Chapter 13: The Extra Ticket
A few weeks had passed since The Summer Sun Celebration, and "The Nightmare Moon Incident" as some ponies were calling it. Life had pretty much gone back to normal in the town of Ponyville.
Shining Armor, for one, couldn't be happier. Truth be told, he had quickly gotten tired of the constant attention he and his friends had recieved when word got out that they had saved Equestria. It wasn't that he didn't like being a hero, after all he was part of the royal guard. But when everypony in town was either singing your praises, trying to do favors for you, or even trying to hit on you, it quickly got old. Not to mention, Shining Armor's heart already belonged to someone, though he kept that to himself, since he wasn't sure "she" felt the same way.
One day, Shining Armor had stopped by Sweet Apple Acres so his sister Twilight could hang out with one of her new friends, Applejack. Shining Armor had left to go run a few errands, and when he came back he was surprised to see his friend Big Macintsoh looking rather unhappy about something.
"What's the matter Big Macintosh?" Shining Armor asked "Why the long face?"
Big Macintosh sighed "I lost a bet." he said grumpily.
"So, big deal. I've lost bets hundreds of times." Shining Armor said.
"Not a bet like this." Big Macintosh snorted.
"What do you mean?" Shining Armor asked.
Big Macintosh sighed again, and explained "I bet my sister that she couldn't get all the apples from today's harvest into the barn before lunch time. And because I stupidly didn't specify the terms, she was able to do it with help from your sister. And so now, as per the terms of our bet, I have to walk down Saddle Street while wearing one of Granny's girdles."
"Wow. That... is pretty bad." Shining Armor said, now feeling sorry for Big Macintosh.
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh said with a groan "But a deal's a deal, and I always keep my word. Just do me a favor Shining-"
"What sort of favor?" Shining Armor asked.
"Promise me you won't laugh." Big Macintosh continued "Knowing my luck Soarin will probably spot me. After all, with that girdle on I'll stick out like a chocolate bar at a swimming pool. And if Soarin doesn't spot, he'll probably find out about from some mare. I'll be the laughing stock of the town for weeks."
"Come on Big Macintosh. Have a little faith in Soarin." Shining Armor replied "He IS one of our friends after all. You know, alongside Fancy Pants and Thunderlane."
"And don't forget cousin Braeburn." Big Macintosh chimed in.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Shining Armor said "Now, whaddya say we forget about that silly little bet and get some lunch? I am kind of hungry."
"Lunch does sound good right about now." Big Macintosh said happily. Just then, he spotted something "Say, unless my eyes are playing tricks on me it looks like your sister's coming over here."
"You're right." Shining Armor said, looking over his shoulder "I wonder what Twily wants from me?"
He didn't have to wait long to find out. "Hello B.B.B.F.F." Twilight said happily.
"Hello Twily." Shining Armor replied "Is there something you wanted to speak to me about?"
"It's like you can read my mind." Twilight said "Spike!"
"I've got them right here Twilight." Spike said, pulling out two golden tickets.
Shining Armor's eyes grew wider "Are those what I think they are?" he asked Twilight.
Twilight nodded "They're tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot!" she explained.
"Pinch me, I must be dreaming!" Shining Armor exclaimed. He couldn't believe it, it all seemed too good to be true. And yet, there they were, two tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala.
"Well I'll be, congratulations Shining." Big Macintosh said, congratulating his friend.
"Thank you." Shining Armor said, then he turned his attention to Twilight "Where did you get these? And why are you giving them to me?"
"Princess Celestia gave them to me." Twilight explained "I'd love to go, but social events like that aren't really my thing, and with only one ticket left I'd hate to single out one of my friends."
"Well, why don't you just take Spike?" Shining Armor asked.
"You know me. I don't really like that girly Gala junk." Spike gagged "I'd just spend the night at Donut Joe's drowning my sorrows in a cup of hot chocolate, and perhaps a few donuts."
"I see." Shining Armor said, remembering that back when he lived in Canterlot he and Spike had payed frequent visits to Donut Joe's donut shop. And the baby dragon seemed to have quite the appetite.
"So anyway, I was thinking you might be interested." Twilight continued "So here you are. You can invite any friend you want. Now then, I'm gonna go see if Applejack wants to join me for lunch. That farm work sure makes you hungry." And Twilight left without another word.
"Two tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala, courtesy of Princess Celestia herself? Boy are you lucky Shining Armor!" Big Macintosh exclaimed.
"I know." Shining Armor replied "Now I just need to figure out who I'm going to take."
"Well, what about me?" Big Macintosh asked.
"Oh, do you wanna go to The Gala?" Shining Armor asked, a bit surprised. From what little he knew, he knew The Gala was an event that only the most elite of Canterlot attended. It was an extremly high class event. And Big Macintosh struck him as a stallion who prefered life on the simple side.
"You're darn tootin I do!" Big Macintosh shouted, before calming himself down "If I went to that Gala and set up a stand to sell some homemade treats, I bet a ton of those Canterlot hot shots would be lining up to buy em. I'd make a ton of money from all the sales, and with it, I could do a lot of fixing up around here."
"Like what?" Shining Armor asked.
