Through the Cavern

Ricky glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed in annoyance. It was only 3:30, meaning another hour and a half till he was off work. His trip through the dreams with Luna was tomorrow, and he wanted to get to bed at a reasonable time.

"I know, Friday always drags on." Vinyl remarked "You just wanna clock out and go party, y'know?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." Ricky sat down and hoped something would make the rest of his shift go faster. Vinyl stood and stretched "I'm just gonna run over and grab some coffee. Want anything?"

"Yeah, sure. Just a medium, 2 creams."

"Alright, back in a few." The door shut behind her, and Ricky yawned, leaning back in his chair. Almost instantly, the bells chimed.

"Um...h-hello? I can come back if it's a bad time..."

Ricky was almost shocked to see Fluttershy nervously looking around. The yellow Pegasus didn't strike him as a music fan, but that didn't really matter.

"Hey, Fluttershy, what brings you by?" He leaned on the counter, the sound of his voice causing her to jump.

"Oh! Um, hello, Ricky. I didn't know you worked here." She said, blushing lightly.

"Yup. Hasn't been too bad so far. So, did you have anything specific you wanted, or...?"

"Well, um...I was hoping to get the new Sapphire Shores album, if it was possible." Fluttershy glanced away, as if her taste in music embarassed her.

"Ok...well, I know that's a popular one, but we might have a couple left." Ricky came out from behind the counter and headed to the pop section. Fluttershy hesitated, then slowly followed him.

"Let's see...here we go." Ricky pulled out the album for what felt like the 1000th time that week.

"YES!! Eep!" Fluttershy quickly shut her mouth and blushed "I mean...yay?"

Ricky stared, trying to comprehend what he just saw "Um...ok...so, is there anything else you were after?"

"No, just the record, thank you." Fluttershy walked up to the counter. Ricky headed around to the register.

"So that'll be...20 bits." He opened it up while Fluttershy slid the money over.

"I can't wait to hear this...I've been waiting months for it to come out."

"Really? I've always preferred classic rock and metal, myself." Ricky bagged it up and handed it to her with a receipt.

"I've never liked it myself. I find it too angry." Fluttershy placed her purchase in her saddlebag.

"Well, to each their own." Ricky sat back down "So, you got anything going on later?"

"I'll mostly be tidying up, but then I'm visiting with Applejack. Are you doing anything interesting?"

"Nah, just gonna relax and then hit the sack early. I'm visiting Canterlot with Twilight tomorrow, something about a proper welcome." Ricky didn't want her to know he'd be visiting dreams. He figured the thought of him possibly walking in uninvited was too much for her.

"Oh, you're so lucky. It's absolutely beautiful there." Fluttershy sighed "But, I hate to be rude, but I should get going. Angel gets cranky if I'm late with his dinner."

"Gotcha. I should restock those Shores albums before Vinyl gets back, anyway." Ricky walked with her to the door "Tell the girls I say hi, alright?"

"Alright, I will. Enjoy Canterlot." Fluttershy walked out, and Ricky shook his head "Man, that was awkward."

He headed to the back room to where the new albums were stacked and grabbed yet another case of Sapphire Shores. Sighing, he carried it back to the shelves and began to restock once more. A few moments later, the door opened again "FINALLY! I've been looking all over for you."

Spike walked up to where Ricky was working "Man, more Sapphire Shores? Seems I've been hearing her all week."

"Not a fan, eh?" Ricky paused from his task and turned to the dragon, who was rummaging in his bag.

"She has one or two decent songs, but no, not really." Spike replied, still searching "Where is that thing...oh, here we go!" He pulled out a scroll, handing it to Ricky "This came for you earlier."

"Oh, really? Thanks, dude." Ricky unrolled the letter and leaned against a shelf.

"Dear Ricky," the letter began "A carriage will arrive for you and Twilight at approximately 11:00 AM tomorrow morning. Please be waiting outside the palace and be prepared to depart immediately. A banquet will be held in your honor. I will collect you for our journey at approximately 10:00 PM, so again, please be prepared. I look forward to your company. Sincerely, Princess Luna."

"Man, you are so lucky. I've always wanted to go dream hopping. Yeah, Twilight already told me the real reason." Spike said "I've always wanted to know if Rarity dreams of me as well..."

"Easy there, loverboy.If she did, I doubt it'd be the same kind of dream." Rarity tucked his letter away and resumed stacking.

"True...I doubt I'm a dashing hero rescuing her from evil forces in her dreams..." Spike started getting a weird look in his eyes.

"Dude, that's messed up. " Ricky shook his head. Spike snapped out of it "Sorry. That happens. So, do you have some kind of fancy suit you're wearing for this? I mean, it's a royal event and all."

"Actually, I never thought of that. Apart from my Nightmare Night costume, I've only got one set of clothes..." Ricky glanced down at his ratty outfit "I wouldn't want to show up looking like a slob."

"Maybe Rarity could help you out. I mean, she has stallion's clothes as well...I'm sure she could fix up a shirt to fit you." Spike mused "I mean, it''s pretty much the same design."

