Give My Regards to Bridleway

T he afternoon sun shone through the windows and made gemstones on displayed dresses sparkle. An amorphous baby blue blob of glittering magic held a note in mid-air. Rarity read its contents aloud in the showroom of her dress store to her five friends, with elation and pride etched in every syllable she read.

"My dear Rarity" - She started - "It is my great pleasure to offer you and your friends the opportunity to audition for a revival of an old Bridleway show. The show, however, will be Off-Bridledway. I spoke of you six to the director I'm currently working for, and she said explicitly to get you to Manehatten as soon as possible. No guarantees, but she's looking specifically for fresh talents. The show is called "My Fair Pony" and I've attached the dramatis personae with the letter. Some parts have already been cast, but we are in great need of crew as well. I hope to see you at the attached address on the posted date. With Love, Coco Pommel."

Fluttershy smiled a meek grin. "That's wonderful, Rarity. Who are you taking with you?" she whispered, per her usual tone.

"Why, you five of course," Rarity said off the cuff as she put the letter down to raise the character list. No one noticed that Fluttershy squeaked and started to shake, because Rainbow Dash took flight at the same time.

"She must have caught my awesome performance as Commander Hurricane!" she said haughtily.

"Rainbow, you did that for one show only, and before we met Coco," Twilight Sparkle reasoned.

"Well, maybe someone else saw it and told her about it." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and crossed her forearms. "I stick in a pony's memory like that."

"W-we don't have to audition, d-do we?" Flutteshy stuttered.

"Of course not, darling. But I'm leaving no pony behind!" She flipped the sheet around using her magic to show Fluttershy the dramatis personae. "I need moral support if I'm going to win the part of Eliza. She speaks to me, absolutely speaks to me!" She swooned while Fluttershy read. "It's irrelevant that she just so happens to be the lead role."

"It looks like something you could do. Good luck, Rarity." Fluttershy calmed down a bit and resumed her weak grinning.

"No, no, no, no, no, Fluttershy!" Rarity broke into a sputtering mania. Fluttershy meeped again when Rarity drew in so close their eyes were almost touching. Rarity stared her down in panic. "Saying "Good Luck" is frowned upon in the theatrical community! It's sure to end in disaster unless you say "Crack a hoof" in its place," she explained, taking a few steps back.

"Crack a hoof?" Fluttershy said in a way that was well-wishing, but confused about the tradition.

"I cracked a hoof one time, and I'd never wish that on anybody!" Pinkie Pie interjected.

"Pinkie, darling, the hoof is more of an Irony thing," Rarity further explained.

"Irony? If your hooves are iron-y, how would they crack?" Pinkie asked while Applejack shook her head low.

"I dun got it, Rar'dee. Crack a hoof, sugar cube." She patted Rarity on the back and smiled. "Can't say I'd go fer anythin' on that there sheet either though."

"Can I bring Spike along?" Twilight asked.

"Why, of course! Naturally," Rarity said. "Erm, Why didn't he come along in the first place?"

Twilight giggled. "He slept in. I was running late, so I didn't wake him. He stayed up all last night and is having a bit of a lazy bum day."

"Late?! You mean that you were almost five minutes away from being fifteen minutes early?" Pinkie joked.

"Yes." Twilight nodded astute, not even rustling a wing feather or batting an eye. Punctuality was no joke.

"Oh." Pinkie sat down on her hindquarters. She accepted her joke had gone right over her friend's head with a sigh. Twilight stifled a giggle behind a hoof; she'd gotten the joke. Pinkie heard the giggling, and stood up giggling herself.

"Hey, Rarity, these auditions are tomorrow. Do you know that?" Rainbow Dash asked, hovering and holding the letter in her hooves. "Not that I was interested in auditioning or anything!" she defended herself badly.

"Yes, not to worry. There's a train leaving for Manehatten later this evening. I only just got the letter this morning, and the postpony said it had gotten lost at the post office. I'm so sorry to ask this of you last minute, but do you think you could be packed by tonight?"

"Tonight?!" Twilight's jaw dropped a good deal. She zoomed out as fast as her wings would take her, leaving the shop door flapping after her exit.

"I do hope that was a yes..." Rarity said with apprehension.

"Uhhhh, I'm with ya, Rarity." Rainbow Dash planted her hooves on the ground. The remaining four smiled and huddled together.

