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// Chapter 1: Competition 
// Story: Blaze: The Tales of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Her Student 
// by JKinsley 
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	Applejack trotted back to the barn, her saddle-baskets laden with the day’s harvest. “Phew, am Ah glad we got that Golden Delicious orchard harvested. Ah bet Big Macintosh that we could get it done before lunch, and since Ah won, he’s gonna walk through town wearin’ one o’ Grannie’s girdles! Ha!”

Celestia huffed and puffed behind her, equally laden with a mound of apples in her saddle-baskets. “I’m glad we’re finished, too. I could eat a house.” 

“Don’t let Pinkie hear you say that, she might either break off a piece o’ Sugar Cube Corner or ban ya steppin’ near, dependin’.” 

Spike, sat on Celestia’s back, rooted through the baskets searching for the perfect apple. “No, no, worm, no...” 

“Would she really?” Celestia asked, eyebrow raised. “Break off a piece of her house, I mean. Is that possible?” 

“Ah haven’t the faintest.”

Spike belched green flames and smoke as another apple bounced off of Celestia’s head. A scroll sealed with a series of starbursts materialized and fell into Spike’s outstretched hands. 

“Ahem!” he said. “Her Royal Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria cordially invites you to the Grand Galloping Gala. Held annually at Canterlot Castle, the Grand Galloping Gala promises the best night of the year. Blah, blah, blah. Enclosed are two tickets for Celestia Solaris and one guest!”

Celestia gasped. “Princess Twilight said she’d invite me once I came of age!” She squealed. ‘The Grand Galloping Gala!” 

“Say, sugarcube, any chance Ah could be yer plus one? An opportunity to peddle the ol’ Apple family sweets wouldn’t be amiss. Might even go so far as ta make ya an honourary member. If’n that’s alright with ya.” 

“I—I— Let’s get these apples into the barn, and, uh, let me think about it. I know we have this magical and powerful connection, and I’d love to give any of you girls my second ticket, I— well, that’s just it, isn’t it? I’d give any of you the second ticket. 





Celestia covered her muzzle with her hooves while her friends argued all around her. “STOP!” she shouted at the top of her lungs. Everypony froze. “I can’t choose, OK? Each of you, all of you! You’re dear to me. You’re my friends. I can’t make a decision like that and then live with disappointing even just one of you, let alone four.” Celestia looked down and to the side while she summoned a small bit of parchment and a quill. “So if we all can’t go, none of us will go.

“Dear Princess Twilight,” she recited while writing, “While I appreciate the invite to the Gala, I’m afraid I will not attend unless all of my friends can come with me. Even if I could make two of my friends very happy, I could not live with disappointing even one of them. As such, I’m returning the tickets with my sincerest apologies. Your ever faithful student, Celestia.

“Send it, Spike.” Celestia magicked the scroll over to the young dragon and in a puff of green flames, the letter sped away in a beeline to Canterlot. 





“Admit it, you were scared to death that she’d outright say no.” 

“Hush, Shiny,” Twilight muttered, betrayed by the cursed red blush staining her normally pristine lavender muzzle. “She’s a grown mare and can make her own decisions as to how she spends her time, even if I had made promises for years that she could spend the Gala by my side. I did stipulate that she needed to become of age, Gala rules and all, but...” 

“Chasing jailbait, eh?” 

Shining Armor found himself pummeled from all sides with pillows, the least enjoyable of which seemed to be some sort of hard, formed foam that became a particular pain in his neck, in spite of its intended purpose. 

Furious scribbling followed Prince Armor’s slow crawl to consciousness.

To my faithful student Celestia, why didn’t you say so? Here are eight tickets and carte blache, if you will, to invite anypony you see fit. I hope to see you soon. Yours sincerely, your mentor, Princess Twilight.





“Hold up, eight tickets?” 

“Haven’t I talked about my sister, Luna? She’s... well, not exactly Princess Twilight’s personal student, but she attends the school on an astronomy fellowship made just for her...”