A Short Tale

Chapter 8: A One-Way Ticket

Travian's recovery went swimmingly, and his designs for his new clothes were sent to the unicorn, Rarity, as he learned her name was. Eventually, he could move his leg and it felt absolutely wonderful to move himself. When he first moved his leg, with instruction from the fantastic doctor, it moved normally and checked as A-okay. It was a glorious moment for him. That was until his foot graced something on the floor. It was his helmet. He picked it up after quite a long time. His conversational need was fulfilled by Fluttershy so he was quite sure he wasn't going insane. In case his helmet was simply misbehaving last time, he decided to try it yet again.

Unfortunately, it still didn't work. He could not let the technology fall into the hands of these ponies. Or possibly even their hooves. He took the helmet off his head and carried it with him. He went outside, and found his spot behind the cottage. His bow and quiver were still there with the dead grass around them. He threw the helmet on to the bow, most likely dissuading anybody from taking it.

With himself fully repaired, this was the perfect chance to go exploring the forest again. He couldn't resist another chance at injury and discovery. His doom called to him, however, when Fluttershy noticed him looking in the direction of the forest. "You're not thinking of going back in there, are you?" His plans were half-way foiled.

But just at that moment, something occurred to him. He was openly seeking danger. He spent a lot of his time on this planet injured, and he was seeking even more down time. He really wondered why. Was it because the ponies were getting to him? Did he want to be near them? His head made the answer before he could decide. He sighed before he said, "No. I don't think I will." Maybe he could get a new life... "I've been thinking on something. What if I were to go into that town... Ponyville?" He thought about it maybe once, but it was something on his mind.

"Oh... I don't know..."

"It's worth a shot, right?" It was worth a single shot. In fact, one could say a shot fired across quite a distance. Too much of a distance to be considered short or medium.

"Well... I guess it could be, but-"

"Great! Let's go." It didn't feel right not letting her explain her reasons and treating her like a door mat, but he would never have gotten anywhere without that ability.

"Oh... Okay. I'll just go get Angel and I'll be right out." Angel, as he had learned, was that rude bunny. Of course, intimidation is an effective mean of getting rid of rudeness, so long as kindness doesn't work. She came back out with the rabbit and they headed out to the little town.

Fluttershy and Travian had walked into the town to find it nearly deserted. "Huh. Is the town usually this quiet?"

"If something is going on, everypony's probably there. Either that, or they are just avoiding you... Oh I'm sorry I didn't-"

"You don't need to apologize for my sexiness. I understand it drives everyone away." He didn't really consider himself sexy, but he needed some ridiculous reason for the lack of ponies which he was promised. Then Travian heard something in the distance. There was a single gasp.

"Are these what I think they are?" There was an uh followed by that.

"Yes, yes, yes! Twilight's taking me to the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot!" Travian blanked out at the amount of pony puns, purposely prompting him to protect his head from putrid stupidity. That was among one of the strangest things he had ever heard. Another gasp.

"The gala? I design ensembles for the Gala every year, but I've never had the opportunity to attend. Oh, the society, the culture, the glamour, it's where I truly belong, and where I'm destined to meet him!" Travian begged not to hear more. That sounded like Rarity, and if he knew her, that was something she was passionate about. Her passion causes huge monologues sometimes that are best left unsaid.

"Him!" There was a pause. "Who?"

"Him. I would stroll through the gala, and everyone would wonder who is that mysterious mare?" Travian begged for his helmet. If there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was a woman going off about something. "They would never guess that I was just a simple pony from little old Ponyville. Why, I would cause such a sensation that I would be invited to an audience with Princess Celestia herself!" Royalty and nobility does not work that way. She continued. "And the princess would be so taken with the style and elegance that she would introduce me to him! Her nephew, the most handsome, eligible unicorn stallion in Canterlot!" Travian was being overwhelmed by the cliches of sappy romantic stuff. It was crushing his sanity with such force. "Our eyes would meet... Our hearts would melt... Our courtship would be magnificent!" So she was the type that preferred money and looks over actual character? Travian made a mental note to look his worst and keep poor. "He would ask for my hoof in marriage,"

"Please no..."

