The Elephant in the Room #1
The sound of freshly dipped ink scraping across fresh parchment was all that can be heard in Twilight Sparkle's library. Multiple quills floated off in either direction, scribbling down a mixture between comprehensible symbols, and those that looked like they came straight from the back of a University textbook. Honestly, they probably were, thought Spike the Dragon as he finished up making Twilight's hay pancakes with her favorite home-made syrup. Taking another casual glance over at her lent Spike a genuine smile. She works too hard, but she wouldn't have it any other way, he thought, reminiscing on her past shenanigans. The faintest shimmer of light reflected off of his eyes as he thought about how she'd changed since she first moved to Ponyville, and his chest welled up with pride.
"Spike? Are you even paying attention?" asked the Princess, letting her tone play no small role in driving her frustration home. The Dragon quickly snapped out of whatever trance he was in, and realized the pancakes were mere seconds from burning. He blew out the flames of the stove-top as quickly as he could, sighing of relief to see that they did not ruin the food.
"Um, sorry Twilight. What were you saying?" he asked while simultaneously putting her plate together, making sure to add a small garnish into the cup of juice he made for her.
Twilight took a deep breath. "No, no, I'm sorry, Spike. I didn't mean to sound upset. I guess this whole Thesis paper is just really making me nervous; I mean, what if it doesn't get accepted, and I can't get my dream job of Magic Theory Specialist?"
"Twilight, you know you're smart enough to write a good paper on, on. . ." Spike lingered on the syllable as he tried to remember what she had called it, though nothing came to mind.
"The Thaumaturgic Temporal Trans-location Theorem," she said, somehow managing to enunciate every alliteration and phoneme. Spike wondered if she spent time in secret just to memorize the pronunciation or if this was really just natural for her.
"Yeah, that one." Spike laughed internally at the absurdity of the situation. "Don't worry, Twi. Just do what you have been doing, and you'll be fine." Twilight smiled as he finished. He always knew what to say to help her out with her, well, nerves, she thought. Even though she didn't admit it as much as she should, she loved that baby dragon with all of her heart.
Her thoughts came to an abrupt stop when the sound of two glass plates falling on a table top assaulted her ears. "Spike! You scared me," she said, clearly holding back a grin. The dragon smiled and sat at his end, practically inhaling what he had prepared for himself. Twilight levitated her fork and knife as she thought about how she'd solve an issue in one of her sub-clauses. Quickly enough, both the Dragon, and the Unicorn had finished their plates and Twilight levitated them to the sink for later. Maybe if she got some rest, she'd be able to figure out the dilemma within her Thesis.
But as luck would have it, her doorbell rang, despite it being morning, and despite her spell to seemingly cloak the inner library in darkness. She let out a small sigh but quickly perked up because she was sure she knew who was at the door. The Unicorn put on a smile and opened the door to her house, confirming her suspicions. Pinkie Pie had come over for no discernible reason other than to just be around her friend.
"Hello, Pinkie!" said Twilight, wrapping her foreleg around Pinkie's neck and leaning into a hug.
"Hi Twilight! Have you got any work done on your paper yet?" she inquired genuinely. As the hug ended, and Twilight removed her hoof from around her friend's neck, she smelled the always sweet fragrance of Pinkie Pie's perfume. The Unicorn gestured for Pinkie to sit at the table as she closed the door with her magic.
"Mhmm, and I talked to Spike about it. He made me feel a little less nervous." Spike was doing other things and didn't notice his name being mentioned.
Pinkie Pie's face contorted into an unnatural yet heartwarming smile, of which she seemed to be talented in making. At just that, Twilight felt an unnatural sensation of pure relief. "That's awesome! I came over to see if you were still stressing out or not, because I know how it must feel when you have all of these tasks to do, and with so little time, and nopony should feel nervous about that sort of thing, or really anything, and. . ."
Twilight, of course loved Pinkie Pie, but if one thing somehow didn't annoy her like it did other ponies, it was her enthusiasm to just talk, and she had really grown to love her long run-on sentences.
