The Dimension Travelers X: The Pony Gambit

Dimension travelers X: The Pony Gambit

Next chapter, coming down the pipe! And before I forget again, I DON'T OWN MLP: FIM!

Twilight Sparkle's POV

In the week since what had come to be known as the Nightmare Moon incident, I had managed to settle into life in Ponyville. On this particular day, I was helping Applejack bring in some apples. Apparently, she had a bet with Big Macintosh; if she won, he'd have to walk around in one of Granny Smith's girdles. The deadline was lunch time.

"I'm glad the goal is lunch time, all this hard work is making me hungry," I said

"I know, right?" Spike agreed before tossing an apple that landed on my head.

"Oh really, Spike? You've been lounging on my back all morning while we worked!" I reminded him

"Exactly; you two are taking so long, that I missed snack time." Spike complained and before I could rebut him, my stomach chimed in its agreement. Then Spike dug out a delicious looking able from my pack and ate it right in front of me. Before I could scold him, a letter from Princess Celestia came through.

"'Hear ye, hear ye, 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 twenty-first day…yada, yada, yada…cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle and one guest.'" Spike read

"The Grand Galloping Gala!" Applejack and I both exclaimed and then Princess Celestia sent through two tickets.

"I've never been to the Gala! Have you, Spike?" I asked

"No, and I plan to keep it that way, I don't want any of that girly, frilly, froo froo nonsense," Spike replied

"Oh, come on Spike, a dance would be nice," I appealed

"Nice? It's a heapa' more than just 'nice'!" Applejack cried, "I'd love to go, land sakes! If I had an apple stand set up, ponies would be trying our apple fritters 'till the cows came home! Do you have any idea how much business I could drum up for Sweet Apple Acers? With all that money, we could do a heap 'o fixing up around here! We could replace that saggy, old roof; and Big Macintosh could replace that saggy, old plow; and Granny Smith could replace that saggy, old hip! I'd give my left, hind leg to go to that Gala."

"Well, in that case, would you like to-" Before I could finish my offer, Rainbow Dash came crashing into the both of us.

"Are we talking about the Grand Galloping Gala?" She asked

"Rainbow Dash! You told me you were too busy to help me harvest apples! What were you busy doing? Spyin'?" Applejack accused

"No, I was busy napping." Rainbow Dash answered and then I spotted a pillow and blanket up in one of the apple trees. "And I just happened to hear that you have an extra ticket?"

"Yeah, but-" Once again I was cut off

"This is so awesome! The Wonderbolts perform at the Gala every year! I can see it now…" Rainbow Dash then went off on a fantasy tale about her stealing the show from the Wonderbolts before being inducted as their newest member. Applejack and Rainbow Dash then got into a fight over who would get the extra ticket, but I put a stop to it.

"Whoever has the best reason to go should go. Don't you agree?" I asked and then I realized that it was a choice between Applejack getting money to help her family or Rainbow Dash's lifelong dream…not the easiest choice in the world. Thankfully, my growling stomach excused me. I told them I would think it over during lunch and left.

"So who're you going to give the ticket to?" Spike asked

"I don't know, but I can't think straight when I'm hungry," I answered as we walked by Sugar Cube Corner. That's when I was tackled by Pinky Pie. When she spotted the tickets, she then burst into song about how the Grand Galloping Gala is the biggest party and thus the perfect place for her. Does she have a song for every occasion?

"Thank you Twilight; this is the bestest gift ever!" Pinkie exclaimed, but before I could explain that, the other ticket was already pretty much spoken for, Rarity showed up. She then told us about her fantasy meeting of and subsequent whirlwind courtship with Prince Blueblood, Princess Celestia's nephew. Then Fluttershy got in on the act because that little bunny of she has, Angle, stole the tickets from Spike's hand and presented it to Fluttershy.

"Listen, guys, I haven't made the decision on whom to give the ticket to yet," As soon as I said it, I knew I had made a mistake. Fluttershy then told us that she wanted to go, not so much for the Gala itself, but because all the flowers in the royal garden would be in bloom on that specific night, and that's just the flora. Then Rainbow Dash and Applejack showed up and all five started yelling. Eventually, I got them all to leave me alone while I tried to get some lunch.

I headed to the nearest restaurant and placed an order. Then I noticed David.

"I don't suppose you want to go the Gala too?" I asked wearily

"Not in the slightest. I learned a long time ago that anything more formal than a wedding is just asking for trouble. I was just wondering why you lot were disturbing the peace," He answered

"Thank Celestia for small miracles," I sighed and then explained my problem.