"What is it, Longshot?" Fluttershy had to ask. Rarity, however, continued.

"And of course I would say... YES! We would have a royal wedding, befitting a princess,"

"No no no..." Travian couldn't handle this.

", which is what I would become upon marrying him, the stallion of my dreams!"

"You don't even know his name!"

"I don't know who's name?" Fluttershy obviously was deaf.

"It's... Nothing." Rarity continued her verbal siege.

"Twilight, I simply cannot believe you would invite Pinkie Pie so she can... Party... And prevent me from meeting my true love!" She seemed to stop the whole her loving the other guy thing there. "How could you?"

"Thank the gods that ended..." He looked down at Fluttershy. He then noticed her rabbit missing. "Hey, where's Angel?" Suddenly, he saw a little rabbit with two yellow tickets in its mouth speed its way across Fluttershy. It then presented the tickets before Fluttershy. She gasped.

"Angel, these are perfect!" The conversation over a ways then picked up again.

"Uh... Listen guys, I haven't decided who to give the extra ticket to..."

"You haven't?" Both of the other voices were included in that question. Travian turned around to see where the conversation actually came from. It was just a little jaunt out of the way.

"Hey, Fluttercry... I think the tickets came from over there."

"Oh! We should actually go see if these are there's..." The two of them walked over there while the pink pony and Rarity were staring at Twilight.

"Hey... If those are so perfect, you should ask for them... Maybe, just maybe you'll be able to go." Travian whispered to her.

"Um... Excuse me, Twilight, I would just like to ask... I mean, if it would be alright, if you haven't given it to someone else..." Travian was kind of disappointed. Usually, she's a lot more confident! I guess it's around society she really doesn't shine. Then Rarity made some sort of look at her that Travian did not really appreciate.

"You?! You want to go to the gala?"

"Oh... No..." Angel thumped Fluttershy's leg quite a bit, while Travian lifted an eyebrow. "I mean, yes! Or actually kind of... You see... It's not so much the Grand Galloping Gala as it is the wondrous private gated garden that surrounds the dance. The flowers are said to be the most wonderful and fragrant in all of Equestria!" Travian was not appeased by the sounds of the Grand Galloping Gala. "For the night of the gala, and that night only would they be in bloom."

"How do they even do that?" Travian had to ask. The answer was probably magic.

"Oh... Well I guess magic? Or maybe the flowers are so smart they know just when to come out! Oh, and that's just the flora! Don't get me started on the fauna!" Travian slightly begged for her not to get started. While her voice was nice enough to listen to, he really could not stand a woman speaking all about something for hours on end. "There's loons and toucans and bitterns, oh my! Hummingbirds that can really hum, and buzzards that can really buzz!" He only knew what a buzzard was. Otherwise, he didn't know what she was talking about. Buzzards could also buzz. This was news to him. "White blue jays, and red jays and green jays. Pink jays, and pink flamingos!" What in the world was a jay or a flamingo? He seriously did not know a lot about animals on foreign planets. Somewhere along the lines of her saying all those animal names, she was hugging Angel and holding him in the air.

"Gee, Fluttershy. It sounds... Beautiful?" Twilight had to ruin it, didn't she? Suddenly, out of the blue came another shade of blue.

"Wait just a minute!"

"Oh please no! Not her!" He couldn't stop himself.

"Rainbow! Were you following me?"

"No! I mean, yes. I mean, maybe! Look it doesn't matter! I couldn't risk a goody four-shoes giving that ticket away to just anybody, especially him!" She pointed a hoof at Travian.

"Racism, man. You can't escape it." Yet again, another pony out of nowhere. The orange one with a strange accent then appeared.

"Wait jus' another minute!"

"Applejack, were you following me too?"

"With the rate it's been going Twilight, I think everyone's following you."

