She made it home, that part was easy. Deciding to go home was the tricky part. With her mind settled, she just was home, standing in front of her apartment building. The pegasi had arrived on the scene with their own fire fighters and rescue crews. She had helped, a little... She had saved a few lives.

Could more be asked?

She staggered into her room to find something she had forgotten entirely; the list! She grabbed it in her magic, a quill a moment after. "Ah should fill this." One benefit of an exciting day, she had forgotten completely about the list, which meant she didn't remember what Big Mac had filled. "Good." The test would be as clean as possible.

She sat down and got to jotting down her answers to each question, scribbling busily. Favorite color, favorite treat. What did she think of Princess Celestia? The questions were many and varied, Twilight loved herself a good survey. If she could have any pet ever, what pet would that be?

She thought about that last one. She couldn't have Winona, that lovely dog belonged at the farm. Well. Any pet. Any pet at all... What pet would be comfortable with her skipping around, possibly even joining the fun? She didn't know what critter that'd be, but she'd want one of those. She scribbled that down, thinking of the adorable fluffy, or scaley? Maybe feathery? Whatever they'd had, they'd have fun with her!

Favorite pony in the world. Hum. Did that mean romantically? She supposed not. Favorite... Unfair question. How did one decide which pony was best? A lot of them rated pretty high in her book, and she wanted to protect them all. She scribbled that undecided answer down and went on.

Favorite time of the day? Well, it wasn't when she was asleep. She didn't even have dreams, being in Big Mac mode. Nope, night is best. Hail Luna!

Most embarrassing thing she ever did... She colored just thinking of the things that could qualify for that, but... "No, you win this one." She jotted down the time Big Mac made a big todo over Twilight's doll. The won out over any of her times.

"Greatest fear?" What had Big Mac put there? She couldn't remember. Excitement and injury had driven it from her mind. What was her greatest fear? "Hm..." She tapped at her chin. "Ah'm afraid of... dissapointin' ponies." She scribbled it down. "They're lookin' up at me an' ah gotta live up t'that!"

She had her answers and folded up the paper neatly in her magic. "Now." She wasn't in her room. She was in front of Twilight's castle. "Ah turn in the test!" She trotted up to the door, jogging up the steps to clop a hoof on the door firmly. "Anypony awake?" It was night, they--

"Hey?" Oh, there was Barb, looking a bit tired, but clearly awake. "Hey!" Her sleep faded, realizing who she was talking to. "Blossom! Great to see you. What's up?"

Blossom offered a hoof and soon had a Barb to hug. "Great to see ya too. Ah finished a thin' fer Twilight." She waggled the folded paper held in her magic. "Jus' wanted to turn it in."

Barb jumped up with a flap of her wings, snatching the paper. "I'll check if she's awake." She landed facing the door. "Come on in! Not like you're a stranger." She led the way inside and dashed for the stairs heading upward into the tower.

Blossom kicked a hoof back to close the door and looked around. It was dimmer than usual, with no light coming from outside. Well, a little light, but a lot less of it! She did not know the night for being a bright time. She advanced towards the map room, where she often met with Twilight. "Huh." But it was different at night. "Wait." She focused on her magic and directed it at the lanterns around. They got brighter and brighter in a smooth transition, just as she hoped.

"Perfect." She sat at the well lit table, tail swishing behind her like a pleased dog. "Now to wait."

Not that she had to wait for long, Twilight appearing seated on her throne with a pop. Sure, Blossom could teleport across the world, but Twilight could jump from one part of her castle to the other without too much fuss. "Welcome back!" The letter was floating over her head, grasped in her magic. "You filled that right out. I thought you might let it sit a few days to be less fresh."

"About that." Blossom spread her injured wings, singed as they were. "Tonight's been a busy night. Forgot most of that by the time I went fer it."

Twilight's eyes widened at the sight. "Oh dear... Are you alright?" Her magic gently poked and felt at the injured feathers. "Does that hurt?"

"Not so much." Blossom smirked though. If that had hurt, poking them would be doing nopony any favors. "They said it's mostly just ugly. It'll get better. They had a fire up in Cloudsdale."

"A fire?!" Twilight raised a hoof to her mouth. "In the night. Poor fire ponies were probably asleep, or at least tired."

Blossom blinked at that. "Oh... Maybe that's why they were delayed a few minutes..." A pity every minute counted in that situation. "Ah did what ah could." She pointed to the questions. "An' ah wanted to get this to ya."

Twilight set the letter down on the map/table. "Of course, thank you. I'll analyze that as soon as possible. But, more pressingly, how do you feel? It sounds like you've just come back from an adventure."

"She'd know." Barb came into the room at a jog, hopping up into the throne nearest Blossom. "She's been on a few."

Blossom rubbed behind her head. "Reckon she has. S've you, last ah checked."

Barb hiked a thumb at herself. "Sure, but I get where Twi's coming from. After a big adventure, you need to... what, unwind? Decompress... It's a big thing, takes a little to just... take that in."

Twilight folded both hooves to her chest. "Precisely. Beside any investigation, you are our friend, and we're here if you just want to talk. You were part of a fire fighting force. That can be stressful even for the ponies trained in doing exactly that, and I don't think you were."

