The Element of Love

Season One

Chapter Three

The Ticket Master

It's a hot and sunny day in Ponyville, and you and Dusk are helping Applejack out.

Spike was also there, but he was doing more eating than helping.

"Thank you both for helpin' me out," says Applejack.

" There's no need to thank me, Applejack, " you reply, grinning. "Seeing Big Mac wearing one of Granny Smith's girdles and walking through the town with it is more than worth it."

"I must admit that I am also looking forward to seeing Big Mac wearing a girdle, " says Dusk, chuckling quietly at the thought.

Your stomach rumbles. "And I can't wait to have lunch. Though, having some food after doing a lot of hard work makes it taste better."

"Ah can't agree more with you. "

Spike pulls out yet another apple, this time a huge red and juicy one, and bites down into it. This only makes you hungrier.

Suddenly, he burps loudly and a scroll appears, which the dragon holds and opens.

"Hear ye, hear ye. His Grand Royal Highness, Prince Solaris of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the 21st day of, eh, yadda yadda yadda, and cordially extends an invitation to Dusk Shine plus one guest."

Two golden tickets float out.

"Are- are those tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?" asks Applejack, hesitating a little.

"Yes, I suppose they are. "

"The Gala..." you repeat. "Have you ever gone there?"

"This is the first time that the Prince sent me tickets, so no, I haven't been there before. But I've heard some ponies gossip about it when I study outdoors, and they say that it is a wonderful thing."

"What about you, Spike?"

The dragon shrugged. "I go everywhere Dusk goes and nowhere else."

Applejack starts, "Well, in that case-"

Rainbow Blitz flies down from out of nowhere. "Are those what I think they are? You've actually got tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?"

" Hey! Ya told me you were too busy ta help out! And now y'all been eavesdroppin' on us?! "

"Eh, I was busy napping. I can't help you if I'm all out of energy, can I?"

Applejack merely scoffs.

" Anyway, " continues Rainbow. "About those tickets. You should totally give one to me, because -"

" Dusk is giving the ticket to me, " says Applejack.

"Oh? And what would you do there?"

" Why, there's plenty Ah can do there. If Ah bake a whole lot'a apple treats and sell them there, why, Ah could get enough bits ta do a whole lot'a fixin' around here. Ah could replace that saggy old roof, Big Mac could finally replace that saggy old plough, and Granny could replace that saggy old hip. "

"But Dusk, the wonderbolts are going to be there. They perform at the Gala every year, and...this is the only chance I'll have to see them," pleads Rainbow.

"Now hold on one pony-pickin' second there. Ah asked for that ticket first."

"So what? That doesn't mean you get it."

The two butt heads for a second before Applejack comes up with an idea. " Then Ah challenge you to a hoof wrestle. The winner gets the ticket. "

You decide to stand back and watch how this plays out.

"Uh…" Dusk freezes, unsure of what to do. " Well, whoever has the best reasons can go? "

"Getting into the wonderbolts."

"Drummin' up business for the farm."

"Fulfilling my lifelong dream."

"Money to fix Granny's hip."

Rainbow was about to add another reason when Dusk held his hoof up. "Those all seem like good reasons...but I'm starving right now. As the saying goes, making difficult or important decisions when hungry is not a wise thing to do." He awkwardly holds his hoof out in your direction. "Let's go and get a bite to eat."

You nod and take his hoof in yours.

"Sugarcube Corner?" you ask Dusk, surprised.

"Yeah," he says as if there's nothing wrong at all. "Sugarcube Corner."

You raise an eyebrow and put a hoof on his forehead. It's a normal temperature.

"What's wrong?"

"Aren't you the one who's always saying that the food here is unhealthy? "

He shrugs. "Yes, it's unhealthy. But you like it, so I guess having one small meal here couldn't hurt. And besides, Bubble gives us a discount every time because we're his friends."

You poke his cheek and stick your tongue out. "Stingy…"

"Spending bits unnecessarily is something that should be avoided. "

You laugh and both of you make your way inside, with the dragon following.

"(Y/N)! Dusk! It's so good to see you two!" exclaims Bubble, leaping over the counter and running towards you.

He bumps into Spike due to his enthusiasm, causing the latter to trip, and drop the scroll he's holding. The golden tickets are in there, and fall out.

Bubble freezes instantly upon seeing the tickets. "Are those tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?!"

"Talk a bit quieter," hisses the lavender unicorn. "And yes, those are exactly what you said they are."

The shop bell rings as someone pushes the door open, and Spike hurries to pick the tickets up before they fly away with the wind.

