//------------------------------// // A Night In The Spotlight // Story: Team Quantum // by Impossible Numbers //------------------------------// Next to the clunking machinery of the Lambda Likelihood Locator, Twinkleshine kept watching for any obstacles as they crossed the campus threshold. The courtyard was silent. The approaching night was cool. She tried hard to concentrate also on Minuette’s strained voice. “When…” Another clunk. “Is it time…” A third clunk. “For you…” A fourth clunk. “To trade places with me?” A fifth clunk. “This thing’s heavier than I thought.” “In a moment, in a moment,” said Twinkleshine quickly. “I’m still considering our strategies here.” The machine stopped moving. “You mean Opal’s still on your head?” Opal’s tail flopped over Twinkleshine’s face. Feathery fur tickled her nose. “Opal, dear,” she said, having passed the whimpering stage long ago. “If you get off my head, I’ll give you a nice cushion.” A purring chuckle made it very clear what Opal thought of this pitiful bribe. Twinkleshine quashed the urge to shake her off. After all, she wanted to keep her mane. “All right, I’ll give you a belly rub. How’s that?” Opal stirred, but it turned out she was just yawning and stretching; the weight made Twinkleshine’s head dip, and down came the tail again. She tried to stop herself going cross-eyed. “A toy mouse?” Claws tugged at her ear; she squeaked. “Eek! – Minuette, she’s not – eek! – letting go – eek!” Minuette sniffed and stepped around to face her. “Well, of course she’s not letting go. You’re trying to be nice to her. Cats hate it when you’re nice.” “You sure about that?” “Come on. We’re scientists. This shouldn’t be hard to figure out.” “I’d like to hear your plan, then!” Minuette pouted and narrowed her eyes. It was the classic thoughtful look before she blew something up, and Twinkleshine hastily opened her mouth – “How about we use negative reinforcement instead of positive reinforcement?” said Minuette. Sounded hopefully intelligent, but… “Meaning?” “Uh… I could find a dog? That’d get her off.” “Dogs aren’t that suicidal – eek!” “Ah, got it! We could blast her off with a laser.” “Are you kidding!? You’re not shooting a laser at my head!” “It’s all right. I’ll be aiming at Opal.” “With your aim – eek! – I’d feel better if you were aiming at my head!” “No call for that,” said Minuette calmly. “Ah! I know! I’ll invent a time machine and go back to just before she jumped on. That’ll sort it out.” Twinkleshine sighed, and then squeaked at another tug of her ear. “The time machine again? Minuette – dear, dear Minuette – this is starting to get obsessive – eek!” “Oh, you and your worries, Twinkleshine! Now all I need is a dog to take back with me –” Someone whistled. Beyond the waggling tail of Opal and the retreating face of Minuette, Twinkleshine saw the mare Amethyst Star stride up to them, her face an inscrutable blank. Amethyst’s horn glowed. She braced her legs and raised a gemstone, lining it up like a sniper’s scope. The dot of red ran along the stone path, read the contours up Twinkleshine’s legs and chest, and then disappeared somewhere above Twinkleshine’s nose, blinding her briefly with the flaring redness. If Twinkleshine had been still before, then now she was so frozen, she nearly achieved absolute zero. “Am-m-methyst…” she murmured. “D-Don’t you dare…” “I didn’t really mean blast her off with a laser –” began Minuette. Shushing her gently, Amethyst waggled the gemstone. Overhead, Opal mewed. The dot shot down and ran along the stone. Seconds later, Twinkleshine yelped; Opal’s weight vanished, and she saw the ball of white leap over and over for a dot Amethyst’s gemstone laser was throwing back and forth. Slowly, she guided the beam around, towards the building, and at the nearest door. The light went out. Opal purred curiously, tail wagging, and then nudged the door open and slipped inside to begin her quest for the elusive shiny. A flash later, Amethyst stood up straight and the gemstone was out of sight. “Now now, Twinkleshine. Much as we all know you want to be Rarity, there’s such a thing as being too obvious about it.” Minuette giggled. This seemed entirely the wrong response, to Twinkleshine’s frayed nerves and spluttering embarrassment. Even Amethyst’s small smiles – such as the one she wore on approach right now – carried a hint of diamond about them. “Nice machine, by the way, and I’m not being sarcastic.” “Thanks!” said Minuette. “You got it to work?” “Yes,” said Twinkleshine, who was glad to be able to nod again without fear of claws tearing her mane off. “It works all right. We