Izzy sat in her bed in the crystal bright house, she had a small pad of paper in her lap and held a quill with her magic. She doodled on the paper, different things around her, like stars, and hearts, the room, and Maretime bay.
“And done!” She whinnied making a final mark on the paper, “now what’s next?” She looked around the room and realized she’d drawn everything in sight.
“Hmm, we’ll then what will I draw?” She wondered aloud, then she thought of it, “oh I know I’ll draw Sunny!”
She doodled on the paper, and minutes flew by like seconds, in no time she heard ponies hoof steps heading upstairs to their beds. She held the drawing in front of herself and stared at it. Swirls of magic surrounded Sunny on the page, made of homemade paint and colored pencil and ink the drawing was stunning. Showing off Sunny’s Alicorn form, her wings and horn glowing on the pages.
“Whatcha got there Izzy?” Sunny asked, peaking over her shoulder to try and see the art.
“Oh it’s nothing, just a doodle,” Izzy said, pushing it under her bed, for some reason she was nervous to show Sunny her drawing.
“You sure? It looked pretty colorful and complex.” Sunny said.
“Yeah, I used some color to make it nice!”
“Alright, we’ll maybe you can show me when it’s done.”
“Yeah, sure.” Izzy said.
Sunny walked away and Izzy trotted over to the bathroom, she looked herself in the mirror, she was blushing a bit.
“What was that?” She quietly asked herself, “cmon Izzy, Sunny loves your art, why are you so nervous? Your never nervous!”
“You alright Izzy?” Zipp asked, entering the bathroom, “you ran off really quickly.”
“Oh it’s nothing Zipp! Just needed my Hairbrush! Gotta keep my mane in shape ya know, curls like this don’t come without work.”
“Alright.” Zipp said walking over to the sink and grabbing her toothbrush.
Izzy left the bathroom and walked over to Pipp, “hey Pipp can I grab you for a second?”
“Yeah that’s fine, what do you need Izzy?”
Izzy walked Pipp downstairs, “so you’re really good at social stuff right?”
“Yeah, it’s kinda my specialty! Why do you ask?”
“We’ll uh, so if you get really nervous around somepony, but not in a I’m scared of them sort of way, and your face gets all red and hot when you see them looking really nice… what would that be called?”
Pipp squealed a little, “Izzy! Do you have a crush?” She asked.
“A crush? What’s that?”
“Just what you described, getting all blushy and warm when somepony looks nice, and feeling nervous around them, but in a good way.”
“Oh, we’ll then maybe, but what does it mean?”
“It means you’re in love Izzy! So who is it? What stallion has caught your heart?”
“I- uh,” Izzy’s mind began to race and her ears drooped, “um… it’s a secret, yeah a secret!”
“Alright Izzy, but you should tell me when your ready, I can totally help you plan your first date!”
Izzy’s mind began to race, ‘Maybe Pipp said stallion because she likes stallions, or… is there something wrong me?’ She wondered. Izzy walked back to her bed and laid down, shutting the small curtain that surrounded it and grabbing her small Armawillow plushie with her magic, she pulled it into her hooves and squeezed it tight.
“It’ll all be alright, I’m sure, you fit right in, it’s nothing weird, I’m sure Pipp just said something a bit off or something.” She quietly consoled herself.
***
The next morning Izzy stepped into the kitchen, her friends were sitting with their food, eating and chatting with eachother.
“Good Morning everypony!” She said with a smile.
“Morning Izzy!” Sunny whinnied. She smiled at Izzy, her teal eyes like mini oceans captured in her gentle gaze.
Izzy held back a blush, “Breakfast looks delicious Sunny, I’d love to eat it right now but I need to go to Bridlewood, like, right now! I’ll be back by noon, so save some for me!”
“Will do Moonbow!” Hitch said, grabbing a couple pancakes and tossing them in a plastic bag, placing them gently in the fridge.
Izzy trotted through Maretime bay, passing by pony after pony, she couldn’t help but notice all the different ponies together.
“It’ll be fine,” she reassured herself, “I’m sure Pipp just, messed up her words. Everypony likes somepony different, I just need some unicorn opinions.”
