Midnight Meeting (The Thunderstorm IV)

"Twilight Sparkle, we have a very big problem on our hooves. Two of your friends have relinquished their positions as holders of their respective Elements of Harmony. We must fix this before anything else goes wrong."

Princess Celestia's voice was stern, yet afraid. She was addressing Twilight Sparkle - her faithful student - who was pacing up and down the floor, sweat dripping from her cheeks. The young unicorn was exhausted. It was midnight and the ruler of all of Equestria was in her home, telling her that her group of friends was reneging on their responsibilities. Spike sat by, eyeing the two equines, fiddling with his thumbs. He also understood the severity of this situation and kept his mouth firmly shut. The Mane Six was breaking up and it was no time for sarcastic comments.

Twilight read over Rainbow Dash's letter to the Princess and then AppleJack's letter silently.

"Princess," she started, after finishing, "I don't know what to do. I have no idea where to start and even if I did know where to start, I'd -" Twilight put her hoof to her temple

and moaned. She shook her head a few times and began to pace even harder. Stomping her hoof on the wooden floor, she gritted her teeth and screamed. Noticing her student's frustration, the Princess walked over to comfort her.

"We'll get this problem solved, Twilight Sparkle," said Celestia in a soothing voice. "There's no need to act out right now. This is the time where we all need to keep our heads on our shoulders." She paused. Lifting Twilight's head up in her hoof, Princess Celestia looked into the filly's eyes. "When have you ever let me down? How could you possibly disappoint me, my faithful student?"

A small gasp broke through Twilight's mouth. Her eyes began to water. Struggling to regain herself, Twilight wiped away her tears and smiled. "You'll help me, won't you Princess?"

The Princess smiled. "Of course I will."

"But, how are we going to solve this?"

"There's a small dinner party at Canterlot Gardens in three days," replied the monarch. "It's a meeting up of some of the most influential ponies in all of Equestria; Prince Blue Blood, Fancy Pants, Mayor Neighly of Coltcago, and other extremely affluent ponies ."

"And you want us to...?" began Twilight, scrambling to find some words.

"Have fun," replied the Princess. "That's it: just bring all of your friends and have fun."

Twilight frowned a little. "Are you sure that that's going to work, Princess? I mean, I'm not trying to be rude, but we can't party away our problems. Rainbow Dash has been avoiding me since that terrible thunderstorm we had a while back and I'm afraid that there will be some tension between us."

Celestia took her hoof and stroked Twilight's mane. She lowered her head next to the unicorn filly's face. "Of all the books you've read, I'm surprised that you haven't picked up one simple truth: friendship will overcome the worst of obstacles. Hatred, anger, doubt, fear... they are all powerful at the moment they rear themselves from the abyss of a pony's heart, but strength in kindness, loyalty, generosity, honesty, laughter, and the magic of friendship will strike them down. All that is good will eventually triumph." Celestia stroked Twilight's mane again, the young unicorn looking up at her monarch with wide eyes. "I don't know how you will unite the Mane Six, my dear student; all I know is that you will. Remember, you are never alone."

The Princess spread her wings out and dashed up towards the balcony. Twilight and Spike followed behind, hoping to say a few more words before their beloved monarch rode off into the night sky. Celestia was already gone.

A few moments of silence crept by. Spike spoke up. "Twilight?"

"Yes, Spike?"

"Is it okay if I come to the party?"

Before Twilight could answer, she noticed a shimmer of gold in one of her potted plants. She walked over and pulled out a ticket. Then another. Another ticket. Twilight pulled out all of the tickets and counted them up in front of Spike...seven tickets total. Looking at the names on the tickets, Twilight smirked.

"Oooohhhh, Spike?"

Spike's eyes brightened like a ruby. "Did I get a ticket?!"

Twilight handed him his ticket. "I guess the Princess wants to give me all the help I can to solve this little fiasco."

The dragon went in and hugged the purple unicorn. "C'mon Twilight," he chirped, "I don't need a ticket to help out a friend!"