detected a window right there and then, exactly as my hypothesis predicted.” “Which one’s that, Hypothesis Number 24?” “Number 57.” “Uh huh. Remind me why you sat down and came up with 57 –” “125.” “Right. With 125 hypotheses again?” “I like to play it safe.” Twinkleshine’s face dared her to challenge it. Fortunately, Amethyst had taken her clever pills today. “Good call. Might as well cover our bases, though you’re not going to win any bets with a strategy like that.” She walked around the machine. Devoid of its full power, the thing resembled nothing but a trolley turning into an egg. Since clever pills didn’t include niceness as a side effect, she added, “A bit primitive, isn’t it?” Minuette patted the side. “Ah, it’s fine! Why does everyone keep saying that? You want it spruced up, you tell Rarity to build one.” At once, Amethyst’s lips went thin. She and Twinkleshine exchanged looks, the former with eyes like gun barrels, the other holding up a riot shield of a smile. Her voice as measured as a combatant circling around an opponent, Twinkleshine said, “Style does count for something. Right?” Circling in kind, Amethyst’s voice said, “If you say so.” Around them, evening pressed on. Twinkleshine looked up. Over the sleek gleam of the dome, the sky paled, colours melting out of the pure blue to seep into the clouds themselves. Cool winds rushed to bed across the shushing treetops. Whether or not the ponies wanted to shut their eyes, the light gently reminded them that soon the glories of the day would be an ebbing memory. The loud chatter of the day faded to a soothing murmur. Twinkleshine saw the sunset every day. Still, she wondered why they didn’t see it too. The way she did. The way the world moved on, taking them all gently along. Shame about the monkeys, really. Amethyst looked up at the shrieks. One monkey clambered over the rooftops, helmet shining bright yellow now. It raised another helmet like a prize – a bronze one with plumes – and then jumped off the edge and out of sight. “Huh. Well, that was surreal,” said Amethyst. Two Royal Guards yelled out, charged past, and disappeared behind one of the college towers. One of the guards had no helmet on. “Oh boy,” said Minuette, and she vanished behind the machine, which squeaked across the path again. “Quick. Help me hide this before we get into trouble.” “Why?” said Twinkleshine, but some of Minuette’s nerves found their way into her voice box. “It’s not our fault. We didn’t bring them here.” “So? We’ll get the blame anyway! Come on, help me push it!” Twinkleshine sighed. She’d only do this because Minuette asked. Privately, the thought of pushing a heavy weight around held as much appeal as getting sunburn. Speaking of which, her skin was feeling a little warm, though that might have been overexertion. Or Opal. “Will you help us, Amethyst?” she said before daintily pressing her front hooves against the metal. “What, you mean a strong pair of ponies like you need my help?” Next to her, Minuette backed up and rammed the metal repeatedly with her shoulder. They got it up to the exit before Twinkleshine broke first. “I think I scuffed a hoof. Let’s stop for a second,” she said. Minuette groaned and fell onto her front, panting hard. “Not much for practicals, are you?” said Amethyst. She looked past them and added, “Three, two, one…” Bounce, bounce, bounce… Next moment, Twinkleshine yelped as she tumbled backwards onto the lawn and landed flat on her spine, someone else’s four hooves pinning her limbs down. A grin beamed down at her. “Hey, howdy, heya, hiya, hullo, howzat, and how’d it go?” Lyra said. It wasn’t a voice to endure inches in front of the ears. “Like clockwork,” murmured Amethyst. “It… went fine… Uh, Lyra? We talked about this?” Twinkleshine waggled her limbs slightly. “So it works?” Lyra hopped off and pulled her back onto all fours. “That’s fantastic! I can’t wait to see you try it when I’m around! Didn’t I tell you? You girls officially rock! Oh, hey –” she spun around, and Twinkleshine ducked to avoid getting whipped by her tail “– this calls for a celebration! Who is on for pizza night?” “I am! I am!” Minuette hopped on the spot and reared up. “Pizza night, here we come!” Amethyst and Twinkleshine exchanged looks, this time full of mutual support and pity. “I can’t,” said the former. “Prior engagements.” “I’m not sure,” said the latter. “I’ve got so much work to do…” It didn’t do her much good to see Minuette slump, but Lyra’s disappointment was a full body droop. From the path below, she moaned, “Oh, Ammy. Come on.” “You’re one less tonight, girls.” Amethyst