My Little Short Stories 3by TheFanficFanPonyChaptersThis World in Which We Live...The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 1The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 2The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 3The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 4Camera Shy Pt 1Camera Shy Pt 2Camera Shy Pt 3Camera Shy Pt 4Royal Pains?Camera Shy - EpilougeThis World in Which We Live...Author's Note Please note that this takes place in the FireHooves Cycle, and is not my story of Diamond Tiara's future! That's another story, literally! This World in Which We Live... This place is a paradise. At least to the outside. Everyone lives together, in harmony. There are few conflicts, and everypony trusts and respects each other. Everything is painted in bright colors, and still hurt the eyes of its creator. Its creator, me. I never meant for them to be this way. I guess I was so blinded by my desire for my own gain that I over looked the things that had happened to them. I don't deserve these wings, this position. I don't deserve their adoration. Despite what I did to them, what i might do to them, they still worship me, like some kind of god. I guess, to them, I am. I created this seemingly perfect world. Even though some of this once-grand amusement park is in ruins, unable to live in, they still persevere, push on. They remind me a little of those three fillies that haunt me to this very day. I used to tease them, bully them in ways beyond imagination. But now, looking back on them, they were some of the best friends a mare could have. We were friends, once. I had tried to fit in by bullying them, but I soon realized that I don't have to be mean to be accepted. They are now long gone, and my only confident is my royal advisor, Silver Spoon. Some times I wonder what she thinks about. She's always been my best friend, a shoulder to lean on in trouble and in joy. But now, as we grow old, she may think, too, about what we did. I guess she must have had it good. No father pushing her to be the best, not having to wonder every day who her mother is, not having an entire kingdom to rule. I guess these ponies miss me, ever since I went into hiding in this castle. The regal splendor of it is just a cover, just as the brightness of this world is a cover for the corruption that lies beneath. As I look out my window at the happiness of the ponies, I can see Silver Spoon coming up to me from the corner of my eye. "Queen Diamond?" her voice rings in my ears as I look at her. She looks at me worriedly, the concern in her voice clear. "Are you troubled, Miss Diamond?" 'I'm fine, Silvs." I tell her, using the nickname I gave her so long ago. "Are you happy?" Silver says, putting her hoof on my shoulder. "We could go to the island! That place has the pegasus ponies! You could.." "No. It's fine" I tell her. She often tells me that if i'm sad, I should just run away. I don't even think I could. Everypony would come looking for me. They are some of the most loyal subjects a Queen could wish for, and yet I long for them to go away. I'm not the most kind and caring leader ever, but I need some time to myself. But I guess I still care for them. They act so much like young children, like my own children. This world is corrupted, beneath the calm and peaceful facade. I hope the best for these ponies, I truly do. But I might not be cut out to live here.But I have to, for the good of my ponies, and for me. The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 1Author's Note This is the chapter Sunny Summer Daze from The Daffidazey Diaries, from another perspective. The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 1 "Sunny! Ride that wave!" "Woo! Check out that flank!" "Sunny! You're so awesome!" The white earth pony relished in the adoration of the stallions gathered to watch her surf. She flipped and winked at one of the colts. she wore a red spotted bikini and sandals, and her sweat made her look shiny in the sun. "Dude! She's checking you out!" one of them elbowed the stallion who Sunny Daze had winked at. He blushed, and kicked him away. Honestly, she didn't actually like any of them. Part of being famous was having a bunch of adoring fans following her around. Plus, she was so famous that Queen Diamond Tiara might come out of her castle to watch. She never came out, always sulking around. Some ponies said she only surfed to get the attention of the stallions, but the truth was she really loved surfing. The fact that all the stallions loved to watch was just a coincidence. And Sunny milked it for all it was worth. She was their godess, and they were her adoring peasants. Er, fans. She looked to the beach at the other ponies on the shoreline, waving at the fillies and adoring fans. She noticed Daffidazey and a couple of her other friends. Daffidazey was more of a frenemy to her. She surfed to the shore and trotted over to the smitten stallions, and they all crowded around her like she was a magnet and they were paper clips. She waved to Daffidazey as she told the stallions to go get her some lemonade, tagging it with a little bribe about straw sharing, witch she found tame compared to the mean slurs everypony seemed to call her. "Showing off your 'stuff' again, Sunny?" Daffy commented, a slight annoyance in her voice. She looked up at Sunny grumpily. "Oh, lighten up old timer! What's a few stallions between friends?" Sunny joked, elbowing Daffy. Apparently Daffy didn't get the joke. She gave her an annoyed look. "So, how's your hair business, bestie? I bet it's a 'cut' above average?" Sunny tried to lighten the mood. "Ha ha, very funny." Daffy grumped, looking at her with contempt. Sunny couldn't understand why Daffy hated her soooo much! She never did anything to hurt her, did, she? Daffy worked at a hair salon, for pony's sake, and everypony knows Sunny never went there! "Hey, maybe you could come surf with me sometime!" Sunny suggested, smiling. Her friend really needed to get out more. No wonder she was so small minded, closed up in that shop all day! "Who knows, maybe you'll even get a boyfriend! Um, no offfence." Sunny tried to joke, but it only seemed to make Daff even angrier. "Well, looks like your boy toys are back!!!! Hope you have a good swim!" Daff yelled angrily, stomping off in the direction of the Surf Shop. Sunny stared back at the shop in confusion as the stallions sidled up to her. Why did she have to be so mean? What did Sunny ever do to her? All she ever did was try to be friendly, and all she got was mean glaces and rude remarks. "So, how's about that straw, huh?" one of the colts said, pushing the drink over to Sunny. It's straw was covered with stallion drool already. Seriously? she thought. Just like them to take the first sip. She tenatively sipped from the straw, and the stallions all smiled. "Ok boys, you've had your fun, now go along." Sunny smiled,and the stallions trotted away, exept for one. Seaspray, her coltfriend. "Nice moves out there!" he smiled at her, pulling up a chair to the small table at which she was sitting. "Too bad about that party crasher." "Oh, hi Seaspray." Sunny smiled, looking at him. But her attention was on Daffy, that mean mane stylist. She was so mean to her, even with her kindness. Why did she hate her, and what could she be planning now? The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 2"So, Sea, you wanna go get some ice cream?" Sunny smiled at her colt friend, and he nodded. Seaspray was Ponyville's resident surfer colt, and he and Sunny had known each other since they were little foals. They both loved each other to the core, and Sunny, despite the crowd of adoring stallions following her around, was very devoted to him. Even if nopony knew it. As they peeked into the little surf shop near the beachside, Sunny saw Daffidazey and a couple of other mares, talking with many gestures. Sunn y paid them no attention, but she couldn't help but notice their seeming anger. Maybe, anger at her. They trotted to a little seaside ice cream shop, and sat down in one of the counters. "So, any new tricks, Daze?" Sea asked her as they ate their ice cream and chatted about surfer stuff. "Yeah, totally! I bet you couldn't do this flip on your surfboard!" Sunny teased him, showing him a tricky flip. "I bet I could!" he smiled. "Race ya to the beachside!" "You're on!" Sunny smiled, and the two lovers trotted to the beach, smiling and laughing with each other the whole way. "All right surfer colt, let's see it!" Sunny smiled as they grabbed their surfboards and stood in front of the raging sea. Seaspray got out to the middle of the little surf spot and got up on his surfboard. He flipped over, and fell right into the sea! "Hahahahahaha!!!" Sunny laughed, as Seaspray pulled himself back up onto the surfboard, smiling. "I guess I couldn't do it after all, babe." Sea smiled as he swam back to the shoreline, surfboard in tow. He looked at Sunny laughing, and he leaned in. "I think I got hurt during that fall, Sun." he said seductivly. "Well, let me make it all better." Sunny said. Then they kissed, and their cheeks reddend as their lips met. They both relished in it, as they both became a little shy after they pulled apart. "S-sunny. I-I think your a-a really good kisser..." Seaspray trained off, trying to find the right words to say. "Well I think you're 20% better." Sunny smiled warmly, and they trotted away from the beach side, holding hooves. "Sunny, meet ya back here at 2 o'clock for more surfing, you go do your own thing!" Seaspray smiled as the two trotted to their own favorite hangouts. Sunny trotted over to a little ice cream shop, the workplace of her best friend, Sparkleworks. "Hey, what's up Sunny!" Sparkle smiled as she set down the ice cream cup she was washing. "Oh, hi. I was just wonderin' what you were up to..." Sunny sighed. She was a little worried about if Daffidazey would be back for an awful afternoon of arguing again. "Is this about this morning's incident? I heard about the whole thing." Sparkleworks said knowingly. "Daff can sure be a real downer." "No, no... it's just... I think she told somepony else. I saw them planning in the surf shop!" Sunny cried, "They'll be all cool and torture meeee!" "Now calm down, and let's think about it. You've got a boyfriend, awesome surfing skills, and a beautiful bod. And wadda they got? Nothin' on you, Sunny!" Sparkle reassured her. "Thanks, but I don't know..." Sunny trailed off. "Here, use this." Sparkle said, hoofing over a tube of sparkly lip gloss to her. "What's this?" Sunny said. She had never seen one before. "Here, just do what I do." Sparkle said, and the two got to work. The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 3After an hour of primping, preening, and general discomfort on Sunny's part, Sparkleworks had done it. "A masterpiece if I do say so myself!" Sparkle smiled, stepping back to admire her work. The girls were in a little beach hit that had been originally rented by Sunny, but now it felt more like a second home to her. Sunny's mane was all combed out, which took patience to achieve. It shone with the glow of hairspray, and her eyelashes were