Extending the Olive Branch

by Clickety-Whinny

Rating: everyone
Tags: Fluttershy, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Drama, Angel
Length: 24163

Sometimes, things happen that make us question who the people around us really are. And sometimes these things make us question who we ourselves are.

A short brush with Poison Joke makes the Element Of Kindness question their gender identity, and what they should do about it. He's very glad he has the help of his friends.

Published 2022-11-26 17:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-04-26 00:40:59 UTC

To the White Rabbit

Angel Bunny loved nothing more than long evenings loafing on top of that rose-red couch- His couch after a long day of not much more than practicing his "jerk without a heart of gold" routine and reminiscing about trying to kick a backbone into his (in title only) owner before her mane started to gray, and today was no different.

Like, seriously- one time she just took a slap across the face from a rodent (ahem. Lagomorph) over a cherry and apologized.

He had to admit that she was getting better... For Fluttershy standards. Which meant trying to befriend an evil god of chaos to try and reform him.

The fact that plan worked still irked him quite a bit.

He probably should go and treat himself to a nice bowl of carrot ice cream to help himself cool off, actually. It was so hot out today, too! Way to go, Angel!

And with a ring of the bell he kept under his couch for exactly such an occasion, he laid down on the couch with closed eyes and crossed arms and waited patiently.

For about ten seconds, that is. Then he rang it again, and started to wait impatiently.

After what must have been at least five eons, he sat up and decided to go tackle the pressing issue there and now. Just what was she so busy with?

Come to think of it, he didn't see her at all since just before he went to sleep yesterday. Was she still sleeping?

Angel wasn't a fan of the stereotype of bunnies being associated with clocks, and therefore made a point to rely on his gut for matters of when to have breakfast, brunch, lunch, the afternoon snack and dinner, but he'd make an exception and play the role of alarm clock for her- out of necessity. He never could quite manage to eat a whole bowl of ice cream by himself, anyway.

Upon making his way to her bedroom door, he was pleasantly surprised to see it halfway open instead of closed as usual. Made it easier to get inside without pulling a muscle turning that stupid doorknob.

That pleasantness was soon forgotten under the oppressive heat of the room. One could assume this room's occupant overdid it while lighting a fireplace for winter, except no fiery light was there; the only light came from the door Angel just opened and from behind thick pink curtains, illuminating a bed whose sole occupant was curled up in a ball beneath the middle of the bed sheets.

Angel called out for the only pony that should be there, but before he could even get over the first syllable a yellow hoof shot out of the edge of the sheet, aimed at a small table in the opposite corner of the room. In it, framed by the surface of a mirror so that it could be seen by any member of the owner's menagerie, sat a notebook, bound in velvet, opened near the middle.

Fluttershy's diary, opened on the pages for one and two days ago.

Did... Did she want him to read it? Once again he called out for her name, and once again a sudden hoof jab stopped him, this time accompanied by an irritated growl. Yes I do, it meant.

Begrudgingly, the rabbit hopped from floor to chair to table in order to get a look at it, with a helpful hoof pulling back at the curtains making it easier to read, and so he did.

Dear Diary,

I've never had much of an interest in botany. Far from it, really. I normally just get away with what little I need to care for my animals well.

It's even a bit funny, then, that my whole life got turned upside-down by one little blue flower.

Okay, sorry, that's a lie. It was actually a whole bunch of them. But they were still little!

Sorry, I'm stalling for time again. Sorry.

What I'm trying to say is, ever since I heard my own, deep voice after that run-in with the poison joke, I've been... Thinking about who I am. What I am. Specifically, whether or not I'm a mare.

It's silly, right? How could I not be? I might look further into this, later. I wonder if Twilight has any books on the subject?

As he finished reading the page, Angel felt that familiar soft gaze upon him. Fluttershy, the pony who apologized for taking too much of a diary's time was waiting for him. His judgement, more specifically.

After turning to meet the gaze of the two green eyes that now peeked from beneath the covers, he gave his best attempt at a smile back, and decided to read the entry for the next day.

Dear Diary,

Dear Celestia, why? Why is it possible for a stallion to be born in the body of a mare, like me? And how is it possible for me to have lived like this for so long, without suspecting anything?

And yet, I should thank you, for it was your faithful student who gave me the way to this revelation. According to the very helpful books she lent me, other ponies like me call themselves "transgender", and examples of us date back to before the founding of ponyville, even including a pegasus empress who named herself "Super Deluxe"- I might've learned about her exploits as one of the few mares to rule the pegasi in school, but I didn't know she shared a predicament with me of all ponies.

I can only hope Twilight doesn't suspect anything- I had to lie and claim those books were for a family member, because I was horrified of what she'd say, how she'd look at me if she knew I was doubting such a large part of who I am now, of all times.

I think I'll stop for today. I need to rest. I feel awful. I think I need to talk to someone I trust about this.

As Angel finished reading the entry, question upon question began to march towards the forefront of his mind: Should he turn and look at her? Was using "her" to refer to Fluttershy still correct? And was the name "Fluttershy" itself correct, for that matter? Angel read about Super Deluxe in a history book about pegasi before, and she was famous for challenging anypony who dared to refer to her using her former alias to a duel to the death, which is how she got into power after her own father mocked her for it. Would Flu- uh, his owner feel the same way?

Shaking his head, the bunny looked around the room, and settled on a question that matched the expression the pony under the sheets was giving him:

"Hey. Good morning. Have you... Eaten anything today?"

"Hey, Angel." The pony replied, voice stifled beneath shame and apprehension. "I haven't."

"What? Come on, man, you of all ponies should know that breakfast is the most important meal of the whole week!"

That bizarre remark managed to wring a smile out of her- uh, the pony's mouth, and an equally giggly remark. "That- that makes no sense at all."

"Don't care, didn't ask. I'm going to have to make you come down for breakfast right now."

"No." His friend replied, smile faltering. "I... Can't come down."

"Hmph. Have it your way. Breakfast in bed, coming right up!"

And with that, he hopped off to the kitchen to try and prepare a meal for somepony at least ten times his size, and hopefully not get reduced to ash in the process.

But the pony's worries trotted back after a while left alone. Did he actually read the diary? Was the breakfast just a way to push the topic aside? What was he going to whip up, anyway? Did he run away to tattle that secret to somepony else? What if all of ponyville knew by sundown? Dear Celestia, what was he to do?

