“Twi, I really don’t think you need all this stuff. You’re only going to be gone for a week or so. Maybe longer. What do you need so many books for?”
Spike asked as he watched Twilight, sat in front of the cutie map table with a bag and a stack of books. She was currently trying to shove more books in her already packed bag but it wasn’t working quite well. The bag was all misshaped from the contents inside and Spike was pretty sure there were only a tiny half of needed supplies in there and the rest was literally just books. She huffed annoyed as she stopped and let the book slowly fall out of the bag.
“Actually I do need all these books! I’m staying on a deserted island with only a few selected ponies. It’s never been touched by pony hooves before. Who knows what kind of dangerous things could be on the island? There are so many harmful creatures and even just the island itself could be dangerous! If I don’t bring these books I won’t be able to protect myself.”
“Twi, as much as I appreciate you thinking ahead and making sure you’re well, you really don’t need all of these.” He gestured to the stuffed bag of books and the other books lied out on the table. “Besides, do you really think all the other ponies are going to be bringing bags packed full with books on survival or whatever? You have a tour guide staying with you on the island too. They’ll probably have everything you need.”
“Yes, but why wait on somepony else when you can come prepared? I’m sure the tour guide will be amazed when they see that I arrived with everything I need. I wouldn’t even need to ask them for anything!”
Spike sighed, shaking his head. It was at this point he knew Twilight wasn’t going to change her mind and that there was no point arguing. He eventually walked away and let Twilight do her thing in attempting to stuff that one book in her bag. Maybe she’d come to her senses later and take fewer books that she thought she ‘needed’ and take the more useful things.
Later, all five of Twilight’s friends including Spike all trotted alongside her to a hot air balloon that was currently tied to the ground, waiting to be used. Normally you’d think they would all hop in and join Twilight in her adventure. This was not the case however since this would be a solo journey for Twilight. Only the ones who were selected were allowed on the island and she was very lucky to be chosen. She was sure her friends could stand a week without her anyhow though. Maybe not Pinkie Pie..Yeah, Pinkie would be fine too. Maybe a little crying and rib breaking hugs but she’d be okay.
Twilight grunted as she heaved her bag into the hot air balloon. Both Rarity and Fluttershy both looked at each other, seeming to think the same thing. That bag was a little too much..Even Rarity could say that and she always took the most unnecessary things with her when she could.
“Twilight, did you actually fit all your books in there?” Spike asked.
“No, I had to leave some behind but I took the essentials.”
Spike let out a loud sigh as Applejack comfortingly patted him on the back.
“Yeah, I’m not a balloon expert or anything but that is way too much weight for the balloon. You’re going to be sinking before you even get off the ground.” Rainbow said.
“I doubt it. Why don’t we give it a little test run first?”
“I guess.”
Rainbow flew over to the ropes attached to the ground and untied one of them to test. Twilight felt the balloon slowly release from the rope and shift a little. One side of it was still attached but the other was free. Free to raise into the air as far as the rope let it which wasn’t very far. Twilight pulled down a handle as blue fire filled the giant balloon above her. She felt the basket beneath her begin to rise and take off into the air when it slowly just..Stopped. She looked down to see that not even the rope left was restraining it.
“I told you!” Rainbow said.
Twilight sighed as she levitated the bag she packed over to herself. She opened it to find herself face to face with crammed books and a very small flashlight. Everything else was crammed into the bottom. She levitated some books out and read the covers and sides, deciding which ones were most important and which were least important. Eventually, she decided on some and ended up tossing them over the side where Spike waited to catch the books and take them back to the castle. He stumbled a bit catching a few but no books or Spikes were harmed.
“That should do it. I think you’re all set now!” Rainbow called out.
Twilight nodded as she looked over the side to see all of her friends down below looking up into the sky with both sad and hopeful smiles. Pinkie among them looked like she was ready to burst into tears but had a goofy smile on her face to try and hide the sadness. Twilight levitated Pinkie up to her, making her gently float in front of her and gave her a hug. Pinkie returned it, hugging her close for a few moments before being set down on the ground again. The pink pony looked a lot happier after being hugged as Rainbow untied the last rope and the balloon jolted a little, drifting into the sky and away from the ground.
“Goodbye everypony! See you soon!” Twilight yelled, waving.
“Goodbye, Twilight!” A few variations of her name and goodbyes being said from down below as they all waved, slowly turning into nothing but colorful dots.