long and luscious. Her lips sparkled from the sparkly lip gloss. She wore a skimpy pink and orange striped bikini, which showed generous amounts of her flank. Her hooves were coated with hoof polish, and she had on sunglasses, which, courtesy of Sparkleworks herself, her red sparkles in the yellow frames. "So this'll make them see how awesome I am?" Sunny asked worriedly as she looked at herself in the full length mirror. She gasped. She knew Sparkleworks was good with fashion, but not that good! "Push the glasses down on your nose a bit." Sparkle commented as she did a final look over her client. "But won't that make me look like an old lady?" Sunny asked. She wasn't really that knowledgeable about all this fashion stuff. "No, no, dear. It's to make you look seductive!" Sparkle tried to reassure her. "But what if they don't care!" Sunny protested. "I won't be able to surf with all this makeup on!" "You'll be fine. Don't worry!" Sparkle said, taking her friend out to the beach boardwalk. "Just watch!" Sunny tentatively stepped onto the boardwalk. She wished she was playing Ponymon right now! But Sparkle smiled and winked as if to say, 'go on!' and she felt a little more confident. Every stallion's head turned as Sunny trotted down the beach boardwalk. Ponies offered to share their cake with her, and one stallion was even fanning her with a giant palm leaf. Sunny looked around, surprised. It seemed that every boy on the boardwalk was at her beck and call. She shooed away the stallions as she looked into her surf shop to see what was up in there. Daffidazey and two other mares were fluffing around, trying on bikinis, putting on makeup, and styling each others manes. They looked like a bunch of fillies at a sleepover. She looked away. They were probably just doing frilly filly stuff like they do all the time. She ran out to the beach and was about to get on her surfboard when Sparkleworks trotted up to her. "Wait! You'll mess up your makeup if you go in!" Sparkle warned. Sunny sighed and retreated to her beach blanket, sensing the futility of resisting. As she plopped down on her beach blanket and opened up a book. As soon as she did, colts rush to her side. She had to admit, it was nice. Seaspray trotted up to her, looking at her with a surprised glance. "Wow, Sunny... I've never seen you like this before." he said, pulling her book down with his hoof. "Yeah, Sparkle did me up like this..." Sunny said nervously. "Well... I love it! Too bad you can't surf though." Seaspray said kindly. He was about to sit down on the blanket next to Sun when a voice called out to them. Or rather, the colts. "Hey there, boys!" a mare called out. "Wanna hang out with some real mares?" "Wha...?" Sunny gasped, turning around to see three of the most beautiful mares on the beach waving at the colts teasingly. There were her two assistants, Beach Belle and Sapphire Shores. And then there was Daffidazey. Daffidazey, out for revenge. Daffidazey, looking really pretty. Daffidazey, without her glasses on. The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 4Sunny couldn't believe her eyes. Daffidazey might be a nice looking mare, but more in a mature, grown up kind of way, like Kimono. But now, she looked like a full-blown beach babe. All of the colts galloped over to the three mares, including Seaspray! Seaspray was her boyfriend! Ooh, those mares! Sunny thought angrily, turning her head to spy on the greedy mares. "Hey there, little fillies!" Seaspray greeted them. "Looks like you could use some company..." "Sure!" Daffy smiled, sidling in next to him. Sunny couldn't notice it, but he had a slightly uncomfortable look on his face. "Want us to get you girls anything?" Bay Breeze, another one of the stallions, smiled. "I've never seen you three hotties before!" Beachcomber, another stallion, joked. "Are you new to Ponyville?" The three colts soon were fawning over the girls, laying out beach towels and bringing them lemonade. Sunny couldn't believe it! Daffidazey had out right stolen her coltfriend right from under her hooves! How could anypony do that to her? However, one thing did seem to cheer her up. Daffy kept falling on her face! It might have been a little funny if it weren't for the fact that Seaspray caught her every single time! Grrrr... Daffy looked over at Sunny, who buried her muzzle in her book. Sunny didn't want to admit it, but she saw a bit of worry in Daffy's eyes. "Hey, I have an idea! Let's go surf!" Beachcomber yelled out, looking at the others excitedly. Daffy galloped up to Sunny, who tried to ignore the thieving mare. "Hey Sunny, wanna come ride the waves with us?" Daffy said, making Sunny even more angry. Sunny betted that she knew of Sparkle's warning. "Oh, no. You go enjoy yourself, Daffs." Sunny grumbled, burying her face in her book. "I'll probably get in her way..." she mumbled. "Oh, OK, Sunny." Daffy said, trotting off to join her 'friends' on the shoreline. They all surfed out to the sea, showing off with tricks. Bay Breeze held Beach Belle aloft on his board. Sapphire mimicked her, then did a handstand on Beachcomber's hoof as well. Seaspray looked at Daffy, waiting for her to do the same. Why was he waiting at all? Sunny thought angrily, wanting Daffy to just fall right into the ocean. Daffidazey got up on Seaspray's hoof, stretching out her hooves, when: Splash! Daffy fell into the water, flailing her hooves around and calling out for help. It didn't help that she didn't have her glasses in either. Sunny gasped. She didn't mean that literally! She got on her board as fast as she could, not worrying about her make up and rushing out to save her... acquaintance. She got out to the spot were Daffy had fallen in, and scooped her up onto her board. "Sunny?!?" Daffy sputtered, coughing out water. Sunny could see clear gratitude in her eyes. As Sunny rode back to shore, makeup mussed and hair tangled with seaweed, everypony rushed to the shore. "Daffy, you ok?" the girls raced to Daff's side. They instantly tried to comfort her. Seaspray trotted over to Sunny, concerned. "You Ok, babe?" "Yeah, I'm fine. Can't say the same for my makeup, though." Sunny giggled. But then she became serious. "Why did you hang out with that mare? She had you around her little hoof!" "Oh, no, Sunny! I didn't mean it like that! I just wanted to make the newbie feel welcome, 's all!" Seaspray explained. "Oh, you know I forgive you." Sunny smiled. "Wanna go get some ice cream at the shop?" Seaspray asked Sunny, who nodded. As they trotted away, Sunny looked back at Daffy. Daffy looked pretty angry, but she sort of deserved it. After all, she couldn't just steal some pony's boyfriend like that. Still, she felt a little bad for her... "Sunny, you ok?" Seaspray asked again, noticing Sunny's distraction. "I'm fine." she smiled. They trotted off together into the sunset, and Sunny felt altogether relieved. Life was back to normal again. And after she ate ice cream with Seaspray, she could go home and play Ponymon. Sunny looked at Seaspray warmly, leaned in, and kissed him as the sun set over the horizon. Author's Note End of The Sunny Sea's Spray story arc! Camera Shy Pt 1A light lavender pony flew quickly through the forest, black cloak flying behind her. She darted from tree to tree, her wings barely noticeable under her cape. She peeked between the leaves of a tree, her big purple eyes barely visible as she looked down on the elegant purple mare down below. I've got her now, the pegasus thought, smiling. She can't escape this time. She pulled out a black object from her saddlebags, and... FLASH! The camera snapped as the purple mare was leaning down to sniff a flower. As the lithe lavender mare pulled back, the dark purple pony looked back, as if she sensed the pony 'spying' on her, but turned back and continued on her way. Fluttershy, you've done it again, the spy thought, looking at the camera in satisfaction. The picture was beautiful, just the right place. Well, of course it would be, she laughed to herself, I am the best photographer in these unnamed forests on the outskirts of Ponyville. But she had to keep hidden. If anypony found out that a pegasus pony was living outside of Butterfly Island, ponies would start to begin to become racist. Not that they already weren't. They kinda were. They had all three pony 'races' separate, as if to not mix with one another. Fluttershy herself was, well, shy. She almost always wore a black cloak to hide herself, darting between trees in the forest where she lived with the animals. She wasn't as good with animals as her ancestor, but they were amazing companions and protectors in this forest. Sometimes she would venture into Ponyville, careful to keep her wings hidden as she trotted down the dirt roads. The only ponies in Ponyville who knew that she secretly took pictures of ponies in secret, which she took for sheer love of photography, were Razzaroo, whom she sold her photos to for her birthday book, and Piccolo, the equally shy owner of the photography shop there. Fluttershy flew out from the tree's leaves, humming a little tune. A Breezie flew over to her, wings fluttering nervously. "What is it, Flutters?" Lady Slipper chirped, flying onto Fluttershy's shoulder. "W-well, you know Piccolo?" Fluttershy stammered to the little purple Breezie as she trotted through the forest, going nowhere in particular. "Yeah? That shy guy who's voice is as quiet as the instrument he's named after?" Lady Slipper asked, flying in a circle around Fluttershy's head. Fluttershy nodded. "Yeah, him. I want him to notice me outside of my shopping. But that's beside the point." Flutters shook her head to clear her mind. "I've heard that he needs somepony to be a photographer for the Ponyville Express!" "Great! But how're you gonna get that job if yer too shy to even be in yer own pictures?" the Breezie with the southern accent asked, pulling the hood of Fluttershy's cape off of her head. The motherly Breezie had been a gift from her animal-loving ancestor, whom she was named after. "I-I don't know." Shy whispered, dragging her hoof across the ground. She looked at the Breezie with worrifull eyes. "Fluttershah, if ya really wanna do it, ya gotta go for it!" Lady chirped, flying down to Fluttershy's face and pumping her fist. "I-I guess I could. But how will I get into town without anypony seeing my wings?" Fluttershy asked. "Flutters, ya got a cloak." Lady sighed. "Ok then!" Fluttershy tried to be brave. "L-let's go to Ponyville!" •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• A blue stallion shook his head, coughing. His short pink mane flew around as he waved away the dust with his hooves. Piccolo was cleaning up his photography shop for the morning. He dusted off a shelf as he pulled a picture frame off of the shelf. As he set a camera onto the shelf, he looked at the picture through his shiny glasses. The light lavender mare was hard to get a photo of, but since he was so quiet, he could do it. As he looked at the picture of the beautiful mare, he straitened his bow tie nervously. I could never tell her, he thought, not yet. Maybe she'll ask, he thought. But probably not. Camera Shy Pt 2Fluttershy