//------------------------------// // Chapter 19 // Story: The Siren // by McPoodle //------------------------------// The Apple Family Farmhouse. August 13. That Friday. “The Ticket Master”. Applejack slapped her golden ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala down on the kitchen. “How about them apples!” she proclaimed. Lemon Peel picked up the ticket and looked at it. “I don’t get it,” she said. “The Grand Galloping Gala is the biggest, fanciest party of the year,” said Applejack. “And I’m going to be selling our family’s apples there. To the richest ponies in Equestria!” Nopony said anything. "Look,” Applejack finally explained. “The Apples need a lot of bits to do everything we need to do. And we can’t take the easy way out and use our Changeling powers to make ponies give us their bits. We have to earn that money, all while paying off our mortgage.” “What’s a mortgage?” asked Lemon Peel. Five minutes later… “That is the most evil thing I have ever heard of in my entire life,” said Lemon Peel. “Exactly,” said Applejack. “And now I’ve found a way to make us a lot of extra money! What do you think?” Nopony said anything. All of them—except for an innocently happy Apple Bloom—had a feeling that something was wrong with Applejack’s plan. However, none of them had any experience with fancy parties. And none of them knew how catering worked. So eventually they had to admit that yes, Applejack was a financial genius, and the Apple Family mortgage was as good as gone. And also, Lemon Peel needed to get a ticket to that gala. Downtown Canterlot. The next day, Saturday. Late afternoon. “It’s like I told you before,” Upper Crust explained to a defeated Lemon Peel. “You can’t just ask for a ticket to the Gala. You either have to be rich—like me—or do something to catch Princess Celestia’s attention, like saving her sister from plunging the land into eternal darkness.” “Yeah,” remarked Lipstick Vanity. “And not just rich, but super rich. Like even Blueberry and I didn’t get tickets. Right, Blues?” The quartet were eating a late lunch at an outdoor café. Upper Crust, Lipstick Vanity and Blueberry Frosting were wearing the same clothes as they usually did. Mrs. Peel was wearing a white sleeveless blouse and pleated hock-length skirt with white shoes. A rather simple outfit by her standards. Blueberry Frosting was staring across the street instead of paying attention to the conversation. Over there was The House of Enchanted Comics and they were celebrating “Free Comic Book Day” with an outdoor display. Dozens of happy fillies and foals were running around, amped up by the sugar sticks being handed out by the unicorn mare proprietor—the same mare who had complimented Lyra’s performance a couple weeks earlier. Large posters were in the windows of the comic store, showing various superheroes in action poses. Blueberry sighed with nostalgia for her own fillyhood, when life made sense and her happiness was more than pelt deep. Her eyes wandered up to the sky, as they so often did. And in the blue sky she eventually spotted a kestrel flying lazily around in circles, held aloft by the thermals from the buildings below her. With a sudden cry it plunged down onto the roof of the comic book building, and out of Blueberry’s sight. She sighed in disappointment. “Blueberry!” “What?” “I was trying to get your attention for the past minute!” Lipstick exclaimed. “Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought. Did you ask me something?” Lipstick sighed. “Never mind.” She turned back to Peel. “It’s good to see you again. After the news of that two-story tall snake you took down, I figured you had gone native. And Ponyville Native is the worst sort of Native.” “We could always visit you, Mrs. Peel,” Blueberry said. Lipstick wrinkled her nose. “Do we have to?” “No, it’s only fair,” said Upper Crust. “Name a good day, and we’ll come down the mountain to see you.” Lipstick gave Blueberry a suspicious look. “Ah, you want another excuse to take the train!” Blueberry shrugged, and her roommate laughed. “Better make it a Friday,” Peel said. “The monsters never attack on Fridays.” “So have you heard about Cadance?” asked Upper Crust, changing the subject. “Princess Cadance?” Peel asked, emphasizing the missing title. Upper Crust rolled her eyes. “Yes, Princess Cadance. She’s finally stepped away from the fillysitting business and has embraced her role in high society! She’s organizing this huge party for next week. I can try to get you tickets for that, if you’d like.” “Oh, have you gotten tickets?” asked Lipstick. “I’ve heard that that party is even more exclusive than the Gala. Only the most-useful ponies in Canterlot are invited! You know, ponies who do things!” Upper Crust and Lipstick shuddered in horror. Peel rolled her eyes. “And half of the Royal Guard have been asked to show up, ‘for protection’. I think they’re there for eye candy.” “Well…no, I don’t have a ticket,” Upper Crust admitted. “Yet. But I will, and I’ll bring my friends with me, if possible. After all, I’m plenty useful—why would ordinary ponies visit Canterlot and patronize the local businesses if not to gawk at the better ponies like us?” Blueberry had meanwhile tuned out the conversation. The kestrel was back in the sky, a squirming mouse visible in its claws. She ought to be disgusted by the sight. Any other pony would be. But it seemed right to her that the bird should hunt. Just as right as the bird flying. Flying… oh, how she wished she could fly like that bird. Not like a pegasus with stunted wings and magic holding them up. Big, majestic wings—flying like it was supposed to be… At that moment, the mouse fell out of the bird’s talons and tumbled through the sky to land on the cobblestone street between the café and the comic book store, the bird diving down after it. Most ponies looked away in horror as the kestrel finished off its meal. Parents tried to shield the eyes of their innocent children. There were two exceptions, two ponies who looked: Blueberry Frosting, and the owner of the comic book shop. Blueberry looked over in shock at the comic book proprietress. And she looked back with a knowing smirk.