Poppy awoke to a clear morning sun, shining in through her bedroom window. She yawned, then stretched a bit, before heading down to her kitchen to make herself some french toast and to switch the sign on her office door to 'Open.'
It was a lazy Monday morning, and like Poppy, all of Ponyville was just getting up. Yet the market square was already bustling with happy shoppers, and other local business owners were opening up their stores and getting ready for another day.
After opening her office, Poppy went over to the water cooler, where a goldfish swam happily about. "Good morning, Mr. Spoon," she greeted the fish, who blubbed cheerfully in response. Poppy kept her beloved pet goldfish, Mr. Spoon, in the water cooler, as she thought a tank would be too constricting.
After feeding Mr. Spoon, she then went over to her office cactus, Hubert, and adjusted him so he would be directly in the light, before adding the tiniest bit of water to his pot. Hubert the cactus was the perfect plant for Poppy as he never needed much water. Plus, she was always away from the office on deliveries anyways.
With Hubert happily drinking up sun-rays, Poppy then checked her 'Jelly Of The Month Calendar', and adjusted it accordingly. This month's jelly was Raspberry.
She made herself some coffee while she checked her bulletin board. She never kept any important documents up there, as she had them all in her satchel like everything else she needed, but if she ever needed to check a place for all the pieces of paper she's never going to look at again, she knew right where they were.
Pinning up a few receipts to the board, Poppy then took a seat on her couch with her coffee and french toast and turned on her wall-mounted flat-screen in time to catch Moira Manners on WARP.
Moira Manners was a light green earth pony with a fluffy pink sweater, huge blue beehive hairdo, and was easily the most popular morning TV host in Equestria, with the longest running series of episodes at over 234 to date. Poppy always liked watching Moira cause of her witty remarks and charm when talking about the local happenings, as well as the guests she would have on her show.
The jazzy theme of Moira's show resounded from Poppy's flat-screen as the camera did a sweeping shot of Moira's cheering audience, but Poppy swore they looked rather un-enthused this time around. In fact, some weren't clapping at all.
Poppy was curious as to why this was, but just chalked it up to it being early in the day, and maybe they were tired is all. The camera finally came to rest on Moira's cheery face at her desk, which, looking at it closely, looked worse for wear then Poppy remembered. It was worn down, cracked in several places, and Poppy had to blink twice before she realized the left leg was actually a bowling pin.
Nevertheless, Moira carried on like everything was normal. "Good morning, Equestria!" she announced in her loud cheery tone. "And welcome to day 3 of my greatest episode ever!"
Poppy looked up from her mug. "Day 3?" she repeated aloud. Surely that was a joke, right?
Moira continued. "You won't want to miss any of our special guests coming up this hour! Later on, we'll have none other then the most famous rock band in the world, Sungazer, here live for their 12th performance so far on this very special episode!" she cheered. "Plus, everyone in the audience is going to be getting a lifetime supply of canned bread!"
"We don't need canned bread!" a random mare in the audience yelled out. "We need sleep!"
"Yeah!" A colt chimed in. "You've kept us here for days!"
Another mare stood up, visibly distraught. "I was supposed to pick up my kids from school, two days ago!" she cried.
But Moira just rolled her eyes. "Oh, I see." she narrowed her eyes at the audience. "You were all more than happy to take the new carriages, all-expense paid vacations, and cash prizes I handed out at first, but now after I've worked so hard to bring you and the good ponies of Equestria a good show, you'd rather sleep! I guess nothing I ever do is good enough for you..."
There was an uncomfortable silence in the audience, before the same mare from before said "Maybe...maybe...we'll start using canned bread...someday?" The rest of the audience forced smiles onto their faces and began murmuring amongst themselves.
"That's the spirit!" Moira perked up. "You see? There's lots more fun to come, so stick around Equestria! Cause this show isn't ever going to end. Ever!"
At that the show went to a commercial break, that featured a gecko talking about carriage insurance and a pack of beavers.
For a moment Poppy just sat on her couch, in utter shock at what she had just seen. Was it some kind of TV prank? No. Those audience members were all serious when they talked about being there for days. And the way Moira scolded them for asking to be able to sleep?
Poppy set her mug down and turned off the TV. "What in the heck is Moira thinking, doing that to ponies?" she asked aloud. "Has she lost her mind?"
Just then the phone on her desk rang. Picking it up, Poppy heard the usual bright, cheery voice of the district manager and her boss, Miss Wintergreen. "Good morning, Poppy!" she sang. "How has your day been so far?"
Miss Wintergreen was a very cheerful and eccentric mare who cared deeply about the postal employees in her district, especially Poppy, who was renowned for her perfect on-time percentage record. She was arguably the best boss in the world, in Poppy's opinion.
"Good Morning, Miss Wintergreen." Poppy greeted equally as cheerfully. "And It's been...interesting so far."
"Interesting?"
Poppy explained the strange things she had witnessed on Moira's show.
"I see." Miss Wintergreen said calmly. "That is interesting. As well as deeply troubling!"
But then her tone went right back to cheery. "Luckily for them and you though, I have the solution!"
Poppy raised an eyebrow. "The solution, ma'am?"
"Yep!" Wintergreen said simply. "I need you to deliver a new desk to the set of Moira Manners at WARP TV." she stated. "Annnd, maybe while your there....see what you can do to save those poor audience members!"
"And find out what the heck has gotten into Equestria's former most beloved TV talk show host?" Poppy finished with a grin.
"You got it!" Wintergreen sang. "The delivery will be there in about an hour. Once it's there just use this week's One-off teleportation spell to-"
"Oh!" Poppy interrupted. "Sorry, to interrupt ma'am; but I actually don't need those anymore. I learned how to do the teleportation spell on my own!" Poppy boasted. It had taken several weeks of study and practice, but she had finally gotten down the complex workings of weaving the fabric of space time to transport herself anywhere she envisioned in her mind. It was actually far more simple, then she had thought previously.
"That's fantastic!" Wintergreen exclaimed proudly. "Well then, I'll let you get to it! I'll call the studio afterwards to get the payment for you sent to your PO box." she said happily. "Annnd, I think I'll throw in a bonus for saving all those ponies from Moira's show!"
"Thank you, ma'am!" said Poppy cheerfully.
"Of course. Good luck, and I'll talk to you soon!"
With that, both Poppy and Wintergreen hung up the phone, leaving Poppy to finish her breakfast, get out of her Pajamas and don her purple scarf and trusty satchel.
She looked at the clock. It wasn't even past 8 am yet. "Hmm.." thought Poppy. "I think I'll go pay Pears a quick visit, since I have time."
Poppy went to her door, and opened it, letting in the bright sunshine, before stepping out into the Market Square, making sure to close the door behind her.
The Inconvenience Store
Stopping to examine the gumball machine Pears had outside her store ("Huh. Fish tank gravel, again.") Poppy opened the door and went inside.
Inside the usual cheery store music greeted Poppy as she walked up to the counter, but saw that Burnt Pears, her insanely paranoid friend and owner of the Inconvenience Store, was nowhere to be seen. "Pears?" Poppy looked behind the counter, and around the store, but Pears wasn't there.
Or so she thought.
"Poppy!" a voice yelled out from above. Poppy jumped half a floor in the air, before landing and looking up to see Pears was suspended over her by a metal cable and harness. She appeared to be installing what looked like a large generator on the ceiling. "Hang on! I'll be right down."
"Pears?" Poppy asked as her friend lowered herself to the floor. "What in the world were you doing up there?"
Pears unbuckled herself from her harness and smiled. "I was re-calibrating the store's interface dampener! Ha! They'll never find me now!" Pears exclaimed, quite proud of herself.
Poppy sighed as she knew the drill by this point. "What sick forces of evil are bedeviling you this time, Pears?" she asked simply.
Pears suddenly got very close to Poppy's face and brought her voice to a whisper. "Somepony is spying on me!"
"Spying on you?" Poppy repeated. "How do you know?"