nervously trotted into town, looking at all of the shops and buildings. Lady Slipper peeked her head out of her saddlebag. "Now, do you remember to keep your wings hidden? You know what Ponyville ponies will do if they see a pegasus in Ponyville." the little Breezie asked, and Fluttershy nodded. She kept looking down every now and then, even though it was very early in the morning and most ponies were still sleeping. She trotted into a small photography shop, a shop she knew well. Picture Perfect was the best place in Ponyville to buy photography supplies in Ponyville. And the only place. "P-piccolo?" Fluttershy stammered as the blue stallion peeked up from underneath the counter. He had been fussing with something, but Fluttershy couldn't tell exactly what. "Oh, F-Fluttershy, it's you." Piccolo smiled, looking at the cloaked mare. He trotted out from behind the counter and looked at her saddlebag, which was bouncing around furiously. A little lavender Breezie flew out of the bulging bag, stretching its wings and glaring at Fluttershy. "Ya do realize that ah cain't breath too well in there...." she trailed off, looking at the two ponies smiling and staring at each other like complete idiots. "Stop starin' and jus' buy somethin', girl!" "O-oh, I didn't mean too..." Fluttershy stammered, both her and Piccolo blushing profusely. Lady Slipper folded her arms and flew over to land on Fluttershy's shoulder. "So, what brings you here, Fluttershy?" Piccolo asked, trying to be less awkward. "O-oh, nothing. I just came here to..." Fluttershy searched for the right words. "To be more... social." "Oh..." Piccolo said and... was that disappointment Fluttershy saw in his eyes? She shook her head to keep herself from staring, and backed up shyly. "I'd b-better go. I need to... meet other ponies." Fluttershy smiled nervously, turning and allowing Lady Slipper out before herself. She looked at Piccolo and smiled. Piccolo smiled back, and she knew she'd be back. She trotted out after her Breezie friend, and trotted to the first building she saw, a little hair salon with a flower design on top. As she trotted in, she saw lots of mane styling gadgets. Mares chatted underneath hair dryers, ponies got their manes cut, and some ponies were just talking together. This was definitely the social center of town. "H-hello?" Fluttershy whispered, trying to find the owner of this hectic place. Lady Slipper had to keep flying around to avoid being hit by ponies milling around. "Oh, hello! I didn't see you there!" a beautiful white mare chirped, trotting over to Fluttershy and putting some oddly familiar red glasses on. Fluttershy backed up slowly as the mare trotted up to her, inspecting her mane. "Hmm... I see, split ends, oh, look at this!" the mare muttered, pulling on Fluttershy's mane and getting uncomfortably close to poor Flutters. "Umm, it's..." Fluttershy tried to break out, but the salon mare's iron grip wouldn't let her go. She was whisked into a salon chair and no later was the salon maniac cutting at Fluttershy's mane with intense concentration. "Umm, I don't really want my mane cut, miss..." Fluttershy tried to tell the crazy mane-cutting mare. "Daffidazey, darlin'. And what do you mean, you don't want your mane cut, everypony does!" the white mare said, pulling sticks out of Fluttershy's tail. Almost as abruptly as it had began, Daffy whipped her out of the chair and put her in front of a mirror. Luckily, Daffy hasn't removed Flutters' cape, and she shook the mane clippings loose from her. Her mane was all combed out, and so was her tail. Daffy smiled at Flutters, who simply stood there, staring. A cyan mare trotted up to Fluttershy, looking at her. "You'd look better if you took that cloak off, darling." "Oh, no, I couldn't. I'm just gonna go here..." Fluttershy stammered before running out, Lady Slipper rushing behind her. Fluttershy couldn't let the other ponies see her wings. Most Pegasi stayed on Butterfly Island, and seeing one in Ponyville, she couldn't even think about what they would do to her. She couldn't reveal them. Not yet. Camera Shy Pt 3After Fluttershy's close call at the mane salon, she tried to search for someplace with a little less... hubbub. Lady Slipper looked at Fluttershy, glaring. "What?" Fluttershy looked at her angry Breezie friend worriedly. "What did ya run out of there for?" Lady Slipper yelled, causing Fluttershy to cower in submission. "I c-couldn't let them see my wings. I just... couldn't." Fluttershy tried to explain, stammering. "Oh-Kay." Lady Slipper sighed, "I got ya." Fluttershy trotted into a small, slightly empty cafe. The quiet was a welcome change to the craziness of the salon. "Hi there!" a little white unicorn smiled, waving frantically from behind a counter containing many different kinds of candies. "Hello, miss." Fluttershy said timidly. "Oh my, do you run that little juice bar too?" Fluttershy added, pointing to a juice bar with many juice fountains and stacks of cups behind and on it. "Well, my name's Sweetie-Bell, and yesseree-boo I sure do!" the energetic filly chirped. Fluttershy smiled at the fact that a unicorn lived in Ponyville without having to hide, but still... she couldn't risk it. "So, what's your name?" Sweetie smiled as she used her magic to operate the soda machines; combining all of the possible flavors and then taking a sip. She slid onto the bar counter and looked over at Fluttershy, who suddenly pulled out her camera and... *snap*! "Uh, sorry about that. M-my name's Fluttershy. Why isn't anypony around?" Fluttershy asked, not that she minded. "Oh, my sister Cotton Candy and her friends are at the Petal Parlor!" Sweetie smiled. "So, they're c-coming back soon?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. "Truth-Cabooth! If I'm guessing right, they she come in right... about... NOW!!!" Sweetie suddenly shouted, flying up into the air. Just as Sweetie yelled, a crowd of giggling mares rushed into the shop, ignoring the fact that Fluttershy was standing in the middle of the shop and leaving the poor pegasus completely flustered. Sweetie-Bell instantly rushed over to the candy counter and began hoofing out candy with amazing speed. After she finished giving out orders, she instantly rushed to Fluttershy's side. "This is my crazy daisy far awaysie sister and her bestie-westies." Sweetie whispered, grabbing Fluttershy's shoulder and making and grand sweeping gesture with her hoof. "O-ok..." Fluttershy stammered, becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Meanwhile, her sarcastic Breezie caretaker was flitting around, taking in the crazy scene. Just then, Sweetie's tail began to twitch furiously, and the room grew eerily silent. Sweetie's tail shook harder and harder, and suddenly a milkshake landed on Fluttershy's head and spilled all over her. Fluttershy looked confusedly at all of the ponies laughing. She tried to ignore it, taking the milkshake glass off of her head and looking suspiciously at Sweetie. "What?" Sweetie smiled, her tail still, looking at the slightly angry mare. "What was that?" Fluttershy asked the filly as the room returned to the usual buzz of conversation. "Oh, that was my Sweetie Sense! See, Pinkie Pie is my cousin, but I guess I'm the only one who inherited the 'sense'!" Sweetie explained, so quickly that Fluttershy could barely keep up. "Wh-what does it do?" Fluttershy asked, but not before snapping a picture of the juice bar. "Well, I get different little, tingly feelings, and they mean different things! Like, if my tail starts twitchin', something's gonna fall!" Sweetie explained. "Okay..." Fluttershy tried to keep up with the chatty filly. She had once heard that Pinkie Pie's ancestor had a similar power, but Sweetie must have been the only one to inherent it. Pinkie herself had another power entirely; Fluttershy had learned this through her obsession with photo-taking. The mysterious and elusive Pinkie Squink (an odd and childish name for said power) could project visions of the future straight from Pinkie's eyes. As Sweetie-Bell trotted back over to the candy counter, a cyan mare that Fluttershy vaguely recognized trotted in, wearing a brightly colored dress that made her shield her eyes. "Darling, whatever happened to your cloak?" the mare said worriedly, trotting up to Flutters. "And such a drab color! You know, I could make you a rainbow colored one, darling!" Before Fluttershy could react, the fashionista mare whipped off her cloak. Everypony turned as she looked around helplessly. All the ponies were looking at her. Looking at her wings. She couldn't bear it. She trotted out as fast as she could, covering her face with her wings. Lady Slipper looked nervously at the fleeing pegasus. The other ponies didn't seem to notice Fluttershy's wings, but they did seem to notice her disappearance. As the the broke into nervous chatter, Lady Slipper's flew out a nearby window. Sweetie-Bell watched concernedly, then was got with realization: Fluttershy was running into the Everfree Forest! Camera Shy Pt 4Fluttershy trotted as fast as she could, constantly looking back, her hooves clammy and sweat rolling down her forehead. The dark Everfree forest was a place nopony dared venture anymore. It was overgrown by vines, weeds, and a mysterious purple sludge. There was a story about a haven in the center of this toxic wasteland, but nopony had gone to prove it. Fluttershy knew that she could've gone into the forest nearer to Ponyville that she had been in earlier, that it was a much safer choice. She carefully flew around the overgrown vines, camera bumping against her chest. She finally settled in an abandoned tree-hole, sat down, and began to cry. As she wept, animals of all kinds began to crowd around her in concern. Being a descendant of the now-legendary couple, old Fluttershy and Discord, she could understand the language of animals, as well as having a special connection with them. She took out her camera and looked at the picture she has taken of Sweetie Belle. It was a perfectly timed shot, Sweetie perched on the soda bar counter, sipping her drink. She had her legs crossed, looking at the camera as if taken by surprise. It lulled the young pegasus to know that she could still take pictures under stress. It was amazing to her that a unicorn could live in Ponyville. She had heard many a tale about the discriminatory ponies of the town, but the unicorn lived without fear. Little did Fluttershy know, the very unicorn she was thinking of was rushing to find her. But Sweetie wasn't the only one. "Come on, y'all! She went this way!" Lady Slipper led the little unicorn and the light blue stallion who had tagged along toward the forest. She flitted around impatiently as Sweetie and Picollo raced after her. "I-I hope she's ok..." Picollo whispered to himself, lagging behind as the group reached the edge of the forest. "Ok, I'll go in!" Sweetie Belle chirped, "You stay here while I go lookie!" "Uh..." Picollo and Lady barely had time to register what the bouncing blank-flank was saying, nodding hesitantly. Sweetie zoomed off into the Dorset, charging through trees and vines, when a small brown rabbit stopped her in her