The two friends embraced for a while longer and then went off to bed to rest up for the day ahead.

Morning. The next day. AppleJack and Big Mac were hard at work in the orchards, bucking apple trees. Little Apple Bloom had a basket on her head; she was collecting the falling apples. The three ponies were soaked with salty sweat and the aroma of dirt and crisp fruit. Their legs ached and their backs burned, but still, the ponies ignored the will to quit and bucked more apples from the north fields. All of this they did, while the omnipresent eye of Granny Smith was on them like skin on bone.

AppleJack, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom continued collecting apples until noon. When the thousandth bead of sweat dripped from AJ's muzzle, the trio decided to take a break, finding little comfort in the small amount of shade that this sunny day had given them. Opening up a small wicker basket, AppleJack passed out some sandwiches and hay to her siblings, then took some for herself. Sitting under a the shade of a large apple tree, the three ponies ate in glum silence, chewing away their boredom. Sitting up abruptly, Apple Bloom noticed somepony in the distance coming towards them.

"Hey-a Twahlight!" she hollered, making AJ and Big Mac jump up. "What brings you here on this mighty hawt day?"

The unicorn smiled. "Hey Apple Bloom, AJ, Big Mac. How's everypony doing today?"

AppleJack got up and hugged her friend. "Hey sugar cube, it's a scorcher but we're gettin' along real well. Whatcha doin' out here? Come ta visit?"

Twilight Sparkle handed AppleJack her ticket. Looking down at the golden slip, AppleJack's eyes narrowed and her mouth dropped open and formed a smile. The earth pony looked back up at her friend, a smirk on her face.

"Another fancy-pants party?" She joked.

Twilight nodded. "Yup. And, since you mentioned it, Fancy Pants will be there too!"

AJ chuckled. "Ah'll bet Rarity's goin' crazy at that fact, huh? She's goin' too, aint she?"

"Yes," replied Twilight, nodding again. "I already gave her and Fluttershy their tickets. After you, I'm going to Sugar Cube Corner to give one to Pinkie, and then I have to find Rain-"

Before the unicorn could finish her sentence, AppleJack thrust her ticket back into her friend's hoof and sat back down to eat her lunch. Standing there, confused, Twilight held the ticket and looked at it, surveying the fringes and the print before speaking up again.

"AppleJack," she started, "Princess Celestia came to me last night and told me that you and, uh, 'You-Know-Who' gave up your Elements of Harmony. Why?"

"No reason," said AppleJack nonchalantly.

"It's 'cuz you ain't honest no more, I guess," muttered Apple Bloom. Her older sister turned her head and shot a mean look. Apple Bloom resumed eating her lunch.

"Well, actually I read the letter you sent Celestia," Twilight said. "I just wanted to confirm the message of it. Do you really think that you're a 'liability' to the group?"

"A lia- wut?" butted in Apple Bloom. Big Mac put one of his large hooves over her mouth and motioned for her to keep quiet and finish her meal.

Shifting her head uncomfortably, AJ cleared her throat and stood up next to Twilight. "Ah..." she cut herself off. Twilight urged her on. "Well, 'You-Know-Who and Ah, well, we sorta... Okay, she was picking on BonBon for some reason and Ah stepped in and tried ta play peace pony, and we -"

"You and Dash got into a fight?"

"Y-yes. We fought and even that didn't sober her up!"

"Rainbow Dash was drunk?" Twilight pushed back some of her mane. She trotted, starting to stress out, and then she calmed herself by breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. After exhaling, she began again.

"So, you and Rainbow got into a fight and you wrote a letter to Celestia saying that you were 'detrimental' to the Mane Six?"

"Ah figured that if Dash was gonna be in the group and we had a fallin' out, Ah should just leave." AppleJack put her head down. "Sorry, hun."

Twilight's eyebrows furrowed and she snorted. She stomped her hoof on the ground, kicking up some dirt. "Guess what, AJ? Rainbow Dash already left the group; you're the second pony to give up! Congratulations." Shoving the ticket into her friend's chest, Twilight Sparkle walked off, angrily shaking her head. She reached the gate of Sweet Apple Acres and leaned on one side, putting her hoof to her forehead. Two of the Elements of Harmony were down; two too many.

