//------------------------------//
// 8 - The Tickets 
// Story: Slice of Velvet and Pear 
// by David Silver 
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Spike let out a mighty belch, green smoke sparkling as it gathered with a pop into a scroll that floated just long enough to be grabbed free of the air. "From Celestia?"

Moon Dancer shook her head. "She could send them with normal postage. Taking advantage of our bond is another thing."

"Huh?" Spike broke the seal despite his confusion and began to pull it open. "What do you mean?"

"You and I are tied." She pointed at herself and Spike. "I hatched you, with my magic. You are, as a result, tied to that magic, and through it, to me, the root of me." She inclined her head faintly. "Have you ever heard of a familiar?"

"Aren't they usually like a cat or something else tiny?" He held up two claws close together, then his eyes went back to scanning the page. "Huh, Celestia wants you to come back for the Grand Galloping Gala." He secured two shining tickets. "She included two tickets. For us?"

"Probably." Moon nodded sagely.

"The Grand Galloping Gala?!" Twilight had heard them discussing it, and was quick to zip into the room. "I hear ponies that attend it can get a peek at the Grand Archives! I've never been around so many books." She clopped her hooves on her cheeks. "What an honor!"

Spike held one ticket out towards Moon but considered the other. "Why don't you take it?" he offered to the mare that had shut him down. "At least one of us gets to be happy."

Twilight shrank, hearing the hurt tone there. "I couldn't! I mean... at least consider it first." She nodded with building confidence. "It's a long time away. Meet other ponies. Oh! Speaking of that, how did the chat with Rarity go?"

"I feel we have gained a slight understanding of each other," announced Moon with a firm nod. "I will approach Fluttershy next."

Twilight inclined her head faintly. "I'm curious, why her?" The shyest of her friends, a curious choice to approach, in her eyes.

"She enjoys quiet." Moondancer inclined her head. "I also enjoy quiet. If she reads, we have a firm connection. She obviously does not practice magic, being a pegasus, but a quiet reading friend would be acceptable."

Twilight considered her friend's logic. "Well, true... Just approach her gently, alright? She earned that name of hers." Twilight snorted at the humor and began trotting back to her duties. "Spike, are you going with her?"

Spike considered that before shaking his head. "Why don't I meet another of your friends?"

Moon spun on him. "You'll perform research on my behalf? Thank you, Spike. I owe you." She was owing a lot of ponies things of late. "Which?"

"Oh, um..." He wobbled on his feet, considering. "How about Pinkie Pie?"

Moon hiked a bushy brow at him. "A challenging target. I commend you." She tipped her front at her assistant. "I expect an incident report." She paused, considering. "Do you have experience with earth ponies?"

"Huh? Sure. The Apples were super nice." He gave double thumbs up in memory of the family dinner shared and the awkward conversation with Big Mac. "They're still ponies."

"Just ponies, without a horn. This is a pony without a horn and with wings..." She tapped her chin softly. "Maybe I have selected a more difficult target, but I feel her desire for quiet will make things easier." Everything said that needed saying, she trotted for the door without delay.

Twilight watched her go, the door clapping shut. "Spike?"

"Yeah?"

Twilight set a hoof on his shoulder. "I just wanted to make it clear that I am not mad or upset at you at all. You did nothing wrong. Feelings are, well, feelings." She laughed nervously, moving her hoof behind her head. "I would rather face an unpleasant, but honest, emotion, than to keep it a secret."

"I'm--"

"You are not unpleasant," she cut off quickly. "You are a perfectly delightful dragon that I am proud to call my friend and, well, sort of my little brother, for how long I helped raise you." She went in and he didn't back away. Soon their foreheads clunked together, her horn off to the side. "Spike, I want to be there, for you."

"Just... not that way..." He took a half step back, hand behind his head. "I get it." He didn't get it. "Look, um, sorry. I went and made everything just... um... weird."

"Spike, you are not strange," huffed Twilight. "Well, alright, you are a dragon, but besides that, pretty normal." She stuck out her tongue in defiance. "Speaking of that, a bunch of ponies returned books yesterday, want to help me reshelve them before you run off to Pinkie's?"