"And I could get her to let out the leather pants from my costume..." Ricky finished stacking the records and stood "This could work out after all."

"Well, I can go ask her for you right now, that'll save you some time." Spike offered.

"Would you? That'd be awesome." Ricky tossed the empty box in the stockroom and leaned against the counter.

"No problem." As Spike started heading to the door, Ricky suddenly remembered "Oh! Bulk Biceps is home, so could you grab the pants? That way I can just go straight to Rarity's."

"Sure, it's on the way. Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning, huh?"

"You got it. Tell Twilight I say hi."

"Will do. Talk to you later!" Spike hurried out of the shop, and Ricky chuckled, then glanced at the clock.

"Really? It's not even 4?! God damn it...where are you, Vinyl...?"

***

"Well, you were lucky to catch me, darling. I have plans this evening, but an emergency is an emergency." Rarity said, stitching away.

"Again, thank you so much. I really want to make a good impression." Ricky said gratefully, sipping a cup of apple cinnamon tea.

"Oh, it's no trouble, Ricky. All we have to do is broaden the legs on the pants, then the shirt we can figure out. Speaking of which, there's a selection over there, so pick your favorite."

Ricky walked over to the rack and began rifling through. Most of then had sequins and fancy embroidery, but he eventually found a white one with a black vest accompanying it.

"This works, I'd say. What do you think?" Ricky held it up to show Rarity, who seemed a little put off by it.

"Oh...that's classy and all, darling, but it doesn't say royalty. I think one of these might work better..." She started to levitate a sparkly one, but Ricky shook his head.

"No, too flashy. Besides, this one is classy, you said so yourself." Ricky began trying it on, and was surprised to find that it fit perfectly. As he fastened the vest, Rarity was taken aback.

"Well! I was wrong. As simple as it is, I must say you wear it very well."

"Really?" Ricky turned to look in the mirror, and was pleased at what he saw. Rarity nodded "Absolutely. Now, let me just finish these pants and we'll see how this turned out!"

"Sweet." Ricky began browsing the racks again, and gave a low whistle upon discovering an elegant black cape with a silver space pattern "Whoa...this is just...wow! Hey, Rarity could I possibly...?"

"Hmmm? Oh! I completely forgot about this old thing...made it for a play but they never used it. Feel free to take it."

"Awesome." Ricky put it on and threw one side behind his shoulder, Captain Marvel style. A few seconds later, Rarity came over with his pants "Oh, my! You are going to be the envy of all the royal subjects tomorrow. Now, put these on and let's see the ensemble." She turned around so he could change.

Once Ricky was done, he took a step back to admire himself "Damn! I'm not a vain guy, but I'm killing this!"

"I wish I could see the reactions, darling...but, I'm sure they'll be more than positive." Rarity smiled "Well now, I think it's best to get these wrapped up. You'll want to keep them clean, of course."

"Definitely. Again, this is appreciated. What do I owe you for it?" Ricky reached for his money pouch, but Rarity stopped him.

"This is a thank you for taking my sister, alright? Money is unnecessary. However...I wouldn't mind if you would...um..."

"If I what?" Ricky asked, and Rarity sighed "Darling, your hair has bothered me for days. We MUST take care of it if you're to do this. I apologize for my brashness, but..."

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. I could do with a trim." Ricky agreed, only to get a grave look in return.

"Oh, this requires more than a trim, darling..."

***

"I dunno, man, this is gonna take some getting used to. You look like you should be riding waves." Bulk Biceps commented, eyeing Ricky's new look. Ricky shrugged "Yeah, it's corny. But the stylist said that the feathering will fall out in a couple days."

"Regardless, you are gonna have a seriously good time, dude. I went to Canterlot for the Gala several months ago and it RULED!!!"

"Really? That's cool. I've been pretty excited to see the princesses again. Celestia seemed pretty chill." Ricky took a pull off of the pipe that sat beside him and passed it to Bulk, who took a hit and starding coughing.

"Man, I don't know how you can handle this stuff...but anyway, yeah, Celestia and her sister are cool. Celestia's a tad sneaky, but that's all you should watch for." Bulk advised. Ricky cicked an eyebrow "Sneaky in what way?

"She likes to mess with ponies sometimes. I've seen her give Pinkie a run for her money, prank-wise." He said, shaking his head at the offered pipe.

"Thanks. Anything else I should know?" Ricky asked.

"Nothing that really comes to mind...I'm sure Twilight'll fill you in, though." Bulk said, standing and stretching "Well, I'd better turn in. Morning shift tomorrow. Make sure you lock up tomorrow, k?"

"Gotcha. Have a good night, man. I'll see you in a couple days." Ricky lit a smoke as his roommate headed indoors. He stood and strolled to the end of the walkway, leaning against the mailbox. He watched as ponies made their way to whatever they were up to that evening and yawned.

He began wondering if he'd be visiting his friend's dreams, then began wondering exactly what they dreamed about. He had a feeling that Pinkie's dreams had a Willy Wonka vibe, which intrigued him. Ideas running through his head, he headed back to the porch. Picking up his pipe, he pitched his smoke, yawned once more and headed inside.