The tornado of paranoia currently redoubling beneath the bedsheets was soon put on hold, however, as the sound of effort trudged from beyond the door frame, with the odd swear along for the ride. Concerned, The Element of Kindness crawled from beneath the sheets to witness Angel Bunny re-enacting the first attempt of the unicorn ponies to raise the sun, except with a salad bowl and even less success.

Straining under his offering and promising to never mock others for being bad at lifting things up ever again, Angel suddenly found himself pleasantly relieved of the weight of the bowl as a very familiar shade of yellow whisked him into the room and laid both by the floor next to the bed.

After laying down until his limbs stopped yelling at him, angel tried to take a single bite from the product of his labour and found the bowl nearly empty. As he dwelled on whether to snap at having such joy be taken from him or being glad it was being enjoyed in the first place, a calmer version of the voice from before rang out from above him.

"Mrrmph. Thank you for this."

"Just 'Thank you'? After I broke my back making that salad? Come ON, man!"

The pony stifled a giggle at that, then let it slowly fall to the floor with a sigh. "Um, so about what you've just read-"

"You mean your diary?"

"Yes. Do... Do you want to say anything about it?"

"Well. Yeah. Starting with a question: should I, uh- call you a stallion now?"

Angel scrunched up his face in anticipation, peeking at his owner's face for a response. The pegasus mulled it over before answering, smile wide on his face:

"Yes, please, Angel. I'd like that very much."

Angel, boldened by the beaming stallion above him, continued his line of questioning, recalling somepony similar from ages ago.

"Good to know, man. Y’know, this reminds me of Empress Super Deluxe, who was pretty much the exact opposite of you, including the, uh, very thing we're talking about today. She used a different name as a colt, and made a habit of duelinganypony who called her that, to the death. I assume the second part of that isn’t really your style, but... Do you have any new names for yourself right now?"

At that, the stallion blushed. "Well... Not really, no. I haven't set aside much time to think about it. But, I think I could use 'Flutterguy' as a placeholder until I think of something better."

"Oh. I see." Replied Angel with a wince. "Let's help you find a new name ASAP, then."

Flutterguy playfully puffed his cheeks and furrowed his brow, like a frog singing about unrequited love. "It's not that bad! I don't imagine you of all creatures have any better name ideas!"

"Well. Good point. Except... How about 'Angel the Second?'" Angel replied, with an overdramatic reaction of his own not unlike a squirrel bringing some particularly spicy lunch home.

That was all it took for them both to descent into a fit of laughter, which finished off the already heavily wounded former mood of the room. Breathless, the stallion let himself fall softly on the bedroom floor next to angel to begin gathering his composure.

"Ha... Let's go with 'Flutterguy' for the moment."

"Seconded."

"Who said that motion was for you to agree or disagree with, private? Your name is Flutterguy for now, and that's final! Until it isn't anymore! Understand?!"

"Yes sir, admiral Bunny sir!"

Laughter once again filled the room, but Angel soon found himself with one more question he wanted to ask.

"Hey, man?"

"Yes?"

"Am I the first you've told this to?"

"...Yes."

Angel fell silent for a moment, then sat up and turned to look him in the eyes with a smile. "Thank you for trusting me with that, man."

Author's Note

Say hello to flutterguy, everyone. He's as excited to meet you as you are, I'm certain. But just how is he going to go about introducing himself to the rest of ponyville?

To the Generous Mare

Flutterguy sat before a mirror propped against the cottage's wall, a pair of hedge trimmers in hoof, and a fearful look in his eyes as he stared down his own reflection. His glare shifted towards the pink length of mane that framed his face, and with a gulp he used his free forehoof to pull it taut. He fumbled a bit with the oversized blades before resolving to hold one handle between his teeth and yanking back the further handle to cut the length of hair.

Looking at his handiwork, the stallion couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride at what he'd just finished doing. What remained of his mane ended abruptly just above his withers, complimenting a pair of recently trimmed eyelashes. Even his tail was shorn to about two thirds of the length it was this morning.

Pulling his head back to admire the end result, Flutterguy smiled at a reflection that felt like his own for the first time in a long time. It was messy, it was chaotic, and it just felt right, styling his mane that way. He just wished he found a normal pair of scissors beforehand.

His reflection was suddenly joined by a white bunny's as Angel hopped into the room, a pair of scissors tucked beneath his arm like a sword. "Hey man,"- he began, -"I finished trimming my bonsai tree, do you need these for any-" he paused at the sight in front of him, eyes widening.

"EEEK!" Flutterguy yelped upon noticing him.

"ACK!"

"A-ARE THOSE MY SCISSORS?"

"I- YEAH. What happened to your hair, though?"

"Well, I... decided to cut it myself."

"Huh. Yeah, that story matches up..." Angel said, eyes examining his friend's new appearance and stopping at the gardening tool he held in one hoof. "But uh. Why'd you use a pair of shears, of all things?"

"Well, it just so happened that Somepony was my scissors at the time," He accused, gesturing at Angel's own bizarre tool choice, "and as such I had to make do."

"Well, you see, there was this really ugly branch that was really tampering with the whole scene, yknow?" Angel reasoned.

At that, Flutterguy furrowed his brow and floated to be face to face with Angel, close enough so that he could count the number of eyelashes around his eyes. Wait, why were they so short?

"Uh, before you cook me for dinner: you didn't use the shears on your eyelashes too, right?"

Flutterguy chuckled. "Pfft. No, I had the proper tools for that," he said, gesturing towards a pair of eyelash trimmers by the side of the dropped hedge trimmers. "Thank you for not taking those!"

"You're welcome. And I'll ask before borrowing your stuff next time," he conceded, crossing his arms. "That mane does fit you quite well, while we're at it."

"Thank you very much for all of that! It really feels like me, you know?" Flutterguy beamed.

"Yeah. Tell me what Rarity thinks of it when you're back from the spa!"

"Spa..?" He said, gears turning in his head. "But that isn't until this... oh no."

"What?"

"It's today, isn't it? how'd I forget it?! What will she think? I can't let her see me like this!"

"Hey, calm down. She won't annihilate you for it, at least. I think."

And yet, the stallion didn't feel any more at ease.

Rarity sat near the entrance of the spa, reading one of the available magazines left for waiting customers. It was the latest edition of Coat-Raising Manes, and she found herself enraptured by its contents. One article in particular outlined many possible ways to work with long, brightly-coloured, tapering manes like her dear friend's. On that note, where was she? It was unlike her to be late for their weekly get together.