"Oh, sure!" He had learned how libraries work fairly well. Both mares he liked a lot spent time in them. One was a guardian of them, the other, a steady customer. "Say, uh, how are you feeling?"

"I'm just fine," she assured as she slid a book back into its home. "Why do you ask?"

"I mean, you're a hero now." He spread his hands wide. "And you even got a fancy bit of jewelry with it. Doesn't it feel... odd?"

"Not a bad odd." She gently slid another book right where it belonged. "And I had a lot of help. My friends, Moondancer included, worked together to make it happen." She looked over from the shelf she had been working in. "Maybe next time you'll be a hero too."

"Little me?" He grinned a bit goofily, revealing he wouldn't mind the chance to be a hero. "I'll do my best."

"That's all anypony can ask for." She pointed to a lone book. "Get that one back and you're done. Thanks for the help."

"For you, anything!" He caught himself, stopping mid-stride. "I mean... as friends. We're still friends! And... I care, alright? So I'll help. Nothing more--"

"--I get it," she assured gently. "Thank you, Spike. I'll be here when you're done, promise."

He hurried the book where it needed to be and scampered for the door. "Thanks for being awesome, Twilight."

"I'm just me." She reared up onto the counter, smiling at him ."You be you. It's a fine thing to be." She let him flee properly before her horn glowed, grabbing a book for herself. "There are almost no books on the mating habits of dragons..."





"Hey!" Pinkie was walking along at an energetic pronk, a wagon being pulled behind her. "I'm making a delivery, but there are no rules that say you can't do that with a friend."

"That was a pretty good party," he noted, matching her pace. "Thanks for throwing it."

"It's what I do," she sang joyfully. "Glad you had fun with it. Moonie sure seemed, um, less enthusiastic?" She inclined her head faintly. "What kind of party does she like? I had super great ice cream!"

"It was pretty good," he easily agreed, nodding as she went down the road. "The cake? Also nice! You even had a slice with flecks of ruby on it." He licked his lips in remembering. "Are you a dragon expert?"

"Nah." She stopped in front of a house and wiggled free of the cart. "But I am a pony expert, and you were who I was throwing it for, well, both of you. I had to make sure I had your absolute favorite flavor!" She dug into the back of her wagon and began pulling free boxes in a pile. "Glad I got it right."

"Absolutely." He offered his hands forward. "Want me to carry some?"

"You are the best, Spike." And soon several boxers were in the offered arms. "Now we just bring it inside and bring some smiles!"

Which is what they did, to the loud cheers of the foals present. Except one. Diamond Tiara looked between Spike and Pinkie with a raised brow. "Who's this?" She looked at Spike specifically. "You're the strangest looking pony I ever saw."

"Huh?" He pointed at himself. "I'm a dragon."

"A super helpful dragon," called Pinkie, collecting some bits from the butler.

"I try to be." He smiled a little awkwardly. "Who are you?"

"Me? He doesn't know who I am." She turned in place to another filly with glasses. "Can you believe it?"

"Like, impossible." Silver Spoon adjusted her glasses with a raised hoof. "Silly dragon, this is Diamond Tiara. She's the richest filly in town and, like, super popular."

"I'm the richest dragon in town!" An easy claim to make, also being the only dragon in town.

Diamond inclined her head at Spike. "Really? How rich are we talking?"

"Um..." He dug in a scaled pocket and drew out the one bit he had. "Ta da!"

Diamond's eyes narrowed at the paltry sum. "I see." She rolled her eyes. "Look, pretending you're rich? It's a game you always eventually lose. Come here." She waved Spike closer, soon wrapping her arm around his neck. "If you want to get in the proper circles, you need some work."

That was not what Spike had come for. He looked to Pinkie, who was already bouncing out the door, abandoning him to his fate. "Uh..."

"First, clothes. You need some." She nodded firmly, dragging Spike along away from the door. "Silver, imagine him all dudded up in a proper tuxedo."

"Ooo, that would be, like, perfect!" She sat down to clop her hooves in approval. "And a tie, a little bow tie!"

"Yes! Perfect." She released Spike, a big smile on her face. "Just you let us work. We'll have you looking like a million bits in no time."