Once she could no longer see the colorful dots and nothing but landscape below, she ducked down in the basket and sat down. She opened her bag and levitated a hardcover book, a quill, and what looked like to be a few of some unmarked assignments from her students at the School of Friendship. To most, this wouldn’t be a very enjoyable way to spend one’s time but Twilight enjoyed marking things. Plus, these needed to be done in time for next Thursday and she had much to mark. Of course, she would have to do a lot more when at home but why not get a head start? She breathed the fresh cold air as her mane swayed in the gentle wind, taking her quill to some ink and beginning to leave little checkmarks and comments on the papers.
A purple color filled the sky and stars began to twinkle and shine, filling the empty sky. Moonlight shone on the slow-moving air balloon as well and the air started to become a little cold. In between marking a paper, Twilight shivered as a cold breeze swept across her body all the way to her tail. She let out a small breath as she dug into her bag, looking for something to keep herself warm. She gasped and smiled as she pulled out a little blanket with what looked like constellations on it. It was very fitting at this time and would be very cozy and warm. Just what Twilight needed. She draped the blanket over herself and snuggled up to it smiling as she continued to write on the student’s paper.
“Twilight Sparkle?..”
Twilight let out a small groan noise as she felt herself shift and turn wherever she was sleeping and rolled on to her side. She could see nothing but darkness but she somehow consciously knew she was asleep.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
She let out another groan noise, this time in annoyance. She wanted to be left alone. Why couldn’t that voice leave her alone and let her sleep?..
“Twilight Sparkle!”
“Huh?!”
Twilight sprung up from her sleep panting. She looked down to see a puddle of drool on a paper she seemed to of been previously writing on before falling asleep. The ink that was used on it seemed to of been smudged and unfortunately smudged the student’s writing to. Twilight panicked as she waved the paper around with her magic to try and dry it off somehow. Clearly, that wasn’t working..
"Are you alright?"
She stopped waving the paper around and stared upwards from the basket. A ladder was swaying in the wind as what looked like to be a tiny airplane was flying right beside her. Airplanes didn't exist in this world which was rather odd. Twilight knew about airplanes since she had stayed in the human world for a little while well helping the human versions of her friends in the Battle of the Bands. While deciding song lyrics and such, she had spotted one flying in the air one morning and asked what it was. The girls looked at her like she was crazy but told her anyways. It was too bad they didn't have them here in the pony world since they would be rather helpful for ponies to get here and there. She looked upwards from the swaying ladder to see some kind of creature holding on..Looking at her!
"U-Uh..H-Hello? Were you talking to me?" She asked, squinting at the ladder.
“Yes, yes, are you by chance..” The creature stared down at what looked to be a piece of paper before making eye contact with Twilight again. “Twilight Sparkle?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Oh, well grab on to the ladder! I’m here to pick you up for the Nook Inc. Getaway Package.”
“Oh!” Twilight stood up, grabbing her belongings when she glanced back at the hot air balloon she still stood in. “Wait, I can’t just leave. This isn’t my hot air balloon.”
“Hold on a second, I think I could help with that.”
The creature seemed to of grabbed what seemed to be a walkie talkie from its side and spoke into it. “Any spare ropes?”
“Yes, yes, I believe so. What for?” Another voice slightly more high pitch came from out of it.
“We need to bring a hot air balloon with us.”
“Very well.”
The creature put away the walkie talkie and turned its attention upwards to the plane. Not far where the ladder was attached to it, a door slid open. Two tiny creatures that looked oddly the same as the creature dangling from the ladder came out. Although, Twilight couldn’t really tell what they all looked like since it was so dark. The three of them all just looked very similar. One of them carried a rope and tossed one end down to the creature dangling from the ladder. The creature than tossed it to Twilight.
“Tie it to the basket!”
Twilight used her magic to tie a very tight knot with the rope to the basket of the hot air balloon. She pulled on it just to make sure it was tight and was then satisfied with it. She looked up again to see the two tiny creatures tie the rope to their plane as well. Once done, they hurried back inside and shut the door.
“Alright, come on then!”
Twilight levitated all her things and put back the wet assignment in her bag, still annoyed at herself for falling asleep on it. She grabbed on the waving ladder and made her way up to the creature’s height. They both then climbed up together as the creature opened the door and they both climbed it, slamming the door shut after.
“Phew..Thank you for coming to pick me up. I actually wasn’t sure where to steer the balloon next.”