"More specifically, someponies." Pears added. "It's definitely a group, judging by the readings I've been seeing."
"Readings?"
Pears went over to her counter and pulled a monitor into view. It showed numerous percentages and what looked like a line graph, with this month nearly peaking to the top. Whatever it meant, Pear's expression was now deadly serious. "This displays the level of unknown surveillance signals I've been picking up over the last few weeks." Pears pointed to the graph. "And look! It's already peaked for this month!"
"So...what does that mean?" Poppy asked, almost completely lost.
Pears rolled her eyes. "It means that there is a ton of ponies trying to watch my every move! Probably so they can steal my designs for that new Alpha-Wave Fried Chicken Fryer; it makes fried chicken without use of oil or grease! Think of how many secret government facilities would kill for such a magnificent machine!"
Poppy raised an eyebrow. "Um...none of them? Ponies don't even eat meat, I thought."
Pears sighed. "You think ponies are my only customers?"
"Fair enough."
With that Pears hopped back behind her counter and set the monitor aside. "So,' she said putting on a salesmare smile. "What can I do for you today, Poppy?"
"What do you have?" Poppy asked, eager to hear what insane stuff Pears had for sale this week.
"Got a new shipment of Candy-Pink Fatboys." Pears suggested.
Poppy looked at Pears. "What are those?"
"Exactly what you think they are." Pears warned.
"I'll pass."
"Fair enough." Pears said with a shrug. "Let's see I also have...exiled political discussants, weapons of mass destruction, weapons of moderate destruction, weapons of minimum destruction, 1 Bit Lottery Tickets...
"How much are the 1 Bit lottery tickets?" asked Poppy. She didn't gamble herself, but she knew that Miss Wintergreen liked to make collages of them.
"Two Bits." Pears replied.
"Of course." Poppy rolled her eyes. "Anything else?"
Pears read off from memory. "Albino Monkey Crackers, Aerosol Meat, Complimentary Fresh Garlic, Fine leather jackets..."
"Who buys the leather jackets?" asked Poppy curiously.
"The Tunnel Snakes." Pears replied. "Local gang up in Canterlot. Nice bunch, but pretty sure there actual snakes in disguise." stated Pears. "I mean it's right there in the name!"
"Right. What else?"
"I have some gumballs the size of your head." Pears urged.
"Wait. My head specifically?" asked Poppy suspiciously.
"Yes, your head specifically."
"....how and why?"
"You didn't lock your door that one time, and I wanted a mold in case your head ever gets stolen or replaced by mutant anteaters." said Pears with a shrug.
Poppy just sighed and tried to laugh it off. "Anything else?"
Pears put a hoof to her chin. "Well," she said reaching underneath her counter. "I also have a sonic voice amplifier." She brought up what looked like a leather collar with a large speaker about the size of a table coaster affixed to the front. She set it down for Poppy to come and look at.
"What does it do?"
"It uses complex wave amplification to greatly enhance the projection, range and power of your speaking voice." Pears explained. "You could kill a building with a single shout. Or level a city block with a scream."
"Or," thought Poppy "use it to free a group of captive audience members being held against their will?"
Pears looked at her. "Um...yeah, I guess." she said rubbing the back of her head. "Do you want it or what?"
"Yes!" Poppy got her coin purse from her satchel. "How much?"
Pears thought for a moment. "Hmmm...well with the level of technology in this thing and the use it has a weapon of mass destruction, I would say I could part with it for say, um.....one million Bits."
Poppy's mouth went dry as she almost threw her coin purse back into her satchel. "O-One....One Mil-? she gasped. "One million Bits!? Are you serious!?" she exclaimed.
"Hey! This is extremely powerful and dangerous voice augmenting equipment!" Pears protested. "Sorry, Poppy. I'm afraid it's a million Bits or nothing."
"Where in the wide world of Equestria am I going to get a million Bits!?" cried Poppy.
"C'mon, You're you! You'll find some way to get a million Bits, no problem. I know you will." Pears said with a smile.
But Poppy only grimaced. "Ugh....fine. I have to be going anyways; I have a delivery to WARP TV to make." And she headed for the door.
"I'll hold onto this for you! Don't worry I won't let anypony else buy it from me!" Pears called after her.
"Great." Poppy mumbled herself. "Celestia forbid Filthy Rich comes in and decides he wants to become an opera singer."
To-Do List: Retrieved today's delivery and deliver it to WARP TV.
Poppy headed back to her office where today's delivery lay waiting; a new desk to be delivered to Moira Manners studio to replace the old one which had been used for twenty years and three days now.
Retrieving the delivery, she hovered it next to her with her magic as she used her teleportation spell. There was a flash of orange light, and she was gone.
WARP TV Studios, Manehatten
WARP or (Worldly Aligned Reality Programming) was one of Equestria's longest running TV stations featuring quality programming for the average and above-average Equine or other species viewer. As well as a great many TV sitcoms, talk shows, game shows and brain-starving cartoons. Truly the pinnacle of entertainment, and it's Manehatten studio reflected this as Poppy appeared within it's walls.
She found herself in a huge TV studio filled with numerous pieces of recording and videos equipment, TV cameras, boom mics, and set pieces for what looked like a show about psychic cows (Complete with prop cows.) Above her was a catwalk that looked strangely empty.
In fact, now that she was looking around, Poppy didn't see a single other person in the entire studio but a single teal unicorn pony mare with a frizzy blonde mane and headphones, who seemed to be far too busy arranging a set of important-looking papers and frequently sipping coffee from her mug, to notice that Poppy was only a few feet from her.
"Huh. She must be a stage hand of some kind." thought Poppy. "Maybe she can tell me where Moira is?" she set the desk down and approached the mare. "Hello! Sorry to bother you, but are you a stage hand? I need to find Moira, so I can-"
"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there." The mare interrupted. "Number one, I'm not the 'stage hand.' I'm the director. The Director!"
"Oh! I'm sorry I-"
"Number two, this area is reserved for employees or actors only; so unless you are either one of those, you'll have to leave." with that she turned around and got back to arranging her papers.
Poppy simply let out a sigh. "I'm actually here to deliver this desk to Moira Manners, she ordered-"
The mare spun around. "Do not mention that name in my presence!" she shouted suddenly, her eyes flaring.
Poppy was taken aback by the sudden change in mood, but being around Pears for so long, she was used to people suddenly and spontaneously freaking the heck out at random. "What's your issue with Moira?" asked Poppy politely.
"My issue??" the mare scoffed. "Let's just say Moira and me have creative differences; I'm creative. She's garbage. Ahahaha! I'm sorry what was your question?"
Poppy suddenly felt like she was talking to Pears again. "May I ask you your name?" asked Poppy.
The mare narrowed her eyes. "May I ask you yours?" she asked candidly.
Poppy blinked. "Sure?"
"Okay. What's your name then?"
"Poppy Blossom. And yours?"
The mare took another sip from her mug. "Fine." she sighed. "It's Make It Shine."
Poppy smiled at her. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Shine sighed. "Now what do you want with....Her...?
Poppy raised an eyebrow. "Why do you hate Moira so much? Really?"
Shine rubbed her temple with her hoof. "Look I...Moira runs her show her way, and I work my hooves to the marrow, yes, not even to the bone; through the bone!, running every other show my way; better known as the right way." she explained sourly. "If Moira doesn't want me on her set? Fine. I'm more then happy hating her from a distance, anyways."
So Make It Shine had it in for Moira? Poppy wondered it anypony else shared her sentiment.
"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Poppy asked curiously. "Aren't you supposed to have stage hands and people to help you?"
Shine sighed once more. "Yes, I am. But unfortunately everyone else is currently being held against their will on Moira's show. I'm the only one, the only one keeping this ship afloat now!" she exclaimed angrily. "Now, it's up to me to find a replacement for our latest sitcom: The Out."
"The Out?"