". . .but I totally understand where that feeling is coming from, because everypony feels that way sometimes, and even though it is like scared but also nervous, I always say the best laughter is medicine. Oh wait, whoops! I mean the best medicine is laughter, and. . ."
Twilight made note of what she said, but simultaneously tuned into her paper, trying to turn the cogs to clear out any bugs in her spell. She wondered if she could secretly levitate a quill from upstairs in her room to just write down one thing, and then she'd be done. But Pinkie would see her horn glow, so she would need to put extra magic in to negate the emanating light. It took quite a bit of concentration, and admitidly, more than she had to also keep up with Pinkie, but this was such an important breakthrough for her thesis. She felt the quill from her room lift up, and Pinkie didn't seem to notice her concentrating to keep both the levitation spell and the magic cloaking spell of her horn going. Just a few more inches, she thought, sticking her tongue out ever so slightly to concentrate. The quill touched paper and she began writing.
But the quill fell to the floor when a particular pink pony pounced on the poor purple princess. Dazed from both the impact of the floor on Twilight Sparkle's head, and the unexpectedness of that encounter, Twilight had to do a double take to make sure she was both alright and awake. Though, quickly enough her eye's focused on her friend, and curiosity overtook her.
"I knew you liked hugs, but this is ridiculous, Pinkie!" said Twilight through no small fit of giggles. Pinkie Pie looked at her and smiled brighter than Celestia's sun.
"I'm sorry if I interrupted you when you needed to concentrate," laughed the pink mare, stepping off of her friend and lending her a hoof. "I just wanted to make sure that you were super-duper-extra not nervous."
"I promise, Pinkie. I'm super-duper-extra not nervous."
"Pinkie promise?" she said, staring deeply into her eyes but letting her facade of seriousness fall swiftly. Twilight said no words, but hoofed the motions of flying and sticking cupcakes in her eye. Pinkie seemed content with these gestures and said good bye to her and Spike before heading out the door of Twilight's library.
_ _ _
Octavia Melody stood there bereft of facial expressions, gazing at the magnificent decorations and statues that filled the rooms of Princess Luna's castle. It was night time, and Octavia was there on a mission, but that goal could wait, she thought, because she needed to look around this awe-inspiring place.
"I really enjoy the layout of your castle, Princess," said Octavia, looking around to fill her eyes with it's beauty.
"Thank you, Octavia, though we do prefer just 'Luna.' We doth apr- I mean, I do appreciate that."
They came into the main chambers where Luna would sit on her throne but something was odd about it. There were all sorts of electronic devices, Octavia noticed; The same kinds that Vinyl had in her house. She didn't recognize what most of them were, but she did pick out some kind of video-gaming system, that Vinyl also had (not to mention spent most of her time with, she thought), and one of those boxes with moving pictures. It was miles ahead of her comprehension, she decided, after the long conversations Vinyl would have about the lost technology that her and Luna apparently only shared. Vinyl's collection wasn't quite as big as the Princess', she thought, but Vinyl's was definitely more, um, embellished.
"It seems you have quite a few electronic devices here, Luna. Do you like them?" Octavia said, kicking herself for asking such an obvious question.
"I do enjoy them, Octavia. We- I've had most of these relics sense before our, um. . ." Luna looked away and toward the floor, remembering some awful memories.
"It's okay Luna, you can say it." Octavia put her hoof on Luna's shoulder to comfort her.
"Before our banishment. Still, some have found their way to me in recent years. I try to collect them, because their ingenuity is unparalleled," said Luna, smiling back at Octavia.
Octavia remembered that she was actually here for a reason, and started thinking of the best way to approach asking. Her hours spent in the mirror had not helped her at all, it seemed. She was about to start sweating really heavily when Luna spoke.
"So, I've been told you're not here for idle chit-chat, yes?"
"Oh, umm, that's c-correct," Octavia felt nervous, but decided to just ask. "I really wanted to know if you, um, well. . ."
"Yes, child?" Luna turned to face Octavia, serving to either calm or aggravate her nerves, she thought.
