle of Friendship, Twilight and Midnight were going over their wedding plans while Spike enjoyed his comic book collection. There was still time, but Twilight, being the list-obsessed princess she was, kept looking over the details. Midnight didn’t mind, this was one of the reasons he loved his Twily, however much of a bane on his existence it was. “...and once we says our vows, we’ll kiss as the first snow of winter begins to fall,” swooned Twilight, as she envisioned their wedding, which they planned to occur at the very beginning of winter. “We have our guest list, Pinkie, Cheese, the Cakes, Auntie Spice, and Uncle Joe are handling the catering,” Midnight looked at the main checklist (again), “Sombra will officiate the wedding, our friends will be your bridesmares and my groomstallions, Cadance your mare of honor and Shining my best stallion, Spike the ring-bearer, the Crusaders will be the flower fillies and pagecolts, and of course your father will walk you down the aisle. Am I missing anything, Twily?” “Don’t forget, Rarity is still finishing my wedding dress, Blueblood’s working on your uniform, the Pony Tones are going to sing during the reception,” Twilight added, “and Fluttershy offered to have her birds sing ‘Here comes the Bride’ just like they did for Cadance!” “Sounds like you guys have this covered from front to back,” Spike commented yet his eyes remained glued to his comics. “I just hope nothing crazy happens,” Midnight leaned back a bit in his chair, “First it was the changelings at Shining and Cadance’s wedding, then the Plunderseeds ponynapped the Royal Sisters before Celestia and Sombra’s wedding.” “Well, since we’re the third prince and princess getting married,” Twilight pointed out, “I’m confident that this third royal wedding will be the charm.” “You are so going to be my wife!” Midnight chuckled as he leaned over and kissed his mare on her neck, Twilight giggling as she kissed him back and they were on the verge of making out. “Hel-lo?! There is dragon minor present!” Spike didn’t look up but he certainly didn’t want to hear the sound of two ponies making whoopee. The two alicorns broke apart and blushed a bit while chuckling sheepishly. “Sorry, Spike,” Twilight apologized but looked warmly into her stallion’s turquoise eyes, “Winter can’t come soon enough.” “But when it does,” Midnight gave Twilight a saucy look, “I’m taking you on the honeymoon of the-” “Twilight! Midnight!” “Rarity?” Twilight hurried off, Midnight and Spike quickly following.The three of them burst into the map room, looking frantic when they saw Rarity by the map. “Oh darlings, there you are! It seems that my-” Before Rarity could finish her sentence, they heard loud galloping and flapping, and in came Applejack and Soarin, Applejack phew’ing, “Got here as fast as Ah-” *GASP* Twilight and Midnight saw that Applejack’s flank was glowing, Midnight looking up to Soarin who shrugged as his own flank glowed as well. Twilight turned to see Rarity approach them as her flank glowed too. “Yes! Finally, we’ve been summoned!” Twilight went over to the map looking around excited, “I wonder where-” “Uh, Twi?” Midnight gently lifted Twilight’s wing to show her un-glowing cutie-mark, and did the same with his own to show his wasn’t glowing either. The lavender princess realized the Map was only calling on Rarity, Applejack, and Soarin. She sighed in disappointment while Soarin said, “I wonder where-” But then, glowing images of his, Rarity’s, and Applejack’s cutie-marks rose up and floated down to the map, specifically, to Rarity’s giggling delight, “Manehatten! We’re been called to Manehatten- Oh, I’ve simply been dying to go back for a visit! But now, I return...” - Rarity put on a game-face look - “with a purpose!” “Huh, it looks like we’re being called to this part of Manehatten specifically,” Soarin pointed out with his wingtips, only to get pulled in by Rarity, who pulled in Applejack with her other foreleg. “We’re off to solve a friendship problem in one of the busiest and most vibrant cities in all of Equestria!” the diva got starry-eyed, not noticing the pressure she was putting on her companions. Literally. Thankfully, she let go and got up in their faces with an expression of giddiness, “Isn’t this exciting?!” “Seems a hair odd though, don’it?” Applejack brought up, “Th’ map callin’ me to a big city like Manehatten?” “You may be more of a country pony at heart, Applejack...” Twilight spoke up, “But the map picked the three of you because you must be the best ponies to tackle this particular mission.” Seeing the encouraging nods of agreement