//------------------------------// // Episode 3 - Golden Ticket // Story: The Magic of Six // by SigmatheAwesome //------------------------------// "Nope..." Barb causally tossed an apple out of the basket, then reached into it again, examining the next one. "Nope..." "Thank ya kindly for helpin' me out today, Tori." Jackson, carrying a sack of freshly-picked apples, smiled to himself. "Ah bet Beth that Ah could get all these golden delicious into th' barn by lunchtime. If Ah win, she's gonna go down Stirrup Street in one of Granny dresses." He snickered triumphantly to himself. "Boy, she'd hate that." "No problem at all, Jackson." Tori replied, wiping her brow. "I'm glad the goal is lunchtime, though. All this hard work is making me hungry." "I know, right?" Barb added, examining an apple. "Barb, you've done nothing to help us while we've done all the work." "Exactly, you're taking so long I missed my snack-time." She tossed the apple in her hands aside. "Besides, I'm quality control." Tori's stomach growled, and she laughed nervously. "Well, we'd better get some food." Barb continued her rummaging. "No... Nope..." Her eyes widened. "Aha!" She yanked out a bright, juicy-looking apple. "Woah..." Tori's hand instinctively went for it slowly. "That looks delicious..." Barb took a huge bite of it. "Barb!" "What?" Barb twitched as her cheeks puffed up, and a jet of green fire burst forth, the smoke materialising into a scroll. "A letter from the Princess?" Barb snatched it from the air and opened it, clearing her throat. "Hear ye, hear ye. Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Gala is being held at the capital city of Canterlot on the 21st day of..." Barb squinted. "Yadda yadda yadda... Cordially extends an invitation to Victoria Tanton plus one guest." Tori and Jackson gasped, and in sync announced "The Grand Gala!" Tori proceeded to jump around like an excited schoolgirl, while Jackson cheered. Barb frowned, then proceeded to belch another jet of fire, this time materialising into two golden tickets. "Wow, great!" Tori beamed. "I've never been to the Gala because I was underage. Have you been, Barb?" "No." Barb replied dourly. "And I plan to keep it that way." She crossed her arms. "All that girly frilly froufrou nonsense makes me sick." "Aw, come on, Barb, a dance would be nice. You might find a cute boy there." "I've already found one, thank you very-" "Nice?" Jackson, grinning like a loon, walked up. "It's a heaps better than nice! Ah'd love to go." "Aren't you a guy or something?" "It's an all-gender event." Tori replied. "Ah ain't there for the frilly stuff, God no. If Ah had an apple stand set up there, well, d'ya know how much business Ah could get there? Ah could' rake in enough cash t' fix up Sweet Apple Acres." Jackson started wandering, lost in his imagination. "We could fix up that saggy ol' barn... Or Beth could fix up that saggy ol' plough... And Granny could replace her saggy ol' hip!" "Is he going mad?" Barb asked. "How should I know?" "Why, Ah'd give up my left leg to go to that Gala..." "Well, in that case, Jackson, would you like to-?" A yell of panic stopped them mid-track, as a rainbow-and-cyan blur crashed into them. "Are we talking about the Grand Gala?" Rachael emerged, shifting her flight goggles up. "Rachael..." Jackson stood up. "You told me you were too busy t' harvest apples. What were you busy doin'? Spyin'?" "No, of course not." Rachael turned, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "I was busy napping. And I just happened to hear that Tori's got a ticket for the Grand Gala spare?" "Uh... Yeah, but-" "Woohoo!" Rachael flipped in the air. "This is so awesome! The Wonderbolts turn up and perform every year!" Rachael's eyes glazed over, just as lost to her mind as Jackson was. "I can see it now... Everyone will be watching the skies, their eyes riveted on the Wonderbolts... But then, in would fly... Rachael Dallas!" She leapt into the air, wings of magic holding her aloft. "I would draw their attention with their super-speed strut." "What...?" Barb tilted her head "Then, I would mesmerise them with my fantastic Foley Flash!" "What's that even do?" Tori asked. "Glorified aerial dive." Jackson replied. "And for my Grand Finale..." Rachael's wings grew in