In Our Townby Civviq WriterChaptersSugar BelleParty FavorNight GliderSugar BelleAuthor's Note Spoiler Alert! There's going to be lots of references to the S5 opener. Be warned! Also, I'm going to put the character's point of view as chapter title. So this chapter is in Sugar Belles' POV. Sugar Belle My name is Sugar Belle. I’m the local baker in Our Town, and owner of a small café called Sugary Sweets. I got to rename it after Starlight Glimmer left. I also was able to expand the menu a bit. Now it doesn’t just have muffins on it, but also cakes, pies, cupcakes, pasties and even some beverages like coffee, tea, soft drinks and milkshakes. I’m still practicing my baking skills, but Party Favor says that I’m an amazing baker, especially my cupcakes. He says that they’re ‘the best in aaaaall of Equestria!’, but that also could be because they actually have flavor, unlike certain muffins that we’ve eaten for years. A few days ago, we all had gotten our cutie marks back. It’s going to be rough, getting used to it again, but with the help of my new friends I think I can manage. It also helps that I can finally bake something else than those yucky muffins! I certainly am happy that I can be me again. Most of the townsponies enjoy their cutie marks, but they have a hard time readjusting their beliefs. We all have believed Starlight Glimmer’s ideas, and acted the way she believed was right, for so long, we have forgotten how it is not to be equal again. But I believe that, despite our differences, we still can be the best of friends. Night Glider, for example. She is bold, and fast, and brave, and very athletic. I’m none of that. I can bake very well, but I need to say that I’ve gained a little weight over the days. Now that my muffins are yummy again, I enjoy tasting them, and after tasting whole batches of bakeries… Night Glider says that I should exercise more. Maybe she’s right. Sometimes, we have a little fight. It could be about anything, really, we’re so different now. But I have found that our friendship won´t end after a little fight. No, it only made our bonds stronger! But when it gets a bit too bad, Party Favor will come and make us laugh with his silly balloon animals. Once we´re done laughing, we make up and continue being best of friends. Speaking of Party Favor, he´s now the self-appointed Party Pony of Our Town. After hearing all of Pinkie’s adventures, he strives to be just like her. And he can, it’s in his blood. He told me once that he’s related to the awesome super-duper-party-pony Cheese Sandwich. He didn’t specify where exactly in the family tree, but that doesn’t matter. Not to me, not to anypony. He loves making ponies happy. If he gets the chance, he’ll throw a birthday party for one of the townsponies, an anniversary of whatever can be anniversarie’d, and, of course, whenever somepony new is in town, he’s always the first to greet them. Not that that happens often, though. We’re a bit far away from other villages. Only travelers who had gotten lost or ponies who already knew the town know where it is. But that doesn’t stop Party Favor, he’ll throw a party whenever he gets the chance. There is only one thing that he can’t do on his own. You see, he can’t bake, even if his life depended on it. He says, sheepishly, that it’s a family trait. His muffins reminded me of the muffins I baked when we were equal: bland, colorless, and tastes like cardboard that’s been in the oven for too long, according to Party Favor. He always comes to me if he needs a new batch of cupcakes or pies for a new party he’s planning. I think he loves my cupcakes. Anyway, Double Diamond and Night Glider have a lot in common. They’re both very athletic and sportive - Night in the air, and Double in the snow. He loves skiing and inventing new stunts with Night Glider. I think they’re gonna make the Air Drop their signature move. After Starlight Glimmer left, we’ve been without a mayor, or, at least, somepony to lead us. We all think Double Diamond is the best option - since he’s been Starlight’s right hoof - but he refuses. He just keeps avoiding the subject of Starlight Glimmer. It makes him nervous. Night Glider notices this, but keeps her mouth shut. I know that won’t be for long, because she always says whatever’s on her mind. There are not many other ponies that are running for mayor now. Check Mate, the local chess master, could win, but he’s too cunning for my taste. Sunny Glasses is a bit too laid-back. Dancing Leaf is all right, but I don’t think she could handle it. So, still, I really think Double Diamond should be our mayor. But it’s all up to him. So, yeah, I think life here in Our Town is pretty good. It’s my home now, and I’m curious to learn what other lessons my new friends will teach me. Let’s hope that the future is as bright as I hope it will be. ~ The doorbell to my shop rang, signaling the first customer of the day coming in. Party Favor ran through the door and skidded to a halt in front of the counter, his frazzled mane even more frazzled from his speed. His bright smile was contagious, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Hello, Party Favor! What can I help you with today?” I said, chuckling. He grinned. “Well, I was wondering if you had those new flavored pies ready? I’d looove to taste one!” he said, bouncing up and down from excitement. I nodded, still smiling, and brought out the fresh-baked apple pie, now with cinnamon. There was already a piece out. After all, I couldn’t just put another cake out without tasting it first. What if it tastes bad? What if I had put too much cinnamon on it? Or not enough? “Well, here is one cake,” I said, putting it on the counter. “Or, well, almost…” I blushed sheepishly, but he only laughed. “Cut me a real big piece! I’m sure it’ll taste amazing!” he said. “Whether you’ve tasted it or not!” I smiled and pulled out a kitchen knife. I started cutting the cake in several pieces, and gave the biggest one to Party Favor. “Do you want to eat it here, or on the way, or…” He smiled. “I’d like to eat it here, please!” I nodded, and put the slice on a small plate, together with a fork. “Thank you!” he said, grinning, and took a big bite out of the cake. I watched his expression closely. It went from curiosity, to surprisedness, to an even bigger smile than I held possible. “Mmph mphmph!” he said, with his mouth full of apple pie. I giggled. “What?” He swallowed the pie, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry… I said that it’s lovely!” he said. I blushed. “Thank you…” He took another huge bite and chewed it with great delight. “Mmph mphmmph.” The bell rang again, and four foals ran in. “Miss Belle! Miss Belle!” they cried out. The one in front, a little blue unicorn filly with purple manes and eyes, lifted a small sack with bits. “Can we have four cupcakes, please?” she said. I think her name is Amaranthine. I smiled back. “Of course! What flavor?” Amaranthine thought for a moment. “I wanna lemon cupcake…” She looked back at the filly that was behind her. “Whaddya want?” The little yellow filly stepped forward. Her orange mane hung before her left eye. Her name’s Orange Blossom, she’s Grey Blossom’s older sister. “Uhm… I’d like a… a chocolate cupcake please…” Quickly, she stepped backwards and nudged her little brother forward. The grey colt looked up at me, scared at first, but he puffed out his chest to show that he wasn’t afraid. “Uhm, ch-ch-chocolate i-i-is f-fine.” he stammered, looking embarrassed. The last filly stepped forward. “I wanna stwawberry cupcake.” The little purple filly was the youngest of the bunch, her spikey green mane going in all directions. Her name’s Opal. I nodded at the four and grabbed their cupcakes. I put them on the counter. “That’ll be four bits.” I said. They hoofed over the right amount of bits and I hovered the cupcakes over to them. The four of them cheered when they got their prize. I smiled. In the meantime, Party Favor had finished his cake and hovered the empty plate over to the counter. “That was an excellent cake!” he said, grinning. “I know