30 Minute Delay

Gambling on Pride

“La la la la la laaa.” Pinkie sang to herself as she stood in the park, juggling 4 red balls she’d plucked from a nearby tree. She’d been at it for over 20 minutes and was getting close to breaking her previous record of 29 minutes 69 seconds. She was quite insistent on that being the time she’d juggled until, no matter what Twilight said about the number of seconds in a minute.

At the 29 minute mark she started getting excited, she was already in her groove, effortlessly catching and launching the balls.

29m55s – Send all four up again for another volley.

29m58s – Switch hoofs and spin between catches.

29m62s – Bounce 3rd ball off head into white cloud.

29m6WHITE CLOUD?! Pinkie was still blinded by the cloud when something hit her in the back of the head and sent her sprawling. As she landed she heard the 4 thuds of the balls landing. She scrambled upright and glared at the body of mist.

“Hey! What’s the big idea cloud? You ruined my juggling record! Now I have to start all over!” Looking around, she only saw 2 of her balls on the ground.

I was sure I heard 4 thuds…

A yawn emerged from the cloud as the remaining two balls rose up on Pegasus wings, followed by a dark grey pony with a silver mane.

“So these things that hit me on the head, they’re yours?”

“Thunderlane? You knocked me over?” The response was another yawn.

“I did what now? I was just taking a nap, the next thing I know you’re braining me with a couple of balls.”

“I was JUGGLING! You drifted into me and ruined my record!” Still yawning, Thunderlane tossed the balls back and made a dismissive gesture.

“Big deal. If I wasn’t so lazy, I could do better in a heartbeat.” Pinkie, annoyed, opened her mouth to snap back at him but was interrupted by a booming voice.

“IS THAT SO? WHY DON’T YOU PROVE IT?” Both ponies looked towards the source of the voice, a burly stallion with thick facial hair and tennis shorts.

“Ace? What are you saying?” The big stallion didn’t immediately answer Pinkie’s question, instead flashing a ferocious smile and trotting closer to whisper in her ear.

“I have been observing. Thunderlane is right. He is lazy. This is because he hasn’t awoken his true stallionly spirit. I will aid you in awakening it.”

“Aid…me?” Pinkie was utterly confused but Ace had already turned from her and was loudly proclaiming to Thunderlane.

“WHY I DON’T THINK YOU COULD DO BETTER, THUNDERLANE! IN FACT, PINKIE COULD WIPE THE FLOOR WITH YOU, I BET!” At the word ‘bet’ a passing filly’s ears perked up and she changed course, zeroing in on the conversation. Meanwhile, the still-yawning Thunderlane was feeling a little slighted, however before he could respond a new voice entered the conversation.

“We accept that bet!” Thunderlane was utterly surprised, turning to Roseluck.

“We do?” She nodded vigorously before addressing Ace.

“Thunderlane will win. What is the competition and what do you wager?” Ace felt slightly affronted by this new mare’s forthrightness but his stallion spirit rose to the occasion.

“A true stallion never turns down a challenge. I declare the challenge to be a head-to-head juggling battle! Pinkie and Thunderlane will juggle 6 balls between them, three red and three blue, red is Pinkie and blue is Thunderlane. The first ball to hit the ground means that pony loses. A best of three!” Ace’s blood was boiling with the thrill of competition but Roseluck bore an equally impressive grin.

“That’s fine. If Thunderlane wins, he and I get free cupcakes for a year from Pinkie.”

“Hold on a se-“ Pinkie protested but was cut off.

“Agreed! However, if Pinkie wins, Thunderlane will apprentice under me for a year to learn the ways of true stallionhood!”

“Hey I don’t agree to th-“ Thunderlane tried to argue.

“Hmph. Well if that’s the best you can offer it’ll have to do.”

“HAVE TO DO?!” Ace was incensed.

“I SUPPOSE YOU HAVE SOMETHING BETTER?” Rose’s grin was decidedly toothy.

“It just wouldn’t be fun if we didn’t up the stakes. How about, if Thunderlane wins, you give up your racquet?”

“OOOOOOHHHH!!!” Came the cry from the gathered crowd.

“MY RACQUET?!”

“Well, if it’s too much for you…”

TOO MUCH??? NEVER!!! I agree, IF you give up your garden when Pinkie wins!”

