CRASH! SMASH! BOOM!
The maroon doorways of the Parading Flames Theater echoed with uproarious laughter.
“You’ll never catch us, Kindle!” a crimson pegasus yelled back.
“We’ll see about that, Spark!” a peach filly replied. “Come on Spike!”
“Stop Kindle, wait!" Spike cried. "Stop running, please!!!”
Two little colts exploded through a door and dashed through the room. A determined peach unicorn ridden by a small purple dragon appeared in the doorway as well, giving hot pursuit to the giggling duo.
The two parties dashed into the next room. Spark's eyes fixated on a red vintage couch in the middle of the room. Seeing an opportunity to lose their chasers, Spark and Snicker jumped on the furniture. The impact caused it to fall over onto its side, making it much more difficult to jump over. Kindle darted around it, losing precious distance from her targets.
The colts made their way into the dining room and were quickly followed by Kindle and her unwilling rider. They dove under the white tablecloth and slid underneath the wooden chairs. The two colts attempted to lose their pursuers by taking a sharp left into the next room.
"Wait, Kindle! DON'T!" Spike begged.
Kindle ignored Spike and dove under the cloth as well. The poor purple dragon on her back got smacked in the gut with the end of the table and fell, completely immobilized.
"Ha, you lose Kindle! Now all you have is-WAAAA!" Spark yelped as his body floated away from the floor. He stopped in midair, surrounded by a red ethereal aura.
"Hey, what the heck is- FIREBRAND!"
The large red unicorn appeared through the doorway, his horn glowing a bright red and an annoyed look on his face.
"RUN!" Spark ordered. Snicker immediately turned towards the nearest door and propelled his legs. The door wasn't getting any closer for some reason. Snicker looked down. His legs were glowing purple.
"Hey, no fair! How are you holding me if you already have..." A purple unicorn came into the doorway, cutting off his question.
"You're mine now, boys!" Kindle said as she leaped into the air at Snicker. With a look of pure nonchalance, Twilight lifted Snicker further into air out of Kindle's reach. Kindle refused to give up and kept leaping in the air, swiping like a cat at a dangling toy. Firebrand walked over and wrapped his oversized foreleg around Kindle, completely restricting her movement.
Spark and Snicker struggled and flailed around in the magical grips, trying anything to counter the unicorns' levitation spells. No matter which way Spark twisted and turned, he couldn't break the magic. Kindle wasn't faring much better, as her small legs barely budged her older brother's stocky grip. In a last ditch attempt to break free, Kindle stuck out her tongue and dragged it across Firebrand's leg. The leg didn't budge.
All three foals gave Firebrand grumpy looks of defeat.
“How many times have I told you three not to roughhouse indoors?” Firebrand lectured. "Especially in the dining room where you could easily break something important? Now go outside. You've already made enough of a mess in here, one that I now have to clean up. After which, you and I are going to have a little chat."
Firebrand cut off the magic to his horn, releasing Spark from the magical grip. Spark's wings fluttered as he gently landed on the floor. Twilight made sure to place Snicker down on the floor before deactivating her spell.
Firebrand gestured with his muzzle towards the entrance, where Twilight Sparkle stood holding the front door. The colts looked at each other and shrugged as they walked out the door. Once Twilight shut the door, Firebrand released Kindle from his hooves.
“You, little missy, are going upstairs,” Firebrand commanded the filly.
Kindle looked up at him with wide indignant eyes. “But he called me -“
“Here, Kindle, I got you a new book,” Twilight offered, gently shoving a Daring Do and the Vampony's Castle volume into Kindle’s hooves. “Why don’t you go up to your room and read it?”
Kindle stared at the book she was now cradling. She nodded slowly and trotted away. Twilight's eyes followed Kindle out of the room. and she could swear she thought she saw the peach filly grinning in triumph.
Firebrand turned to face Twilight and smiled. “Thanks for taking me up on my offer Twilight,” Firebrand breathed as he slumped against the wall. “Kids can be a real load... especially pegasi.”
“Not a problem,” Twilight answered as she started levitating some of the objects scattered across the floor. “Kindle seems to be an easy fix as long as she can ignore those two colts.”
Firebrand chuckled as he activated his own horn and reset the upturned couch. “I figured you two would get along,” he said as Twilight finished organizing the room. “You’re both into books. Well, Kindle’s more into reading stories rather than educating herself but-”
“HEY, NOT TRUE!” Kindle whined from the other room.
“Hay is for horses!” Firebrand shouted back.
Elsewhere in the multiverse, someone just threw up their lunch and died.
