The Ordinary Ponies

Chapter 11: Journey to Canterlot-Part 2

In the bustling and upscale streets of Canterlot, within a three-hoof restaurant on Restaurant Row, CMC who had been running around for an hour were enjoying the dishes in front of them with gloomy expressions.

This restaurant, like other high-end restaurants, boasted luxurious and tasteful decorations. The tables were adorned with intricately carved white-silk tablecloths, and the seats were elastic and comfortable.

The tableware was clean enough to reflect the light, and the interior was filled with soothing classical music. Even the waiters were dressed in formal attire and had medium-parted manes.

But the environment didn't mean the experience was good. The food presented to them was indeed in line with the style of the restaurant - luxurious, exquisite, beautiful, and tasteful, but it completely lost what it should have as food: quantity and taste.

Even if there was only a little bit on each plate, they couldn’t eat them all because these things were bland and difficult to swallow.

“That was barely worth the effort, Mr. Miracle. I’m tired of this food.” Scootaloo stuck out her tongue and rubbed it back and forth. “I need a meal.”

“The food here isn’t the same as in Ponyville. We can only gain so much here,” Apple Bloom comforted her before Mr. Miracle could answer.

“It seems Canterlot is not as good as I imagined,” said Scootaloo, lowering her head in frustration. “Ugh! I wish we’d never been here.”

“It's not that bad…right?” said Apple Bloom. “At least the buildings are quite beautiful.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head and said, “For realsies? Because I think this place is not that much.”

This conversation gave Mr. Miracle a peculiar sense of intuition, and these three little girls inexplicably described themselves as extremely similar to the other three old friends that he was familiar with.

There was no other place to eat. The coffee in the cafeteria on the street was bitter and expensive, and snacks were impossible to eat enough. They could only go to the formal Restaurants; But the only delicious one he was familiar with hadn’t existed yet – The Tasty Treat that was going to be held by two unicorns. In the end, they had to settle for just one restaurant.

“I'll see if I can solve it,” Mr. Miracle comforted them, then stood up and said to the waiter, “Please call the manager. I have a heartless request to tell him.”

After a while, the manager walked over with a slightly uneasy expression. Obviously, he thought the customers at this table had objections to their food - in a sense, it was true, but not the way he thought.

The manager was a male unicorn with clean stubble, dressed in chef attire, and his cutie mark was a spatula. Mr. Miracle politely said, “If I'm not mistaken, your name should be Smoked Oat.”

“How do you know that? Oh, right, it is the name of this restaurant too,” said the manager with a nervous and polite smile.

“Don't be nervous, I just happen to know you didn't make this kind of bland and tasteless food before,” Mr. Miracle said. “We would like to try your signature dish from the past, is that okay?”

“Really? How did you know?”

“Uh...because, because you're called Smoked Oats?” Mr. Miracle quickly passed by and requested, “We want to eat your old dishes, please.”

“This...” The manager appeared somewhat hesitant. “I don't know...if it were to heard by Zesty Gourmand…”

Upon hearing this, Mr. Miracle turned his head and signaled to the three. They understood and immediately stared at the manager with shinning eyes and pitiful expressions.

“For the sake of the children, please!” Mr. Miracle said sincerely.

The manager swallowed a mouthful of saliva, hesitated for a moment, and finally agreed, “Okay, I'm willing to make my signature dish from before. But please don't tell anyone else, okay? I don't want to damage my reputation on this street.”

“Understood!” The four ponies all pulled their hooves around their mouths, meaning they had zipped them up. Then the manager ran back to the kitchen to get busy.

“Mr. Miracle, you're really amazing!” said Sweetie Belle. “Not only can you predict the future, but also predict the past!”

“Uh, Sweetie Belle, you can’t say ‘predict’ the past,” reminded Scootaloo. “Perhaps you should say 'know' the past?”

As they were conversing at their normal speaking volume, another table next to them erupted into a burst of annoying giggles.

