Login

Like an Unexpected Song

by Donny's Boy

Chapter 5

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Chapter 5

It was the perfect plan.

At least, that was what Rarity had told her. But then, Rarity knew so much more than Pinkie did about high society and complicated interpersonal relationships and romance and stuff like that. Besides, Rarity was her friend and wanted what was best for her. So Pinkie Pie figured it was probably best to just listen to what Rarity said she ought to do.

If Pinkie was being honest, though, as honest as Applejack - or, well, as honest as Applejack on a good day - she had to admit that a few lingering doubts tickled at the back of her mind.

Pinkie sighed softly at that thought, as she carefully arranged hors d'oeuvres on a silver platter in the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner. The engagement party was tomorrow afternoon, and she wanted to get as much done the day before as possible. Because the party tomorrow, it had to be perfect, absolutely perfect.

Because the party was going to be the first time that Pinkie would see Twilight since … since not long after the wedding invitation had arrived. This was her big chance to prove that she was still Twilight's friend, that she and Twilight could still be friends, and that was essential. But when she had tried to explain all that to Rarity, the unicorn had leaned forward and asked, with those penetrating eyes of hers staring intently, "Can you honestly tell me that friendship is all you desire from Twilight Sparkle?"

Pinkie had paused at that. To even begin to go into what she wanted from Twilight, all of those thoughts and feelings and hopes and dreams, had been utterly beyond Pinkie's capabilities. It was too much. It was too intense. So all she had said in reply was, "That doesn't matter."

As Pinkie finished with the tray of hors d'oeuvres and moved on to the desserts, she heaved another sigh and said, "So then Rarity told me I should write a love letter, but I told Rarity that I wasn't so sure that was such a good idea. I mean, what if Twilight really, really loves the prince? Then wouldn't a letter from little old Pinkie Pie just make her feel all guilty and sad?" She grimaced slightly at that thought. "And parties are supposed to make ponies happy, not sad! But maybe it's okay if it's for, um, 'the greater good,' like Rarity said?"

Pinkie Pie abruptly turned to face her patiently listening audience, her eyes huge and imploring, begging them for an answer to all her problems. But over in their highchairs, Pound and Pumpkin simply giggled and blew raspberries at her in reply.

"Aww, nuts. You guys are totally right, just like you always are. I can't give the letter to Twilight." Pinkie's shoulders slumped a bit. She reached out with a hoof, sneaked a truffle off the plate in front of her, and popped it in her mouth. Chewing thoughtfully, she added, "You know what? I think I should try to be a strong, brave, loyal pony like Rainbow Dash. 'Cause Dashie always knows the right thing to do!"

Pumpkin frowned at that, while Pound cocked his head and squinted. If Pinkie didn't know better, she'd have said that they both looked a bit dubious.

Pinkie grinned with warm affection at the two foals and bounded over to deposit chocolate-flavored kisses on both their heads, earning happy gurgles from both the pegasus and unicorn. Then she headed for the opposite end of the kitchen, where a small, oak desk sat against the wall. On top of the desk sat a piece of paper which had been filled with a loopy, sloppy script that was immediately recognizable as Pinkie Pie's own mouth-writing. Pinkie quickly glanced over the letter-the one she'd written under Rarity's exacting, watchful gaze-and then gave a brisk nod. She reached down and ripped the letter right in half.

Rarity had made her write a letter to Twilight, after all, but Rarity had never made her promise to actually deliver it.

Pleased with this bit of cleverness, Pinkie brushed the torn halves of the letter into the waste bin besides the desk and trotted back over to the kitchen's counters, whistling cheerfully along the way. Soon enough she was engrossed with arranging a tray of razzleberry tarts … so engrossed that she didn't notice the light blue glow that enveloped the waste bin over by the desk or the pieces of paper that were silently levitated over to the high chairs.


It was the perfect plan.

At least, here in the dead of the night, it seemed like the perfect plan. But lots of things seemed like a good idea when Twilight had gone a certain number of hours without sleep, actually, things that later turned out to not be such good ideas after all. Twilight was reasonably confident that this was not one of those times, however. In fact, not only was Twilight reasonably confident that this was not one of those times, she was so impressed with her plan that she wondered that it had taken her this long to think up a solution to her problems.