It's none other than Elusive who has entered, and he beams warmly towards you, wearing a suit as usual. "(Y/N), you have no idea how much I had been wanting to see you!"

"It's nice to see you too, Elusive. "

He then turns to Dusk to greet him, but his gaze drifts towards Spike. Specifically, the golden tickets that are being held by the dragon.

"Are those -"

"Tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala? Yes, they are," says Dusk, rolling his eyes, obviously tired of this whole thing. "Why are you all making such a big fuss about it? "

Elusive stares at the unicorn. "Did you seriously just ask me that?" he deadpans.

"Uhh...Yeah? "

"My dear Dusk, you truly need to go out to more places instead of staying cooped up in your library all day. The Grand Galloping Gala is a ball hosted by Prince Solaris himself, and every stallion and mare looks forward to it. For it is rumoured to be the ball that makes lifetime partners meet!"

"Uh huh… "

"So, do you want to go to the ball, Elusive?" you ask.

"How can you ask such a question?!" he exclaims with a hoof on his chest. "Of course I do. Why, I've been wanting to go there ever since I was a colt. And once I go there, I'll find….her. "

"Her?"

"The mare whom I will marry, of course! She will be gentle and beautiful on the inside and the outside. She won't be just a pretty face either. She should be able to defend herself appropriately from anything that wishes to attack her, and she won't be arrogant. Ah, many times have I thought of a mare like that, but when I have everything planned out, how will I propose to her?" He casts a hesitant look in your direction as he says that.

" What, am I not good enough for you? " you ask sarcastically. You turn your head away in mock offence. "And here I thought Elusive could ne-"

"I never said that!" says a scarlet Elusive. "A-anyway, have you ever thought about the Gala, Bubble?"

"Me? Plenty of times."

"Oh?"

"The Grand Galloping Gala is basically a fancy and formal party that requires you to have an invitation. And I love parties! "

"The Grand Galloping Gala
A glorified party

Where you wear suits and formal clothes
And dance with mares politely

A party… a party…
Always on my mind

Oh, how I would love to go there
Dance all night long

While singing on a stage…
A song

The Grand Galloping Gala!
It would be the best place for me

Because even though it's just a formal ball, a gala…

In the end it's just a party! "

Silence follows after that.

Elusive gives Dusk his most dazzling smile. "So, Dusk...have you decided?"

Dusk looks from the fashionista's smiling face to that of the party pony.

"Um…" The lavender unicorn takes a step back, and the duo corner him. He looks at you, desperately begging you to do something.

You think for a moment before walking towards them and intentionally stumbling. "Ouch, my hoof!"

Elusive and Bubble both turn to you and help you up.

You wince as your fourth hoof touches the ground.

"(Y/N), does it hurt?" asks Elusive in concern.

"I...I think I might have sprained my ankle! Ow… It hurts so much! "

"I'll go get some bandages, and a compress," says Bubble , dashing off while Elusive lets you lean on him and takes you to a seat so you can rest.

While they're busy fussing over you, Dusk and Spike escape.

Now you need to escape as well before you get wrapped up in bandages. But Elusive has his hooves wrapped around you…

Upon that realisation, you blush and try to ignore your steadily heating cheeks. It's nice being held like this… and Elusive's fur is so soft and smells so wonderful…

Elusive seems to be blushing as well, and he leans closer to you, holding you slightly tighter and moving his face closer to yours.

His diamond blue eyes captivate you, and his lips demand your attention.

I wonder how they would feel…

You move your face forward subconsciously, and the unicorn above you inhales and exhales quicker as the distance becomes lesser by the second…

And then the door leading to the upper part of the shop, aka the living quarters is thrown open and Bubble bounces in. "I've got the bandages!"

In a split second, Elusive backs away from you quickly and he straightens his suit and runs a hoof through his mane.

"Are you fine, Elusive? You seem -"

"It is rather hot here. I'll be outside if you need anything."

With that he leaves.

Bubble looks towards the hastily retreating form of the white unicorn, and then to your reddened face. "What just happened? "

You slowly pull yourself up. "It really is hot here… I think I need some air as well."

The pink earth pony runs after you with a roll of bandages as you try to walk away as if you hadn't been so close to almost kissing Elusive.

"Hey! (Y/N)! Come back here! You're injured!"

You casually stroll through town, not really caring where you were walking and just letting your hooves carry you to wherever.

As a result of letting yourself get lost in your thoughts while walking, you end up bumping into somepony, almost knocking them down. " Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you… " You look up to see the least expected pony. "Butterscotch?"

