//------------------------------//
// Chapter 15: Gimmicks and Grandeur (Gim) 
// Story: Kirby Star Allies: Friend Hearts are Magic (REMASTERED) 
// by The Kelduo 
//------------------------------//

Shortly after we all exited the castle, the guards moved back in front of the gates to make sure nobody slipped by without notice.

When we had walked a sufficient distance from the castle, I got off of Twilight to relieve her of my weight. "There you go! Feel better now that you don't have to carry the heavy metal burden that is my body?"

"I was actually doing fine due to the physical endurance given by my status as an alicorn, but thanks anyway, Gim!" Twilight looked at my blazing toy. "Before we figure out where to go, I'd like to better understand your yo-yo. Can you tell me more about it?"

"No prob, Twilight! I'd love to tell you about this prized possession of mine!" I brandished my fiery yo-yo, keeping it a safe distance from the alicorn and dragon. "It's tricky to make a yo-yo do its thing at first, but once you get the hang of it, you're on the road to learning all kinds of sweet tricks!"

"Tricks? So, you can perform different techniques with a yo-yo?" Twilight asked.

"Yep! You saw me pull off two such techniques when I punished Rainbow for her rudeness regarding my weapon: a Yo-Yo Orbit followed by a Yo-Yo Throw!"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "But you did three tricks, not two."

"That first one wasn't a trick. It was an attack called the Hammer Drop."

"What's the difference?"

"You can't perform the Hammer Drop without a target, so it's an attack. Yo-yo tricks can be done regardless of whether you have something to hit or not. Think of it this way: Heroes attack bad guys in action-packed media like comic books. On the other hand, talented performers use tricks to impress the crowd while on a stage in a theatre. Performances are judged by technique. Attack, action. Trick, technique. Got it?"

"I got it now. Yo-yo attacks are used for bad guys only, but tricks can also be used in performances, right?"

"Yep, you've got it down pat!"

Twilight asked, "Is there a trick that must be learned first before you can do other ones?"

"But of course! The trick you are about to see is the simplest one of them all..." I flicked my wrist down, causing the yo-yo to unwind as it rolled down. It continued to spin for a couple of seconds after reaching the end of the string, at which point I flicked my wrist back up to rewind the yo-yo and make it return to my hand. "That's called the Yo-Yo Throw. You got to flick your wrist just right to make the yo-yo go down and up the string. Otherwise, it'll just go down and stop once it's fully unwound."

"What an amazing concept!" Twilight resisted the temptation to lean closer to the yo-yo, which was still ablaze. "It uses the power of inertia to its advantage, so it can keep spinning if you move your hand the right way!"

"I know, right? The laws of physics are not only a force to be reckoned with, but can also be utilized for fun and play!"

"That's cool and all, but I have another question," Spike said. "Why do you only have three fingers instead of four like me or five like humans?"

I shrugged after putting away my yo-yo. "I dunno. You'll have to ask the workers that make GM-series robots. But why would I need a fourth or fifth finger? I'm fine with three, because that's enough to give a thumbs-up, make a peace sign, or play some good old roshambo!"

That last phrase brought the alicorn and dragon to ask yet another question. "What's roshambo?"

"Just another way of saying rock-paper-scissors, which is a game that creatures with at least three fingers or claws can play." I explained the game to Twilight as we casually walked around Canterlot. "It's really easy to play, but it mostly relies on luck and reading your opponent. To start each round, the two players shake their fists three times, once for each word in rock-paper-scissors--or each syllable in roshambo--as they chant said phrase or word. Then they shake a fourth time, shaping their hand into any of three different forms..." I clenched my fist. "Rock!" I opened my hand completely. "Paper!" I made a peace sign, with the two fingers opened away from me. "And scissors! Each one trumps another: rock smashes scissors, scissors cuts paper, and paper covers rock! In the event that each player throws the same hand, they repeat the process until they have different ones."

"Ohh, so roshambo is just a fancy way of saying rock-paper-scissors!" Spike said. "Yeah, I've played that a bunch of times with Smolder. She usually wins, though." His eyes brightened. "Hey, you sound like a pro at rock-paper-scissors. Do you think you could maybe train me?"

"Train you in one of the simplest luck-based one-on-one games in the universe? As much as I would love to train you, it isn't so much about skill as it is guessing what your opponent is going to do. Simple beings such as you and I can't read minds, but that doesn't mean you're hopeless. I bet you have a friend or two who pays close attention to detail and can stay calm in tricky times, so asking that friend is your best bet."

"I sure do have that kind of friend!" Spike subtly glanced up at Twilight. "Isn't that right, princess of friendship?"

Twilight nodded. "You're looking at her right now, Gim. But that kind of training will have to wait. It's time to figure out where in Canterlot we should take you!"

"You got that right!" I graciously accepted a brochure that Twilight levitated in front of me. I opened it up and took a peek. "Let's have a look-see... Library of Magic? If only my bud NESP was here, he'd love that place! ...An art gallery? While I can appreciate art, I'm not what you would call an art enthusiast, so that's a no. There's gotta be someplace here that would be ideal for a one-handed robot that wields a yo-yo like nobody's business...!"

My optical lens focused on a large building in the brochure that seemed perfect for a large performance. I pointed at it with my finger. "Is... Is that a theater?"

Twilight nodded. "Yep, that's Canterlot Theater, where many major performances such as the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant takes place. Why do you ask? There aren't any performances scheduled for today."

A massive theater, where dozens, no, hundreds of ponies can watch those who are on stage act out plays or perform stylish moves that have a high probability of winning the crowd over...

Bingo.

"Well, guess what? That won't be the case for long..." I took out my yo-yo and did a stylish Gazer Spiral, thrusting myself into the air with the yo-yo and striking a pose at the peak of my jump.

"...because it's showtime!"