It was a typical Friday night, as Twilight sat on a pillow reading a book. Twilight's week was stressful as always, so she enjoyed having a little bit of time to herself when it was all over. It was long past the library's open hours, so Twilight was looking forward to having some uninterrupted time to read her novels.
"Ah!" Cried Twilight, as the door flung open.
Pinkie Pie jumped into the room, and landed right in front of Twilight. "Happy pre-birthday, Twilight!" The yelling was quickly followed by Pinkie blowing a party horn, right next to Twilight's ear.
"Pinkie! My birthday isn't until tomorrow, couldn't this have waited?"
A thumping sound came from the stairs, as Spike descended. "What's going on down there? Can't I get a single moment of.." Spike stopped and clutched his stomach. A belching flame revealed a scroll addressed to Twilight. It was a letter from the Princess Celestia, of course, but it wasn't like the rest. This one had little stickers of stars and moons. Twilight levitated the scroll in front of her and unraveled it. Pinkie and Spike gathered by Twilight's side, as she read it out loud.
"My Dearest Twilight, as Equestria orbits the sun for one more year, I'm amazed at how you've grown and become the outstanding pony that you are." Twilight blushed, and continued reading. "I would like to reward your outstanding progress with a birthday gift! Enclosed in this letter are 7 train tickets to the city of Mahaponny, as well as two hotel rooms for you and your friends. I am so happy that you have learned how to make friends, but you still have more to learn. Mahaponny is not like Ponyville or any other town you have been in. While you are there, I need you to learn a lesson of utmost importance...Your mission is to have some fun! Happy birthday, Princess Celestia."
After a moment of silence, Pinkie gasped. "Oh my gosh! We're going on a weekend trip to Mahaponny! This is going to be so fun!"
Spike and Twilight looked at each other, both confused. "You know this place?"
"Well duuuh! It's only the most funnest city this side of Equestria! We're going to have such a great time! Don't forget to bring your bits, though. I'm so excited! I'm going to pack right now. Don't worry, Twi, I'll go tell everypony!" Pinkie leaned over and looked at the time for the train tickets. "I'll see you here, bright and early tomorrow morning! Happy pre-birthday!" With that said, Pinkie bounced out the door. Twilight waited a few moments wondering if Pinkie would come back to close the door, but as usual, Twilight finally closed it with her magic.
"Ugh, we've been on this train foreeeever." Rainbow dash complained. "Are we there yet?"
Applejack looked out the window. "I think we're getting close!"
The six ponies all clustered around Applejack's window, as Spike repeatedly jumped up and down attempting to get a view. Even though it was beginning to be evening time, the sky seemed bright as day. A bright city was in the distance, with high rise buildings and lights shining into the sky. It was fairly large, Twilight was surprised that she had never heard of it before.
Within short order, the train pulled into the train station, a truly modern marvel of a design. Mahaponny certainly was no second rate city when it came to architecture. As the group exited the train, they stood in a circle. "So, what do you think we should do first?" Twilight asked.
"Oh! We could see the cute little animal races!" Fluttershy said.
"We should see the fashion shows, of course!" Chimed Rarity.
"What about a comedy show? Or a magic show!" Pinkie grinned.
"Laaaaame! We should see a boxing match!" Rainbow dash said, and she flew a few feet into the air and threw some punches at the air.
Applejack looked up at Rainbow fighting the air. "I'd have to agree with Rainbow Dash. Lets all go see a boxing match! Haven't been at one of those since...forever!" Applejack said.
Twilight frowned a bit and looked at the ground. Pinkie could see that Twilight wasn't too keen on seeing two ponies fight each other until one of them is knocked out. Violence never seemed to appeal to her. "Aw, come on, Twilight! The princess said that you needed to learn how to have fun! Don't think of it as fun, think of it as learning!" Pinkie said, as she draped a forehoof around Twilight's back.
Twilight chuckled a little. "I guess I can learn from new experiences." Twilight said to the group. "So.....where can we find a boxing match?"
Rainbow spotted an information booth nearby, and flew over to it. "Hey! You! Where can we find a good boxing match later tonight?"
The pony working in the booth was unphased by Rainbow's rudeness. He must have been used to that behavior from people for quite some time. "Well, lets see. There the Equestria Wide Wrestling Federation..."
"Laaaame!" Rainbow interrupted. "Where's the real stuff?"
"Well, if you want real boxing, you might want to check out the NGN. They've got boxing, gambling, animal racing, the works! You see that black pyramid shaped building with the huge light on top? That's it right over there."
Without saying another word, Rainbow flew back to her friends in a dash. "Alright, ladies. We're going to the NGN casino. I'll lead the way."
"Well alright, then!" Spike said. After a moment's pause, he realized Rainbow had called him a lady. He couldn't prove it, but he knew that she did it on purpose.
The group began their walk to the NGN casino. Twilight had been pony watching on their way over, and noticed that the town was very strange indeed. There were a number of ponies in dresses, but she was sure that they were stallions. There also seemed to be a high concentration of ponies in casts, or with crutches, or with knife scars. Even some of the police officers they passed seemed to have had a rough past in this city. Twilight couldn't put her hoof on it, but something wasn't right with this town.
After a short walk, the group was standing in front of the famous NGN grand entrance. The pyramid shaped building towered into the sky, and seemed to turn the night into day. Twilight had never heard of a light spell so powerful, but this city seemed to have it. They entered the building and approached the front desk.