Izzy made her way to Bridlewood, the glowing crystals of the forest even more sparkly with the return of magic, glowing brightly illuminated the darkened tree cover.
She made her way to the crystal tea house and wandered inside and stepped up to mulberry bramble.
“Hey, psst, Mulberry.”
“Moonbow? Haven’t seen you around in a while, so you need something?”
“Yeah, actually I do, I was wondering about something, I talked to my friends, but I wanted a Unicorn opinion.”
“Your rediculous, an earth pony or Pegasus can give just about as good an opinion on something as a unicorn can. But then again, I can understand you wanting a different perspective, so go on.”
“You know when you see somepony and you get all flustered and blushy?” Izzy asked.
“You mean a crush, yeah I know that, it’s what happens when anycorn is in love.”
“Yeah, we’ll I’ve been getting that feeling recently, and Out of curiosity, what kind of ponies do most ponies feel it for.”
“Most ponies, aka most unicorns, aka normal unicorns, like unicorns of the opposite gender, so unicorn stallions like unicorn mares, some unicorns like ponies of other breeds I guess, and I’m alright with that, though it still doesn’t feel super normal yet, I am glad they’re happy, and I guess some unicorn mares like other unicorn mares and vice versa with stallions.”
“Just out of pure curiosity, what if a unicorn mare liked a mare of another pony type?”
“Don’t even say that Izzy, everyone knows that jynxies attack anycorn who strays to far from the normal. I’m happy that unicorns and other ponies can be together, and I’m completely fine with mares being with mares and stallions with stallions, but a unicorn mare and another pony mare could attract all sorts of trouble. If anypony wants to deviate like that then they can do it outside of Bridlewood, and as far away from me as possible.”
A couple of unicorns in the room nodded and others voiced their agreement.
Izzy gulped, “well thanks for the viewpoint Mulberry, I’ll remember that.”
“Oh, I forgot to ask, who is it you’re crushing on?”
The air felt heavy, like the whole world was in slow motion. Izzy found it hard to breathe, ‘was there something wrong with her?’ She felt lightheaded as drops of sweat formed on her face. Fear shook her spine, as she tended her legs in fear, the room felt hot and her head was spinning with fear.
“I-uh,” Izzy took a breath, “its not important, and its a secret, I haven’t told my friends and I’m not telling you either, sorry Bramble.”
“Fair enough, have a nice day Izzy.”
Izzy walked out of the tea room, nearly collapse the moment the doors closed. She steadied herself on her feet and shakily walked back out of the main town. Instead of going home she headed to her cottage, she walked up the stairs and sat down in her bed and held a hoof to her face, tears falling down her face. She shook pulling a little blanket over her back with a spark of magic.
She couldn’t speak, she could barely think, she just gently pulled the drawing of sunny out of her bag, and stared at it, tears streaming down her face. She pressed out the folds in the paper with a hoof.
“Is there something wrong with me?” She wondered aloud, “what did I do, why do I love you?”
She stared at the drawing, thinking of the time she and Sunny met, she was the only pony who wanted to be her friend, the only one who was nice to her. Sunny was the first friend she’d ever had.
“Why can’t I be normal?”
Izzy curled up in the blanket, tossing the drawing to the floor and shoving it under the bed, tearing the corner a little.
“I’ve never been normal, but why can’t I be normal enough? No Pony likes me, I’ve only ever had five friends and who’s knows if they’ll leave me too after this. I can’t tell them, but…”
Izzy felt the tears soaking her fur now reaching her chest, she levitated her favorite plushie, a stuffed bunny corn, over to herself, holding it tight in her hooves. And eventually she fell asleep. Tears still in her eyes, she drifted off.
***
“Izzy?” A voice asked as Izzy felt hooves gently shake her back.
Izzy turned to see Sunny sitting in front of her, Hitch Zipp and Pipp just behind her friend.
“Oh, hi guys,” Izzy said with a yawn, “why are you here?”
“You said you’d be home, but you never showed up, what happened?”
“Oh, sorry ponies, I got real tired and decided to take a nap here, hope I wasn’t asleep too long.”
“Izzy it’s been seven hours,” Zipp said.
“Oh mayonnaise, did I really sleep that long?”
“Yeah, we got worried that you weren’t home so we came to look for you,” Hitch said.
