The Ticket Master - Real Episode (3)

A/N: There were parts in this episode where the dialogue of certain characters lacked ponyisms. (Somepony, anypony, etc.) I made adjustments where necessary, but I felt compelled to alert you that the dialogue may not exactly match what was said in the episode because of this. For more Real Episodes, be sure to watch me. I plan to do the whole series over time.

The Ticket Master

Chapter 3: Tipping the Scale

“Oh, Spike. What am I gonna do?” Twilight and Spike sat at an outside restaurant table, her head resting on the surface. Spike held a menu, deciding what to get. In front of the unicorn stood a vase of blue flowers decorated the scene. “All five of my best friends have really good reasons to go to the Gala.” She levitated a flower from the vase. “Applejack, or Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy. Rarity?” With each friend, she pulled a petal out of the flower. “Oh, who should go with me?” She rested her head next to the now petal-less flower. Her stomach gave a rumble and she ate the petals on the table.

“Have you made your decision?” A handsome-looking tan stallion with a combed black mane addressed Twilight.

Twilight looked angry. “I can’t decide!” she screamed for all of the café to hear.

“Twilight, he just wants to take your order,” Spike said, indicating his own menu.

Twilight looked at him blankly. “Oh,” she said with a sheepish grin. “I would love a daffodil and daisy sandwich.”

Spike asked the waiter, “Do you have any rubies?” The stallion gave him a ‘seriously?’ look. “No? Okay. I’ll have the hay fries. Extra crispy.” He tossed his menu over his back.

“What do you think, Spike?” Twilight asked her dragon quietly.

“I think we have to try another restaurant,” he said seriously. “I mean, I like grass just fine, but would it hurt anypony to offer some gemstones?”

“I mean about the Gala and the ticket and who I should take!” she said frustratedly.

“Oh,” the dragon said exasperatedly. “You’re still on that?”

“Spike, listen!” She sounded desperate. “How do I choose? And when I do choose, will the other four be mad at me? I mean, I could give up my ticket and give away two, but that would still leave three disappointed ponies! What if I-”

“Ah, your food.” The waiter deposited a plate with a very simple, yet tasty looking sandwich on the table.

“Oh, thank you. This looks so good,” Twilight said appreciatively. Across the table, spike was already shoving hay into his mouth in a fashion only Rarity could describe as uncouth. “I’m sure everything will be much clearer once I eat.” She levitated the sandwich to her mouth, about to take a bite, when everypony else at the café ran inside.

“Uh, madam?” the stallion asked, holding the main café door open. “Are you going to eat your food in the rain?”

“It’s not raining,” Twilight responded, confused. Looking around, however, she saw that an enormous downfall was occurring around her. The table at which she and spike sat, however, stood under a solitary beam of light. “What’s going on?” she asked, looking up.

A circular hole in the ceiling of clouds above them revealed a multicolored pegasus looking down at them. “Hi there, best friend forever I’ve ever ever had!” She wore a casual, yet still smug look. “Enjoying the sunny weather?”

Twilight looked angry. “Rainbow Dash, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” she asked in a falsely innocent voice. “I just saw the smartest, most generous pony about to get rained on. So, I thought I’d kick a hole in the clouds to keep her dry so she can dine in peace. That’s all.”

“Rainbow, you’re not trying to get extra consideration for the extra ticket by doing me extra special favors, are you?” Twilight asked, though she already knew the answer.

“Me?” the pegasus asked. “No, no, no. Of course not!” She waved her hoof casually.

“Uh huh.”

“Seriously, I’d do it for anypony!”

Around Twilight, many others were galloping about, trying to find shelter from the cold rain.

Rainbow chuckled nervously. Twilight spoke to her. “Rainbow, I am not comfortable accepting unwanted favors, so I’d appreciate it if you closed up that raincloud right now.”

“Ugh, fine.” She used a hoof to reseal the cloud at once.

“That’s better.” Twilight said, levitating her sandwich to her mouth once more. Before she could take a bite, however, the sandwich and unicorn both became instantly soaked by the rainwater. She growled in frustration. Spike covered his mouth with his claws to stop himself laughing.

“Twilight!” Rarity’s voice carried over to the unicorn now hunched over, doing nothing to stop the rain. On her back rested a white saddle, attached to an umbrella. “It’s raining.”

“No,” Twilight growled. “Really?”

Rarity grabbed Twilight around the waist. “Come with me before you catch a cold!”

A few minutes later, in Rarity’s fashion boutique, two unicorns stood in a dressing room. Twilight shook off the water drenching her coat, getting most of it off, but also getting Rarity wet in the process. She chuckled. “Sorry.”

Rarity looked angry, but like a switch was thrown, changed her demeanor at once. “Oh, no. It’s quite alright. After all, we are the best of friends, are we not?” She grabbed Twilight’s hooves. “And you know what the best of friends do?”

“Uhh…”

“Makeover!” Rarity squealed, jumping into the air.

Ten minutes later, Twilight stood in the dressing room, wearing a brilliant outfit of blue and green colors. It was the sort of thing somepony might wear to a royal Canterlot party. Rarity said to the astonished unicorn. “There! Oh, you’re simply darling!”