The fillies closed in on Spike, prepared to reforge him in the image of what they saw as perfection.





Twilight was alone in her library. It was a strange thing, of late. "Huh..." She nudged the book aside, which didn't have the information she wanted anyway. "I... am getting used to it." Sure, both Spike and Moondancer were distracting bits of things, but... She cared for them both. A little smile spread on her face. "I'm going to be so sad when she has to go."

Not right then, of course. But eventually... She couldn't live in the attic of a library forever! She was the student of Princess Celestia... Surely she'd be called home, eventually... Spike would, likely, accompany her.

"Ugh, I'm depressing myself." Rather than think about that, she trotted for the front door, her magic flipping the open sign to closed. She closed the door behind herself and started off towards a dear friend. "I know exactly how to shake this off!"

"Twi!" was all she heard before a pony landed in front of her with a skid, spinning to face her. "Whatcha doin'?!" There was Rainbow Dash with a big grin on her face.

"I was going to visit Applejack." Twilight pointed the way out of town. "But since you're here, what are you up to?"

Rainbow buffed her chest with a hoof. "I just finished a little workout. The muscles are screaming in agony."

Twilight blinked slowly. She heard no screaming, nor was Rainbow moving slowly or showing any other signs of dismay. "I'm going to assume you're not being literal. You look just fine."

"Please!" Rainbow swatted her shoulder. "I do workouts like that basically every day! If you're serious, you gotta be serious! And me? I'm serious." She waggled her brows. "Not gonna join the Wonderbolts by only putting in 50%, or 70%, or even 100% 110%! That's where I'm at!"

Twilight snickered softly at that. "If anypony could put in 110%, I feel confident it would be you, Rainbow."

"Darn tooting!" She moved next to Twilight to thump into her, looking pleased. "Don't you have a goal? I mean, you manage books just fine, but..."

"Oh, I do!" assured Twilight. "For instance, Spike and Moondancer have tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala and I'd love to go and see the Grand Archive!" She sighed with fond desire, a little smile on her face.

Rainbow pricked an ear. "I heard about that! The Wonderbolts go there every year..." She trailed off a bit, imagining them, there, all together. "If I could be there, with them... Then they'd invite me to join the team for sure!" She clopped her hooves together for emphasis. "It'd be so cool!"

Twilight inclined her head. "Is that where they normally recruit ponies?"

"Well, no, but one look at me, they'd do it in a flash." She nodded with the confidence that made her who she was. "What's so good about that library of yours? It is a library, right?"

"Yes," Twilight admitted with a little blush, found out. "Part of the Royal Canterlot Library, but not one most ponies can ever wander into without invitation... except that day!" She clopped her own hooves with a giddy smile. "I'd love to see it. Um, but I... told Spike to consider his options."

"Say what now?" Rainbow raised a brow. "What options?"

"Well, Moondancer is definitely using hers, Princess Celestia requested her presence." Twilight nodded softly. "How nervous I'd be, being called by the princess like that... But Spike wasn't that attached to his. He offered it to me, but... he was looking still a bit run down from..." She looked left and right. "Anyway, I told him to think about it before rushing to give it away."

"You are a better friend than I," laughed Rainbow, lifting into the air. "I'm going to get that ticket." And off she went with a streak of rainbows.

Twilight frowned in the direction Rainbow had gone, towards her library. "Some ponies..." Shaking free of the thought, she continued out of the town, trotting towards the orchard that held her friend and her family. She saw Pear Butter kicking a tree and waved. "Good afternoon!"

"Twilight!" She checked her buckets of apples quickly before closing the distance, the two meeting in a gentle hug. "If it ain't my favorite little book pony. How can I help? Lookin' fer AJ?"

"That was exactly the goal," confessed Twilight with a bright smile. "Not that running into you isn't a fine event on any day. How are things?"

"Another day, another reason to work." She nodded softly before inclining her head. "AJ should be at the house, helping Granny and Apple Bloom. Go an' say hi!" They shared a parting wave, both having things to do.

Twilight hurried up to the farmhouse to find Big Mac out front. "Hey there, Big Mac, what are you up to?" He seemed to be doing something with a big plow.