"Um, Sorry I'm late, Rarity," called a familiar voice around the corner. "I had to take care of something and I must've lost track of time. What's that you're reading?"

"Oh, it's this delightful article on mane decorations, and some of these would be just marvellous on your forelock!" Rarity looked up from her reading, with a smile.

And froze in place, her face completely still, except for the shrinking pupils carefully scanning each and every inch of Flutterguy's brand new features.

Flutterguy tried to at least reciprocate the smile he saw, but his eyes darted around for a way out, and landed on the mare with the bright pink coat standing behind the counter. "...We'll have the usual, please."

Shaken out of her stupor, Rarity leaned forwards on her seat as if she was going to bite the stallion in front of her. "But... why?"

Swallowing the manticore-sized lump in his throat, Flutterguy turned to look at the bewildered mare in front of him. "I'll tell you, but I think it's best if we're both relaxed for this."

Rarity bit her lip, but relented with a sigh and wordlessly got up and walked towards the spa's sauna, with Flutterguy following close behind.

SIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZLE

Rarity sat in the sauna, examining her forehooves and the wood beneath them closely. Flutterguy did the same, before clearing his throat to get her attention.

"Rarity, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Okay." - He floated until he was beside her - "Have you ever thought about what it'd be like if an essential part of who you are was boxed away, hidden behind things you had absolutely no control over?"

Rarity turned to look at him, expression softening. "No, can't say that I have."

"Mm-hmm. Okay. Let me put it this way: what if, in spite of you being a fashionista, everyone you've ever met saw you as... a window cleaner, for example." Rarity's ears perked up, encouraging him. "And even you thought you were a window cleaner because that's how it's been for your entire life, so if being a window cleaner doesn’t feel right, that's just you being weird, right? But then you catch wind of ponies who changed professions specifically because the profession they were born into didn't fit their sense of self, and you decide to look into it, to really research the topic for a reason you just can’t put your hoof on. And one day it just clicks, and now you've got to just do something, do anything about it."

Rarity took a moment to process the information given to her. "Hmm. I... think I get what you mean. Yes, I do think that would justify such extreme measures. But there's one thing I don't quite understand. When you go ahead and officially join whatever new profession you're looking into, who will take care of your animals?"

Flutterguy did his best to stifle a giggle at that. "I- well. You see, the 'profession' I was talking about was being a mare. I'm a stallion, Rarity," he declared, holding his breath. "And I'm going by the name 'Flutterguy' for the moment."

Rarity seemed to mull that one over for a while. She held her head with one hoof and counted imaginary objects with the other while softly muttering under her breath. Finally, she swallowed, and embraced the pile of nerves next to her. "Welcome to ponyville, Flutterguy."

At that, he couldn’t help but smile wide. "Thank you so much, Rarity."

But then, Rarity's eyes shot open, and Flutterguy could swear he heard a 'ding!' coming from her horn.

"Wait a moment, darling! I've just got what is quite possibly the best idea i've had this whole year!"

Pulling away from her embrace, Flutterguy looked on with curiosity at the beaming mare in front of him. "Is that so? Tell me about it!"

"Okay, okay. So you know the Ponytones, the singing quartet I'm a part of, right?"

"Yes, and I'm one of your biggest fans at that!"

"Amazing! And I'm also in charge of the outfits of the whole group, and seeing you today has just shown me the perfect colours for the season! We're going to look dashing in them, all thanks to you!"

"Oh, I'm really glad I was able to help you," he said, face filled with pride.

"And one more thing: as thanks, I'll make an extra one, just for you. How's that sound?"

Now it was his turn to mull over what he'd just heard. He thought about sitting in front of a mirror, full Ponytones outfit complete with bowtie, and the same feeling he felt over his mane cut that morning came back. "It sounds like the best thing I've heard all season. Thank you."

"That's it, then! I'll start working on them right this instant, Pronto!"

As if on cue, the mare working the sauna dripped more water over the hot stones in the room, filling it with steam and the sizzling of boiling water. "Or, uh, I'll start working on them after we're done here," she corrected. "Oh, and I have just two more things to say."

"Hmm?"

"Yes, uhm. Why 'Flutterguy'? Not that I dislike it, it's just that it strikes me as a tad... uninspired?"

"Well, It's a working title. Feel free to pitch your ideas on what it should be," he answered. "What was the other thing you wanted to say?"

She, in response, held his closest hoof with one of her own. "Feel free to ask for help with your 'change of profession' anytime, alright?"

The stallion squeezed her hoof in response. "That means so much to me. Thank you so much, for everything."

Author's Note

Hoo-wee! Rarity here might have reacted poorly at first, but she'll more than make up for it, I'm sure. Wonder if he'll attend any parties in that outfit.

To the Magician

Flutterguy stood before the mirror display in the ground floor of Carousel Boutique while Rarity lined the distance between his shoulders with measuring tape. He shivered as the tape was held against his coat, wings trembling, the sensation making him smile.

Focusing on holding the tape tightly with her magic, Rarity was startled by his sudden quick movement, and turned to look one of his three mirror images in the eye. "Is something wrong, darling?"

Flutterguy's shoulders shot up and slowly came down before he slowly spun his neck to look at her. "Um, I don't think so? I mean, I felt something new while you were measuring me. But it felt nice. It was like if my spine was being tickled."

"Well. I've never heard of anything like that. Do tell me if this feeling of yours turns unpleasant, darling."

"Okay, I can do that."

Rarity lifted the measuring tape off his shoulders, wrote down a few numbers on a notebook left on the floor nearby, and wrapped the tape around Flutterguy's barrel.

Flutterguy felt the pleasant shiver again, but after feeling the tape against his body and glancing at his reflections once more, his smile faded. "Hey, Rarity?"

She looked up from the pencil magically held against paper by her magic, and peered into his eyes. "Is something the matter?"

"Well, yes. Do you think I'm... too small?"

"What? Not at all! Your size is average for a pony your age."

"I don't know... ever since I found out about, well, this," Flutterguy swung a hoof towards the mirrors in front of him, "I've felt... disproportionate. It's like I went from average sized mare to tiny stallion so suddenly." He found himself admiring the floor beneath his hooves again.