size, her imagination fuelling her latent magic. "The Buccaneer Blaze!" She alighted, her wings slowly folding back into her body. "Everyone would go wild! The Wonderbolts would insist that my signature moves be incorporated into their routine." "Does she actually realise it's illegal to interrupt an aerial performance?" "And then... Welcome me as their newest member." Her eyes refocussed, a big grin plastered on her face. "Don't ya see, Toz, this could be my one chance to show'em my stuff! You gotta take me!" Jackson grabbed her by the collar and pulled her out of Tori's face. "Hold on just one apple-pickin' minute!" He let go, crossing his arms. "Ah asked for that ticket first." "So?" Rachael turned to face him, scowling. "That doesn't mean you own it!" "Oh yeah?" Jackson pulled out an arm. "I challenge you to an arm wrestle. Winner gets the ticket." The two dashed over to a nearby stump and proceeded to wrestle with their arms. Tori pushed the two apart. "Guys, these are my tickets, I'll decide who gets them, thank you very much." She sighed. "Whoever has the best reason to go should get the ticket, don't you think?" Jackson took a step forwards. "Drummin' up business for the farm?" Rachael took two steps forwards. "A chance to audition for the Wonderbolts?" "Money t' fix Granny's hip!" "Living the dream!" Tori blinked. "Those are all pretty good reasons, aren't they...?" Her stomach growled, and she laughed nervously again. "Ah hah, listen to that, I am starving." She started to back away nervously. "I dunno about you but I can't think on an empty stomach. So, uh, I'll think about it over lunch and get back to you two." Taking Barb's hand, she proceeded to walk away. "Okay?" "Okay..." The two replied dejectedly as Tori walked off. "So, who're you gonna give the ticket to, Tori?" "I dunno, but I really can't think straight when I'm hungry." "So that's why you failed that test five months ag-" "I thought we said we weren't going to mention that!" Tori shook her head. "Not important, where should we eat?" The door of Sugar Cube Corner, which Twilight was heading for almost by instinct, flew open and a pink projectile slammed into them. Tori groaned. "What the heck is it with people and crashing into me..." She spotted Patrick, lying on his front, by her side. The tickets wafted down until they hit his puffy pink hair, which startled him awake, running around screaming about bats on his head. After a moment he stopped as his eyes caught the tickets. "Wait... There aren't..." A bright-eyed, child-like grin broke out over his face. "Tickets to the Grand Gala?!" "They are, why do you-?" Tori's words caught in her throat as Patrick's eyes glazed over. "Oh come on." "It's the most amazing incredible tremendous super-fun wonderful terrifically humongous party in all of Equestria! I've always always always wanted to go!" He then proceeded to sing about the Gala, before taking a break. "With decorations like streamers and fairy-lights and pinwheels and piñatas and pin-cushions. With goodies like sugar cubes and sugar canes and sundaes and sun-beams and sarsaparilla. And I get to play my favorite-est of favourite fantabulous games like Pin the Tail on the Pony!" He finished his song. "Oh, thank you Tori! It's the most wonderfullest gift ever!" "Uh, actually, Patrick, I-" Barb scooped up the tickets, but froze upon a familiar gasp. She turned to see Evans, staring at the tickets. "Are these what I think they are?" "Uh-" "Yes, yes, and yes! Tori's taking me to the Grand Gala in Canterlot!" "The Gala." Evans recalled. "I design ensembles for the Gala every year, but I've never been able to attend them myself. Oh, the society, the culture, the glamour." "It's actually-" "It's where I truly belong." He broke out into a smile. "And where I'm destined to meet... Her!" Barb's jaw flew open. "Her!" Patrick mimicked, before adopting a face of confusion. "Who?" "Her..." Evans wandered into his imagination like those before him. "I would stroll through the Gala, and everyone will wonder: Who is that mysterious man? They would never guess that I was just a simple man from little ol' Ponyville." He smiled softly. "Why, I would cause such a sensation that I would be invited for an audience with Princess Celestia herself." "I can arrange that anyway." Tori replied. "And the Princess would be so taken with my style and elegance, that she would introduce me to Her! Her niece. The most beautiful, eligible caster woman in all of Canterlot." He closed his eyes, holding his closed hands to his chest. "Our eyes would meet, our hearts would melt." "And what, exactly, is wrong with being a Drake?" Barb whispered to Tori. "Our courtship would be magnificent. I would ask for her hand in marriage, and of course she would say 'Yes!'