"Well, for starters. I could probably get the barn all spruced up. Because it's clearly seen better days." Big Macintosh fantasized "I could also probably finally get around to getting rid of that saggy old plow. I'd be able to buy a new one that could do the job much better. And most importantly, I could finally pay money for Granny Smith to get that saggy old hip of hers fixed up. After all, hip replacement surgery doesn't come cheap. And that's only the tip of the iceberg!"
"Sounds like a good reason to go, at least to me." Shining Armor said.
"Then what are you waiting for?! Give me the ticket already so I can start planing!" Big Macintosh said "After all, I'll need someone to help Applejack pick up the slack while I'm gone. And I hate waiting til the last minute to get hired help. Pa always told me, never put off til tomorrow what you can do today."
Before Shining Armor could hoof over the ticket however, a familiar voice shouted out "Incoming!"
Shining Armor and Big Macintosh looked up, and they instantly saw the figure of their friend Soarin. Who seemed to be spiraling out of control. The two of them ducked for cover, as Soarin crash landed right in front of them.
Luckly, Soarin wasn't hurt. "I thought I had it that time." he muttered to himself "Oh well, I guess third time's the charm."
"Soarin! What are you doing here?" Big Macintosh asked.
"Oh, I was just practicing a few of my tricks in preparation for the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala." Soarin explained "If I don't want Spitfire, Fleetfoot, and the others to make me look a fool again I've got to get these tricks down pat."
"You're going to The Grand Galloping Gala too?" Shining Armor asked.
"Yup. As Wonderbolt Co-Captain I was a guranteed guest from the moment it was announced." Soarin explained "But what do you mean I'm going too?"
"Shining Armor has an extra ticket to The Grand Galloping Gala." Big Macintosh explained "And he was just about to give it to me."
"Really? Well that's a darn sharm." Soarin said.
"And uh, why is that?" Shining Armor asked "You're already going to The Gala."
"Yeah, but I was hoping you might be willing to let me have the extra ticket so I can invite Rainbow Dash." Soarin explained.
"Why? Because you have a crush on her?" Big Macintosh teased, chuckling a little.
Soarin's face turned bright red "N-no" he stuttered "She's completely annoying, and the worst stalker fan girl I've ever met. But Spitfire sees 'something' in her, and at least Rainbow Dash will keep the other fan girls off my back. I don't have any feelings for her at all."
"Oh really? Then why's your face turning reder than my coat?" Big Macintosh teased.
"What are you talking about? My face is perfectly fine." Soarin lied.
Shining Armor couldn't resist joining in on the teasing "Soarin and Rainbow Dash sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G." he said. He and Big Macintosh quickly started laughing.
"Shut up! It's not funny!" Soarin snapped.
"Oh lighten up Soarin, we were only joking." Big Macintosh said.
"That's so funny I forgot to laugh." Soarin said crossly.
"Okay, okay. No need to get so wound up." Shining Armor said, defusing the situation.
"So how bout it Shining Armor?" Soarin asked "You gonna give me that extra ticket?"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Big Macintosh shouted "Shining Armor was going to give the extra ticket to me!"
"Really? I didn't hear you call dibs on it." Soarin replied "So that ticket is fair game."
"Oh, so you wanna do this the hard way huh?" Big Macintosh asked "Fine then, let's hoof wrestle! Winner gets the extra ticket!"
"Bring it on! You're going down!" Soarin boasted. He and Big Macintosh quickly began to hoof wrestle to decide who would get the extra ticket.
Shining Armor hated to see his friends fighting, and quickly put a stop to it. "Alright, alright. Break it up you two!" he scolded "Need I remind you that this is MY extra ticket? I'll decide who gets it, thank you very much!"
"So, who's it gonna be?" Big Macintosh asked.
"Whoever has the better reason for wanting to go I guess." Shining Armor said. Truth be told he hated having to choose, and he quickly regretted what he'd just said.
"That's gotta be me obviously." Big Macintosh spoke up.
"No! It's me!" Soarin argued.
"You're already going to The Gala!" Big Macintosh snorted.
"And you're just going to sell a few treats!" Soarin argued.
"To help earn money for my family!" Big Macintosh shouted.
"And leave me to deal with the fan girls?! That's real humble of you!" Soarin said angrily.
"Will the both of you shut up?!" Shining Armor snapped "All this arguing isn't helping me make up my mind."
"Just tell us already!" Big Macintosh and Soarin shouted.
"Is it gonna be me?" Big Macintosh asked.
"Or is it gonna be me?" Soarin asked.
At that moment, Shining Armor's stomach began to rumble. "I don't know." Shining Armor said "And I can't make up my mind on an empty stomach. So I'll tell you what. I'll think about it over lunch, and get back to you on the subject." Before either Big Macintosh or Soarin could protest Shining Armor slipped away.
"Man oh man is that extra ticket starting to become a pain in my rump." Shining Armor thought to himself, as he arrived in town. "If I didn't know better I'd say that Princess Celestia sent those two tickets on purpose, just to mess with me. But she'd never do something like that, would she?"
Shining Armor was so distracted by this that he forgot to watch where he was going. He bumped right into Braeburn, and dropped the tickets.
"Hey! Watch where you're-" Braeburn said, but he stopped mid sentence when he saw what lay on the ground in front of him "Tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot?! Sweet! I've always wanted to go, especially since we don't get a lot of parties out in APPPPLELOOSA!"