"Yeah, its this heartwarming story about a young colt who wants to play buckball, but his estranged relationship with his father causes tensions on his team, then it turns out his mom is coaching this other team, and....ugh" At that, Make It Shine collapsed onto the floor, her coffee still suspended in the air by her magic. "I hate my job." She moaned.
"Is it always this hard?" Poppy asked, taking a seat on the floor with Shine.
"Always. Even when I do have a crew to do the work, it's still a nightmare." she moaned. "I wish I could quit this stupid job and go do something fun for once!"
"Well...why don't you?" asked Poppy. "You should never force yourself to do a job you hate. You deserve to make a living doing what you love, right?"
And then for the first time since Poppy met her, Make It Shine smiled. "Heh. Yeah, I guess so." she said simply. "Sorry I snapped at you." she got up off the floor. "I'll sign for that desk for Moira, but only so you get paid for the delivery." she stated. "Otherwise I'd chop it up and use it for firewood with a smile."
Poppy and Shine laughed, and then Poppy got an idea. "Since you hate Moira so much-"
"With the white hot passion of a million suns."
"Right. How would you like to help me save her audience and maybe take her down a peg in the process?" asked Poppy hopefully.
At that, Shine smiled. "Make it twelve pegs, and you got a deal."
"Deal." Poppy and Make It Shine shook hooves, sealing their newfound friendship and partnership in stopping Moira. Now all that was left was to find Moira and knock some sense into her.
But naturally, it wasn't going to be that easy...
To-Do List: Confront Moira and see what's going on with her.
Make It Shine lead Poppy to the studio door that led onto Moira's set. A large glowing sign that read 'Moira Manners' in bright flashing pink letters was seen above the doorway. Shine insisted on standing far, far far away from the door as Poppy knocked.
There was no answer. She could hear faint clapping on the other side.
She tried again. This time the door swung open and Moira herself was standing in the doorway, looking at Poppy. "Yes?" she asked.
Poppy hadn't expected Moira herself to actually answer. But as Shine had said, all the other employees were in there as Moira's 'audience.' She had to get in there to rescue them!
"Sorry to disturb you, Miss Moira, but my name is Poppy Blossom. I'm here to-"
"Ugh. Another one." Moira said under her breath.
Poppy just looked at her. "Excuse me?"
"Look sweetie, I'm busy taping a show here." Moira said irritably. "While I appreciate you coming all this way to meet me, I'm afraid I don't have time for a meet-and-greet right now. Maybe some other time? Of course since this episode isn't ever ending, I'd say you'll have quite a long wait."
Poppy narrowed her eyes. "Okay, first off (Shine smiled extra wide at that one) I'm not here to see you. I was hired to deliver your new desk-"
"Oh, splendid!" Moira exclaimed "Just leave it in the main studio. I'll have somepony come collect it later. I'm sure the studio can handle your payment?"
"That's already been arranged, but I still need-"
"What? What, what what do you want?" Moira asked rudely. "Why do you keep interrupting me?"
Make It Shine suddenly called out from out of view. "Just let the damn hostages go, you fru-fru sweatered nut-loaf!" she yelled angrily.
Moira blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You heard her." Poppy warned, narrowing her eyes further. "Let the hostages go. Now."
"Hostages? They're my guests!" Moira exclaimed. "I mean really now, of all the excuses..."
"Excuses!?" cried Poppy. "You've been holding them in that studio for three days straight!"
"I know, isn't it exciting?" asked Moira. "Let's them break this record! Hah!"
"Record?"
"Of course! The record for the longest continuous episode of any reality talk show ever!" Moira cheered. "And with my plan, my record is unbeatable! Just think of the ratings!"
Poppy couldn't believe what she was hearing. There had to be something more to this. She had genuinely liked Moira and her show at one point. Moira wasn't like this; something else had to be in play here.
"Why in the world are you doing this? What lead you to even make a decision like that?" asked Poppy, outraged.
But Moira thought for a moment. "Huh. Y'know I....I don't actually know." Moira admitted. "I'm just doing what I always do; slave and toil to put on the best show possible! It's just, after opening a gift from some well-wishers, I suddenly felt so compelled to keep this show running forever. I never want it to stop."
Poppy's eyes widened. "Wait. You only decided to do this after you opened a gift from some stranger?" asked Poppy suspiciously.
"Oh, I wouldn't say strangers." Moira insisted. "They were very polite, and well dressed. Though, the masks were a bit, uh, creepy."
"Masks??"
Moira was getting annoyed. "My you do ask a lot of questions don't you?' she snapped. "Can you please leave now, so I can get back to my show?"
Something very strange was going on here. But worst of all; Poppy felt that it was very familiar. Visions from her last Delivery danced about in her head, and suddenly it all made sense.
"You...You've been brainwashed!" cried Poppy. "That explains why your acting like this; that gift must've had something in it that warped your mind!"
Moira left out a short laugh. "Brainwashed? That's ridiculous! How could I possibly be brainwashed?"
"How do you know your not?" asked Poppy. "Your making completely irrational and frankly idiotic decisions with no common sense at play!"
"That's how she usually acts!" Shine chimed in once again.
Moira sighed. "I'm tired of this now, sweetie. I need to get back to my show, and you need to get back to your job as well. Goodbye."
She was about to close the door, when Poppy suddenly blurted out "Can I come in and watch the show?"
Poppy heard Shine fall over a large stack of crates and swear at the top of her lungs. She wasn't sure if she was being cursed at, or the crates. Maybe both?
But it had worked; Moira swung the door back open and looked at Poppy. "You want to watch the show? Well, ordinarily I'd say yes, but I'm afraid I can't squeeze anymore guests in my bleachers."
Poppy had to get in there! What other options were there? "Can I be a guest on your show, then?"
Moira looked at Poppy with wide eyes. "A guest?" she repeated. "Are you famous?"
"I'm pretty famous around Equestria for the numerous amounts of trouble and insane misadventures I get into doing my job for some reason beyond my control." Poppy stated plainly. "Is that enough?"
"Hmm..." Moira put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Well, I was supposed to have Morning Meir on here tomorrow, but I couldn't get a hold of her. Something about a Mayan apocalypse or some such." she explained. "But, I'm afraid I have plenty of other guests scheduled to make an appearance today, including the band, Sungazer! I can't forgo guests of that caliber just for one extra."
Thinking quickly, Poppy tried to reason with Moira. "What if I was the only guest, you could have on your show?" she asked mischievously.
"Huh." Moira didn't have an answer for that. "Well come back when that happens, and I'll put you on for sure." with that, Moira slammed the door and returned to her show.
Poppy returned to Make It Shine, who looked miffed, to say the least. "Are you mad?" she asked.
"At you? No." she said simply. "Her? Unfathomably."
"Understandable." Poppy agreed. "Honestly, she seems like she's always like that, not just because she's brainwashed."
Shine laughed like Poppy told a joke. "That mare has been the biggest show-offy windbag this studio has ever seen since the moment she got her own show." she said plainly. "She doesn't need to be brainwashed to be a class A jerkbag; she already was one."
"Yeah. I don't think I'll be watching her show anymore." said Poppy "At least for a while, anyways."
"Good thinking." Shine said with a smile. "So, how do you plan to become the only guest that said jerkface can have on her show?"
"I'm not sure." Poppy admitted. "Any ideas?"
Make It Shine thought a minute. "Yeah, I do actually. Let's head over to the set of Equestrian Idol; There's some ponies that I'm pretty sure will help us."
Make It Shine opened the door to Equestrian Idol before she had to get back to work. But she wished Poppy good luck, and that if she needs anything she would be in the main studio grumbling about how terrible of a job this is.
With that, Poppy waved goodbye to her new friend, then stepped through the door onto Equestrian Idol.
Equestrian Idol Set
Equestrian Idol was one of the most popular shows on TV, and boasted a huge viewership, especially around the seventh season. But for some reason it took a dive in popularity, when ponies discovered that literally almost every pony alive could sing perfectly, despite most never taking any lessons. Scientists said this could contribute to the strange phenomena where ponies would just randomly burst into song at any given time. Of which, the nature of was also completely unknown.