"WHAT?" Twilight asked with a slightly disgusted look on her face.
“I know, I know,” Firebrand explained sheepishly while rubbing the back of his mane. “My dad did that to me when I was that age, so whenever I’m around children, bad jokes like that just kinda shoot out every now and again.”
Twilight rolled her eyes and chuckled as she straightened out an upturned chair.
Spike then stumbled into the room, barely able to walk a straight line. He clutched his stomach in pain and fell on his haunches.
“Oof... I don’t feel so good...” Spike groaned as his chest started to heave. With a huge burp, a large plume of green flame exited his maw with a large belch. The flame wrapped around itself and a floating tan scroll materialized.
“Speaking of things shooting out…” Firebrand said with interest, dropping the chair he was holding.
The scroll descended and hovered in front of the three. Twilight observed the royal insignia encrusted on the scroll. “It's a letter from Princess Celestia,” she stated, her interest rising.
Spike cleared his throat.
“Hear ye, hear ye,” he read in a faux royal voice. “Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce The Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot on the 21st day of..." Spike sighed and brought the letter closer to his face. "Yadda yadda yadda, cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest.”
“The Grand Galloping Gala?!” Twilight exclaimed with an unhinged jaw. Twilight exploded into the air, squealing like a little foal.
“The Grand Galloping Gala!" she screamed, bouncing with each cheer. "The Grand Galloping Gala! The Grand Galloping Gala!”
Firebrand rolled his eyes and grinned while Spike started to forcefully gag.
“This is amazing!” Twilight said giddy with excitement. “I've never been to the gala. Have you, Spike?”
Spike rolled his eyes and grimaced. “No, and I plan to keep it that way. I don't want any of that girly frilly froo-froo nonsense.” Spike waved his claws around for emphasis.
“Whoa," Firebrand shot a glare at the purple dragon. "There are in fact males who attend the gala every year,” he defended. “Dancing and partying isn’t strictly for mares you know.”
Spike stuck out his tongue and pointed at it in obvious disagreement. Firebrand sighed and returned his attention to the floating tickets.
Twilight also ignored Spike's comment and turned her attention towards the tickets currently hovering in front of her face. As they stood suspended in the air, a question loomed as well.
"Who am I going to take to the Gala?"
Like anypony, she wanted to take all of her friends. Problem was, she only had one extra. Did she really have to leave somepony out? How could she possibly choose? Was... she was going to have to pick a favorite? She liked them all equally...
Or did she?
She quickly shook her head of such thoughts and glanced at Firebrand, who was still gazing longingly at the floating tickets.
“The Grand Galloping Gala...” Firebrand mused. His expression slowly brightened. “That’s amazing! I’ve always wanted to go! I’ve never performed for an audience like those high class folks at Canterlot! If I got the chance to play there, it would really get the Fire name out and make us famous!”
“Perfect!” Twilight said, her worries vanishing. “Since you’re here, would you like to come?”
Firebrand’s face looked as if it were going to explode with excitement and joy.
“YES I-" Firebrand’s facial expression suddenly dropped. "-don't think I can! I think I might have plans for that day! Horseapples!”
Firebrand magically pulled a small notebook out of from his pocket and opened it, viciously scanning through the pages in an anxious frenzy. Not wanting to break the irate musician's concentration, Twilight tip-toed to the side and glanced over his shoulder. Firebrand seemed to stop on a calendar looking page, his eyes darting back and forth across it. Twilight made a mental note of possibly getting one of these pocket books, it might be useful.
"C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'moooooooon..." Firebrand repeated to himself. A look of disappointment spread across his face as "Eerrgghh... darn it. I was going to visit my family up in Baltimare for that weekend." Firebrand facehooved and started to thrash his head about. "Perfect, just freaking perfect!”
Twilight tried to calm the agitated stallion, but all that came out was, “I’m sorry, Firebrand.”
With a dejected sigh, Firebrand waved his hoof. “Ehh, I’ll get over it. You, know, why don’t you ask Shen or Aqua? They could be available.”
Twilight pondered that for a moment. She did have four other friends who might want to join her. She shrugged and turned to leave. “Alright. Sorry you couldn’t come!” she called as she walked out the front door.
“So am I…” Firebrand sighed.
"That'll be two bits."
"Thanks, Carrot." Spike said cheerfully as he threw the coins on the table. He grabbed the carrots and placed them in Twilight's knapsack. "So, we got carrots, tomatoes, lettuce... hm. I could really use some apples now for some reason..."
"Mmhmm," Twilight mumbled.