"Well as a matter of fact, those are my tickets." Shining Armor explained. Scooping them up with his magic.
"So you're going too huh? Well why didn't you say so?" Braeburn asked "The two of us would have a grand time. We'd paint the town red. Not literally of course."
"What? But I haven't-" Shining Armor protested.
"No need to be modest. You're a real friend Shining Armor. A stallion like you only comes once in a great while." Braeburn interrupted, bouncing all around "Wait til the boys back home here about this! And just wait til I tell cousin Big Mac, boy will he be surprised!"
"Braeburn wait I haven't-" Shining Armor shouted.
"Decided if you want to go?" Braeburn asked "That's alright, if you don't want to go I can give your extra ticket to Pinkie Pie. After all, a girl like her seems to know how to have a good time. And if her parties are anything to go by, she's a master of entertainment."
"Do my eyes decieve me?" a familiar voice called out. Shining Armor knew at once who it was. "Oh no, not him too!" Shining
Armor thought.
Unfortunately, it was. None other than Fancy Pants, who seemed most upset. "Shining Armor, I can't believe you." Fancy Pants scolded "You're going to give away your extra ticket to The Gala to Braeburn so he can party! I've never been so insulted in all my life!"
"But I haven't actually given Braeburn the ticket yet!" Shining Armor protested "And besides, aren't you already going to The Gala?"
"That may be true, but my invitation only me and me dear wife Fluer. And I can't just simply stick Miss. Rarity with watching over the business while we're away." Fancy Pants explained "Especially not when she's been fantasizing about going to The Gala to meet 'him'."
"Him?" Shining Armor asked. Completely confused as to who Fancy Pants was talking about.
"You know. Prince Blueblood, Princess Celestia's adopted nephew." Fancy Pants explained "They say he's quite the talk of the town."
"I see." Shining Armor nodded. Unfortunately, from what little he'd heard of Prince Blueblood he knew that most ponies, at least among the royal guard, did not think highly of him. Some said he was anything but a prince charming. He didn't dare say that out loud however.
"Of course, since you're not giving that extra ticket to Braeburn just yet, how's about you be a good lad and give it to me?" Fancy Pants asked "I'll make sure to tell Miss. Rarity that you were the one who gave it to me."
At that moment however, Rumble raced onto the scene.
"Rumble, come back here this instant!" Thuderlane shouted "What have I told you about running off on me like that?"
Rumble didn't answer, he was too busy looking at the tickets that Shining Armor was holding in his magic. "Hey big brother, look!" Rumble called "Shining Armor's got tickets of some kind!"
"What?!" Thunderlane gasped, and raced over to join Rumble. Sure enough, he saw the two golden tickets clear as day. He was shocked.
Shining Armor turned around upon hearing the gasp, and found himself starring face to face with Thunderlane. He sighed "Let me guess" he asked "You want this extra ticket to The Grand Galloping Gala as well."
"Well. I wasn't going to at first. But now that you mention it, yes." Thunderlane said "If you're not giving the ticket to someone else that is."
"And why do you want to go to The Grand Galloping Gala so badly? Wouldn't you need someone to look after Rumble?" Shining Armor asked.
"I could easily find a foalsitter for him." Thunderlane explained "And the reason why I want to go, well Fluttershy told me that on the night The Grand Galloping Gala takes place ,there will be a wide variety of rare and exotic animals out in the palace garden. If that's true, then I have to see them for myself, and for Fluttershy's sake. Heck, maybe I should even bring along a camera so I can take pictures of them to show to Fluttershy, and Rumble."
"Well, that's very sweet and heartwarming, but Shining Armor is already giving the ticket to me." Fancy Pants said "Move along."
"Not so fast Shining Armor! Don't even think about giving the ticket to Fancy Pants!" Soarin shouted.
"Great. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse." Shining Armor thought, as both Soarin and Big Macintosh approached.
"You should listen to your own advice!" Big Macintosh said to Soarin "I know what you're trying to pull! You just want that extra ticket, and you don't want Shining Armor to give it to anyone else!"
"Don't act like you're above that Big Macintosh!" Soarin snapped "You and I both know that you want the ticket as badly as everyone else!"
"That may be so, but at least I'm conducting my self with dignity!" Big Macintosh replied "Too bad I can't say the same to you!"
"Sorry guys, but Shining Armor's giving the ticket to me! After all, I know him better than I know myself!" Braeburn interrupted.
"And what makes you think you deserve to go cousin Braeburn?" Big Macintosh asked.
"What about me?" Thunderlane asked.
Suddenly, all five of Shining Armor's friends started arguing at once. All of them trying to argue why they deserved to go with Shining Armor to The Grand Galloping Gala, or why they deserved the extra ticket. The noise was awful, and Shining Armor could barely stand it. At last he lost patience. "SHUT UP!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. All five of his friends fell silent, except for Braeburn.
"And so then she said, oatmeal? Are you crazy?" Braeburn asked, before noticing that everyone else had stopped talking "Oh."
"Seriously, all five of you are giving me a headache!" Shining Armor said crossly "You're all acting like a bunch of little colts!"
"Hey! I resemble that remark!" Rumble shouted.
"I meant no offense." Shining Armor apologized "Anyway, I haven't made up my mind on who I want to give the extra ticket to. But let me make one thing perfectly clear. Fighting about it isn't going to help me make up my mind any faster!"