"Well, it's not like that makes you any less of a stallion. You'd be surprised at how many suits I've tailored for stallions that are both smaller and older than you. Ponies differing wildly in size is the whole reason behind the measurements I take, actually. Speaking of which, mind if I continue them?"

"Oh. Yes, please."

"Thank you, dear. Mind crouching a bit so I can measure your forelegs?"

Flutteguy sighed, then did as instructed. "Do any of those stallions ever ask for platform horseshoes or something like that? Because I think I'd like something along those lines."

Rarity thought for a bit, then answered. "No, they usually go for something a little more discreet. Little details that make them look bigger. I could use some of those on your outfit, if you'd like."

"Wait. Really?" Flutterguy's head perked up, and the eye rarity was closer to seemed to want to crawl right out of its socket. "I'd love that! What kind of details does that entail, though?"

"Well, for starters"- Rarity explained, pressing one end of the tape against his shoulder -"a slim fit would enhance your body type: keep the sleeves from going past the ankles, join that with a pair of high-fitting trousers, a small bow-tie for your neck, add up the modern collar style I was already planning for the costume and voila: a custom-fit Ponytones uniform for the stallion of my dreams.How does that sound?" She pinned a length of the tape against the middle of where his elbow bent, then looked at his face waiting for an answer.

Flutterguy's frown slowly turned upwards while she spoke, to the extent that he was grinning ear-to-ear when she finished. "You'd do that for me?"

"Why, yes, of course. It's no skin off my flank: it's simple to do, plus you were already making good on your goal by getting it custom-fit." She held a bit of the tape against his ankle, then turned to write down the length before being enveloped in a hug.

"Thank you so much! You're incredible, Rarity!" Flutterguy spoke while embracing her. "That outfit is all I could've wished for and more!"

Rarity blushed. "Well I'm glad to hear that, darling! But really, it's nothing I haven't done a hundred or so times. There's no need to fawn over me like that, you know!"

"Um? Oh, goodness." Flutterguy broke the embrace and took a few steps back. "Sorry about that. It’s just that what you said made me really happy."

"And why is that?" Rarity inquired.

"Well, it's just... just before I told you about Flutterguy, there were a few dozen negative scenarios running wild in my head. I was terrified that you wouldn't understand. That you'd get... furious at me for lying to you all this time, that you'd tell all of ponyville about how much of a freak I am." Rarity's brow furrowed. "And yet you're here, and you're being such a good friend, and I- Sniff -feel just AWFUL FOR THINKING THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE-" He was openly sobbing now.

Rarity cupped his face in her hooves. "Flutterguy. Listen to me. First of all, you are not a 'freak', second, it's normal to feel nervous about telling someone a secret like that, and I don't think I could have done something like that myself, but know that I would never even DREAM of betraying you like that, alright?"

"I, I- Sniff -I'm sorry-"

Rarity moved to hold him in an embrace. "Shh! There, there. Let it all out. There's no need to apologize, okay, darling?"

"Well, thank you. Sniff, hey, could you get me a napkin, before I get snot all over your-" a tissue found itself under his chin before he could even finish asking for it. "-O-oh. Thanks."

"My pleasure!" Rarity said with a far more excited tone than she intended. "Say, am I the only other pony that knows Flutterguy?"

"Well, yes. But I've also told Angel about it. Why do you ask?"

"Because, earlier this morning, I recall passing by a poster announcing a reunion of ponies just like you in the Bowling alley this afternoon! It had this wonderful pink, blue and white color scheme, it was a masterpiece of design!"

"Wait. What do you mean by 'ponies like me?'"

"Well, um, other ponies looking for a 'career change' like you've so eloquently said. If I recall correctly, the poster refers to them as 'transgender', a word which has a most wonderful ring to it, and it said that anypony interested was welcome to join!"

"That sounds interesting. But why a bowling alley?"

"...I'm not quite sure. Maybe because It's meant to be a fun hangout?"

"Oooh. That makes sense. Yes, I think I'll be there! When did you say it was, again?"

"It's in, uh," Rarity turned to glance at a clock hung on a far all in the boutique, "about half an hour, if my clock is correct."

"W-wait. You mean it's today? As in, less than an hour, TODAY?"

"Wait! there's more than enough time to get there, darling."

"Bu-but it's all too sudden, and..." Flutterguy sat on the ground and covered his face with his hooves.

"Listen, how about I go with you? I'll be there, by your side, all the way. Okay?"

Flutterguy peered from between his hooves. "That sounds... Alright, I think. Yes, thank you for offering to come along."

"It's my pleasure."

The air inside the Ponyville Bowling Alley was filled by the distinctive sound of pins being struck en masse as Flutterguy and Rarity walked in. The two rightmost lanes were reserved for the trans pony meeting of that day, and Flutterguy was surprised by how many ponies there he recognized.

"Goodness, is that Carrot Cake?"

"It seems so, darling. Aren't those the Blossom twins, from the spa there?" Rarity inquired.

"Hey, Yes! Aloe was working the sauna yesterday, wasn't she? ...Do you think she might have eavesdropped on us?"

"WHAT?" came the shouted reply from Aloe herself. "Not a chance. The Ponyville Day Spa prides itself in fulfilling its customers every whim, right, and need, and 'privacy' fits under all of those!"

Rarity, after calming down from the unexpected yelling, craned her neck forward and replied with a "Good afternoon to you too, Aloe," before she started to walk up to the two lanes.

That is, she would have, if Flutterguy was also coming and not currently doing an impression of what he would look like had he been imprisoned as a statue like Discord.

She slowly walked back to his side, and brought out her best calming smile. "Remember what we talked about, Darling. I'm sure Aloe bears no ill will, and even if she did,"- She held up one of his hooves to the height of his chest -"I wouldn't let her lay a single hair on you. There's nothing to fear, alright?"

He gulped, then glaced back and forth between the group and Rarity. They were all looking right at him.

He internally questioned why he had even gone there in the first place. He didn't even like bowling. Or get-togethers like these. Really, he thought himself blessed the whole mare-in-the-moon thing wound up getting him four brand new friends that easily; even getting to know Rarity and Angel had taken enormous effort. Truly, there was absolutely no reason for Flutterguy to- wait a second.

"Flutterguy" was a work in progress, still. And right in front of him were ponies who had gone through the same as him. Ponies who likely had the very same questions he had, once.

Who went through their own works in progress.

He took a deep breath, and started putting one hoof in front of the other.

