The Ticket Master
The Ticket Master
It has been a week since the defeat of Night Mare Moon. Illusion hasn't gotten into my head since then, and I gotta admit, his reaction when he saw how I got over a bad memory he tried to use as ammunition on me was pretty hilarious.
Not too long ago, Applejack had asked me to help her at her apple farm. After making the promise with Princess Celestia, when a friend needs help, I'm right there on the spot. The task? Help her harvest apples. I was crouching next to a bucket filled with apples. Next to me was another bucket filled with about 10 apples so far. These are the ones that are good for eating. The others, I toss away. I picked up a green apple and examined it. "Nah" I said, tossing the apple over my shoulder. I grabbed another green apple and examined it. "This'll do." I tossed the apple into the bucket next to me. While I continued to dig through the pile, separating the good apples from the bad, Spike approached me from behind, holding a green apple in one hand, and a red in the other.
"Hey, Foal. You've been hunched over like that for 15 minutes already" he said. Oh yeah, let me rephrase what I said earlier... I was asked to help Applejack, along with Twilight and Spike. "Yeah, you got a point" I said as I stood up. I cried out and shut my eyes.
"Is it your back?" He asked, worriedly.
"No. I got a head rush." When my head cleared, I took the red apple from Spike and we both began to eat our snack. "Say, where's Applejack and Twilight?"
"Harvesting on the other end of the farm" he said, gesturing behind him.
"Say, wanna help me harvest these?" I asked.
"Sure!" He said excitedly. We both crouched down and worked on harvesting.
About 2 Hours Later
Spike was on Twilight's back, digging through one of the buckets of apples she had. I was walking behind her carrying a bucket of apples as well. There were so many apples that I was required to carry them with both my hands. "No, no, no, no" Spike said as he began to toss some apples out of the basket Twilight had. I moved to the side so that I won't trip over the apples that were currently on the ground.
"Thank you kindly y'all for helping me out."
"2 hours and 15 minutes working out in the field?" I asked. "Time well spent."
"I agree with Foalie, Applejack" Twilight began. "It was no problem at all."
"So what's the plan with these apples?" I asked.
"The goal is to get these golden delicious in the barn by lunchtime" the farmhand pony explained.
"Lunchtime, eh?" I asked as my stomach growled a little.
"Well I'm sure glad the goal is lunchtime. All this hard work is making me hungry" Twilight added.
"I know" Spike agreed. He picked up an apple and stared at it hungrily.
"Spike, you did nothing" I said somewhat angrily.
"What are you talking about? I'm tossing the bad apples out of this bucket."
"For the last 2 hours and 5 minutes, all you did was lounge on Twilight's back while we worked."
"You worked so long, I missed snack time" Spike complained.
"Twilight, when you get home, why don't you tuck the cranky baby dragon in for a nap and you and I--?" I was cut off by our stomachs rumbled at the same time. Spike grinned and pulled out an apple. He then tossed the apple to me without warning. I quickly dropped the bucket and caught it.
"Give me a warning next time" I complained as I bit into the apple. I grabbed another apple from my bucket and tossed it to Twilight.
"Thanks Foalie" she said as she ate the whole thing. Just then, her stomach grumbled again. She laughed nervously. Still hungry, huh? I was about to pick up my bucket of apples, but stopped when Spike belched out green flame. Said flame then vanished and a scroll appeared on the spot.
"A letter from Princess Celestia" Twilight gasped as the scroll levitated towards Spike. The baby dragon opened the letter and cleared his throat.
" 'Hear ye, hear ye'," he began reading.
" '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...' " he stopped there. "Yada, yada, yada..." He said in a low tone. " 'Cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest.' "
Applejack and Twilight gasped "The Grand Galloping Gala!" They exclaimed in unison.
"The what?" I asked, confused.
"The Grand Galloping Gala!" They exclaimed once again as they were hopping around. I still had a confused look on my face, but Spike's on the other hand didn't share the same enthusiasm as the two mares. Suddenly, he burped out another spark of green flame. This time, two golden tickets appeared. "Look!" He exclaimed. "Two tickets to the Gala!"
"Wow, great!" Twilight said with excitement. "I've never been to the Grand Galloping Gala before. Have you Spike?"