“We’ll I’m sorry I worried you all.”
“It’s alright, don’t worry a wingflap about it!” Pipp whinnied.
“Thanks everypony.”
***
The ponies sat at the kitchen table of the crystal bright house, Izzy felt so nervous, so strange.
“I’m going for a walk.” Izzy said suddenly.
“Leaving so soon after getting back?” Zipp asked.
“Oh. I just want to enjoy the shoreside sunshine.”
“Alright we’ll have fun!” Sunny said.
Izzy walked out of the bright house and made her way to downtown Maretime bay. Walking down the streets she took in the sunshine, trying to shake off all her worries. She wasn’t looking where she was going and suddenly she was on the floor.
“Oops! Sorry Izzy, that’s my fault,” she heard a voice say, “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
Izzy looked up to find Windy and Periwinkle Pi standing in front of her, Periwinkle was helping Windy back into her hooves.
“Are you alright Windifer?” Peri asked.
“I’m fine Sugarbun, stop worrying so much, I’m timid, not frail,” Windy said, gently brushing some dust off Periwinkle’s coat with a hoof. She gently nuzzled the unicorn before turning back to Izzy, holding out a hoof to help her up.
“Again, I’m so so sorry. are you alright?” She asked.
Izzy stared at the two ponies looking between the two of them, “yeah I’m alright,” she said, grabbing Windy’s hoof and standing up.
“You’re normally so nimble on your hooves Izzy,” Periwinkle noted.
“Yeah,” Windy agreed, “are you alright? Feeling unwell? Something on your mind?”
“Well… can I be honest with you ponies, I really need somepony to confide in, and I’m too nervous to talk to my friends,” Izzy whinnied, dragging a hoof gently across the ground.
“We’re here for ya Moonbow.” Windy said, sitting down, “what’s got you in a rut?”
Izzy took a deep breath and explained all that had happened, everything, not sparing a single detail.
The moment the two knew Izzy was done talking Periwinkle spoke up, “Izzy that‘s complete featherfluff, those tea house unicorns are off the walls insane, way too caught up in superstition to see the truth.”
“What do you mean by that?” Izzy asked with a tilt of her head.
“I’m saying that what they are saying is featherfluff, it’s stupid, very, VERY, stupid. Unicorns can be with ponies of other types, mares can be with mares, and they can be both at the same time.”
“But how would you know? Mulberry says it attracts jynxies.”
“Do you see any jynxies attacking me? Any bad luck headed my way?”
“No, what difference would that make.”
“Because it means that what she says can’t be true, Windy and I have been dating for moons and haven’t seen a wingflap of extra bad luck.”
Izzy blinked a couple times, “you guys are together?”
“How could you not tell my the nicknames?” Windy asked.
“Or the nuzzling?” Periwinkle added.
Izzy sat and began to smile a little, “I’m not the only one…”
“No, you’re not.” Windy said.
“You know what, if my friends are really who I think they are then they’ll accept me.” Izzy whinnied, standing up, “I need to tell them!”
“Then go do it!” Periwinkle neighed.
Izzy nodded, running back to the bright house, she burst open the doors.
“I’m back ponies!” She whinnied tapping her hooves against the ground excitedly, the normal lightness of her voice returning.
“Welcome back Izzy,” Sunny said with a bright smile, “how was your walk.”
“It was… insightful!”
“Ooh I love a good insightful walk!” Pipp whinnied, fluttering her wings.
“Pipp, Hitch, Zipp, can I borrow you guys for a second?” Izzy said.
“Sure!”
“Alright.”
“Yeah, what do you need.”
The three responded one after the other.
“Would you like me to come to?” Sunny asked, a curious gaze in her eyes.
“Uh sorry no Sunny, this is a secret meeting, about a surprise, so I can’t have you there. Otherwise we’d ruin it!”
“All good, don’t want to ruin the surprise,” Sunny said with a bright smile.
Izzy ran upstairs and the other ponies followed.
Izzy took a deep breath and then spoke, “I have something to tell you ponies, your my friends so I trust you with this. As nervous as I am I feel like I can trust you.”
“Tell us Izz! We’re ready!” Pipp whinnied.