Applejack spoke. "'Scuse me, could we get tickets to the boxing match at 8pm?"
"Oh, the match is free! Everything in Mahaponny is free!" The worker let out a grin that seemed out of place. Several teeth were actually golden. "Of course, you'll want to place your bets before the match begins. This match is going to be The Pony Slot Machine with 15 to 1 odds, and The Jackhammer with 1 to 10 odds."
"Well that's easy enough...give me 10 bits on The Jackhammer!" Applejack splattered the desk with 10 bits. A modest bet, for an average tourist.
"Hold on a minute. If I bet 10 bits on Mr. Jackhammer, I'll collect 11 bits if he wins, but if I bet 10 bits on Mr. Slot Machine, I'll collect 160 bits?" Rarity enquired. Her unsettled face gave away the fact that it had been a long time since she had placed a wager. Applejack nodded to Rarity, indicated she had got it right. "Very well then. May I place have 10 bits wager on Mr. Jackhammer?" Rarity placed a neat stack of ten bits on the counter.
"10 bits on the Hammer to win!" Pinkie placed her wager.
"Can I...can I bet on both?" Asked Fluttershy.
The casino worker's face lit up. "Of course you can!"
Rainbow dash quickly put herself between the worker and Fluttershy. "That's not a good idea, Fluttershy." Rainbow turned to the worker. "Here, we'll each place ten bits on The Jackhammer!" Rainbow invaded Fluttershy's saddlebag to retrieve 10 bits.
The five ponies turned to Twilight. Twilight blushed and was embarrased. "I...well...I don't' want to gamble. Especially not on a fight. How would I explain to Celestia if she found out I gambled on a boxing match!?!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Twilight, Celestia is the pony who sent you here."
Pinkie chimed in. "Yeah, Twi! She said you needed to learn how to have fun, now's your chance!"
After a moment of consideration, Twilight decided to place a wager after all. "I'll take 100 bits on The Pony Slot Machine!"
Her friends gasped. Applejack spoke first. "Twilight, are you sure about that? That isn't such a great idea. The odds are 15 to 1 against! You'll never win!"
"Yes, but if I DO win, I'll collect 1600 bits. Listen guys, I know you all think I'm from a rich Canterlot family, but I have a huge amount of student loan debt. Being Celestia's student isn't cheap, I could really use those bits." Twilight paused a moment to let that sink into her friends. But judging by her saddened faces, she realized she should have told them at another time. Twilight decided it was time to change the tone of the conversation. "Besides! If gambling is a way to have fun, I want to have as much of it as possible!"
Twilight obsessively laid out her coins in a 5x5 grid arrangement on the desk, with each pile being 4 coins. Just as she stacked the last coin, a loud bell rang, startling Twilight. Looking left and right for an answer, Rarity spoke up. "That means all bets are now closed, darling. Don't worry though, you placed yours just in time."
"Hey, what about me!" Spike angrily said.
"Sorry squirt! You're too young to bet, even in Mahaponny."
The 6 ponies walked into the arena with a disappointed dragon in tow.
Twilight looked at the vast expanse of the indoor arena. A brightly lit stage sat in the center, with ropes surrounding all sides. As the ponies sat on some cushions, Twilight looked over to her friends. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but something seemed different about them. Fluttershy seemed eager to see the fight, something that Twilight would never have guessed. Even Rarity seemed to look forward to the fight, even though it wasn't exactly a high society type of event. "I guess they're all just getting swept up into the moment. I should try to relax and have fun like them." Twilight thought to herself.
It wasn't long until the lights in the arena dimmed. A roar of applause and cheers erupted from the left, where one of the fighters was walking down the arena towards the boxing ring. A strong looking stallion wearing black shorts and boxing gloves climbed up into the boxing ring and made some poses while the audience cheered him on.
After a few minutes, the applause and cheers died down, and the second fighter started walking down towards the arena. There clearly wasn't as much applause and hardly any cheers at all. Twilight could see a strong looking pony, wearing pink shorts and boxing gloves. Surely, this must be The Pony Slot Machine that she had bet on. He climbed up on stage to make a few poses, but the audience didn't respond very much. After a few seconds, the applause and cheering died down, right as Twilight decided to shout, "Woooooo!" Her voice was the only one in the otherwise silent auditorium.
A male zebra climbed up into the ring and grabbed a microphone. "Iiiiin this corner, The Jackhammer is sure to delight!" The audience applauded. "And iiiiiin this corner, The Pony Slot Machine will put up a fight!" Twilight tried her best to create some applause, but failed.
Applejack looked over and whispered, "Told ya, you shouldn't bet against the house."
Twilight's pupils narrowed and beads of sweat started accumulating on her forehead. Had she really just tossed away a hundred bits on a bad bet?
Before Twilight had a chance to finish her thoughts, a bell rang, signalling the start of the fight. The two ponies circles each other and started throwing punches. Much to Twilight's surprise, her pony was actually holding up fairly well. Glancing over to her friends, she saw Fluttershy and rainbow dash throwing punches at the air. Never did Twilight think she'd see something like that!
A bell rung, and the fighting stopped. The round was over and The Pony Slot Machine was still standing! In fact, he might even be winning. Each fighter went to their corner of the stage where their coaches gave them towels and water. Twilight could see an NGN employee offering a bottle of water to her fighter. He held his leg up, indicating that he didn't want any. Twilight watched as the NGN employee shoved the water bottle into her fighter's mouth and squeezed the bottle. Never had Twilight been at a boxing match, but she didn't think the fighters would be force fed like that.