Spike looked up, noticing Twilight's lack of speech and glum tone. "What's wrong, Twilight?"
“Nothing just..." Twilight sighed, looking back at the theater with a pained stare. "Firebrand seemed really upset,”
“Aw, don’t worry Twilight,” Spike reassured. “You heard him, he said he’d feel better later, and besides, I’m pretty sure one of our other friends would be more than happy to come.”
Twilight stopped walking, then stood up straight in newfound confidence. “You’re right, Spike. I need to remain optimistic.”
“Well, it seems you’re learning!"
A high-pitched singsong voice behind Twilight and Spike to turn their heads. A green earth pony brimming with cheer and energy pranced up to them.
"So when did you graduate from Shenanigans' school of making-good-out-of-bad?" The happy-go-lucky stallion gave Twilight a grin. "Darn, I wish I had a diploma to give you. I bet you looked just adorable in the robe and cap."
“Hello, Shenanigans!" Twilight smiled, from both the joke and seeing the opportunity arise. "Do you by any chance have plans on the 21st?”
“Why?” Shen asked, comically cocking his head to the side.
“Well, I was hoping you might be interested in going to the Grand Galloping Gala with me.”
Shenanigans became a statue. The pupils in his big bright eyes grew and engulfed his irises. “You’re going to the Grand Galloping Gala? REALLY?!”
"Jackpot," Twilight grinned. “Yes! Princess Celestia gave me two tickets, one for me and another for anypony of my choosing!”
"What?" Shenangians' expression dropped. His eyebrow raised in suspicion, confusing Twilight who was expecting a happy response.
"That doesn't make any sense." Shenanigans said as his gaze drifted to the corner of his eye. "Princess Celestia only sent you two tickets when she’s fully aware that you have five friends who just might want to come to the biggest celebration of the year? Pun intended, I call shenanigans.”
Twilight blinked. "Did Shenanigans just... question Princess Celestia's motives?" Twilight thought. "How could he accuse her of something like that?! Princess Celestia is the most wonderful pony ever in existence! Princess Celestia wouldn't intentionally do something like this..."
...
Would she?
“Well, I… uh…”
“Ehh, I wouldn’t think about it too much," Shen shrugged. "Probably just didn’t have room or something along those lines. I dunno.”
"He is so... strange." Twilight thought. Shenanigans seemed to have some sort of radar that pointed out unnecessarily complicated or unfairly contrived situations. As soon as he did though, he immediately brushed them off and pretty much answered his own questions, much to the confusion of everypony around him.
“But anyways, you gotta let me come! I’ve always wanted to go!” Shenanigans pleaded. “Everypony keeps telling me how awesome it is! The lights, the atmosphere; it’s something I’ve always wanted to see! It’s supposed to be the experience of a lifetime, and…”
Shenanigans jumped on a nearby dining table. The ponies who were unfortunate enough to be dining on it gasped in astonishment as their meals were stepped in and ruined. Shen stood proudly; giving a pose reminiscent of royalty as he delivered his ultimatum.
“With Celestia as my witness, I’m not missing out on something this huge!”
In that moment, Mayor Mare trotted up. “Oh there you are, Shenanigans," the mayor said. "Listen, I need you to come in on the night of the 21st. The normal staff is going to be missing come the Grand Galloping Gala, and you’ll need to fill in for all of them. Have a nice day!"
Mayor Mare walked off with a casual grin on her face, leaving a disappointed Twilight with a mouth wide in shock. She sighed and turned to Shenanigans, who was still frozen in place. He still had his victorious smile, but his eyes formed an intense expression.
“Aw come ooooooooon!” he cried as he fell backwards off the table onto his back. “What are the chances of that?!”
“It’s okay Shenanigans." Twilight sighed at his tragic display. "I’ll just find somepony else.”
“But… but… but...” Shenanigans started to protest, but then moaned in defeat. “…fine,” he grumbled to himself as he picked himself up from the ground. He trudged away from Twilight, hanging his head and mumbling.
"Shenanigans..."
"Hey, you! Are you gonna pay for the food your friend just stepped in?"
"Okay, two down, but we still got three more to ask!" Spike said. "We've just run into a bit of bad luck is all."
“I hope that's the case. I'd really hate to not have anypony to go to the gala with..." Twilight muttered to herself.
“Doth my ears deceive me?" A suave voice behind her cooed. "You have tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?”
Twilight turned her head. A purple pegasus was above them, head resting on his forelegs and hovering as if he were laying on his chest. He landed next to Twilight with an eager and seductive smile on his face.