"No. And I'm planning to keep it that way."
"Why not sugar cube?" Applejack asked him.
"I don't want any of that girly frilly frou-frou nonsense." He turned to me and nudged me "And neither does Foalie."
"Why am I in the spotlight, now?" I asked, as I placed the buckets in the ground. Spike ignored me and crossed his arms. "We aren't going."
"Oh come on, Spike. A dance would be nice" Twilight said.
"Nice?!" Applejack asked, slightly aghast with the word.
"It would be more than just nice, Twilight." She then stared at the sky as if she was imagining what the Gala would be like. "I'd love to go. Land sakes, why, if I had an apple stand set up, ponies would be chowin' our tasty vittles 'till the cows came home! Do you have any idea how much business I could drum up for Sweet Apple Acres? Why, with all that money, we could do a heap of fixin' 'round here. We could replace that saggy old roof, Big Mac could replace that saggy old plow, and Granny Smith could replace that saggy old hip." She sighed in a dreamily manner.
"Well in that case," Twilight began "Would you like to..." From above, Rainbow Dash crashed down on me.
"Ugh..." I moaned in pain.
"Oh, sorry Foalie" she said. I got up and brushed dirt off me. She then got up and hurriedly went over to Twilight. "Are we talking about the Grand Galloping Gala?!" She asked excitedly.
"Rainbow Dash, you told me that you were too busy harvesting apples!" Applejack shouted. "What were you doing? Spying?"
"Nope" she answered. "I was busy napping." I glanced up at a tree and saw a pillow and blanket on it. "And I just so happened to hear that Twilight has an extra ticket."
"And you expect Twilight to take you to the Grand Galloping Gala?" I asked. "Give us a reason why you should be taken."
"Ok. I will!" She said challengingly. Oh, I can't wait to hear this.
"You see Foal, the Wonderbolts perform at the Grand Galloping Gala every year" she explained. "I can see it now." She too explained her dream about what to expect at the Grand Galloping Gala.
"Everypony will be watching the sky, their eyes riveted on the Wonderbolts" she explained. "But then, in would fly....Rainbow Dash!' She boasted. "I would surprise them with my Super Speed Strut! Then I would mesmerize 'em with my Fantastic Filly Flash, then for the grand finale, the Buccaneer Blaze! The ponies would go wild! Then the Wonderbolts would insist that my signature moves be incorporated into their routine, and then welcome me as their new member." She sounds like she has idolized this group for a long time.
"Hmm" I said. "Both of these sound like big opportunities for them Twilight" I explained. "What do you say? I mean, Applejack having the money to work up her farm and Granny Smith's hip, and Rainbow Dash joining a group of Pegasus which she idolizes so much? A pretty tough pick I say."
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash said. "Foal's got the right idea, which is why you should pick me!" Before she could fly for the ticket, Applejack grabbed her tail with her teeth.
"Now just hold on one pony pickin' minute here!" She said, muffled. She spat Rainbow Dash's tail out. "I asked for that ticket first!"
"So?" Rainbow Dash asked challengingly. "That doesn't mean you own it!"
"Oh yeah? Well I challenge you to a hoof wrestle. The winner gets the ticket!" She turned to me. "And Foal there, is the ref." I facepalmed myself and sighed.
"Twi, you and Spike go grab a snack. I'll see if I can knock sense into these two" I said as the two mares challenged each other in a hoof wrestle.
Minutes Later
I made my way back to Ponyville in a slightly ticked off mood. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were so competitive and equally strong that the hoof-wrestling match wasn't getting anywhere. And what did they do? Talk me into helping them get a ticket. For 5 minutes, they each gave me reasons why I should help them even though I heard their fantasies not too long ago. "Can't believe you talked me into this" I grumbled. Hovering above me was Rainbow Dash.
"Quit whining. You promised that you'd stay by our side no matter what problem we have" Rainbow Dash said.
"And you're going to help us, just like you also promised" Applejack added.
"When I promised to help you with your problems, this 'problem' we're in right now is not what I had in mind!" Rainbow Dash ignored me completely and gasped.
"There she is!" She then flew off quickly.