"Well you have the last copies of the vinyl records from the Pre-Classical era, right?" Octavia found herself rubbing her foreleg and quit as soon as she noticed.
"Why of course I do! That was many, many moons ago that I received them," said Luna, bobbing her head to some rhythm Octavia couldn't hear. The grey mare took a breath before continuing.
"Well, I wanted to know if maybe, well, I could borrow some of them, perhaps?" Full fledged fear fired into the refined filly's face. Octavia didn't know what Luna's reaction would be.
"For you, Octavia? Sure. I can't see why not, though I will ask you to be careful with them; they are the last ones in existence, after all." Luna levitated some of her ethereal mane out of her face. Octavia was just bewildered by how laid back the princess of the night really was.
"Thank you so very much, Princess Luna!" Octavia wrapped her foreleg around Luna's neck and leaned in for a hug. Luna seemed confused at first, but decided to lean in as well.
"For a Canterlot musician? We can spare it."
The Elephant in the Room #2
"Ugh- Finally!" the purple mare shouted at the stacks of paper her desk lied under. She grabbed a small cloth from her banister and wiped her forehead dry. "Well, that's half of it-" said Twilight, trying to maintain her consciousness, but everything was so soft, she thought.
Spike looked out in awe. Twilight Sparkle, his friend and the newly crowned princess, was very competent with what she does, he thought. The Dragon decided to let her sleep a little longer before he made breakfast, to make up for the all nighter. He looked out the window to see the sun move just past the horizon to initiate the morning, and off in the distance he could see a silhouetted figure of a pony walking towards the library. He squinted his already sharp dragon eyes and peered as far as he could. Purple mane, white coat, it must be Rarity, he thought, catching himself before he started oogling. Butterflies welled up in his stomach which was usually invincible to everything, yet suddenly felt as vulnerable as a fly on tape. Before he could collect his thoughts, there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" yelled Spike, quickly apologizing for waking up Twilight from her brief nap, though she decided to see who it was. As the door opened, Rarity burst through and rushed to hug Twilight.
"Hello Rarity! Umm, did I do something?" the purple mare asked.
"Yes! Thanks to you, Celestia herself recommended my boutique to supply the Wonderbolts' outfits for next week's derby! She said if they liked it enough, they'd hire me as their new seamstress! Oh do you realize how much business this will bring in?" The white unicorn was practically as excited as Pinkie Pie would be about winning a cupcake eating contest.
"I'm glad to hear that," said Twilight, flashing a smile to her friend. "But won't that be a lot of work?"
"Not entirely, considering that I've hired my first employees just today!"
"Ooh, you're moving on up through the business world I see," Twilight said, rubbing her eyes with her hoof. "Next thing you know you'll be taking commissions from Royalty," she snickered.
"Why thank you, dear," said Rarity while adjusting her mane. She held her hoof up and swished it through the air in a gesture intended to grab one's attention. "Now, I've not asked the others yet, but since my boutique is sure to bring in more customers now, I have to ask you something. Would you and Spike like to come to a fancy dinner with me tonight?" Twilight tilted her head and looked a little confused.
"You want to take me to a fancy dinner?"
"I want to take all of our friends out to a fancy dinner! And I know just the place, too!" Rarity reached into her mane and brought out a slip of paper. "May I borrow a quill, Twilight?"
"Sure," said Twilight, levitating a quill and ink dish over. "But you really don't have to do this, I mean, it's probably really expensive."
"Oh hush, Twilight Sparkle. I'd love to take you guys out, and the money is of no concern. I insist!" Rarity was taking her point home by writing their friends names down on the slip, before asking Spike to send it through the Canterlot mail system with his fire.
"Alright, if you say so," said Twilight, happy now that Rarity was not bothered by the expense. "Should I contact the other girls for you?"
"Certainly, if you'd like. And again, thank you, Twilight. If it weren't for you, I probably would not have this opportunity," said Rarity, lingering on a genuine smile. Rarity leaned in for another hug, when something seemed to catch her mind's attention. "Ah, yes, I forgot. I would also like to know if I could borrow one of your books again?"