Poppy was now in a large atrium where Equestrian Idol took place. There was a huge line of applicants nearly to the door, leading up to the judges table. Poppy politely made her way through the crowd and reached the Judges, hoping to ask if they knew anyone that would help her, when Poppy's jaw dropped.
Sitting in the three large chairs of the judge's table was none other then the Fizzy Poppers! They all turned to see Poppy and were equally as surprised as she was. "Poppy!" Cherry cheered. "No way! I didn't know you wanted to be on Equestrian Idol too!"
Poppy shook her head in disbelief. "Cherry?! What in the world are you three doing here?" asked Poppy at a loss.
Root Beer leaned back in her chair and put her hooves behind her head while she rested her feet on the desk. "What's it look like?" she asked with a sly smile. "We're judges!"
"Neat, huh?" Lemon Lime asked with a grin.
Poppy struggled to find words to use in this situation. Then she found them. "How in the world did you three become the judges on Equestrian Idol? Are you even old enough to do that?" asked Poppy.
"After that whole craziness with that Culture lunatic," Cherry explained, "We suddenly got swept up in our 15 minutes of fame after helping you bring him to justice."
Root also chimed in. "Plus, since Moira had the regular judges on her show, and we were the only ones around who wanted to fill in at last minute, the producer of Equestrian Idol signed us right up!"
"Seriously?" asked Poppy, still not fully believing it.
"Yep." Cherry said with a smile. "Now then, you want to be on Equestrian Idol? We'll totally vote for you!"
Poppy smiled back. "I appreciate that guys but-" then a thought popped into her head. Maybe...maybe this could actually be her ticket onto Moira's show. It was worth a shot."Actually,' Poppy started. "Maybe you guys could help me another way?"
"Sure thing!" Root sang. "What do you need?"
Poppy explained the entire situation with Moira, her audience and her need to get on the show and stop her.
When she finished, the Popper's were amazed. "Cool! I had no idea!" Root exclaimed. "No worries; we'll definitely get you on that show!"
But Cherry chimed in as well. "It won't be easy though." she said. "There are a ton of other guests coming on her show through us today. And you do need to display some form of musical talent to be considered a valid winner."
"Do you play any instruments?" Lemon Lime asked.
Poppy once played Piano at the Grand Galloping Gala. But it was only for five seconds, before the piano somehow came to life and tried to eat her and the other guests. "Nope." she replied.
"Can you sing?" Root asked.
"Um....Sort of? Does singing in the shower count?" asked Poppy nervously.
Root thought for a moment. "I think it used to, but then there was that whole indecent exposure scandal, which is really weird when you think about it." she said with a shrug.
"But," Cherry began, "I think I know some ponies who can help! Just head backstage. They'll help you out."
"Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." said Poppy thankfully.
"No problem." said Root "Now, you head back and we'll get started failing these applicants!"
"Huh?" one of the applicants asked.
"Nothing. Kid stuff." Root said quickly.
Poppy headed behind the judging table and pulled back the curtain to backstage, before walking through.
Backstage
To-Do List: Talk to the ponies backstage.
Backstage was a huge mess of stacked crates, props and various ropes for controlling the curtains and platforms. It was clear of anypony save for four, Poppy recognized immediately as the members of the all-Pegasus rock band, Sungazer!
They were all sitting on a large stack of crates as makeshift chairs, and each looking extremely bored, each member doing there own thing to pass the time, or just preoccupy herself.
The lead singer and guitarist, Free Flyer (She preferred just Free) was a cream colored mare with a short sidewave-punk manecut, with pink, white and light blue stripes streaked through it. She wore think rockstar eyeliner and a very cool looking black leather jacket emblazoned with the emblem on the band: A burning sun with slanted triangular sunglasses. Her cutie mark was a microphone crossed over an electric guitar. Her wings were tucked at her sides, as she simply sat on top of the crate, mindlessly throwing a ball up in the air and catching it over and over.
Beside her was the bassist, Twisted Peppermint (who preferred Pepper) who was a bright red colored mare with a short tight mohawk manecut, that was striped with red and white. She wore a ripped black t-shirt with a jean vest over it, as well as a necklace with a pair of crossed candy canes as the pendent. Her cutie mark of a candy cane coiled around a bass guitar was on full display, as she was simply laying down on a crate, having a nap.
Sitting at top of the crate pile was the drummer, Cinnamon Stixx (who preferred Stixx) and was a light brown colored mare with a short and fluffy white mane that covered her eyes and a hairpin that looked like (and may have actually been) an actual cinnamon stick. She wore a chocolate colored shirt with a black dress vest over it. She also seemed to be wearing a necklace of small-sized cinnamon sticks as her accessory of choice. Her cutie mark was a drum set with two cinnamon sticks as drumsticks and she was busy drumming away on a stack of other crates, looking just as bored as the first two.
Lastly was Della, the pianist, who was a sterling silver mare with a neon blue mane that draped over her head like a waterfall. She wore what looked like a sterling white jumpsuit with a pair of gleaming blue headphones draped around her neck. Her accessory of choice appeared to be a second pair of golden headphones that hung onto her ears like magic (And they probably were) and looked extremely advanced for a pair of headphones. Her cutie mark was hidden under the jumpsuit she wore, and she was off to the side reading a copy of Summer Storm and The Chalice Of Consequence. She at the very least looked like she was enjoying the book she was reading, where as the rest of her band-mates looked like they would rather be anywhere else but here.
Poppy decided to simply go up and introduce herself, as it didn't seem like they were busy. Plus, they might appreciate the company. "Excuse me?" asked Poppy. No one looked over at her, but Della. "Sorry, to bother you guys, but I needed to talk to you about Moira."
"Ugh! Again? seriously?!" cried Free, sounding quite irritated. Her tell-tale English accent shining through even when she was clearly annoyed for whatever reason.
Poppy looked quite confused. "Um...I'm sorry?"
Free let out a sigh as she hopped down from her crate, then went over and put her hoof on Poppy's shoulder. "Look, honey." she began, "I know you're just doing your job but we've been preforming for three days now!" she exclaimed."We got no more songs in us! And I won't even tell you how bad my hoof calluses are getting from that solo I keep having to do." Free held up her hoof and winced in pain as she tried to massage it. She then looked at Poppy with a flat expression. "Sorry. But we're putting our hoof down; you can tell Moira, we're done with-
"Hang on." Poppy said, herself now sounding annoyed as it finally occurred to her. "Let me guess; you guys think I work for Moira and I'm here to ask you to come back and perform on her show for the literal umpteenth time, right?"
Free looked back at her band-mates, who looked just as confused as she did. She then turned back to Poppy. "Um...you aren't?" asked Free unsure of anything now.
Poppy let out a tired sigh. "No. I'm not." she said simply. "Why does everyone keep mistaking me for things I'm not?! It's as if ponies here are unable to separate TV from real life!" she cried.
Della then piped in. "This is a TV studio, sweetheart." she said with a smile.
Everyone agreed with that explanation, nodding their heads in agreement, including Poppy.
"Sorry about that, love." Free apologized with a smile. "We've been hiding back here to keep from having to go back on that ruddy show again. We just can't take it anymore!"
"Yeah!" cried Stixx. "I've had to drum so much, I've gone through six pairs of sticks already!" she held up her drumsticks, which looked like they had been through a war, with broken pieces taped back on and heavily cracked all over. To top it off, Stixx looked like she was on the verge of tears from seeing her beloved drumsticks in this state.
Pepper stepped forward and showed her hooves, which were just as heavy with calluses as Free's were.
Then Della closed her book and jumped down as well. "Iv'e had to play my keys so many times, I pretty sure If I play one more time, my whole setup will snap in half!" she gestured to her keyboard piano and speaker setup which looked like it would fall apart if you breathed in it's direction.