"Get back here!" Applejack called and chased after her. I sighed and sauntered after them. My movement was so slow, that when I neared the group, they looked like an argument was finished. I was about to run after Twilight, but I found myself surrounded by the five mares. Each of them were shouting over one another.
"Please, one mare at a time" I said. "Rainbow Dash, since you were the one that approached me first, you're the first one I'll aid." This will be a long day. I just know it.
"No..." I said as I watched Rainbow Dash push some clouds together. "You're planning to make unexpected heavy rain?" I asked as I put my hands in my pockets.
"Come on, Foal, don't be a killjoy" Rainbow Dash said.
"How is making heavy going to have Twilight give you a ticket?"
"I'll keep her dry" she said as she moved another cloud over like a jigsaw puzzle.
"What's in it for me?" I asked.
"Um..." She thought for about a minute. I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You mean to tell me that you're so focused on getting that ticket that you didn't bother to think through what my job in your plan is?" I shook my head and turned around.
"Where are you going?" She asked as she watched me walk away.
"Going over to Rarity's" I answered. "She's the next one I promised to aid." Rainbow Dash shrugged and continued to move some clouds around.
I reached the Boutique where she lives/works and knocked on the door. Rarity opened the door and smiled. "Oh, thank you Foal for coming" she said as she allowed me inside.
"Rainbow Dash is useless" I muttered under my breath.
"So, my dear Rarity" I said as I turned to her. "What is it can I do for you?" I asked.
"Well darling, I was working on something, and I want your honest opinion on it."
"Absolutely. What is it?" I asked.
"Here" she said as she drew back a curtain. "These are the clothes I made for Spike." I stared at the outfit she has made. Before I could give her my opinion, she showed me what she has designed for Twilight. "Also, I made an ensemble that matches her to attain" she said in a proud manner. "So, Foal, what are your thoughts?" She asked. I opened my mouth to say something, but her gasp cut me off. "Oh, don't you think Twilight and Spike will like them?" I should go out and ask.
I walked down over to Sweet Apple Acres and sat down on a haystack. "Howdy, Foal" Applejack said. "Why so glum?"
"I'm not glum, I'm annoyed... Well slightly."
"It's about the ticket isn't it?" She asked.
"Yeah. First they ask for my aid, and when I show up, they become so blinded by the ticket that..." I stopped and narrowed my gaze on her. "Wait... Are you going to do the same thing to me?"
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"Never mind" I said as I got up and headed towards the exit, leading to Ponyville.
"Are you ok, sugar cube?" She asked.
"Yeah. I just uh... Need to catch a break. That's all" I assured. 'I wish the letter went to Twilight when nopony was around, otherwise this chaos wouldn't be happening right now' I thought to myself. I made my way over to Twilight's library and opened the door. I was greeted with something. Fluttershy and her animals were cleaning the library. "Wait a minute, does Twilight know you're here?" I asked.
"Oh no, Foal. I arrived not too long ago. Do you want to help? Me and my friends could use some." Unlike the others, Fluttershy was the only one who is willing to hear my answer.
"Sure" I said. I walked over to a bookshelf and began to arrange the books. Knowing Twilight, she probably wants her books arranged neatly and alphabetically. And that is what I was doing.
Minutes Go By
I was arranging the books on one of the top shelves while Futtershy and her nature friends continued to tidy up the place. As Fluttershy hummed a song, I heard the door open and when I turned my head, Twilight entered the library. "Ok, I'm not doing this for the ticket" I confessed. "I'm doing it because well, it's Fluttershy and it'll hurt me if I turned down her offer." Twilight nodded with understanding as I made my way back down to the floor.
"Oh, well hello Twilight" Fluttershy said as she stopped what she was doing. "I hope you don't mind, but we're all doing a little Spring cleaning."
"Fluttershy, it's Summer" I corrected.
"Well, better late than never, Foal."
"I guess" I said uncertainly.
"Who's idea was it to enter my library and clean it?" Twilight asked.
"Angel's" Fluttershy and I said in unison. We gestured to a rabbit tossing salad, and then giving Twilight a waving gesture.