"I have half a mind to just cast a duplication spell on the tickets," David remarked

"You can't do that! Princess Celestia only sent me two tickets and if I show up with more than that I'll get in trouble!" I cried

"That's the only reason why I haven't done it yet. Why do you suppose she only sent you two tickets?" David asked

"I don't know. Maybe there were only two tickets left. For all I know, this is supposed to be some kind of lesson in friendship and I'm failing miserably," I groaned, "No matter what I do, there'll be three disappointed ponies." That's when my food arrived, but before I could take a bite, everypony else ran inside for some reason.

"Madam, are you going to eat in the rain?" The waiter asked

"What are you talking about? It's not…raining." I then noticed that it was raining everywhere except at my table.

"Well that's a handy trick," David remarked and then I looked up and spotted Rainbow Dash looking down through a hole in the clouds she had made.

"Hi there best friend forever I ever, ever, ever had! Enjoying the sunny weather?" She asked

"Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?" I returned

"What'd ya mean? I just saw the smartest, most generous pony about to get rained on so I thought I'd kick a hole in the clouds to keep her dry so she could dine in peace, that's all," Rainbow Dash answered

"Rainbow, you're not trying to get extra consideration for the extra ticket by doing me extra special favors, are you?" I accused

"Me? Oh, no, of course not!" Rainbow Dash denied and I made a disbelieving noise, "Seriously, I'd do it for anypony." However, that excuse was made invalid by another pony running through the rain right past me.

"Rainbow Dash, I am not comfortable accepting unwanted favors. So I'd appreciate it if you'd close up that rain cloud right now." I demanded and she closed up the cloud. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that my food was unprotected and so was I. Then Rarity walked by.

"Twilight! It's raining!" She exclaimed

"No really?" I asked sarcastically

"Come with me, before you catch a cold!" Rarity exclaimed and then dragged me off. I just wanted something to eat! Is that too much to ask?! Spike and David ended up following, whether to offer an isle of sanity in this storm of crazy or to watch my suffering, I'm still not sure.

As I probably should have expected, once I was in Rarity's place, she ambushed me with a makeover. She even managed to catch Spike, but David was able to elude her while declaring that 'she'd never take him alive'. That's when Spike decided to abandon ship. I got a bit caught up in Rarity's scheme, but when she mentioned the Gala, I remembered that I was supposed to be on guard for bribery attempts.

Just as I managed to escape Rarity's clutches, Applejack caught me on the way out and was offering food. My growling stomach was all too willing to be bribed into submission, but I stood my ground, despite all the delicious food Applejack had brought with her. But I decided to remove the temptation by putting as much distance between me and Applejack's food as possible. So I headed home to the library, hoping I had something to eat there. Unfortunately, Fluttershy was there with some of her birds. I had never known that getting showered with favors could be so aggravating!

"Hello, Twilight, I hope you don't mind, but we were just doing some spring cleaning," Fluttershy greeted

"It's summer," I ground out

"Well…better late than never, right?" She asked, "It was Angle's idea." That devious bunny was even making me a tossed salad!

"Perhaps you should just come to my place for something to eat. You don't seem to be having much success out in the open," David whispered in my ear, but on our way out we were ambushed by Pinky Pie this time. She even had a song about me being the best and giving her the ticket!

"At least the other ponies tried to be subtle about the ticket!" I shouted and realized what a mistake I had made this time when the ponies Pinkie had gathered asked what ticket I was talking about; and Pinkie told them about the extra ticket to the Gala. So I did the only logical thing to do. I ran like Cerberus himself was after me! Eventually, we were cornered and my magic acted on its own. Spike, David, and I were all teleported back to the library. Spike was a bit worse for wear, but there wasn't time for that. We locked the doors and windows and blew out all the lights. Unfortunately, the other five were already inside. I was frustrated, tired, and hungry, so I just screamed.

"I can't decided, just can't decide! It's important to all of you and I just can't stand to disappoint any of you and giving me gifts and doing me favors won't make any difference because you're all my friends and I want to make you all happy and I can't! I just can't!" I cried

"Twilight, sugar? I didn't mean to put so much pressure on you; and if it helps, I don't want the ticket anymore. You can give it to somepony else. I won't feel bad, I promise," After Applejack's speech, all the other ponies followed suit, even Rainbow Dash, after some prompting from the others. So I decided to send the tickets back with a note to Princess Celestia. I decided that since there wasn't enough for all of us to go, none of us would because it wouldn't be fair to the rest.

"Twilight, you don't have to do that," Applejack said, but I had made up my mind and Spike sent the letter with the tickets.

"Now you won't get to go to the Gala either," Fluttershy said

"That's fine; I couldn't possible enjoy myself without my best friends there with me," I replied and the six of us shared a group hug. Spike made a gagging gesture and then made like he really was going to puke.

"Well wallop my withers Spike, isn't that just like a boy, can't handle the least bit of sentiment," Applejack remarked

"Gee thanks, I'm really feelin' the love tonight," David grumbled, sarcasm dripping like an acid from his words. Applejack had the decency to look embarrassed before a letter came through, which was what was causing Spike to make those faces.