that everypony will LOVE it!” I smiled. “Yeah… I really hope so.” A loud crash came from outside the shop. I looked up worriedly, and a very disheveled Night Glider walked in. “Nothing to worry, guys! I’m okay, I’m okay…” She shook her head, trying to clear it a bit. “New stunt gone wrong…” I sighed, face-hoofing. “You really should watch out. What if you’ll get hurt?” She huffed. “Ah, come on, I’m just practicing. I haven’t done all this in, like, forever.” She sighed. “Besides, those clouds don’t clear themselves. Somepony’s gotta do it.” “Well, sure,” I said, putting my hoof on the counter, “but you don’t have to do it all night long.” She shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. But I just prefer to do it at night.” She yawned. “Imma hit the hay soon…” “But it’s eight in the morning!” Party Favor says, surprised. Night Glider shrugged. “Yeah, so?” “You’d miss so much of the day!” Party Flavor said, his eyes wide. Night Glider shrugged again. “Meh. Night isn’t any different from the day… Hey, do you have any fresh muffins?” Party Favor gasped. “What? I like muffins,” Night Glider said exasperated. “I like the good kind of muffins.” I smiled. “Well, I do have a fresh batch of blueberry muffnis.” She nodded, approvingly. “Awesome, gimme two.” “Allrigh’,” I said, “Just a second, gotta get them from the back. They’ve just come out of the oven.” Night Glider nodded again. “Allrigh’, I’ll wait.” In the meantime, Party Favor had started making balloon animals for the kids who were still eating their cupcakes. That, together with the silly faces he’d make, made them roll over the floor. Their shrill laughter echoed through the little café. I could hear it from the back; It always made me smile. I grabbed the plate of muffins with my magic and brought them to the front. Party Favor looked up as he smelled the delicious muffins. “Oooh…” He sniffed. “That smells a-maaa-zing…” “M-m-m.” Night Glider said. “And two of those gems are just for me.” “What, two muffins and you’re not gonna share?” Party Favor said, pouting. “That’s not nice.” At that moment, the bell rang again. Night Glider looked around to see who it is. “Oh, hey Double Diamond!” she said, the two muffins in her hooves. He nodded. “Hello Nigh’, nice to see you here.” She took a bite from the first muffin and looked to the other one. I could see Party Favor narrowing his eyes at her while she wasn’t looking. But there was the slightest smile on his muzzle that worried me greatly. Double Diamond walked up to me. “Hello, Sugar Belle,” he said, “Uhm, can I have a coffee please? Just black.” I nodded and turned around to get a mug. I heard a balloon pop behind me, and one of the fillies started to cry. Party Favor gasped and started to make another balloon animal with the popped one and a normal one, magically making it. This earned a gasp from the crying filly. “Uh, hey Double Diamond?” I heard Night Glider say. “Yeah?” “Uhm, maybe two muffins are a bit much for me – you know, gotta keep in shape an’ all,” she said, flexing her wings. “You want one?” “Hm,” he said, and I could imagine him smiling, “Well, I won’ say no to a free muffin,” Party Favor sniggered. I turned around, the coffee – black – in my magic, and I saw Night Glider shooting him the best glare she could muster. Double Diamond didn’t see it, he now only had eyes for the muffin in his hooves. He looked up to see that the coffee has arrived and nodded a thank you. I smiled back. Night Glider finished her muffin. “Well, gotta go now,” she said, preparing to leave. She yawned. “Gotta be cool for our next training.” She grinned at Double Diamond. Double Diamond nodded. “Allrigh’, see ya there then.” I rolled my eyes, but I smiled. “Have a good rest.” Party Favor nodded as well. “Yeah, thanks guys,” she said. “See ya!” The doorbell rang when she exited. “Well, I gotta go now, too,” Party Favor said. “Parties don’t plan themselves!” “Allrigh’ then, see ya later.” I said. He smiled as he opened the door. “Later!” The doorbell rang again. He held the door open for the kids to get out. After all, school would start soon, and they shouldn’t be late. I hummed. I was alone in the shop, but soon the morning rush will start. “Well, then,” I said to myself. “Let’s get bakin’.” Party FavorAuthor's Note Allright, Party Favor's first chapter! I'm still practicing a bit, see if I can write his character Party Favor Hello there, strange creatures behind the screen! My name is Party Favor and I am Our Towns new party pony! Now I have my cutie mark back, I can fi-nal-ly see you again. Boy, did I miss y’all! I also have my Party Sense back. (It’s a family trait, yes.) Now I can sense who desperately needs a smile and I can give it to them! Young and old always cheer up from a good balloon show. You know, after I had gotten my cutie mark back, I felt as if the world became thrice as clear and a lot more colorful. What also became clear is that, well… a lot of ponies were really angry and sad that Starlight Glimmer left. They still are.... I certainly am one of them. But it is my duty as the Premier Party Pony of This Part of Equestria to cheer other ponies up, no matter how I feel. So, no sad faces on my watch! Let’s go spread some joy! ~ I trotted happily over the street of Our Town. There’s this slight spring in my step, that if I hum one of my favorite songs, I’ll step right on time with the beat! Even if it skips one, because then I’ll just skip one step too. All of a sudden, a shiver went through my body just the moment I skipped a beat, so I was shivering in mid-air. Lots of ponies around me stopped to watch, I wonder why, because it’s really normal for me. It’s my Party Sense! Somepony needs to smile! Let’s see, who is it? I hopped on top of a boulder, overlooking the street. I pulled out a balloon and made some binoculars with it. No, not just binoculars - they were smiler sensers. I scanned the town, looking for the pony who needed some happiness. There, right over there! The small schoolhouse, next to Starlight’s old cottage. It was recess, and since they didn’t have a playground to play on they had to play on the streets. One of the colts fell and bruised his knee. That´s not right, gotta bring a smile on his face! I jumped off the boulder, hopped on my balloonbike and paddled towards the colt through the air. Once I got to the colt, I hung upside down, at eye-level. “Heya, lil’ colt! Wha’s got you down?” I said, smiling. The colt just stared at me, open-mouthed. It got me a little uncomfortable, but it’s not a sad face, so I’ve got that going for me, which is nice. I felt the air in my balloon-bike lose its strength, so I put the bike down, let the balloons deflate and put them in my pocket. I pulled out a fresh balloon and made a dog. “Here, look!” I presented the colt the balloon. “Woof, woof! Imma dog!” His eyes widened in wonder as he carefully grabbed the balloon animal. He giggled at the squeaky noises it made as his hooves touched the smooth surface. I grinned. Another job well-done! I pulled out my Balloon-copter, waved a goodbye at the colt, and paddled back into the air. I hummed another favorite song while I made for the clouds. I wonder how many favorite songs I have. If all the songs I know are my favorite songs, is it then really still my favorite? Or is none of them my favorite and could I better pick one song that is actually my favorite? Nah, then the other songs will be sad that I left them behind. I landed my ballooncopter on a cloud. Before I stepped off, I tested the cloud to see if it could hold me - yes, it could! I got a balloon, pointed the opening behind me and opened it, making a very funny sound, like a king-sized fart of a pony who had eaten too much chili. I don’t like chili, chili is too hot for me. That’s not a family trait, my family loved spicy food. But not me. I don’t like to fart, I like my whoopee-cushions and balloons to fart. Only then are farts funny. The cloud started to move forward as more and more air came out of the balloon. I looked around me and whistled a cheery tune (Yes, it’s another