"Fluttershy, Foal told me that he was not cleaning the library for the ticket. And I believe him. So I'm asking you, are you and your nature friends doing this for the ticket?"
"Oh, no" she said. "I'm doing this because you're my very best friend" she said, innocently. "Right Angel?" She asked. The rabbit crossed his arms and glared at her. Fluttershy sighed with defeat. "Yes, me and my friends are doing this for the ticket." Angel ran up to Twilight and offered her the salad he was tossing. Just then, her stomach rumbled again.
"Didn't you grab a bite to eat already?" I asked.
"I never got a chance to because of all these favors!" She yelled as she made her way to the door. "I'm not accepting any more favors until I made my final decision. So I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"Surprise!!!" A bunch of ponies shouted. Fluttershy and I watched as Pinkie Pie yanked Twilight out of her library. I quickly shut the door and leaned against it. "Do you want the ticket so bad?" I asked.
"Oh yes, very much" Fluttershy said. I put a finger to my chin.
"Bring the others here, I'm going to need to have a word with the five of you."
"Ok, what time do you want us?"
"Tonight. But right now, I feel like we need to continue cleaning Twilight's library.
Night Time
Fluttershy entered the library with the other five and they did not like what they saw. I was standing in the center with my arms crossed. "You have two friends you need to apologize to" I said.
"Who?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"First there's me. Rainbow Dash and Rarity, you wanted me to help you with things which I accepted, but before I could do anything, you were too blinded by the ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala, you didn't even bother to hear what I had to say!" I turned to Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy. "No, no, I'm not mad at you three."
"Wait a minute. Why aren't you mad at Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy?" Rarity asked.
"Because Fluttershy was the only one who had the patience to hear my answer, and Pinkie Pie was doing what she does best so I couldn't really yell at her for that. And Applejack tried to comfort me when I arrived at her barn. Unlike you two. The second, all of you need to apologize to Twilight for putting all this pressure on her to give you the ticket."
"I'm sorry Foal" Rarity said. "I should've heard your opinion about the outfits I designed."
"I'm sorry too" Rainbow Dash said. "I wanted the ticket so badly, that when I planned the rain, I forgot that you were there ready to help me."
"Apology accepted. Now when Twilight walks in through those doors, you are all going to apologize to her."
"Oh! Oh! We should hide!" Pinkie Pie suggested.
"Good idea" I said. "You five stay up there so the first thing she sees when she walks in through that door is you." I headed over to the doors.
"Wait, where are you going?" Rarity asked as the five decided to surprise Twilight by standing above the shelves. I recognized the spot they stood at was where Spike and Twilight slept.
"Twilight could be approaching her library any--" before I could continue, a flash appeared before me.
"Quick!" Twilight shouted. "Lock the doors and turn off the lights!" While Twilight and Spike locked the doors, I turned to the five above the shelves and gestured them to be quiet. I then went over to the main light and switched it off. After completing the task, Twilight and Spike sighed with relief.
"No more bothersome ponies and favors" she said. I switched the main light back on. When Twilight and Spike saw the five, she let out a yell of frustration.
"I can't decide! I just can't decide!" She shouted as she grasped her head with her hooves. "I know it's important to all of you, and I don't want to disappoint any of you, but giving me gifts or doing any favors won't make a difference..." I took note that she was now starting to run out of breath. Twilight continued her rant while we all looked at her worriedly. I also noticed that tears of frustration were starting to form in her eyes. "...Because you're all my best friends and I want to make all of you happy, but I can't! I just can't!" She practically screamed.
"Hey, hey, hey" I said as I ran up to her. "Shh, shh, shh" I whispered as I hugged her. "Just breathe" I whispered as she wrapped her hooves around me. "Just breathe" I said again. Applejack made her way down to us and approached Twilight.
"Twilight, sugar?" She asked. "I didn't mean to put so much pressure on you" she said regrettably. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't want the ticket anymore. Somepony else can have it. I promise that I won't feel bad." Next up was Fluttershy.
"Me too" she said softly. "I just feel awful that I made you feel so awful." Pinkie Pie just appeared next to Twilight. I learned not to question her... To this day, I still want to question her. But something tells me that it isn't worth asking.
