//------------------------------// // 43 // Story: Choice // by AnOrdinaryWriter //------------------------------// You stand up from the chair, cupping your hooves over your mouth and shout a loud boo which reverberates through the whole theater. In that instant, the soothing notes of the cello cut off like a needle being taken off a vinyl disk. Silence pierces through the large auditorium, and the mare on stage looks at you with shock and hurt. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” Vinyl Scratch shouts furiously, standing up to face you. “I bring you here to give her some encouragement and you boo her?” A noticeable red hue paints itself on Vinyl’s face, contrasting against her pale yellow fur. “She’s under a bucketload of stress practicing for a show that could change her life. That’s the last thing she needs, asshole!” Both mares in the theater stare at you, one pained and anxious and the other overcome by rage. You rub the back of your neck. This isn’t what you had planned. Perhaps you went a little too far. Before you can explain yourself, Vinyl firmly grips your foreleg and tugs you down the aisle. “Get out of here. Some friend you are.” She opens a door behind her, bright light pooling in from the other side, and throws you out of the auditorium. You fall to the ground on your back as the door shuts loudly. Getting up from the ground you find yourself outside the front entrance. Yikes… That was rough. You didn’t think your joke would take such a sour turn. Not to mention, you could have sworn the trip from the entrance to the auditorium was a lot longer earlier… Not to worry though. You still have the whole rest of the day ahead of you. One small conflict isn’t going to change that. You start walking down the road with a smile, deciding that maybe since hanging out with Vinyl isn’t an option anymore, you can find Pinkie and accept her offer of hanging out from earlier. With that thought in mind, you determine that Pinkie Pie had gone back to Sugarcube corner, and decide that that’s your next destination. Remembering that Sugarcube Corner is just down the road past Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle, you head in that direction. As you walk, you reach a fork in the road where one path leads to the castle, and the other leads down an alley with houses on either side. As you look down the alley, you see a pink shape slowly coming toward you, bouncing up and down as it approaches. When you get closer, you realise that it’s the mare you were looking for: Pinkie Pie. Suddenly, to your left, you hear hoofsteps on dirt, and turn to see that Princess Twilight had exited her castle and, with a stern and almost suspicious expression, trots earnestly toward you. They both stop at the end of the paths they’re on. “Hey!” Pinkie says cheerfully to you. “I saw you walking all alone and assumed you were done hanging out with Vinyl, so I came to ask if you wanted to taste test now!” She springs up into the air with an adorably wide smile as she finishes her sentence. “Excuse me,” Princess Twilight’s voice speaks from your left, and you look over to see her shooting you a nervous look. For some strange reason, she sends quick skeptical glances in Pinkie’s direction, and knowing about their close friendship, this undoubtedly confuses you. “I need to talk to you. It’s serious, and I think you’ll be able to help.” That’s certainly weird, you think. It’s strange enough that Twilight is eyeing Pinkie as though she’s a being from a different world, but to add to that, Pinkie Pie doesn’t even acknowledge her best friend’s existence, continuing to look eagerly at you, impatient for your answer. You look at Twilight, noticing the apparent worry in her expression, and if what she’s dealing with is as serious as she’s letting on, then maybe you should help out. Then again, your desire to taste test with Pinkie Pie is just as strong. Go with Twilight Sparkle_______________________________________________________________________Go with Pinkie Pie