"Geez." said Poppy amazed. "How long did she say you had to keep performing?"
"Till the show was over." said Free. "Then she went on and on about how it was never going to end, before cackling like an escaped mental patient and leaving us to practice. We were hoping she was jokin'. Now though? I really do think that mare's lost her head!"
Her band-mates agreed with her wholeheartedly.
"Yeah, it does seem like that. But I think I know what's really going on here." said Poppy. "But I need your guy's help to pull it off."
The band looked at Poppy in surprise. "You need our help?" asked Free. "With what?"
"Well...I need to get on her show in order to stop her. But in order to get on her show, I need to win Equestrian Idol. And in order to win, I need you guys to teach me how to play an instrument." Poppy explained.
The band just stared at her.
"Um...will you help me?"
"Huddle!" cried Free and the band joined together in a close circle, murmuring and whispering with one another. A second later they broke up and Free stepped forward. "If we help you,' she began, "You'll knock that crazy mare of the air, so we can get the heck out of here?"
"You and everypony else." said Poppy "I have a plan, but....well it's a bit more complicated."
"What else do you need?" asked Stixx.
Poppy hesitated to even ask. She needed the Sonic Amplifier from Pears for this to work, but she couldn't get it without fulfilling its insane price range. "Well...A friend of mine has what we need, but she won't give it to me unless I buy it."
"How much?" asked Della.
"Uh...one million Bits?"
To Poppy's surprise, the band didn't bat an eye at this insane amount of money. She supposed as the were biggest rock band on the planet, a million Bits was chump change to them.
"That it?" asked Sixx.
Poppy was taken back by how little a reaction they showed. "Yes?"
"Ordinarily, we could get you that kinda cash no problem.' said Free. "But unfortunately, we're sort of stuck in here. Can't reach any of our banks either."
"Why don't you just leave?" asked Poppy. "You guys are trapped on Moira's set now, right?"
"We'd leave alright." said Della. "If it weren't for the fact that crazy mare, having chained all the doors shut! We assumed you used magic to teleport yourself in here."
That was indeed the case. Poppy had used magic to teleport herself in here, and hadn't needed to use doors to get into the studio. The only way out was for her to teleport herself out. She could teleport everyone else out too, but she had only just learned the teleportation spell a few weeks ago! She didn't have that level of control over it yet. It was way too big of a risk to take.
Free then got an idea. "Wait a sec. I know a way you could get that cash without even needing to leave this ruddy studio!"
"You do? asked Poppy. "How?"
"There's a game-show that's filmed right here in WARP called Who's Never Going To Be A Millionaire." explained Free. "You win it, you get a million bits as your prize."
"What happens if I lose?" asked Poppy suddenly worried.
"You'll be kicked off the set and never be allowed to be back on for the rest of the season." said Della.
Poppy let out a sigh. "I guess I don't have a choice." she said simply. "Where is the door to the set of this show?"
Free pointed to the door directly behind them. It was a large studio door like all the others, but this one was clearly that of game show's door; lights blinked all around the door-frame, and a huge sign that read 'Who's Never Going To Be A Millionaire' was clearly displayed as a giant neon sign above the door.
"While your gone," said Free, "We'll come up with something to get you that win on Equestrian Idol." she put her hoof on Poppy's shoulder. "What's your name, love?"
"Poppy Blossom. Delivery Mare." said Poppy with a smile.
"Good luck, Poppy." said Free. "We'll be rootin' for ya!"
With that, Poppy said goodbye to her new friends, went up to the door to the game show set and went inside, the heavy studio door slamming behind her.
Who's Never Going To Be A Millionaire Set
Who's Never going To Be A Millionaire was easily the most difficult game show on WARP. The premise was simple; all you have to do is answer just one question. You get it right, and you win. But the catch was that single question was ridiculously hard to answer, if not impossible. To this day, with over ten seasons, there had never been a single winning contestant on the show.
The set was much like that of your typical game-show; there was a podium for the host and one for the contestant, and a big, bright flashy background with various lights, buzzers and the like. However as Poppy looked around, she saw that the entire set and studio was completely empty, save for a single stallion, who was probably the strangest looking stallion Poppy had seen that day.
He was a tall white-pink stallion with a fluffy white afro, purple hippie glasses that occluded his eyes, and a long white, manchu-style mustache and goatee. He wore what looked like an old-fashioned puffy white shirt with lace and a large rainbow colored shawl draped over his shoulders. He looked extremely peaceful and serene, simply just standing there by himself.
"Excuse me?" Poppy asked approaching the odd stallion.
The stallion turned and greeted Poppy with a calm smile. "Ah, salutations my friend." his voice was unerringly soothing, silky and calm, like a voice in a dream. "How may I serve you on this, oh blessed of days?"
"Um...w-well I was hoping you could tell me where the host of this show is? I was hoping I could be a contestant." said Poppy.
The odd stallion chuckled to himself. "Well, you've found him little lady." he said with a polite bow. "Hue Humble, spiritual leader of the cosmic masses and inventor of Huetology, the grooviest thing this side of the galaxy, at your service."
Poppy felt very strange around this stallion. He was clearly weird, but something about him was so calming and peaceful. She couldn't help but feel comfortable around him. "What's Huetology?" asked Poppy.
Hue smiled as he explained. "Why, Huetology is the spiritual process of unlocking your true potential through the magic of your personal color spectrum." he explained. "You see, little one, all creatures of this world have their own colors; their coat, their mane, their feathers, what have you. And each one of those colors has a different meaning that can tell you a great deal about yourself, your future and even the great universe itself. It's helped thousands already!"
Poppy scrunched her face in thought. "I've never heard of it till now." said Poppy.
"I've only just brought it over to Equestria, my friend." explained Hue. "But one day, I hope that Huetology will help the whole world unlock their truest potential."
"So...it helps people be happy?" asked Poppy.
"Indeed." Hue replied. "It shows you what your colors mean for you and help you realize what you can truly accomplish if you beleive in yourself and your friends and family."
Poppy had to admit; that actually sounded really sweet and selfless. "What are you doing here then, Mr. Humble?" asked Poppy with a smile.
"Now, now my friend; Hue will do just fine." he said with a wink. "And I too am here to see Moira, as you are."
Poppy's eyes widened. "How did you know that?"
"I can see the green aura of determination surrounding you, my friend." replied Hue. "You are here to save those captive audience members and snap Moira out of whatever spell she's under. Am I right?"
"Whoa." Said Poppy blown away. "Yeah, I am! That's amazing."
"Power of Huetology, little lady." Hue joked.
Poppy laughed as well. She was really starting to warm up to this Hue Humble guy. "Why are you here to see Moira?" she asked.
"I am to be a guest on her show, my friend!" replied Hue. "I'm going to be talking about the wonders of Huetology, as well as my new book; New Horizon, The Guidebook To The Power Of Huetology." he explained. "But, I've been told to wait until it's my turn to go on. Which is fine by me, as that sweet director hooked me up with this other job: being the host of this here show!"
"You really are the host?" asked Poppy. "Where's the usual one?"
"Miss Shine said something about him going on Moira's and never coming back. Bummer man." Hue replied shaking his head.
"And the audience?" asked Poppy.
"Same as the first, little lady." replied Hue.
Poppy did think it was a little strange that Shine would leave Hue to be the host of a game show, especially one like Who's Never Going To Be A Millionaire. But this worked out perfectly in her favor! All she had to do was ask Hue if she could be his contestant, since she didn't think there were many other applicants.
"Can I be a contestant on your show, Hue?" asked Poppy with a smile.
'I don't see why not." replied Hue. "Lets get this show started!"
To-Do List: Win One Million Bits to purchase the sonic amplifier from Pears.
Poppy stood at the contestant's podium as the jazzy theme of the show resounded around her, and a loud announcer was heard on the speakers.
