//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Friendship, magic and pokémon // by daniboyi //------------------------------// A week had passed since Ash had been officially accepted into Ponyville at the welcome party, he had earned quite a few bits for working at the farm and enjoyed his time with Pinkie Pie and the others, even through it was no secret he preferred to spent time with Pinkie as she was the funniest and one of his best friends. He woke up early that morning, around six o'clock, maybe a little later and walked down to the kitchen, leaving Pikachu to sleep in the bed, knowing it would not be good if he woke Pikachu up. He had tried it once and he swore he could still feel the electricity a week after. Of course no one believed him as Pikachu had put up his best 'I'm innocent' expression. Ash had just shook it off, unable to stay angry at Pikachu for more than a few minutes. However he did get him back one day when he pushed him into a large river filled with magikarps, making it really hard to get up while dodging splashing magikarps. He looked around in the kitchen and noticed some bread, grass and flowers and decided to take a simple sandwich for breakfast, before he headed over to AJ. He slowly devoured his sandwich as he heard someone walk down from the stairs, he turned around and saw a sleepy Pikachu walking down, sending him an accusing look. Ash grinned to him and said "Sorry Pikachu, but after last time I have learned not to wake you up again" Pikachu just hugged in response and jumped up next to Ash and took a piece of bread and began to eat it. After a few minutes Ash sat back in the chair, how he sat in a chair as a pony he had no clue, and let out a satisfied sigh. He looked at Pikachu and asked "Ready to go over to AJ?" Pikachu got up and nodded, he jumped over at Ash's back and he quickly wrote a note, stating he went over to AJ to work, before he left the house. It took a few minutes, but soon they were in front of the famous Sweet Apple Acres and walked right in. They saw Twilight and Applejack standing and talking. He walked over to them and said "Hey AJ, how's it going? What are you doing here Twi?" He had a long time ago began to form nicknames out of their names, because he just couldn't get used to the long names. Twilight was Twi, Applejack is AJ. Pinkie Pie is Pinkie. Rarity is Rari. Fluttershy is Shy, short and good, and Rainbow Dash is named Dash. Both smiled to him and AJ responded "I felt we could use an extra hand as Big Mac is busy elsewhere and Twilight was ready to help us" Ash smiled to her teasingly and said "So you think you can handle manual work Twi?" She sent him an annoyed look and said "Of course I can. I may not be an Applejack or Rainbow Dash, but I'm not helpless as you should know" Ash groaned at the reminded as AJ snickered, it had been a few days ago where Ash just had pushed Twi a little to hard with his teasing and ended up at the clock tower roof for a whole hour with no way of coming down, Shy had been busy and Rainbow Dash was to busy laughing at his expense. He smiled to her, and suddenly remembered something he had completely shot out of his mind in the last week as he had spent so much fun time with his new friends and asked "Twilight. Do you know if the princess is working on a way to send me home to my own world?" She looked a little sad down and answered "She haven't gotten any closer to the answer I'm afraid. I asked her yesterday and she has no clue why you are here, and how you got here in the first place..." Ash and AJ smiled both to her and Ash said with a grin "Not that it really needs to get on that fast. I quite enjoy my time in Equestria. Nice time of change from all the things I did back in my own world. Let's not get all sad about that. I'm sure we find a way sooner of later." AJ smiled to them both, happy to hear Ash enjoyed his time in their world and didn't worry about not being able to go home yet, and said "Come on now! We'll have to harvest those apples before it gets too late!" Both of the friends quickly followed. After many hours of work they had finally finished the south field and was done for today. They all walked back towards the farm with a satisfied smile on their faces, Pikachu was happily eating an apple on his back, while Spike was trying to find the most perfect apple in the basket. They all heard a growl behind them and looked at Twilight who blushed in embarrassment and said with a nervous smile "Guess all this work made me hungry…" AJ and Ash both laughed as Spike continued to pick out apples. Soon he said with a smile "AH HA!" and picked out a bright red delicious looking apple. Twilight looked at it with a smile and said hopefully "Oh Spike that look delicious!" Ash, who knew Spike well enough by now, saw what was coming and quickly used his tail to grab the apple before Spike sat his teethes in it. He looked at him with a confused look and said "Hey! What gives?" Ash grinned at him and said "Hey. It was Twi who had worked all morning, I think she deserves this more than you. Besides you can just wait or find another apple and stop being to picky" Spike just sat down and grumbled as Ash tossed the apple to Twi who grabbed it with her mouth and quickly ate it. She gave a smile to