"How did he get here? Was he stalking me?" Twilight smiled. "Oh wait, it's Prowler, I shouldn't be surprised."
“Yes I do! I was hoping I could…”
“Say what?”
Aqua Jet zoomed over out of nowhere and landed on the ground with a large thud, causing the other three to wobble off balance.
“Oh, dude, you're luuuuucky," Aqua Jet pined.
"Lucky? Why on earth would you want to go, Aqua Jet?" Prowler asked. Twilight nodded as well; it didn't seem like Aqua was the formal gala type.
"Of course I don't wanna go to talk to the fat cats, bleh," Aqua grimaced. "But the thing is, the mountainside next to Canterlot is a perfect place to show off my stunts! And at the gala? Dude, I’d get noticed in no time at all! My team of super-flying daredevils would be guaranteed!”
“Assuming you survived your first stunt,” Prowler silently coughed to the side.
“I’d sure as heck love to go. But… ain't no way I can. I unfortunately gotta manage the weather here. Ponyville’s due for a sprinkle that night, and I can’t go.”
Twilight felt her heart sink. “Really?”
“Trust me Twi, I really don’t wanna work on the night of the gala, and push out a storm even...” Aqua Jet sighed, “but... I kinda have to. Lame, I know...”
Twilight turned to the dark pegasus. “Prowler?” she asked hopefully.
Prowler sighed and adjusted his glasses. “Sorry Twilight, unfortunately I cannot attend either. As chief of security, I have duties here. Especially on the night of the gala, where many ponies are going to be there and leaving their homes empty and defenseless. As much as I would love to do some...”
Two mares, one a mint green unicorn and the other a cream earth pony, sat on a park bench conversing and giggling. A small mischievous grin crept up onto Prowler's face.
“Some... scouting of the populace..." Prowler slurred, before shaking his head and snapping himself back. "I cannot, will not, and would not. I simply have responsibilities that cannot be shirked.”
“Jeez, dude, you sound like my dad,” Aqua Jet chuckled. His face then contorted into a mockery of an old stallion's muzzle, his lower jaw stuck out and his eyes scrunched. “‘Aqua Jet!" He said in a mockery of an old man's voice. "You must be responsible and do your duty! Work before pleasure,’ blah blah blah…”
Prowler gave a swift shove to Aqua Jet’s side.
"Ow! What the hay was that for?" Aqua jet whined.
Prowler motioned with his head at a distraught-looking Twilight, holding her head low with a droopy frown.
“Aw come on, don’t look so down, Twi," Aqua Jet shrugged, "I’m sure there’s somepony that’s free, it’s just not gonna be one of us.”
“But I wanna go with one of my friends!” Twilight insisted. “It’ll be so lonely without one of you.”
“Trust us, Twilight,” Prowler responded with a sigh, “it’s a shame for all of us.”
“Cheer up Twilight.” Spike said while patting Twilight's side. “We still got Jinx to ask. This time it will work. What could Jinx possibly have going on that could make him not come to the Gala?”
The two approached Jinx’s white laboratory and greenhouse/orchard/farm.
“Gee I don’t know,” Twilight retorted as she rolled her eyes. “That’s what I thought about the other four.”
“Now, Twilight," Spike said while shaking a finger. "That’s what we don’t want. Negativity.”
Twilight exhaled deeply and dragged her legs to the front door. She raised her hoof and knocked. The door creaked open at the impact, much to Twilight's astonishment.
“It's open? Weird..." "Jinx? Are you there?” Twilight called.
No answer.
“Jinx? Hello?” Twilight called, her voice shaking.
Twilight's eyes strained to make anything out in the blackness of the room. A counter with multiple sinks protruded from the center with multiple potted plants scattered about on it. Numerous shelves filled with vials and bottles clung to the sides of the walls. Everything seemed to be in order, but no sign of the goggled gray alchemist.
“Maybe he’s not home?” Spike asked.
A small rumble rocked them, knocking the two off balance. A muffled high-pitched voice reverberated beneath the floor. Twilight placed her head to the floor with an inquisitive look on her face.
"Do you hear anything?" Spike asked.
"I hear... laughing."
"Laughing?" Spike said in disbelief.
"Yes. Somepony is below us." Twilight said as she stood upright. "Start looking for a door that leads to a basement or something."
“Like that?” Spike said while pointing a finger. In the corner of the room was a conspicuous looking wooden slab. They both walked up to it and observed it with curious glances. The wooden slab had a large metal ring serving as a handle, with a large metal hook and eye binding it to the floor.