"Uh...H-hi," he says, smiling shyly while looking anywhere but you.

"So, what are you doing?"

" Me? I was getting some food for Angel…. "

A look behind the pegasus reveals that the white bunny is indeed there.

"Ah…"

"He can really be a handful at times...but he also helps when I need him to."

You nod. "I guess you wouldn't mind if I come along?"

He just nods and you follow him...

A while later you reach the market and see Dusk and his assistant. "Dusk!"

"Hello again, (Y/N)," he says, making an effort to smile. He looks weary.

"What happened to you?"

"After you helped me escape from Elusive and Bubble, I went to get something to eat, then it started raining… Rainbow made a hole in the clouds so I could eat in peace… Basically, all of our friends other than Butterscotch started giving me favours so they could get the ticket. I was fortunate that I was able to escape from that mob Bubble accidentally made."

" The ticket? " asks Butterscotch, intrigued. "What ticket?"

" The ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala, of course! " blurts out Spike and Dusk slaps a hoof over the dragon's mouth a little too late.

Butterscotch forgets all of his shyness and stands in front of you, no longer hiding.

" Let me guess, you want the ticket… " states Dusk in a monotone voice.

"I've always wanted to go to the Grand Galloping Gala, but not for the dance or party, no! It's more about the garden… The flowers there are very rare, and would only bloom at this time of year! The birds there? The -"

" I'm sorry to interrupt you, Butterscotch, but I haven't been able to eat anything all day. "

"I can buy some food for you! Oh, and I can also cook whatever you want!"

"Thanks, but no thanks," says Dusk. "I don't want any favours from anyone."

With that he walks away. You pat Butterscotch's back. "He's had a long day, and Dusk isn't really in a listening mood when he's starving."

As you also walk away, you swear that you could have heard Butterscotch whisper, "Starving…?"

...But it could have just been your imagination, so you shrug and follow Dusk.

You open the door to the Golden Oaks Library and let Dusk in first.

His jaw drops open. You follow his gaze to see a dinner table with several dishes on it, and Butterscotch standing there and smiling.

Angel and a few birds are also there.

"I don't fucking believe it… " he groans. "I never thought that you of all ponies would try to… " He then turns to you. "Do you want the ticket as well, (Y/N)? Just tell me now."

You shake your head. "I've never been interested in the Gala, because there's nothing there that I want to do."

"Really?" he asks in disbelief .

"Yes."

He just nods and both of you leave, only to see four ponies blocking the exit.

Namely, Applejack, Elusive, Rainbow, and Bubble.

At the sight of them, Dusk faints and you catch him. "No one is allowed in until Dusk regains consciousness."

With that said, you proceed to carry him up the stairs, using your earth pony strength. Being an alicorn was really handy…

"Dusk! You're awake!" you say, overjoyed, setting the glass of water down.

"What happened?"

"You fainted."

"They're not in here, are they?"

"I didn't let anyone in."

" Thanks… I dread facing them… That extra ticket has caused me nothing but misery… "

"Why don't you send it back to Prince Solaris then?"

"That's actually a good idea. Can you call the others in?"

You nod and head downstairs with Dusk following. You open the door and see that they're all outside. "Have you all been waiting outside all this time?" At their looks, you roll your eyes. "Dusk is ready to see everyone now…"

Once they're all in, Dusk glares at them. "Yare yare...I understand that each of you want the extra ticket, but do you really need to pester me continuously about it? I'm exhausted. This ticket has done nothing apart from causing me pain and stress. I want to make all of you happy, but there are only two tickets, and that can't satisfy all of you. So, I'm sending it back to Prince Solaris. "

He clears his throat. "Spike, start writing. Dear Prince Solaris, I appreciate the tickets that you sent me, and the invitation, but I must return them. One of the many joys of friendship is sharing things. But when you have more than your friends and there aren't enough blessings to go around, it can make you feel pretty awful. Your Faithful student, Dusk Shine."

The dragon rolls the scroll up, puts the tickets in, and it's gone.

A second later he burps out another scroll. "My Faithful Dusk Shine, you could have just said so. Here are eight tickets to the Gala. ~Prince Solaris."

Dusk hands them all out. "There. Problem solved..."

He collapses again. "I think Dusk really needs some food…"

Author's Note

Was that kiss scene a little too descriptive for an E rated story?

...I guess with the way it'll end, it should be rated T.

This was mostly easy to write. I divided the work out and finished it peacefully.

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