> Ticket Frenzy > by TheNewYorkBrony > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Guys! Guys!” Rainbow called, to her friends, slamming her lunch tray on the table. “You won’t believe what I just heard!” Rarity made a disgusted sound, wiping her blouse of the spaghetti sauce Rainbow had just gotten on it. “That there’s an easier way to remove marinara stains from cashmere?” she asked dryly, pouting. “What? No.” Rainbow responded. “My favorite band, Hold Your Horses is coming to Canterlot!” The girls around the table stayed silent, looks of confusion being shared. Sunset shrugged. “And?” “And the local radio station is running a contest for front row tickets!” Rainbow explained, bouncing in her seat. “Can you imagine?! Being that close the awesomest band ever?!” The girls around her giggled. “That’s funny,” Applejack said with a smirk, folding her arms. “Because I could have sworn you said we were the awesomest band ever.” Rainbow blinked. “Yeah, well, I mean we are, it’s just they’re a little bit more awesome, you know?” she waved her friends laughter off. “Anyway, the way that they are doing it is the first person to call in, gets the tickets!” “Isn’t that a little flawed?” Twilight Sparkle asked, frowning. “Statistically your chances of winning drop when you consider how many teenagers live in Canterlot, how many have cell phones, landlines—” “Shh!” Rainbow shushed her. “No nerdy talk! I don’t want it jinxing me!” Twilight crossed her arms and pouted. “It’s not nerdy talk. I was simply being realistic.” Sunset patted her head affectionately and reassuringly. “We know, Twilight. We know.” “I need you guys’ help! I need as much phones on deck as I possibly can!” Rainbow said, brandishing her phone in all of her friends’ faces. “The more phones, thebetter the statistics are,” she added, smirking at Twilight, who rolled her eyes. “Of course we’ll help Dashie!” Pinkie beamed, pulling the girl into a lung constricting hug. “If there’s anything I know how to do, it’s call people!” “T-Thanks, Pinkie,” Dash said, gasping for air. “But I kinda need my lungs for that.” “Oops,” Pinkie replied, blushing. “Sorry. I just got excited.” she put Rainbow, who was happy to be able to breathe again, back down. “My house after school!” Rainbow said, biting into a meatball. “We’re gonna get those tickets!” At Rainbow’s house, all the girls sat in the living room, bowls of snacks on the coffee table and their phones in their hands at the ready. Rainbow had found an old battery powered radio in her garage the night before and had tuned it to the station where the contest was being held. “Do you think we can really win? I mean, you saw how many people have called in already,” Fluttershy worried, sighing as she heard the busy dial tone come from her phone. She hung up and dialed the number again. They had been trying for over two hours now and still couldn’t get through. They didn’t think so many people would be calling in. “Duh! Of course we will! There’s six of us trying all at once!” Rainbow responded, hanging up and calling again when she got the busy dial tone. “Someone’s bound to get through. Plus, I’m Rainbow Dash. And Rainbow Dash never loses.” Applejack chuckled. “I beg to differ, sugarcube. What about the sleepover at Pinkie’s last week? You lost that arm wrestling match against me,” Rainbow groaned. “You just got lucky cause you had your geode on. Which is totally cheating by the way!” she said, pointing a finger at Applejack. Applejack rolled her eyes. “Sure. And you totally didn’t have yours on when you went downstairs to get the pizza.” she gave Rainbow a triumphant smirk. Rainbow’s eye twitched as she held her arm up. “We can settle this right now if you want. No geodes needed.” she wasn’t about to let Applejack get the best of her this time. “You sure you want to do that, sugarcube?” Applejack asked with fake concern. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings,” Dash growled. “The only one that’s going to have their feelings hurt is you!” At that moment, Fluttershy realized she hadn’t gotten the busy dial tone. “Um. girls,” she started, holding up a finger. “Mighty words coming from someone who can’t pass any other class than gym,” Applejack insulted stepping towards the other girl. “At least I can spell gym!” Rainbow shot back. “Girls,” Fluttershy tried again. “U-Um I think—” “Rainbow Dash! Applejack!” Rarity called to the both of them, clapping her hands to grab their attentions. “Fluttershy has something she’d like to say,” she smiled kindly at Fluttershy, giving her the floor. “Um, thank you, Rarity.” She said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I-I think I got the tickets.” Rainbow Dash beamed. “Yes! Well what are you waiting for?! Answer it!” Fluttershy put the phone to her ear. “H-Hello?” “Congratulations! You’ve won two front row tickets to see Hold Your Horses at the Canterlot Concert Center!” The DJ said.  “What’s your name, lucky caller?” All the color disappeared from Fluttershy’s face. She didn’t know she would have to tell them her name! She wasn’t prepared for that! “Uh. Um. It’s Fluttershy.” she whispers, her voice quaking. The DJ seemed confused. “Did you say something?” “Fluttershy, speak up! I don’t think he can hear you darling!” Rarity encouraged her. Fluttershy took a deep breath. “My name is Fluttershy,” she said a little bit louder, though not by much. “Hello? Is anyone there?” Sunset walked over to Fluttershy and put a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe you should let one of us do it. You seem to be having a hard time, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy clutched the phone to her chest. “No! No, I can do it!” she insisted. “My name is Flu—” “Guess no one's there!” Fluttershy’s heart sank as she heard the DJ hang up. Her eyes started to water. “R-Rainbow I’m so sorry I-I wanted to get you the tickets!” she blubbered. Rainbow put her arms around her. “It’s okay Fluttershy. You tried. Besides, what are the chances of someone at Canterlot High winning those tickets?” “Congratulations caller! Since our last caller didn't answer, you've won two front row tickets this weekend! What's your name, winner?” “The Great And Powerful Trixie! She is super stoked to go to this concert this weekend!” Trixie said. Rainbow fell to her knees in despair. “No way! Are you serious?! Trixie got the tickets! This can’t be happening!” “Relax, Rainbow Dash,”  Rarity told her, rolling her eyes. “It’s not the end of the world. There’ll be other concerts.” “You say that but what if it was a fashion show or something?! What if it was something you liked?!” Rainbow told her, poking a finger into her chest. “What if it was a science thing, or, or a rodeo?!” Sunset pulled her aside. “Dash, I know you’re upset, but that’s no way to talk to Rarity or about the rest of our friends. We know you’re disappointed, but there’s nothing that we can do.” Rainbow grinded her teeth before stomping off to her room, slamming the door behind her. Pinkie, who had been in the kitchen the whole time making snacks, came back just in time to see Rainbow Dash storm off. She blinked, a pretzel in her mouth. “Wow. She is really mad.” The next day, Sunset Shimmer was humming to herself a song she had heard on the radio yesterday as she was taking her books out of her locker for the classes she had after lunch when she heard someone approach. “Knock, knock,” Trixie greeted. “Trixie would like to know what her best friend is doing this Friday,” “Hey Trixie,” Sunset greeted back, grinning. “And nothing really. I was just going to play some video games and maybe stream for a little bit. Why?” “Well,” Trixie said, grinning. “Trixie called into that radio station yesterday and scored tickets to that rock band you like,” she waved the tickets in front of Sunset’s face with a giggle. Sunset bit her lip. Those were the tickets Rainbow had been so bummed about the day before. She wondered if she should tell Trixie. But going to the concert felt like stabbing Rainbow in the back. After all that hard work, a simple mistake had taken them away from her. She knew she had to do the right thing. “Er, Trixie,” Sunset said, eyebrows furrowing as she watched Trixie fan herself with the tickets. “As much as I’d love to go, it just wouldn’t feel right.” Trixie blinked. “Huh? Why not?” Sunset sighed. “Well, you see, Rainbow Dash really wanted those tickets, so she asked the girls and I to help her better her chances. Fluttershy ended up being the one to get through and...” she knew Trixie got where she was going with that when she saw the magician cringe. “So as much as I would love to accept your invitation to see one of my favorite bands live, it just wouldn’t feel right.” “Oof,” Trixie said, wincing. “I guess I feel kind of bad about it too,” she stared down at the tickets a little less excited now. Sunset shook her head. “Don’t worry about it Trix. It’s not your fault, you didn’t know.” she reassured the other girl closing her locker. “Though you could do something to make the situation better.” she could see that her smirk was making the other girl nervous. “What?” Trixie asked, confused. “Why are you looking at me like that?” and then she realized what Sunset wanted her to do. “Do I have to?” she whined, giving Sunset puppy dog eyes. Sunset chuckled, patting her magician friend on her head. “It’s the right thing to do.” Sunset sat down at the lunch table next to Twilight her eyes scanning the lunchroom before landing on Rainbow Dash who was currently giving the poor cow who provided its life for her hamburger a second death. “Has she been like this all day?” She asked, eyebrow arched. “All day and then some,” Rarity responded, making a ‘bleh’ sound as some of Rainbow’s lunch landed on the table. “Do be a dear and hand me some napkins?” Sunset nodded and passed down a few to the fashionista as she heard footsteps approach the table. Trixie looked like she didn’t exactly know what she was supposed to be doing. Or why she was even standing where she was. She fiddled with the strings of her hoodie not quite sure what to say, or at least, how to say it. Applejack raises a brow. “Uh, can we help you?” Trixie gulped. “Er, Trixie would like to give Rainbow Dash her tickets to the concert. She was told by a friend how important it was to Rainbow and wanted to do the right thing.” she handed the tickets to Rainbow Dash sheepishly. Rainbow’s face lit up. “Seriously?! Trixie are you forreal?!” Trixie nodded, turning to walk away, but Sunset grabbed her arm. “I’m really proud of you, Trix,” the fiery haired guitarist said with a smirk. Trixie blushed, pulling herself out of the older girl’s grip. “Yeah well, don’t expect Trixie to be so nice next time!” she blurted before throwing a smoke bomb down and running away. Rainbow gazed the tickets like they were an artifact from a Daring Do book. She grinned as she gave one to Fluttershy who was taken by surprise. “You want to take me?” She asked, astonished. “B-But I’m the one who lost them in the first place!” “I know but, you tried really hard for me. Even forced yourself to speak up. That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. So you deserve that ticket more than I do.” Rainbow said, truthfully. Fluttershy smiled wide. “Okay then. Of course I’ll go with you Rainbow.” Rainbow couldn’t contain her excitement. “AWESOME!”