. We would have a royal wedding to befit a Prince, which of course I would become apon marrying Her, the woman of my dreams!" Evans's focus returned back to reality, and immediately he gazed down upon Tori, annoyed. "I simply cannot believe you would invite Patrick O’Donnell over me, when all he would do is party and prevent me from seeing my true love!" He turned sharply, his long ponytail nearly striking Tori. "How could you?" Barb felt the tickets being yanked from her hand, and he spotted a white rabbit carrying them away to Emily, who was dressed in a light shirt and pants, with mud-covered boots. Emily gasped, taking the tickets in her hands. "Angel, these are perfect..." "Uh... Guys, I haven't decided who to give the extra ticket to." Tori told the two men before her. "You haven't?!" They asked - Evans looked hopeful, while Patrick had the complete opposite. "Yes, and if you had let me speak before you interrupted me-" "Um, excuse me." Emily walked up slowly. "I just wanted to ask, I mean, if it would be alright, but, if you haven't given it to someone else-" "You?" Evans questioned. "You want to go to the Gala, one of the largest social gatherings in Equestria?" "Well, no..." Her leg was pounded by the rabbit by her feet. "I-I mean, yes, or, actually, kind of, you see..." She closed her eyes, quietly slipping into the realm of her imagination. ”It's not so much the Grand Gala, as it is the wonderous private, gated garden that surrounds the dance." She opened her eyes, which were shimmering with excitement. "The flowers there are said to be the most fragrant in all of Equestria. And for the night of the Gala, the 21st of the Month of Dawn, and that night only, they will all be in bloom." "But... It's not the Gala itself." "And that's just the flora. Don't get me started on the fauna!" Emily was getting excited enough to raise her voice, so it was still quiet. "There's loons and toucans and bitterns, oh my! Hummingbirds that can really hum, and buzzards that can really buzz. White-blue jays, and red jays, and green jays, pink jays and pink flamingos!" Her eyes returned to normal, and she found herself mid-air, holding Angel. "Wow, Emily, it sounds... beautiful?" "Wait just a minute!" Rachael called out, from up on a perch on the roof above them. "Rachael..." Tori frowned as Rachael alighted. "Were you following me?" "No, I mean, yes, I mean, maybe." She shook her head. "Look, that ain't important. I couldn't risk letting a goody two-shoes like you giving the ticket away to just anybody." "Wait just a dang minute!" Jackson called out, approaching the crowd. "Oh come on, Jackson, were you following me too?" Tori bemoaned. "Ah was followin' this one-" He pointed an accusing finger at Rachael. "To make sure she wasn't tryin' any funny business." He crossed his arms. "Still tryin' to take mah ticket." "Your ticket?!" Rachael shouted. "But Tori's taking me!" And just like that, the five started to argue loudly, all trying to vie for the ticket. Tori couldn't take it anymore. "Everyone SHUT THE HELL UP!" "... And then I said 'meatloaf, are you'-" After a moment of silence, Tori cleared her throat. "Guys, there's no use in arguing." "But Victoria-!" Evans started, but was quickly cut off by Tori. "This is my decision. And I'm going to make it on my own, and I can't think straight with all this Goddamn noise." Her stomach rumbled again. "Not forgetting hunger. Now go on, shoo!" Reluctantly, the five moved slowly away, with Barb and her remaining. "And don't worry, I'll figure this out!" "Ugh... Barb, what am I going to do?" Tori grabbed one of the flowers on the table to fiddle with. "All five of my friends have good reasons to go to the Gala. Jackson or Rachael... Patrick, Evans, Emily... Ugh." "Have you made your