It's About Time, part 4

[no_vampires_plz]

Twilight was expecting... well, she wasn't sure what she was expecting when Spike promised to lead her to 'somepony who can help.' She's pretty sure it wasn't a purple-and-gold tent in the market square with a sign out front covered in good luck charms, though. "What's this?"

"It's Madam Pinkie's place," says Spike, as though it should be obvious.

"...'Madam Pinkie'?" Twilight gives her dragon assistant a very dubious look, but he just strolls into the curtained entrance of the tent without giving her a second glance. Twilight hesitates a moment longer, then follows.

She may not be able to see the future, but somehow she already suspects that she's going to regret this.

Comments

[no_vampires_plz]

...it's probably best to just humor her.

"Uh, yeah. Best one I've seen."

[havetubawilltravel]

And, as always, Pinkie's too invested in her own fantasy world to notice that the humoring's taking place. "Look deeeeep into the crystal ball!" she encourages, gesturing dramatically toward the orb, then grasping it between her hooves and pressing her snout to the glass. "For soon, it will reveal all!"

She sits back and begins weaving her hooves through the air. "Ah yes, I see something! It is a vision of the fuuuuture!" She sits forward and peers into the glass. "I see..." Pinkie points dead ahead, "YOU, Twilight! You will get..." Both hooves stamp against the table. "A really cool birthday present next year!"

[no_vampires_plz]

Twilight doesn't realize that she's been leaning closer and closer to the orb throughout Pinkie's monologue until she almost falls forward out of her seat.

"Yes? And??"

[havetubawilltravel]

"That's it!"

[no_vampires_plz]

"Are you sure?" says Twilight, taken aback.

[havetubawilltravel]

"Yep," Pinkie says, leaning casually backwards in her chair, "cool birthday present."

[no_vampires_plz]

This is the help Spike was supposed to get?

"Pinkie!" Twilight snaps, all but leaping up onto the table. "I need your Pinkie Sense to tell me what the impending disaster is that Future Twilight was trying to warn me about!"

[havetubawilltravel]

Well, Pinkie does have some precognitive skills at her disposal. Just not the kind Twilight needs.

"Oh, my fortune telling has nothing to do with my Pinkie Sense, silly!" she continues, still casual in mood. "It's just good for vague and immediate events!"

On cue, her tail twitches, sending Pinkie vibrating upward out of her chair - and, equally as on-cue, a flowerpot falls from the ceiling and crashes onto Twilight's head.

[no_vampires_plz]

!!

Twilight definitely wasn't expecting that.

Also, ow.

[havetubawilltravel]

"Like that, see?" She frowns and glances upward. "Where did that even come from?"