"But Shining" Soarin pleaded.
"No buts!" Shining Armor shouted "If any of you want to see that extra ticket again I suggest you all get out of here right now, before I say something I'll regret later!"
Not one of Shining Armor's friends thought the extra ticket was worth ticking Shining Armor off, so they all quickly left.
Shining Armor sighed. This extra ticket was really starting to become more trouble than it was worth. And on top of that, he still hadn't eaten lunch yet. Something that his stomach quickly reminded him of. "And to think the day started off so peacefully, I should've known it was too good to last." he thought to himself.
A little while later Shining Armor's thoughts were still drifiting back to the extra ticket as he, Twilight, and Spike, had lunch together at a small restaurant. "Are you really sure you don't want to go to the Gala Twilight?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm sure." Twilight said "Why did you ask?"
"Because the instant my friends all learned about the ticket they started arguing over who should get it." Shining Armor explained "Even Braeburn and Thunderlane. And the two of them are usually so cheerful and friendly."
"Well that's a darn shame really." Spike commented "What are you gonna do about it?"
"I don't know Spike." Shining Armor said with a sigh "As much as they argue all of my friends have a good reason for wanting to go, or getting that extra ticket. I mean, I could technically give away my own ticket if I really wanted to. But that would still leave three disappointed friends. And no matter who I take, the others will chew me out for it. What would you do in a situation like that?"
"I'm not sure. But if it was me personally, I'd send the tickets back." Spike suggested "From where I stand they're just not worth the trouble they cause."
"I really don't want it to come to that." Shining Armor said "Saying that because all of us can't go, none of us get to go sounds like I'd be treating them like children. There's gotta be an easier solution, I just haven't thought of it yet."
"Well, looks like our food is here." Twilight said, as a waiter approached their table "Why don't you just relax and take your mind off the ticket for a little while?"
Shining Armor was just about to take a bite out of his sandwich, when suddenly Twilight called out "Say, is that Soarin?"
"I think it is." Spike commented "What's he doing?"
Shining Armor looked off to his left, and saw Soarin performing some incredibly risky (yet fairly impressive) ariel stunts. Everyone had their eyes on him, and couldn't take them off him if they tried. It wasn't every day you saw a Wonderbolt putting on a solo performance for all to see. The Wonderbolt Co-Captain no less.
"That's amazing!" one pony exclaimed "I've never seen anything like this before!"
"Me neither, but I'm glad I'm seeing it now." another pony commented.
Shining Armor however, wasn't impressed. He could easily see through Soarin's little "act". And this little butter up attempt was NOT the kind of treatment he expected to get from his friends. Especially not when it wasn't a very subtle attempt to begin with. It pained him to do this, but as soon as Soarin finished with his "show" he was going to have a little talk with his friend.
The moment came sooner than expected, at least for Shining Armor. Almost before he realized it, Soarin had finished his performance, and was now basking in the audience's praise.
"Thank you, thank you all. You're just too kind." Soarin said, soaking up the glory and admiration like a sponge.
"What the hay is wrong with you Soarin?!" Shining Armor asked.
Soarin took no notice of Shining Armor's mood (or perhaps he did but didn't care), and simply asked "What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine."
"Do I have to spell it out for you?!" Shining Armor asked angrily "That little flight display you just put on! You were trying to get the extra ticket from me! Don't deny it, I'm aware of your little game! And it won't work!"
"Oh relax, you worry too much." Soarin said, shrugging off Shining Armor's accusations "I was just practicing my moves for The Grand Galloping Gala and I figured you deserved to see them. After all, you are my friend. And you know the old saying, you scratch my back, I scratch yours."
"Ah-ha! So you admit it!" Shining Armor shouted.
"What? Oh-no no no, of course not. You misunderstand." Soarin explained "This was just my way of saying 'Thanks for being such a good friend'. Plus, you can consider those stunts a way of making up for the whole 'Nightmare Moon Incident'. We didn't exactly start off on the right hoof."
"Is that so?" Shining Armor asked. He was pretty sure Soarin was just making up an excuse, and he wasn't going to fall for it.
"Yeah." Soarin said, nodding his head.
"Look Soarin, I know you're not trying to be mean or anything. But I'm not comfortable with accepting favors that I didn't ask for." Shining Armor said firmly.
"But I" Soarin protested.
"No buts!" Shining Armor interrupted "I was given that extra ticket, and I'm gonna be the one who decides who gets it. And trying to butter me up just so you can get the ticket isn't going to work. So please leave me alone and let me make up my mind. Do you understand?"
Soarin sighed "Yes sir." he said, and quickly flew away.
"Well, that was just annoying." Shining Armor said "Oh well, at least now I can finally enjoy lunch." But just as he sat down at the table, and prepared to eat his sandwich, there was a clap of thunder and it started to rain.
"Oops. Sorry about that Shining Armor." Rainbow Dash apologized "I thought everyone had already gone inside."
"That's alright." Shining Armor sighed "I wasn't really hungry anyway."
"Good heavens Shining Armor, you're soaking wet!" Fancy Pants exclaimed. His suit was protected by an umbrella that he held firmly with his magic.
"Really? I had no idea." Shining Armor said sarcastically.
"Well, at least you haven't lost your sense of humor." Fancy Pants replied "Now come on, let's get you inside and out of the rain before you catch a cold."