decision?" A gentlemanly voice asked. "I can't decide!" Tori shouted out in reflex. "Uh... Tori, he wants to take your order." "... oh." Tori straightened up her posture and fixed up her frazzled hair. "Well, in that case I would love a... cheese and lettuce sandwich, thank you." "Do you have any rubies?" Barb asked the waiter, who only replied with a glare. "No?" Still a glare. She sighed. "I'll have a large serve of fries, extra crispy, extra salt." "What do you think, Barb?" "I think we need to try another restaurant. I mean, I like potatoes just fine, but would it hurt anyone to offer some gemstones?" "I mean about the ticket and the Gala and who to take with me." "Oh." Barb rolled her eyes. "You're still on that?" Tori leant forwards, knocking the vase aside. "Barb, listen!" She pushed herself back. "How do I choose? If I choose one will the others be mad at me? I could give up my own ticket and get two of them to turn up, but then that'd leave three upset people! Not including myself, of course." "Here's your food." The waiter interrupted. "Oh, thank you." Her mouth started to water. "This looks so good... I'm sure everything will be much clearer once I eat. She grabbed the sandwich and was about to take a bite, when a crowd of people stormed inside the building. "Uh, madam?" "Hm?" "Are you going to eat your food in the rain?" "Rain?" Tori smiled. "It's not raining." And then she noticed that, except for a patch of light around her, it was raining. "What's going on?" "Hey there best-friend-forever-I've-ever-ever-had!" Rachael's voice came from above. She was leaning on the edge of the hole in the clouds, looking down at Tori. "Enjoying the sunny weather?" "Rachael, what are you doing?" Tori asked suspiciously. "What do you mean?" Rachael played an innocent look. "I just saw that the smartest, most-generous chick about to get rained on, so I'd thought I'd kick a hole in the clouds so that she could keep dry and dine and feast, that's all." "Rachael, you're not trying to get extra consideration for the extra ticket by doing me extra-special favours, are you?" "Me? No no no, of course not!" Were it not for the fact that Rachael was obviously lying, the fact that the sun was right behind her and giving her an angelic look would've fooled even Jackson. "Uh huh." "Seriously, I'd do it for anyone." The scattering of people caught in the storm proved otherwise. Rachael's nervous laugh added to that. "Rachael, I am not comfortable accepting unwanted favours, so I'd appreciate it if you closed up that raincloud right now." "Ugh... Fine." Rachael did so. Tori smiled confidently to herself, and prepared to take a bite of her sandwich. She regretted her decision a split second later, with rain pouring down around her to soak both her hair and her food. She let out a low growl, dropping her sodden sandwich back onto its plate. "Victoria!" Evans called out from under an umbrella, standing nearby. "It's raining." "No." Tori didn't even look in his direction. "Really?" "Come with me before you catch a cold!" Evans grabbed her by the arm and dragged her off, Barb following close behind. Tori, once inside Evans' store, shook herself somewhat dry. Unfortunately, this left Evans' normally curled hair to become straight with water. "Oops, sorry." Evans' look of annoyance was replaced with one much more positive. "No no, it's quite alright." He walked up and wrapped an arm around her. "We are the best of friends, are we not?" "Evans." "And you know what the best of friends do?" "Uh..." "Styling!" He brought over a screen with his magic and proceeded to work his profession over her, almost oblivious to her shouts of protest and the fact that she was almost unclothed at this point. After a long moment he pushed the screen away and revealed Tori in a grand, simple outfit. To Tori, it was great except for one thing: "The skirt's too short." "And you, Barb, I have something for you as well." "Eh?" Barb, even though she was in the presence of Evans, didn't like the sound of what was to come. "I have a dashing little outfit for a tomboy like you." Evans pulled the screen over to Barb and once again did his job. Tori couldn't tell what was to come, until the screen was pushed aside. Barb was dressed in a gold-trimmed, blue