All Twilight Sparkle had to do was to disgust and horrify Prince Blueblood so much that he wouldn't want to go through with the marriage. She figured she had a decent shot of accomplishing that if she could somehow recreate, without the aid of her magic, all of the minor disasters she'd inflicted upon Fluttershy at that one fashion show years ago. Then the wedding would be called off, and not only would it be called off but it wouldn't be her fault. After that, she'd assure her parents that it was somehow for the best, perhaps mentioning some bit of praise that Princess Celestia had given her recently - convince her parents that she was doing well in her studies, if not in love - and then she could go find Pinkie Pie and …

This was where Twilight's plan got a bit fuzzy. Mostly, all she had figured out for this part of the plan were, first, groveling, and second, begging and pleading. Not necessarily in that order.

There were still a few other minor details to work out, as well. Twilight glared down at the book that was opened in front of her. It wasn't telling her anything she hadn't read in the last five books she'd cracked open and, with a frustrated grunt, she swept her foreleg over the reading table and sent the book flying across the room. It hit the wall with a dull thud before dropping to the floor, landing atop a pile of its similarly abused brethren.

The unicorn leaned back and glanced around the library. A small candle sat burning away on the table, providing just enough light by which to read. Long, dark shadows danced around the otherwise deserted library, causing Twilight's stomach to clench in an uncomfortable sort of way. It was a silly response, she knew-shadows were just shadows-but suddenly she felt very alone and very lonely.

Her musings were cut short as she suddenly felt a pair of tiny arms wrap around her neck. "Still no luck, huh?"

She gave a little jump but calmed down after her exhaustion-addled brain finally processed the voice she was hearing. Twilight gratefully leaned into the affectionate embrace of the young dragon beside her. "Not really," she replied, sounding tired even to her own ears. "Everything I've been reading has confirmed what I suspected, that my magic loss is due to my relationship with Pinkie Pie being … being severed. But I still haven't learned what precisely I need to do to re-establish that connection."

Spike said nothing. He merely tightened his hug and buried his face in Twilight's mane.

The unicorn sighed. "She said … she said she still wanted to be my friend. Maybe that means we can … oh, Celestia, I don't even know."

Quietly Spike offered, "You could talk to your parents. You could try to make them understand, Twilight. Get them to call off the wedding."

"I … I can't, Spike. You know I can't. They'll be so disappointed. They'll never forgive me if I were to ..." Twilight shook her head. "Besides, I already have a plan for that! The wedding will be called off, believe me, but I won't be the one to do it. The part I still need to figure out, though, is exactly how to get back my magic before anyone besides you and Fluttershy realizes I've lost it."

Spike pulled back a bit, and Twilight turned to face him. He wore a broad, bright smile, a smile that cut through the darkness of the library and filled Twilight with a happiness she hadn't felt in a very long while.

"So, what kinda help do you need?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with energy and enthusiasm despite the late hour. "You just name it, and your number one assistant will make sure it gets done!"

Twilight reached out and gently patted the dragon on the head. "No, Spike, I can't ask you to do that. It's really late, and you should be in bed."

Spike frowned in reply. "I can't sleep knowing you're so upset and still trying to figure all this stuff out. Besides …" He chuckled and gave a sheepish shrug. "You throwin' books around is what kinda woke me up to begin with."

"Oh. Uh, sorry about that." She rubbed the back of her head with a hoof. "Okay, you're right. You're right. Here's what we need to do. I need to get my magic back before the party tomorrow, if at all possible, because it's getting progressively harder to hide the fact that I can't cast any spells. That's step one. Then I go to the engagement party and convince Prince Blueblood to call off the engagement. That's step two."

"What's step three?" asked Spike, leaning forward eagerly.

"Step three is to make things right with Pinkie Pie and make my parents proud that I'm a Sparkle. I'm … still working out all the details on how to execute that particular step of the plan."

Spike nodded and executed a crisp salute. "Aye, aye, captain! First Mate Spike is ready and willing to serve!"

"Great! Go grab the volume on Magical Maladies, and let's get started."

Together the dragon and his pony stayed up all night and well into the morning, combing through books and burning through candles, but not a single one of the tomes revealed the answers that Twilight sought. Not a single spell worked in the slightest, and not a single spark of magic came from Twilight's horn.


It was the perfect plan.

Rainbow Dash knew full well that, despite Fluttershy's best intentions, the yellow pegasus' gentle, hooves-off approach wasn't going to get anyone anywhere. Twilight and Pinkie were both acting completely stupid - though if being stupid was a competition, the first prize would be awarded to Twilight, without question - and it was up to Rainbow Dash to knock some sense into both of those ponies. Then they could set aside this whole engagement nonsense, Twilight would apologize to Pinkie, Pinkie would take back Twilight, and Dash's group of friends would be happy and together and whole again.