Izzy took another breath, breathing it out slowly, “…I like Sunny.”
“I’m we all do, that’s why we’re friends with her,” Hitch said.
“No, no, you guys don’t get it. Uh… Pipp! Do you remember what I asked you about yesterday?”
“Uh yeah, you asked me about crushes.”
“Aaaah… I get it now.” Zipp said.
“Get what?” Hitch asked.
“You are a featherbriain Hitch.” Zipp said, “Izzy’s in love with Sunny.”
Hitch gasped then smiled, “oh my goodness! You guys would be so cute together!”
“Yeah totes!” Pipp said.
Izzy sighed with relief, “now that hurdle’s been jumped, so now the hard part.”
“Now the fun part.” Pipp whinnied, “now we get to help you plan a date!”
Izzy smiled, “you guys will help?”
“Totally!” Zipp said with a smile.
“We’re here to help in any way we can Izzy!” Hitch said.
Izzy smiled, “alright then, here’s the plan.”
***
Izzy trotted down the stairs with a smile on her face, she was wearing a simple but pretty blue dress.
“Oh Izzy! You look nice! What’s the occasion?” Sunny asked.
“I read your father’s history books, and I discovered this thing called the grand galloping gala, and so I thought you’d enjoy it if we started it up again, this first one will just be us five, but maybe eventually we can get the whole town, maybe even all of Equestria included!”
Sunny smiled wide, “that’s an amazing idea Izzy! But what am I gonna wear?”
“I’m a seamstress alongside a crafter, Sunny! I made outfits for all of us!”
“Awesome!”
Izzy pulled out a gown, it was golden, swirled with lace and pretty ribbons, with small fluffy wing accessories on the back, and a golden hairpiece.
“Woah…”
“I made it especially for you.”
“Thanks so much Izzy!” Sunny said, running up and hugging her friend, Izzy blushed but Sunny didn’t see.
“C’mon!” Izzy said, pulling Sunny upstairs, where their bedrooms were the crystal bright house now sported decorations of all kinds. Pipp flew down from a high up perch, her dress, it was a deep royal purple with gold accents and down like white trim.
“Hey ponies! Welcome to the party!”
Zipp flew down, she was wearing a suit, sleek dark teal with a silver neckline and wing accessories.
“Wow! You all look great!” Sunny said, as hitch walked in wearing a blue suit and sat beside Zipp.
“Well now I look underdressed don’t I.” Izzy said.
“Oh I think you look great Izzy!” Sunny said.
“But it’s just not quite there,” she said, secretly singlaling Pipp who switched the music. Izzy pulled off her simple dress with her magic and underneath was a stunning outfit. Deep blue coated in shining speckled stars, it curled at the ends, the fabric meeting at a heart on Izzy’s chest. A silver moon gem hair piece in her mane, the unicorn looked stunning.
Sunny gasped, blushing a bit.
Izzy crouched down a little, holding out a hoof, “may I have this dance?” She asked.
Sunny stood in shock, almost stumbling backwards, “I-I… yes!” She said with a smile, teal eyes glowing with excitement.
Izzy smiled warmly, taking Sunny’s hoof in her own, they danced around the room, step by step, hoof over hoof, crafting a melody of their own design. Izzy held Sunny and gently spun her, stopping the earth pony, the two ponies face to face.
Izzy gently moved her head forward.
Sunny, though shocked at first, did the same, the two nuzzling each other.
Then the two stood staring at eachother.
“I don’t know which I should have asked first, but that one felt right.” Izzy said.
“What do you mean which one?” Sunny asked.
“I still have one more question for you Sunny,” Izzy said.
The two ponies were face to face as Izzy took a deep breath.
“Sunny, will you be my marefriend?”
Sunny gasped, eyes lighting up with shock and also amazement.
“I-I… I will.” Sunny said with a smile.
Izzy’s smile widened, she excitedly trotted in place spinning around in circles.
“Yes yes yes yes yes!” She whinnied, “oh I’m so happy Sunny!”
Sunny smiled holding out another hoof, “well, Izzy,” Sunny said, “now I have a question for you.”
“What is it?” Izzy asked.
“Can I have THIS dance?”
Izzy smiled, “yes!”