He was surprised at how many of the ponies present were known to him. Aside from the Blossom twins and Carrot Cake, Flutterguy also recognized the mare that taught at the schoolhouse named Cheerlie, and almost fell out of his seat when the blue stallion sitting beside him introduced himself as member of the Ponytones Toe Tapper.

"Good afternoon, everypony," began Carrot. "Thank you all for coming today. When me and Toe here decided to do this little get-together, we were honestly expecting two or three ponies at most. How about we start by introducing ourselves, and then play a few rounds of this bowling thing?" Toe Tapper seemed to perk up at the mere mention of bowling.

"I'll start. My name is Carrot Cake, and I chose that name because my family name was already Cake, and I... like carrot cake." He smirked. "Simple as that. I live and work as a baker in Sugarcube corner with my wife Cup and my two kids Pound and Pumpkin, and they mean everything to me. Oh, and Pinkie's there too."

Flutterguy was taken aback. It was really that simple? He thought. Um. Alright. What do I like? Animals? Fashion? ...Peace?

Then, Toe Tapper stood up. "Hi there, you ponies! My name's Toe Tapper, but you can call me Toe Tapper." He took a moment to giggle at his own joke before adjusting his polo shirt and continuing. "I came up with 'Toe Tapper' first as a stage name for the role of a prince in a human fandom-related play I was participating in - long story - at first." Flutterguy saw Carrot rolling his eyes. "But playing that role, and having other people- sorry, ponies call me that felt nice, in a way I couldn't quite explain then. Of course, one day I looked back and noticed every character I played since then was also a dude, and the pieces started to fall into place. So I decided to call myself Toe Tapper as a homage to him."

"You were raring to tell that story ever since you suggested we did this, weren't you?"Carrot teased.

"Ever since I learned I'd be singing in Ponyville, actually."

Flutterguy suddently started to regret not taking theater class in school.

Toe Tapper forced a cough, ignoring a glare from his bossy bandmate Rarity. "Alright then, who'd like to introduce themself next?"

"Oh, oh! Me! I'd like to introduce myself next!" Aloe Blossom shot out. "My name is Aloe Blossom, and I run the Ponyville Day Spa together with my sister Lotus Blossom, as my mother Rose Blossom and her sister Sunflower Blossom did before her, and like her mother Lilac Blossom and her mother's sister Camomile Blossom before her, and-" Lotus Blossom whispered something into her ear "-oh, right. I didn't actually choose my name. Mom did. I liked it from the beginning, so I just didn't ever change it."

"Yep, that's right," Lotus Blossom completed. "My sister essentially already introduced both of us, but one thing she didn't say was that we're actually fraternal twins: I'm not actually trans, she only wanted to avoid coming all alone. I'm glad I came, though. You all seem like such nice ponies."

Flutterguy just felt puzzled. He'd never actually considered just not bothering with a new name. He wondered how that would be like.

He imagined his friends greeting him, knowing full well who he was. Oh hohohoh, greetings o dear Fluttersh-

Oh, dear Celestia, no. Surely that alternative just wasn't for him. Maybe something really far from that would be better.

"What? Really?" Cheerlie asked. "My name is Cheerlie, I work as a teacher in the Ponyville Schoolhouse, and I couldn't even dream of something like that. Ever since I figured out that I wasn't a colt, I went through a whole myriad of names. Some were from the main characters of books I liked, some were from books of baby names, a few were taken straight from the dictionary, and one, 'Claudia', was even just a string of syllables I came up with on the spot! But they all had the common theme of being as far away from the name my parents gave me as possible, (and I can't thank them enough for being so understanding!) It was long after I got my cutie mark that I really thought about what I wanted to be known for: I wanted to be the kind of teacher that watches her students grow beyond what they ever thought possible and above all the kind that convinces students that learning is reason for cheering. Hence, Cheer-lie! You could call me any of the other names I went through and I'd probably answer, though."

Flutterguy took her words to heart. He knew who he was, or at least he had a pretty good idea. He was the Element of Kindness, ponyville's premier animal caretaker, and the most socially anxious pony the school counsellor ever met in her entire life. Those first two made for a pretty good name basis, he thought.

It was when he finished that thought that he realized everypony in the group was looking at either him or Rarity.

He turned to Rarity, who offered a comforting smile and nod before addressing the group.

"Greetings, everypony!" she began. "You may call me Rarity, and I work at Carrousel Boutique, and I'm also a singer in the Ponytones group, along with being their exclusive costume department, and also seemingly the only pony there that remembers to avoid clearing their throat." Toe Tapper smirked at her jab. "Like with Miss Lotus, I'm here to accompany somepony dear to me, even if I don't meet the criteria outlined in the poster I saw- I do hope that's alright, everypony." She looked at Carrot Cake for approval, who nodded back.

She lowered her voice to address Flutterguy specifically. "Would you like me to introduce you to them, or would you rather have the honour yourself?"

Flutterguy swallowed, then made his decision. He was thankful for the opportunity he was given today, and he wanted to communicate that personally.

Flutterguy, still holding eye contact with Rarity, put his hoof on his chest and smiled. "Hello, everypony. I'm sure you know who I am already. You know, I saved princess Luna as the Element of Kindness and all that." Okay. This was going well. He turned to face the rest of the group. "I'm calling myself 'Flutterguy' as a placeholder. Um. Since recently." Nopony was laughing at him. Not bad. "And, um. I'm really thankful for this, yes."

Flutterguy forced himself to look around the room. Rarity was sat next to him, and gave a smile and a nod. Cheerlie and Lotus sat on the couch opposite to him and were paying close attention, and Aloe was vigourously waving from the floor after apparently falling over. Carrot Cake held a gentle grin, and Toe Tapper spoke up when he realized he'd finished speaking.

"It's our pleasure, colt! And since you've mentioned it, how about we being the game?" He stood up, and walked to the middle of the group. "WHO'S READY TO ROLL?"

"Er, excuse me," Cheerlie began, "but I'm afraid we can't. There's seven of us, meaning one team is short a player."

"Hey, Yeah! You can't do that!" Aloe complained. "It isn't fair!"

"Don't you worry, dear!" Tapper began. "We can simply give the smaller team an absentee score to make up for the difference."

"Ooooooooh. Okay. That seems fair. But how much is the score given?"