"It's a trapdoor," Twilight thought aloud. She magically unlatched the lock on the trapdoor. As she lifted the handle, the door let out a resounding creak causing Spike to wince and look around anxiously.
Twilight peeked through the hole in the floor uncovered by the hatch. A flight of eerie-looking stone stairs descended into complete darkness. Twilight started to climb down, but was stopped by a claw.
“Twilight, are you sure this is a good idea?" Spike pleaded. "It's not like I'm scared to go down into a creepy tunnel that doesn't look like it leads to something we shouldn't know about, but... we’re trespassing as it is, are you sure we should be doing this?”
“Come on Spike, this is Jinx, the Element of Kindness we’re talking about here. What could possibly go wrong?”
"You should be glad Shenanigans wasn't around to hear you say that," Spike pointed out. Still, Spike had to admit Jinx's timid and gentle nature meant they were most likely safe from bodily harm.
Spike clung to Twilight's leg as they slowly descended the dark stairwell. The brown walls gleamed with moistness and the faint smell of chlorinated water permeated the air. The humming of an engine reverberated throughout the corridor, causing Spike to grip tighter. The two reached the final step and stood with mouths agape.
Twilight and Spike couldn't believe what they were seeing. While the upper floor seemed more fitting for fields of biology, this one seemed more fitting for chemistry, except if it were owned by a mad scientist. Through the dim light, Twilight could make out enormous machines sporting a twisted matrix of pipes with superconductors protruding from the top. They hummed loudly as they pumped a dark orange liquid through elaborately connected glass tubes which extended from one side of the room to the other. Twilight followed the liquid's twisting path with her eyes until her eyes stopped on a small nozzle squirting the liquid into a jar filled with a purple powder. The liquid fizzled as it came into contact with the powder, releasing a red smoke.
The sound of hooves clopping alerted Twilight to somepony else in the room. She yanked Spike behind the wall and peeked outwards. A light gray earth pony with large red goggles and a muzzle carrying a test tube case slowly approached the large beaker filled with the bubbling brew.
"Twilight? What's Jinx doing?"
"I don't know," Twilight answered as Jinx cautiously picked up the large beaker and poured a small portions of it into multiple medium-sized vials. After placing six filled test tubes into the carrying case, he picked it up with his mouth and walked towards a small table in the center.
A small circular stand stood shining on the center table. Large electrical wires connected the stand to the conductors the large generators in the back of the lab. Beads of sweat dripped from his face as he gently placed it on the table.
Jinx's head snapped upwards as a large siren blared. He deftly plucked one of the vials from the case and quickly placed it in the stand. Gritting his teeth, he ran for the generator in the back of the lab and placed his hooves on a large red lever.
“IT… COULD… WORK!!!” Jinx screamed as he pulled the switch. A surge of electricity screamed from the top of the generator causing a crackling electrical current to flow down the long wires towards the center of the room. The branching energy engulfed a vial on the center table, emitting a large blinding light. Twilight and Spike were forced to shield their eyes, but Jinx’s goggles allowed him to take in all of his experiment’s glory and wonder. The flash vanished and everyone in the room beheld the results.
The small vial that originally contained a clear orange liquid was now glowing a phosphorescent blue. Jinx slowly approached the workdesk, paying careful attention to his latest creation. He gently lifted it from the stand and brought it close to his muzzle. After staring at it for a few moments, he suddenly burst into evil laughter.
“MWAHAHAHAHA! I’VE DONE IT! AFTER MONTHS AND MONTHS, I’VE ACHIEVED IT! I’M A GENIUS! ALL HAIL THE ALMIGHTY JINX, MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE, OVERLORD OF-”
Jinx ecstatically spun around, flaunting his latest creation, and froze. Twilight was standing there, observing Jinx’s... passion... in soft horror. Neither moved nor batted an eye for what seemed like an eternity. The tension and awkwardness became palpable as neither were brave enough to break the silence. A wide-eyed look remained fixated to Twilight's face but Jinx’s expression remained a mystery due to his red goggles covering his eyes.
“Twilight?”
“Jinx?”
“…H-how long have you been standing there?”
“I… umm… saw everything. Jinx.”
“Oh my goodness!" Jinx immediately panicked and threw a rag over his finished experiment. "I… it’s not… I was just… All it is is…” Jinx stammered. He gulped and pulled his goggles off, his face a flushed a bright red akin to his eyes.
“Please don’t tell anypony,” he whimpered, burying his face in his hooves.
“Don’t worry, Jinx, this’ll stay between us. Right Spike?"