A few minutes later Shining Armor was inside the warm walls of Carousel Boutique. Rarity offered him a towel to dry off, which he gladly accepted.
"Oh, there you are B.B.B.F.F." Twilight said with relief "I was beginning to worry about you." Rarity had invited her over to Carousel Boutique just before the rain started. Rarity hadn't explained why.
"Say, Shining Armor. Would you be willing to help me out here?" Fancy Pants asked.
"What do you want me to do?" Shining Armor asked, having just finished drying himself off.
"I just happen to have this special suit that Miss Rarity designed. I need somepony to model it for me, and you look like you're just the sort of stallion I've been looking for." Fancy Pants explained.
Shining Armor, seeing nothing suspicious about Fancy Pant's request, agreed. The suit was extremly stylish, with a small jewel attached to the collar. And Shining Armor had to admit, that upon looking at himself in the mirror, he looked rather handsome.
"Well? Do you like it?" Fancy Pants asked.
"Indeed I do." Shining Armor replied.
"Well good, I'm glad." Fancy Pants said with a smile.
"And it just so happens that I have a dress that's similar to your suit!" Rarity exclaimed happily "Just imagine what would happen if you, Fancy Pants, Fluer, and I, all went to The Gala together! We'd be the toast of Canterlot!"
"So that's it huh?!" Shining Armor exclaimed "This is your attempt to try and charm the extra ticket out of me! Fancy Pants, I thought you all of ponies would be better than that!"
"This is no such thing!" Fancy Pants protested.
"Do you deny it?!" Shining Armor asked. Fancy Pants reluctantly shook his head "Then it's true!" Shining Armor said "Well if that's the case, you can keep the suit because I don't want it! Favors like these aren't going to help me make up my mind! Come on Twilight, we're leaving!"
"Okay." Twilight said "Come on Spike."
"Ah man, but I wanted to stay and help Rarity." Spike protested.
"There'll be plently of time for that once this whole ticket mess is sorted out." Shining Armor said firmly "Now come on."
"Well hello Shining, fancy running into you here." Big Macintosh said, greeting Shining Armor when he came out of Carousel Boutique. (The rain had long since stopped).
"Please tell me he's not hopping on the buttering up bandwagon too." Shining Armor thought to himself. His thoughts were soon interrupted by his stomach grumbling loudly. Reminding him that he still had yet to eat lunch.
"Hungry?" Big Macintosh asked "Cause I've got a whole cart load of tasty homemade Apple family treats. Might I recommend my sister Applejack's famous apple brown betties? The food, not our actual Aunt Brown Betty."
"An apple brown betty does sound good." Twilight said,
"Yeah." Spike said, licking his lips.
"Well good, cause all these delicious treats are on the house!" Big Macintosh said happily "It won't cost you a single bit."
"Really?" Spike asked.
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh said with a smile "Go ahead, help yourselves."
"Free food huh?" Shining Armor asked "Oh come on Big Macintosh, could you be any more obvious?"
"What are you talking about?" Big Macintosh asked "This isn't a joke."
"Free food for me, when I just so happen to have an extra ticket to The Grand Galloping Gala. Anyone with half a brain can see how obvious this favor is." Shining Armor explained.
"I never said anything about that ticket. I just thought you might like a bite to eat." Big Macintosh said.
"Then go ahead, take my money. I'm not going to accept the food if its free." Shining Armor said sternly.
Big Macintosh sighed "Sorry Shining, I'm afraid I can't do that."
"Then I'm not accepting anything you have to offer. I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Soarin." Shining Armor said crossly "I'm not comfortable accepting favors that I didn't ask for. And things like this aren't going to help me make up my mind." And he left, yanking Twilight and Spike away before they had a chance to protest.
"First Soarin, then Fancy Pants, and now Big Macintosh." Shining Armor complained as he neared The Golden Oaks Library "All of them trying to get my extra ticket to The Grand Galloping Gala. Who else is going to possibly try and butter me up today?"
The answer came, sooner than expected. The moment Shining Armor opened the door, he was greated with a sight he would've been happy to see on any other day, But not today.
Thunderlane, and his brother Rumble, were busy cleaning up the library. Thunderlane was even humming a little tune "La la la la la. La la la la la. La la la la." he sang happily.
"Oh no" Shining Armor groaned "Not you too Thunderlane."
Thunderlane didn't seem to notice Shining Armor's statement, and happily flew down to greet him. "Oh, hello there Shining Armor. It's so good to see you." he said happily "Rumble and I thought the library could do with a little bit of sprucing up. So that's what we're doing."
Shining Armor sighed, he really didn't want to have to do this. "This has nothing to do with the fact, that I just so happen to have an extra ticket to The Grand Galloping Gala, that I know you want to go. Does it?"
"Oh no." Thunderlane replied happily "Rumble and I are doing this because we knew it would make you happy. I don't even know what ticket you're talking about."
"But big brother, didn't you say earlier that the whole point of this was to make Mr. Shining Armor give you his extra ticket?" Rumble asked innocently.
"What?!" Shining Armor gasped.
"Yeah." Rumble went on "He said we were going to" The rest of his sentence was suddenly cut off when Thunderlane flew down and put a hoof in his mouth.