“Yes, yes, it’s no problem.”
Twilight was now in the inside of a well-lit plane. It was rather small but comfortable. There were four seats within it making it just enough for how many passengers it had inside currently. The inside of the plane was painted blue and white just like the outside as well. Twilight set down her things as her eyes got used to the better light. She looked in front of her to see what seemed to of been the creature that came to pick her up..Wait a minute. A tiny raccoon? The raccoon had its back turned to her currently as it shuffled things about, its tail swaying side to side.
“Wait..You’re not a pony?”
The raccoon now turned to face her, looking at her rather confused. “Yes, yes? I am not. Why would you think I would be a pony?”
“But..How is this possible? I mean..You’re a raccoon and you’re talking to me! This is more Fluttershy’s thing..”
“Pardon me but don’t you think that’s rather rude to say? Of course, I can talk.”
Twilight now sat down on the floor, completely bewildered. The raccoon sighed.
“Let me try this again. I am Tom Nook. I am often known for running shops that include both furniture, tools, and more. You were of the few selected to stay on a deserted island for a week or perhaps longer if truly desired. I am simply transporting us there now so we can get settled. I am also your tour guide and the one running this getaway package.”
“B-But..Are there any other ponies?!”
Tom Nook gave her a look of annoyance.
“How am I supposed to know? They were randomly selected and were only told to meet us on the island. It’s a complete mystery to me.”
“We are arriving on the island shortly!”
Tom Nook’s walkie talkie suddenly went off as he grabbed it and replied. “Good, land near the dock.”
Twilight took her first few steps on the island once off the dock. It was incredibly dark out currently and she could only see as far as her flashlight shined which wasn’t such a great distance. She could hear soft waves breaking on the sand and the sounds of crickets. She also saw a few outlines of trees in the distance..Perhaps a few palm trees. She took in the sights as she breathed in some fresh air. She saw Tom Nook walk past her with what looked like two mini versions of him. They were carrying a big box of supplies towards an empty area of the island. They set it down once in a good spot and started to pull out what looked like equipment for tents and other things. Twilight curiously trotted over to see what they were doing.
“Need any help?” She asked.
“No, we’re good here. Timmy and Tommy should be able to get it all done.”
Timmy and Tommy, the two little raccoons that looked like spitting images of Tom Nook were currently hammering a big blue tent into the ground effortlessly. Tom Nook was right, they seemed to have everything going well for them.
“Timmy and Tommy? Wow, they look just like you! Are they your children?”
“O-Oh. Well, yes but no. I adopted them but they aren’t really mine.” Tom Nook now glanced at the two twin raccoons with a little pride in his face. “They don’t really look at me as a father figure though but rather a mentor. Or well..A boss. I suppose that’s just how it always has been since I’ve run so many shops in the past.”
“Hm, that’s rather interesting. I’m sure they appreciate everything you do for them though.”
“Yeah, I bet they do.” Tom Nook smiled gently and then walked off towards the beach on his own.
Twilight watched him disappear into the darkness before sitting down on the grass, pulling out a book. She hovered her flashlight over the pages so she could read the words in the darkness. May as well keep herself occupied for now. She read a couple of pages until she heard a sudden talking and giggling coming from the dock’s direction. She closed her book and looked up. She could see a few colorful figures exiting a small boat at the dock. Her heart skipped a beat as she stood up and put her book back in her bag. Timmy and Tommy rushed over to greet what looked like to be the others who were selected to stay on the island.
“Tom Nook, I think the others are here!” Twilight called out as she saw the raccoon running over.
Tom Nook watched Timmy and Tommy lead the group across the dock and he smiled. “Yes, yes, it seems so. Come, we’re all going to meet near the tent that was just set up.”
Twilight followed Tom Nook as they waited for the others to come.
They were now all crowded in front of Tom Nook, Timmy, and Tommy. Twilight was slightly off in the corner as she looked around to see all the faces of the soon to be islanders. Unfortunately, there were no ponies as she thought there would be. They were all different animals that stood and walked on their hind legs. Rather like humans. Including Twilight, there was five randomly selected. There was a koala who looked particularity happy to be here, a cute monkey, a pink little squirrel, and what looked to be a very pretty looking deer. The deer reminded Twilight of Rarity since she seemed to have a good sense of fashion and wore makeup.
“Good evening everyone..Well, maybe more than evening now. I’d just like to start off with thanking you all for coming and signing up for this. You are doing future islanders here a favour by staying here and testing out the habitability here. Of course, always know that if you need help we’re always here to assist.