No response.
“Spike.”
Still no response.
“SPIKE!”
The baby dragon jumped and quickly gave his answer. “Oh, yeah, yeah, Jinx, I won’t say a word.”
Jinx gave a shiver of pure embarrassment. After giving a couple dejected whimpers, he looked off towards the shelves to his left and rested his head in his hooves. “So… ummm…" he peeped with a twitching mouth. "Did you… need something?”
“Oh I almost forgot!" Twilight perked up. "I have an extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala and was wondering if you wanted to come!”
“The Grand Galloping Gala? Really?!" Jinx exclaimed, almost falling out of his chair. The tensity of the room instantly evaporated as Jinx jumped out of his seat, eyes glowing with happiness. "That’d be incredible! I mean, I couldn’t care less about the actual gala, but I’m much more excited for who’s showing up there!”
“Who?” Twilight and Spike asked in unison.
“Doctor Charm!”
“The famous alchemist?” Twilight asked.
“You know him, Twilight?” Spike said.
“Well, yeah he…”
“He’s a genius!" Jinx swooned. "Doctor Smiling Charm is a legend amongst alchemists. The scientific breakthroughs he’s discovered, the things he’s created; I own every single one of his books, and- oh I’m sorry I got carried away.” Jinx sighed dreamily, his eyes drifting upwards. “What I wouldn’t give to be his apprentice…”
“So you want to come?”
“I can’t.”
Twilight’s heart plummeted. “What?”
“I don’t have anything planned on the day of the gala itself, but I do the day after. I’m substituting for Cheerilee the day after the gala, and I need that night to prepare for the class.”
Spike’s eyes widened as he got an image of mad-doctor Jinx teaching an entire classroom... full of children...
“But Jinx…” Twilight protested, her voice quivering.
“Trust me, I really want to go, but I can’t." he said softly as he spun in his chair and returned to his work. "Sorry, Twilight..."
“Alright so Jinx wasn’t available, but maybe we can... Twilight?” Spike looked around and saw Twilight walking away from the lab.
“Twilight, where are you going?” Spike called.
“Home…” Twilight replied, not turning to look back at Spike.
Entering the library, Twilight retreated upstairs to her room. Spike decided it would be best if he stayed downstairs and began to organize a pile of books in the corner of the room. Twilight shoved her bedroom door open and threw herself atop her bed, burying her face in the pillows. She breathed heavily through the fabric; her body lacking the motivation to flip herself upright.
Twilight was destroyed. Any other time she would've happily gone to the gala. But now that she had friends, things became more complicated. These stallions were a joy to be around, and going without one of her friends seemed like having a telescope without any stars to look at. She rolled over and stared at her blank ceiling. Her eyes became misty as her frustrated eyes refused to blink.
"This is so stupid." she thought angrily. "There's always got to be a catch, huh? I get the chance of a lifetime and I can't share it with anypony else?"
A knocking noise interrupted Twilight's thoughts. Twilight's body rolled over and faced her bedroom door. After staring at it briefly with a scowl on her face, she rolled back over pulled the blanket over her head.
“Twilight, it’s for you!” Spike called.
Twilight's body cried out to not leave the bed, but her brain forced the stone limbs to drag themselves out of bed. She hung her head low as she shoved her door open trotted down the stairs.
“Hey, Twilight..."
Twilight looked up. The brick red Firebrand looked down at her with tender eyes.
"Twilight, have you been crying?”
“No!" Twilight shook her head and wiped her eyes. "It’s just... ummm... sometimes a lot of books don't get checked out too often, and they collect dust! I was reading one and they got into my eyes! Yeah, that's it!" Twilight smiled, giving a poker face that would make a magician blush. Firebrand's expression remained unchanged.
Twilight looked down. "I was looking forward to going to the Grand Galloping Gala with one of you, but all of you are busy."
“Yeah... actually, I came to talk to you about that." Firebrand said with a smile. "See, I called my parents and asked if I could go with you and have our family reunion some other time. They actually said yes and we rescheduled it for the weekend before, so now I’ll be able to stay and go with you to the Gala!”
Twilight's body felt as if were going to be lifted off the floor. Her features brightened as the feelings of utter disappointment washed away.
Another knock was heard. Twilight and Firebrand exchanged curious glances. Twilight walked over to the door and opened it, revealing a teal-maned dark pegasus standing in the doorway.
“Oh hello Firebrand, old chap," Prowler drawled. "Fascinating to see you here, is- Twilight! I've been looking for you, love. Might I have a moment of your time?” Stepping inside after Twilight moved out of his way, he adjusted his glasses back onto his face.