"Rumble, you have quite the imagination." Thunderlane said, trying to cover up his tracks.
"I'm only gonna say this once. Get it, unless you want to see me really angry." Shining Armor said, trying to keep his temper in check. He didn't want to snap at Thunderlane.
"But Shining Armor I-" Thunderlane protested.
"Get out!" Shining Armor ordered.
"Okay, okay." Thunderlane said "Come on Rumble."
"There, now was that so hard?" Shining Armor asked, as he opened the door. But upon doing so, he was greated by the sound of party favors. Before he had a chance to react, he was suddenly grabbed by a pair of hooves, and flung into the air.
"Hit it Pinkie!" Braeburn shouted.
"With pleasure." Pinkie Pie said happily, and she began to sing:
Shining is Brae's bestest friend.
Whoopie! Whoopie!
Shining Armor was not amused "Braeburn." he scolded "This isn't funny." Braeburn took no notice, and neither did Pinkie Pie. She just kept singing:
Cause he's the cutest, smartest, all around best pony, pony!
"Braeburn!" Shining Armor shouted, his anger rising. Once again Braeburn and Pinkie Pie took no notice, and Pinkie Pie continued to sing:
So I bet if I throw a super-duper fun party, party!
"Braeburn! I know you can hear me!" Shining Armor shouted, feeling like he was about to explode with anger. Still, neither Pinkie Pie or Braeburn took notice. Now it was Braeburn's turn to sing, and he did so:
He'll give his extra ticket to The Gala to me!
"BRRRRRRRRRAEBURRRRRRRRRN!" Shining Armor bellowed at the top of his lungs, having lost what little patience he had left. The shout was so loud, and so fearful, that it made the ponies who had been throwing him up into the air stop. Shining Armor hit the ground with a thud. He wasn't hurt, but boy was he mad!
"Yes, Shining Armor?" Braeburn asked "You got somethin' you wanna say?"
Shining Armor was still furious "You know, at the very least the others TRIED to be subtle about the ticket. Not that it make a difference." he said sternly.
"Wait, what ticket?" a pony asked.
"Oh, didn't you hear?" Pinkie Pie asked "Shining Armor's got an extra ticket to The Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot!"
Braeburn facehoofed "You weren't suppose to blurt that out to the whole town Pinkie." he said.
"Oh, oopsie." Pinkie Pie said sheepishly "Uh, you can all just pretend you didn't hear that. Right?"
Unfortunately, once that information had been heard it could not be unheard. And Pinkie Pie and Braeburn could only watch as a crowd started to form around Shining Armor.
"I'm getting out of here!" Shining Armor shouted, and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn't realize until the chase began, that Spike had somehow been dragged into it.
Shining Armor and Spike tried everything they could think of to ditch the crowd. They hid in various store windows. Disguised themselves as a mare with a baby (despite Spike's protests about having to play the baby). They even tried to hide underneath the bridge above the pond. Nothing worked. No matter what they did, the crowd somehow managed to catch up to them.
Eventually the two of them found themselves trapped in an alleyway with no way out. The crowd was closing in fast. All of them shouting out various favors they would offer in exchange for the extra ticket.
"What are we gonna do now Shining Armor?" Spike asked.
"There's only one thing I can think of that'll get us out of this mess." Shining Armor said "But it's risky. I don't think I've ever been able to pull it off before."
"I don't care! Anything's better than this!" Spike shouted "Do it, do it now!"
"Okay!" Shining Armor said, and lit up his horn as quickly as he could "Hold tight Spike, and don't let go!" There was a sudden bright flash of light, and Shining Armor and Spike disappeared. Much to the surprise of the crowd.
Twilight was surprised when she saw Spike, and her older brother suddenly teleport right into the center of the library's main floor. The two of them were a bit singed, but otherwise they were unharmed.
"You're lucky I've got natural immunity to fire." Spike said, stumbling around a bit "Just warn me the next time you're gonna do that!"
"Sorry about that Spike." Shining Armor apologized "But that was the first time I've ever teleported. It's not as easy as it looks. If you're not careful, you can get stuck in a wall, or worse."
"Hey B.B.B.F.F" Twilight called "What's going on?"
"There's no time to explain!" Shining Armor said frantically, as he raced around to close all the doors and windows. Once he was certain he was safe, he breathed a sigh of relief "You would not believe the day I've been having." he said to Twilight.
"Ahem." called a familiar voice.
"Please tell me that's not who I think it is." Shining Armor thought, as he turned towards the source of the noise. But, sure enough, when he turned to look. There, much to his surprise (not to mention dissatisfaction), were all five of his friends. Shining Armor couldn't take it anymore, and let out a scream.
"Well?" all five of his friends asked.
"I can't decide! I just can't!" Shining Armor said "All of you have a good reason to want to go, or to get the extra ticket. I can't choose, it isn't fair. Not even if you reassure me it is. And even if it was, just look at what it's done to you. To all of you. You've all been arguing and fighting, and trying to charm the ticket out of me. Maybe I'm just new to friendship, but I thought friendship was about virtues like honesty and kindness. Not lying and manipulation."
"Wow. I had no idea you felt that way Shining Armor." Big Macintosh said, trying to calm his friend down "I guess we all got carried away with ourselves. Some more then others."
"Yeah, and we just wanna say. We're sorry." Thunderlane apologized "We never intended to put so much pressure on you."