“Uh, yeah. It is kind of pretty, isn’t it?” Twilight commented. Rarity rushed over to the baby dragon standing some ten feet away.

“And you, Spike. A dandy little outfit for the dashing gent!”

“No!” Spike yelled as he ran for the door, but resistance was futile.

Spike later found himself wearing a blue suit with white cuffs and gold trims around his waist and chest. On his head rested a ridiculous golden wig. He looked down at himself in horror. “He he, oh, Spike,” Twilight giggled.

“Now all you need is a hat,” Rarity declared, setting a large black colonial hat on his head, a bright yellow flower sticking out of the top.

Spike sounded frustrated. “Ugh, I told you. I don’t want any part of this girly Gala gunk. See you back at the library.” He darted off, leaving the clothes behind.

Rarity chuckled. “Oh, who needs him, anyway?” She pulled a mirror in front of Twilight. “This is all about you, and how fabulous you’ll look at the Grand Galloping Gala.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait. The Grand-”

She was cut off by a gasp from her friend. The white unicorn ran over to a pedestal, on top of which sat an identical suit to what Twilight was wearing. “And oh, my goodness! What a coincidence. I happen to have an ensemble of my own that matches yours to a T!” she moved closer to Twilight. “We will be the Bells of the ball, you and I! Everyone would be clamoring for our attention. All eyes would be on us! And then everypony would know, the most beautiful, most talented, most sophisticated pony in all of Equestria is Rarity the unicorn!” She caught herself. “And Twilight Sparkle, of course!”

“I see what’s going on.” Twilight pointed an accusing hoof at Rarity. “You’re just buttering me up so I could give you the extra ticket. Well, it’s not gonna work! You’re going to have to wait for my decision just like everypony else!” She walked over to the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve been trying all day just to get some lunch!”

Applejack stuck her head in the boutique store. “Did somepony say lunch?” She grabbed Twilight and rushed her over to a wagon full of apple treats outside.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” The unicorn was now bordering livid.

“I’ve got apple pie, apple fritters, apple tarts, apple dumplins’, apple crisps, apple crumblers, and apple brown betty!” Twilight’s eyes became more and more wide as she heard the farmpony list more and more treats. Applejack lifted a brown betty, a cake of sorts, to Twilight’s nose. “Uh, the dessert. Not my auntie. Whadda’ ya’ say there, best friend?”

Twilight’s stomach growled again.

“Is that a yes?”

Twilight didn’t look angry. Instead she looked hurt. “No, no! I don’t know who I’m giving the ticket to, and all these favors aren’t making it any easier to decide! In fact, I’m less sure now than I was this morning! Ugh!” She ran off.

Applejack looked confused. “So, that’s a maybe?”

Twilight trotted up to the library. She started to open the door. “Ugh, I never thought being showered with favors would be so aggravating!” Walking inside, she saw a yellow pegasus scrubbing a bookshelf high above normal pony reach, thanks to her wings. All around her, small animals were doing similar tasks, from dusting books to sweeping the floor. Fluttershy was humming a tune that sounded strangely familiar.

Twilight gasped. “Fluttershy, not you too!”

“Oh! Well, hello Twilight. I hope you don’t mind, but we’re all doing a little Spring cleaning for you.”

“It’s summer.” Twilight said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, well… better late than never, right?” she said, blushing slightly. “It was Angel’s idea.” Fluttershy gestured to the rabbit, now standing above a bowl and mixing a delectable looking salad.

“You’re not doing this for the ticket, are you?”

Fluttershy hovered down, blushing again. “Oh, no! I’m doing this because you’re my very best friend! Right, Angel?”

The rabbit gave the Fluttershy a look that suggested Twilight deserved better than a manipulative friend that used her to get what she wants. Fluttershy corrected herself. “Oh- yes. We are just doing this for the ticket.” Angel rushed over to Twilight, carrying the salad with him.

Twilight’s stomach rumbled for the umpteenth time that day. “No, no, NO!” The rabbit fell backward in fright, spilling salad over the floor. Twilight walked over to the door and opened it. “Well, this was all very nice of you and Angel, but I am not accepting any extra favors until I’ve made my final decision, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“Surprise!” Pinkie yelled from the door. She pulled her outside to a group of ponies and began to sing.

“Twilight is my bestest friend,

“Whoopee, whoopee!”

“Pinkie.”

“The cutest, smartest, all around best,

“Pony, pony!”

“Pinkie!”

“I bet if I throw a super duper fun,

“Party, party!”

“Pinkie!”

“She’ll give her extra ticket to the Gala,

“To me, to me!”

“PINKIE!”

“Yes, Twilight?” the party pony responded nicely.

“At least the other ponies tried to be subtle about the ticket!”

One of the ponies from Pinkie’s surprise spoke up. “Wait, what ticket? What Gala?” Hearing this, Spike stepped out of the library.

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Pinkie responded joyfully. “Twilight has an extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala!”

Shock passed over everypony’s face, and then they put on their cheeriest smiles. Every single one moved forward, complimenting Twilight and offering favors.

“What are we gonna do?” Spike asked Twilight.

“We’re gonna… run!”

And they did just that.