Griffon of Canterlot
Chapter 55 – Hyper Sunday
Shining Armor, Cadance, Gabby and Gale with a small group of guards in the distance walk by streets full of restaurants to a large building, just like Gustave's restaurant this one really stuck out with a cartoonish explosion over the entrance, two triangle looking ships with wings shooting towards it with two streaks behind it.
Gale noticed it was lacking windows on the sides but only the front from what he could tell, ponies from young to teenage with adult ponies walking inside, the building was a dark shade of blue with the explosion and triangle ships brighter colours really standing out with the large letters in griffish for effect.
'CANTERLOT ARCADES'
Something about the building sign gave him a sense of familiarity, Gale as they got closer could hear the sound of chatter mixed with music and noises of all different kinds, his ears flicker to each sound and upon stepping inside the size of the place showed itself, there was a mix of interaction games to game machines and vs table games.
Gale knew one of them in a instant upon seeing it, somehow the table with the two ponies playing he knew the name of it... “Air hockey?” Gale blurted out.
Shining Armor and Cadance looked at each other with surprise while Gabby grab Gale's talon with her's. “Let's go play it! There a table free right over there!”
“Yay!” Gale nods, he gave Shining Armor his plush and rush off with Gabby to play it.
Shining Armor holding it with his foreleg staring. “Please tell me I wasn't hearing things just now...”
“No I heard it too, that is the name of the game and also if he knew of it that would mean...” Cadance slowly pauses but sees a flyer land on the ground, she pick it up reading the first thing she saw. “Air Hockey, new to Canterlot Arcades, play with a friend.” Cadance laughed a little. “Wow I feel silly, I thought it was something from his past 4000 years ago.”
“Yeah it easy to over-react to that.” He looked around. “Best not to speak about it here, who knows what unsavoury ears could be listening, specially the reporters.” Shining Armor advised Cadance to drop the subject at the moment.
Cadance looking around as they walked in. “Your right Shiny.” She watching them playing with talons on the paddles hitting the disc shape puck back and forwards trying to score through the slots just under them at the end of each side. “I am glad I gave the bag of bits to Gabby ahead of arriving.” Cadance watched them play. “Look like they gotten right into it already.”
Shining Armor look to the upper level café that over looked the arcade floor. “Let's go up there, we can keep a eye on them up there.” The guards had too their stations in areas of the arcade floor out the way but in sight of each other, those in view of Gale and Cadance.
“Good idea love.” She walk up to the stairs heading up with Shining following.
They found a table and took a seat to be greeted by a pony. “Welcome to the Explosive Café, I am Dicey Shine and be your server, here are your menus and I will be back in a moment to take your orders for drinks.” The light blue unicorn with pink wild and wavy mane and tail wearing a dark blue top with the arcade logo on the centre neck piece.
“Thank you.” Shining Armor went to use his magic to take them but his horn flickered.
Cadance giggled and took them herself, the unicorn leaves. “Shiny you are holding Gale's plush still.”
Shining Armor glance down and groans. “Curse that plush and it interfering effect on magic.” Shining put the plush down next to him, he attempt to use the magic again and it works, he look over the balcony they sat on to see Gale and Gabby still at it. “I would have been surprised that Gilda had a cousin like this but I fall into that cartography with Twilight.”
“She failed to tell her friends in Ponyville?” Cadance asked the question she already knew the answer of.
“Yep.” They laughed.
Gale and Gabby were tied at four each, the disc sliding across back and forwards, the griffon instincts were benefiting both of them to the point most of the time it just luck or a slight miss of the paddle hitting the disc to cause it to deflect into their own goals.
Gabby hits it right down the middle and Gale hit back bouncing on the right to the left, she react to knock it against the sides back and forwards till Gale got a good hit on it sliding fast, Gabby knock it with her paddle to bounce behind it, reacting to try and stop it the disc is knocked in.
The score change with the numbers flashing showing the game was over. “Wow that AWESOME! Nice shot Gale! You beat me good!” She giggled. “I never had this MUCH fun in a long time! What else shall we go and play next?” Gabby looking around, Gale point to her and wave his talon around the arcade. “Oooo you want me to pick?” He nods. “Okay! Let's see...” She rubbed the talon under her beak thinking about what to pick next to play.
Gabby saw a few ponies playing on four different colourful drums matching the matching circles raising up. “Oooo I know! We play them!” Gabby grab his foreleg pulling the teenager over it as they ponies took the tickets from the machines and walk off. “We drum matching the colours that on the screens here and the better the score the more tickets we win for prizes over there!” Gabby point to the kiosk that had a sets of glass cases filled with different items, behind it and the pony at the prize kiosk were more costly ones.
Gale took a seat putting in a few bits into the slot, Gabby does the same. “Fun time?”
“Fun time! Let's drum away!”
Da-bam-bam-bah-da, Da-bam-bam-bah-da
Bah-bah-da, bah-bah-da
Da-bam-bam-bah-da, Da-bam-bam-bah-da
Gale and Gabby drumming away at the red, blue, green and yellow drums following the colour circles that move down the display on the white screens, hitting them at the black line they cross.