of my favorite songs!). I was searching for my friend, Night Glider. She’s in charge of the weather around here. She likes to sleep during the day and fly during the night, but if she has an appointment during the day, she sleeps during the night and flies during the day. But she prefers the night. Ah, there she is! She’s sleeping soundly on a cloud. “Hey, Night Glider!” I said, happily. The dark-blue pegasus was startled from her sleep. “Wha-wha-wha?” she said, looking around, until she saw me. “Party Favor!?” She looked at me with mixed expression. I think it’s confusion, and irritation, and wonder, and surprisedness, and… “How the hay did you get on that cloud? Why aren’t you falling right now? What are you doing here? Why did you wake me?” she yelled. Well, that isn’t nice. I thought for a moment. “Well, I came up here with my ballooncopter, I tested the cloud if it could hold me and it could, see?” I smiled, bouncing up and down on the cloud. “Don’t you need any, uh, cloud walking spells, maybe?” Night Glider said. I laughed. “Of course not! Only advanced unicorns can do that! I am merely a party-pony, surely you’d know that.” She stared at me, open-mouthed, and sighed exasperated. “Okay, but you didn’t explain my last two questions.” I gasped, how could I forget? “Oh! Well, I wanted to ask you something: I have a birthday party planned for tomorrow - It’s Gray Blossom’s birthday, the colt’s turning seven - and I was wondering if you could clear the clouds for tomorrow afternoon, so we’ll have a nice night.” She facehoofed. “That is why you woke me? This couldn’t wait until tonight?” I shook my head. “Nope. Weather comes first.” She sighed. “Well, okay then, I’ll see if I can arrange that… I suppose I could wake up a bit early... “ I grinned. “Thank you!” I cheered, throwing my hooves in the air. “I gotta go now, gotta plan a par-tay!” I blew up a balloonplane, climbed on it and headed for the bakery. Behind me, I heard Night Glider groan and shuffle in the clouds. “It’s Party Favor, don’t question it… ugh, party ponies…” I smiled to myself. Yep, I’m a super-duper-party pony, that pony is me! I steered my balloonplane for my next stop: the bakery. Let’s go get some yummy yummy cupcakes for tomorrow! I looove Sugar Belle’s cupcakes. She makes the bestest cakes in aaaal of Equestria! She really honors her name… heh… Maybe I’ll throw a party for her, because she helps me so much. She only deserves it. I skidded to a halt in front of the bakery. Delicious smells wafted out of the door, right into my nose, and it made my stomach rumble. Maybe I’ll pick up lunch, too. Some pie really fills the stomach, especially Sugar Belle’s pies. They’re delicious. I put away the plane and walked inside, a different spring in my step this time because I had a different favorite song in my head. And different rhythms comes with different walks. I opened the door - the bell rinkled merrily, exactly on the beat - and I walked into the shop for the second time that day. Sugar Belle smiled her sweet smile. “Hello, Party Favor, nice to see you again! How can I help you?” She seemed a bit tired. Now that her cupcakes were delicious again, she probably got tons and tons of customers. I hope she’ll be okay, because tired bakers can’t bake as well as bakers who aren’t tired. “Well,” I started, biting my lip, trying to think of what to say. “I need a birthday cake and some cupcakes for a party tomorrow! Uhm, I also need seven candles, because Grey Blossom will turn seven.” Sugar Belle nodded. “Allright. What flavor?” She held up a notepad and a quill, ready to take notes. She’s always ready for everything. “Hm…” I thought for a moment. “He really, really likes chocolate, so maybe those chocolate-with-whipped-cream-birthday cakes?” She nodded and wrote it down. “Allright. And the cupcakes?” “Well, mostly chocolate, but not everypony likes chocolate, so how about a couple of other flavours? Strawberry, lemon, maybe something we have never tasted before!” She giggled sweetly. “Well, okay then. I’ll see what I can do. When will you pick them up?” “Ehm… how about… five p.m.?” I asked. She smiled and noted it down. “Allright, I’ll have them ready by then.” “Thank you!” I grinned and tossed the proper amount of bits on the table. She smiled and nodded. “You’re welcome.” I walked happily out of the store. This time, I’m going to walk to the hardware store. Sometimes walking silly walks will bring smiles to ponies’ faces. Silly walks are funny, they make everypony laugh! I wonder if there’s a ministry of them, the Ministry of Silly Walks… Heh, maybe I should make one. That’d be hilarious! Enthusiastic by the idea, I started to walk silly. One leg really really high, and then down, and then the rest. And over and over. I saw several ponies giggle and I beamed, continuing to walk silly. It was working! Yay! I silly-walked over to my cottage. I have most of my party stuff stored there. It’s where I’ll be making most of the decorations of the party of tomorrow. There’s going to be lots and lots of games, and sweets (by Sugar Belle!), and music - oh! Almost forgot the music! Music is really important. Really, really important! There’s no party without music! I’ll have to do that later today, too. There was a knock on the door. I opened it and a very, very, very angry Double Diamond in front of me. His mane was ruffled (more ruffled than otherwise) and he held his skiing helmet under his hoof. “Party Favor…” he started, pretty threatening. I made a balloon-helmet behind my back, just in case. “Do you know where I can find Night Glider?” he asked. I sighed; thank goodness it isn’t about me… but what did she do? I asked him that. “She didn’t show up. Again.” He sighed annoyed. “I can’t find her anywhere.” “Oh, she’s asleep, I think,” I said, pointing upwards. “Somewhere in the clouds, I think.” He facehoofed. “Of course… she overslept… Again.” He sighed and his eyes softened. “Oh well, send her to me when you see her, okay?” I nodded. “I will, dont’cha worry!” I grinned. “Allright, thanks.” Double Diamond turned around to leave. “See ya around, I guess.” “Yeah, see ya!” I said, happily. “Bye!” I closed the door. Night Glider being late, again. She’s always late, and that’s not really nice. She always oversleeps. When I tried to plan a party once, she overslept and it started to rain. That really was a bummer. But I don’t blame it on her, after all, she’s one pony and there’s a whole sky with clouds she needs to clear on her own. Nopony else does it. There is supposed to be a weather team, but it’s never really established. The Mayor needs to do it, but there isn’t a mayor yet, so there’s no weather team. But let’s not worry about that, shall we? Let’s plan a par-tay! Night GliderAuthor's Note Night Glider's POV! Hope you like it! ^^) Night Glider The moon was shining bright tonight, but not bright enough to drown out the other stars. It was a full moon and it was truly beautiful. Nights like these always make me happy to be outside. I glided through the air, silent and swift. Below me there were a few stray clouds, puffy, soft and silver in the moonlight. I softly landed on one of them and looked around for a bit. Below me, the little lights of Our Town were like a beacon in the night. They were the only lights for miles in every direction, as far as I could see. Our Town was quite beautiful at night, quite peaceful. I really missed all this - the view, the air, the night. I’m never going to give all this up again. I breathed in the cool, crisp night air and looked around me. Time to get to work. I headed for the first cloud to clear, and with a pop it disappeared. There were a lot of stray clouds that drifted this way, and the weather team had to clear almost all of them. Only a few should be left alone to give the town some shade. There’s no fun in a heatstroke. But yeah, living in a desert does come with its disadvantages. More clouds disappeared as the night went on. My wings started to get tired a bit. I hadn’t done this much work in a while, so I decided to rest for a bit and admire the