Mr. Miracle looked over and noticed two "familiar looking" upper class couples - the male unicorn had a gray body, a black-split mane, tiny gentleman's glasses on the nose, and was wearing a green shirt; The female unicorn had a light-yellow body and a flowing-mane of light-purple and white, wearing earrings and a necklace. They all wore a woolen shawl over their clothes.

“The country bumpkins are just country bumpkins,” whispered the female unicorn. “No wonder they can't enjoy these high-end cuisines.”

“Forgive them. They may not even know Zesty Gourmand and not understand the meaning of the three-hoof,” said the male unicorn contemptuously.

Obviously, the voices of these two unicorns weren’t low enough, so that CMC listened word for word. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and said angrily, “Another reason to dislike Canterlot.”

“Why do they say that?” Sweetie Belle pouted.

“We need to reason with them,” Apple Bloom couldn't bear the anger and prepared to jump off her seat to argue. But Mr. Miracle stopped her and said calmly, “It's important to know debate only works for reasonable ponies, but they clearly aren’t reasonable.”

“So we just let them laugh at us casually?”

“No. We have something they don't have - such as manners,” he said, deliberately raising his voice and glancing at the two upper-class ponies.

“Give them a good look at our virtues. If somepony knows they haven't had the manners while four country bumpkins do have...well, it definitely won't ruin their reputations.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the giggles stopped and only faint moans could be heard. The three suddenly felt proud and sat upright happily, intending to show off their virtues.

But when it came to the dishes, their true selves were revealed (this signature dishes were smoked oats). Usually, no matter how much they ate, they didn't rush at all. However, this time they came here after a long journey of an hour. Just now, with those bland foods as a backdrop, the deliciousness of the delicious food had increased exponentially. They ate more and more freely.

After finishing their meals and paying the bill, the two upper-class ponies seemed to have found a vent, sarcastically mocking their unattractive eating habits.

Mr. Miracle squinted his eyes and ignored them, settling the bill on his own. When he left, he gave the manager a piece of advice - make the dishes he wanted to make.

Afterwards, they tidied up their emotions and went to the opera house, the art gallery, the library, the golden apple tree, and the cloud stadium...but most of them required appointments; The library didn’t ask tickets, but they came to Canterlot not just for reading.

The three were somewhat disappointed. They thought that big cities would be much more interesting than small towns, but the entertainment activities of these upper-class ponies could be described as “scarce”; Even worse, wherever they went, there were always one or two unicorns secretly mocking them.

Even more so, because most of the upper-class went to Grand Galloping Gala, the entire city appeared even quieter. No matter how beautiful these exquisite buildings were, they were tired of them.

“Mr. Miracle, should we go home?” said Scootaloo, lowering her head.

“Rarity keeps talking about how good Canterlot is, but I don't think so now,” Sweetie Belle agreed.

“Probably when Applejack returned to Sweet Apple Acres from Manehattan, she felt the same way,” sighed Apple Bloom.

It seemed that not only Twilight and her friends would be disappointed tonight, but also the three. Mr. Miracle felt a bit guilty, after all, it was he who suggested bringing them over to see the city, but it made everyone unhappy at all. What was that? He needed to change tonight into perfect.

So he stood still and came up with an interesting plan.

“Mr. Miracle, why did you stop?”

“I have an idea that can make tonight super fun!” Mr. Miracle laughed. “And it can also teach those upper-class a good lesson.”

Then he whispered his plan, just like the story he had told them before.

“Oh my goddess, isn't this the plot of The Million Bits Note?” Apple Bloom remembered it best, and it was also the funniest story that Mr. Miracle had ever told. “Are you going to pretend a millionaire?”

“The Million Bits Note? The story of the protagonist who, by chance, acquired a million bits fortune and rose to become a member of the upper-class?” asked Scootaloo with a raised eyebrow. “Are we going to play those upper-class?”

In stark contrast to the two, Sweetie Belle appeared unwilling. “I don't know, Mr. Miracle...Isn't this just deception? Our elders, including Twilight, and you, have taught us not to lie.”

“Sweetie Belle, don't be so narrow-minded.” said Scootaloo. “What else had Mr. Miracle said? ‘Specific situation...specific analysis?’ Yes, that's the sentence.”