Ash and said "Thanks Ash, nice to know someone around here have manners!" She said the last part with a clear look at Spike who had the decency to look down ashamed. "No problem Twi. Glad I could help" He replied and continued to follow AJ. Suddenly a loud burp came from Spike and a green light flared up, he turned around and saw a flame appear and out of it came a letter. Ash sighed, remembering his first day he saw that and was clearly shocked to his bones about the sudden letter out of fire thing. It had taken him an hour to understand how it happened and Spike's abilities. Spike took the letter as Twilight said "It's a letter from Princess Celestia!" Ash sighed, almost rolling his eyes as to say 'Thank you captain Obvious!' Spike opened the letter and began to read up, it was basically about how a gala was coming up at Canterlot called 'The Grand Galloping Gala' and how Twilight had earned two tickets, one for herself and one for a friend. Ash narrowed his eyes at this one, thinking about how Twilight had five friends, seven if you counted him and Spike in, but it didn't really sound like something Ash would enjoy very much, he wasn't too up for all that high and fine princess things. That could cause some troubles if all of her female friends wanted to go. In the end of the letter both of the ponies in front of him exclaimed "The grand Galloping Gala!" in excitement. Ash groaned, this could cause some troubles… He turned his look up again and began to listen to AJ as she started to look excited and talk about how she wished she could go to the Gala so she could sell her apples and get rich, to buy her self a new farm and all other things that could help her with harvesting and planting new vegetables. Ash sighed and began to walk towards the farm, leaving AJ and Twilight behind, not really caring for that weird gala they were talking about. He delivered the apples at the farm to Big Mac, who gave him his daily payment and walked towards the town. He looked around and saw several ponies he recognized, such as Daisy, Caramel, Doctor Whooves and up in the skies was Derpy flying around with the daily mail. He heard a voice behind him call "Oh hey Ash!" He turned around and saw Pinkie walking, or rather bouncing, over to him with a smile plastered on her face. He felt the annoyance from before, because of the gala talk, leave and smiled to her. She bounced over next to him and asked "So are you done working?" He nodded with a smile and said "Sure am. I could use some lunch, want to join me?" Her smile brightened and she nodded quickly. They quickly found a restaurant and sat down. They picked up the menu and began to look through it. After some time had Ash finally decided to take a nice looking salad, he looked at Pinkie and asked "Have you found out what you want?" She nodded and not even a few minutes after they both sat and gladly ate their lunch. It didn't take them long before they were done and satisfied with a full stomach and walked, and bounced, with a smile through the town. Suddenly a massive purple mass ran into Pinkie so they both fell to the ground. Ash noticed something golden land on Pinkies face and groaned when he saw it was the tickets. "AHH! BATS ON MY FACE! BATS ON MY FACE!" Pinkie suddenly screamed and ran around until she took a closer looks at the tickets and said "Wait… These are not bats! They are tickets to the…" She took them up and looked closer at them "THE GRAND GALLOPING GALA!" She said with starts shining in her eyes. Ash groaned out louder and felt the annoyance coming back, together with a headache. "Wait you want to go to the Gala?" Asked a surprised Twilight. Again random background music appeared and Ash knew instantly what that meant. A Pinkie Pie song. Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me Hip hip Hooray It's the best place for me For Pinkie 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 favorite fantabulous games like Pin the Tail on the Pony! Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me 'Cause it's the most galarrific superly-terrific gala ever In the whole galaxy Wheee! Ash looked at Pinkie like she was crazy, which she probably was, he knew she liked parties, but she had to see that a Gala was much different from the normal crazy parties she attented, much less wild and more boring than anything else. Twilight just stood there with a sign and Ash felt a little pity for her, it must be hard to have five friends who wants to attend and only have two tickets, where one of them if for yourself. Pinkie was in mean time bouncing around Twilight, chanting over and over "Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you Twilight! I always dreamed to go to the Grand Galloping Gala!" "What is all this racket about?" Came a voice with a clear accent and Ash groaned again, Rarity hearing about the Gala was the last thing Twilight or he needed. "Twilight just invited me to the Grand Galloping Gala!" Pinkie exclaimed excited and right on that moment wished Ash just to leave. "The Grand Galloping Gala? You mean you have tickets to the finest gala in all of Equestria!" She asked shocked. Twilight nodded unsurely and a little nervous. "Twilight!" She exclaimed shocked again "I simply can't believe you would invite Pinkie to 