night a bit more. The weather team. The weather team’s a joke, if you ask me. It’s supposed to be made up out of strong pegasus stallions and mares that knew what they were doing and had the right education for it. Maybe cloud kicking wasn’t dangerous, but rain-and thunderstorms were if you don’t know how to handle them. And don’t even get me started on hurricanes and wind currents. Under Starlight Glimmer’s leadership, the weather team existed out of a few random pegasi who, not surprisingly, were just as good as an earth pony or an unicorn at cloud kicking: not. The next mayor is supposed to organize it - but there is no mayor here! Sure, there are candidates - but they aren’t exactly the greatest candidates. But I don’t really care for all that leadership stuff. I just want to be free and fly through the night, kick some clouds - but, I will admit, some company to share the night with would be nice. Until then, I’ll just keep to myself, I guess. Do some work others are supposed to do. Ugh, bureaucracy. I stood up again, ready to continue my job. I kicked off the cloud I was resting and kicked it another time, making it disappear. I smiled. There’s nothing better than a night’s hard work. Well, there is one thing better, though: sleep. Sweet, sweet sleep. ~ I stretched my wings at sunrise, a night’s hard work all done. Then, below me, I heard a voice. “Heya, Night Glider!” It was Double Diamond. He was carrying his ski’s on his back. One helmet was under his hoof. “Where were you last night?” he asked, irritated. “You said you’d practice with me.” “Oooh!” I facehoofed. “I am so, so sorry, Diamond! I overslept, didn’t I?” He sighed. “Yes, yes you did.” I sighed and kicked off the cloud I was on, and glided down to the ground. I landed with a soft thump on the ground. I smiled apologetic to Diamond. “Look, I said I was sorry. Is there some way to make it up to you?” He looked at me, angrily, with a twinge of sadness in his eyes. “This is the third time this week that you left me hangin’.” I winced. “I’m sorry… It won’t happen again, I promise.” He sighed. “Well, allrigh’ then. I’ll be off training.” I bit my lip. “Uhm… can I join you?” Double Diamond turned around, surprised. “Didn’t ya just have a whole night’s work done?” I smiled back, sheepishly. “Well, I guess sleep can wait…” I flexed my wings. “Besides, these have been achin’ to try out some new moves.” Double Diamond smiled. “Cool, allrigh’ then. Let’s go.” “Yess!” I cheered and flew off. “Race ya to the mountains!” “Hey, no fair!” I heard him say behind me, laughing. Once the both of us finally reached the snow, Double Diamond put his ski’s down and clipped on his helmet. I yawned, but I quickly hid it behind my hoof before he could see it. He clicked on his ski’s the last. “Allrigh’, ready when you are.” he said, confident. I smiled. “Allright then, let’s go!” I picked him up and carried the both of us in the air. My wings ached from the night, but I didn’t pay attention to it. I couldn’t let him down now. Together, we soared through the chilly air towards the mountain range. It was a nice day, but the higher you go, the colder it gets. I shivered a bit, but I told myself that if I kept flying, I would keep warm. Finally, we got to the top of the snowy hill. “Ready for the drop?” I yelled over the wind. “Ready!” he said, enthusiastic. “Allright then. We’re almost there…” I accelerated, my wings burning from the trip, but I kept going. “Now!” he yelled, and I dropped him. “Woohooo!” he yelled as he soared towards the snow. He landed with a soft thump on the ground; a whole wave of snow set out beneath his ski’s to create a mini-avalanche below. The snow came to a stop on the foot of the hill in large heaps. I stopped, panting, and landed on the ground. My wings hung limp at my sides. “Yeah! That was awesome!” Double Diamond cheered from below. He was panting too, hopping around on his ski’s to find a better place to stand. I smiled and plopped down in the snow. It was cold; I shivered and stood upright in an instant. “Y-yeah, r-r-r-really awesome!” I shouted down, my voice wavering a bit from the cold. He hopped around a bit, trying to see me. “Hey Nigh’, you allright?” he shouted up. “Y-y-yeah, I’m fine! J-j-j-just fell down in the snow.” I shouted back, trying to get some confidence in my voice. It failed miserably. I could almost imagine him frown. “Come down, Night, you’ll get frostbite if you stay up there.” I nodded - and shouted yes down after I realized he probably wouldn’t be able to see that - and spread my aching wings. I jumped off and glided down, to gently land where he was standing. I smiled. “Hey.” He smiled back, but his eyes still stood a bit worried. “You’re cold, aren’t you?” He clipped his one ski from his right hooves and used his free hoof to untie his scarf. “Here. This should keep you warm…” He threw it over my head and wrapped it around my neck. It was still warm. I blushed. “Th-thank you…” He smiled. “C’mon, let’s get you home… I’ll continue training later.” He clipped off his second ski and flung the two of them over his shoulder, onto his back. He started walking towards the town. I touched the scarf, hesitantly, smiled a bit and followed him back. ~ After I had gotten a nice, hot shower, I went upstairs to go to bed. Double Diamond’s scarf was still on the bed, where I had flung it carelessly when I hurried for the shower. I sat down on the bed and picked it up, gently touching the soft fabric. I should give it back in the evening, I think… maybe tomorrow morning. I don’t have anything planned for tonight, or have I…? I looked around in search for something that made me remind some very important date. No, I found none. I guess it was allright, then. I sighed. Maybe I should ask Blank Scroll in the quill-and-ink store for an agenda, I bet she has some of them lying around. I let myself drop on my back, bouncing up and down for a bit before lying still. Tiredness had caught up with me; my limbs felt heavy and I was pretty sure I had over-exerted my wings. They felt as if they could fall off any second. I felt a bit dizzy… I should’ve gone to bed hours ago. Heck, it was almost noon! I groaned and rolled to my side. The scarf slid to the ground as I whirled around to put the blankets over me. I watched the purple scarf on the floor and groaned again. I held out my hoof to pick it up; I could just reach it. I put it on my nightstand. Yep, definitely in the morning. But, for some reason, my mind just wouldn’t let me rest. I let my eyes flutter over the interior of my room. It was bland, from the Time of Equality, as I call it. I still need to liven it up a bit more. My bed is in the far left corner, directly opposite of the door. Above my head was a window through which I could see the clear, blue sky. All thanks to me, I thought to myself, smirking. To my left is a nightstand - to my right is the wall - and to my far left is a closet, a small desk and a chair. It was pretty boring. Yes, maybe I should liven things up a little. I can stand out now, it’s not forbidden anymore. I can stand out… I smiled to myself. I closed my eyes, finally finding some rest. I can be myself. I snicker and turn to lie on my side, facing the nightstand with Double Diamond’s scarf on it. We all can finally be ourselves, and I am proud to be me. I don’t get why others didn’t like to be themselves… well, I wasn’t proud of me either at first, but that was before I learnt what it was like to not be me. And, honestly, that wasn’t really nice. But I do know that there are some that doesn’t like to be themselves. Spilled Milk, for example. He has the cutie mark of - whaddya know - spilled milk. I mean, what’s that even supposed to mean? That you have to spill every carton of milk you see? What a talent. I’m sorry, but that’s my opinion, you know. I get that he prefers to be ‘equal’, I mean, anything is better than spilling milk for a living. I yawned. Was that sleep I detected? Yes, yes it is! I yawned again and snuggled deeper into the blankets. Ah, sweet sweet sleep… Sorry Luna, but I’ve gotta refuel for the night. I hope you’ll understand.