Ding! The bell rang again, and each fighter got up from their stools. As the two ponies fought, The Pony Slot Machine looked like he was getting tired. His punches were slower, and he took a fair number of hits. After a few minutes, the bell rang again signalling the end of the round.
Twilight looked on as The Pony Slot Machine was forced to drink even more water against his will. As the bell rang to start the next round, her fighter barely had enough energy to get off of his stool. The Jackhammer kept making small jumps up and down, waiting for his opponent to approach him. The Pony Slot Machine walked slowly, lurching randomly left and right. It looked as if he were drunk! Finally, the Jackhammer stepped forward and swung his right hoof for a powerful final blow.
Jackhammer's punch missed, as The Pony Slot Machine unexpectedly lurched to the left. The Pony Slot Machine hit the ground hard, even though he wasn't punched. The Zebra ran over to the unconscious body, and counted.
"One!...I wonder who's won."
"Two!...I would not like to be you."
"Three!...It was not meant to be."
"Knockout! Knockout! We have a winner! The Jackhammer wins the match by knockout!"
The audience erupted into applause and cheering as Twilights jaw opened as far as it could go. After a few moments of shock and disbelief, she talked to herself while the rest of the audience cheered. "But....they cheated! My fighter was drugged!"
Applejack overheard and turned to Twilight. "Heh heh heh, of course they cheated! we're in Mahaponny!"
Pinkie spoke from Twilight's other side. "You're so silly Twilight!" Pinkie patted the top of Twilight's head in a most annoying way.
Twilight closed her eyes amidst the noise and thought to herself. "Everything will be alright. Just stay positive, and remember what the Princess said. I need to learn how to have fun." After a short while, the applause stopped and the audience started leaving the arena. Twilight walked towards the exit with her friends in two. Each one of her friends were smiling and laughing, except for her and Spike.
"I was going to bet on The Jackhammer if they would've let me!" Spike grumbled. Twilight couldn't help but giggle. Maybe the rest of the night would go better for her. Twilight and her friends gathered just outside the arena, which happened to also be the main gambling area for the NGN hotel.
The room was filled with slot machines, and endless rows of tables sporting games of every sort. Card games, roulette, craps, they had it all. The air was filled with the sounds of machines playing sounds and ponies cheering as they won their wagers. "Come on, y'all! Let's go get our game on!" Applejack said in a cheery voice.
Twilight's pupils shrunk immediately. "Gamble? I've never gambled in my life before today, and I'm already down 100 bits!"
"Ugh! Well, if you didn't want to have fun, why'd you come?" Rainbow pestered Twilight.
"Mmmm hmmmm..." Chimed the rest of the group.
Twilight's ears went behind her head as she thought about her situation for a moment. "Alright, I suppose I can give it a try. Where should we start?"
"Well, um, since it's your first time, we should probably start at the blackjack tables." replied Fluttershy. Twilight was surprised that even Fluttershy knew her way around a casino. The group started walking on the casino floor and it wasn't long before they encountered two stallions dressed in black suits.
"No children allowed on the casino floor!" said one of the stallions. Twilight and her friends looked over to Spike.
"Hey! I'm not a child!" Spike cried out.
Twilight covered her mouth as she giggled. "Yes you are, baby dragon. Come to think of it, it's probably around time for you to get some sleep. Celestia reserved us two rooms in this hotel, why don't you go to the front desk and check in?" Twilight smiled at Spike, knowing that this always diffused any potential argument.
"Fiiine." Spike started walking in the opposite direction as the casino security guards followed to make sure he left the casino floor. Afterwards, Twilight and her friends started walking down the casino floor looking for a blackjack table with 6 empty seats. It took a little while, but eventually they found one, and they raced to sit down before anypony else could grab a seat. Twilight looked at a small sign on the table.
"Minimum bet: 10 bits"
Twilight's eyes widened. "10 bits per game!?! Are you guys crazy?"
The rest of the ponies weren't amused. After a moment, Pinkie spoke. "You're so silly Twilight! We won't find a cheaper table in the whole city. How about I get you a drink?" Pinkie didn't wait for a response from Twilight. "WAITRESS!" Pinkie waved her arms. "We'll each take a Rum and Colt, thanks!"
The rest of the group ordered drinks and the waitress went on her way. Twilight felt compelled to tell a little secret. As the rest of the ponies were busy looking at their cards, Twilight leaned over to Pinkie and whispered, "But Pinkie, I don't drink alcohol!"
The dealer immediately noticed and barked at Twilight and Pinkie. "Hey! No whispering at the table. You want to have a private conversation, you step away from the table!"
Twilight was taken back by the harsh words. Pinkie Pie only giggled. "Celestia said you needed to learn how to have fun, right? Well tonight, consider drinking as part of that assignment!"
Twilight had already lost 30 bits by the time the waitress came back. She used her magic to place a drink in front of Twilight and her friends. Twilight could see each of her friends figuring out exactly how much to pay the waitress with tips. She looked at the waitress. "I thought everything was free in Mahaponny..."
"Ha, not drinks sweet heart. Each drink is 7 bits." The waitress replied with a flat face.