outfit, similar to the dress of the upper echelons of an older civilisation. A golden wig covered her short green hair. "Oh great..." "Now you just need a hat." Evans plopped a hat on her head. "I already told you two, I don't want any of that girly Gala stuff. See you back at the library!" Barb dashed off, tearing at the clothing she was wearing. Evans laughed nervously. "Oh, who needs her anyway?" He reached over and pulled a mirror to show Tori. "This is all about you." Tori looked herself over. "Yep, the skirt's too short." "No it's not." "You can see the very base of my butt." "Oh, that's only situatio-" "When I'm standing up straight." "Ok, you're right, it is a little short." Evans smiled. "But regardless, you're going to look fabulous at the Grand Gala." "Wait. The Grand-?" Evans gasped, approaching a stand with a well-cut suit on it. "What's this? A suit that matches your ensemble closely! What a coincidence." He walked over and draped his arm over her. "We'll be the bells of the Ball, you and I. Everyone will be clamouring for our attention. All eyes will be on us!" "Evans, I don't like-" "And then everyone will finally know the most handsome, most talented, most sophisticated person in all of Equestria, is Evans Quartz!" His eyes nearly sparkled, but then he noticed the sour expression on Tori, and laughed nervously. "And Victoria Tandem, of course." "Tanton." "Of course, Tanton..." "I see what's going on." Tori pushed his arm off and turned to face him. "You're just buttering me up so I'll give you the extra ticket." Tori's crystal flashed bright, and the ensemble flew off her. "Well, it's not going to work." She grabbed her sodden clothing and slipped it on. "You're going to have to wait for my decision like everybody else. Now, if you'll excuse me," She marched towards the door. "I've been trying all day just to get some lunch!" "Did someone say lunch?" Jackson, who was at the door, replied, grabbing Tori by her wrist and pulling her out and onto the ground. "For God's..." Tori pulled herself up, and her eyes met the tower of apple treats in front of her. "You've got to be kidding me!" "Ah got apple pie, apple fritters..." Jackson continued to list the many different foods on the cart. "... And apple Brown Betty. Uh, the dessert, not my auntie." He smiled hopefully. "Whaddya say there, best friend?" Tori's stomach rumbled. "Is that a yes?" "No!" Tori shouted in reply. "No, it's not a yes! I don't know who the ticket's going to, and all these favours are making it harder for me to decide!" She dashed off. "So... that's a maybe?" "I never knew being showered with gifts would be so aggravating!" She pushed her home's door open, but was greeted to the sight of Emily scrubbing the walls of her home, humming something. "Emily, not you too!" "Oh, hello, Victoria. I hope you don't mind. I'm just doing a little spring cleaning for you." "It's summer." Tori growled. "Oh, well... Better late than never, right?" She turned to the rabbit, who was skilfully preparing a salad. "It was all Angel's idea." "You're not doing this for the ticket, are you?" "Oh, no, I'm doing this because you're my very best friend." "That's what Rachael, Evans and Jackson said." Emily's smile cracked slightly. "R-right, Angel? Helping very best friend?" Angel just gave her a disappointed look. "Oh." Emily turned, smiling normally. "Yes, we are just doing this for the ticket." Angel offered the salad to Tori. "No, no, NO!" Tori turned to leave. "This was very nice of you and Angel but I'm not accepting any more favours until I've made my decision, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave." "Surprise!" A cheer rang out through the open door, and Patrick grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her outside. "Tori is my bestest friend. Whoopie, whoopie!" Patrick started to sing, throwing her into the air. "Patrick..." "She's the cutest, smartest, all around best girly, girly!" Another toss. "Patrick." "I bet if I throw a super-duper fun party, party!" Another toss. "Patrick!" "She'll give her extra ticket to the Gala to me!" Another toss "PAAAAAAAAAAATRIIIIIIIIIICK!" She fell to the ground. "Yes, Tori?" "At least the others tried to be subtle about the ticket." "Wait, what ticket?" A random girl asked. "What