"It's simple, really," Carrot said before producing a rulebook from his apron, with a dozen page markers sticking out of every side. He opened the book on a deep blue marker with and audible creak, before reading the suitable passage aloud. "Rule three hundred and twenty-two b, section three: The absentee score for each game shall be the absent member’s entering average less 10 pins, plus handicap."

"…..But we don't have an absentee member, do we? That's hardly any help," Lotus complained.

As if on cue, a pink cloud erupted from behind the couch she sat on, forcing the three mares sitting in it into coughing fits. When the cloud dissipated, a fourth figure sat on the couch, also coughing.

The figure was a mare, clutching a duffel bag, wearing a faint pink cloak over most of her body, and her appearance ellicited gasps from all those present.

"What in the world- TRIXIE?!" Rarity exclaimed. "Just what are YOU doing here?"

"Kaff! Blergh! You are confused, whelp! The Great and Powerful Trixie is NOT present in this bowling alley! I am not her, but I am flattered you'd confuse me for her!"

"Is that so. If you are not Trixie, then just who are you?"

"My name is, ummm..." The figure glanced around the alley, before finally turning to face the far side of the nearest lane. "BOWLING PINS! Yes, I am Bowling Pin!"

"Uh-huh. Is it 'Bowling Pin' or 'Bowling Pins', with an s, darling?"

"Uhm. Ahem, tri- Bowling Pin thinks it's the latter."

"Oh, you think so. Alright then." Rarity got up, and walked until she was face-to-face with her. "Just let me take a closer look..." Her horn glowed, and a white aura enveloped the hood of 'Bowling Pin(s)' cloak. Another glow from beneath the cloak pinned the hood down, and confirmed the interloper was a unicorn. "What's the problem, 'Pin'? I thought you LOVED being the center of attention!"

"And why'd you need to nearly asphyxiate us with that smog? I thought I was gonna DIE!" Aloe chipped in.

"Yes, that was awfully rude of you, Trixie," Cheerlie completed. "...And also illegal, if I'm not mistaken."

"I-Illegal?" Trixie snapped, turning to meet Cheerlie. "How'd you know-"

RIIIP!

Rarity managed to tear the cloak apart when Trixie got distracted. "Oh, what a waste of perfectly good fabric. Why did you bother with the disguise if you were going to make such an entrance?"

Upon realizing her disguise attempt was foiled, Trixie hid behind her hooves. "Curse you! Whatever did I do to you?"

"What did you not do? You took over the entirety of ponyville and exiled Twilight because she saved you from an ursa minor! You nearly starved Pinkie Pie to death because she didn't like you insulting her childhood home! And after all of that, you still try to claim you're innocent!"

"I'm sorry about all of that, okay? But I can't be blamed for it! The Alicorn Amulet's magic made me do it!"

"Oh is that so? Pray tell, do you happen to know just who decided to put it on in the first place?"

"Yes, and I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from ever buying it again! I blew what little bits I had on it, and it went and took control of my mind! I was as appalled when I saw what I'd done as you were, I promise!"

"And you didn't so much as lift a hair of your mane to help clean after yourself, did you? Why you little-"

"Rarity, that's enough." Flutterguy beckoned from above the two, floating overhead and unnoticed until now.

All ponies present squinted to look at him, blinded by the alley's lights. "Whatever do you mean, dear?" Rarity questioned. "She encased the whole town in a glass dome! Wouldn't that have wreaked havoc on the ecosystem of the area?"

Trixie's head fell, and her focus shifted to the hue of the couch she sat on. "Yes, it would have. I guess it's a good thing Twilight got that amulet so fast... however did she find it, anyway?"

"Well, that's simple." Flutterguy slowly floated down to ground level. "Do you remember the beavers you let through the dome with a log?"

Trixie nodded. "Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

"Well," Flutterguy put a hoof on his chest. "You let a little more than a log through. Twilight's library happened to have a book on just that very amulet you wore, and we knew we had to relay that to her somehow, so I got volunteered to sneak across the border, inside that log. Even though you were under the amulet's spell, you still decided to help a few animals without anything to gain from it!"

"Oh, yes, Trixie remembers that now. I was whipping those two colts at the time, wasn't I?"

"Well, no. You were snapping at the air above them."

"Semantics, darling!" Rarity interjected. "How can you just brush something like that under the rug?"

"Rarity, she wasn't herself that day. We both know that. And after all that, she still tried to say sorry!"

"Well, I think never having to see her face again for as long as I live would be a much more heartfelt apology." She jabbed a hoof at Trixie. "On that thought, what are you even doing here, anyway? Trying to blow up the bowling alley?"

Trixie scooted back on her seat until she was pressed against the couch's backrest. "Well you see, I-" She gulped. "Trixie learned the Ponytones were performing in Ponyville, and she couldn't miss it for the world!" She craned her upper body forward, as if trying to seem bigger. "As much as she dislikes you, she has to admit you're a great singer. Is that enough for you?"

"No. That only answers why you're in town. Unless you're sleeping in the alley behind the alley, you've no reason to in this room with us. So, once again: what in Celestia's name are you doing here?"

Trixie's body seemed to shrink as she stared back, trembling, her back arched in a half-bow.

"So?" Rarity punctuated her speech by stomping on the floor with her hooves. "Aren't you going to answer?"

Flutterguy looked at the shivering mess of a mare on the couch, and noticed she was about to cry.

"Rarity!" He stood in front of her, and placed one hand on her shoulder. "Will you please stop shouting at her?"

"What? Darling, we need to know why she's here! What if she's conspiring against us for whatever reason?"

"No, we don't. You're driving her to tears!"

"I-" Rarity looked over his shoulder, and found Trixie staring back at her.

She was whimpering.

Rarity let her face relax. She looked around the alley, and realized most of the group was also focused on her.

Aloe and Toe Tapper's brows were furrowed, and the latter was tapping a single hoof on the wooden floor repeatedly. Cheerlie, Lotus and Carrot seemed almost embarrassed by the display before them.

But she'd never forget the intensity of the stare Flutterguy directed at her in that moment.

Leaning back from the display, she took another look at Trixie before closing her eyes and exhaling softly. "I'm sorry, Trixie. I'm certain we can postpone the matter!"

"Or forget all about it," suggested Flutterguy. "I'm certain Trixie isn't hiding anything!"

"She isn't hiding anything that concerns you, at least," Trixie sneered.

"That works. Now how about we start the game Toe Tapper mentioned?"