'party'" She said the last part with a hint of disdain "And prevent my to meet my true love: Prince Blueblood!" She had a dreamy look on her face on the last part. She then began to explain how it was her dream to meet prince Blueblood at the gala and how they would dance and he would fall in love with her and then ask her for marriage, which she would accept and then become a princess. Ash rolled his eyes at her, thinking she sounded like a creepy fangirl of all things, and trust him when he says he had to deal with those daily too since he became a international pokémon champion. Then a new voice appeared out of no where, it was a shy, low and nervous voice "E-Excuse me Twilight…? If it w-was ok. Would you mind if I-I could go to the gala…?" Ash looked at her shocked, not expeting her the kind of gala girl, but neither did he thought AJ was and she wanted to go too apparently. "You want to go too the gala?" Asked a surprised Rarity. "O-Oh no…" She said and looked down, but a white bunny, Angel, came and gave her a couple of kicks on the leg and nodded his head furiously. She looked up again and said "I-I mean yes…" "What can you possible want to go to the gala for?" She asked with a small amount of suspecion in her voice. "Oh it's not so much about the gala!" She said, new excitement in her voice "I just wants to be in the royal garden with all the animals living there. There are all kinds of cute animals in the royal garden that I would never be able too see out here, because they are so rare!" Ash sighed and Twilight just looked more troubled than before. It didn't help that a fourth voice came to place "Now hold a horse shoe!" It was with a souther accent "Twilight already promised that ticket to me!" "What do you mean by that!" Said another voice, rather tomboyish and rough, Rainbow Dash "She never said yes! Besides we all know she was going to give that ticket to me!" "!" Twilight stopped thme all from a fight with a scream and said harshly "I haven't chosen anypony to go with me to the gala! So how about your just go away and wait until I have decided!" Rejected the other ponies left the street in each their directions. Ash sighed in relief and walked over to Twilight and asked "How do you fell Twi?" She looked shocked at me and asked "What? Aren't you going to ask for the ticket too?" Ash smiled to her and shook his head "Nope. I never enjoyed those fine Gala's anyway and I have enough brain to know two tickets are not enough for five friends, seven if you count me and Spike in" "Sometimes I wish the others thought a little more like you…" She sighed "It's just hard to choose between five friends, when you only have one extra ticket…" "I know how you feel Twi. I will try to talk some sense into Pinkie, but I can't promise anything…" He said with an encouraging smile "Just try to ignore them and use that brilliant brain of yours to get a solution" She gave him a thankful smile as he left to Pinkie. He entered Sugarcube Corner and went upstairs after greeting Mr. and Mrs. Cake, he walked into Pinkie's room and saw her walking around in circles, muttering to herself. He sighed a little and said with a smile "Hey Pinkie" She looked up a little surprised, but smiled brightly and said "Hello Ash! Can you help me planning a surprise to get Twilight to get me the ticket!" She sounded very excited and with a bright light in her eyes. Ash looked away from her, feeling a little bad for what he was going to say, but it had to be said… He took a deep breath and said calmy and friendly "Pinkie… I don't think it's such a good idea to make a party for Twilight or anything in the moment…" She looked a little confused, tilted her head to the right and asked "Why not?" "You have to understand that Twilight is quite stressed right now. She got five friends wanting a ticket, while she only have two…" Before he could continue, he got interrupted by Pinkie saying happily "All the more reason for a party! Party always makes me all jappy-happy! Surely that makes her smile!" "I don't think you understand Pink…" Again he was interrupted. "Sure I understand!" She replied excited "Give Twilight a surprise, make her smile and get the ticket!" Ash groaned on a frustration and said "Just forget it Pinkie… I have to find Twilight before someone does something stupid" With that he turned around and left the room, feeling mildly annoyed and bad for leaving Pinkie, but knew Twilight probably needed some help now. He wandered through the town, noticing the empty streets and wondered where most ponies were. He finally arrived at the library and paled when he saw a crowd in front of it with Pinkie as the first in the line. He didn't even bother to ask how she got there before her and certainly didn't have time for it as Pinkie knocked at the door. Before Ash could stop or intervene. the door opened and Twilight was immediately pulled into the crowd, who began to throw the surprised unicorn into the air repeatedly as Pinkie sang for Twilight. Ash tried to push his way through the crowd, until he heard Twilight's voice yelling "PINKIE!" The crowd immediately moved away and let Twilight fall to the ground with a loud thud. Ash immediately ran over to her and helped her up as he said "Are you all right?" "Yes. Thanks Ash" She