And all Rainbow had to do was set up a few little pranks.

She stood by the far wall of Sugarcube Corner and bided her time, keeping close watch on the party happening all around her. The engagement party was a loud and festive affair, which was exactly one might expect of a town as loud and festive as Ponyville was. The small bakery was festooned with streamers in lovely shades of royal purple, and the tables had been covered in pure white linens. On each and every table sat a silver platters piled high with food. A string quartet, tucked into a far corner, played quiet and soothing classical music, as the party guests mingled and chatted.

Twilight Sparkle sat at the head table along with Spike and the odious Prince Blueblood, who was flanked by the usual assortment of royal guards, as well as two rather stiff-looking unicorns who Rainbow recognized from Shining Armor's wedding as Twilight's parents. The table was mostly keeping to themselves, occasionally glaring out at the rest of the party's attendees, and the look on Twilight's face suggested that the unicorn desperately wanted to teleport to anywhere else in the entire kingdom. Also, for reasons Rainbow decided were best left unquestioned, Twilight had cake frosting smeared all over her muzzle.

Grinning sneakily, the pegasus slipped away from Fluttershy's side just as Rarity provided a suitable distraction by launching into a lengthy monologue about her upcoming spring fashion line. Dash began tiptoeing towards the punch bowl on the other side of the room. Her plan was simple - Prince Blueblood was a jerk, just like Gilda had turned out to be a jerk, and so Dash was going to show everypony just what a jerk he was. She figured Blueblood would react to some party pranks pretty much the same way Gilda had, and then Twilight and everyone else would hate him and not want Twilight to marry him anymore.

She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a bottle of hot sauce as she stealthily approached the refreshments table. After taking one last glance around, she took the cap off the hot sauce bottle and leaned forward ...

She didn't see the rope heading for her until it was already around her waist and, by then, she'd been dragged off to the kitchen of the bakery. Scowling, she wrestled with the lasso for a few moments before she was able to free herself. Then she tossed the rope aside and leapt to her hooves, glaring at the pony who'd just foiled her perfect, brilliant scheme.

"Hey! What's your problem?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack snorted and glared right back. "I saw you tryin' to sneak some hot sauce into the punch and ruin Pinkie's party!"

"Well, yeah!" replied Dash, her glare softening into a look of confusion. "There shouldn't even be a party, 'cause Twilight shouldn't even be engaged to that dumb prince. I'm just helping fix things!"

The earth pony groaned and ran a hoof over her face. "RD, there ain't nopony who's more against this wedding than I am. But if you go around messin' things up, alls it's gonna do is make everypony mad at Pinkie Pie. Not Prince Blueblood."

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to reply and then, frowning, shut it again. Applejack … had a point, much as she hated to admit it. At Pinkie's welcome party for Gilda, it had been Pinkie who had gotten the blame for the pranks, hadn't it? It had been Pinkie who Gilda had been mad at.

Letting out a frustrated grunt, Dash demanded, "Okay, well, what's your great idea, then?"

"Me? I'm gonna do exactly what I promised Pinkie that I'd do." The earth pony shook her head. "I'm gonna do my darnedest to make sure this party goes off without a hitch, and you're gonna help me."

"So … that's it? That's your answer? We just give up?"

Applejack sighed. "No. That ain't it, at all." She walked over and bumped her shoulder against the Rainbow's. With a gentle smile, she explained, "We don't give up… we trust our friends to figure out the right thing to do, and we support 'em while they're figurin' all that out."

Rainbow Dash bit her lip and considered. To tell the truth, she still thought her plan was the better idea - not to mention a lot cooler and less boring - but she wasn't entirely sure she'd be able to set up many good pranks if she had Applejack watching her like a hawk. Or a griffon. Or a meddlesome, apple-farming earth pony.

She could feel her wings droop in defeat.

"C'mon, Rainbow." After another shoulder nudge, Applejack hopped up and trotted over to the kitchen's large double sink. "I know you ain't much for just sittin' back and waitin', so why not grab some o' those dirty dishes and help me wash and dry?"

The pegasus rolled her eyes but obligingly headed over to the counter to grab the emptied platters. Reaching down, she picked up the nearest plate in her mouth, grimacing at the taste of left-over lentil bean pâté - and then she froze. Right next to the pile of dirty dishes was a sheet of paper. A sheet of paper which had been torn in half but sloppily taped back together. She recognized the writing immediately as belonging to Pinkie and, without thinking, read the very first line: "My dear Twilight ..."