"Hm?" He sat up and looked around, then spotted Twilight, a smile forming, perhaps not as big as his mom, but genuine. "Hey there, Twilight. Ah was jus' tryin' ta fix this." He pointed at the plow. "Ya'd think there wouldn't be much to break."

It was a set of big spikes designed to tear up the ground. Mechanically, fairly simple. Twilight considered it, circling around the plow, looking for what could be wrong with it. "What's it doing that made you think it's broken?"

"It pulls me left." Big Mac grunted with annoyance. "Ah can pull back, but it makes it harder."

"Well..." She went to the harness, then began to trace it back to where it connected. That seemed straight at a glance. "But..." She grabbed the metal struts in her magic and slowly lifted it up and over onto its back to let her examine the underside. "Here we are." She pointed to one of the spikes, skewed off balance. "Knock that straight and you should be good to go."

Big Mac nodded in agreement. "Shoot, woulda found it eventually." Still, he nodded again towards her. "Thanks fer the hoof." He grabbed a mallet in mouth. "Best get to it. AJ's inside."

"Thank you." She dipped her head before scurrying along on her mission. "Applejack!"

"Twi?" She was facing the kitchen table, but turning at the sound of Twilight. "Sugarcube! Ah wasn't expecting ya around today. What brings ya by?"

They met in a warm embrace, cheeks touching left and right before they backed up. "I... just wanted the company of a friend, and who's the best pony in all of Equestria for that?" She threw her hooves wide, grinning at Applejack.

"Well, shoot. Now this is a hard one. Give me a moment." She tapped her chin with faked consideration. "Right on the tip of mah tongue."

"Hello there, Twilight." There was Granny Smith, seated at that table. "Ya come to help us jam up some apples?"

That was when Twilight took notice of the various jamming implements and open bags of apples present. "Oh! Is it that time of year? Zap Apples?"

Applejack snorted at that, reaching out and plucking out a perfectly red apple. "Now ya know better than that. Is this here a zap apple?"

"I suppose not." It was not the rainbow hues one would expect. "Sorry, I just... actually didn't know you had two jamming seasons?"

"A new thin'!"

Granny shook her head. "Pear Butter got it in her head." She huffed softly. "Figured we could make a few bits by making apple jam and applesauce."

Applejack leaned in towards Twilight. "Granny don't like the idea none."

"Why should I?!" Granny huffed a second time for good measure. "Ain't the way we usually do things."

"She's had good ideas so far." Applejack nodded with confidence as she dropped the apple with others in a fancy machine before crunching it all down with her forehooves into paste. "So let's keep at it!"

"I would be honored to assist." Twilight grabbed a bushel of apples in her magic and brought it over to become the next load of mashed apples. "I imagine it's just like zap apple jam making, with less zap apples, and more regular apples?"

"'xactly right." Applejack moved to throw a leg around Twilight. "Welcome to the team! Let's make a bunch of tasty treats for ponies they ain't even expecting yet."

Twilight gladly joined the family in their work, though making standard apple jam had less rabbit suits involved. "How's Apple Bloom doing? I haven't seen her in a moment."

"Hm?" Granny worked the lid onto a bottle. "She's just fine. A little upset she ain't got her mark yet, but ya can't rush that none."

"Mine came when I least expected it," chuckled Twilight. "Oh, do you need any help?" She rushed to help Granny with those tight lids. The work went on.





"So, how do I look?" Spike was looking in a mirror, pulling at the front of his new tuxedo, straightening his bowtie, and turning left and right.

Silver Spoon clopped her hooves on the ground. "You are working it!"

"Much better," agreed Diamond Tiara, nodding softly. "By the way, you're our age, right?"

"Huh?"

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "You." She pointed at Spike. "You're a dragon-colt, right?"

Spike put those two words together. "Yeah, guess so, why?"

Silver Spoon got where Diamond Tiara was going. "Why aren't you in school?"

Diamond Tiara poked him in the side. "Is it because you're a dragon? Are they telling you it's not a dragon school?"

"Lame," called out Silver, her eyes joining the roll. "Like, you'd make the school way better."

Spike wasn't sure how he felt about that. He had avoided school, being home-taught by Moondancer. "But I'm not a pony?" he noted.