answered, a little dizzy. She immediately came face to face with a brightly smiling Pinkie Pie, who had a twinkle of happiness in her eyes. "Did you like it Twilight? Did you? Why aren't you smiling? Have you decided about the ticket yet?" Ash's eyes immediately widened in fear as the crowd began to mutter, one pony with a pale yellow coat and blue mane asked curiously "What ticket?" "Twilight has a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala!" she said excited and without a second thought. Ash immediately looked at Twilight and said "You better run. And fast" Twilight nodded, seeing where this was going and immediately set off before the words sank into the crowd. They immediately yelled "THE GRAND GALLOPING GALA?" And stormed after the direction Twilight had ran. "So you think she liked my surprise?" Asked a curious Pinkie Pie, obvious to the chaos she had just caused. Ash looked at her as if she was crazy and said "No Pinkie! She didn't like it! Now she has the whole town after her because of you!" She looked at him confused with a little hurt and asked "Did I do something wrong?" Ash sighed in annoyance and said "Other than being a bad friend who sets a ticket higher than her friends. No Pinkie you did nothing wrong" With that he turned around and left, not able to look at Pinkie, while he tried to ignore the guilty feeling forming in his stomach. Yes it was a harsh thing to say, but someone needed to say it before it grew out of hands. He never heard the deflating sound from behind him or the sounds of quite sobs begin as he ran out in the town, trying to find Twilight. (Change of POV) Pinkie sat in front of the library as Ash left to find Twilight, but it wasn't the normal Pinkie everyone knew. Her hair was not the normal puffy hair that looked like it had been through a storm. It was going straight down. Her normal bright pink colour had darkened, but the biggest change was the everlasting smile everyone loved to see. It was gone and in it's replacement was a sad look placed. One of hurt and regret, she sat there and cried silently, trying to silence her sobs so no one could see her in this way. She wanted to run and hide, sparing other ponies to see this side of her. Pinkinema Pie. The one she started as, the sad and depressed version of Pinkie Pie. She wanted to just hide away until her happy attitude and smile was back, but her strenght was gone with her good mood. Not able to run or even walk away, she just sat down and cried silently. Cried in regret over her actions and the hurt that had formed from Ash's words. As much she wanted to deny it and say it wasn't true she knew it was the whole truth. She had been a really bad friend, not caring for her friends feelings, only seeing the ticket and her expectations to the gala… She sobbed again and looked away as she heard hoof steps coming close. She heard the familiar voice of Applejack "Are ya alright sugarcube?" Her voice was filled with worry, why shouldn't it be… Pinkie was suppose to be happy, not sad and crying… Pinkie just tried to shy away, not wanting her to know this side of her, whimpering as she felt her hoof on her shoulder "Why are ya crying?" She asked, worry more evident in her voice than ever. "I-It's nothing…" She replied, trying to make it sound like nothing, but her hiccups through her hidden tears completely ruined that. "Doesn't sound like nothing to me" She said, forming a small smile "How about ya tell old Applejack about it?" Pinkie looked away and let out a single tear again, before she sighed and said "I-It was just t-that Ash…" She didn't even continue as she was interrupted by an angry Applejack. "Ash? Did Ash do something to ya? Just wait until I'll get ma hooves of that little runt!" Pinkie quickly looked up at her and said with a little anger "No! Ash didn't do anything other than telling me the truth!" "Truth? What truth?" She asked confused now. "T-That I was a bad friend…" She said the last part in a whisper, but Applejack heard her perfectly. "A bad friend? Why in the hay would he say something like that?" "B-Because it's the truth… Even since that stupid ticket I have been so excited about getting to the gala that I didn't see how much I hurt… How much we hurt Twilight in the progress. We didn't care that she only had two tickets and five friends who each wanted the ticket…" By now understanding was evident in Applejacks expression and she too looked very ashamed for her actions towards Twilight and the fight she had with Rainbow Dash. "Yer right… We have been awful friends… Ya think Twilight can forgive us?" She asked a little uncertain. Pinkie looked up with a small tired smile and said "I don't know… But I know I will say sorry. Let's get the others, they need to say sorry too" Applejack nodded in agreement and they both ran off towards Rarity's place. Half an hour later Twilight was cornered in an alley, surrounded by the ponies of Ponyville who all wanted the extra ticket to the gala. They all kept offering to do things for her and compliemented everything about her as her frustration grew and grew. She had an headarche and was close to tears as a voice yelled through the crowd "LOOK! SHE DROPPED THE TICKET OVER HERE!" The crowd immediately turned around looking with glee for the