"'My faithful student Twilight, why didn't you just say so in the first place?" Spike then pulled out six tickets to the Gala and David facepalmed. Then my stomach growled and we decided to grab a late dinner. Spike even got a ticket, and despite his token complaints about it, I could tell he was happy to go.

Luna's POV

Tonight was the night. The demon who had plagued me for more than a thousand years would finally meet its end. I was unsure how to feel as I walked up to the place I had been directed to in the letter I received. It stood on the outskirts of Ponyville and looked normal enough, save for the door, which had some sort of handle and was painted the oddest shade of blue. It was also quite a bit narrower than most doors. I knocked and was startled when I heard a crash and some muffled shouting before the door opened.

"Luna! Come in, come in, don't mind the mess, I've just been trying to reinforce the containment field," David greeted, but I was more wrapped up in noticing something other than the mess.

"Is your house…bigger on the inside?" I asked

"Of course! With all the equipment and such I need set up, it'd be a terrible hassle to take it down and set it back up again every time I was needed somewhere new. So I just set up a pocket dimension so I only have to build the shell of the house and then key it to the proper dimensional frequency. It's not as big as one used for a TARDIS mind you, but it does the job." David technobabbled, but I understood most of it.

"So…where is the demon?" I asked

"It's in containment just outside the blasting chamber. The bomb I plan to use on it is in the final stages of priming and the wards I've placed on the walls should finish synchronizing in the next three minutes." He answered

"A bomb? That seems a bit…crude," I remarked

"Not this bomb; it's a neutron star implosion/explosion device and once of the few things I'm sure will properly kill the demon with minimal chance of ending in a spectacularly catastrophic way." David explained and we headed to the observation deck. On the way, something else caught my eye.

"'Feather Duster of Evil Detector'? What is a Feather Duster of Evil?" I asked

"It's my nickname for a guy named Sephiroth. He's an old enemy who shows up every so often, nearly kills me before I send him packing, and then we rinse and repeat. All just another day in paradise," He answered

"Near death is 'just another day in paradise' for you? I would not want your life," I remarked

"Fair enough, but there are some benefits that make it all worth it," He said mysteriously, "Anyway, put on these goggles because things are going to get very bright in a moment." I put on the goggles and then watched as the demon rose into the blasting chamber.

"LUNA, Join me once more and we shall rule not only this dimension, but ALL DIMENSIONS!" The demon hissed in its unnatural voice. I flinched as my emotions roiled inside me chaotically. I could feel my fear, my anger, my sadness, and many other emotions, all responding to the demon's words.

"SHUT UP! Or I'll forgo the mercy of killing you outright and throw you into Limbo for the rest of eternity!" David roared at the demon, and that silenced it. A few moments later, and the bomb was released and detonated. First, it imploded and like a black hole, drew everything inside the blast chamber into itself, including the demon. Then, it exploded with a blinding brightness that, once it faded, left nothing but scorch marks on the walls as a reminder of what had transpired. I suddenly felt like a weight had been lifted from me that I didn't even know was there. The demon's lingering presence inside me had died when it had and I felt freer than I had thought possible. I didn't even notice until I had taken off the goggles that I was crying.

"Thank you, David Thomas," I said, not knowing what else I could say

"It's fine, I'm not in the habit of letting evil demons roam free," He quipped, "Now that the deed's done, how about some celebratory ice cream!" It had been so long since I had had ice cream that I quickly agreed. We moved to what seemed to be the living room.

"What'll you have?" David asked, but I had no idea what possible new ice cream flavors there were, so I let him pick. He called it 'Neapolitan'. It contained three different flavors in one, strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. This ice cream was very different from the stuff I had known, but that was to be expected after a thousand years.

During our conversation over the ice cream, I asked a question that had been bugging me since last week.

"Why were you so short with my sister? Further, you don't strike me as being particularly disrespectful, so..?" I left the question hanging. There was one other question, but I had left it unasked: why was it for my sake? A pony he had only known as Nightmare Moon up to that point.

"Both answers are a bit complicated, but for the first question, it has a lot to do with being the eldest sibling myself, but it's also because you were about to get all the blame and I can't stand it when someone is falsely accused like that, especially by their own flesh and blood. Which leads us to the second question; anyone can be born into a title, so I don't automatically respect those who have been born into a supposedly higher social class. I give my respect based on one's actions and words. Needless to say, your elder sister didn't leave such a stellar impression. But that policy hasn't steered me wrong yet." He answered and before I could say anything else, I noticed the time.

"It is almost time for my sister to raise the Sun! Thank you again!" I said and then left, flying as fast as I could. On the way, I couldn't stop thinking about what David had said. Somehow, I felt that things would never get too boring so long as he was around.

The second chapter, she is complete! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed thus far and to those who favorite/followed! Until next time!