"Oh..." Twilight said. After a moment of reflection, Twilight had decided on a proper way to thank her friends for joining her on her birthday celebration trip. "Guys, listen up. I want to thank you all for coming out to celebrate my birthday with me. I know that I can get a little panicky at times, but you always stick by my side. A pony couldn't ask for better friends. So tonight, all your drinks are on me!"
Twilight's five friends looked at each other and smiled. It was certainly nice to be appreciated. But Applejack's smile turned into a little frown. "You sure about that, sugarcube? I can drink like a workhorse, ya' know. And the last thing you want to do is run out of bits in Mahaponny."
"I've got you covered. I don't have too many bits, but certainly enough to pay for drinks." Twilight turned to the waitress who was becoming impatient. "Can you start a tab for me?"
The waitress looked at Twilight's cutie mark for a few seconds to memorize it. "Sure, hon. Just be sure to close your tab before leaving the casino." The waitress didn't wait for a response, and walked off to the next table.
Twilight and her friends continued playing blackjack for what seemed like an hour or two. There were no clocks in the room, and no windows to see the position of sun or moon, so it was difficult to tell how much time had passed. Being a fairly even game, none of the ponies made or lost any great sum of bits. Each of them had several rounds of drinks already, and Applejack had twice as much. "This is booooring." cried Rainbow Dash. "Lets play some poker or something."
"Oh! That would be nice." Said Fluttershy. The rest of the ponies turned their heads in shock that Fluttershy even knew how to play.
Twilight spoke. "I don't........know how to play poker." Twilight said, slurring her speech a little while hiccuping. "How about some......roulette?"
Pinkie Pie shrugged, and with that gesture, the ponies collected their chips and moved on to a roulette table. The table had a round wheel with red and black numbers on it. Twilight became entranced by looking at the wheel spin one way, while a small metal ball rolled the opposite direction. She had of course read about roulette, but had never actually seen it before. The ponies took their seats.
"Alright, I want to be nice and safe, so I'll just bet on reds or blacks." Twilight put the minimum bet of 20 bits on a black rectangle on the table. "I happen to know for a fact the odds of me winning are 47.37........percent. In a casino, that's as good as it'll get!" Twilight smiled, wondering if she was impressing her friends with her knowledge on statistics and probability.
Pinkie Pie giggled. "You're so silly, Twilight! That's not how you're supposed to have fun! Here, watch this!" Pinkie spread out four separate bets of 5 bits each, on separate, individual numbers. Pinkies chances of winning were much less, but if she did win, she would get a lot more bits than Twilight would get.
Applejack watched Pinkie place her bets. She was clearly very intoxicated, but the casino didn't have any rules against that. In fact, they encouraged it. "Oh yeah! Well I'm gonna put all my bits on number 5. My lucky number! This is how to really have fun!" She was never one to let anypony out do her in any competition. Applejack moved all of her chips onto a square in the table representing the number 5.
The table dealer's eyes widened. It was extremely rare for anyone to place hundreds of bits on a single number. Before anypony had a chance to change their minds the dealer quickly waved his hand over the table. "No more bets! All bets are final!"
"Um...you sure that's a good idea AJ? I mean, you chances of winning are like..." Rarity paused to think.
"2.63 percent." A drunken Twilight answered.
There wasn't time for any further discussion, as the dealer, spun the roulette wheel, waited a moment, and rolled a small metal ball the other direction. Around and around the ball went, as all 6 ponies were focused on a small part of the wheel marked with a '5'.
Click, clack, click, clack, the ball bounced around as it lost it's speed. Finally, it settled into it's final resting place. "I don't believe it..." Said the dealer. "The winner is number 5!"
Applejack let out a loud cheer, as she had just won several thousand bits. Ponyville wasn't a rich city like Canterlot, and many ponies in Ponyville would be lucky to make that much in an entire month!
"Congratulations, Applejack! I knew you'd win the whole time!" Rarity said, as she gave her intoxicated friend a pat on the back.
"Oh yeah?......Well I'm gonna have just as much fun as you, just like Celestia ordered me to do!" Twilight placed all of her chips on number 5.
"Twilight, you're being too silly now!" Cried a tipsy Pinkie Pie. Pinkie had been watching Twilight before hand as she got bits out of her saddle bag to exchange into chips. It looked as if Twilight had exchanged every bit she had into chips. "You really don't want to run out of bits in Mahaponny!"
The dealer couldn't believe how foolish these six ponies were. Without saying another word, he waved his hand over the table. "No more bets, all bets are final!"
As he spun the roulette wheel, a drunken Twilight realized how foolish she was being. Before the ball even stopped, her pupils narrowed. "Oh no." She said aloud.
As the ball stopped and remained in it's final resting place, the dealer announced the result. "30, red." He said. Without saying another word, he used his hoofs to scrape all of Twilight's casino chips off the table.
Twilight just stared at the roulette wheel, now motionless. "I'm so sorry darling." Rarity said.
"That's not fun, Twilight. That's just plain reckless." Applejack said. Twilight gave a nasty look at Applejack, who had clearly not taken any time to think what she was saying.
"If there's anything I can do for you, let me know." Fluttershy said.
"What were you THINKING?!" Rainbow Dash blurted out.
"I...I was just trying to have fun like Applejack!" Twilight cried out.
"Listen, sugarcube. If I had lost all my bits, I would've just faked some losses on the farm to collect extra government subsidies to make up for it. What I did wasn't gambling. What you did was just plain reckless, like I said."