“Now, as you can see it’s rather too late for us to begin the tour today and we all need you to get settled into your tents first before doing anything else. For today, we ask you to just get all your things set up and to enjoy your night peacefully. We also ask you to get rest for tomorrow since we will need your full attention for the tour. Your tents also may not be set up yet so please be patient as my workers, Timmy and Tommy set them up. That about covers everything until tomorrow. First, before you leave though, let me take note on who’s here.”
Tom Nook pulled out a sheet of paper.
“Diana?”
“Here.” The deer replied, seeming to be applying makeup at the moment while looking at a tiny mirror.
“Fang?”
The animals and Twilight each glanced at each other looking around and then at Tom Nook once again.
“No, Fang?”
“He should be coming.” Diana replied. “He’s probably just late..As usual.” She rolled her eyes.
Tom Nook marked something down with a pencil. “Ozzie?”
There was no response when they suddenly heard snoring. Twilight looked beside her to see the koala that was once standing beside her wide awake now asleep on the ground. She poked the koala but it seemed it did nothing.
“Ozzie!”
“Wha- huh?”
Ozzie got up rubbing his eyes confused as everyone stared at him.
“Are you here or not?”
“Yes, I’m here. Sheesh, what’s your problem Mr. Nook? I’m tired!”
Tom Nook sighed and wrote something down. “Peanut?”
“Here!” The squirrel answered happily.
“Shari?”
“Here.” The monkey replied.
“Annnd...Twilight Sparkle?”
“Here.” Twilight said.
Twilight suddenly felt all eyes on her, a few disapproving. She felt rather anxious as they all looked at her but soon took their attention away once they were dismissed to find their tents. She let out a sigh of relief as she went to go find hers.
The tent she was in was purple but rather small. It had a small feel to it quite like the airplane. She assumed over time she might get a bigger one..Or not. She pulled out a little sleeping bag and a little lamp, placing it beside it. She flicked it on as she placed a stack of books on the other side of the sleeping bag. She sighed happily. It might not be much but as long as she had her books, her lamp, and her sleeping bag she’d be fine.
“What is this?! Do you really think I could sleep in this? This is way too small and could never fit all the furniture I brought!”
“Diana, you weren't supposed to bring many belongings. Only the important needed things such as a source of light and maybe even a bed. It said right on the letter.”
“I don’t care! I brought them so you’re going to have to get me a bigger tent!”
Twilight had her ears pressed against the side of her tent listening. Although it was rude to listen in on their conversation, she couldn’t help it. Besides, it wasn’t like the tent was going to soundproof anything. She definitely recognized the two voices as Tom Nook and Diana. Tom Nook sounded about ready to punch the deer in the face. Of course..He couldn’t do that since he had to remain professional but she still felt bad for him. The conversation seemed to end as the soft crunching of grass was heard and angry mumbling from Diana. She wondered if Tom Nook actually went to go get her a bigger tent as she settled into her sleeping bag.
“This is going to be an interesting week, that’s for sure.” Twilight said, giggling a little.
She switched off her lamp and lied her head on her pillow, falling into a peaceful sleep as the waves carried her away mentally.
Apples, Flowers, and Trees
Twilight slowly opened her eyes as she saw a bright light shining on her tent. She yawned, letting her alicorn wings spread out and stretch. She cracked her back a little before standing up from her sleeping bag and zipping it back up. She seems to of woken up at a good time as she heard a bell ringing outside. She opened her tent and trotted out, slightly being blinded from the sun as she shielded herself with her wing.
“Breakfast everyone!” She heard Tom Nook say as she got a whiff of fruit and cake.
She watched as the other islanders exited their tents, all equally looking tired. They all seem to not got a very good sleep except for Twilight. This rather surprised her since she usually was quite cranky in the early morning.
She happily trotted over to where Tom Nook, Timmy, and Tommy were all seeming to be serving pancakes. Tom Nook was cooking the pancakes and placed them on plates while Timmy and Tommy put whip cream on each one along with what looked to be freshly cut up fruit from the trees. She even spotted some pineapple that was placed on a big pile of whip cream. Her stomach grumbled a bit at the sugary goodness as she watched them serve up some plates.
“Wow, I didn’t know you all would be making our meals! You didn’t have to do that.”