"Live from WARP, it's Equestria's favorite game show, Who's Never Going To Be A Millionaire! With our special guest host, Hue Humble!"
"Salutations my children." Hue greeted the cameras. There was a round of applause (or at least a sound effect of one).
"And,' the announcer continued. "Let's meet today's contestant, Poppy Blossom!" There was another round of applause.
Poppy waved to the cameras and smiled. "Hello! Thanks for having me."
"Poppy is a professional delivery mare of Poppy's Delivery Service in Ponyville. She enjoys chocolate cake, making deliveries and long walks on the beach."
"How the heck did he know that?" Poppy wondered.
The cameras moved back to center, and focused on both Hue and Poppy as the applause died down.
"Welcome to the show, Poppy. So happy to have you on here. How are you feeling?" asked Hue, perfectly fitting his role as host.
"I feel good, Hue. And I think this'll be my lucky day." answered Poppy. There was another round of applause.
Hue chuckled. "Well alright then, let's get to it!" the lights all dimmed as they moved to focus on Poppy and Hue at their podiums. A dramatic tone came on over the speakers. "You know the rules: If you can answer this single question correctly, you'll walk away...a millionaire!" Hue cheered. "Are you ready?"
Poppy was more then ready. "Lay it on me, Hue!" she exclaimed confidently.
"Very well." Hue picked up the card and read over the question. Poppy saw his face scrunch up in confusion. "Well I'll be, that really is a hard one." he said looking down at the card. He thought for a moment, then set the card aside. "Tell you what,' he told Poppy, "How about I just make up a question for ya? Since I'm the host, that should still count."
"Um...Yeah, okay. That's fine I guess." Poppy said scratching her head.
Hue thought for a moment before his eyes lit up behind his glasses. "Okay, here's your question: What Is The Color Of Determination?"
Poppy didn't need to even think for this, as Hue had literally just said the answer a moment ago. He wanted her to win, so she could stop Moira. Poppy smiled as she said with utmost confidence. "Green."
Hugh pretended to check his cards. "That is...correct!" there was a thundering applause, raining confetti, balloons and cheering as Hue gave the subtlest of winks to Poppy. "Congratulations Poppy, you're a millionaire!" he cheered.
"Whoa. That's right...I-I am! I'm a millionaire!!" it had only occurred to Poppy just how much money she had really just won, as Hue handed her a giant check for one million Bits in her name.
"We just went bankrupt! So we will NOT be back after these messages. I'm moving to Fiji!" cried the announcer, before the speakers went dead.
Poppy smiled bigger then she ever had in her life. But then her smile quickly faded. "Oh. right. Pears." Poppy wondered if Pears might let her at least keep the check.
But she doubted it.
To-Do List: Return to Pears and (begrudgingly) pay her for the sonic amplifier.
The Inconvenience Store
Poppy used her teleportation spell to whisk herself back to Ponyville, and dragged her hooves as she solemnly entered the Inconvenience Store.
"Poppy!" Pears cheered from behind her counter. "I saw you on the TV! You actually won Who's Never Going To Be A Millionaire!"
Poppy put on a weak smile as she forced herself to hand over the giant check she had won. "Here it is, Pears." she sulked. "One million bits. Like you asked."
Pears smiled brightly. "You see? I knew you could do it!" Pears tried to take the check from Poppy but found it extremely difficult as Poppy's hoof refused to let go. After a minute or so, she finally managed to wrench the check from Poppy's grasp, set it aside then handed her the sonic amplifier.
Poppy was nearly on the verge of tears, but quickly composed herself. It was just money, she told herself. Saving the lives of everyone in Moira's audience meant more then any amount of money. And it was true. (Plus, she was still getting paid for delivering the desk, so that was fine too.)
Poppy thanked Pears, then donned the sonic amplifier. It came on with a mechanical whirring as the lights down the side began to blink rapidly.
"All you have to do is click the red button on the collar, then say or yell something." Pears instructed. "The amplifier will do the rest."
"Thanks Pears." said Poppy with a smile. She tucked the collar under her purple scarf, so it was completely hidden when she went on Moira's show.
After saying goodbye to Pears, Poppy used her spell once more to return to WARP studios, now armed with the means to stop Moira and save everyone.
Equestrian Idol Set
Poppy appeared to see that the set of Equestrian Idol was no almost totally empty, save for the Fizzy Poppers who greeted her with wide smiles. "Poppy!" said Cherry. "We're glad you made it: You're up!"
Poppy's eyes widened. "I'm up!?"
"Well, not up, up." Root explained. "But, you are now the only contestant for Equestrian Idol!"
"I am?" asked Poppy. "What happened to all the other contestants?"
"We turned them all away! Told them to come back tomorrow and try." Lemon Lime explained.
"And they were okay with that?"
"Well....there may have been a few chairs thrown...at us, but we told them rules were rules; what the judges say goes." said Cherry.
Just then another voice was heard. "Poppy!" Poppy turned to see Free, holding a gleaming red electric guitar in her hooves. "Glad you could make it; we have just the thing picked out for ya!"
She handed Poppy the guitar. It was absolutely stunning in its deep red glossy color and designs of lightning bolts embossed along it's surface. "But...I don't know how to play guitar!" said Poppy.
"Oh I know." said Free, pulling out her own gleaming purple guitar. "I'm going to teach you."
Poppy's training was simple. Free told her all she had to know where some open chords, such as A, D, G, and so on. If she knew those, then she could string together a rocking solo with only six notes! Free taught her how each fret and string played a different note, and that by placing her hoof on one string in a certain place, then moving it down as she played a chord, she could create an entire solo if she kept moving her hoof to a new string, and didn't even need to play a new chord in the process. She could play an entire solo using only the A chord. And when her training was complete about an hour later? Free already had a song picked out for her to do.
"Are you ready?" asked Free.
Poppy took a breath and strummed some chords out that sounded amazing, to her surprise. "Yeah." she said confidently. "I think I'm ready."
The lights dimmed as the spotlight shined down on Poppy, and the show began.
To-Do List: Win Equestrian Idol to appear on Moira's show as a celebrity guest.
"Welcome everyone to Equestrian Idol!" said the announcer.
"Hey!" said Poppy. "I thought you were going to Fiji!" Poppy asked the announcer.
"I'm waiting for my flight!" replied the announcer. "And let's meet today's judges: The Fizzy Poppers! There was a rounding applause.
"And now let's meet our first, and only, contestant; Poppy Blossom!" There was another rounding applause.
Poppy smiled and waved to the cameras and audience as she held her guitar in her hooves.
"Poppy will be playing the solo from Sungazer's hit song; 'I Know He's Rock N' Roll'." There was another rounding applause, before it died down so Poppy could begin.
Poppy began to play as Free had taught her, who stood along with her band-mates to the side, cheering Poppy on. The first half of the solo was a buildup of chords and heavy riffs as Poppy played perfectly, taking heed of everything she was taught; and she only ever used the A chord for the solo. The second half was a long and continuous string of loud, wailing chords played at breakneck speed, and that's exactly what Poppy did, filling the atrium with a thunderous melody of rock and roll mastery that made Free and her band-mates cheer even louder.
Then as quickly as it began, it was over, ending on one final chord, drawn out for effect. Poppy looked up from her guitar and waited.
The entire atrium thundered with cheering applause as the Fizzy Poppers held up their scores; ten across the board!
"Ten across the board!" cheered the announcer. "We have a winner!" There was more thunderous applause and cheering. Free and her band-mates were jumping up and down in their excitement.
Poppy waved, her arms raised in triumph and smiling brightly as the applause continued.
"Poppy has won the honor of appearing as a guest on Moira Manners!" said the announcer. "And, I've just been informed my flight has arrived! See ya, suckers!" With that the speaker went dead, and the audience began to exit the studio. Unfortunately since Moira had chained all the exits shut, they were forced to simply sit and wait till someone unlocked the doors for them.
Free ran over and tackled Poppy in a tight hug. "I knew you could do it! That was amazing." she cheered happily.