Just as The ponies were trying to console Twilight, the waitress walked by again. "Another round of drinks for you mares?"
Twilight looked at the waitress, and then down at the floor. "Actually, I think we're okay for now. I don't have any more bits."
The waitress cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean, you don't have any bits? That's it, I'm calling in your tab. NOW. Your total is..." The waitress pulled out a little notepad from her saddle bag. "Five hundred forty eight bits."
"Oooh..." Twilight said slowly. She could see the waitress waving down security guards. "Applejack, mind if borrow the money from you? I'll pay it back when we get back to Ponyville. Besides, I have a feeling most of that tab went into your stomach!" Twilight smiled as she tried to make light of the situation.
Two security guards were now standing behind Twilight. All eyes were on Applejack. "I dunno, Twilight. It's just that, well, these are my bits, and you did promise to pay for our drinks tonight."
"Mmmm Hmmm" The 4 other ponies mumed while nodding in agreement with Applejack.
Twilight's jaw dropped. Never for a second had she considered the possibility that Applejack wouldn't let her borrow any money. Applejack must've had five thousand bits worth of casino chips on the table. "But...I thought we were friends!"
"'Course we are, sugarcube. We've had some great times together, but you have to understand. Friendship is one thing, but money is an entirely different matter."
Again, the rest of Twilight's so-called friends nodded in agreement. Twilight was just starting to realize that there must still be plenty of things to learn about friendship. "Rarity, you'll help me, right?"
"Well...Well of course I would, but darling, you never paid me back for those dresses you took out of my boutique last month. I was willing to let that go, but I simply cannot lend you any more money. My generosity has limits." Rarity closed her eyes and looked away.
"I would help, of course, but...taking care of other people's pets doesn't pay very well. Lately, Pony's going on vacation have just been dumping their animals on me while they go on vacation. Since they know I'll take care of their animals whether they pay me or not, most choose not to." Fluttershy said.
"What about you, Pinkie?" Twilight asked. "Don't you remember all the fun we've had together? Won't you please lend me some bits?"
"Are you kidding me? I'm a party planner, I don't get paid that much either. Out of all of you, I'm the only one who can't afford a house, I've gotta live above a bakery! You're so silly, Twilight. I told you not to run out of bits in Mahaponny."
Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash, as her last resort. "Ooooh no. I know you're not looking at me!..." A few seconds of silence passed. "Look, Twilight. I barely work at all. All the bits I have come from welfare. I can't just lend out that many bits. That would be totally un-rainbow."
"Arrest her! She refuses to pay her tab!" The waitress commanded. Before Twilight could react, one of the guards behind her slapped a magical inhibitor ring on her horn. With no magic, Twilight had no chance to escape from the two stallion guards working at the casino. Twilight was stunned that none of her friends would help her. Her mouth remained open, but she was unable to verbalize anything. How could they just abandon her like that?
Before she had any more time to think, she could feel one of the guards bump his head against her flank. Slowly, she followed the guard in front of her, as they escorted her off of the casino floor. The guards didn't lead her to the front, but rather, an unmarked door in in back of the main gambling floor.
After punching in a code on a keypad next to the door, the guard in front of Twilight opened the door. The hallway was long, and seemed to last forever. There were multiple doors on both sides of the hallway, but no windows whatsoever. Twilight thought she could hear somepony crying behind one of them, but due to the thickness of the doors, she couldn't be sure.
Twilight and the security guards approached the end of the hallway, which was terminated with a pair of double doors. The guard in front of Twilight opened the door with his hoof. Within a few seconds, Twilight found herself standing at the defendant's podium in a courtroom!
But this didn't look like any courtroom Twilight has ever seen. Instead of portraits of Celestia or Luna, or any figures of historical importance, the walls were instead lined with portraits of stallions, none of which Twilight recognized. Twilight squinted to see the text below the portraits. The realization hit her that there were no royalty or historical figures at all. They were all the previous CEO's of NGN casino and resorts. This wasn't a real courtroom at all, it was a sham!
Before Twilight had a chance to voice her objections, another guard spoke in a loud voice. "Please rise for the honorable Judge Shady."
Doors at the back of the fake courtroom opened and an older looking pony came walking out. Dressed in a black robe, with the NGN company loco embroidered on it, the pony walked up to the bench, and sat. Before anything, the judged glanced at a clock on the wall, and banged a gavel.
"Alright, what have we got here? The judge inquired.
One of the security guards that brought Twilight into the courtroom walked up to a podium at the other side of the courtroom. "This pony has committed one of the gravest offenses. She refuses to pay her bar tab."
Twilight couldn't believe the wording she was hearing. "But I..." Twilight cried out.
"ORDER!" The judge yelled. "Tell me, how much was the bar tab?"
"Five hundred forty eight bits, you honor." The security guard said.
"Hmm. Over the five hundred bit limit, huh? Very well. Miss..."
"Sparkle. Princess Twilight Sparkle, your honor." Twilight said proudly. She was sure her title alone would get her out of trouble.
"Miss Sparkle. Do you have the money with you?"
"No your honor, I..."
"Do you at least have forty nine bits with you? That will bring it under 500 bits, and you will face a lesser charge."
"No your honor. But I'm sure I can get that tomorrow if I talk to my friends."
"I'm sorry, that isn't good enough. Will the defendant please rise."
Twilight's mouth gaped open, as she couldn't believe the so-called trial was already over. Reluctantly, she rose from her sitting position.