tracks. "Hiya, bunny!" Sweetie smiled. "Did you see a pretty pink pegasus fly through here?" The rabbit nodded (did it understand me?, Sweetie thought) and Sweetie followed it to where Fluttershy sat, animals crowded around her, sobbing quietly. "What's wrong, Fluttershy-Bo-Butterfly?" Sweetie asked concernedly, as Flutters raised her head slowly. "Oh, hi, Sweetie Belle." Fluttershy said, looking sadly at the young unicorn. "And what's wrong is my wings!" "What?" Sweetie cocked her head to the side, not understanding. "Oh, Sweetie. How will I ever be able to face them again, now that they know that I'm a pegasus?" Flutters sobbed, Sweetie taking in the complaints. "It's not that bad. If you just be nice and show them how awesome you really are, they'll accept you!" Sweetie reassured her despairing friend. "A-are you sure?" Fluttershy looked up cautiously. "Absolutie-tootlie!" Sweetie smiled. Suddenly, Sweetie was pushed forward by a small purple Breezie and a tall stallion, who crashed into her. "Hey, what wazzat for?" Sweetie looked up to see Lady Slippee and Picollo reeling back from the impact. Picollo looked at Fluttershy bashfully, blushing. "H-hey, Fluttershy." Flutters looked up at him, smiling. "Hi... Thanks for coming to check on me." She stood up as a tousled Lady Slipper landed on her shoulder. "It was Sweetie Belle's idea." Picollo admitted sheepishly. "We were going to stay out there, but we just got nervous and rushed to find you." he continued, the little Breezie nodding in agreement. "Thanks anyway." Fluttershy stood up. "We should probably get out of this crazy forest." Picollo, Lady Slipper, and Sweetie Belle nodded, and the four friends made their way toward Ponyville. As the three ponies and the Breezie arrived in town, they were met with a crowd of concerned ponies, mobbing them with questions. "Are you OK?" "Darling, did you hurt yourself?" "Didya see any MONSTERS?" "Ponies, calm down!" a nasally voice rose above the crowd, silencing them. An all-pink pony made her way to the front of the crowd, which backed away to give the travelers some breathing room. "Hello!" she nodded to the four ponies. "Sweetie Belle, Picollo, who are your new friends?" "Hiya, Pinkie-Bo-Binkie! This is Fluttershy, and the Breezie is Lady Slipper!" Sweetie practically shouted at Pinkie, gesturing wildly to Fluttershy and her Breezie. "Ok..." Pinkie said, overwhelmed by the sugary filly's boundless energy. "Welcome, Fluttershy! We do hope we can make you feel extra special here in Ponyville!" "Sweetie Belle!" Suddenly, two fillies rushed to the front of the crowd and embraced Sweetie happily. "We wondered where ya went!" a little yellow earth pony with a green bow in her red and purple mane hopped up and down excitedly. "Who's the new gal?" an orange pegasus with a magenta and purple mane pointed a hoof at Fluttershy. "Did you listen to ANYTHING I just said?" Pinkie quipped sarcastically. "Nope!" the little pegasus chirped, Pinkie face-hoofing. "Scootaloo, this is Fluttershah." the earth filly told her friend calmly. "Hi, miss! Ah'm Apple Spice!" "And I'm Scootaloo!" The young pegasus flitted. Then the three fillies crouched on the ground, in an odd formation. "Earth pony!" Apple Spice jumped up, shouting. "Pegasus!" Scootaloo then jumped up as well. This must be some sort of a club motto, Fluttershy thought. "Unicorn!" Sweetie finished, jumping up as well. "Together, we are the new order of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" the three all shouted together. "Oh, very good!" Fluttershy smiled, noticing that the three foals were indeed blank flanks. "Well, you are all very nice ponies." Flutters then addressed the crowd. "Thank you! And you came just in time for the Spring Promanade!" Pinkie announced, and the crowd broke into laughter for no apparent reason. "Come on, ponies!" Pinkie smiled. "Let the Promanade begin!" Royal Pains?The sun was rising on the deserts of Saddle Arabia, glinting off the majestic royal palace walls. A light blue stallion dressed in traditional garb trotted slowly down the hallways, looking at the sunrise calmly, when he was suddenly shoved into by an orange blur. "Wazier Night Star!" a small orange colt with a short pink and yellow mane smiled, sitting on top of the royal vizier's chest happily. The little prince wore a dark green neckerchief and goggles on top of his head, as opposed to on his eyes. "What're ya doing here?" "Well, I was going to go get some breakfast..." Night Star sighed, as the energetic colt's little pink tail wagged like a dog's. "Wow, you just woke up? I've been up for 3 hours!" Prince Fire smiled, as Night got up and dusted himself off, a little annoyed by the little colt's antics. However, since he lived with the foal and his sister, he was used to these kinds of shenanigans. Night Star continued down the hallway, his protege jumping up and down next to him, when another little foal approached, wearing regal garb. "Hello, fair brother, and wazier Night Star." "Heya sis!" Fire smiled, his sister nodding both to him and to Night Star respectfully. "Hello, Princess Flame. I see you are awake. We were just heading down to the banquet hall for breakfast." Night smiled. While Prince Fire was practically bursting with energy, his sister was his polar opposite. "Yeah!" Fire added, bouncing up to his sister. "I'm gonna eat 1 million pancakes!" "Ah, yes." Night Star sighed less-than-happily as the three ponies made their way toward the dining hall, where elaborate plates of food were st up for both the prince and princess. He would eat later, as he was never very hungry in the mornings anyway. Fire bounded up to the table happily, while Flame seemed to walk slowly and regally. Night Star watched the twins eat, Fire scarfing down his food and Flame taking small, delicate bites. However, due to the excessive amount of food that Fire ate, the two finished at around the same time. Now came the hardest part of the day: royal meetings. As the only living members of the royal family, Fire and Flame had to take care of all of the royal duties brought upon them. And that included settling matters that would not normally be addressed by foals of their age. "It wasn't fair!" a white pony with a light blue, pink, and yellow mane complained. "Those two con ponies sold me a fake diamond ring!" "Now, now," a yellow, taller mare with a bright pink mane said coyly, "we didn't tell you it wasn't real-" "-and so we weren't lying to you at all." her sister, a light pink mare with a whitish-pink mane finished. The two sisters were Trixiebelle and Moonshine, a duo that had caused more harm than good in their days as salesponies. "That's not true!" Eve, the other pony, stomped her hoof angrily. "That's the same thing!" "Uh, well..." Prince Fire said nervously. "Maybe we could give- no, that won't work..." For the first time that day, Fire seemed unsure. The two sister salesponies stepped closer to the young royals. "Maybe we should sing another song?" Trixiebelle smiled. "No, that's quite all right." Flame cut in, holding up a hoof to silence the ponies. "Fire, what is your opinion on the matter?" Fire twitched in his seat, trying not to crack under the pressure upon him. He began to sweat nervously, and his sister trotted over to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. Night Star watched the goings-on with interest. He didn't want to intervene, but he was still a bit on edge. How could the crazy colt and his robotic sister handle a situation like this? But he stood back as the two foals began to talk quietly. Or, at least Flame was. "I don't know!" Fire shouted, falling over forwards dramatically onto his chubby belly. His sister tried to calm the stressed colt down, while the sisters exchanged a glance and stifled laughs. Eve simply stared at them with confusion. The diamond ring seemed a lot less important now. "Hush, hush now." Flame said soothingly, turning to the two con mares. "You two are charged guilty of forgery, and will have to give Eve a real diamond ring, verified by myself." Trixiebelle and Moonshine looked at each other and frowned. "But, surely you could reconsider?" Trixiebelle stepped forward nervously, her sister nodding vigorously. "Nooooooo!" Fire bawled, finally cracking completely under the pressure. "No! Let's jus' be done with this!" Night Star sighed in annoyance at the colt's whining. This was a daily occurrence, and Night was used to it, but it still managed to annoy him every day. He trotted over to the siblings, finally intervening in their situation. "Trixiebelle, Moonshine, both of you can go home-" The two mares suddenly charged toward the door, but were blocked by the guards. "-but not before giving Eve her due payment." The two mare sighed in defeat, grudgingly hoofing over the payment (but not before the money was checked over by Night) and trotting out the door. Night sighed once again in exasperation as Fire wailed and Flame looked nervously at him, not sure what to do anymore. "All right, now." Night said, exasperated. It was night by now, as the sun set across the horizon. He allowed Prince Fire to climb atop his back, and Flame gave a drowsy yawn. The ponies made their way toward the rooms once more, and soon Fire was asleep on top of his back, Flame barely awake anymore. Night watched as Flame crawled into her bed, and he carefully set Flame down onto the bed opposite his sister's. Night went back to his own bedroom and sighed once more. He had heard that a few mares from Bright Valley were coming next week. That was going to be one long week, he just knew it... Camera Shy - Epilouge"Happy spring!" Fluttershy smiled from the top of a flower-covered float. She wore a cute, frilly blue dress that made her feel like a princess, and a matching crown adorned her mane. As she cheerfully threw petals, she thought about just how welcoming the townsponies were. She needn't have worried about her wings: it turned out that 2 other Pegasi lived in the town, Star Song and Scootaloo! The parade float she rode on soon reached the end of the crowd of ponies, slowly coming to a stop. A hoof reached out to her, and she took it as the pony helped her off. "Thank you... Picollo?" Flutters smiled at the sight of the shy stallion, dressed in a tux and blushing. "Hey, Fluttershy." Picollo smiled nervously. As the parade came to an end, Fiesta Flair and her band got up on the stage and began to play wildly. Ponies began to dance in cheerful celebration. Picollo then took Fluttershy's hoof once again and began to dance with her. The pair danced together, spinning happily to the music. The New Order of the CMC jumped around cheerfully, and Lady Alipper flew over everypony, dancing in the clouds. High up in the Friendship Gardens, a butter yellow pegasus and a dragonequus sat on a cloud, looking down warmly at their great-great-great-great granddaughter. The Harmony Bearer and her husband looked happily at each other. "Told you she'd come out of her shell." Fluttershy told Discord, smiling. "I knew she would, dear. Just like you did." Discord winked, and the pair watched as their defendant and Picollo began to waltz throughout the evening and night.