"You were awesome!" Della added. "Looks like we have a natural over here!"
Pepper smiled and nodded. "Whoa." Della gasped. "That's some big praise, coming from you Peps!"
Poppy smiled as her face went red. "Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without your help, guys." She handed Free back her guitar. "You're a good teacher."
But Free pushed it back into Poppy's hooves. "Naw," she said. "Keep it. You earned it."
"Yeah." said Free with a grin. "Plus, I have like fifty-nine others back at our mansion. Pays to be a rockstar, ya know?" she joked.
It was the Popper's turn to come congratulate Poppy. "That was amazing!" Cherry cheered. "You're amazing!"
"Can you teach us to play like that?" Root asked eagerly.
"Maybe some other time, girls." said a familiar voice. Poppy turned to see her new friend, Make It Shine, smiling at them from off-stage. "Right now, we have a crazy talk-show host to de-throne." she added slyly.
"Shine!" said Poppy happily. "You saw the show?"
"Of course!" Shine laughed. "I'm the director, remember?" She walked up on stage and patted Poppy hard on the back. "I saw you take down our two most popular shows in one day! If I still gave a squirrel's nut about this job, I would definitely ask you to come back next season!"
Everyone laughed at that, including Poppy. "So," Poppy started, "You ready to go take down Moira?" she asked with a sly grin.
"Poppy," Shine tossed her headphones on the floor with a flourish, smashing them as they hit the floor with a crunch. "I've been waiting to hear those words since the day I was promoted to this dead-end job."
Poppy had everything she needed now. Now all that was left was to go on Moira's show, snap her out of her brainwashing trance and free her audience. And with help from her new friends, there was no way she could fail.
To-Do List: Go on Moira's show and confront Moira.
Make It Shine and Poppy waited outside the studio door to Moira's studio. There was an air of uncertainty in the atmosphere. Poppy had been through a lot to make it this far. And she wasn't stopping now.
Poppy reached and and knocked on the door. "Hey." Shine said with a smile. Poppy turned around. "I wanted to thank you.:
"Thank me?" asked Poppy.
"You taught me I don't have to do this dumb job if don't want to." Shine beamed. "There's plenty of other opportunities out there for me; just waiting for me to get out of this damned place and find them!"
"That's the spirit!" Poppy said happily.
"I've decided," Shine continued. "After this, I'm quitting this stupid job and going to find my own path. Maybe try something else in the entertainment field. Who knows? Maybe I'll find the perfect job for me sooner then I think!"
"I'm glad to hear it, Shine." said Poppy with a smile. "I can't wait to see where end up."
"Yeah." Shine agreed. "Me too."
Just then the door opened, and once again Moira stood in the doorway. "Huh? Oh, it's you." she said uncaringly. Her eyes landed on Make It Shine. "Oh, and you brought the wicked director of the west with ya, I see. Hahahaha!" she snapped.
But Make It Shine only smiled. "Oh, I'm not the director anymore, you pompous windbag." she put her arm around Poppy. "I'm just here to cheer on my friend here; after all she is a guest on your show."
"She is?" Moira asked. She grabbed a clipboard and scanned through it. "Huh. Well how about that. She is!"
Moira put the clipboard back and turned to Poppy. "Alright fine. But before you come in, you need to know the rules for being a guest on my show." she said sternly.
"Rules?" asked Poppy and Shine in unison.
"Firstly," Moira began. "I will expect you to be on your best behavior! And agree with everything I say! Secondly, you will answer every question I have, and laugh at all the jokes I make regardless if you think they are funny or not."
"Why do I-?"
"And! Do not interrupt me." Moira snapped. "While you're on my show, you stay in your seat at all times. You do not interrupt me when I'm talking, and you treat the audience with the utmost respect, even if you become less sure with every sentence that they deserve it. Is that clear?"
Poppy heard Shine swearing quite coarsely under her breath next to her. "Um...Yes? I think." said Poppy, amazed that she once respected this horrid woman.
"Good." said Moira. "Now, I'll call you on stage in a minute." she turned to close the door, but looked back. "Oh, and I guess the dire- I mean, your friend or whatever can have a seat in the audience."
To-Do List: Guest star on Moira's show and save her audience, as well as break whatever trance Moira is under.
The jazzy theme of Moira's show played as the cameras swooped down over the audience (who at this point were now rocking back in forth in a fetal position, trying desperately to blink) until they all focused on Moira sitting proudly at her desk.
"Welcome back everyone to our never-ending show special!" Moira cheered. The weakest of applause came from the audience, while one guy literally fell out of his seat fro exhaustion. But Moira seemed completely oblivious to this. "That's the spirit!" she exclaimed.
Moira paused to take a drink of water from her glass, then used a wooden stick to move the microphone closer, which was now sparking and sputtering from overuse. But it was clear nothing was going to keep Moira from doing her show. "Our microphone is acting up a bit, but don't worry; we have a very special guest coming up!" Moira cheered. "She's the winner of Who's Never Going To Be A Millionaire and this season's star of Equestrian Idol: Ladies and gentlecolts, Poppy Blossom!"
Poppy smiled as she walked onto the stage, although the only applause she could really hear was that from Make It Shine who sat in the front row amongst the crowds of lifeless, exhausted ponies, cheering her heart out for Poppy.
As Poppy was about to take a seat, she saw something on Moira's desk that made her stop in her tracks.
A hideously colorful and cheerful looking blue teddy bear with huge green eyes and a tuxedo was sitting on Moira's desk like a decoration, flashing a huge, and frankly disturbing smile. Poppy didn't like that thing at all.
But even more, was that the bear turned it's head to look at Moira, and Poppy gasped as a beam of green energy shot out from the bear's eyes into Moira's, causing them to turn white.
"I knew it!" Poppy exclaimed. "You are being brainwashed!" Poppy tried to approach Moira's desk to take care of the evil bear.
"Hold it!" Moira yelled suddenly. "My guests sit at that end!"
"B-But... that bear-"
"SIT!"
Poppy ran over and sat down on the couch, not wanting to fight another brainwashed super zombie again.
"That's better." said Moira, before turning back to her fake cheery self. "So, Poppy, you're a talented hot new celebrity who had taken the television entertainment world by storm. And I think we all want to know: How'd you do it?"
Poppy thought a moment. Things were different now. She couldn't just use the sonic amplifier to break everyone out of here anymore; that bear on Moira's desk was the real problem! She had to destroy it somehow, or else it would just brainwash someone else. But she couldn't just go after it without the bear turning Moira into a super zombie again. Poppy had no choice but to play along as a guest on a talkshow. Maybe she'd find some way to get rid of the bear in the process.
Poppy put on the best fake smile she could. "I'm glad you asked!" she exclaimed. "It's quite a story actually." Poppy gave a wink to Make It Shine who nodded in response.
"I'm sure it is!" Moira laughed. "By all means, please share with us!"
Actually...maybe, Poppy could use this to her advantage. "Well....it all started a few weeks ago, when I was hired to deliver a crate of books for a friend of mine...
Poppy retold the entire story of how she and her friends had saved Equestria from the former host of a popular children's TV show, Charming Culture, using his mass deliveries of evil brainwashing books. (But she left out the parts about Pears, as the mare was paranoid enough already without a mass TV audience knowing she helped saved all of Equestria.)
When she had finished, the audience was wide awake now, and many were leaning forward to hear more, before breaking out into applause.
"My, my, that is quite a story!" said Moira. "And it's all true?"
"Every word." said Poppy.
"Amazing! Now lets-
"That's actually how I know that bear of yours is the reason you're doing all this."
Moira looked at Poppy. "Excuse me? (what did I say about interrupting!?)
Poppy looked at Moira with a blank expression. "That bear on your desk? It's brainwashing you into keeping your audience captive."
At that the audience began to whisper and talk amongst one another, while Shine silently urged Poppy to keep going.