Before the unicorn filly walked off of the farm, she heard hoof steps behind her. She turned around to see AppleJack holding her ticket.

"Ah'll go," said the orange earth pony. "Ah'm not gonna be like Rainbow and give up on ya. Ah'll come witcha to the party."

A small smile worked its way onto Twilight's face and then disappeared. "Instead of focusing on 'not being like Rainbow Dash', you should just focus on 'being yourself' and come with me as my friend. I'll see you there, okay?"

Twilight Sparkle walked off while AppleJack nodded her head, slightly ashamed.

Pinkie Pie was in the alleyway behind Sugar Cube Corner. She had one hoof against the wall of the building; she was panting heavily, some sweat dried against her forehead. Blinking a few times helped to deal with the vertigo. Looking down at the smelly garbage bags gave her enough motivation to completely empty out the contents of her stomach. After all, if she didn't, how could she be thin, like Rarity? Or toned, like her friends AppleJack and Rainbow Dash? If Pinkie was to be thin like her friends, she needed to purge. She needed to eat to keep some nutrients - and to keep up the facade that she was still the same, free-spirited party pony - and she needed to purge to thin out instead of plumping up.

She placed her free hoof up to her mouth and swallowed. Opening up her mouth again, Pinkie shoved her hoof to the bag of her throat and aggravated her gag reflex. Pulling her hoof out of her mouth, the pink filly began to retch and cough. A trickle of her oats sandwich, some cupcakes, and some juice dribbled from between her teeth and tongue and landed on the garbage bags below like a viscous waterfall. Using both of her front legs, Pinkie Pie leaned up against the wall, panting, spitting out remnants of her previous meal.

"Okay," she said to herself, "okay. I can - spit - I can do this. I can keep - spit, spit - I can keep this up. Nopony has to know, nopony... Oh, Celestia. I can't - spit - I can't do this! I, I can't. There's no way that I can do this for -" Pinkie heaved and gagged. "Am I gonna have to do this for the rest of my life? Keep it a secret? Secrets don't make friends. I - spit - can't do this forever and not tell -"

"Tell who, Pinkie?" An inquisitive voice asked.

Pinkie jolted and turned to see Rainbow Dash rising out of some garbage bags. She moaned and rubbed her head with one hoof, clutching a half-empty bottle of hard liquor in another. She was covered with the grime and stench of Sugar Cube Corner's waste.

"Tell who, Pinkie?" Dash asked again. "Who can't you tell your secret to?"

"Oh," said the pink pony, "um, I was... rehearsing for a play! Yeah, I was -"

"Knock it off, Pinkie," retorted Rainbow Dash, "I know that you're lying. What's your secret?"

Opening her mouth then closing it again, Pinkie Pie reeled back a step and tried to run off, but Rainbow - despite her slightly drunken condition - flew up and over her fleeing friend, landing directly in front of her. Putting up a hoof to stop any further escape, Rainbow Dash took a swig of alcohol from her bottle and pointed it at Pinkie.

Eyes wide, the pink filly fell backwards, her rainbow-colored friend standing over her.

"Now," said Rainbow, crouching down, "what's wrong?"

"I'm..." trembled Pinkie, "I'm a -"

Rainbow lifted an eyebrow. "You're a -?"

Putting her head down, Pinkie Pie sighed and said: "I'm a fatty. I'm a plump pony."

"What? Pinkie, you're not fat! At the most, you're - well, you're fine. You look good. Quit worrying."

"Mack said I was a fat bitch," muttered Pinkie. These words were enough to sober up Dash.

"Where is this guy?" RD demanded.

Pinkie thought for a moment. "He said that he was from Los Pegasus and that he'd be in town for the week. Why?"

Rainbow Dash slammed her hooves together. "'Cause somepony is gonna get their head kicked in."