This World in Which We Live...Author's Note Please note that this takes place in the FireHooves Cycle, and is not my story of Diamond Tiara's future! That's another story, literally! This World in Which We Live... This place is a paradise. At least to the outside. Everyone lives together, in harmony. There are few conflicts, and everypony trusts and respects each other. Everything is painted in bright colors, and still hurt the eyes of its creator. Its creator, me. I never meant for them to be this way. I guess I was so blinded by my desire for my own gain that I over looked the things that had happened to them. I don't deserve these wings, this position. I don't deserve their adoration. Despite what I did to them, what i might do to them, they still worship me, like some kind of god. I guess, to them, I am. I created this seemingly perfect world. Even though some of this once-grand amusement park is in ruins, unable to live in, they still persevere, push on. They remind me a little of those three fillies that haunt me to this very day. I used to tease them, bully them in ways beyond imagination. But now, looking back on them, they were some of the best friends a mare could have. We were friends, once. I had tried to fit in by bullying them, but I soon realized that I don't have to be mean to be accepted. They are now long gone, and my only confident is my royal advisor, Silver Spoon. Some times I wonder what she thinks about. She's always been my best friend, a shoulder to lean on in trouble and in joy. But now, as we grow old, she may think, too, about what we did. I guess she must have had it good. No father pushing her to be the best, not having to wonder every day who her mother is, not having an entire kingdom to rule. I guess these ponies miss me, ever since I went into hiding in this castle. The regal splendor of it is just a cover, just as the brightness of this world is a cover for the corruption that lies beneath. As I look out my window at the happiness of the ponies, I can see Silver Spoon coming up to me from the corner of my eye. "Queen Diamond?" her voice rings in my ears as I look at her. She looks at me worriedly, the concern in her voice clear. "Are you troubled, Miss Diamond?" 'I'm fine, Silvs." I tell her, using the nickname I gave her so long ago. "Are you happy?" Silver says, putting her hoof on my shoulder. "We could go to the island! That place has the pegasus ponies! You could.." "No. It's fine" I tell her. She often tells me that if i'm sad, I should just run away. I don't even think I could. Everypony would come looking for me. They are some of the most loyal subjects a Queen could wish for, and yet I long for them to go away. I'm not the most kind and caring leader ever, but I need some time to myself. But I guess I still care for them. They act so much like young children, like my own children. This world is corrupted, beneath the calm and peaceful facade. I hope the best for these ponies, I truly do. But I might not be cut out to live here.But I have to, for the good of my ponies, and for me.
The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 1Author's Note This is the chapter Sunny Summer Daze from The Daffidazey Diaries, from another perspective. The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 1 "Sunny! Ride that wave!" "Woo! Check out that flank!" "Sunny! You're so awesome!" The white earth pony relished in the adoration of the stallions gathered to watch her surf. She flipped and winked at one of the colts. she wore a red spotted bikini and sandals, and her sweat made her look shiny in the sun. "Dude! She's checking you out!" one of them elbowed the stallion who Sunny Daze had winked at. He blushed, and kicked him away. Honestly, she didn't actually like any of them. Part of being famous was having a bunch of adoring fans following her around. Plus, she was so famous that Queen Diamond Tiara might come out of her castle to watch. She never came out, always sulking around. Some ponies said she only surfed to get the attention of the stallions, but the truth was she really loved surfing. The fact that all the stallions loved to watch was just a coincidence. And Sunny milked it for all it was worth. She was their godess, and they were her adoring peasants. Er, fans. She looked to the beach at the other ponies on the shoreline, waving at the fillies and adoring fans. She noticed Daffidazey and a couple of her other friends. Daffidazey was more of a frenemy to her. She surfed to the shore and trotted over to the smitten stallions, and they all crowded around her like she was a magnet and they were paper clips. She waved to Daffidazey as she told the stallions to go get her some lemonade, tagging it with a little bribe about straw sharing, witch she found tame compared to the mean slurs everypony seemed to call her. "Showing off your 'stuff' again, Sunny?" Daffy commented, a slight annoyance in her voice. She looked up at Sunny grumpily. "Oh, lighten up old timer! What's a few stallions between friends?" Sunny joked, elbowing Daffy. Apparently Daffy didn't get the joke. She gave her an annoyed look. "So, how's your hair business, bestie? I bet it's a 'cut' above average?" Sunny tried to lighten the mood. "Ha ha, very funny." Daffy grumped, looking at her with contempt. Sunny couldn't understand why Daffy hated her soooo much! She never did anything to hurt her, did, she? Daffy worked at a hair salon, for pony's sake, and everypony knows Sunny never went there! "Hey, maybe you could come surf with me sometime!" Sunny suggested, smiling. Her friend really needed to get out more. No wonder she was so small minded, closed up in that shop all day! "Who knows, maybe you'll even get a boyfriend! Um, no offfence." Sunny tried to joke, but it only seemed to make Daff even angrier. "Well, looks like your boy toys are back!!!! Hope you have a good swim!" Daff yelled angrily, stomping off in the direction of the Surf Shop. Sunny stared back at the shop in confusion as the stallions sidled up to her. Why did she have to be so mean? What did Sunny ever do to her? All she ever did was try to be friendly, and all she got was mean glaces and rude remarks. "So, how's about that straw, huh?" one of the colts said, pushing the drink over to Sunny. It's straw was covered with stallion drool already. Seriously? she thought. Just like them to take the first sip. She tenatively sipped from the straw, and the stallions all smiled. "Ok boys, you've had your fun, now go along." Sunny smiled,and the stallions trotted away, exept for one. Seaspray, her coltfriend. "Nice moves out there!" he smiled at her, pulling up a chair to the small table at which she was sitting. "Too bad about that party crasher." "Oh, hi Seaspray." Sunny smiled, looking at him. But her attention was on Daffy, that mean mane stylist. She was so mean to her, even with her kindness. Why did she hate her, and what could she be planning now?
The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 2"So, Sea, you wanna go get some ice cream?" Sunny smiled at her colt friend, and he nodded. Seaspray was Ponyville's resident surfer colt, and he and Sunny had known each other since they were little foals. They both loved each other to the core, and Sunny, despite the crowd of adoring stallions following her around, was very devoted to him. Even if nopony knew it. As they peeked into the little surf shop near the beachside, Sunny saw Daffidazey and a couple of other mares, talking with many gestures. Sunn y paid them no attention, but she couldn't help but notice their seeming anger. Maybe, anger at her. They trotted to a little seaside ice cream shop, and sat down in one of the counters. "So, any new tricks, Daze?" Sea asked her as they ate their ice cream and chatted about surfer stuff. "Yeah, totally! I bet you couldn't do this flip on your surfboard!" Sunny teased him, showing him a tricky flip. "I bet I could!" he smiled. "Race ya to the beachside!" "You're on!" Sunny smiled, and the two lovers trotted to the beach, smiling and laughing with each other the whole way. "All right surfer colt, let's see it!" Sunny smiled as they grabbed their surfboards and stood in front of the raging sea. Seaspray got out to the middle of the little surf spot and got up on his surfboard. He flipped over, and fell right into the sea! "Hahahahahaha!!!" Sunny laughed, as Seaspray pulled himself back up onto the surfboard, smiling. "I guess I couldn't do it after all, babe." Sea smiled as he swam back to the shoreline, surfboard in tow. He looked at Sunny laughing, and he leaned in. "I think I got hurt during that fall, Sun." he said seductivly. "Well, let me make it all better." Sunny said. Then they kissed, and their cheeks reddend as their lips met. They both relished in it, as they both became a little shy after they pulled apart. "S-sunny. I-I think your a-a really good kisser..." Seaspray trained off, trying to find the right words to say. "Well I think you're 20% better." Sunny smiled warmly, and they trotted away from the beach side, holding hooves. "Sunny, meet ya back here at 2 o'clock for more surfing, you go do your own thing!" Seaspray smiled as the two trotted to their own favorite hangouts. Sunny trotted over to a little ice cream shop, the workplace of her best friend, Sparkleworks. "Hey, what's up Sunny!" Sparkle smiled as she set down the ice cream cup she was washing. "Oh, hi. I was just wonderin' what you were up to..." Sunny sighed. She was a little worried about if Daffidazey would be back for an awful afternoon of arguing again. "Is this about this morning's incident? I heard about the whole thing." Sparkleworks said knowingly. "Daff can sure be a real downer." "No, no... it's just... I think she told somepony else. I saw them planning in the surf shop!" Sunny cried, "They'll be all cool and torture meeee!" "Now calm down, and let's think about it. You've got a boyfriend, awesome surfing skills, and a beautiful bod. And wadda they got? Nothin' on you, Sunny!" Sparkle reassured her. "Thanks, but I don't know..." Sunny trailed off. "Here, use this." Sparkle said, hoofing over a tube of sparkly lip gloss to her. "What's this?" Sunny said. She had never seen one before. "Here, just do what I do." Sparkle said, and the two got to work.