marched around them, adjusting the straps of her saddlebags. “Dinky needs picking up. If this were the weekend, maybe, but not during a school week.” “Aw, you’re stealing away a good share of the joy!” moaned Lyra, making faint steps after her. Yes, well, that’s a matter of opinion, thought Twinkleshine grimly. Everyone else says she isn’t, and you say she is. “Be a proper big sister! Why don’t you let Dinky skip school, like Sweetie Belle? We could have them both over here! I’d show them how to play the lyre!” “Goodbye, girls,” Amethyst said over her shoulder. “Amethyst!?” Minuette shouted. “We can’t leave Opal here! Someone needs to take her home to Rarity’s!” There was just enough uncomfortable silence before Amethyst shouted, “Have fun with that!” And left. “She’ll join us one day,” said Lyra hopefully. Twinkleshine heaved her lungs at the ineffable nature of faith. “Lyra, we know you mean well, but she’s just not that close to us.” Lyra rounded on her. “If you give her one chance, trust me, you’ll find out she’s not as bad as you think.” “She was going to shoot a laser at my head!” “What? Nah! She wasn’t going to shoot you. She’d never shoot anyone. Anyway, she was aiming at Opal.” “That’s much better!?” “So she doesn’t want to join us this time,” said Minuette, wedging herself between the two of them; Twinkleshine felt the forelimb drape over her neck. “That’s OK. To end up having a fun time, the three of us are more than enough in the mathematical function of our friendship!” “How about Moondancer?” said Lyra under Minuette’s other forelimb. “Someday, we’ve got to get her out of that tower. She’ll love it!” Twinkleshine braced herself. “Or Rarity. She always knows the classiest places to eat.” Limbs stiffened. She knew the line had been crossed, but marched on regardless, ready to face the army or die trying. “Tonight, I heard she’s at the Genera Garden Gala. We know her. She’d let us in. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get to know how the other half live! Haven’t you ever wondered?” All three of them broke apart. “Twinkleshine,” groaned Minuette. “Why? She’s made it very clear she doesn’t want us around.” “Nononononono, you don’t understand. She doesn’t mind us being around. She’d simply like us to act…” The giggles made a bid for her mouth, and she had to cover the exit before finishing with, “Act like ladies.” “But you heard what she said about our pizza place!” “She has… high standards. Nothing less than the finest cuisine this city has to offer. Five-star restaurants, girls! Five! Stars!” “She said our pizza place didn’t deserve one! That’s our pizza place!” Minuette cupped a hoof to her own gasp. “No, we don’t have to take marching orders from her. Right, Lyra?” After an embarrassed silence, Minuette added, “Oh, Lyra, not you too…” “It’d be an experience.” Lyra shrugged. “That’s all. I mean, so long as we’re all together, right?” “All of us minus Amethyst, you mean. OW!” Replacing an awkward silence with even more awkward shouting, the monkey bounced off Minuette’s head and scampered out through the gates. A guard waiting outside pounced, ramming his helmet over the thing. “GOTCHA!” he yelled in triumph. Twinkleshine felt the others’ stares in the back of her neck. “I’ll go talk to him about the monkeys,” she murmured. On approach, she saw the guard levitate his helmet and shield the bottom to prevent the monkey falling out. He didn’t look the understanding type, but then she apparently had to take responsibility. Regardless. “Pardon me, sir?” she said. “I caught the little blighter in the end,” he said. “Rotten thing almost made off with Escutcheon’s crupper.” Not sure how to respond to that, Twinkleshine went on. “I should tell you there’ll probably be more than that. You see, my friend and I were in the park –” “We know, lass. Me lad Peytral told me you egghead-types made this big window-making thing.” “Oh, no, that wasn’t quite how it happened –” “Oho, lass. We know.” He tapped the side of his muzzle with a hoof; she noticed with horrified fascination that said hoof was as big as a dinner plate. “Me son tells me, he tells, ‘One minute, these two lasses wheel this big metal egg thing around the place, then it goes all flashing, next you know there’s bloomin’ monkeys everywhere, pinching the sandwiches.’” He frowned at her. “Sir, please, allow me to explain –” she began. To her astonishment, he gripped her hoof – cuffs flashed through her shocked imagination – and shook heartily. “That was a good wheeze, Miss! Me son thought it were a right good show, and no mistake!” “Pardon!?” Twinkleshine’s leg