Pipp took a deep breath and got her thoughts in order. Explaining one’s self on the Canternet rarely went well, but thankfully real life was more forgiving in that regard. Plus, maybe if she explained her thought process to Izzy enough times, the unicorn might return the favor one day.

“Okay. So.” Pipp began pacing around the Brighthouse’s entry hall. Moving had always helped her focus, whether by herself or in the harness. “Beauty standards in Zephyr Heights have, for many generations, basically been ‘Look like the royal family as much as possible.’ As a result, some features that didn’t show up in the royal family have been underrepresented in our media, mane textures included. As Equestria figures out what it is now that it exists as a nation again, that skewed representation is making itself known among the other tribes. This is a problem on a lot of levels.

“I get it. I really do. I’m going to do everything in my power—and when it comes to something like this, that’s a lot—to fix it. Misty walking into Mane Melody and feeling unattractive goes against everything I stand for. But just because we don’t have any posters of mares with manes like hers, that doesn’t mean you can call it ‘kinkshaming.’”

And Izzy, who’d been nodding along for most of Pipp’s speech, frowned and said, “But that’s what you were doing!”

Zipp looked up from her tablet and smirked. “No, Iz, that’s what she was doing when she caught you and Sunny in the kitchen.”

Pipp’s eye twitched as the memory came back. “We have to share that kitchen!”

“Pfft.” Izzy waved that off. “We were gonna clean up!”

“I feel like we’ve gotten off-topic,” Misty muttered, hugging a pillow to herself.

Zipp, the only pony who’d heard her, just smiled and patted her on the withers. “When Pipp admits something’s her fault, she’ll move mountains to make it right. The hard part’s over. Now we can just sit back and watch the fireworks.”

Author's Note

Sunny and Izzy were just using a week's worth of ice cream to make an irresponsibly sized sundae. Honest.