The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 3After an hour of primping, preening, and general discomfort on Sunny's part, Sparkleworks had done it. "A masterpiece if I do say so myself!" Sparkle smiled, stepping back to admire her work. The girls were in a little beach hit that had been originally rented by Sunny, but now it felt more like a second home to her. Sunny's mane was all combed out, which took patience to achieve. It shone with the glow of hairspray, and her eyelashes were long and luscious. Her lips sparkled from the sparkly lip gloss. She wore a skimpy pink and orange striped bikini, which showed generous amounts of her flank. Her hooves were coated with hoof polish, and she had on sunglasses, which, courtesy of Sparkleworks herself, her red sparkles in the yellow frames. "So this'll make them see how awesome I am?" Sunny asked worriedly as she looked at herself in the full length mirror. She gasped. She knew Sparkleworks was good with fashion, but not that good! "Push the glasses down on your nose a bit." Sparkle commented as she did a final look over her client. "But won't that make me look like an old lady?" Sunny asked. She wasn't really that knowledgeable about all this fashion stuff. "No, no, dear. It's to make you look seductive!" Sparkle tried to reassure her. "But what if they don't care!" Sunny protested. "I won't be able to surf with all this makeup on!" "You'll be fine. Don't worry!" Sparkle said, taking her friend out to the beach boardwalk. "Just watch!" Sunny tentatively stepped onto the boardwalk. She wished she was playing Ponymon right now! But Sparkle smiled and winked as if to say, 'go on!' and she felt a little more confident. Every stallion's head turned as Sunny trotted down the beach boardwalk. Ponies offered to share their cake with her, and one stallion was even fanning her with a giant palm leaf. Sunny looked around, surprised. It seemed that every boy on the boardwalk was at her beck and call. She shooed away the stallions as she looked into her surf shop to see what was up in there. Daffidazey and two other mares were fluffing around, trying on bikinis, putting on makeup, and styling each others manes. They looked like a bunch of fillies at a sleepover. She looked away. They were probably just doing frilly filly stuff like they do all the time. She ran out to the beach and was about to get on her surfboard when Sparkleworks trotted up to her. "Wait! You'll mess up your makeup if you go in!" Sparkle warned. Sunny sighed and retreated to her beach blanket, sensing the futility of resisting. As she plopped down on her beach blanket and opened up a book. As soon as she did, colts rush to her side. She had to admit, it was nice. Seaspray trotted up to her, looking at her with a surprised glance. "Wow, Sunny... I've never seen you like this before." he said, pulling her book down with his hoof. "Yeah, Sparkle did me up like this..." Sunny said nervously. "Well... I love it! Too bad you can't surf though." Seaspray said kindly. He was about to sit down on the blanket next to Sun when a voice called out to them. Or rather, the colts. "Hey there, boys!" a mare called out. "Wanna hang out with some real mares?" "Wha...?" Sunny gasped, turning around to see three of the most beautiful mares on the beach waving at the colts teasingly. There were her two assistants, Beach Belle and Sapphire Shores. And then there was Daffidazey. Daffidazey, out for revenge. Daffidazey, looking really pretty. Daffidazey, without her glasses on.
The Sunny Sea's Spray Pt 4Sunny couldn't believe her eyes. Daffidazey might be a nice looking mare, but more in a mature, grown up kind of way, like Kimono. But now, she looked like a full-blown beach babe. All of the colts galloped over to the three mares, including Seaspray! Seaspray was her boyfriend! Ooh, those mares! Sunny thought angrily, turning her head to spy on the greedy mares. "Hey there, little fillies!" Seaspray greeted them. "Looks like you could use some company..." "Sure!" Daffy smiled, sidling in next to him. Sunny couldn't notice it, but he had a slightly uncomfortable look on his face. "Want us to get you girls anything?" Bay Breeze, another one of the stallions, smiled. "I've never seen you three hotties before!" Beachcomber, another stallion, joked. "Are you new to Ponyville?" The three colts soon were fawning over the girls, laying out beach towels and bringing them lemonade. Sunny couldn't believe it! Daffidazey had out right stolen her coltfriend right from under her hooves! How could anypony do that to her? However, one thing did seem to cheer her up. Daffy kept falling on her face! It might have been a little funny if it weren't for the fact that Seaspray caught her every single time! Grrrr... Daffy looked over at Sunny, who buried her muzzle in her book. Sunny didn't want to admit it, but she saw a bit of worry in Daffy's eyes. "Hey, I have an idea! Let's go surf!" Beachcomber yelled out, looking at the others excitedly. Daffy galloped up to Sunny, who tried to ignore the thieving mare. "Hey Sunny, wanna come ride the waves with us?" Daffy said, making Sunny even more angry. Sunny betted that she knew of Sparkle's warning. "Oh, no. You go enjoy yourself, Daffs." Sunny grumbled, burying her face in her book. "I'll probably get in her way..." she mumbled. "Oh, OK, Sunny." Daffy said, trotting off to join her 'friends' on the shoreline. They all surfed out to the sea, showing off with tricks. Bay Breeze held Beach Belle aloft on his board. Sapphire mimicked her, then did a handstand on Beachcomber's hoof as well. Seaspray looked at Daffy, waiting for her to do the same. Why was he waiting at all? Sunny thought angrily, wanting Daffy to just fall right into the ocean. Daffidazey got up on Seaspray's hoof, stretching out her hooves, when: Splash! Daffy fell into the water, flailing her hooves around and calling out for help. It didn't help that she didn't have her glasses in either. Sunny gasped. She didn't mean that literally! She got on her board as fast as she could, not worrying about her make up and rushing out to save her... acquaintance. She got out to the spot were Daffy had fallen in, and scooped her up onto her board. "Sunny?!?" Daffy sputtered, coughing out water. Sunny could see clear gratitude in her eyes. As Sunny rode back to shore, makeup mussed and hair tangled with seaweed, everypony rushed to the shore. "Daffy, you ok?" the girls raced to Daff's side. They instantly tried to comfort her. Seaspray trotted over to Sunny, concerned. "You Ok, babe?" "Yeah, I'm fine. Can't say the same for my makeup, though." Sunny giggled. But then she became serious. "Why did you hang out with that mare? She had you around her little hoof!" "Oh, no, Sunny! I didn't mean it like that! I just wanted to make the newbie feel welcome, 's all!" Seaspray explained. "Oh, you know I forgive you." Sunny smiled. "Wanna go get some ice cream at the shop?" Seaspray asked Sunny, who nodded. As they trotted away, Sunny looked back at Daffy. Daffy looked pretty angry, but she sort of deserved it. After all, she couldn't just steal some pony's boyfriend like that. Still, she felt a little bad for her... "Sunny, you ok?" Seaspray asked again, noticing Sunny's distraction. "I'm fine." she smiled. They trotted off together into the sunset, and Sunny felt altogether relieved. Life was back to normal again. And after she ate ice cream with Seaspray, she could go home and play Ponymon. Sunny looked at Seaspray warmly, leaned in, and kissed him as the sun set over the horizon. Author's Note End of The Sunny Sea's Spray story arc!
Camera Shy Pt 1A light lavender pony flew quickly through the forest, black cloak flying behind her. She darted from tree to tree, her wings barely noticeable under her cape. She peeked between the leaves of a tree, her big purple eyes barely visible as she looked down on the elegant purple mare down below. I've got her now, the pegasus thought, smiling. She can't escape this time. She pulled out a black object from her saddlebags, and... FLASH! The camera snapped as the purple mare was leaning down to sniff a flower. As the lithe lavender mare pulled back, the dark purple pony looked back, as if she sensed the pony 'spying' on her, but turned back and continued on her way. Fluttershy, you've done it again, the spy thought, looking at the camera in satisfaction. The picture was beautiful, just the right place. Well, of course it would be, she laughed to herself, I am the best photographer in these unnamed forests on the outskirts of Ponyville. But she had to keep hidden. If anypony found out that a pegasus pony was living outside of Butterfly Island, ponies would start to begin to become racist. Not that they already weren't. They kinda were. They had all three pony 'races' separate, as if to not mix with one another. Fluttershy herself was, well, shy. She almost always wore a black cloak to hide herself, darting between trees in the forest where she lived with the animals. She wasn't as good with animals as her ancestor, but they were amazing companions and protectors in this forest. Sometimes she would venture into Ponyville, careful to keep her wings hidden as she trotted down the dirt roads. The only ponies in Ponyville who knew that she secretly took pictures of ponies in secret, which she took for sheer love of photography, were Razzaroo, whom she sold her photos to for her birthday book, and Piccolo, the equally shy owner of the photography shop there. Fluttershy flew out from the tree's leaves, humming a little tune. A Breezie flew over to her, wings fluttering nervously. "What is it, Flutters?" Lady Slipper chirped, flying onto Fluttershy's shoulder. "W-well, you know Piccolo?" Fluttershy stammered to the little purple Breezie as she trotted through the forest, going nowhere in particular. "Yeah? That shy guy who's voice is as quiet as the instrument he's named after?" Lady Slipper asked, flying in a circle around Fluttershy's head. Fluttershy nodded. "Yeah, him. I want him to notice me outside of my shopping. But that's beside the point." Flutters shook her head to clear her mind. "I've heard that he needs somepony to be a photographer for the Ponyville Express!" "Great! But how're you gonna get that job if yer too shy to even be in yer own pictures?" the Breezie with the southern accent asked, pulling the hood of Fluttershy's cape off of her head. The motherly Breezie had been a gift from her animal-loving ancestor, whom she was named after. "I-I don't know." Shy whispered, dragging her hoof across the ground. She looked at the Breezie with worrifull eyes. "Fluttershah, if ya really wanna do it, ya gotta go for it!" Lady chirped, flying down to Fluttershy's face and pumping her fist. "I-I guess I could. But how will I get into town without anypony seeing my wings?" Fluttershy asked. "Flutters, ya got a cloak." Lady sighed. "Ok then!" Fluttershy tried to be brave. "L-let's go to Ponyville!" •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• A blue stallion shook his head, coughing. His short pink mane flew around as he waved away the dust with his hooves. Piccolo was cleaning up his photography shop for the morning. He dusted off a shelf as he pulled a picture frame off of the shelf. As he set a camera onto the shelf, he looked at the picture through his shiny glasses. The light lavender mare was hard to get a photo of, but since he was so quiet, he could do it. As he looked at the picture of the beautiful mare, he straitened his bow tie nervously. I could never tell her, he thought, not yet. Maybe she'll ask, he thought. But probably not.