Pouncing at the opportunity to finally being, Toe Tapper began to rattle on about the rules of bowling. "Alright, yeah! Now, I'm certain you all will find this very simple..."

After a surprisingly long summary of practically every situation that could arise during a game, they began. Carrot Cake divided the teams by pointing at each pony on either couch and alternating between saying "One" and "Two" as he went from left to right. Aloe, Lotus, Carrot and Flutterguy sat facing Trixie, Cheerlie, Toe Tapper and Rarity.

Owning to the fact that only one pony in either team had bowling as a hobby, the score was consistently close. Aloe confidently sunk a ball into the gutter for each four or five pins her sister struck down, and Flutterguy had to decide between throwing the ball with his hooves or his wings before concluding he couldn’t control the ball well with either method. Over on Team Two's side, both Rarity and Trixie seemed to have great difficulty throwing the ball with much strength using their magic, and Cheerlie didn't have much in the way of strategy besides throwing the ball as straight and as fast as she could in spite of every attempt by Toe Tapper to teach her about the concept of 'spin', And by sheer luck both Toe and Carrot managed to down the exact same number of pins.

"Huff, alright, everypony! Last frame! That means the game's about to end!" Toe Tapper panted in the middle of the group. "All of the game comes down to these last two balls! Who will win? Who will lose? Let's. Find. OUT!"

Before each lane, stood a pony. Flutterguy had concluded that grasping the ball with both forehooves and balancing on his backlegs with the help of his outstretched wings before staggering forwards and letting go just before the foul line to be the best he could do, and Trixie figured out she could forgo putting most of the force on the ball herself if she managed to lift it high enough before forcing an "U" shape to the ball's fall and let go at the halfway point, a revelation she immediately shared with just about everypony in earshot.

Flutterguy's first throw went surprisingly well. The ball sailed through the oiled wood and filled the air with sound as it struck its targets dead-on. Only two pins on either extreme of the formation remained standing.

"Hoo boy, a seven-ten split..." Carrot held his hat to his chest, and bowed his head. "That's a tough egg to crack."

Flutterguy swallowed. "Is- is that bad?"

"Well, no. It's actually alright. It's just that it's hard to 'clean it up' into a full frame."

"Oh. Alright, then!"

"Good, because 'Alright' is all you get tonight, sirs!" Trixie declared. "Feast your eyes on this!"

She grasped her ball with her magic, and took a deep breath as the ball began to slowly raise. Beads of sweat ran across her face as the ball's ascension paused, and it began to plummet before arcing forwards onto the lane. The glow enveloping the ball disappeared a hair's length before the foul line, sending the ball hurtling towards the pins. Trixie shut her eyes at the loud strike, and when she opened them two pins remained.

Trixie's jaw hung until Flutterguy's voice reached her ears. "That was a good throw, Trixie!"

She yanked her gaze from the pins to look at the opposing group. Aloe jeered and Lotus giggled while covering her mouth, and Carrot's head was lopsided to accompany his smirk. Only Flutterguy's smile was genuine.

The knock of the returning ball alerted both to his responsibility. Both would make one more throw, then the game would be over.

After picking it up, Flutterguy felt the weight of the ball he held in his hoof as the anticipation of his team weighted down on him. He was able to make out Lotus gulping among a pause between the deafening cheers Aloe yelled in his general direction. Carrot's reflection was visible on the ball's smooth surface, and his intense stare betrayed the breath he held behind a small smile.

Flutterguy's gaze shifted, to his own reflection on the ball. He was startled when he saw his mane, the new cut forgotten in the action. A stallion's face was on the ball, and he eyed his mane before grinning ear-to-ear. Then, he took a few steps back from the foul lane, reared back on his backlegs, corrected his balance by fluttering his wings when he began to fall to his left, then leaned forwards, putting one hoof in front of the other.

Then he tripped on his own hooves.

Falling forwards, he let go of the ball just before landing face first on the wood flooring. Carrot rushed over to him, ignoring the ball completely. He helped Flutterguy up just in time to see the ball fall right into the gutter.

Trixie was the only other pony who was still looking at him. "Are you alright?" she asked, eyes wide as she walked over to him.

"Yes. Thank you for asking," he said. "I can’t wait to see you beat us," he added with the same tone he'd greet the mailmare with.

"Ahem. Yes, Trixie shall do just that." She marched towards the ball, lighting it up in tandem with her horn, and lifted it above her head. She stared ahead, heaving under the effort expended, before turning to face Flutterguy with a weary smile on her face.

She then threw the ball; it lumbered in the exact middle of the lane during its slow travel, during which she lit up her horn to adjust her cloak. When it slipped off the far edge of the lane leaving both pins untouched, she turned to face her audience. "Alas, it seems our fair duel has ended in a draw. Maybe it wouldn't be so in another life. We should do this more often."

"HEY! That's no fair! You threw it!" Toe accused.

"Well, yes. I did, in fact, throw the ball. Which missed both pins."

"Why, you little-" Toe Tapper quickly descended into muttering profusely under his breath. "Why, I oughta..."

"I agree with you, Trixie," Flutterguy said. "It'd be fun to do this once a month or so."

"Uhm. Hey, Toe? No need to get so worked up over this. It's just a game, after all!" Carrot trotted in front of Toe Tapper. "How about we distribute those pins you got just for the occasion?" He gestured towards an orange bowl sitting in the couch behind him.

"Hmph. Alright." He turned and walked to the bowl before grabbing it with his teeth and placing it on his back. "Everypony grab one of these," he began as he circled the group.

Flutterguy watched as each pony in the group grabbed a pin from the bowl. Rarity tipped her head while examining the pin she held with her telekinesis, and Cheerlie took one look at her pin before holding it against her chest with both hooves. Aloe beamed while excitedly showing it to her sister, and Carrot fumbled it a bit before putting it on his apron. After taking his from the bowl, Flutterguy read the blue, pink and white words aloud.

"’I'm in charge of my own destiny'…? What does that mean?"

"It's a bit of an in-joke among ponies like you and me. It means that we have taken the reins of our lives in our hooves, and we're proud of it!" Carrot explained.

"Oh, I'm afraid these aren't visible from the other side of town. couldn't you have possibly chosen something even more glaring?" Trixie jeered.

"Be happy he talked me out of getting shirts that read 'Nopony knows I'm a transsexual', Trixie!" Toe Tapper finished fiddling with the fabric underneath the pin.