Sugar BelleAuthor's Note Spoiler Alert! There's going to be lots of references to the S5 opener. Be warned! Also, I'm going to put the character's point of view as chapter title. So this chapter is in Sugar Belles' POV. Sugar Belle My name is Sugar Belle. I’m the local baker in Our Town, and owner of a small café called Sugary Sweets. I got to rename it after Starlight Glimmer left. I also was able to expand the menu a bit. Now it doesn’t just have muffins on it, but also cakes, pies, cupcakes, pasties and even some beverages like coffee, tea, soft drinks and milkshakes. I’m still practicing my baking skills, but Party Favor says that I’m an amazing baker, especially my cupcakes. He says that they’re ‘the best in aaaaall of Equestria!’, but that also could be because they actually have flavor, unlike certain muffins that we’ve eaten for years. A few days ago, we all had gotten our cutie marks back. It’s going to be rough, getting used to it again, but with the help of my new friends I think I can manage. It also helps that I can finally bake something else than those yucky muffins! I certainly am happy that I can be me again. Most of the townsponies enjoy their cutie marks, but they have a hard time readjusting their beliefs. We all have believed Starlight Glimmer’s ideas, and acted the way she believed was right, for so long, we have forgotten how it is not to be equal again. But I believe that, despite our differences, we still can be the best of friends. Night Glider, for example. She is bold, and fast, and brave, and very athletic. I’m none of that. I can bake very well, but I need to say that I’ve gained a little weight over the days. Now that my muffins are yummy again, I enjoy tasting them, and after tasting whole batches of bakeries… Night Glider says that I should exercise more. Maybe she’s right. Sometimes, we have a little fight. It could be about anything, really, we’re so different now. But I have found that our friendship won´t end after a little fight. No, it only made our bonds stronger! But when it gets a bit too bad, Party Favor will come and make us laugh with his silly balloon animals. Once we´re done laughing, we make up and continue being best of friends. Speaking of Party Favor, he´s now the self-appointed Party Pony of Our Town. After hearing all of Pinkie’s adventures, he strives to be just like her. And he can, it’s in his blood. He told me once that he’s related to the awesome super-duper-party-pony Cheese Sandwich. He didn’t specify where exactly in the family tree, but that doesn’t matter. Not to me, not to anypony. He loves making ponies happy. If he gets the chance, he’ll throw a birthday party for one of the townsponies, an anniversary of whatever can be anniversarie’d, and, of course, whenever somepony new is in town, he’s always the first to greet them. Not that that happens often, though. We’re a bit far away from other villages. Only travelers who had gotten lost or ponies who already knew the town know where it is. But that doesn’t stop Party Favor, he’ll throw a party whenever he gets the chance. There is only one thing that he can’t do on his own. You see, he can’t bake, even if his life depended on it. He says, sheepishly, that it’s a family trait. His muffins reminded me of the muffins I baked when we were equal: bland, colorless, and tastes like cardboard that’s been in the oven for too long, according to Party Favor. He always comes to me if he needs a new batch of cupcakes or pies for a new party he’s planning. I think he loves my cupcakes. Anyway, Double Diamond and Night Glider have a lot in common. They’re both very athletic and sportive - Night in the air, and Double in the snow. He loves skiing and inventing new stunts with Night Glider. I think they’re gonna make the Air Drop their signature move. After Starlight Glimmer left, we’ve been without a mayor, or, at least, somepony to lead us. We all think Double Diamond is the best option - since he’s been Starlight’s right hoof - but he refuses. He just keeps avoiding the subject of Starlight Glimmer. It makes him nervous. Night Glider notices this, but keeps her mouth shut. I know that won’t be for long, because she always says whatever’s on her mind. There are not many other ponies that are running for mayor now. Check Mate, the local chess master, could win, but he’s too cunning for my taste. Sunny Glasses is a bit too laid-back. Dancing Leaf is all right, but I don’t think she could handle it. So, still, I really think Double Diamond should be our mayor. But it’s all up to him. So, yeah, I think life here in Our Town is pretty good. It’s my home now, and I’m curious to learn what other lessons my new friends will teach me. Let’s hope that the future is as bright as I hope it will be. ~ The doorbell to my shop rang, signaling the first customer of the day coming in. Party Favor ran through the door and skidded to a halt in front of the counter, his frazzled mane even more frazzled from his speed. His bright smile was contagious, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Hello, Party Favor! What can I help you with today?” I said, chuckling. He grinned. “Well, I was wondering if you had those new flavored pies ready? I’d looove to taste one!” he said, bouncing up and down from excitement. I nodded, still smiling, and brought out the fresh-baked apple pie, now with cinnamon. There was already a piece out. After all, I couldn’t just put another cake out without tasting it first. What if it tastes bad? What if I had put too much cinnamon on it? Or not enough? “Well, here is one cake,” I said, putting it on the counter. “Or, well, almost…” I blushed sheepishly, but he only laughed. “Cut me a real big piece! I’m sure it’ll taste amazing!” he said. “Whether you’ve tasted it or not!” I smiled and pulled out a kitchen knife. I started cutting the cake in several pieces, and gave the biggest one to Party Favor. “Do you want to eat it here, or on the way, or…” He smiled. “I’d like to eat it here, please!” I nodded, and put the slice on a small plate, together with a fork. “Thank you!” he said, grinning, and took a big bite out of the cake. I watched his expression closely. It went from curiosity, to surprisedness, to an even bigger smile than I held possible. “Mmph mphmph!” he said, with his mouth full of apple pie. I giggled. “What?” He swallowed the pie, grinning sheepishly. “Sorry… I said that it’s lovely!” he said. I blushed. “Thank you…” He took another huge bite and chewed it with great delight. “Mmph mphmmph.” The bell rang again, and four foals ran in. “Miss Belle! Miss Belle!” they cried out. The one in front, a little blue unicorn filly with purple manes and eyes, lifted a small sack with bits. “Can we have four cupcakes, please?” she said. I think her name is Amaranthine. I smiled back. “Of course! What flavor?” Amaranthine thought for a moment. “I wanna lemon cupcake…” She looked back at the filly that was behind her. “Whaddya want?” The little yellow filly stepped forward. Her orange mane hung before her left eye. Her name’s Orange Blossom, she’s Grey Blossom’s older sister. “Uhm… I’d like a… a chocolate cupcake please…” Quickly, she stepped backwards and nudged her little brother forward. The grey colt looked up at me, scared at first, but he puffed out his chest to show that he wasn’t afraid. “Uhm, ch-ch-chocolate i-i-is f-fine.” he stammered, looking embarrassed. The last filly stepped forward. “I wanna stwawberry cupcake.” The little purple filly was the youngest of the bunch, her spikey green mane going in all directions. Her name’s Opal. I nodded at the four and grabbed their cupcakes. I put them on the counter. “That’ll be four bits.” I said. They hoofed over the right amount of bits and I hovered the cupcakes over to them. The four of them cheered when they got their prize. I smiled. In the meantime, Party Favor had finished his cake and hovered the empty plate over to the counter. “That was an excellent cake!” he said, grinning. “I know that everypony will LOVE it!” I smiled. “Yeah… I