"Twilight Sparkle. You have committed one of the most heinous crimes in our fair city. The refusal to pay for your bar tab. Because of the amount of your tab, over five hundred bits, you must serve your mandatory punishment. I hereby sentence you to death by hanging at dawn tomorrow. I suggest you pay your tab before dawn, miss Sparkle. The court is now adjourned." With a bang of the gavel, the judge got up, and walked out the door near the courtroom bench.
Twilight stood frozen, her mouth still gaping open. She couldn't believe her sentence. Death? By hanging? For not paying a bar tab? What kind of city is this? This can't be real, can it? The endless list of questions raced through her mind. Before she had a chance to finish those thoughts, the security guards started pushing her toward the back door of the courthouse.
After exiting the same door she entered the courtroom in, the guards escorted her down the hallway. All the while, Twilight's mouth was still hanging open, speechless. The guards stopped at a door they previously passed in the hallway. It was the same door Twilight thought she heard crying from on her way to the courtroom. A guard took out a heavy looking key ring, took a moment to locate the correct key, and unlocked the door.
Behind the windowless door were a set of bars. It wasn't a room, but a prison cell. The guard unlocked the cell, shoved Twilight in. The prison bars were quickly slammed shut, as was the door to the hallway, and that was it. Twilight's fate had been sealed. She closed her eyes for a minute and finally closed her mouth. After a moment, she regained her thoughts and opened her eyes to observe her surroundings.
There was a small, barred window leading outside, and there was some hay in the corner of the room. From the smell of it, it became obvious to Twilight that they hay was not for eating. In the other corner of the dimly lit room, Twilight noticed a blue pony, staring into the corner of the room with her head down. From the light through the window, Twilight could see her cell-mate's cutie mark. It couldn't be!
"Trixie?!? What are you doing here!?" Twilight said.
The mare in the corner turned around. "Twilight? Is that you?"
"Yes, Trixie....I'm afraid it is. What are you doing here?"
"Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie was caught using her magic to read other people's hands at poker...and tomorrow they're going to hang me for it!"
Twilight could see the tears welling up in Trixie's eyes, and it wasn't a second later Twilight found a sobbing Trixies clenched onto her, with Trixies head buried into her chest. Twilight felt like sobbing to, but resisted. Composure had been one of many things Celestia taught her over the years. Twilight tried to think of something, anything that could take her mind off her current situation.
Twilight gazed outside the barred window and stared at the ponies walking on the sidewalk just outside her cell. All of the sudden, Twilight saw Spike on the sidewalk. In a split second, Twilight cast the great and sobbing Trixie off of her. Twilight ran to the window and stuck her hoof out the window and waved furiously.
"Spike! Spike, come here!"
"Huh? Spike looked around to see who was calling his name. Spike noticed a purple foreleg sticking outside a barred window waving at him. Spike approached the window. "Twilight? Is that you?"
Twilight hoisted herself up for a moment so she could look down and see Spike's face. "Spike, I need you to take a letter to Celestia. Now."
"Um, alright..." Spike got out a scroll pen and ink from his satchel.
"Dear Princess Celestia, thank you again for your wonderful birthday present. I seem to be in a spot of trouble. I have run out of bits, and have been jailed! They are going to execute me tomorrow if I'm unable to pay the tab for my friends and I. Could you please send me five hundred forty eight bits immediately? Your faithful student, Twilight."
With a green flash, the letter was sent. Trixie glared at Twilight with anger. Trixie shoved Twilight away from the window. "And what about the great and powerful Trixie!?! Are you not going to help me? I thought we were friends! Well...non-enemies, anyway..."
Before Twilight could answer, Spike burped up a letter. "Oh thank goodness!" Twilight said in relief.
Spike unsealed and uncurled the scroll. "Dear Twilight. I have already paid for your birthday trip for you and all your friends. The train tickets and the hotel room for all of you. Was that not enough? I can not believe you are asking for even more. That is far beneath you. We have been over this before, just because you are my personal protege does not entitle you to special privileges. And to make up such a ridiculous lie, as if you would be executed if you didn't pay a simple drink tab. I am very disappointed in you. After you return from your birthday trip, I would like you to travel to Canterlot so we may go over the lessons of honesty and gratitude. You will pay for your own train fare."
Twilight's mouth hung open as she processed the content's of Celestia's letter. She wasn't sure which was worse, being executed, or falling from Celestia's good graces. She stood in silence as her thoughts consumed her.
"Ha!" Trixie blurted out. "Serves you right for not trying to help me."
Twilight's head immediately glanced at Trixie. Trixie's gloating had obviously annoyed Twilight. "Fine, Trixie. How much do you need to pay to get out?"
"A thousand bits, I'm afraid."
Twilight looked back towards Spike through the window. "Spike! I need you to take another letter!"
"Are you sure about that, Twilight? I don't think Celestia wants to read another letter from you right now...And you don't have to yell at me like that every time you want me to take a letter..."
"This letter is for Princess Luna." Twilight coughed to clear her throat. "Dear Princess Luna, I hope you are adjusting well to being back in Equestria after being gone for so long. This is Twilight, one of the ponies who helped set you free from Nightmare Moon. I need to ask you for a favor. My friend and I are in a spot of trouble. May I please borrow one thousand five hundred forty eight bits so my friend and I can get out of jail? We need the money urgently. I will pay you back, I promise! Sincerely yours, Twilight Sparkle."