from Midnight and Spike helped a bit, but Soarin had to ask, “But how’re we even gonna find out what the mission is? I’ve been to Manehatten plenty of times and I still get lost there, even when I’m flying!” “Soarin ain’t wrong,” Applejack agreed, “Tha’ neighborhood prob’ly has twice as many ponies as all o’ Ponyville!” “More like three times,” Rarity scoffed before getting starry-eyed again, “Why it’s not only home to the Haypacking District – it's also home to the Fashion District!” That was when everypony noticed the crestfallen look on Twilight’s face, that they smiled apologetically, Rarity saying, “Shame that the map didn’t call you, though darling. You did end up quite a fan of the hustle and bustle of Manehattan on our last visit.” “It is an exciting city, and there’s so much I’d like to do there,” Twilight said dreamily before flapping upwards as her hopes got worked up, “So many museums and historical landmarks to visit. Not to mention all the libraries- Eep!” Midnight had pulled Twilight down with his long tail, not wanting her to hit her head on the chandelier, which he pointed out with his hoof. Twilight giggled sheepishly while mouthing ‘thank you’ to Midnight, before clearing her throat and looking at the three summoned ponies, “But this is your mission. Don’t worry about me!” “Besides, we still have to finalize the wedding plans,” Midnight brought up, hoping a distraction would take his mare’s mind off of her disappointment, “and that includes the invitations.” Soarin, Applejack, and Rarity all mm-hmm’d when Rarity GASPED and looked to Applejack, “I just remembered something - The Sisterhooves Social!” Applejack facehooved and sighed, “We’ll haff ta miss it... Ain’t no tellin’ how long we’ll be in Manehatten.” “Well, it is a friendship problem,” Soarin said encouragingly, “Maybe Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle will understand.” Arriving in Manehatten, the three friends exited Grand Central and took in the big city. The streets were busy, a river of strong earth pony stallions pulling carriages, some working the taxi service, some pulling wagons full of merchandise to deliver, the sidewalks were crowded with ponies walking to and fro, and the skyscrapers loomed over all like mighty pillars. Rarity leapt forward, hanging from a lamppost, “Oh Manehatten! What you do to me!” Soarin chuckled to himself at Rarity’s excitement but noticed Applejack rolling her eyes before she flinched at the sight of the busy traffic before them, and her knees started to rattle. “You okay, AJ?” Hearing Soarin, Applejack shook it off but still voiced her concerns, “Ponies move so fast here, not at all like back home.” Applejack stepped towards the curb where the crosswalk started, accidentally bumping into two other ponies, as she muttered to herself, “Eyes peeled, ears open. Eyes peeled, ears open...” A shrill whistle sounded from a police pony who was overseeing the flow of traffic, causing the wagon and carriage pulling ponies to stop, as the officer waved the poneis at the crosswalk to go ahead. Applejack tried to move forward, but the Manehattenites and tourists quickly surged forward, and the crossers from the other side barred her, to Applejack’s discomfort. “Remember, Applejack, you’re in the big city now,” Rarity said, “no ‘moseying’. You’ve got to walk with speed and confidence!” “I just fly over,” Soarin shrugged before flapping his wings to do just that and avoid the hustle and bustle, to Applejack’s slight envy. He made it to the other side just as did Rarity, who yoo-hoo’d Applejack to cross and catch up. Applejack pawed her hoof and snorted before hurrying forward, only for the flow of crossing to be more difficult than Rarity had made it look. “Move it!” “Sorry `bout that.” “Ah! Get outta my way!” “Sorry.” “Watch it!” “He- Oh dear!” Applejack made it across, exclaiming, “Butter my biscuits! Ah can barely cross th’ streets in this town. How’m Ah s’posed t’ help solve a-” Rarity interupted with a horrified gasp before pointing down the street, “There!” Applejack and Soarin looked to see an earth pony mare trying on a green hat fro ma hat vendor pony. She pulled out a gold bit, saying “Yes, I think this is the one-” “NO! No,” Rarity zipped over, knocking the bit from the mare’s hoof. “Excuse me?” the mare asked, not understanding what was going on. “That hat clashes with your mane,” Rarity explained, “not to mention it's far too large and will undoubtedly obstruct your vision.” Rarity removed the hat from the mare’s head before looking at the vendor’s stock, “Oh dear, none of these will do.” That’s when she