"I'm sorry too" she said. "Upsetting friends is no fun."
"Twilight?" I heard Rarity ask. I glanced up and saw that she remained at the top. "I know it was unfair for me to try to force you as I did." Rainbow Dash grew excited and flew up in the air.
"Yes! That means the ticket belongs to me!" We all gave her an angry look. "You know, I haven't perfected my signature moves for the Wonderbolts anyway. I don't need the ticket either."
"We're sorry, Twilight" the five said in unison.
"Feel better?" I asked.
"Much" she answered as I released her from my comforting hug. She cleared her throat and turned to Spike. "Can you take down a note, Spike?" She asked.
"Sure" he said as he got a scroll and quill pen ready.
" 'Dear Princess Celestia,' " she began.
" 'I've learned that one of the joys of friendship is sharing your blessings. But when there isn't enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can make you feel pretty awful. So, I appreciate the invitation, I will be returning the tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala.' "
"What?!" The ponies asked in unison.
"Spike, you may send the letter" Twilight said with a smile.
"I see where this is going" I said.
"What do you mean?" Applejack asked.
"If Twilight can't decide who to take to the Gala, she'll decide that nopony will go. Not even her."
"What about you?" Applejack asked me.
"I have to be honest with you. I actually wanted to go to the Gala. But seeing that Twilight was the ticket master, I knew it was impolite for me to walk up to her and ask her. All I had to do was wait patiently for her to ask if I wanted to come." Just then, Spike burped out a scroll.
"Oh! Princess Celestia replied quickly" I said. Spike grabbed the scroll and read it.
" 'My faithful student,' " he read.
" 'Why didn't you say so in the first place?' ".
He gasped at what he saw. "Hey, look! Seven tickets to the Gala!" One ticket floated to me, and the other six floated to the ponies.
"Now we can all go!" Twilight exclaimed as ponies cheered. Just then, her stomach rumbled.
"Let's celebrate by treating you to dinner" Rarity said as the six marched out the door.
"How come I don't get a ticket?" Spike asked. I bent down in front of him and smiled.
"This morning you said you didn't want to go." I held out my ticket. "I'm seeing that someone has changed his mind." Spike smiled and greedily grabbed the ticket from my hand. Suddenly he realized what just happened.
"Wait, what about you? Didn't you want to go to the Gala?" He asked.
"I do" I said. "But you look like you wanted the ticket more."
"But Foal, the seven of us won't have fun without you." I smiled and patted his head.
"It's ok if I didn't get a ticket. By the way, I love it when my friends..." Suddenly, another belch escaped from Spike's mouth. I unrolled the scroll. "Oh, this one's for me" I said.
" 'Foal... I would never forget a ticket for you' " Spike and I stared at the golden ticket that came with it. "Wanna celebrate?" I asked.
"Yes!" Spike exclaimed. We stepped out of the library, and after closing the door behind me, we ran to catch up with the six ponies.
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Crystal "Chris" Clear Armor. Sound good to you?
"I think its a good Hume/Equestrian name"
3171571
I like 'Crystal Clear Armor' armor. Although I feel the name 'Chris' has been used in a lot of HIE fics.
You hit it off with a good start!
3172402
Thank you, I'll keep that in mind!"
3172179 thanks, I thought Chris suited him and it fits the name 'Crys'tal Clear Armor
"besides having them call him Crystal is gonna feel weird"
and I've not read any HiE fics with a Chris before, I don't avoid HiE in fact HiE is one of my more preferred types
3172460
Alright, I'll consider the name Chris. But I'm waiting to see what other names other users has to offer.
3172508 what about vladmir
3180858
Hmm... Good name. But I feel like Vladimir is a villain's name, or an anti-hero. Maybe I should give an OC villain that name? What do you think?
3180909 yeah i think of vladmir as a man/pony *shrug* that owns a club named vodka
a bit of an interesting take on how the episode would have played around him.
i won't bother suggesting a name, since I'm sure that's already been done in the later chapters i have yet to read.
to answer you human name question i say Axel for first name and for his last name keep Foley i like it plus it's a clever way to reference a great movie plus i've grown rather fond of his equestrian name and it feels uncomfortable calling him something else