"If it makes you feel any better" Big Macintosh continued "I've decided that I don't want that extra ticket after all. Not if means turning into something I'm not."
"I feel the same way." Thunderlane confessed "And I'm suppose to be a role model for Rumble. After how I acted today, it'll be a miracle if Mom and Dad ever trust me to look after him again. If that ticket is only going to make me do things I know I shouldn't do, then it's better off in the hooves of somepony else."
"I don't really want that extra ticket either now that I think about," Braeburn said "I was acting pretty selfish. If I want to attend a party I've got Pinkie Pie's parties that I can go to on a daily basis. That Gala may sound inviting, but after how I acted today I certainly don't deserve the chance to go."
"So it all comes down to me" Fancy Pants said, as the mood shifted.
"Or me." Soarin finished "And to be honest, if you decide to give to Fancy Pants, I'll understand. There'll be plently of other opportunities to see just how good Rainbow Dash is. The Best Young Flyers Competetion in Cloudsdale is coming up, and I'm gonna be a celebrity judge."
"Guess my decision has been made for me." Shining Armor said, sighing with relief "Congratulations Fancy Pants, you've earned the ticket."
"As much as I am honored by your offer I'm afraid I must decline." Fancy Pants said.
"What?!" everyone gasped.
"I'm not joking." Fancy Pants went on "Just like Big Macintosh, Thunderlane, Braeburn, and Soarin, I behaved poorly today. And I do not deserve the ticket after the way I acted. It just wouldn't be right. I am a gentlecolt, and I must strive to conduct myself as one."
"Well then, there's only one thing to do." Shining Armor said, turning to Spike.
"Spike, take a letter please." Twilight instructed.
"Okay." Spike said, retriving a quill and a blank scroll on which to write "Ready and waiting."
Twilight proceeded to narrate her letter:
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I've learned that one of the many joys of friendship is sharing your blessings. However, when there aren't enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can make you feel pretty bad. And so, while Shining Armor and I appreciate the invitation greatly, I will offically be returning both tickets to The Grand Galloping Gala. If none of our friends can go, then we don't want to go either.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
"You know what to do Spike." Twilight said with a wink.
"How is that letter gonna make it to Princess Celestia?" Soarin asked "Even if you put in the mail box now it'll take a day to reach her."
"Just watch." Shining Armor replied "You're about to see something you've never seen before."
"What are you talking about?" Big Macintosh asked.
Before everyone's eyes, Spike took a deep breath, and set fire to the scroll. To everyone's surprise (except for Twilight and Shining Armor, who had already seen this several times before), the scroll became enveloped in a magical purple swirl. Said swirl then took off through an open window, bound for Canterlot.
"How did you do that?" Braeburn asked Spike "You should've burned the scroll to a crisp."
"It's a little magic trick that Princess Celestia taught me." Spike explained "If I concentrate on sending a message to her, my flames can automatically do so when I light it up. Of course, I need to be very careful. Because if I don't concentrate hard enough, then I can actually burn something if I'm not thinking about sending it somewhere. The same holds true in reverse, so when I'm actually trying to burn or melt something, I have to make sure I'm not thinking of sending it to Princess Celestia."
"I see." Braeburn said "That's incredible!"
"You didn't have to do that you know." Thunderlane asked "Just because you didn't want to give the ticket to us doesn't mean you had to send it back."
"That's alright." Shining Armor reassured his friends "I would rather not go, then go without all of you."
Spike suddenly began to lurch, as if he were going to hurl.
"Oh come on Spike, it's not THAT mushy." Big Macintosh said. Spike didn't answer, he suddenly let out a loud belch. Big Macintosh ducked as a purple swirl similar to the one from a few minutes ago narrowly missed his head. "Watch where you aim that flame breath there Spike, you almost torched my mane!"
"Sorry about that. Couldn't help it," Spike apologized, as a scroll suddenly materialized on the floor.
"A letter from the princess?" Twilight exclaimed, upon seeing the scroll "Wow, that didn't take long at all. Can you read that for me Spike?"
"Of course." Spike said, and unfurled the scroll:
My faithful student Twilight,
First and foremost, congratulations on passing this secret test of friendship. I had hoped you and Shining Armor would not show favoritism.
But, in all seriousness, why didn't you just say so in the first place? I'm more than happy to provide extra tickets if need be.
I have taken the liberty of not only giving you six tickets, so that you can invite your friends. But I have also provided four extra tickets for Shining Armor, and his three friends that are not already guranteed to go.
Your kind and loving teacher,
Princess Celestia
"So then, we all get to go?" Soarin asked.
"Apparently so." Shining Armor said.
"Alright!" his friends all cheered. Suddenly, Shining Armor's stomach began to rumble and growl.
"Why don't we treat you to dinner?" Fancy Pants asked "Consider it our way of making up for our behavior today."
"Sounds good to me." Shining Armor said "You coming Twily?"
"In a moment." Twilight replied "You and your friends go on ahead, I'll catch up with you later."
"Okay then." Shining Armor said "Let's go guys!"
"Follow me!" Braeburn shouted "I know the perfect place, Sugarcube Corner!"
"It's like you read my mind." Shining Armor said happily, as he and his friends set off.