"Me too, Rar'dee," Applejack assured. "An' if ye get a part, any part ate all, you can be darn sure you'll see th' whole Apple Family there ta cheer you on."

"I can, if I can get someone to watch Angel while I'm away." Fluttershy nodded. "I think I can."

"I wanna try the whole "Audition" thing, but don't worry, I won't go for the part you want. I just want to make whoever's watching us laugh." Pinkie Pie snerked.

"Thank you so much, everypony." Rarity beamed. Her smile turned to panic in a flash."Oh! Now, please, please pack what you can, as soon as you can! I don't want to hold you up. The train leaves at precisely eight o'clock. Opal! Where are you, Opal?" Rarity dashed off upstairs. The others dashed off outside.

◊◊◊

In the Orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack rushed to Big Macintosh just as he kicked a bushel of apples from a tree. It was mid-late Afternoon, and Applejack lost enough time getting home.

"Big Mac, could you go an' tell Granny an' Apple Bloom that I'maheaddin' ta Manehatten to help Rar'dee get herself inta a big ole Off-Bridleway preducshin?" she said with haste, huffing after her long run.

"Eeeyup," Big Macintosh plodded, nodded, and Applejack thanked him as she raced off to the house.

At Fluttershy's home, there was an unhappy bunny.

"Yes, Angel, I understand you'd like to see Bridleway, but Manehatten is no place for a small, little bunny to go." Fluttershy pleaded with her bunny, tired from a lengthy discussion. "I'm sure you understand...right?" Angel was having none of it. "Angel, this is where I put my hoof down," Fluttershy said, putting the 'timid' in 'intimidation'. She put her hoof down no more forcefully than she normally did to walk. Angel still was not moved. "Fine...you can come too..." Fluttershy hung her head, giving into the demanding bunny. Angel revived and ran off to get packed, followed by a broken pony.

Outside, by the town square, Rainbow Dash lounged on a cloud. She'd packed a toothbrush, a camera, and that was all she figured she needed. The sun was setting, nearing 7:42 PM. In twelve minutes, she'd head for the train station...maybe. She yawned and stretched. Maybe she'd bring Tank too, if she could remember where he'd gone.

Pinkie Pie had overdone it. The Cakes, Carrot and Cup, didn't know what to think as she lugged an overstuffed suitcase through their bakery door. She tipped towards the cake displays, but she managed to squeeze through the door. Pinkie was straining under the weight of things she didn't need. She looked like a tiny pink tortoise with a giant brown shell, struggling to walk.

Carrot Cake hollered when he spotted Gummy the alligator sitting atop his counter when he hadn't been there a moment before. He jumped, shaking, into his wife's arms. Cup Cake just rolled her eyes. It looked to her like they were taking care of the twin Cakes and Gummy. On short notice.

Twilight Sparkle, at her library/home, waking up Spike was an impossible task. She'd tried everything, and it was already 7:50 PM. She was late for being early! She'd packed the necessities, and was ready to go, but Spike was just snoozing along in his bed.

"Spike! I can't leave you behind," Twilight shouted. Nothing. Then, she had an idea. An idea that lifted the worried look from her face and replaced it with a careless grin. "Rarity wants you to be there," she sang-whispered down by the tiny dragon. It produced the exact result she was hoping for...for a moment. Spike jumped up and darted out the door. It broke with a crash, leaving Spike's outline in the wooden portal to let the outside world in. "Wait, Spike, no, we have to go to the train station! SPIIIIIIIKE!" Twilight broke off into a gait, weighted down by her suitcase." She closed the front door behind her, bypassing that it was a much less useful door than before.

At the train station, Rarity breathed a sigh of relief when she saw each of her friends there at 7:55 PM. The sun had set, the train had pulled into the station, and Spike was helping her with her bags. After everyone had loaded up onto the train, its whistle blew to signal a ready departure. When the group had gone to their cabins and settled in, Rarity brushed Opal with a brush that she floated towards the cat. She hummed a few bars of "Loverly" while she brushed, before getting tired and retiring to bed. She was still humming as she shut her eyes and Opal rested on top of the bed-sheets in a ball.

"Oh, wouldn't...it...be loverly..." She yawned, and drifted off to sleep as the train rattled on.