A collective gasp sounded. Rose’s grin never faded. She stuck a hoof out.

“DEAL!”

The crowd cheered as the two shook hands and dragged their unwilling representatives away.

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“Uh……Ace?” He looked up from restringing his racquet.

“Yes, Pinkie?”

“Why are you doing this? Why risk your important possession?”

“It’s for Thunderlane.”

“For Thunderlane?” Ace looped a foreleg around her shoulders.

“Yes. Thunderlane has no stallion spirit. We must help such a tragic pony. His heart is weeping. It is up to us to guide him to happiness.” Pinkie was more worried about the pony next to her than Thunderlane. She opened her mouth to say something but saw that Ace’s eyes were faraway and shining, and stallionly tears were being shed. He didn’t even move when she eased away from him, simply still standing there with his foreleg wrapped around nothing.

Sighing, Pinkie went back to practicing.

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“Do you even play?” She looked up from tending her garden.

“What’s that?”

“Tennis. Do you even play it? I mean you wanted Ace to bet his racquet…”

“Oh. No, I don’t play.” Halting his practice, Thunderlane just stared at her.

“Then why? Why did you bet your garden for something that’s worthless to you? This bet isn’t even.”

“Perhaps not to you.” Rose just kept smiling as she said that, if Thunderlane wasn’t already convinced that the girl was insane, he’d be sure of it now.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rose sighed deeply and looked up at the evening sky.

“Some of the happiest times of my life where when I was broke. Betting big, winning and losing, it’s what makes life worth living.”

“Do you even care if you win?” This brought the smile back.

“Sure I do, but it isn’t the highest priority. Playing the game, stealing a kiss from Lady Luck, rolling the dice, dealing the cards, putting your fate in the hands of things outside your control………it never gets old.” She turned and stared directly Thunderlane for a few seconds before speaking.

“It can be incredibly liberating to not plan what’s going to happen next, to give up responsibility and let chance lead you. You’ll reach heights and places you never thought you’d go.”

Thunderlane just shook his head and tossed the next ball into the air.

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The next day the crowd reconvened for what was already the most talked about event in town. A flat, smooth area of the park had been cordoned off as the official ‘arena’ for the match and spectators and vendors were setting up shot on the surrounding hills for a better view.

Pinkie arrived first, seemingly enjoying herself for the first time since Thunderlane bumped her the day before, held aloft of a procession that included her five friends and a sea of who Ace referred to as ‘Stallions among Stallions’, sports ponies similar to himself.

Thunderlane arrived shortly afterwards, also seeming to get into the spirit. With Roseluck, Lily and Daisy forming a triangle around him on the ground, an honour guard of Pegasus’ (with his little brother Rumble as the flagbearer) kept pace in the skies.

The pomp and circumstance of the event didn’t go unnoticed by the crowd, who whooped and cheered for one or both competitors or just in general. It was definitely the place to be for the day and the vendors and bookies were doing solid business (sadly Roseluck was forbidden from placing any bets, she was not happy about the fact).

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When the two competitors finally came face to face, Ace explained the rules again. Each pony had three balls of their colour, totalling 6, which would be juggled between the two until a drop occurred. The dropped ball would cause the pony who had that colour to lose that round (Mayor Mare had been elected as an impartial umpire to make sure there were no intentional drops, if she ruled that one had taken place, the dropper would lose the round instead). It was to be a best of three competition with the prizes already established, cupcakes vs apprenticing, garden vs racquet! It’s all happening here folks!

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“Alright, Pinkie, you know what to do. We must awaken Thunderlane’s stallion spirit!”

“I DON’T know what to do! Every time I asked you’d get all starry eyed and start cryingand you’re doing it again. Great.” Pinkie rolled her eyes and headed to her starting spot.

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“Do your best big guy, we’ll see if Lady Luck brings the thunder!”

“That doesn’t mean anythi-oh forget it!”

Thunderlane trotted to his base and let out an exhausted sigh.

“Hey Pinkie, is your……whatever as crazy as mine is?”

“You tell me.” She pointed a hoof at the still-shedding-stallionly-tears Ace.

“I could bathe in the amount of water he’s gushed out. Not that I would though, that’d be icky.” Thunderlane had to agree, it wasn’t the nicest mental image.