Camera Shy Pt 2Fluttershy nervously trotted into town, looking at all of the shops and buildings. Lady Slipper peeked her head out of her saddlebag. "Now, do you remember to keep your wings hidden? You know what Ponyville ponies will do if they see a pegasus in Ponyville." the little Breezie asked, and Fluttershy nodded. She kept looking down every now and then, even though it was very early in the morning and most ponies were still sleeping. She trotted into a small photography shop, a shop she knew well. Picture Perfect was the best place in Ponyville to buy photography supplies in Ponyville. And the only place. "P-piccolo?" Fluttershy stammered as the blue stallion peeked up from underneath the counter. He had been fussing with something, but Fluttershy couldn't tell exactly what. "Oh, F-Fluttershy, it's you." Piccolo smiled, looking at the cloaked mare. He trotted out from behind the counter and looked at her saddlebag, which was bouncing around furiously. A little lavender Breezie flew out of the bulging bag, stretching its wings and glaring at Fluttershy. "Ya do realize that ah cain't breath too well in there...." she trailed off, looking at the two ponies smiling and staring at each other like complete idiots. "Stop starin' and jus' buy somethin', girl!" "O-oh, I didn't mean too..." Fluttershy stammered, both her and Piccolo blushing profusely. Lady Slipper folded her arms and flew over to land on Fluttershy's shoulder. "So, what brings you here, Fluttershy?" Piccolo asked, trying to be less awkward. "O-oh, nothing. I just came here to..." Fluttershy searched for the right words. "To be more... social." "Oh..." Piccolo said and... was that disappointment Fluttershy saw in his eyes? She shook her head to keep herself from staring, and backed up shyly. "I'd b-better go. I need to... meet other ponies." Fluttershy smiled nervously, turning and allowing Lady Slipper out before herself. She looked at Piccolo and smiled. Piccolo smiled back, and she knew she'd be back. She trotted out after her Breezie friend, and trotted to the first building she saw, a little hair salon with a flower design on top. As she trotted in, she saw lots of mane styling gadgets. Mares chatted underneath hair dryers, ponies got their manes cut, and some ponies were just talking together. This was definitely the social center of town. "H-hello?" Fluttershy whispered, trying to find the owner of this hectic place. Lady Slipper had to keep flying around to avoid being hit by ponies milling around. "Oh, hello! I didn't see you there!" a beautiful white mare chirped, trotting over to Fluttershy and putting some oddly familiar red glasses on. Fluttershy backed up slowly as the mare trotted up to her, inspecting her mane. "Hmm... I see, split ends, oh, look at this!" the mare muttered, pulling on Fluttershy's mane and getting uncomfortably close to poor Flutters. "Umm, it's..." Fluttershy tried to break out, but the salon mare's iron grip wouldn't let her go. She was whisked into a salon chair and no later was the salon maniac cutting at Fluttershy's mane with intense concentration. "Umm, I don't really want my mane cut, miss..." Fluttershy tried to tell the crazy mane-cutting mare. "Daffidazey, darlin'. And what do you mean, you don't want your mane cut, everypony does!" the white mare said, pulling sticks out of Fluttershy's tail. Almost as abruptly as it had began, Daffy whipped her out of the chair and put her in front of a mirror. Luckily, Daffy hasn't removed Flutters' cape, and she shook the mane clippings loose from her. Her mane was all combed out, and so was her tail. Daffy smiled at Flutters, who simply stood there, staring. A cyan mare trotted up to Fluttershy, looking at her. "You'd look better if you took that cloak off, darling." "Oh, no, I couldn't. I'm just gonna go here..." Fluttershy stammered before running out, Lady Slipper rushing behind her. Fluttershy couldn't let the other ponies see her wings. Most Pegasi stayed on Butterfly Island, and seeing one in Ponyville, she couldn't even think about what they would do to her. She couldn't reveal them. Not yet.
Camera Shy Pt 3After Fluttershy's close call at the mane salon, she tried to search for someplace with a little less... hubbub. Lady Slipper looked at Fluttershy, glaring. "What?" Fluttershy looked at her angry Breezie friend worriedly. "What did ya run out of there for?" Lady Slipper yelled, causing Fluttershy to cower in submission. "I c-couldn't let them see my wings. I just... couldn't." Fluttershy tried to explain, stammering. "Oh-Kay." Lady Slipper sighed, "I got ya." Fluttershy trotted into a small, slightly empty cafe. The quiet was a welcome change to the craziness of the salon. "Hi there!" a little white unicorn smiled, waving frantically from behind a counter containing many different kinds of candies. "Hello, miss." Fluttershy said timidly. "Oh my, do you run that little juice bar too?" Fluttershy added, pointing to a juice bar with many juice fountains and stacks of cups behind and on it. "Well, my name's Sweetie-Bell, and yesseree-boo I sure do!" the energetic filly chirped. Fluttershy smiled at the fact that a unicorn lived in Ponyville without having to hide, but still... she couldn't risk it. "So, what's your name?" Sweetie smiled as she used her magic to operate the soda machines; combining all of the possible flavors and then taking a sip. She slid onto the bar counter and looked over at Fluttershy, who suddenly pulled out her camera and... *snap*! "Uh, sorry about that. M-my name's Fluttershy. Why isn't anypony around?" Fluttershy asked, not that she minded. "Oh, my sister Cotton Candy and her friends are at the Petal Parlor!" Sweetie smiled. "So, they're c-coming back soon?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. "Truth-Cabooth! If I'm guessing right, they she come in right... about... NOW!!!" Sweetie suddenly shouted, flying up into the air. Just as Sweetie yelled, a crowd of giggling mares rushed into the shop, ignoring the fact that Fluttershy was standing in the middle of the shop and leaving the poor pegasus completely flustered. Sweetie-Bell instantly rushed over to the candy counter and began hoofing out candy with amazing speed. After she finished giving out orders, she instantly rushed to Fluttershy's side. "This is my crazy daisy far awaysie sister and her bestie-westies." Sweetie whispered, grabbing Fluttershy's shoulder and making and grand sweeping gesture with her hoof. "O-ok..." Fluttershy stammered, becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Meanwhile, her sarcastic Breezie caretaker was flitting around, taking in the crazy scene. Just then, Sweetie's tail began to twitch furiously, and the room grew eerily silent. Sweetie's tail shook harder and harder, and suddenly a milkshake landed on Fluttershy's head and spilled all over her. Fluttershy looked confusedly at all of the ponies laughing. She tried to ignore it, taking the milkshake glass off of her head and looking suspiciously at Sweetie. "What?" Sweetie smiled, her tail still, looking at the slightly angry mare. "What was that?" Fluttershy asked the filly as the room returned to the usual buzz of conversation. "Oh, that was my Sweetie Sense! See, Pinkie Pie is my cousin, but I guess I'm the only one who inherited the 'sense'!" Sweetie explained, so quickly that Fluttershy could barely keep up. "Wh-what does it do?" Fluttershy asked, but not before snapping a picture of the juice bar. "Well, I get different little, tingly feelings, and they mean different things! Like, if my tail starts twitchin', something's gonna fall!" Sweetie explained. "Okay..." Fluttershy tried to keep up with the chatty filly. She had once heard that Pinkie Pie's ancestor had a similar power, but Sweetie must have been the only one to inherent it. Pinkie herself had another power entirely; Fluttershy had learned this through her obsession with photo-taking. The mysterious and elusive Pinkie Squink (an odd and childish name for said power) could project visions of the future straight from Pinkie's eyes. As Sweetie-Bell trotted back over to the candy counter, a cyan mare that Fluttershy vaguely recognized trotted in, wearing a brightly colored dress that made her shield her eyes. "Darling, whatever happened to your cloak?" the mare said worriedly, trotting up to Flutters. "And such a drab color! You know, I could make you a rainbow colored one, darling!" Before Fluttershy could react, the fashionista mare whipped off her cloak. Everypony turned as she looked around helplessly. All the ponies were looking at her. Looking at her wings. She couldn't bear it. She trotted out as fast as she could, covering her face with her wings. Lady Slipper looked nervously at the fleeing pegasus. The other ponies didn't seem to notice Fluttershy's wings, but they did seem to notice her disappearance. As the the broke into nervous chatter, Lady Slipper's flew out a nearby window. Sweetie-Bell watched concernedly, then was got with realization: Fluttershy was running into the Everfree Forest!
