//------------------------------// // Chapter Four: Suit-Case Closed // Story: A Series of Great Ideas (Or Not) // by TheGuineaPig45 //------------------------------// “...and these beautiful, slightly off-magenta curtains have an intricate cotton lace,” Rarity mused, magically waving a curtain past her tour group of eight students, including Gallus and Sandbar. “Watch how it flows! Why, this fabric would make an EXCELLENT dress!” “Except it’s a curtain,” Gallus pointed out, lazily resting his head on his talon. “Darling, don’t be so narrow-minded,” Rarity replied, spinning the fabric around. “You may just see a curtain, but there is beauty in everything.” Gallus scoffed. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful curtain. But it’s still just a curtain.” Rarity scowled at him, then put the curtain back on its rightful window. “Moving on!” she said, leading the group down another hallway. “Remember, students, take notes. This will all be on your decorating final.” The students collectively groaned. “What even is a ‘decoration final’?” Gallus mumbled. “I heard that. Now, to the left, you will see an exquisitely designed vase, delivered straight from the Crystal Empire. And on the right, the kitchen, which we will enter shortly. Ahead of us is-- FLAM?!” In front of the group stood the mustached stallion, casually leaning against a wall. He winked at Rarity, who cringed. “Flam?” Gallus asked. “Is that a type of decoration or…” “Decoration?” Flam repeated. “Why, I’m a traveling salespony, nonpareil!” “More like a traveling con-pony,” Rarity snarked, backing up to keep a distance between the stallion and her students. “What are you doing here, Flam?” “Selling my latest product of course!” Flam said. “A wonderful set of tools, perfect for slaughtering your least favorite bird.” “For WHAT?!” Gallus exclaimed, his claws raised. Flam nervously chuckled. Oh no, he thought. There’s a bird here. I didn't consider my audience. Flim always tells me to consider my audience! This is why he left me! “Flam, I suggest you leave,” Rarity said. “I suggest that, too,” Flam replied, hanging his head low. He turned to leave, but quickly perked up. “Wait! Before I go, I seem to have misplaced my product. Have any of you seen a bright pink suitcase, big enough to fit a filly and several pieces of paper?” “That was oddly specific,” Sandbar observed. “Can’t say I have,” Rarity admitted. “Now run along before you offend any more of my students!” Flam tried to tip his hat to the tour group, but had forgotten he wasn’t wearing his hat, and just stood there awkwardly with a hoof on his head for a moment. With every creature’s eyes on him, he blushed and quietly ran off.     Shining Armor found Fluttershy singing quietly to herself.     The pegasus was all alone, simply sitting in her chair beside the giant map of Equestria, softly vocalizing what Shining thought was a beautiful melody.     “Your voice is great,” the unicorn said. Fluttershy, who had not seen him walk in, jumped up and yelled.     “S-Shining Armor!” she exclaimed, failing to recompose herself. “What are you doing here?!”     “Looking for a bright pink suitcase.”     Fluttershy’s eyes began to tear up. Her ears dropped, and her lip started to tremble. “You’re… you’re with Flam?” she asked, in a more hushed voice than usual. “But… but… that suitcase full of…”     “WHAT?!” Shining shouted, noticing the pegasus shaking. “How much did Flam tell you?! I promise, it wasn’t my fault!”      “He told me enough!” Fluttershy said through her sobs. “I can’t imagine you would do something like that!”     “Look, it just happened, okay?!” Shining panicked. “We didn't mean to cause so much trouble, but we’re trying to fix it!”     “It’s too late! The damage is already done!”     Shining Armor’s ears drooped. He hated seeing Fluttershy cry, especially if he was the source. He went in to give her a hug. She did not reciprocate the gesture. Instead, she flew into the air in a panic and kicked him in the face.     “I’m so sorry!” she gasped. “B-But that’s how the birds feel! Think about that!” She ran away, crying, with her wings covering her face. Shining Armor fell to the floor, unsure of what had just happened.     Birds? he thought to himself.     As Shining rubbed his cheek, Flam walked into the room. After seeing the prince on the floor, he quickly rushed to his aid and got him back on his hooves.     “Are you okay?” Flam asked.     “What did you tell Fluttershy?” Shining growled, clenching his teeth. Flam grinned nervously at him and backed away.     Just then, Pinkie Pie bounced into the room.     “Oh! Hi, friends!” she sang, hopping her way toward the kitchen. “What are you doing here in Ponyville? It’s not a holiday!” She gasped. “Unless it IS and I missed it! Oh no! I have so many gifts to make! Good thing I found this handy-dandy suitcase to hold them in!” In one swift motion, she pulled the giant suitcase out of her mane and presented it to the stallions.     “It was Pinkie Pie?!” Flam whispered, jaw dropped. “We hadn’t even considered her!”     “She’s a wild card,” Shining sighed. “But, given how happy she looks, I don’t think she’s opened it.” “I dunno. She always looks happy,” Flam replied. “Maybe she knows and is trying to trick us!” “Come on. It’s Pinkie Pie.” “Yeah. It’s Pinkie Pie.” Flam and Shining looked at each other, and then at Pinkie. She was widely grinning at them.     “Say, Pinkie,” Flam said, stroking his mustache. “Could we, maybe, take that suitcase off your hooves? Or, out of your mane? Whatever, I don’t know how you work.”     Pinkie Pie snorted. “No, silly!” she laughed. “I just found this, and it perfectly matches me! It’s pink, and I’m Pinkie Pie!”     “Oh no, pink is not your color,” Flam replied, without realizing exactly what he had just said.     “See what happens when we let you do the talking?” Shining groaned. “Pinkie, look, that’s my luggage. I’m visiting an old friend of mine here in Ponyville, and I lost that suitcase. I’ve been looking EVERYWHERE for it. Could you please give it back to me?”     Pinkie Pie stared at the suitcase, then sighed. “Alright,” she said, holding the suitcase out for the stallions to take. “If it’s yours--”     “DO NOT GIVE HIM THAT SUITCASE!”     The voice boomed through the room, freezing Shining, Flam, and Pinkie in their tracks. It belonged to Rarity, who was standing at the other end of the room with a sobbing Fluttershy and the group of students.     “Flam is selling a weapon to ponies!” Rarity continued, pointing a hoof at the stallion.     “A very offensive weapon,” Gallus added, growling.     “And Shining is working with him!” a shuttering Fluttershy confirmed.     Pinkie’s jaw dropped to the floor, appearing to dent it.     “Hey, whoa!” Shining chuckled, putting one of his front legs around Flam. “This is all a big misunderstanding. There’s no weapon in that suitcase.”     “Right!” Flam agreed. “Because the prototype is inside!”     Shining could feel a part of himself die.     “Well, if that’s the case, let’s prove it,” Rarity said as she levitated the suitcase toward the group. Slowly, she began to open it.     Shining could feel the sweat fall down his face like a waterfall. Flam was audibly breathing heavily.     This is it.     When Rarity had opened the suitcase fully, her and her students simply stared at it awhile, not one daring to look away from what was inside. After a moment, however, they turned it to Shining Armor and Flam.     “What do you have to say about this?” Gallus asked, pointing at the inside of the suitcase.     Shining Armor sighed, and he could feel his whole body weighing him down. He opened his mouth to confess, but Flam quickly covered his mouth with his hoof.     “Don’t,” the mustached pony whispered, pointing toward the suitcase.     Shining couldn’t believe his eyes.     It was empty.