Twilight's eyes flashed slightly and a big smile overtook her face. "Of course you can!" said Twilight turning around to gaze at her shelves. "Let me guess, you want to borrow Pre-Modern Trends in Equestrian Clothing Volume IV because the Wonderbolts want a different design for their outfits, and capes have come back into fashion recently?"
Rarity recoiled in genuine shock. "H- How did you. . . know that?" As Rarity said that, Twilight seemed to recoil as well.
"I- I'm not sure. . ." Twilight started to dart her eyes around, as if thinking critically of what just happened. Where had that knowledge come from, she wondered.
"Anyways, yes, I do indeed wish to borrow that book," said Rarity while walking over to the section she'd found it in last time. "Is it still in this shelf?" she asked, pointing in some direction or another.
"Yes," Twilight said without looking. Spike walked up to the purple mare and stood beside her. Rarity said thanks before exiting Twilight's library.
"What was that all about?" asked Spike, scratching his head in confusion. Twilight looked at him with shunning eyes, and he quickly dismissed it. Rarity probably just forgot that she told Twilight about it somewhere in the past. And Rainbow Dash is around the Wonderbolts almost twenty-four-seven, he thought. That makes sense, right?
_ _ _
Vinyl Scratch was packing up her equipment to leave another late night show in Manehattan. She had recently moved there from Canterlot because the scene was a little bit better, in her opinion. Still, she wished Octavia could have been there. She wasn't upset though, because it's not like her friend could come to every single show she had, and plus, she had to go do something or other that day, she thought. Octy specifically wanted to meet her after this show, though, so she was hoping no one would ask her to come to some after-party, which is usually a pre-party for the real after-party, the next day notwithstanding. She was finally getting her mixing table into her saddle bag when she felt a bump on her left flank.
"Hey, watch it!" Vinyl turned around to meet a very handsome Neon Lights face to face. "Oh, sorry, Neon, I couldn't see who you were,"
"It's cool Scratch," Vinyl winced as she braced herself for the inevitable. "So me and a few pals- uh, you know Trance Rave and Psychedelia, right? Well we're havin' a party in about an hour at my place. Ya wanna come?"
Vinyl took a deep breath. "Oh, no thank you Neon, I have something I need to do tonight."
"More important than writin' music wit' us? And, well you know what Psyche brings to our parties, heh heh," he said with a full sense of enthusiasm.
"Definitely some other time, for sure, man," said the DJ, not sure if he would keep pressing her about it.
"Aw, that sucks. But maybe next time, huh? So anyways, what's this 'somethin' you need doin' ' exactly?" Neon said, grinning at Vinyl with teeth that spelled 'inuendo.'
"Ugh, That's definitely none of your business dude. And plus, I don't really know exactly. Octy just said to meet her at her house after my show, and that she had something I might be interested in." Come to think of it, what did her Octavia want to show her?
"Ha, class-A hinting right there, Scratch. It doesn't take a psychic to read what she's sayin', know what I mean?"
Vinyl turned around and grabbed her saddle bag, hoisting it over her haunch without another word. Honestly, that guy could be so dense sometimes, she thought. She decided to just ignore him and walk out for now. She had to focus on getting a carriage, anyways. She had an alternative way home, should that fail, and that was on hoof. Though, from the venue she was just at to where her and Octavia's home were was a long ways away. Vinyl didn't want to have to walk.
"Hey, sirs?" Vinyl yelled out to catch the attention of two stallions pulling a wagon. She waved a few bits around in her hooves so they could see them and they immediately turned around to come and let her on. "Thank you guys. Would've really hated to walk home," she said, laughing to improve the atmosphere. Pulling other ponies around must be a tiring job. 'I mean, I just perform my music in front of others for my living. Sure, it is work sometimes, but honestly, if I can't say that I love my job, then I don't know what I can,' she thought.
A little ways off, she could see her house through the light fog of Manehattan's afternoon, and her stomach started to get butterflies. Come to think of it, whatever Octavia wanted her there for was going to be pretty cool. No need to worry, she thought, but that didn't keep astray the fact that she was so curious about the whole situation. Vinyl decided to just forget about it and enjoy the stars. Which luckily, didn't have to work for very long as Vinyl stumbles a bit when the carriage stops, having arrived at her destination.