“Don't worry, isn't the ending of the story good?” Apple Bloom also agreed with this idea. “I don't think this is as serious as 'dishonesty'...at most, it's just a small joke.”

“That's right, a small joke.” Mr. Miracle nodded. “I will be honest in the end, because only by being honest can we see the funniest expressions on those ponies. Alright, let's act quickly.”

“‘CMCs’ Million Bits Note Operation’, yeah!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo jumped up and clapped with Mr. Miracle, but Sweetie Belle didn't seem to agree. In the end, she clapped her hooves, but as she walked towards the end, she murmured softly, “This is really different from what Mr. Miracle had taught.”

……

Just as CMC were planning to make a big move in Canterlot, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy arrived at the Canterlot Royal Palace. Each of them was dressed in a uniquely designed personalized dress, exceptionally beautiful and exquisite, showcasing their temperament without losing their essence. Spike was also wearing a black tailcoat.

As the girls were singing and laughing in the hall, Spike was still thinking about how to help Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy.

Mr. Miracle did write sachets for them, to be precise, six sachets combined into a big plan:

Firstly, persuade the Princess Celestia not to be responsible for welcoming guests, but to let her nephew, Prince BlueBlood, take charge; Twilight and the Princess Celestia go to another room to chat, and Pinkie can hold a small party for them there; Because Prince Blueblood needs to welcome guests, whether or not Rarity can meet him, greet guests on the stairs with him, and chat with the upper-class; Fluttershy wants to make friends with the animals in the garden, so just let her go quietly; If Applejack wants to sell things, she has to let her sell those things that the upper-class like to eat; If Rainbow Dash wants to make friends with Wonderbolts, she has to create a space to coexist with them.

But this grand plan was too unreal, perhaps even Mr. Miracle himself realized that it was almost impossible to harvest joy in such a so-called “high society” celebration, so the plans were written in a very general way.

It seemed like as long as it was written in such a general way, Spike could do it. He could try, but if he couldn't, he still couldn't.

As soon as Twilight arrived, she saw Princess Celestia standing on the steps - the most beautiful, elegant, dignified, respected, unparalleled, and beloved alicorn princess in Equestria!

She had a tall figure, with a pale-pink body and a graceful and luxurious appearance. Her flowing and colorful mane and tail were so graceful, and her magenta eyes exuded wisdom. The extremely long horn on her head declared her prowess in magic.

Twilight rushed towards her eagerly, wanting to spend the whole night with her. But even more anxious than her was Spike, who didn't know how he unleashed that speed with such two short legs. In an instant, he approached Princess and nervously said:

“Royal Highness Princess, it's a great honor to see you again!” After saying that, Spike quickly saluted.

“I'm glad to see you too, Spike.” Princess Celestia smiled.

Spike was difficult to speak, let her not undertake welcoming guests? This was easy in saying, but how could he tell Princess Celestia perfectly? He had to say, “Royal Highness Princess, I want to tell you that Twilight has dreamed about today, and can’t wait to discuss some difficult issues with you...”

“Difficult issues?” Princess Celestia exclaimed in surprise. “Why did she never write about this to me?”

“This is because she feels...she feels that these issues are difficult to tell in letters!” said Spike as quickly as possible. “Anyway, it's quite tricky and she has to talk to you face to face. I don't think you would refuse her, would you?”

“I would be happy to communicate with my dearest student...but I still have to greet guests here. Maybe later?”

“This can't wait any longer! Welcoming guests is necessary, but solving Twilight's problem...is also very important, isn't it?” Spike was already sweating profusely, so he shouldn't have agreed to Mr. Miracle's “big plan”.

“You can let Prince Blueblood take over this job - as a member of the royal family, it's time for him to take on some royal responsibilities.”

“What you said makes sense, but –”

“No ‘but’, Royal Highness Princess!” Spike turned around and pointed to Twilight who came running quickly. “Can you see how eager and impatient she is?”

“But she looks quite happy, doesn’t she?”

“That's...that's because she's so happy to see you here, and you can help her solve the problems. Yes, that's it.”