“I thought about your proposition... As head of Ponyville’s security, it’s my sworn duty to make sure that all citizens of Ponyville are secure. As you are well-aware, I take my job very seriously. So seriously that it just dawned on me that I haven’t taken a vacation in quite some time. So I decided to take the day off. Now I’ll be able to escort you to the Gala as any good gentlecolt should.”
“Now wait a...”
Firebrand’s protest was cut off by a sudden crash. The window was blown open and a massive blue object hit the ground with resounding force. It rolled along the surface of the floor until it smashed into the bookcase near Spike.
"Aqua Jet!" Twilight began. "What are you..."
“Hey Twi, guess what? I caught a break!" Aqua Jet rasped as he scrambled to bring himself to his hooves. "Someone else on the weather patrol said he could cover my shift. I now owe him a favor, sure, but I’m free if ya want!”
“Um, Aqua, I...”
Prowler was silenced by a white rush skidding to a halt in the library. Jinx looked relieved to see Twilight and began speaking. “Twilight! I’m glad I finally caught up to you. See... I said before that I needed to take the night off before the Gala to plan. However... the one topic I seemed to have issue with was one of my lectures. So I decided to cut that out and... the rest of it was easy! It won’t take me any time to set up at all, so I’ll be able to go to the Gala with you.”
Now Twilight felt cornered. Her previous sadness of not having anyone to go to the Gala with was being replaced with anxiety on being forced to choose who she would take. And to top it off, as if on some cosmic cue, the missing sixth green pony happened to trot in.
“Hey Twilight!” Shenanigans greeted. “I just... Wait, what in...”
Shenanigans eyes slowly scanned the room. Four stallions were standing in front of Twilight. Didn't all the stallions supposedly have plans that interfered with the gala? And they were now in the room with Twilight, obviously wanting something?
...
Processing...
...
“OH YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!” Shenanigans snarled angrily.
Twilight gawked at Shenanigans for a bit. “Weren’t you supposed to... How did you even... you know what? Never mind. I’m not sure I want to know.” She sputtered as she massaged her temples.
Twilight then noticed the five stallions silently looking at her.
"Why are they staring at me like that?" Twilight thought. The answer eventually dawned on her. "Oh... right... Okay, Twilight... what's the situation now? Well, now we have five friends, and only two tickets. Five friends and two tickets. Oh no, what am I going to do?!"
“I... I...” she stammered. Her eyes began to dart between each of the stallions. Her heartbeat quickened as the stallion's eyes burrowed into her skull. She instinctively took a step backwards. The wood beneath her hoof gave a quiet creak.
“INEEDTOBEALONE” Twilight screamed as she sprinted upstairs to her room, leaving the five anxious ponies in the main lobby. She clumsily shoved the door to her room shut, making more noise than she intended. Twilight flinched at the slamming sound, thinking she was giving the wrong impression to the stallions downstairs.
She stopped in place. Her mind raced through the events of the day and what just happened.
"What am I going to do?" she thought, sliding down on the door until she hit the floor. "I don't want any of my friends to be left out, but the way this is set up, I'm going to have to pick somepony over another. Even if I gave up my own ticket, there would still be three others that couldn’t go. And to top it off, they each made a few sacrifices in order to get her extra ticket, which will make me feel worse for making a decision. GAH THIS SO FRUSTRATING!!!"
Her mind wasted and despairing, Twilight slumped on her star-spangled bed and stared at the ceiling. She was going to have to make a choice.
A choice where somepony will inevitably be disappointed.
"Gentlecolts, we should probably make ourselves comfortable." Prowler suggested as he adjusted his glasses.
"Why?" Jinx asked.
"Because this is a big decision Twilight's going to have to make." Firebrand explained as he slumped against a wall. "There's no way this can be easy for her. You know what? Scratch that, this isn't easy for her."
"Man, if I had just come earlier..." Aqua Jet moaned.
"Hey, now is not the time for that." Shen said. "What we need to do is just sit here and wait, and try not to argue."
Aqua Jet nodded while releasing a moan and leaned against a bookshelf. Shenanigans leaned back and sprawled out across the floor where he stood. Jinx just sat his haunches down and waited.
"How long has she been up there?" Shen asked to the ceiling.
"Ten, maybe fifteen minutes." Prowler replied nonchalantly with a glance to the clock.
The atmosphere in the room became increasingly awkward as time went on. The stallions tried not to look at each other for fear of setting the room off.