"What? No, I wasn't followin' Twilight, I was followin' this one to make sure she didn' try any funny bus'niss!" She pointed a hoof at Rainbow. "Still tryin' to take ma ticket."

"Your ticket?!" Rainbow was pointed a hoof at Applejack.

"Oh please no... I've said that way too much today."

"But Twilight's taking me!" Everything they all said converged into endless rabble and chatter. It ticked Travian off way too much to hear all the noise. He decided to shout above them all.

"Silence!" "Quiet!" The two yells sounded out, making everyone dead silent, except for the pink one.

"And then I said oatmeal, are you craz-" She then looked at the rest of them and hushed. Travian couldn't resist.

"They probably were crazy... I mean, yes! Let us listen to our leader, Twilight."

Twilight began. "Thank you. Now girls, there is no use in arguing-" Rarity came forward.

"But Twilight-"

"Eh! This is my decision, and I'm gonna make it on my own, and I certainly can't think straight with all this noise." Her stomach growled. "Not to mention hunger. Now go on! Shoo!" Everyone started leaving, so Travian followed suit. "And don't worry," she added, "I'll figure this out! Somehow..." Travian knew she wouldn't. He looked down to see Fluttershy rather discouraged. His mood was brought down because of that. He wanted to think of a way for Fluttershy to go because she wanted to so badly.

Then he glanced forward a small bit to see a tiny purple lizard. "Who are you?" Travian asked, getting a sort off excited yelp from the little lizard. It appeared like another lizardman, only purple... And like a baby. A rather chubby baby.

Then the tiny lizard person got a good look of Travian. "Woah...  You're big... Are you... Are you a dragon too?"

"What? How can you confuse me with a dragon? Do I look like I have wings?"

"Not all dragons... Have wings..." It seemed as though Travian were very intimidating to the young one.

"Give an example and I'll believe you."

"You're looking at one." Travian started to giggle at the absurdity. "No, really! I can breathe fire! Look." He then... Spat fire out of his mouth. Travian was impressed.

"Color me impressed because I just saw a good example. Well." He wanted to change the subject. "Aren't you a little bit small to be a dragon?"

"I'm a baby dragon, so I don't think so." Travian noted that. He then noticed something horrifying.

"Where were you hatched?"

"Oh... I think it was in Canterlot."

"How were you hatched?"

"Twilight hatched me with magic, I think." This was a horrible thing indeed. The ponies had an arsenal of dragons that were under their complete control. To think they would endorse freedom! No sentient race is without slaves. Ever.

"Hey... Just a quick question, how do you think Fluttershy could get in possession of those tickets?" He brought himself down to talk quietly to him.

"Um... Well, she could try cleaning the library."

"Great! Thanks!" Suddenly, a Twilight called for her servant.

"Spike!" Spike then ran off in the direction of Twilight. Travian took this time to walk over to Fluttershy.

"So I may have an idea of how you can get the ticket."

"Really?" Fluttershy was in his face at this point, more than willing to listen to his idea.

Travian made his way back home, and as he left the vicinity of the town, he noticed some ponies actually leaving their houses. "Racism... I tell you what, it ain't easy being green." He really didn't enjoy the racism. He had to verbally express it to himself just because it made him feel more right and better. The day was out when Fluttershy came back home. He had to know how his plan worked.

"'Ay girl, how did it go?"

"Oh it went wonderfully! As it happened, the princess had tickets for all of us!" Angel had two tickets.

"So are you and Angel going? I imagine the gardens must be like a whole 'nother party for him." He was just laying back on the cottage, chilling where it was actually chilling. That's one of his issues. He's cold blooded and hot blooded, meaning he can get heat from his blood, but it was mostly from the sun or clothing.

"Oh... Well actually I was hoping you could come..." The look she gave him. It was so adorable.

"That's... News. I'll be sure to try to make time for it. Knowing me, though, the hospital will say no."

"Maybe they'll make just one teensy little exception."

"Perhaps."