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That image stayed with him after the bell and ended up costing him the first round. He couldn’t concentrate and Pinkie kept changing her angles. After only 15 minutes his blue ball hit the dirt to a cheer from the sporty side. The Pegasus fans responded by shouting encouragement, nopony louder than little Rumble, so Thunderlane shook out the cobwebs and focused.

After a close, 25 minute second round, Pinkie couldn’t keep up with Thunderlane’s speed when he started using his wings to add some zip to his bounces, soon enough a red ball fell.

The match was tied up at 1-1 with only the decider to play. The crowd had fallen silent as the servers came forward to begin the third and final round.

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There was no slow start here, both ponies went for it from the get go, wings and speed taking on experience and Pinkie-sense, it was a match for the ages with neither pony giving an inch.

When the announcer sounded off, showing that the time was 29 minutes and 70 seconds on the round, both ponies were flagging.

“So, Thundy,” huffed Pinkie, “what are you gonna do if you win?”

“I don’t,” wheezed ‘Thundy’, “I don’t care. Roseluck kept me up all night practicing, I just want to go back to my cloud and sleep.”

“Yeah me too, well except I have a house, not a cloud. Ace and all his ‘stallionliest’ friends showed up before dawn and started singing songs. I nearly collapsed trying to get them all to be quiet before they woke the twins. I’ve already passed my record and I don’t really care about who wins anymore. Should we just call a draw? I’ll bake you those cupcakes if you still want them.”

“Heck yes, I’m starving!”

“Okie dokie lokie!” She turned to Mayor Mare,

“Hey judgie judge! We’re calling a tie!”

As she said it, she reached up and grabbed two blue balls and caught the last one on her head. Thunderlane snagged the three red balls with his mouth and wings.

“Pinkie!/Thunderlane!” Cried Ace/Roseluck respectively, before finishing together,

“What are you doing?!”

“We don’t wanna play anymore. It’s a tie.”

“A TIE!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?” The crowd’s simultaneous outburst was deafening.

“Yeah,” Pinkie giggled,

“C’mon Thundy.”

“Sure thing,” Thunderlane searched round until he found his brother,

“Rumble, let’s go, Pinkie’s gonna make us some cupcakes!”

“Yay!” The three trotted off, Rumble trying to balance a ball on his wings like his big brother.

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Back at the park, the crowd was growing restless.

“Um, well…” Began Mayor Mare,

“I, uh, declare the games a tie!”

“But what about our wager?!” Roseluck yelled from the middle of the churning crowd.

“Since there’s no clear winner, I cannot enforce any prior wagers. ALL BETS ARE OFF!”

The bookies were suddenly mobbed by ponies demanding refunds on their bets.

“THUNDERLANE! YOU COME BACK HERE! YOU STILL NEED TO FIND YOUR STALLION SPIRIT!” Ace was red in the face but the Pegasus was by now too far away to hear him.

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By now the rest of the crowd was thinning out and calming down to enjoy the fabulous day in the sunny park. The sporty ponies and Pegasus’ had organised a giant game of King of the Hill and were going at it, which quickly became the new source of entertainment for anypony who cared to watch. Lily and Daisy had joined Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack for a picnic. All in all a sense of normality had fallen over Ponyville after the wild few hours, though plenty of ponies were trying their hooves at juggling competitions.

Sitting away from the others, Ace and Roseluck were at a loss as to what to do next. Finally Ace drew himself up.

“I guess that’s that then. Your garden is safe and sound and I’ll have to wait until next time to mould Thunderlane into a proper stallion.”

“Yeah, since I don’t play I probably would’ve given you your racquet back anyway.”

“What do you mean you’d have given it back? Pinkie would’ve won if they continued.”

“You’re nuts! Thunderlane had her!”

“The heck you say, that spirit-less Pegasus has no stamina!”

“Pinkie couldn’t keep up!”

“PINKIE WON!”

“THUNDERLANE!”

“RED BALL!”

“BLUE BALL!”

They glared silently at each other for a moment before Rose cocked her head to the side and gave a sly smile.

“Dinner?”

Ace went red.

“W-what?!” He spluttered. Rose’s smile turned smirky as she continued:

“You don’t want to? I’d have thought a true stallion wouldn’t let a lady go un-escorted.” Ace’s embarrassment was temporarily overridden by his spirit here.

“Absolutely I will. As a stallion of stallions I insist on paying!”

“………wanna bet?”

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