noticed Applejack and Soarin approaching, or more specifically, that Applejack was bringing the chest Rarity had brought along. “Ah, Applejack, impecable timing.” She opened the chest lid (accidentally hitting Applejack) and peered in, humming to herself, Soarin flapping beside her, saying, “Uh, Rarity-” “Here!” Rarity levitated a soft purple hat onto the mare’s head, “This will do splendidly.” Soarin and Applejack both sighed as the mare smiled at her reflection in a mirror Rarity levitated in front of her, “Oh it’s lovely! How much would you like for it?” “Oh no, no, please-please keep it!” Rarity offered kindly, “I can always make another.” “Well thank you very much, and have a nice day,” the mare smiled before trotting off. Rarity looked to her friends, “And you thought we wouldn’t find our purpose here, p’shaw!” “Rares, I’m pretty sure the map didn’t send us all the way to Manehatten just so you could give some random pony a hat,” Soarin deadpanned, Applejack nodding in agreement. “What?! We just saved that pony from committing a terrible crime of fashion,” Rarity insisted but noticed the raised brows her friends were giving her. “Well, she could’ve been meeting a friend who would've laughed at her new hat, and then their friendship could've been ruined forever! And... mmm... it's possible.” “Didjer cutie-mark glow signifyin’ a job well done?” Applejack asked plainly. “Ye- No... no I suppose it didn’t,” Rarity said lamely after seeing her cutie-mark not glowing even the faintest radiance. “Still, a disaster was averted.” “Averted?!” They looked to see the hat vendor, a large overweight earth pony, wearing a shirt, apron, and a large top hat, giving Rarity such a stink eye, “You just lost me a payin’ customer!!” “Oh my, I-I-I-I-I’m so sorry!” Rarity honestly felt bad, “I never meant to-” “Beat it...!” The vendor waved his hoof threateningly, that Soarin stepped in between them, “Hey pal, the lady apologized, there’s no need to start something,” Soarin furrowed his brows. “Errgh, get outta my face or I’ll-” The vendor looked about ready to throw a punch. “We could always involve that nice police officer over there,” Soarin smirked while pointing out the officer who was still directing traffic. The vendor gulped in response to the threat, and nervously tipped his hat as he backed off, allowing the three friends to move along. Much o Rarity’s relief, but as they walked away, she called out to the vendor, “Might I say, what a lovely establishment, you have there!” Giggling nervously, she sighed and said to her friends, “You’re right, darlings. The search continues,” who both rolled their eyes in response. Alas, the search led nowhere, Applejack and Soarin kept trying to politely ask passerby if they or if anypony they knew was having a problem involving a friendship. Their questions fell on deaf ears and they were subject to cold shoulders that sometimes rudely pushed past them. Rarity tried a little harder, setting up a makeshift stand and calling out, “Friendship Advice! Anypony looking for friendship advice!” Seeing nopony even looking in her general direction caused her to slump, “Good grief. This isn’t working...” She heard her friends’ sighs as they approached her stand, Applejack saying, “Ah’m not sure wha’ wer’ s’posed t’ do! T’ be honest, Ah’m still not even sure wha’ th’ map called me here for.” “Oh try not to worry, Applejack,” Rarity said assuringly, “The Map picked us for a reason.” “Well, ladies, at this point I dunno how we’re gonna find that reason,” Soarin brought up, “We can’t search this entire city for whoever it is the Map wants us to help o-w!” Soarin had been unexpectedly interrupted by what appeared to be a flyer, which Rarity took into her magical grasp to read, “‘Please help us restore our long-lost but beloved tradition, the Midsummer Theater Revival. There's a guest performance by a local theater troupe, the Method Mares, as well as games, food, and much, much more. This event promises to bring our Bronclyn neighbors together and restore our sense of community, but there's so much to do and we need your help’...” Soarin and Applejack shared a look, the former asking, “You don’t think...?” “DARLINGS This is it!” Rarity smield widely as she pointed to a name on the bottom of the flyer, “The contact on the flyer is Coco Pommel!” “Who?” Soarin asked dumbly. “Oh, that’s right, you weren’t there,” Rarity noted, “She’s a sweet dressmaker the girls and I met when we last came here.” “Oh right, she’s th’ one you got a job makin’ costumes fer tha’ designer friend o’ yers,” Applejack recalled. “Don’t you see, dears? This