She silently sucked in a breath. This wasn't meant for her to read. And yet … and yet, Applejack had been right about Dash not being the kind of pony to just sit back and wait. Perhaps something in this letter could help Dash to help her friends. Perhaps if she knew more about what was going on, she could actually do something.

It was better than washing dishes, at least.

After glancing over to Applejack to make sure the other mare wasn't looking, Rainbow Dash set the plate back down. Then, quickly and quietly, she began reading the letter on the counter.


It was the perfect plan.

Lady Star Sparkle, matriarch of the renowned Canterlot Sparkles, founder and board president of the Equestrian Educational Enhancement Foundation, mother to both the captain of the Royal Guard and the bearer of the Element of Magic, was a mare who was never without a plan. She saw today's engagement party as a superb opportunity for her daughter to get to know her fiancé a little better. She knew that she herself had felt some misgivings when she was first betrothed to Twilight's father, back when she'd been a young and foolish filly, but their marriage had lasted for decades now. Besides, marrying Blueblood would bring Twilight back to Canterlot, where her magical abilities could properly grow and flourish, and then Twilight would see. Twilight would understand. Lady Star just had to get Twilight to trust in her wisdom and to give Prince Blueblood a chance.

Unfortunately, there were three rather major hindrances to Lady Star's plan. The first was a bright pink earth pony who was trying, ever so cheerfully and with all her might, to ruin Twilight Sparkle's life.

The pony didn't seem, at first glance, to be an agent of destruction. She smiled and laughed as she pranced throughout the bakery, refilling glasses of punch and restocking food platters as she moved from table to table. If Lady Star were being brutally honest with herself, she would even have to admit that there was a certain vulgar charm to the mare. Certainly, the young earth pony had an uncanny sense for just when a glass needed to be refilled or when a table's conversation had fallen into an uncomfortable lull.

But any good feelings inspired by such displays of hostessing prowess were short-lived. All Lady Star had to do was look over at her daughter, and the anger and determination came roaring back to life. She only had to see that soft, maudlin look on Twilight's face, as the younger unicorn tracked their party hostess' every moment with her eyes, while wearing an unmistakable expression on her face that all but screamed that Twilight was infatuated with this ridiculous pink pony. Worse still, every so often, the pink pony would glance in their direction, would glance towards Twilight, with eyes every bit as soft and every bit as smitten.

This could not be allowed to continue. It would not be allowed to continue.

Twilight Sparkle had been born to greatness - had been born a Sparkle and had earned a position as the protégé to the Sun Princess herself - and greatness did not encompass backwater villages that lacked proper universities or resources for a unicorn who had the potential to become the most powerful magician in Equestrian history. Nor did greatness encompass frivolous bakers who had no larger life ambitions than to bake cupcakes and throw parties. Which was the precise reason that Lady Star had arranged for the engagement of Twilight to Prince Blueblood in the first place.

Unfortunately, Prince Blueblood was the second obstacle to Lady Star Sparkle's plan. The prince was behaving quite neglectfully towards his intended and … well, to be frank, he was behaving not at all princely. The young heir to the throne sat next to Lord Nightlight Sparkle, and the two of them chatted animatedly about whatever it was that noble stallions tended to talk about. Lady Star thought she'd heard something about croquet but, given the general noise level of the room, she couldn't be sure. This was yet another situation in which she would clearly have to take command.

She glanced over to her daughter. Twilight herself was the third and final stumbling block to Lady Star's grand plan. The younger unicorn, cake frosting still dripping off her chin, leaned over to take a sip of punch from the glass cup resting on the table. Lady Star bit back a sigh at the highly undignified display. She'd already talked to Twilight about this earlier, but Twilight had insisted that she should try partaking of the refreshments in the earth pony fashion, as Ponyville was an earth pony town. How could she properly rule as a princess, Twilight had argued with her infuriatingly unassailable logic, if she did not share in her subjects' customs?

Lady Star had not argued, as she greatly preferred her battles to be winnable, but that hadn't meant she liked it. Especially since she'd never witnessed her daughter eat quite so messily, not even as a foal who'd yet to learn even the simplest levitation spell.

Leaning over, the older mare whispered in Twilight's ear, "Dear, don't you think you should be paying more attention to your fiancé?"