Twilight was on her way to Sugar Cube Corner to give Pinkie Pie and - hopefully - Rainbow Dash their tickets to a party at Canterlot Gardens. She was surveying the clouds in the sky, when a large crowd of ponies caught her attention. Fearing the worst, Twilight maneuvered her way into the crowd, hoping that it was not a fight between a random pony and... Rainbow Dash. Her fears were correct.

There, in the eye of the crowd of ponies, was RD throttling a random brown pegasus with punch after punch after punch. The brown pegasus pony was on the ground, nearing unconsciousness, pathetically apologizing between gasps of breath and drops of blood. Twilight stood in horror amidst a crowd that was cheering on the carnage. Lifting her eyes away from the fight, the young unicorn filly noticed another one of her friends smiling uneasily at the fight scene. It was Pinkie Pie. She was clutching her stomach with one hoof.

Instinctually, Twilight rushed over towards Rainbow Dash and pulled back one of her hooves. Turning around, Rainbow came face-to-face with one of her best friends and her angry face melted into surprise. The crowd stopped cheering and slowly started to disperse. Pinkie Pie walked over to her friends and the beaten pony - a 'Mack' by name - and stopped in front of Twilight.

"I caused this," said Pinkie. "Mack called me a 'fat bitch' after I beat him in a game of plump pony and I told Rainbow Dash about it."

"Serves you right, you piece of trash," spat Rainbow Dash into Mack's face. Mack curled up and continued his slew of apologies, this time directed at Pinkie. Pinkie assured him that it was alright and Twilight was about to commend her pink friend for doing so, but RD moved in front of the unicorn filly and pushed her back.

"What do you want?" demanded Dash in a gravelly whisper. "Huh? Didja come here ta lecture me on how big of a loser I am? On how big of a loser I've become? Huh?! Go on: tell me I'm a failure. I can take it. Hell, I've heard it my whole life and I've got thick skin from it. What? Why're starting to cry? You gonna cry, you Canterlot prude?! Say something, princess! Go on! SAY SOMETHING!"

Instead of crying, Twilight quietly handed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie their tickets. "Your invitations."

Rainbow Dash took the tickets from Twilight's hoof and studied them. She passed one over to Pinkie, who accepted it calmly.

"I'll expect you two to be there in three days. The Princess ordered it." Twilight was hoping that RD would not catch her bluff; Celestia never explicitly stated that this party was mandatory, only that Twilight should "bring all of her friends and have fun". Well, it was implied, anyway. Twilight desperately tried not to overthink what the Princess said or didn't say.

"And what if I say 'no'?" asked Rainbow.

"Then get banished to the moon then," retorted Twilight, "I don't know. It's really up to you to make your own choice and be responsible." She turned to her pink pony pal. "Pinkie, there'll be lots to do at that party, I'm sure of it. And there will be a lot to munch on: all kinds of cakes, cookies, candies, ice cream -"

"Okay," said Pinkie, cutting her off frantically. "I-I get it. I'll, uh, I'll be there... Twilight, yeah. Thanks for the ticket." Before Twilight could say 'You're welcome', Pinkie darted off towards her house.

Rainbow Dash glared at Twilight Sparkle. "So, I'm not 'responsible'?"

"I never said that," shot back Twilight, "I just said that it's your responsibility to make a choice whether or not you want to come to the party." She paused, then changed the subject. "So instead of being a holder of the Element of Loyalty, I see you've taken up another responsibility: drunken brawling."

Dash's nostrils flared. "You wanna be another challenger, Sparkle?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, but if you're really serious about getting drunk and fighting, you can come to the party; plenty of booze to drink... Oh, and AppleJack will be there, just in case you want to go another round."

The pegasus' eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared even more. She stomped her hoof on the ground. "I hate you."

Twilight, keeping her composure, replied: "You're still my friend and I want to see you happy. Please, come to the party."

Twilight began to walk back home, but then she turned back around and faced an angry Rainbow Dash. "I'm sorry for teasing you about AppleJack. I want to see you two as friends again."