Diamond Tiara shook her head. "Nuh uh. We did not just go through all that so you can give up now." She thudded him in the chest with the flat of a hoof. "You just proved you can have whatever you want." By putting on a tuxedo given to him. "So if you want to go to school, you're going!"

Silver Spoon pointed at Diamond Tiara. "Besides, like, if they say no, Diamond Tiara will tell on them."

"Daddy will take away their funding." Diamond Tiara smirked oh so victoriously. "Our teacher would change her mind really quickly." She turned for the door. "Now, come along. We're going and telling her the good news."

"Wait, we are?" He scampered after Diamond Tiara, a bit confused, but also maybe a little excited. He was being invited to be someone's peer, even if it was a filly. "I should probably check with Moondancer."

Silver Spoon pushed up her glasses as they went. "Ugh, your big sister? She's not in charge of you! Now if it was your mom or dad, that'd be, like, way different."

Diamond nodded in solidarity. "You're your own boss, unless they got involved." She raised a brow. "Is there... Are there more dragons around here?" She looked around, but saw no additional dragons lurking about.

"Just me," he assured, still trailing behind Diamond Tiara. "She's not my mom, but she is kinda in charge of protecting--"

Diamond twirled to face him suddenly. "We're taking you to school, not some dangerous place. The biggest thing you have to worry about there is being bored to death." She smirked faintly. "But we'll be there, together."

Silver Spoon bobbed her head. "The other foals are going to be so jealous." How many other foals had a dragon they could call their own? "Let's go!"

As they wound their way through the town, Spike's questions only grew. "Is this alright, I mean, just making me a student?"

"You're a colt, you go to school," reasoned Diamond Tiara. "Dragon or pony, colts go to school." She looked over her shoulder at him. "And I'm not letting anypony say no, so there."

"Like, so there," parroted Silver Spoon. "It'll be fun, promise."

"Not always fun," corrected Diamond. "But we'll make it fun." She thumped her rump against Silver's, the two giggling with obvious joy. A joy Spike wasn't sure he was sharing.

"That?" He pointed to the schoolhouse. It wasn't terribly large, or intimidating, really. It was quaint, sized for the small ponies that learned there. "It isn't so bad looking..."

"I told you it isn't." Diamond marched on to go announce Spike's arrival to her teacher. Cheerilee would be so surprised!

"Um." Cheerilee looked between the fillies and the small dragon. "Hello... Spike?"

"Hi." He waved a small hand up at her, the other fussing at his tuxedo front. "If it's alright, I... wanted to join the school?" Did he? Well, he was there already...

Diamond Tiara reared up, throwing a leg around Spike's neck. "He's staying at the library, with his sister, Moondancer. Princess Celestia's student." Her eyes narrowed, the smirk growing. "You wouldn't want to upset her, hmm?"

"No, of course not..." Cheerilee rubbed her cheek softly. "Spike, you will have to obey the same rules as all the other students. Are you alright with that?"

Spike looked over the earth pony mare that was apparently their teacher. "I'm good at following rules." Libraries that Moondancer lived in often had quite a few. "Um, Miss Cheerilee? Nice to meet you." He offered a hand.

She placed her hoof against it, only for him to take hold and gently shake it. "You are, I admit, the first dragon student I ever had... But if you come with open eyes and mind, I will show you many things." Her eyes went to the fillies that were both looking smugly victorious. "As for you two, I don't know what you have in mind, but Spike is not sitting next to you."

Both looked aghast. Their plan to show off Spike, impinged upon! Diamond Tiara clopped a hoof down firmly. "Shouldn't that be up to him?" She thrust the same hoof at Spike.

Cheerilee looked to Spike with a kindly smile. "Spike, I advise you pick a seat that's available, and you can always talk with your friends at lunch and other break times, hm? Let's focus on learning things."

Spike scratched his cheek with thought, unsure of what to do in that instant.





Rainbow Dash approached the library with a scowl. The sign read 'closed'. Well, that made sense, seeing as Twilight went the other way. "Spike? It's Rainbow Dash! Let's chat about a boring old party you don't want to go to anyway!" But there was no reply.