Barb shrugged. "Not that fighting random monsters is, you know, relaxing or anything."

Twilight swatted at her, but the distance was far too great. "Stop that. A monster may be terrible, but it isn't personal. I... understand what you do is very personal."

Blossom considered that. She had taken up the mantel of a police officer. "Yeah... 'bout as personal as it gets 'sides from runnin' weddings or funerals, 'magine..." She could remember the look of frantic relief on that mare's face, the thankful smile of the stallion. "Don't write yerself off too quick. Ya two done saved plenty ah lives!"

Twilight smiled at that. "We've all done our parts. All three of us." She pointed a hoof at Barb and Blossom. "Bunch of heroes, the lot of us, even if that feels odd to say."

Barb tipped the hat she wasn't wearing. "Aw shucks, just doin' what we can."

Blossom gently bopped the dragon for faking her accent. "Right 'ppreciate ya two carin' so much. It's good ta have friends..." She yawned suddenly and checked the time, no, not sleep time yet. "Just a hectic night."

"I hear that." Twilight looked to the kitchen where a gathering of filled glasses hovered in quickly, one settling before each of them. "Let's drink to that." The drink proved to be iced tea, nothing stronger than that. But they raised them and drank in good company. "I'll go over that soon, promise."

"Ain't no hurry." Blossom waved that away and looked to Barb. "How's the game goin'?"

"Oh! Right. It was good. Discord mighta showed up..."

Blossom swatted a hoof to her own face. "Done told him to be more graceful than that!"

"Yeah... but it's Discord. Hard to be surprised."

Twilight looked between the two with confusion. "What's Discord doing?"

Barb hiked a thumb over her shoulder. "Showed up at the O&O game I'm running with the crusaders, seeing if he could join."

Twilight blinked softly. "I hate to ask... but did he join?"

Barb curled her fingers. "Imagine it, game night. The fillies have their dice, their eyes shining with possibilities! I began weaving a tale of adventure for them..." Blossom nodded along, a familiar experience. "And suddenly, I'm on a cloud." She sits down in place, wings lifting her sitting form up. "I can see the fillies way below me. We're inside the world I was describing."

Barb chuckled softly. "To my credit! I realized what was happening pretty fast and tried continuing my description, and the world reacted to it. I was their god." She threw out her hands wide. "And we played the game."

Twilight hummed softly. "That doesn't sound too awful if everypony had a good time..."

"It wasn't all bad." Barb shrugged. "When we finished, that's when Discord actually showed up and said he'd love to actually play with them next time."

Blossom pawed at the ground. "What'd they say? Ya can't leave that part out!"

"Yes and no." Barb tapped Blossom on the snout. "Yes, he could join. No, they didn't want to be inside the game every time. 'Save that for special occasions,' Sweetie had said."

Twilight inclined her head. "Really? That easy?"

Barb shrugged. "Sometimes, it really is that easy. He took off, all giggles and smiles, and now there are four players at that table. It's way better that Discord isn't going to try to show up as a filly." She rolled her eyes. "He needs to be honest with himself."

Blossom curled a hoof at herself. "Wouldn'ta thought ah was a mare a little while back, or you were one neither. Um, jus' sayin', let's not be too judgmental, ya know?"

Barb waved that away. "No no no, he was just being jealous, I'm pretty sure of it. Discord is Discord. He likes being a guy, even if he can be a girl." But the thought did jostle around. "Um, but if he wanted to be a she, seriously... Then I'd be with 'her'. I'd look really funny if I wasn't, considering."

"I wasn't going to say anything." Discord was perched on Pinkie's throne, just there where he hadn't been before. "So, yes, I got to join." He clapped his hands. "Barb was right! The fillies really have a different energy about it. I love it."

Twilight blinked at the sudden chaos spirit. "Does this mean you're changing which game you're doing?"

Discord pointed at Barb. "Is she?"

"What? No!" She threw up her hands defensively. "I love both games for different things."

"Exactly." Discord nodded confidently. "Now, what's this I hear about a fire fighting expedition?" He drew out a water hose form nowhere, dressed in a fire fighting helmet and jacket. "I'm ready!"

Blossom pushed the nozzle down with her magic. "The fire's been battled. Ah was a part."

"Is that why?" Discord popped up next to Blossom, magnifying glass to her burnt wings. "Not sure if this style's going to be in, but if somepony is going to make it happen, it may be you."

Blossom folded her wings back and away, though folding them entirely was out for the moment. "Cut that out... Not a style ah'd want to spread around."

Twilight stood up and hopped down from her chair. "This has been very enlightening, and valuable. Blossom, get some rest. You deserve it."

Blossom snorted. "A nice but insistent nurse already took me off duty."

Twilight nodded as she came around the table. "And I agree. We should all get some rest."

Discord waved between Blossom and himself. "Some of us aren't tired! Not all of us are early birds, I remind."

Blossom waved Discord towards the door. "Come on. We'll let them get some shut eye."

Author's Note

A nice windown chapter, I feel. Discord gets a new O&O group, go him!

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