really hope so.” A loud crash came from outside the shop. I looked up worriedly, and a very disheveled Night Glider walked in. “Nothing to worry, guys! I’m okay, I’m okay…” She shook her head, trying to clear it a bit. “New stunt gone wrong…” I sighed, face-hoofing. “You really should watch out. What if you’ll get hurt?” She huffed. “Ah, come on, I’m just practicing. I haven’t done all this in, like, forever.” She sighed. “Besides, those clouds don’t clear themselves. Somepony’s gotta do it.” “Well, sure,” I said, putting my hoof on the counter, “but you don’t have to do it all night long.” She shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. But I just prefer to do it at night.” She yawned. “Imma hit the hay soon…” “But it’s eight in the morning!” Party Favor says, surprised. Night Glider shrugged. “Yeah, so?” “You’d miss so much of the day!” Party Flavor said, his eyes wide. Night Glider shrugged again. “Meh. Night isn’t any different from the day… Hey, do you have any fresh muffins?” Party Favor gasped. “What? I like muffins,” Night Glider said exasperated. “I like the good kind of muffins.” I smiled. “Well, I do have a fresh batch of blueberry muffnis.” She nodded, approvingly. “Awesome, gimme two.” “Allrigh’,” I said, “Just a second, gotta get them from the back. They’ve just come out of the oven.” Night Glider nodded again. “Allrigh’, I’ll wait.” In the meantime, Party Favor had started making balloon animals for the kids who were still eating their cupcakes. That, together with the silly faces he’d make, made them roll over the floor. Their shrill laughter echoed through the little café. I could hear it from the back; It always made me smile. I grabbed the plate of muffins with my magic and brought them to the front. Party Favor looked up as he smelled the delicious muffins. “Oooh…” He sniffed. “That smells a-maaa-zing…” “M-m-m.” Night Glider said. “And two of those gems are just for me.” “What, two muffins and you’re not gonna share?” Party Favor said, pouting. “That’s not nice.” At that moment, the bell rang again. Night Glider looked around to see who it is. “Oh, hey Double Diamond!” she said, the two muffins in her hooves. He nodded. “Hello Nigh’, nice to see you here.” She took a bite from the first muffin and looked to the other one. I could see Party Favor narrowing his eyes at her while she wasn’t looking. But there was the slightest smile on his muzzle that worried me greatly. Double Diamond walked up to me. “Hello, Sugar Belle,” he said, “Uhm, can I have a coffee please? Just black.” I nodded and turned around to get a mug. I heard a balloon pop behind me, and one of the fillies started to cry. Party Favor gasped and started to make another balloon animal with the popped one and a normal one, magically making it. This earned a gasp from the crying filly. “Uh, hey Double Diamond?” I heard Night Glider say. “Yeah?” “Uhm, maybe two muffins are a bit much for me – you know, gotta keep in shape an’ all,” she said, flexing her wings. “You want one?” “Hm,” he said, and I could imagine him smiling, “Well, I won’ say no to a free muffin,” Party Favor sniggered. I turned around, the coffee – black – in my magic, and I saw Night Glider shooting him the best glare she could muster. Double Diamond didn’t see it, he now only had eyes for the muffin in his hooves. He looked up to see that the coffee has arrived and nodded a thank you. I smiled back. Night Glider finished her muffin. “Well, gotta go now,” she said, preparing to leave. She yawned. “Gotta be cool for our next training.” She grinned at Double Diamond. Double Diamond nodded. “Allrigh’, see ya there then.” I rolled my eyes, but I smiled. “Have a good rest.” Party Favor nodded as well. “Yeah, thanks guys,” she said. “See ya!” The doorbell rang when she exited. “Well, I gotta go now, too,” Party Favor said. “Parties don’t plan themselves!” “Allrigh’ then, see ya later.” I said. He smiled as he opened the door. “Later!” The doorbell rang again. He held the door open for the kids to get out. After all, school would start soon, and they shouldn’t be late. I hummed. I was alone in the shop, but soon the morning rush will start. “Well, then,” I said to myself. “Let’s get bakin’.”
Party FavorAuthor's Note Allright, Party Favor's first chapter! I'm still practicing a bit, see if I can write his character Party Favor Hello there, strange creatures behind the screen! My name is Party Favor and I am Our Towns new party pony! Now I have my cutie mark back, I can fi-nal-ly see you again. Boy, did I miss y’all! I also have my Party Sense back. (It’s a family trait, yes.) Now I can sense who desperately needs a smile and I can give it to them! Young and old always cheer up from a good balloon show. You know, after I had gotten my cutie mark back, I felt as if the world became thrice as clear and a lot more colorful. What also became clear is that, well… a lot of ponies were really angry and sad that Starlight Glimmer left. They still are.... I certainly am one of them. But it is my duty as the Premier Party Pony of This Part of Equestria to cheer other ponies up, no matter how I feel. So, no sad faces on my watch! Let’s go spread some joy! ~ I trotted happily over the street of Our Town. There’s this slight spring in my step, that if I hum one of my favorite songs, I’ll step right on time with the beat! Even if it skips one, because then I’ll just skip one step too. All of a sudden, a shiver went through my body just the moment I skipped a beat, so I was shivering in mid-air. Lots of ponies around me stopped to watch, I wonder why, because it’s really normal for me. It’s my Party Sense! Somepony needs to smile! Let’s see, who is it? I hopped on top of a boulder, overlooking the street. I pulled out a balloon and made some binoculars with it. No, not just binoculars - they were smiler sensers. I scanned the town, looking for the pony who needed some happiness. There, right over there! The small schoolhouse, next to Starlight’s old cottage. It was recess, and since they didn’t have a playground to play on they had to play on the streets. One of the colts fell and bruised his knee. That´s not right, gotta bring a smile on his face! I jumped off the boulder, hopped on my balloonbike and paddled towards the colt through the air. Once I got to the colt, I hung upside down, at eye-level. “Heya, lil’ colt! Wha’s got you down?” I said, smiling. The colt just stared at me, open-mouthed. It got me a little uncomfortable, but it’s not a sad face, so I’ve got that going for me, which is nice. I felt the air in my balloon-bike lose its strength, so I put the bike down, let the balloons deflate and put them in my pocket. I pulled out a fresh balloon and made a dog. “Here, look!” I presented the colt the balloon. “Woof, woof! Imma dog!” His eyes widened in wonder as he carefully grabbed the balloon animal. He giggled at the squeaky noises it made as his hooves touched the smooth surface. I grinned. Another job well-done! I pulled out my Balloon-copter, waved a goodbye at the colt, and paddled back into the air. I hummed another favorite song while I made for the clouds. I wonder how many favorite songs I have. If all the songs I know are my favorite songs, is it then really still my favorite? Or is none of them my favorite and could I better pick one song that is actually my favorite? Nah, then the other songs will be sad that I left them behind. I landed my ballooncopter on a cloud. Before I stepped off, I tested the cloud to see if it could hold me - yes, it could! I got a balloon, pointed the opening behind me and opened it, making a very funny sound, like a king-sized fart of a pony who had eaten too much chili. I don’t like chili, chili is too hot for me. That’s not a family trait, my family loved spicy food. But not me. I don’t like to fart, I like my whoopee-cushions and balloons to fart. Only then are farts funny. The cloud started to move forward as more and more air came out of the balloon. I looked around me and whistled a cheery tune (Yes, it’s another of my favorite songs!). I was searching for my