Gale tapping his right paw to the beats of each drum soon through the arcade sounds and different forms of music, a musical beat to each of the drum banging and paw tapping bled through.
Gale starts to sing to the beats
“Talons fall upon the drums
The drums booming away
Tapping that paw upon beat
Singing to the beat of fun!”
Pony sitting at a Space Invaders game shooting in rhythm to the beat of the music and drums.
“Pew pew goes the defenders
Taking out those invaders
Scoring that highest score
In the Canterlot Arcades”
As the colours at hit by Gale and Gabby's talons he sing out each one joined by Gabby both smiling as they glance at each other as they bang away.
"Red blue blue yellow
green yellow yellow blue
Red red Green Blue
Blue red yellow green”
A mare and stallion sings out next while through basketballs up into the hoop.
“The balls with a dunk
Chinching goes the goal
Out come the tickets
Win for those prizes”
Gale and Gabby continue to drumming with tickets coming out singing again with ponies cheering for them.
“Talons fall upon the drums
The drums booming away
Tapping that paw upon beat
Singing to the beat of fun!
Banging the drums with talons
The tickets pour upon the ground
The prizes to win upon these tickets
The gift to gift to family”
Ponies join in with a few flashing cards up into the air to each one that is sung out.
“Green blue red yellow
Red red green yellow
Yellow yellow blue green
Green yellow blue blue”
Shining Armor and Cadance take notice from the balcony watching as magical muscial plays out, she nod to Shining to go down, he walk down the steps to the drumming game machines.
Gale and Gabby sing alone again moving their top parts of the bodies to the left and right each each beat happily singing away, lights flickering around.
“Talons fall upon the drums
The drums booming away
Tapping that paw upon beat
Singing to the beat of fun!”
Four ponies, two on each machine dance steps sing away dancing to each arrow going up.
“Fun fall upon the arcade
Dance to that step display to you
Stomp those hooves away
Fun at the Canterlot Arcades!
Left right down down right
right left up down left
down up left left up
up down up right down!”
All the ponies around Gale and Gabby as they drum away join in with them.
“Talons fall upon the drums
The drums booming away
Tapping that paw upon beat
Fun at the Canterlot Arcades!”
The final climax of the song arrives.
“Fun... At... The... Canterlot... Arcades!”
They raise their hooves up with a mighty cheer as the jackpot alarms go off at the end of the song.
Gale and Gabby grab each other cheering as they get covered in tickets from their machines, ponies stomping and cheering too, they burst out of the pile of the tickets looking at each other before bursting into laughter with the ponies around.
As Shining Armor arrives the ponies already parted and gone back to playing their games, it was as if the magical musical number never really effected whatever they were doing. “That was one heck of a performance kiddo, you really got amazing singing voice.”
Gale blinked. “Sin-” He paused. “Magic music!?” He fell backwards into the pile of tickets fighting through it, he popped his head out of the tickets. “C-tal-agh!” He threw the forelegs up in frustration with tickets flying up and landing on his head grumbling under his breath.
Gabby giggled pulling herself free from her pile. “Maybe magic just gave you what you look forward to having! That moment after Gilda teaches you to speak just like everyone of us! That would be a AWESOME moment wouldn't it?” Gabby put her talon out to him.
Gale nods. “Yes!” He take it and she pull him out of the pile of tickets. “No magic music anymore please?”
“Gotcha kiddo, no more magic music.” Shining chuckled using his magic to stack the ticket pile up neatly. “Luckily for you I got a sister that like things to be in order, so I picked up on a few things off her.” He hummed looking at the stack. “You two really got the haul, three hours at the drumming and you got all this? Impressive.”
Gale puff his chest with pride and Gabby giggled. “That we did, it was AWESOME fun! So much time flew by!”
Suddenly it clicked. “Wh-what!?” Gale squawked with shock. “Bu-but magic music h-ho-confused! Confused! So Confused!” Gale tried to wrap his head around it.
“Yeah...” Shining Armor rubbed the back of his head. “Maybe the Cadance failed to mention that sometimes magic singing moments might cause time to blur by for those that singing it, including those involved.”
Gale sat on his flank with his beak hanging open with shock and confusion. “Understand magic music, must know!” Shining Armor knew this sudden look from what he was told by Cadance.
Gabby giggled rubbing his back. “Gale didn't we sing about getting gifts of family at one point?”
Gale gasped. “Yes gifts!” Gale instantly got up on all fours. “Gifts!” He point to the kiosk.
Shining Armor using his magic to pick up the stack. “Sure kiddo, let's cash in the tickets and claim your gifts.”
“Yay!” He flew over to it to start looking for gifts.
Shining lean over to Gabby as he walk over to it with her. “Nice save.”
Gabby salutes. “No problem Captain Armor!” He chuckled in response.