Vinyl Scratch nervously hopped off of the carriage and handed the two stallions a small pouch of bits, before approaching her house. She put her hoof on the door, hesitating to open it, but decided on how dumb that must've been. She opens the door anxiously, walking in smiling and waiting for something unexpected.
_ _ _
Pinkie Pie volleyed a blue and orange-striped ball over a make-shift net to Rainbow Dash, who easily returned the favor with a swift foreleg swipe. Dash was up 3-1, but she wasn't about to let Pinkie catch her off gaurd. The game was fun, thought Rainbow, but after the twenty-third game she got a little tired of it. 'When would Rarity get here?' she wondered.
"Rarity will be here in ten to fifteen minutes, like she told us, Rainbow," said Twilight.
"Huh?" said Rainbow Dash, who was only half listening.
"Um, n-never mind."
"I'm sure she just had somethin' to do real quick that's holdin' 'er up," said Applejack, whose mane was actually shiny for a change. She put down a Banjo and adjusted her hat, before approaching Rainbow. "Y'all know Rarity ain't just gonna blow us off fer somethin' else, right?"
"Ugh- Of course Applejack. But she doesn't have to take soo long!"
The farm mare smiled and left her and Pinkie to their never-ending impromptu game of volley-ball. 'Rainbow is hard-headed, but she always has good intentions, and a heart of gold,' thought Applejack.
Fluttershy was sipping a small cup of herbal tea and chatting with Twilight, reassuring her that her test would go smoothly. Twilight had her doubts, but overall her friends made her feel better about it. Her train of thought was interrupted when a small envelope appeared in a flash of azure magic. Twilight levitated the note and opened it, careful not to crease or tear the page.
"It's from Rarity!" said Twilight while skimming through.
"Wha'does it say?" Rainbow Dash blurted out, failing to pay attention to the ball which landed on her side of the net.
"Score one for the Pinkie!" said an overenthusiastic mare. Twilight looked over the note before continuing.
"She says:
Terribly sorry about the delay, girls! I was held up in Canterlot on a very unexpected meeting. Some enthusiastic patrons wanted to commision a new line of masks of all things! But in any case, I shan't be too much longer. The meeting only lasted about five minutes, so I'm already on my way by the time you're reading this. I'll be there in five to ten minutes. Love you dears!
"Well I guess that explains it," said Fluttershy, fidgiting to keep her cup still. A few drops of scolding brown liquid found their way to Twilight's back, eliciting a small yelp. "S-sorry. . ."
Applejack picked her banjo back up to pass the time, and started strumming a few familiar chords. As she continued, a weird look arose on her face, and she began messing with the tuners. Applejack plucked a string and listened to the pitch shifting from the incorrect note upward, until finally she heard of sharp snapping noise.
"Dang nab it! That's the third one this week!"
"You need to be more careful with your instruments, Applejack!" said Rainbow, struggling not to laugh at her slight misfortune. Rainbow started scratching her wing furiously, as if trying to rid herself of an incurable itch.
"Everything alright, Rainbow?" inquired Twilight, beholding the general spectacle before her.
"Yeah, it's just my wings have been super itchy ever since last Saturday."
'That's weird,' thought Twilight. 'I've been having the worst migraine since last Saturday as well.'
"Last Saturday ya' say? The muscles in my legs and neck have been pretty sore since then, too," Applejack added, rubbing her foreleg to demonstrate.
Fluttershy winced slightly, before continuing to listen.
"Well I've just felt really, really happy since then! It was almost like I was a Pinkie Pie's worth of happy, then I was sixty-two and a half DOZEN Pinkie Pie's all of the sudden!" Twilight wondered if there was some connection, but who knows, they've always been connected in subtle ways so maybe she was over-thinking it. Her train of thought was yet again interrupted by a knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" yelled Spike, who propelled himself toward the door faster than anypony thought his legs could even move.