friend, Night Glider. She’s in charge of the weather around here. She likes to sleep during the day and fly during the night, but if she has an appointment during the day, she sleeps during the night and flies during the day. But she prefers the night. Ah, there she is! She’s sleeping soundly on a cloud. “Hey, Night Glider!” I said, happily. The dark-blue pegasus was startled from her sleep. “Wha-wha-wha?” she said, looking around, until she saw me. “Party Favor!?” She looked at me with mixed expression. I think it’s confusion, and irritation, and wonder, and surprisedness, and… “How the hay did you get on that cloud? Why aren’t you falling right now? What are you doing here? Why did you wake me?” she yelled. Well, that isn’t nice. I thought for a moment. “Well, I came up here with my ballooncopter, I tested the cloud if it could hold me and it could, see?” I smiled, bouncing up and down on the cloud. “Don’t you need any, uh, cloud walking spells, maybe?” Night Glider said. I laughed. “Of course not! Only advanced unicorns can do that! I am merely a party-pony, surely you’d know that.” She stared at me, open-mouthed, and sighed exasperated. “Okay, but you didn’t explain my last two questions.” I gasped, how could I forget? “Oh! Well, I wanted to ask you something: I have a birthday party planned for tomorrow - It’s Gray Blossom’s birthday, the colt’s turning seven - and I was wondering if you could clear the clouds for tomorrow afternoon, so we’ll have a nice night.” She facehoofed. “That is why you woke me? This couldn’t wait until tonight?” I shook my head. “Nope. Weather comes first.” She sighed. “Well, okay then, I’ll see if I can arrange that… I suppose I could wake up a bit early... “ I grinned. “Thank you!” I cheered, throwing my hooves in the air. “I gotta go now, gotta plan a par-tay!” I blew up a balloonplane, climbed on it and headed for the bakery. Behind me, I heard Night Glider groan and shuffle in the clouds. “It’s Party Favor, don’t question it… ugh, party ponies…” I smiled to myself. Yep, I’m a super-duper-party pony, that pony is me! I steered my balloonplane for my next stop: the bakery. Let’s go get some yummy yummy cupcakes for tomorrow! I looove Sugar Belle’s cupcakes. She makes the bestest cakes in aaaal of Equestria! She really honors her name… heh… Maybe I’ll throw a party for her, because she helps me so much. She only deserves it. I skidded to a halt in front of the bakery. Delicious smells wafted out of the door, right into my nose, and it made my stomach rumble. Maybe I’ll pick up lunch, too. Some pie really fills the stomach, especially Sugar Belle’s pies. They’re delicious. I put away the plane and walked inside, a different spring in my step this time because I had a different favorite song in my head. And different rhythms comes with different walks. I opened the door - the bell rinkled merrily, exactly on the beat - and I walked into the shop for the second time that day. Sugar Belle smiled her sweet smile. “Hello, Party Favor, nice to see you again! How can I help you?” She seemed a bit tired. Now that her cupcakes were delicious again, she probably got tons and tons of customers. I hope she’ll be okay, because tired bakers can’t bake as well as bakers who aren’t tired. “Well,” I started, biting my lip, trying to think of what to say. “I need a birthday cake and some cupcakes for a party tomorrow! Uhm, I also need seven candles, because Grey Blossom will turn seven.” Sugar Belle nodded. “Allright. What flavor?” She held up a notepad and a quill, ready to take notes. She’s always ready for everything. “Hm…” I thought for a moment. “He really, really likes chocolate, so maybe those chocolate-with-whipped-cream-birthday cakes?” She nodded and wrote it down. “Allright. And the cupcakes?” “Well, mostly chocolate, but not everypony likes chocolate, so how about a couple of other flavours? Strawberry, lemon, maybe something we have never tasted before!” She giggled sweetly. “Well, okay then. I’ll see what I can do. When will you pick them up?” “Ehm… how about… five p.m.?” I asked. She smiled and noted it down. “Allright, I’ll have them ready by then.” “Thank you!” I grinned and tossed the proper amount of bits on the table. She smiled and nodded. “You’re welcome.” I walked happily out of the store. This time, I’m going to walk to the hardware store. Sometimes walking silly walks will bring smiles to ponies’ faces. Silly walks are funny, they make everypony laugh! I wonder if there’s a ministry of them, the Ministry of Silly Walks… Heh, maybe I should make one. That’d be hilarious! Enthusiastic by the idea, I started to walk silly. One leg really really high, and then down, and then the rest. And over and over. I saw several ponies giggle and I beamed, continuing to walk silly. It was working! Yay! I silly-walked over to my cottage. I have most of my party stuff stored there. It’s where I’ll be making most of the decorations of the party of tomorrow. There’s going to be lots and lots of games, and sweets (by Sugar Belle!), and music - oh! Almost forgot the music! Music is really important. Really, really important! There’s no party without music! I’ll have to do that later today, too. There was a knock on the door. I opened it and a very, very, very angry Double Diamond in front of me. His mane was ruffled (more ruffled than otherwise) and he held his skiing helmet under his hoof. “Party Favor…” he started, pretty threatening. I made a balloon-helmet behind my back, just in case. “Do you know where I can find Night Glider?” he asked. I sighed; thank goodness it isn’t about me… but what did she do? I asked him that. “She didn’t show up. Again.” He sighed annoyed. “I can’t find her anywhere.” “Oh, she’s asleep, I think,” I said, pointing upwards. “Somewhere in the clouds, I think.” He facehoofed. “Of course… she overslept… Again.” He sighed and his eyes softened. “Oh well, send her to me when you see her, okay?” I nodded. “I will, dont’cha worry!” I grinned. “Allright, thanks.” Double Diamond turned around to leave. “See ya around, I guess.” “Yeah, see ya!” I said, happily. “Bye!” I closed the door. Night Glider being late, again. She’s always late, and that’s not really nice. She always oversleeps. When I tried to plan a party once, she overslept and it started to rain. That really was a bummer. But I don’t blame it on her, after all, she’s one pony and there’s a whole sky with clouds she needs to clear on her own. Nopony else does it. There is supposed to be a weather team, but it’s never really established. The Mayor needs to do it, but there isn’t a mayor yet, so there’s no weather team. But let’s not worry about that, shall we? Let’s plan a par-tay!
Night GliderAuthor's Note Night Glider's POV! Hope you like it! ^^) Night Glider The moon was shining bright tonight, but not bright enough to drown out the other stars. It was a full moon and it was truly beautiful. Nights like these always make me happy to be outside. I glided through the air, silent and swift. Below me there were a few stray clouds, puffy, soft and silver in the moonlight. I softly landed on one of them and looked around for a bit. Below me, the little lights of Our Town were like a beacon in the night. They were the only lights for miles in every direction, as far as I could see. Our Town was quite beautiful at night, quite peaceful. I really missed all this - the view, the air, the night. I’m never going to give all this up again. I breathed in the cool, crisp night air and looked around me. Time to get to work. I headed for the first cloud to clear, and with a pop it disappeared. There were a lot of stray clouds that drifted this way, and the weather team had to clear almost all of them. Only a few should be left alone to give the town some shade. There’s no fun in a heatstroke. But yeah, living in a desert does come with its disadvantages. More clouds disappeared as the night went on. My wings started to get tired a bit. I hadn’t done this much work in a while, so I decided to rest for a bit and admire the night a bit more. The weather team. The weather