“Oh, no, no, this isn’t an everyday thing. This is only for today to start you all up on your week. As you can see there’s plenty of fruit on this island and fish. You all should be able to cook yourself up some decent meals after today.” Tom Nook replied.
“Seems reasonable.”
One of the raccoon twins gave Twilight a plate of pancakes.
“Thank you!”
They nodded and got back to work on decorating the pancakes. Twilight trotted off with her breakfast and decided to sit down by the ocean, carefully levitating her plate beside her as she took a bite. Her mouth in a sense exploded with flavors of all of the different fruits as she hummed happily, taking another bite. She could hear Diana in the distance complaining about how ‘basic’ the breakfast was and that she could make something better as she ate. She only giggled as she enjoyed her food.
“I’m here!” She heard a deep voice yell.
She looked over towards the raccoon family to see a wolf waving his arms as he ran over to them. Tom Nook didn’t look too happy as he seem to have been scolding the wolf. That must of been Fang..
“Hello, are you Twilight Sparkle?”
She then looked to her left to see Shari, the monkey she saw during the introduction standing beside her holding a plate with a stack of pancakes. She wore a friendly smile on her face.
“Yes, I am! Shari is it?”
“You got it, nice to meet you. May I sit here with you?”
“Of course!”
Shari sat down, balancing her plate on her legs.
“So, what do you think of the other animals here?” Shari asked.
“Uhh..For the most part, I think they’re good. Tom Nook has been very helpful.”
“No, no, not our tour guide! I mean everyone else."
“Good?”
“Hm, you’re too nice.” Shari said, shoving some pancakes in her mouth.
“Well, I am the princess of Friendship and my friend is the Element of Kindness.”
Shari’s eyes widened as she threw her plate across the beach. “You’re a princess?!”
“Oh..Dear..” Twilight smiled sheepishly.
“Come, everyone, we’re going to be starting the tour soon!” Tom Nook yelled.
Shari and Twilight stood up as they walked over to Tom Nook.
“You’re going to have to tell me everything.” Shari said.
“And this is the craft table, you can use it to craft tools, fences, and much more for your daily needs.” Tom Nook explained, gesturing to a craft table in the Nook’s big blue tent.
“Wow, your world is really weird.” Shari whispered.
“I suppose. It feels normal to me. What doesn’t feel normal to me is all of you.”
“Heh, that makes sense.”
“That about wraps up the tour now. You may begin your week in paradise.” Tom Nook announced as he and the other Nook’s went off on their way and the other islanders followed, leaving Twilight and Shari to stand alone in the big blue tent.
“So, you want to start grinding?” Shari asked.
“Grinding? What do you mean?”
“You know, picking fruits, flowers, maybe even cutting down some trees?”
“You mean for fun?..I guess.”
“No, no, I mean..” Shari thought for a moment. “I guess you could do it for fun but it’s not really that fun. What you do is sell all the fruits and flowers and whatever else to the shop and you get bells for it! Animals don’t really do it for fun and more for some easy cash. Plus you could probably get Nook Miles for doing some work on the island as well.”
“Wow, really? To me, all of that sounds like junk. If I tried to sell those in Equestria, those would be incredibly cheap. Well, unless you’re my friend Applejack or sell bouquets of flowers.”
“You have some interesting friends, Twilight.”
“You could say that.” Twilight giggled.
Shari and Twilight now stood in front of a patch of apple trees. Three fresh and shiny apples hung in each tree as if waiting to be plucked from where they hung. Shari rubbed her palms together, grinning and having her eyes set on the trunk of a single tree. Out of nowhere she hopped up onto the tree and started to climb.
“Shari, what are you doing?! Be careful!” Twilight shouted in surprise.
“I got this. I’m a monkey remember?”
Shari climbed above the trunk and rested herself on an empty tree branch with no apples upon it. She had a big red apple in her sights as she used another tree branch to swing over to the specific one. While hanging on to the empty branch, she reached for the apple and grasped it. She gave the apple a gentle pull and a small snap noise was heard as it rested right in her hand. She then jumped down, showing off her apple to Twilight with a prideful smile.
“And there you go. One apple, monkey style.”
Twilight took the apple from Shari, levitating it with her magic and inspecting it. “Hm..Well, I got an even faster tactic to apple picking.”