Camera Shy Pt 4Fluttershy trotted as fast as she could, constantly looking back, her hooves clammy and sweat rolling down her forehead. The dark Everfree forest was a place nopony dared venture anymore. It was overgrown by vines, weeds, and a mysterious purple sludge. There was a story about a haven in the center of this toxic wasteland, but nopony had gone to prove it. Fluttershy knew that she could've gone into the forest nearer to Ponyville that she had been in earlier, that it was a much safer choice. She carefully flew around the overgrown vines, camera bumping against her chest. She finally settled in an abandoned tree-hole, sat down, and began to cry. As she wept, animals of all kinds began to crowd around her in concern. Being a descendant of the now-legendary couple, old Fluttershy and Discord, she could understand the language of animals, as well as having a special connection with them. She took out her camera and looked at the picture she has taken of Sweetie Belle. It was a perfectly timed shot, Sweetie perched on the soda bar counter, sipping her drink. She had her legs crossed, looking at the camera as if taken by surprise. It lulled the young pegasus to know that she could still take pictures under stress. It was amazing to her that a unicorn could live in Ponyville. She had heard many a tale about the discriminatory ponies of the town, but the unicorn lived without fear. Little did Fluttershy know, the very unicorn she was thinking of was rushing to find her. But Sweetie wasn't the only one. "Come on, y'all! She went this way!" Lady Slipper led the little unicorn and the light blue stallion who had tagged along toward the forest. She flitted around impatiently as Sweetie and Picollo raced after her. "I-I hope she's ok..." Picollo whispered to himself, lagging behind as the group reached the edge of the forest. "Ok, I'll go in!" Sweetie Belle chirped, "You stay here while I go lookie!" "Uh..." Picollo and Lady barely had time to register what the bouncing blank-flank was saying, nodding hesitantly. Sweetie zoomed off into the Dorset, charging through trees and vines, when a small brown rabbit stopped her in her tracks. "Hiya, bunny!" Sweetie smiled. "Did you see a pretty pink pegasus fly through here?" The rabbit nodded (did it understand me?, Sweetie thought) and Sweetie followed it to where Fluttershy sat, animals crowded around her, sobbing quietly. "What's wrong, Fluttershy-Bo-Butterfly?" Sweetie asked concernedly, as Flutters raised her head slowly. "Oh, hi, Sweetie Belle." Fluttershy said, looking sadly at the young unicorn. "And what's wrong is my wings!" "What?" Sweetie cocked her head to the side, not understanding. "Oh, Sweetie. How will I ever be able to face them again, now that they know that I'm a pegasus?" Flutters sobbed, Sweetie taking in the complaints. "It's not that bad. If you just be nice and show them how awesome you really are, they'll accept you!" Sweetie reassured her despairing friend. "A-are you sure?" Fluttershy looked up cautiously. "Absolutie-tootlie!" Sweetie smiled. Suddenly, Sweetie was pushed forward by a small purple Breezie and a tall stallion, who crashed into her. "Hey, what wazzat for?" Sweetie looked up to see Lady Slippee and Picollo reeling back from the impact. Picollo looked at Fluttershy bashfully, blushing. "H-hey, Fluttershy." Flutters looked up at him, smiling. "Hi... Thanks for coming to check on me." She stood up as a tousled Lady Slipper landed on her shoulder. "It was Sweetie Belle's idea." Picollo admitted sheepishly. "We were going to stay out there, but we just got nervous and rushed to find you." he continued, the little Breezie nodding in agreement. "Thanks anyway." Fluttershy stood up. "We should probably get out of this crazy forest." Picollo, Lady Slipper, and Sweetie Belle nodded, and the four friends made their way toward Ponyville. As the three ponies and the Breezie arrived in town, they were met with a crowd of concerned ponies, mobbing them with questions. "Are you OK?" "Darling, did you hurt yourself?" "Didya see any MONSTERS?" "Ponies, calm down!" a nasally voice rose above the crowd, silencing them. An all-pink pony made her way to the front of the crowd, which backed away to give the travelers some breathing room. "Hello!" she nodded to the four ponies. "Sweetie Belle, Picollo, who are your new friends?" "Hiya, Pinkie-Bo-Binkie! This is Fluttershy, and the Breezie is Lady Slipper!" Sweetie practically shouted at Pinkie, gesturing wildly to Fluttershy and her Breezie. "Ok..." Pinkie said, overwhelmed by the sugary filly's boundless energy. "Welcome, Fluttershy! We do hope we can make you feel extra special here in Ponyville!" "Sweetie Belle!" Suddenly, two fillies rushed to the front of the crowd and embraced Sweetie happily. "We wondered where ya went!" a little yellow earth pony with a green bow in her red and purple mane hopped up and down excitedly. "Who's the new gal?" an orange pegasus with a magenta and purple mane pointed a hoof at Fluttershy. "Did you listen to ANYTHING I just said?" Pinkie quipped sarcastically. "Nope!" the little pegasus chirped, Pinkie face-hoofing. "Scootaloo, this is Fluttershah." the earth filly told her friend calmly. "Hi, miss! Ah'm Apple Spice!" "And I'm Scootaloo!" The young pegasus flitted. Then the three fillies crouched on the ground, in an odd formation. "Earth pony!" Apple Spice jumped up, shouting. "Pegasus!" Scootaloo then jumped up as well. This must be some sort of a club motto, Fluttershy thought. "Unicorn!" Sweetie finished, jumping up as well. "Together, we are the new order of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" the three all shouted together. "Oh, very good!" Fluttershy smiled, noticing that the three foals were indeed blank flanks. "Well, you are all very nice ponies." Flutters then addressed the crowd. "Thank you! And you came just in time for the Spring Promanade!" Pinkie announced, and the crowd broke into laughter for no apparent reason. "Come on, ponies!" Pinkie smiled. "Let the Promanade begin!"
Royal Pains?The sun was rising on the deserts of Saddle Arabia, glinting off the majestic royal palace walls. A light blue stallion dressed in traditional garb trotted slowly down the hallways, looking at the sunrise calmly, when he was suddenly shoved into by an orange blur. "Wazier Night Star!" a small orange colt with a short pink and yellow mane smiled, sitting on top of the royal vizier's chest happily. The little prince wore a dark green neckerchief and goggles on top of his head, as opposed to on his eyes. "What're ya doing here?" "Well, I was going to go get some breakfast..." Night Star sighed, as the energetic colt's little pink tail wagged like a dog's. "Wow, you just woke up? I've been up for 3 hours!" Prince Fire smiled, as Night got up and dusted himself off, a little annoyed by the little colt's antics. However, since he lived with the foal and his sister, he was used to these kinds of shenanigans. Night Star continued down the hallway, his protege jumping up and down next to him, when another little foal approached, wearing regal garb. "Hello, fair brother, and wazier Night Star." "Heya sis!" Fire smiled, his sister nodding both to him and to Night Star respectfully. "Hello, Princess Flame. I see you are awake. We were just heading down to the banquet hall for breakfast." Night smiled. While Prince Fire was practically bursting with energy, his sister was his polar opposite. "Yeah!" Fire added, bouncing up to his sister. "I'm gonna eat 1 million pancakes!" "Ah, yes." Night Star sighed less-than-happily as the three ponies made their way toward the dining hall, where elaborate plates of food were st up for both the prince and princess. He would eat later, as he was never very hungry in the mornings anyway. Fire bounded up to the table happily, while Flame seemed to walk slowly and regally. Night Star watched the twins eat, Fire scarfing down his food and Flame taking small, delicate bites. However, due to the excessive amount of food that Fire ate, the two finished at around the same time. Now came the hardest part of the day: royal meetings. As the only living members of the royal family, Fire and Flame had to take care of all of the royal duties brought upon them. And that included settling matters that would not normally be addressed by foals of their age. "It wasn't fair!" a white pony with a light blue, pink, and yellow mane complained. "Those two con ponies sold me a fake diamond ring!" "Now, now," a yellow, taller mare with a bright pink mane said coyly, "we didn't tell you it wasn't real-" "-and so we weren't lying to you at all." her sister, a light pink mare with a whitish-pink mane finished. The two sisters were Trixiebelle and Moonshine, a duo that had caused more harm than good in their days as salesponies. "That's not true!" Eve, the other pony, stomped her hoof angrily. "That's the same thing!" "Uh, well..." Prince Fire said nervously. "Maybe we could give- no, that won't work..." For the first time that day, Fire seemed unsure. The two sister salesponies stepped closer to the young royals. "Maybe we should sing another song?" Trixiebelle smiled. "No, that's quite all right." Flame cut in, holding up a hoof to silence the ponies. "Fire, what is your opinion on the matter?" Fire twitched in his seat, trying not to crack under the pressure upon him. He began to sweat nervously, and his sister trotted over to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. Night Star watched the goings-on with interest. He didn't want to intervene, but he was still a bit on edge. How could the crazy colt and his robotic sister handle a situation like this? But he stood back as the two foals began to talk quietly. Or, at least Flame was. "I don't know!" Fire shouted, falling over forwards dramatically onto his chubby belly. His sister tried to calm the stressed colt down, while the sisters exchanged a glance and stifled laughs. Eve simply stared at them with confusion. The diamond ring seemed a lot less important now. "Hush, hush now." Flame said soothingly, turning to the two con mares. "You two are charged guilty of forgery, and will have to give Eve a real diamond ring, verified by myself." Trixiebelle and Moonshine looked at each other and frowned. "But, surely you could reconsider?" Trixiebelle stepped forward nervously, her sister nodding vigorously. "Nooooooo!" Fire bawled, finally cracking completely under the pressure. "No! Let's jus' be done with this!" Night Star sighed in annoyance at the colt's whining. This was a daily occurrence, and Night was used to it, but it still managed to annoy him every day. He trotted over to the siblings, finally intervening in their situation. "Trixiebelle, Moonshine, both of you can go home-" The two mares suddenly charged toward the door, but were blocked by the guards. "-but not before giving Eve her due payment." The two mare sighed in defeat, grudgingly hoofing over the payment (but not before the money was checked over by Night) and trotting out the door. Night sighed once again in exasperation as Fire wailed and Flame looked nervously at him, not sure what to do anymore. "All right, now." Night said, exasperated. It was night by now, as the sun set across the horizon. He allowed Prince Fire to climb atop his back, and Flame gave a drowsy yawn. The ponies made their way toward the rooms once more, and soon Fire was asleep on top of his back, Flame barely awake anymore. Night watched as Flame crawled into her bed, and he carefully set Flame down onto the bed opposite his sister's. Night went back to his own bedroom and sighed once more. He had heard that a few mares from Bright Valley were coming next week. That was going to be one long week, he just knew it...
Camera Shy - Epilouge"Happy spring!" Fluttershy smiled from the top of a flower-covered float. She wore a cute, frilly blue dress that made her feel like a princess, and a matching crown adorned her mane. As she cheerfully threw petals, she thought about just how welcoming the townsponies were. She needn't have worried about her wings: it turned out that 2 other Pegasi lived in the town, Star Song and Scootaloo! The parade float she rode on soon reached the end of the crowd of ponies, slowly coming to a stop. A hoof reached out to her, and she took it as the pony helped her off. "Thank you... Picollo?" Flutters smiled at the sight of the shy stallion, dressed in a tux and blushing. "Hey, Fluttershy." Picollo smiled nervously. As the parade came to an end, Fiesta Flair and her band got up on the stage and began to play wildly. Ponies began to dance in cheerful celebration. Picollo then took Fluttershy's hoof once again and began to dance with her. The pair danced together, spinning happily to the music. The New Order of the CMC jumped around cheerfully, and Lady Alipper flew over everypony, dancing in the clouds. High up in the Friendship Gardens, a butter yellow pegasus and a dragonequus sat on a cloud, looking down warmly at their great-great-great-great granddaughter. The Harmony Bearer and her husband looked happily at each other. "Told you she'd come out of her shell." Fluttershy told Discord, smiling. "I knew she would, dear. Just like you did." Discord winked, and the pair watched as their defendant and Picollo began to waltz throughout the evening and night.