"Are you insinuating that this wonderful gift I received from an admirer is actually messing with my head?" Moira laughed. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"Is it?" asked Poppy. "You just heard me tell the story of how something as innocent as a book could be used to control someone's mind." Poppy explained. "Can you really say that the same can't be true for a seemingly innocent teddy bear toy?"
The audience was now starting to stir as more and more were talking amongst themselves.
But Moira was now visibly angry. "Alright that's enough!"she yelled. "For the final time, I. am. not. brainwashed! End of story!"
"You aren't?" asked Poppy.
"No! And I don't want to hear anymore about it!" snapped Moira.
"Sooo...you're just a jerk all the time then."
"What did you just say!?" Moira slammed a hoof on her desk. "How dare you talk to me like that on my own show!"
Poppy retaliated by narrowing her eyes at Moira. "And how dare you treat ponies the way you do!" Poppy snapped back. "You think just because you have your own show, that gives you the right to mistreat ponies and disrespect the director of this studio, sorry former director (Shine cheered at that), and you'll just never face consequences for it? Wrong."
The audience began to shout angrily at Moira.
"Nonsense!" Moira exclaimed. "I treat everyone equally!"
"Yeah." said Poppy. "Equally like garbage."
The audience began to shout even more.
Poppy got out of her seat and glared at Moira. "You say you treat everyone fairly?" she asked. "Let me ask you; what kind of pony forces her audience to stay and watch three days worth of her stupid show, and even goes so far as to chain the damn exits to the studio itself, just so she can keep some stupid record!?"
"That's enough!" Moira yelled. "I'm doing this for them, anyways!"
"Wrong." Poppy said glaring at Moira. "You're doing this cause that bear is controlling you." she said. "But y'know what? That bear probably wouldn't even have as strong a hold on you if you didn't actually act this way regardless!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Moira jumped out of her seat slamming her hooves down on her desk and screaming hysterically. "THIS IS MY SHOW! MINE! YOU ARE GOING TO SIT BACK DOWN AND LET ME TALK! THIS SHOW IS NEVER GOING TO END AND THERE ISN'T ANYTHING YOU OR THESE LOSERS CAN DO TO STOP ME! SO DROP IT!" Moira's face contorted with rage, as she glared at Poppy.
But Poppy wasn't looking at her. She was looking at the glass of water that was now right next to the sparking microphone, which was also right next to the evil bear Moira was now holding onto with her hoof.
"Huh. Alright." said Poppy calmly. "I have just one last thing to say, though."
"What!?" snapped Moira.
Poppy smiled as she yanked off her scarf, revealing the voice amplifier around her neck. "You really are a pompous windbag."
Before Moira could react, Poppy hit the button on the collar and let out a small yell, just enough to shatter the glass of water on Moira's desk. The water hit the microphone and at once both Moira and the bear were arrayed in crackling electricity, small volts dancing between the two of them before the bear finally exploded in a shower of stuffing and broken mechanical parts. Moira herself fell from her chair and onto the floor; knocked out cold.
An hour later, the Manehatten police had arrived at Make It Shine's behest, broken down the doors to WARP studios and began escorting everyone out. The audience cheered and jumped for joy as they left the studio, probably never to return again, and headed back to their homes.
Moira, who woke up soon after the police arrived, tried to make a run for it by trying to climb out the window, but was tackled by Make It Shine, who quickly said "That was the greatest moment of my life!" before Moira was taken into custody by police.
Moira Manners was tried for kidnapping, physical and mental abuse and flagrant disregard for following televised entertainment guidelines. She was arrested and sentenced to twenty years of mental therapy in Manehatten Prison for Insane TV Personalities.
Poppy was renowned as a hero for the rescue and safe return of over three-hundred captive audience members, as well as the rescue of all of the members of Sungazer, who quickly said they would've been stuck in there forever if it hadn't been for their new friend Poppy.
Poppy stood at the sidelines with Make It Shine while police continued to escort ponies home. "So, what'll happen to Moira's show?" asked Poppy.
"Eh, I'll probably have it canceled. Put on something more...fun, before I resign tomorrow. Like a cooking show." said Shine with a smile.
"Huh." said Poppy thoughtfully. "That does sound like more fun."
They both laughed. "Welp,' Shine said stretching a bit. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go home and burn everything I ever had to file for this stupid job, then proceed to spend the rest of the day on my couch with a good book."
Poppy stretched out her hoof. "I'll see you around, okay Shine?"
Shine smiled as she grasped Poppy's hoof in hers. "Definitely. Stay out of trouble, Poppy?"
"I think that's literally impossible." Poppy joked. They both laughed, before Shine left for home.
"Poppy." a familiar voice said. Poppy turned to see Free and the other members of Sungazer, smiling warmly at her.
"Free!" said Poppy happily. "I thought you guys would be on your way back home by now!"
Free rolled her eyes. "What and not say thanks to the mare who saved us and our instrument's lives?" Free chuckled at the notion. "Not a chance."
"Thanks. And you're welcome." said Poppy with a smile. "But I wouldn't put it like that; it's not like your actual lives were in danger."
Free grabbed Poppy and locked eyes with her. "Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to perform thirteen shows over three days, with no breaks, and having only written a total of seven songs in your band's career?" she asked Poppy, her pupils nearly pinpricks.
"Um....very?" said Poppy nervously.
"Yes. Very!" replied Free. "So trust me when I say; you saved our lives."
"And we owe you." Della chimed in. "Big time."
Poppy's face went red. "C'mon you guys don't owe me anything."
"Yeah we do!" said Stixx. Pepper nodded in agreement.
Free reached into her pocket, pulled out a strip of paper and handed it to Poppy. "You ever need anything, and I mean anything; you give us a call, yeah?"
Poppy looked down at the number and smiled. "Yeah. I will." she put the number in her satchel. "Thanks."
After one last goodbye and getting a hug from each member, Sungazer boarded their decked out limousine carriage and departed, most likely to take several naps to recharge their rock batteries.
Poppy herself was about to leave, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to see Officer Buttercream, with The Fizzy Poppers standing closely beside him. "Officer Buttercream? What are you doing all the way in Manehatten?"
"I came to pick up my nieces." said Buttercream sternly, and shooting a look at the Poppers who all looked down at their hooves. "but mostly I came once I saw you on Moira's show."
"Oh! You saw that?" asked Poppy.
"I did, and you were quite the hero." said Buttercream. "But I noticed something else; that bear."
Poppy looked up. "Do you know anything about that bear, Officer Buttercream?" asked Poppy with a serious look. "Moira said she got it from an admirer."
"An admirer who secretly wanted to brainwash her into showing her true colors on live television..." said Buttercream rubbing his chin in thought.
Then it hit him. "Poppy?"
"Yes?"
"Did you notice this is the second case we've uncovered involving hypnotic mind control?" asked Buttercream. "First Charming...
"And now Moira." Poppy finished for him, furrowing her brow. "Do you think there might be a connection?"
Buttercream nodded. "I believe so."
"Me too." Poppy agreed. "But what?"
Just then a police mare approached them. "Sir?" she asked.
"What is it, Bramble?" asked Buttercream.
"I think we found something, you should take a look at." she said seriously.
To-Do List: Investigate what the police have found with Officer Buttercream.
Poppy was back on Moira's set. She followed the police over to Moira's desk where they were taking pictures of what looked like a large colorful toy box. The logo read The I Heart You Bear in bright pink letters.
"This must be what the bear came in!" cried Poppy.
"But that's nothing we can use as evidence." said Buttercream.
"Sir?"
"Bramble?"
"Read the shipping label."
Buttercream and Poppy turned over the box and read from the shipping label. It read:
To: Moira
From: The HappyTime Mafia
Poppy and Buttecream stared at the box. "The HappyTime Mafia?" asked Buttercream. "Never heard of that outfit. Poppy?"
Poppy narrowed her eyes at the label. "I've never heard of them either." she said. "But...
"I don't think this is the last we'll hear of them..."