With a green puff of flame, the letter was on it's way to Princess Luna. The three waited for a minute, then two, finally five minutes. "What's taking so long!" Twilight asked impatiently. Before long, Spike burped up a letter. Trixie and Twilight breathed out a sigh of relief together.
Spike unfurled the scroll. It was actually the same piece of paper that he had sent to Luna. Luna's reply was written below the text of the original letter, but it wasn't in regular ink. It was in magical ink. It must've taken a great deal of concentration and skill for Luna to craft her response. Spike wondered why Luna didn't just use a quill and ink, but instead of voicing his concern over the oddity, he began to read the letter.
"My dearest Twilight, I was wondering if I would ever hear from the wonderful pony who saved me those few months ago! I would love nothing more than to help you, but unfortunately, I do not have access to the royal coffers. I am not even allowed out of my room ever since Celestia put me back onto suicide watch. Celestia has already dropped off my food for the night, I will not see her again until tomorrow evening. I will ask her to help you then. If you cannot wait so long, perhaps you can send me a sharp knife so that I may pick the lock on my door. Forever in your debt, Princess Luna."
Twilight's mouth hung open for a moment. She blinked repeatedly trying to process the severity of her situation. That was it then, there was nothing else she could do to avoid execution, unless..."Spike! I need you to go to our hotel room and beg the girls for money to bail us out."
"But I don't know our room number! I tried to check in while you were all at the casino, but the pony at the desk said he couldn't help me check in or give me any information because I'm not an adult." Spike replied.
Twilight's hoof became planted into her face as she sighed. "Then check every room if you have to!"
"But that'll take all night! Can’t we just send Luna a knife like she asked?" Spike complained.
"Under no circumstance should you send Luna anything. Just GO!" Twilight demanded. And with that, Spike ran off to start his mission. Locate Twilight's friends, get some bits, save Twilight's life. If any time ever came for him to prove he's the world's number one assistant, now is the time.
Spike rushed into the hotel, and to the elevators which would take him from the lobby to the hotel portion of the building. Spike already discovered it was against the hotel policy to allow any staff to speak with a minor, so he'd just have to check every room. Spike arrived at the first floor and stepped out into the hallway. The long, windowless path seemed endless, and checking every door on every floor would likely take all night. Spike began his critical assignment and knocked in the first door he approached.
Meanwhile, the sun was starting to set, and since it was the only light source for Twilight and Trixie's holding cell, the room was starting to go dark. Both Twilight and Trixie remained silent as they contemplated their life and what was going to happen in the morning. Twilight let her leadership skills take control as she spoke up. "Don't worry, Trixie. Spike will find the girls, and they'll pay our finds and get us out in no time!"
"Trixie wishes she could be so sure..." Trixie replied.
"Spike is the best assistant I know, we have nothing to worry about!"
"You're lying." Trixie said flatly.
"No I'm not!"
"I'm put on shows for a ," Trixie paused and sighed. "For a living. I can tell when someone is lying, there's no point in denying it."
"But I'm not lying!" Twilight said.
"Hmm..." Trixie's hoof went to her chin to think, and she squinted her eyes to see Twilight's face in the diminishing sunlight. "Maybe you think you're telling the truth, but deep down you know that he might fail and let you down. That is what friends always do in the end."
Silence filled the room as Twilight made a sudden realization about the stark differences between her life and Trixie's. "Trixie, can I ask...what made you like that?"
Trixie cocked her head slightly towards the side. "What do you mean?" She said blankly.
"I mean...." Twilight paused to think of a way to rephrase her question so that Trixie would understand. "Why don't you trust other ponies? Spike is my friend, I can trust him to do anything I ask him to do."
"The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't need any friends. Look around you, Twilight. Did your trust in your friends prevent you from ending up here?"
Twilight realized that maybe there was something Trixie could teach her about friendship, or lack thereof. Twilight realized her friends had let her down by not letting her borrow some bits to pay a tab that Twilight had generously offered to pay for everyone. "My friends probably didn't know this was going to happen to me, Trixie. I'm sure once Spike finds them, they will come to rescue both of us."
"Life doesn't work like that, Twilight." Trixie said flatly.
"You know, Trixie, you could really work on that attitude of your. Didn't your parents teach you any better?"
Trixie's eyes squinted and Trixie frowned. "Trixie never had any parents." Trixie said, with a strong tone of spite and resentment.
"Oh." Twilight said as an immediate reaction. This was going to be a long night for Twilight.
Meanwhile, Spike knocked on yet another door. His hand was throbbing, as he had already knocked on every door on the first three levels, and was halfway through the fourth. After a few moments, a white stallion opened the door. He was tall, with large, well defined muscles and square muzzle. "Can I help you?"
Spike wasn't surprised that none of his friends answered the door, that had already been his whole night. "No, I have the wrong room, sorry." Spike replied. After the door was shut, Spike continued one to the next door.
The stallion turned around and walked back into the main part of his hotel room. "Okay ladies, who's next for a massage?"
"Ooo! Me!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. In a heartbeat, Pinkie displaced Rarity and took her place upon the massage table set up in their hotel room. The stallion immediately lathered Pinkie's back with lotion and began to massage her back.
Rarity stood back up. "You know, I feel simply dreadful about not helping Twilight earlier."
"Ain't nothin' we could've done about is, Sugar. We all know it's best not to mix friendship and money." Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow nodded in agreement.