The sound of a door opening caused each of the ponies to snap to attention.
Twilight slowly descended the stairs, her face completely unreadable, but her lowly hung head and the solemn way she was walking indicated she had a rough time. They stood up and said nothing as Twilight reached the floor. Twilight stopped a few feet away from the line of stallions and didn't look at them. She took a few deep breaths, then gazed at her patiently waiting friends.
"I've-"
“Twilight, wait,” Firebrand interrupted. “We just wanted to say that... we didn’t intend for this choice to be forced on you like this.”
“This was something that could not be anticipated, and we understand how difficult this is for you,” Prowler continued. “So we feel you should know-”
“It don’t matter who ya pick, Twi,” Aqua Jet finished.
“We just want you to know that whoever you pick, we’ll all still be friends,” Jinx added.
“We won’t think less of you, because we’re all friends and you just happened to not have an extra ticket,” Shenanigans said. “Bottom line, we’re friends now...”
The five stallions walked over to Twilight and gave a big group hug.
“And we’ll still be friends after this.”
A warm smile spread across Twilight's face. "I have the greatest friends ever..." They stayed in their embrace for a little bit, the warmth of their bodies feeling strangely comfortable.
“I’ve decided...”
The stallions quickly broke the embrace and stood in a line, either wide-eyed in anticipation or clenched like they were bracing for impact. Twilight took another deep breath and delivered her decision.
“None of us are going.” Each of the stallions gave a look of sheer shock.
“This just isn’t fair, on any of us,” Twilight explained. “If I can’t go with all my friends, I don’t want to go either.”
Her friends immediately started to protest, but she cut them off with a wave of her hoof. “I couldn’t possibly enjoy myself at the gala knowing that I left one of you out. I want all of you there with me, so... I would rather not go at all.” The stallions looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement.
“If this is what you want Twilight...”
Twilight turned to her assistant and levitated a parchment and quill into his claws. “Yes, Spike, take down a note,” Twilight asked as Spike prepared to write.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I've learned that one of the best blessings you can ever have is a good friend who doesn't care if he or she is picked over someone else. Being forced to choose a friend over another is a horrible experience that a good friend won’t force you to go through. But these times will still happen, and that good friend will be there to let you know that choices like that won't ruin a friendship. So, though I appreciate the invitation, I will be returning both tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
With a somber look in his eyes, Spike rolled the tickets in the parchment and sent the letter to Celestia. The room stayed quiet, nopony looking at each other or speaking of the events that transpired.
...
“Snickerdoodle.”
All the heads in the room turned towards the source of the voice. Shenanigans was in the corner of the library wearing the most incriminating grin possible. Everypony in the room stared at him with cocked eyebrows.
A few moments passed and smiles slowly grew on their faces. The more the word repeated throughout their minds, the more absurd it sounded. The smiles soon escalated into muffled snickers until the group suddenly burst into laughing fits.
Shenanigans grinned his signature toothy smile. "What? I couldn't take the awkwardness anymore. I had to say something."
A huge burp came from Spike as a letter materialized in from his mouth. Wiping the tears from his eyes and still giggling a little, Spike read the letter to the laughing ponies.
My faithful student Twilight,
Why didn't you just say so in the first place? Six tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala.
Spike burped again, and six hovering golden tickets formed out of his green flame. Everyone in the room gasped.
"3... 2... 1..." Shen counted.
“WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Aqua Jet cheered. “Yes! Yes! Yeeeeess!!!!” He leaped into the air and looped around the inside of the library. Everypony in the room cheered in agreement. All their dreams were coming true, all the sadness gone, and was now replaced with enthusiastic anticipation. Spike however was surprisingly quiet.
“How come I don't get a ticket to the gala?” he complained silently. Immediately after, Spike gave out another burp that made another ticket and another scroll appear.
And one for you, Spike. As soon as the gold flashed, Spike snatched the ticket.
“Yay!” Spike cheered. He was quickly silenced with an accusing glare from Firebrand. Recounting what happened earlier that morning, Spike immediately tried, and failed, to save face.
“I mean, gross, I have to go too?” The group, especially Firebrand, laughed even harder.
“Well, this whole thing turned out pretty well,” Jinx commented, smiling.
“Indeed,” Prowler agreed. “I believe a celebration is in order.”
“A celebration celebrating us going to a celebration?” Shenanigans commented. “Yo dawg, I heard you like celebrations!”
“Is that supposed to be an impression of Aqua Jet?” Twilight asked.
“No! It's a..." Shenanigans started, but then facehooved.
"Forget it.”