Gala?" "You didn't know?" Patrick asked. "Tori has an extra ticket for the Grand Gala that she's giving to me." "That was never-" "The Grand Gala?" The crowd shouted. "Oh God, here we go..." Tori sighed. "Barb, time to run!" *** No less than a whole minute later, Tori and Barb were backed into a corner, a horde of nearly-mindless people approaching them slowly, constantly asking for favours. "This is just like that zombie book I read." Barb muttered. Tori's crystal glowed bright, a field of lavender magic surrounding the two. Veins of light etched across Tori's body no less than a second before the two flashed away from sight, leaving the smell of ozone and a scorch mark behind. In the main room of the library, the two reappeared, Barb covered in ash and stumbling around. "Warn me next time you're going to do that..." "I didn't even know it was going to happen!" Tori prodded the crystal in her forehead gently. "Now quick, lock the doors!" In a panicked speed, all the windows and doors were shut around them, and all the lights turned off. The two sighed and rested on the wooden floor. "It's over for now..." "Yeah..." The light flicked on. And Tori noticed her five friends in the room, and she let out a scream of rage, fear and exhaustion. "I can't decide! I just can't decide! It's just so important to all of you and I can't let any of you get upset and giving me gifts and doing me favours isn't making it any easier because you're all my friends and I want to make you all happy but I can't! I just can't!" She curled up into a ball, her hands over her head. Jackson approached slowly and rested a hand on her head gently. "Tori, sugar, I... I didn't mean to put so much pressure on you. And, if it helps ya some, Ah don't want the ticket anymore, not with all th' stress it comes with. Y'all can give it to someone else, Ah won't feel bad." "Me too." Emily glided slowly over. "I feel just awful for making you feel so awful..." "And me too." Patrick added. "It's no fun making your friends upset." "Tori, it was unfair of me to try and force you as I did." Evans added. "Yes!" Rachael leapt into the air. "I got the ticket!" The weight of the room's glares brought her down from her high. "Actually, now that you mention it, my moves aren't ready. I need to do a bit more practice." Jackson turned his attention back to Tori. "We all got so gung-ho about the Gala that we forgot how... un-gung-ho we were makin' you feel." In unison, the five people apologised. "Barb, take a note." Tori pulled herself up. "Dear Princess Celestia, I've learned that one of the joys of friendship is sharing your blessings, but when there's not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can make you feel pretty awful. So, though I appreciate the invitation, I will be returning both tickets to The Grand Gala." "Eh?" Patrick tilted his head. "If my friends can't all go, then neither will I." "Tori, ya don't have to do that." Jack said. "Y'all can go if ya want." "I've made up my mind. Barb, you can send the letter." Barb nodded, opening one of the windows and engulfing the scroll in green fire. "Now you won't get to go either, Tori." Emily added. "I probably wouldn't enjoy myself if you guys didn't come too. It's probably for the best." Barb launched a column of fire, which she caught. "A letter from the Princess? That was... fast." "My most faithful student, why didn't you just say so in the first place?" She pulled out of the scroll six golden tickets. "Hey guys, look, there are tickets for all of you." Tori gasped. "Now we can all go!" Her stomach rumbled again. Evans smiled. "Allow us to treat you to dinner." As each person left the building, they each grabbed a ticket. Jackson took the last one. Barb looked at her empty hands and sighed. "How come I don't get a ticket..." She belched another gout of flame, and caught it, opening it to read. "And one for you, Barb. Sorry, I forgot to pack this one in the first letter." A single golden ticket slipped out of the note, and she ran out in joy. As soon as Jackson caught her she froze. "Uh... I mean... Aw come on, I have to go too? Ugh..." After a few moments she broke into a grin again, dashing away with a laugh. Jackson chuckled to himself, and continued on into the warm summer night.