Twilight gave a small jolt and turned to face Lady Star with guilty eyes, as though she'd been caught sneaking cookies out of the cookie jar. "Oh! Um, sorry." She chuckled nervously. "I guess I just figured it'd be rude to interrupt the conversation between Dad and Prince Blueblood …"

Lady Star simply stared in reply. She always knew when her daughter was fibbing, but she also knew that her daughter was far too smart to be defeated by a frontal assault. No, indeed. A sneak attack would serve her purposes much better.

With a sudden, bright smile, the noble mare called out in a clear tone, "Your Highness! I do believe Twilight was hoping to share some of her recent studies on magical alchemy with you, if you have a moment."

Both Lord Nighlight and Prince Blueblood paused, blinking as though surprised there was anyone else at the table, and turned to look at the two mares beside them. Twilight slumped down in her seat and looked for all the world as if she wanted to slide right under the table.

Careful to keep her smile firmly in place, Lady Star gave her daughter a helpful nudge. "Isn't that right, dear?"

"Er … yes?" Twilight glanced over to her mother, eyes full of uncertainty, before turning to Blueblood with a smile of her own. "If Your Highness would be interested, I'd be very happy to explain some of my latest research."

Blueblood loudly cleared his throat. "Ah, well, as … interesting … as that sounds, I am afraid that I must go … go …" His eyes darted around the room. "Go mingle with my subjects! Yes!" He gave a brisk nod and quickly stood up. Smiling weakly, he began backing away from the table. "A prince's royal duties are never finished, alas, and I must open my ears and my heart to the concerns of - "

At that moment, three things happened simultaneously.

First, still walking backwards, Prince Blueblood stumbled into the pony standing just a few feet behind him-who was, of course, that blasted pink pony. Second, the tray of desserts that the mare held between her teeth was knocked loose and went flying through the air, only to land on the prince and his finely-tailored suit. Third, Lady Star Sparkle realized that all of her hopes and dreams for her daughter were about to be utterly dashed.

For just a moment, the entire room went silent. Even the string quartet stopped playing, mid-song. A glob of chocolate silently dripped down the prince's face.

"Why, you clumsy …" Prince Blueblood looked over his shoulder with a sharp glare. "Really, this is intolerable! Guards, arrest this … this commoner!"

The young mare's eyes went wide, and she began slowly backing up as a pair of pegasi in gleaming royal armor advanced upon her. "Uh, would it be okay if instead I just said I was really, super, duper sorry? Because I'm really, super, duper sorry."

Lady Star frowned deeply. She could see the sudden spark of fear in those bright blue eyes and could feel the thrumming tension in her daughter as Twilight took a hesitant step forward. Once again, an uncomfortable and undesired sympathy for the pink pony arose from somewhere within her.

"Certainly that won't be necessary, Your Highness," interjected Lady Star, her tone as gentle and deferential as she could make it. "It was a mere accident, after all."

The two pegasus guards paused and glanced between the prince and the mare.

"Accident or no," replied Blueblood with a sniff, "the royal neckerchief has been positively ruined." His eyes cut over to the pegasi again. "Did I, or did I not, instruct you to arrest that pony?"

The armored pegasi snapped to attention. "Yes, Your Highness! Sorry, Your Highness!"

Quickly the guards closed in on the hapless little pony, and as they drew nearer, she began glancing around with a frightened, tiny smile frozen on her face. And as she glanced around, the rest of Twilight's little band of misfit friends came racing over to attempt to stop the guards, and suddenly Blueblood was yelling, and the guards were yelling, and Nightlight had a pleading hoof on Blueblood's shoulder, and Lady Star Sparkle could only stand there and watch. She could only look on with icy dread as everything spun out of control, as everything went completely and terribly wrong, and then ...

And then there was a flash of light.

There was a flash of light, blindingly white and hot as the sun, and a second later an explosion of energy ripped through the bakery with all the force of a tornado. Every single pony in the room halted immediately and then, a moment later, dropped to their knees as a booming voice thundered:

"Don't you dare touch her!"

From her own position on the floor, Lady Star glanced up between shaking hooves - and she gasped. A few feet above the floor of the bakery floated her daughter, her eyes no longer violet but a solid white so pure and so bright that it almost hurt to gaze upon them. Even from some distance away, the elder mare could feel the nearly unfathomable power radiating out from the bearer of the Element of Magic in wave after wave, as Twilight hung motionless in the air like some glorious avenging angel.

It was then that Lady Star Sparkle wondered if perhaps, just perhaps, her daughter might not be so ignorant as to the meaning of greatness as she had always thought.

Next Chapter: Chapter 6 Estimated time remaining: 0 Minutes
Return to Story Description

Login

Facebook
Login with
Facebook:
FiMFetch