Meanwhile, when Spike was sure no one looking he said to himself "Why didn't I get invited? I would've loved to go, if only because everyone else is going." He suddenly let out a belch, as another scroll materialized:
P.S. And one for you too Spike, sorry I forgot to send it with the rest.
Spike was delighted, and giggled to himself as he held the ticket in his claws. When he stepped outside and saw Big Macintosh however, he quickly tried to save face "Uh, I mean, ew, gross. Now I have to go too?"
Big Macintosh said nothing, and simply chuckled.
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If we mean Cadance, you want to italicize or underline rather than put in quotes. Cadance is most definitely a "she" -- in fact, she's one of the most obviously-female characters on the Show.
I like the fact that Big Mac's list of priorities are a bit different than Applejack's in the original version of "The Ticket Master." Makes sense, too -- he's the one who principally does the plowing.
Is there a special term for a male Tsundere?
Notably, Dashie doesn't treat Soarin' like this in the main worldline. She outright likes him, but is a bit embarrassed by the notion of open romantic attraction toward anypony. She doesn't handle her own softer emotions well.
Apparently, neither does Soarin' in the Stallion Edition worldline -- but he expresses himself with a bit more hostility.
spot it, or spot me
about it or about me
This chapter doesn't really work in this AU. In the show, Twilight was a semi recluse & it was sort of believable that she didn't know what the Gala was like + none of her friends would have had access to tickets.
This AU, Shiny is an experienced guard. He should know that Mac & Braeburn's expectations are unrealistic. Both he & Fancy Pants (& maybe Soarin) should know that Prince Blueblood is a jerk & Rarity's expectations are unrealistic. Soarin is going to be working & he probably shouldn't be dating. +Fancy Pants (& possibly Soarin) should be able to get tickets if they really want them. Shiny should darn well KNOW that Thunderlane's hopes are the only realistic ones (Of course, he gets disapointed too, but Shiny could realistically be surprised by that)
I really wanna like this but honestly it just feels like a copy and replace filter went over the transcript and then a couple extra bits were added. There's not enough original content here to facilitate as many words as there are. I'll give it the benefit of the doubt but I am not about to wade through several dozen rehashes of the episodes just to get to the later on where things inevitably get jucier. I have big hopes for the episodes that deal with AJ and Pinkie being cousin's reflecting Mac and Braeburn actually being cousins. But I'm really having a lot of trouble with the fact that the male characters are either just extensions of the main characters or straight up expies. Braeburn just isn't Braeburn which is really impressive otherwise because of how little actual characterisation he has in the show other than being a ditz who's bad with kids, Mac talks way too much for being Mac (this was even written back before he had a lot of dialogue with spike and discord and sugar belle [STILL upset with that ship for various reasons]), Fancy and Soarin' had to be AU'd to hell and back for this to conceivably work (plus the whole "I want the ticket for someone else" gambit made for an incredibly hamfisted aesop at the end that would've fucked over Rarity & Rainbow Dash), and Thunderlane was basically just Fluttershy With A Little Brother Who Isn't Actually A Giant Douchemonkey. Like, I REALLY want to like this fic. There are parts of it that I love. There's so much potential here for this concept. So I'm going to hope to god that it gets better, because it isn't even bad. It's just... okay. The editing doesn't make me want to stab myself in the eyes, the dialogue flows pretty well, I can tell what the hell is going on, I can tell the personality of the characters through their words even if it doesn't quite match what I associate with each individual name, the increased roster of characters makes the character pool more fresh, and there are little things here and there that are different. But I want more. It feels bogged down, like getting through this was a chore on the author's part, and it reflects on the reader too. I think this is mostly just an arc thing, where you *have* to do this part to get to the part you *want* to do. I know that feeling all too well. I wanna skip writing a fic of mine so I can write its sequel but I can't do that because the first one is the interquel of the sequel's prequel so I HAVE to write it and I just know it's gonna be kinda shitty by my own standards. So I'm not giving up on this fic, and I'll read the next chapter when I wake up because I'm about to zonk out since it's 4am. But... I don't know, this whole chapter just kinda rubbed me the wrong way. :/
Just remember that guys lol 😆
"Good heavens Shining Armor, you're soaking wet!" Fancy Pants exclaimed. His suit was protected by an umbrella that he held firmly with his magic.
"Really? I had no idea." Shining Armor said sarcastically.
Lol
oh gosh dang it It's been a long time that anybody saying the theme song when they it's not the intro lol
Oh poor spike I remember the early episodes or seasons that spike always get himself in this kinda Situation lol
Okay, I do like that there are more original stuff happening, but I really don't like when the colt six just straight up turn into the main six. They are not the main six, they are different characters with different personalities and quirks so they need to do new stuff that would be in line with their personality and quirts. Not just turn them into male versions of the main six. A story that's basically a retelling of the show but with different characters can work, but not if you're just gonna copy paste the show's original script and slap a stallion's name over a mare's name and do the exact same thing. It's the same problem as the Nightmare Moon arc, each character could have done things differently to add a fresh new take on the original episodic story and still come to a similar conclusion, but they just straight up act like someone they are not. I really hope this is not gonna be a reoccurring problem for the later story arcs, because I am just skipping over alot of stuff I've already seen the show do and simply changing up names is just not gonna cut it. I mean why should I waste time reading the stuff I've already seen the show do exactly to the letter?