burned with the rising friction. “Oh, you students crack me up you do. It was like me cousin and the toilet seats in St Meadow’s College. Darn near choked on me drink when he tell it.” “Ahahaha, I think we’re talking at cross-purposes –” He let go of her hoof so suddenly she almost smacked herself, and then the guard’s notebook was thrust into her muzzle. “Don’t suppose we could have an autograph? It’d be something to show ‘im next time he brings it up in the tavern.” “Uh…” “Oh, of course,” he added, lowering the notebook. “What am I going on about?” “Yes, quite. Uh…” “I forgot the pen. Here you go.” Twinkleshine gawped at the toothmarked specimen offered up. Nearby, the notebook hovered, awaiting her signature. Awaiting her signature. Yes, for a crime she didn’t commit but which wasn’t a crime anyway, but awaiting her signature. And it wasn’t a committee form, or a bit of bureaucracy. This signature was to show someone that the autograph connected them to the unreachable, untouchable, once-in-a-lifetime-do-you-get-to-meet-someone-like her! Her first autograph! Of course, she hadn’t quite imagined it would be for a royal guard, but presumably better candidates would follow. All in good time. She took the pen. “Yes,” she squeaked. More gracefully, she added, “It would be my pleasure. How about, ‘To a charming fan, Best wishes, Miss – sorry – Lady Twinkleshine’?” “Oh, I don’t think you should sign it ‘Twinkleshine’, Miss Sparkle.” The dream shattered. She stared at him. “What?” she said. “Oh! I beg your pardon! I thought you was Miss Sparkle, Miss.” “No.” Her voice was an ice pick. “I’m not.” “Beg pardon.” He looked past her. “So one of your friends over there is Miss Sparkle, right?” Twinkleshine marched back to the others. She knew her face must be glowing. It was a wonder she didn’t blind herself. At some point during her absence, Opal had returned and claimed Lyra’s head. For some reason – Probably a wretched cat-lover, Twinkleshine thought – Lyra seemed to think this was funny. “Did you tell him?” said Minuette. “Yes.” She spat the word out through clenched teeth. “How come he looked at me at one point?” Twinkleshine pinned her gaze down and took a deep breath. “Right. No ifs, no buts, no contrariness of any kind. We are going to that Garden Party.” “But –” “For one night, for one year, for one lifetime, you and you – yes, I’m looking at you Lyra – are going to find out what it’s like to be high society. Minuette: you’ve spent your whole life making marvellous machines. Lyra: you’re as gifted with music as any mare I know. Tonight. My treat. You both deserve it.” “Uh… shouldn’t we get the machine in first?” said Minuette. Yet Twinkleshine had seen her friend’s lip tremble under the barrage of goodwill, and she wanted that. “After we get the machine in first, then we’re going to enjoy the highlights of how the other half live. Is that fair to you?” Lyra raised a hoof. “Can Moondancer come?” “Oh, all right. We’ll pick her up on the way.” “Hold on, hold on,” said Minuette. “No! Look, the pizza place – pizzeria – is not the right place anymore. We’re top scientists. Why can’t we have a little class in our lives too? Don’t we deserve a treat too? A little pampering? A chance to shine?” “I like the pizza place,” said Minuette quietly. “That’s where we always went as friends.” They both looked at Lyra, who grinned at each in turn as though trying to decide who scared her most. “There’s something to be said for the old-school camaraderie,” she conceded to Minuette. To Twinkleshine, she conceded, “On the other hoof, it would be nice to try new things. I’m game. New things are the best, except for the old things, but new things are like new friends you haven’t met yet.” “So…?” said the other two. “So… I think Twinkletoes – sorryTwinkleshinesorrysorry – can have tonight, and… we… can go to the pizza place next time.” Twinkleshine’s mind exploded with fireworks. Too many bursts and bangs ran around her skull that she wondered for a moment if this was how Lyra felt all the time. “Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!” She hugged them both, and didn’t even cringe or worry when they grunted with surprise. “The cuisine, the philosophical discussion, the architecture, the style!” “All right, then!” Minuette’s voice was somewhat strangled. “Let’s go!” “What!? Just like that!?” “Uh… why not?” “Oh, nonononono! First of all,” Twinkleshine’s hug tightened while the sparkles ran through her eyes. “First of all, we’re going to my place to try on dresses!” This time, the grunts were a little more urgent. “Have we been bad recently?” said Lyra.