After speaking, Twilight had already stepped up the stairs. She and Spike ran the fastest, while the subsequent guests had not yet entered the hall. “Glad to see you, Princess Celestia!”

“Twilight, Spike just said –”

“Just skip chatting! Hurry up and find a place...'Have a good talk'! Leave this to the prince and Rarity. Twilight can't wait anymore.”

“‘Can't wait?’” Twilight was a little confused, but then nodded confidently. “That's right, I can't wait any longer.”

Princess looked at the nervous Spike and then at the smiling Twilight, and sighed, saying, “Okay...so Spike, please help me notify my nephew to temporarily take over my job. Twilight, you can talk to me somewhere else.”

Upon hearing this, Twilight was so excited that she almost jumped up. “Really? Can I really talk to you alone? That's great!”

Princess at last glanced at Spike with a puzzled expression, and then walked towards another room with cheering Twilight. Spike breathed a relief-sigh as he watched them disappear behind the curtain.

“Step one, done!” He sweated and secretly glanced at Mr. Miracle's sachet. The next step was to have Prince Blueblood be responsible for welcoming guests, and then have Rarity and him communicate with the upper-class together.

Spike scanned the hall on the steps and soon saw the pony he was looking for - all white, dressed in a white black collar suit, with blonde mane and blue eyes, “looking” elegant and handsome, it was Prince Blueblood and he was planning to walk out of the hall and explore the garden.

“Found it,” Spike said, then ran to the prince with his short legs and blocked his way.

“Who are you?” asked the prince.

“Are you serious?” Spike raised his eyebrows and said, “Me, Twilight, and the princess are so familiar with each other. We have met you a few times, but you now said you don't know me?”

“Uh...maybe I know?” The prince awkwardly smiled. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Spike.”

“Oh, yes, Spike! I remember - you are the little follower of Princess Celestia’s student.” Prince Blueblood nodded. “Is there anything you need me to do?”

Upon hearing this, Spike said irritably, “Yes, indeed. Princess Celestia wants you to take over her responsibility for welcoming guests because she has some urgent matters to do.”

“What? No! I was just planning to go to the garden to admire some flowers!”

At this moment, Rarity walked into the hall through another door and immediately saw that Spike was talking to the prince. Excitedly, she ran over.

Of course, she was still struggling with whether to appear so "rushed" during the process, but all doubts disappeared in the beautiful fantasies. She slowed down in the last few steps, pretending to pass by unintentionally.

“Oh, miss, please stay.” Prince’s attention was immediately drawn to beautiful Rarity. “Hi, my name is Blueblood.”

“Hey! You were talking to me just now!” Spike said discontentedly. But his words were obviously ignored automatically by these two ponies.

“Oh, hello, my name is Rarity.” Rarity's heart was filled with spring, but she tried not to show it and did her best to showcase her temperament.

“I never expected you, such a beautiful young lady, to come to the gala tonight. I thought this year would be just as boring as before, turns out I was wrong.”

“Really? Thank you for the compliment, haha...” Rarity covered her mouth and giggled.

“Since you are such an elegant and beautiful lady, I would like to ask you to stand on that stage and welcome those guests for me.”

“Welcoming guests? Oh my goddess, this is such an honor!” Rarity immediately agreed.

“Hey, don't play tricks!” Spike interrupted in time. “Princess personally asked you to be responsible for welcoming guests! Rarity can go with you, but you have to go too.”

“Alright, alright, I go, really...” the prince muttered as he walked up the steps, while Rarity followed with shining eyes.

Spike shook his head. If it weren't for Mr. Miracle telling him that Rarity would never have liked the prince eventually, he wouldn't “match” them like this! It was just making Rarity’s wish come true. He thought.

“The second step was completed, and the next is to find Pinkie.” He put away the note and continued to take steps to the location of dance hall.