She gave the apple back to Shari and closed her eyes, her horn glowing a pink aura. Her eyes suddenly flashed white as all the apples in the patch suddenly glowed pink. There were many poof noises heard as the apples vanished from there trees and suddenly poofed in front of Twilight, spinning around in a circle as they levitated in the air. Shari watched as her jaw dropped, noticing all of the apples from the patch of trees they were picking from were all gone and levitating in front of Twilight. Her eyes returned to normal as she admired the work she had just done.
“Woooooww!” Shari said
“Mhm.” Twilight grinned. “I call this..Uh..Twilight style!”
Twilight levitated the apple Shari picked and her own into a little basket, filling it to the brim with freshly picked apples.
“How did you do that? The apples literally floated in the air!”
“I have a little something called ‘magic’. I’ll have to teach you sometime.” She winked and giggled as Shari gave her a confused face.
The two now walked around in a field of many different flowers, picking them and putting them in a separate basket. Twilight even stopped to smell a few, letting out a sigh after taking in the wonderful aroma and placing them in the basket after.
“So, how much do you think we’ll get for the fruits and the flowers?” Twilight asked.
“Probably around a thousand bells.” Shari replied casually as she placed a sunflower in the basket.
“A thousand?! Oof!”
Twilight suddenly smacked into something as she fell back on to the grass, crushing a few flowers and grass beneath her. She looked over to see her basket of flowers overflowing over the grass and then above to see a wolf’s snout inches away from her face. Her eyes widened, moving back a little in surprise.
“Watch where you’re going!” The wolf said, Twilight immediately recognizing him as Fang, the islander that arrived quite late.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to walk right into you.” Twilight apologized.
“Yeah, yeah, that’s what they all say. Likely story. I know how this goes ‘pretty little pony’ and you ain’t fooling nobody.”
Fang opened his mouth menacingly as she saw rows and rows of sharp teeth. She shrieked as her horn glowed defensively, shielding herself with her wings.
“STOP IT!”
Twilight peeked out from her wings as Fang looked in the same direction. Shari now stood in front of Twilight protectively, staring Fang down.
“Leave her alone, Fang.” Shari sternly said.
“Why? Or else I’ll be beaten down by a tiny little monkey?” Fang scoffed. “Seriously, why are you even defending her. Don’t you know that everyone thinks she’s a weirdo?”
“That’s not true. I don’t think she's a weirdo and neither should you. Quit being a jerk.” Shari replied. “And also, I am more than I look so don’t try it, buster.”
“Diana thinks she’s nothing but a joke.”
“Well, that’s Diana’s problem, not hers. Diana is a snooty, stuck-up, brat.”
Fang pressed his paw into Shari’s chest threateningly.
“You say that one more time..” He began.
“ENOUGH!”
The two looked over to see Twilight now back on her hooves again and staring at them both with major disapproval.
“I don’t care what someone else thinks of me but I most certainly care when other’s are fighting right in front of me. Now, Fang, I’ll only ask you once, could you please leave me and Shari alone?”
“Why should I?” Fang asked.
“Don’t push it..” Shari replied angrily.
“Fiiinnee..”
The wolf pouted as he slouched, walking off. He gave Shari and Twilight one last annoyed glance as he walked off and disappeared behind some long grass in the distance. A noticeable relief washed over Shari and Twilight as Shari took a deep breath and let it out as if she was breathing out all her stress.
“Ah, that’s better,” Twilight said happily. “Now, Shari, I know you were only protecting me but there was no need for you to threaten, Fang.”
“He threatened you!”
“Yes, I know that but two wrongs don’t make a right. You were just adding on to the fight and making things worse by threatening him. Don’t play by his game and rather just play by your own. You know what I mean?”
Shari sighed. “It’s not that easy.”
“I know it isn’t but at least try..Alright?”
“Okay..I’ll try.”
Both Shari and Twilight began to approach a small little shop that seemed to be undergoing construction. It surprised Twilight that there was already a little shop in progress on the island after them all only being on the island for ten or more hours. Though, at the same time, it didn’t. Tom Nook’s services seemed to be pretty fast.
As they approached further, she noticed a little sign with the name ‘Re-Tail’ hung on what was made of the shop. Oddly enough, the not even done shop seemed to be open as well as she could see small pieces of furniture on display inside.
“Wait, is that shop really open?” Twilight asked.
“Yup, just some construction going on though it seems.”
“How are you all opening shops when they’re not even done being built? What if somepony gets hurt?”
“Somepony?” Shari gave her a weird look.
“Sorry..’Somebody’.” She corrected herself.