must be why the map called us here!” Rarity was excited as she read the flyer’s details further, “Oh, and you were so worried, Applejack.” “Well, Ah s’pose it’s at least worth lookin’ into,” Applejack conceded before adding, “Tha’ is... if we can ever get off this street corner. It took a little longer than expected, but the trio managed to hail a taxi pony and make their way to the address on Coco Pommel’s flyer. Upon arrival, and after paying the cabby, they saw the address was an apartment building and it didn’t take long to find Coco’s residence. “I can’t believe you found my flyer,” Coco said, looking like she was forcing a smile but the three would had to have been blind to see Coco wasn’t in good spirits. “Quite a coincidence, don’t you think?” The trio looked around Coco’s apartment, and saw a mess. Paper bags from takeout restaurants, more of her flyers scattered across her table, and her mane was looking disheveled. “The three of us specifically were summoned here to be of service,” Rarity said assuringly, “and Coco, darling, don’t take this the wrong way, but-” “You look like you could use all the help you can get,” Soarin interrupted, ignoring Rarity’s stink eye. “So this... Midsummer Theater Revival, wha’ is it, exactly?” asked Applejack, to keep the talk rolling, and the question seemed to perk Coco up. “An outdoor play at the community park,” she held up a photo album to provide visuals as she explained while smiling, “Many years ago, local theatre troupes would perform and ponies in the neighborhood would help make the costumes and design set pieces, prepare food to share during the performances.” The three friends could see Coco in the photos as a filly, participating in putting these plays together, smiling quite like she was now, that Soarin smiled too, saying, “You looked like you all really enjoyed yourselves, working together like that!” “Reminds me o’ Ponyville,” Applejack added, suddenly recollecting some fond memories. “It sounds lovely, darling,” Rarity agreed. “It was!” Coco sighed sadly as she turned the page to show a mare, “Up until several years ago. This is Charity Kindheart, a well-known costume designer on Bridleway. She founded the Midsummer Theater to share her passion for the performing arts with the neighborhood. No matter how busy she was, she always made time for it.” Coco then closed the album and walked out to the balcony, saying, “But after she moved away to be closer to her granddaughters, the neighborhood lost the special tradition she had started, and worse, the sense of community it fostered.” “Hey! I’m trottin’ here!” the three friends heard, knowing somepony outside was being rude. “Y’mean nopony stepped up t’ take over fer Charity?” asked Applejack, sharing concerned looks with Rarity and Soarin. “I’ve been trying to, but I've just gotten a last-minute request to alter costumes for the cast of ‘My Fair Filly’, and I'm afraid I haven't made much progress,” Coco said sadly as she began to look hopeless, “There’s just so much to do and my flyers haven’t attracted a single volunteer to help me with the Revival!” Then it got worse as Coco began to tear up, “And if that weren’t enough...!” They gasped as Coco collapsed and began to sob, Rarity hurrying over to console her friend, “Darling! Whatever’s the matter? We’re here to help, after all.” “That’s right, Coco, we’re here for you,” Soarin promised. “Darn tootin’!” Applejack added, “We got yer back, so go on an’ tell us wha’s botherin’ ya, sugarcube.” After the three of them calmed her down, Coco was able to explain, “I’ve been getting harrassed! These... three troublemakers have been sending me threatening messages and tearing down my flyers! I don’t know who they are, but they don’t want the Midsummer Theater Revival to happen! “I'm close...to giving up,” she whimpered as she accepted a tissue from Rarity and wiped away her tears, “I’m afraid whoever is sending me these threats is going to make good on them, and somepony might get hurt! But I don’t want to quit!” “An’ ya shouldn’t!” Applejack agreed, “You wanna bring back somethin’ tha’ was special an’ brought ponies t’gether. Ah know it looks bad, but wer’ gonna help ya an’ these varmints, whoever they are, aren’t gonna stop us.” “Hear, hear!” Rarity cheered, and the words and the spirit behind them helped to lift Coco’s own, as she smiled a little more deeply while her eyes began to glimmer with determination. “We’ll put together a performance that this neighborhood will remember for years to come!” Soarin vowed, unaware of how bad it was or what he and the others were up against.