The pony at the kiosk whistled at the number of tickets Shining was holding in his magic, the red unicorn stallion wearing the blue uniform. “You two griffons really scored a lot of tickets.” He used his magic to take them from Shining's magic placing them in a large container on a large scales, the needle went up past the 9,000 mark close to the max mark of 10,000. “9,200 tickets, that a good haul, so what do you wish to use them on?”
“Muuuum! Can I have some bits! I only need another 150 tickets to get the Joyboy!” A colt complained.
The mare speaks up. “No Button, that enough bits, use what you've won to pick something or anything to use them up.”
“Muuum! I don't want anything else but the Joyboy!”
Gale hummed and tap Gabby on the side. “What is it Gale?” He point to the brown colt with the propeller hat and to the tickets. “Ooooo I get it!” He nods. “Hey mister unicorn, can you give 200 of our tickets to that colt and his mum please?”
The unicorn stared. “Erm... What?”
“They like to give up 200 of their tickets to the colt, is that okay?” Shining now asked.
He looked very confused. “Yes... Sure...” The confused unicorn remove 200 tickets and gave them to Button. “Here the two griffons over there want you to have these...”
“REALLY!?” Button turn to them.
“Yep!” Gale squawked happily.
Gabby smiled. “Happiness is the best reward!”
“WOW thank you!” He ran up to them giving both a hug and rush back to his mum. “Mum mum look! We got enough!”
“It sure looks like it.” She nod to the unicorn to use them and exchange gave a box with a hoof held console in it. “Thank you Prince Gale and young griffon, you really made my son's day.” She turn watching Button prance off shouting out over and over again 'I got a joyboy!'. “Well we better be off, it a school day for him tomorrow.” She trots off after her son.
Shining Armor chuckled. “You two made a real good impression and made that young colt very happy.” Gale and Gabby clapped talons. “Now for the rest of your tickets, there anything here you can get.”
Gabby saw a plush that she knew that make Gale's day. “Mister unicorn I take that one.”
The unicorn remove ticket amount and gave the plush over. “There you go, one Princess Celestia plush.”
Gabby turn to Gale. “Here is your gift from me to you!” She giggled presenting it to Gale.
Gale took it. “Mum plush!” He hugs Gabby and she return it. “Gift Gabby!” He look around and point to the Spitfire plush. “That!”
“Okay one Spitfire plush.” He smiled giving it to Gale, in turn Gale gave it to Gabby.
Gabby hugs him back. “Thank you Gale, this will be perfect on my shelve at home!”
The unicorn turn to Shining Armor. “I never seen griffons like this... They are... Odd.”
“Not odd, just unique.” Shining smiled. “Now you two, use up the rest of those ticket so we get sit down and eat.”
Gale nods. “Gifts for all family!”
“Gifts for family.” Gabby giggled, Shining Armor watched as they went on a spending spree with the tickets.
Short time later Cadance saw Gale and Gabby happily walk up the stairs over to the table, behind bags of prizes from the ticket exchange being floated up the stairs by Shining Armor. “Wow you two really been busy.”
They sat down and Shining Armor put the bags down by the wall. “They sure have and none of them part from the Princess Celestia and Spitfire plush is theirs.”
“What?”
“They shared the tickets between each other to get gifts for those they know.” Shining Armor said and shows what Gale got him. “I am sure Spike told him about this.” It was a first edition issue one comic of his favourite comic book series.
Cadance looked at it. “Well you are quite the comic book nerd when it comes to that series.” She giggled.
Gale presents her gift. “Gift cousin Cady!”
Cadance took the bag with a wing and put it down in front of her to open it. “Wow that is a very pretty picture frame.” It was a love heart shaped blue and pink picture frame. “Thank you cousin Gale.” She hugged him and he hugged her back. “Now who hunger?”
“Magic music time skip thing hunger!” Gale said.
“Had one of those singing experiences huh?” Gale nods. “Well than, let's see what you want and we eat.” Gale gave another nod to Cadance.
They given menus. “This been the most FUN I had in ages! I never would of thought time really flies when you having fun!” Gabby excitingly said to them. “We got to play so many more games after eating!”
“And you will.” Shining chuckled.
After a little time of looking over the menus they ordered their meals from Dicey Shine with four strawberry shakes, the meals all being carrot dogs with hay fries. “I hope you all enjoy your meals and enjoying your time here at the arcades.”
“We are Dicey Shine, thank you.” She bow and walks off taking the serving tray with her.
Gale put ketchup on the plate side and on the carrot dog, he pick up the bun and took a crunching bite out of it. “Enjoying it?” Cadance asked seeing the ketchup all over his beak, he licked most of it off before nodding and eating some sauce dipped hayfries.
“WOW these carrot dogs are soooo tasty! I never had anything like these!” Gabby took a big bite out of the carrot dog. “And these shakes too!” She happily drunk some of the shake through the strew.
Shining Armor chuckled. “Definitively not a dull day.”
“Not at all.” Cadance warmly replied as they continue to happily have their meals.