team’s a joke, if you ask me. It’s supposed to be made up out of strong pegasus stallions and mares that knew what they were doing and had the right education for it. Maybe cloud kicking wasn’t dangerous, but rain-and thunderstorms were if you don’t know how to handle them. And don’t even get me started on hurricanes and wind currents. Under Starlight Glimmer’s leadership, the weather team existed out of a few random pegasi who, not surprisingly, were just as good as an earth pony or an unicorn at cloud kicking: not. The next mayor is supposed to organize it - but there is no mayor here! Sure, there are candidates - but they aren’t exactly the greatest candidates. But I don’t really care for all that leadership stuff. I just want to be free and fly through the night, kick some clouds - but, I will admit, some company to share the night with would be nice. Until then, I’ll just keep to myself, I guess. Do some work others are supposed to do. Ugh, bureaucracy. I stood up again, ready to continue my job. I kicked off the cloud I was resting and kicked it another time, making it disappear. I smiled. There’s nothing better than a night’s hard work. Well, there is one thing better, though: sleep. Sweet, sweet sleep. ~ I stretched my wings at sunrise, a night’s hard work all done. Then, below me, I heard a voice. “Heya, Night Glider!” It was Double Diamond. He was carrying his ski’s on his back. One helmet was under his hoof. “Where were you last night?” he asked, irritated. “You said you’d practice with me.” “Oooh!” I facehoofed. “I am so, so sorry, Diamond! I overslept, didn’t I?” He sighed. “Yes, yes you did.” I sighed and kicked off the cloud I was on, and glided down to the ground. I landed with a soft thump on the ground. I smiled apologetic to Diamond. “Look, I said I was sorry. Is there some way to make it up to you?” He looked at me, angrily, with a twinge of sadness in his eyes. “This is the third time this week that you left me hangin’.” I winced. “I’m sorry… It won’t happen again, I promise.” He sighed. “Well, allrigh’ then. I’ll be off training.” I bit my lip. “Uhm… can I join you?” Double Diamond turned around, surprised. “Didn’t ya just have a whole night’s work done?” I smiled back, sheepishly. “Well, I guess sleep can wait…” I flexed my wings. “Besides, these have been achin’ to try out some new moves.” Double Diamond smiled. “Cool, allrigh’ then. Let’s go.” “Yess!” I cheered and flew off. “Race ya to the mountains!” “Hey, no fair!” I heard him say behind me, laughing. Once the both of us finally reached the snow, Double Diamond put his ski’s down and clipped on his helmet. I yawned, but I quickly hid it behind my hoof before he could see it. He clicked on his ski’s the last. “Allrigh’, ready when you are.” he said, confident. I smiled. “Allright then, let’s go!” I picked him up and carried the both of us in the air. My wings ached from the night, but I didn’t pay attention to it. I couldn’t let him down now. Together, we soared through the chilly air towards the mountain range. It was a nice day, but the higher you go, the colder it gets. I shivered a bit, but I told myself that if I kept flying, I would keep warm. Finally, we got to the top of the snowy hill. “Ready for the drop?” I yelled over the wind. “Ready!” he said, enthusiastic. “Allright then. We’re almost there…” I accelerated, my wings burning from the trip, but I kept going. “Now!” he yelled, and I dropped him. “Woohooo!” he yelled as he soared towards the snow. He landed with a soft thump on the ground; a whole wave of snow set out beneath his ski’s to create a mini-avalanche below. The snow came to a stop on the foot of the hill in large heaps. I stopped, panting, and landed on the ground. My wings hung limp at my sides. “Yeah! That was awesome!” Double Diamond cheered from below. He was panting too, hopping around on his ski’s to find a better place to stand. I smiled and plopped down in the snow. It was cold; I shivered and stood upright in an instant. “Y-yeah, r-r-r-really awesome!” I shouted down, my voice wavering a bit from the cold. He hopped around a bit, trying to see me. “Hey Nigh’, you allright?” he shouted up. “Y-y-yeah, I’m fine! J-j-j-just fell down in the snow.” I shouted back, trying to get some confidence in my voice. It failed miserably. I could almost imagine him frown. “Come down, Night, you’ll get frostbite if you stay up there.” I nodded - and shouted yes down after I realized he probably wouldn’t be able to see that - and spread my aching wings. I jumped off and glided down, to gently land where he was standing. I smiled. “Hey.” He smiled back, but his eyes still stood a bit worried. “You’re cold, aren’t you?” He clipped his one ski from his right hooves and used his free hoof to untie his scarf. “Here. This should keep you warm…” He threw it over my head and wrapped it around my neck. It was still warm. I blushed. “Th-thank you…” He smiled. “C’mon, let’s get you home… I’ll continue training later.” He clipped off his second ski and flung the two of them over his shoulder, onto his back. He started walking towards the town. I touched the scarf, hesitantly, smiled a bit and followed him back. ~ After I had gotten a nice, hot shower, I went upstairs to go to bed. Double Diamond’s scarf was still on the bed, where I had flung it carelessly when I hurried for the shower. I sat down on the bed and picked it up, gently touching the soft fabric. I should give it back in the evening, I think… maybe tomorrow morning. I don’t have anything planned for tonight, or have I…? I looked around in search for something that made me remind some very important date. No, I found none. I guess it was allright, then. I sighed. Maybe I should ask Blank Scroll in the quill-and-ink store for an agenda, I bet she has some of them lying around. I let myself drop on my back, bouncing up and down for a bit before lying still. Tiredness had caught up with me; my limbs felt heavy and I was pretty sure I had over-exerted my wings. They felt as if they could fall off any second. I felt a bit dizzy… I should’ve gone to bed hours ago. Heck, it was almost noon! I groaned and rolled to my side. The scarf slid to the ground as I whirled around to put the blankets over me. I watched the purple scarf on the floor and groaned again. I held out my hoof to pick it up; I could just reach it. I put it on my nightstand. Yep, definitely in the morning. But, for some reason, my mind just wouldn’t let me rest. I let my eyes flutter over the interior of my room. It was bland, from the Time of Equality, as I call it. I still need to liven it up a bit more. My bed is in the far left corner, directly opposite of the door. Above my head was a window through which I could see the clear, blue sky. All thanks to me, I thought to myself, smirking. To my left is a nightstand - to my right is the wall - and to my far left is a closet, a small desk and a chair. It was pretty boring. Yes, maybe I should liven things up a little. I can stand out now, it’s not forbidden anymore. I can stand out… I smiled to myself. I closed my eyes, finally finding some rest. I can be myself. I snicker and turn to lie on my side, facing the nightstand with Double Diamond’s scarf on it. We all can finally be ourselves, and I am proud to be me. I don’t get why others didn’t like to be themselves… well, I wasn’t proud of me either at first, but that was before I learnt what it was like to not be me. And, honestly, that wasn’t really nice. But I do know that there are some that doesn’t like to be themselves. Spilled Milk, for example. He has the cutie mark of - whaddya know - spilled milk. I mean, what’s that even supposed to mean? That you have to spill every carton of milk you see? What a talent. I’m sorry, but that’s my opinion, you know. I get that he prefers to be ‘equal’, I mean, anything is better than spilling milk for a living. I yawned. Was that sleep I detected? Yes, yes it is! I yawned again and snuggled deeper into the blankets. Ah, sweet sweet sleep… Sorry Luna, but I’ve gotta refuel for the night. I hope you’ll understand.