ticket. Twilight looked confused as she knew the ticket was safe at her home, but used the temporary confusion to teleport back to her home. With a flash she appeared in the middle of the library and Spike stood and swayed mildly, parts of his scales covered in burn marks and sod as he muttered "Wow… Warn me next time you do that…" Without looking at him, she quickly said "Sorry! Quick! Close the doors, windows and turn off the light before they know we're here!" They quickly closed and locket the doors and turned off the light as planned and not long after they sat down in exhaustion and let out a sigh, happy for finally be alone. Suddenly the light turned on again, Twilight looked up in shock and saw all of her friends, except Ash standing in front of her. She panicked and said "I can't decide! I'm sorry but each of you are my friends and I don't have enough tickets! I don't want to disappoint neither of you, but I just can't choose one of you over another! I just can't!" She landed on the ground and covered her eyes, tears stinging in her eyes. She felt a hoof on her back and looked up at Applejack, who smiled sadly to her "Twilight. We're all mighty sorry for the way we have treated ye today. We should have seen we put a lot of weight on ya and if it helps. Ah don't want that ticket anymore. Yer friendship is much more worth" "Certainly" Added Rarity "I feel awful for my behaviour. Can you ever forgive me?" She looked sorry. Fluttershy scratched her hooves against the floor, not able to look Twilight in her eyes she just whispered "I-I'm sorry too… I don't know what got over me…" Rainbow Dash flew down next to Twilight "I'm sorry too Twi. I have really been acting uncool today" Twilight just nodded with a smile, happy that she got her normal friends back, she looked over at Pinkie Pie and was surprised to see her mane straight and her look haunted and with red eyes from tears "Are you ok Pinkie?" Pinkie responded with throwing her forelegs around Twilight and pulled her into a hug as she sobbed into her shoulder and said "I'm sorry Twilight! I can't believe how much of a meanie I have been today! Can you forgive me?" Twilight smiled to Pinkie and said "I forgive you Pinkie. I forgive all of you…" Her eyes shined with a new light and she said "Spike. Can you take a note?" "Sure Twilight!" He said with a smile and quickly took out a letter and a quill. Twilight smiled to him and began to direct the letter "Dear Princess Celestia. I'm happy for your offer to the gala, but I'm sorry to say I have to return the tickets. I have also learned a valuable lesson today: that sometimes you have more friends than what you have to offer them and it only ends up in hurting yourself and your friends. Your faithful students Twilight Sparkle" "You're returning the tickets?" Asked Rainbow Dash shocked. "As she should have done from the start" A new voice sounded through the library, they all turned and saw Ash standing in the opened door with a tired smile. He smiled around to them all and as he passed each of them they looked a little ashamed and couldn't meet his eyes fully. Pinkie had completely shied away, almost afraid of what he would say if he saw her. Ash noticed this and looked at her sadly, with a concerned voice he asked "Pinkie. Is there something wrong?" She looked away, her mane slowly turning straight again as she grew more sad "N-No… I just got something in my eye…" Ash sighed and walked slowly over to, knowing each of the others followed him concerned and not without a little suspecion, almost guessing he was the cause of Pinkie crying. He sat down next to Pinkie who still cried a little and to everyone's shock and almost his own surprise, he pulled her into a hug. It was all it took to make her break down crying as she threw her arms around him and cried into his shoulders as she continued to cry "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please don't be angry at me!" Ash pulled a little back, making her whimper and cry a little more, and looked down at her shocked as he said "Pinkie. I was never and will never be angry at you. I may be a little disappointed but never angry" He pulled her into a comforting hug, ignoring the knowing smiles he got from his friends and the increasing blush that appeared on his cheeks. She continued to cry into his shoulder as he held her closely. Suddenly a burp and a flash of green fire lit the room up and Spike was standing with a note flying above him. He grabbed it quickly and read. "To my dearest student Twilight Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" That was all the note said and out fell seven golden tickets, Twilight smiled happily as she picked up the tickets from the floor and said "Gala tickets to each of us!" They all smiled happily, while Ash still comforting Pinkie on the floor. He smiled sadly to her and said "Come one Pinkie. It's late. Let's get you to bed" She nodded with a small smile. He slowly let her of the library, smiling quickly back at his other friends who gave him a nod with a smile. Rainbow Dash winked teasingly to him and he blushed a little, but continued. As they exited the library, couldn't Twilight help but say with a smile "They really have it for each other. Don't they?" The others nodded in agreement.