1- Little Pony, Big Problems
This unforeseen occurrence had proven itself to be Sunny Starscout’s most challenging circumstance yet! What a wretched time for this dire predicament to befall her! With eyes downcast upon the speckled colored cobblestone path beneath her hooves, the little earth pony expelled a sigh. Her mind raced, seeking to silently and skillfully compile a mental memo to aim a curse at all of the old Legends that might’ve had their hooves in dealing her this devastating dilemma. Her brow furrowed as she sought to recall the many names beyond her own extensive knowledge that Izzy had taught her- pillars of harmony that resided in lands far beyond Equestria, back in the Harmonic Era. Sunny knew for certain that there had been hymns written and sung by species of Zebra, Kelpie, and other strange and magnificent creatures that had been dug up out of archaeological excavation sites and put upon display at various museums, but at the moment, none of the referenced names sprang to the forefront of her mind!
A distressed whinny spilled from Sunny’s muzzle, and a hoof pawed at the ground in frustration. Her hoof clacked noisily at the slightly raised stones, though it was drowned out by the noise and din of hustle and bustle of the morning’s customers and tourists traveling along the shop-lined street on her left. Rather than cursing the ancient ones, she chose instead to chastise herself, at that moment, out of not knowing where to direct her own frustrations. Why, oh why hadn’t she paid more attention to Izzy’s prattling on about those Ancient Legends of harmony beyond Equestria's lands in the past?!
The ears that were once pulled back in agitation against her brightly colored mane, pricked upward at attention at that moment. Where once a frown marred her usually round and smiling face, a surprised “O” shape had instead been painted upon her muzzle as realization began to set in. That’s it! Izzy was the answer to all her problems! With that having been decided the excited little earth pony dipped a hoof into her saddlebag. After a bit of rummaging, the found the object that she had been seeking!
“Aha!” Sunny grinned in unrestrained delight as she fished a small, round device from out amongst her possessions. A screen was embedded into its smooth, metal surface, displaying a blinking green dot that allowed for Sunny to always immediately know where her best friend was at all times. Though, in truth, Sunny thought- Izzy was really the one who needed such a device, since she kept getting lost. An amused chuckle slipped past her lips, and she gave a light shake of her head. “What would I do without you, Izzy?” she mused aloud to herself.
A red button beside the screen was pressed, which broadcast a signal through the air and directly to Izzy’s horn. ‘Now,’ Sunny hummed, her head tilting to the side as she kept her eyes locked on the target displayed on her screen. ‘All I have to do is wait.’
Izzy was never a morning pony- especially when it came to the weekends. Those days were usually comprised of staying up late and throwing herself into working on her various research topics of interest, or investing her time and energy into creating mechanical doohickeys. A tired yawn crept past her lips as she sleep depraved unicorn brought a spoonful of her favorite Toasty Oat cereal to her mouth. The bowl, sloshing with milk that was already beginning to turn a delicious chocolatey flavor was held within her horn’s mystical energy field that left it levitating in mid air.
Izzy’s shoulders sagged, allowing the loose periwinkle pajama shirt she had on to slip slightly off to the side. Her voluminous mane was left unkempt, as she wasn’t expecting any visitors today. The newly opened box of cereal trailed behind her as she shuffled wearily out of the kitchen and into her living room. Saturday morning cartoons were due to start soon, and Izzy always made it her routine to watch them. Certainly Sunny’s influence had rubbed off on her. A slightly amused chuckle escaped her a moment before a tickling feeling coursed through her horn.
Izzy barely had time to allow her chuckle to turn into a groan before the pointed appendage lit up of its own accord- the swirls spiraling around its length emitting a dazzling array of white light. In the very next instant, the little unicorn was pulled from the comfort of her own home and routine and brought onto the bustling city street and face to face with her friend, Sunny who was just as bright and beaming as her namesake.
“Ohmigosh, Izzy, you’re here!” the earth pony began to babble, as she began to prance up and down on her hooves. She didn’t notice the exasperated eyeroll that she was given by Izzy. What was noticed, however, was the wretched and disheveled state that her friend was in, upon arrival. “Your transporter worked like a charm, but….uh….you seem a bit….scruffy.” Sunny sugarcoated. “Were you in the middle of a fight with a monster, or something?” Instinctively, a hoof reached out to try and soothe the wild and untamed gradient strands of mane on Izzy’s head.
Swallowing the bile taste of her agitation, the unicorn mare brought her own hoof to her forehead. “Nice to see that my instant matter transmitter worked, but Sunny, you brought me out of my house in the middle of breakfast, without any warning! In my pajamas!” she shouted. “What could possibly so important that you needed to drag me out here?!”
Sunny blinked once. Twice. It was then that she recalled her distressing dilemma. “That’s right!” she yelped, stomping her hoof. “Izzy! You’ve got to help me! It’s something terrible!” Panic shone in her eyes, which were now as wide as saucers.
Concern began to sweep across Izzy’s face as she listened, her own ears perking to attention. “Jeepers, Sunny. What’s the problem?” she shrank back a bit to allow herself some personal space, due to her friend practically breathing down her neck.
A hoof thrust out to point in the direction of a cluster of coin machines with an assortment of colorful figures and toys that were meant to be won by colt and fillies. “I have to get that super rare variant of Twilight Sparkle from that Gatcha game! Can I pleeeeeease borrow six bits?”