“Well, honestly it seems safe to go inside. It’s also a shop to sell goods at so they’d need to have it up and running fast. Everyone needs to make bells and Nook Miles I suppose.”
Shari held open the door for Twilight as she trotted inside. She was met with bright colors and stands for what looked like the furniture to sit on for display. The shop looked just about ready for business except for a gap in the wall that was not yet covered. She gasped, looking around and admiring the little shop.
“Hello there, welcome to the Re-Tail!”
Twilight looked to the right to see a pink alpaca smiling at her a few feet away.
“Hello.” Twilight replied, grinning back.
“Hey, Reese. It’s been a while huh? I wasn’t expecting you and Cyrus to open up shop here.” Shari said, walking over to the alpaca.
“I wasn’t expecting it either. Mr. Nook gave us the offer to make more bells and expand our business and well, we just had to take it! Besides, this island is really great and it feels like I’m on vacation even though I’m still working.” Reese giggled.
Twilight casually stood to the side, feeling like a bit of a third wheel as Shari and Reese had a conversation together. She didn’t know anyone and she felt a little awkward since even Shari knew more animals than her. She noticed that Shari looked over towards her and then Reese again.
“Whoops, I almost forgot! Reese, meet Princess Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, Reese!”
Twilight walked forward, lending her hoof out to shake hooves. “Actually just Twilight is fine. No need to be so formal.”
“Wow, a princess? Each day just gets crazier and crazier.” Reese said, shaking hooves with Twilight. “Well welcome, here at Re-Tail we accept any goods of yours for bells or furniture so they can be recycled and turned into new furniture! My husband Cyrus does all of the recycling though. We also resell furniture for any price and an islander can come to buy it. We’ll make sure to notify you for the bells after.”
“Wow, what a great idea. I should really take notes. Maybe my homeland could do something like that with our waste.” Twilight said, teleporting a notepad and a pen, scribbling some notes down.
“Hey, we’re here to sell our stuff, not come up with ideas to save nature.” Shari said, snatching the pen and notepad from Twilight.
“Hey!”
“Oh, you’re here to sell? What would you like to sell.” Reese asked.
Shari pulled out two baskets filled to the brim with both apples and flowers. She placed them on the ground in front of Reese. “These.”
“Ah, everyone’s been coming to me with flowers and apples today.”
Reese picked up the two baskets and placed them on to a machine. There was the ticking noise of what seemed to be a clock and a few moments later a ding sounded. Reese poked at something before turning around to the two of them.
“Four thousand bells! Would you like to sell?”
Twilight’s jaw dropped as Shari nodded.
Reese grabbed the baskets and placed them into the corner and then grabbed a small bag, placing in plenty of cash for a few moments before placing the heavy bag in Shari’s hands.
“Thank you, have a nice day.” Reese said.
Both Shari and Twilight walked outside in silence until suddenly..
“Four thousand bells?! What is this place?” Twilight yelled once outside.
“Yup, that’s what’s great about the Re-Tail. Junk for a great price. Anyway, want to split it to two thousand each?”
“O-Okay!” Twilight replied, still bewildered by the price of the apples and flowers.
It wasn’t long before Twilight held two thousand bells in her hooves. She still couldn’t believe it. She also couldn’t believe how dark out it already was and that night was approaching. Did she really spend almost an entire day with Shari?
“Well, looks like it’s getting late. See you tomorrow?”
“Yeah, of course!” Twilight smiled.
“Alright, thanks for the fun day, Twilight.” Shari waved and started to walk away when she stopped, turning back to Twilight. “One more thing, if Fang gives you trouble, call my name, alright?”
“Alright but I probably won’t!”
She heard Shari snicker as she watched her walk off.
“That’ll be five hundred bells to craft an axe.” Tom Nook said.
Twilight gave Tom Nook five hundred bells as she watched the Nook twins get to work, disappearing into nothing but a dust cloud. She waited a few moments when the dust cloud disappeared and Timmy handed Twilight a brand new, shiny, axe. She could see her own smile in it even.
“Quite a late request for such a tool.” Tom Nook said.
“I know, I was busy today and was just able to get this now. Thank you all.”
She waved to all the Nook’s and exited the big blue tent. By now the moon was fully raised in the sky as one day of her week in paradise had finished. Five more days to go and she already didn’t want them to end. She trotted back to her own tent, exhausted but happy to rest for the night after a long day of fun.
Author's Note
14 days until New Horizons, wooo!