The dance hall of Royal Palace was extremely spacious, with a large group of high societies dressed in various costumes gathered here, discussing various "high-society" topics with each other - in fact, it was nothing more than weather, gossip, relatives, business, and other nutritionally meaningless words; At the forefront of the dance hall was a not very high platform, where classical bands play music seriously, but only few ponies were really listening; There were two rows of tables on both sides of hall, made of high-quality gold phoebe and covered with exquisite pink silk tablecloths. However, there were only a few glasses of panch on top, and no other snacks.

Pinkie's cheerful attire seemed so out of place, and Spike saw her sighing beside the table at a glance and quickly ran over.

“Hello, Spike,” Pinkie greeted without looking up.

“Why are you so frustrated? Didn't you say there would be a party you most wanted to attend at the gala?”

“There is a grand party on a large scale...but obviously not the kind I wanted,” Pinkie sighed deeply. “Mr. Miracle was indeed right, there are truly many types of parties.”

“I know what can cheer you up - a new party!” Spike tried to uplift her. “I know that Twilight and Princess Celestia are enjoying their time in a certain room. You can go and hold a small party for them.”

“Just two of them? I do want to...but just such few ponies…is little bit boring.”

“What if we add Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash, as well as a few other ponies?”

“Well...that won’t be a problem!” Pinkie turned sadness into joy. “Can they really come?”

Spike nodded, and Pinkie jumped up to the ceiling with joy. However, considering the gaze of surrounding ponies, she restrained herself and then prepared to go with Spike. But he had other tasks to complete.

“Wait, won't you come with me?” asked Pinkie.

“I need to check on Applejack's situation and invite Wonderbolts. You just need to organize the party.”

“But I don't know which room to go.”

“Don't worry, you can ask the other ponies in charge of the event who should have seen them. Without further ado, I have to leave!” After speaking, Spike hurriedly left the door, leaving only Pinkie with a bewildered face.

Outside the garden, Applejack was thrilled to make her first deal - Soarin, one of the members of Wonderbolts, had just bought the only apple pie she had brought.

“It seems that Mr. Miracle has also made mistakes – there are still ponies who like apples!” Applejack muttered to herself. “What a pity that I have prepared so many snacks which aren’t made of apples.”

She referred to the few items on the cart that were too small to be appreciated, just like the "delicacies" on Restaurant Row. She replicated these foods based on her memories from Uncle Orange in Manehattan; As for the taste...she couldn't remember very clearly, so she could only try her best to make them delicious.

At this moment, Spike ran over panting heavily and saw that the things on the Applejack cart were exactly as Mr. Miracle had written, which relieved him.

“Spike, what brings you here?”

“Just to take a look, how's your business?”

“Great! I sold an apple pie just one minute after setting up the stall!” And then Applejack pointed to the things that no pony wanted to eat at first glance and could only be watched. “The only problem is, I don't know if these things will sell or not.”

“Believe in Mr. Miracle, he probably won't be wrong. You can actually try selling while walking, don't be confined to one place.”

Upon hearing this, Applejack suddenly realized. “That's right! Selling in this only one place may reach less than one tenth of potential customers. I have to push my cart to another place to take a look. Thank you for the reminder, Spike.”

“No need to thank me, by the way, do you know where Rainbow Dash is?” he asked.

“Rainbow Dash?” Applejack pondered for a moment and said, “Soarin just bought an apple pie and went to the VIP area. Rainbow Dash may also be there. But you're not a VIP and don't have any invitation, so you might not be able to enter.” After saying that, she pushed the cart away.

As soon as Spike thought about it, this was indeed a tricky problem. If he had known, he should have found Rainbow Dash first...No, first it should have been Twilight and Princess Celestia, then Prince Blueblood...Yes, he shouldn't have found Pinkie first, but Rainbow Dash first.

Never mind, it was useless to dwell on this now. He needed to quickly find Wonderbolts.

And deep in the garden, Fluttershy remembered Mr. Miracle's instructions - to approach those small animals quietly. Setting aside her previous mistake of mistaking the gardener for a meadowlark, she felt that tonight would definitely become very wonderful.

It seemed that tonight, with the efforts of Spike, things would move towards the direction that Mr. Miracle had hoped for. But could it really be as everyone wishes?