"I suppose you're right," said Rarity. "But what do you think has happened to her? I would've expected them to release her by now."
Rainbow spoke up. "Don't sweat it Rarity. She'll just get Celestia to dragon her the money. She's probably with Spike right now watching a magic show or something."
Rarity cocked her head towards the side and looked upwards while contemplating what Rainbow said. "I suppose you're right. She'll be fine."
Meanwhile in the hallway, Spike managed to make it a few more doors. He heard some hoofsteps coming down the hallway, but didn't bother to think twice about it. He proceeded to the next door like he had done so many times previously that night. The hoofsteps stopped directly behind spike as he turned around and looked up.
A tall, gray earth pony in a suit towered over the baby dragon. "Sir, we've gotten some complaints about a dragon disturbing them. You're going to have to come with me."
The sun had set hours ago, and the night was far underway. Trixie and Twilight were sitting up against the wall together, side by side, staring at the blinking lights from flashy signs and advertisements through their barred window. The two ponies had been quiet for a while now, neither one of them wanting to accidently say anything that will make them feel any worse than they already did.
Spike's face appeared through the window. "Twilight!"
Twilight gasped. "Spike!" She got up and ran towards the window so she could talk face to face. "Did you get the bits, Spike?"
"Well, not exactly. They threw me out of the hotel before I had a chance to knock on all the rooms!"
Twilight's mouth hung open. How could her assistant fail her so badly! "So...that's it then. Tomorrow morning will be when I die..."
"Not necessarily!" Spike said cheerily.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"Well, after getting kicked out of the hotel, I wrote another letter to Luna asking for her advice. Upon her request, I was able to find a sharp knife from an unguarded table at a restaurant. I swiped it and sent it to princess Luna so she could pick the lock on her room. As soon as I sent it, she wrote me back." Spike dug around in his satchel for a scroll. Spike unraveled it and began to read.
"Dear Spike, thank you so much for your previous letter and gift. You are right, I will be able to use this. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. -Princess Luna"
Twilight was in complete disbelief. "Spike! What were you thinking?!?! I told you not to do that!" She yelled at her now former assistant.
“I didn’t know what else to do!" exclaimed Spike. “Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? She gets caught trying to escape from her own room?”
Twilight sighed and planted her hoof firmly into her face. “Spike, take a letter. Dear Princess Luna, are you there?”
Spike wrote down the message as he was told and looked back up to Twilight, expecting more message to write down.
“Send it now, Spike!”
With a fiery breath, the letter was send. Almost immediately, spike burped up a scroll. He unrolled it and began to read it. “We’re sorry, the princess you are writing to could not be found. Please try again later.”
Twilight couldn’t believe what had happened. Even though she knew it was Spike’s fault, deep down inside, she couldn’t help but blame herself. “Go away.” Twilight said under her breath.
“Sorry, I couldn’t hear you.” Spike replied.
“Get out of here!” Twilight said angrily, jabbing towards Spike’s face with her horn, between the bars in the window.
Spike ran away crying, not understanding what had happened, or why Twilight was mad at him. “Well, I guess we’ll at least be remembered in the history books.” Trixie said, snarkily.
Twilight whipped her head around furiously and glared at Trixie. “You be quiet! This is all YOUR fault!”
Trixie pointed to her chest with one of her forehooves. “MY fault? I had nothing to do with it! It’s your fault you didn’t explain to your assistant WHY he shouldn’t send anything to Luna. Does he even know what suicide watch is?”
Twilight sighed and sat down against the wall opposite of Trixie. “I don’t think so, but he’ll find out soon enough.”
As the hours passed by, the sun started rising and Twilight and Trixie’s cell began to be lit up once more. Twilight was glad she got to see the sunset, but annoyed that she didn’t at least get to see the sun rise one last time due to the direction the window was facing. The two ponies heard footsteps in the hallway that stopped just outside their door. With a rattling keychain, the door was unlocked.
Four ponies in guard uniforms entered the cell and forced Trixie and Twilight to their hoofs. They were escorted through the hallway, which seemed to last forever. Finally, the guards led the two girls into an enclosed courtyard. Twilight looked up at the wooden scaffold that was designed to end her life. Not allowed to stand still, the guards pushed Twilight’s flank forward to force her to walk up the creaky wooden stairs.
As Trixie and Twilight stood on the platform, side by side, they looked out into the audience, which was nothing more than several rows of empty benches. Trixie wasn’t sure she was happy or not that there was nopony to watch her final moments on stage. Twilight, on the other hand, was deeply saddened that her friends weren’t there to at least support her. She wasn’t sure her friends even knew where she was.
The guards didn’t take much time at all to fit the nooses onto their necks. “All set over there?” One guard called out to the one putting the nooses on.
“Yeah, that’ll do. I’m glad it’s just two ponies today. The pile was already high enough, I don’t think many more could fit in the garbage cart.” The pony on stage replied as he walked off stage. Never once did any guard acknowledge or speak to Twilight or Trixie.
Just after the guard said that, Twilight’s attention turned to a tarp in the corner of the courtyard which had flies all over it. It was a large pile, perhaps three times taller than her. Then her attention turned toward the ground, where it looked like a few lifeless hooves were not completely covered by the tarp.
After a few more seconds, a guard pulled a wooden lever, and the bodies made two great snapping noises. Trixie the Great and Powerful and Twilight Sparkle were no more.