Trixie flinched as Carrot sighed. "Which one of those two do you think is the bigger showoff, Flutterguy?"

"Um... I don't think I should answer that. I wouldn't want to start a fight."

Carrot cackled. "Good one!"

"What good one?"

"The one you just said!"

"Oh. What was it?"

"Just now, when you said you didn't want to start a fight."

"Oh. What was good about it?"

"...Nevermind. If I let you keep asking questions, we'll be here all day."

"Oh. Um. Is it okay if I make just one more question, then?" Flutterguy fiddled with the pin. "Well, two. Or three, if you count me asking you if I can ask more questions of you."

"Alright. What's your first- uh, second question, then?"

"That term Toe Tapper used. 'Transsexual'. I saw Trixie flinch when she heard it. What does it mean?"

"Well, It's considered an outdated term to describe ponies like us. It originated from long ago, when being a stallion in the body of a mare was conflated with being a mare who's interested in other mares, and vice versa. Nowadays most ponies agree those two are very different traits which may overlap in one pony, or not. Most of us go by 'transgender' or simply 'trans', but a few ponies still like to be referred to as transsexual for a myriad of reasons. Maybe they feel as if the original idea applies to their own individual experience, or maybe they want to pay homage to our history, or maybe"- he glanced over at Toe Tapper, who was currently chatting away with Rarity -"they like the way it turns heads."

"Woah. I never knew you had such history. Or, rather, we had." He corrected after glancing at the pin he held in one hoof.

"Been there since the first ponies walked the earth. Or flew the skies, in the case of pegasi. What was your third question?"

"Oh! Um, Well..." Flutterguy measured his next words carefully. "Sorry if i'm being insensitive, but if you're trans, and your wife gave birth, which would mean she isn’t..."

Carrot sighed and shook his head, then smiled. "Thanks for being pretty much the one pony who didn't assume she cheated on me. It's simple, really: we wanted kids for a long time already, but she explicitly wanted to give birth, so we didn't adopt. We settled on artificial insemination, which is where I assume the horn and wings came from. I'm not that comfortable just letting everyone know I'm not the biological father of my kids, so we tried to cover It up by making up relatives. Although my Cup, bless her heart, she can't lie to save her flank."

"Wait, you two lied about your great-great-great-great-grandfather and her aunt's-second-cousin-twice-removed?"

"Well, more or less. They do exist, but an aunt's second cousin twice removed wouldn't even be related by blood."

"Wow. Wait just a moment- if I'm 'pretty much the only pony who didn't assume' she cheated, does- does that mean Pinkie did?"

"No, but I'm still unnerved at how quickly she figured out the truth. Apparently she wanted to find out who the donor was so she could throw them a party..."

"That's thoughtful of her."

"What? Flutterguy, one of the main things about artificial insemination is that the identity of the donor is unknown. I don't think even the doctor knows who they are."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's alright." He glanced at the clock above the main entrance of the alley. "What's not alright, however, is how late it's getting. I had better get home soon."

Flutterguy looked around the alley. Most of the ponies seemed be getting ready to leave, and some had begun their farewells. One look through the main entrance revealed the hues of sunset on the horizon; dinnertime would come soon enough. "Don't let me keep you for any longer, then."

Flutterguy made for the exit, but stopped as he felt a hoof on his shoulder. "Darling, Toe Tapper invited me to go out with the rest of the Ponytones later tonight. I know you're one of our biggest fans, so would you like to come with us?"

"Oh, no, sorry. I'd love to, but I have to feed my animals dinner. I have this delicious leafy green salad planned for tonight."

"That sounds delightful, darling. I'll see you tomorrow, then!"

Flutterguy beamed. "Same to you!"

Flutterguy walked out of the alley, then paused to admire as the pink sky turned to purple and finally indigo as Luna's work unfolded across the heavens.

Suddently, a mare's voice called out from next to him. "The night sky has been ever more beautiful since Luna returned, has it not?"

"EEK!" Flutterguy jumped three times his height in the air, and stayed there as he scanned the ground to find a perplexed Trixie looking back at him, next to a duffel bag. "O-oh, sorry, Trixie. I wasn't expecting company."

Trixie composed herself. "I asked you a question, did I not?"

"Um, yes, yes you did. And I'm afraid I'm not too much of a stargazer myself. Usually when it's this late I'm already in my cottage, tending to my animal friends and getting ready to sleep."

Her brow furrowed "Hmmph. Wasn't it such distaste for her night that created Nightmare Moon in the first place?"

"Well, yes. But if so, then it's a relief that many more ponies love the night today compared to a thousand years in the past. I've heard a few even sleep during the day!"

In response, Trixie gazed up into the sky, eyes fixating on a particular set of stars. "Do you know how stars are made, Fluttershy?" She immediately slammed a hoof over her mouth. "Flutterguy! Sorry!"

He jolted back in the air, less because of her mistake and more because of her apology. "It's alright. And no, I don't think I've ever known how they were made."

Her stance softened. "Long ago, not too much after the foundation of Equestria, the Two Sisters came to an impasse. Both agreed that ponies that prove their excellence above all others ought to be honoured, somehow, but neither agreed on how. Celestia first suggested a museum for such accomplishments be erected somewhere, but Luna disagreed because a single physical location would eventually run out of space, and only be visited by a minority of all living ponies."

"That sounds like a reasonable complaint. But where do the stars come in?"

"No interruptions! Luna in turn modelled a system based a book which would receive a new edition every solstice, and ponies all across the land need only contact an Equestrian representative with proof of such an achievement to be immortalized in paper."

"Um, excuse me, but I really must be going. I'm not good at finding my way around in the dark."

Trixie looked at him, then shot a beam of light from her horn before raising one eyebrow and grinning. "I shall walk you there, so that I may finish my story," she proclaimed with pride in her voice.

"Um. Alright." He landed, and began to trot towards the edge of the Everfree Forest.

She took this as an invitation, and cantered over to his side before hanging her duffel bag around her neck with her magic. "As I was saying, Luna planned to record the efforts of ponies around the world. Celestia reminded her of the difficulty creatures outside of Equestria might have getting a copy of such a book, along with the issue of language. It was then that a trusted royal advisor came with the idea of imprinting such feats not on any old matter tangible by all, but on the very sky itself! Ponies of such high value would be forever seen in the night sky, until the end of time!"

"Wait, so does that mean me, Rarity and my other friends all have their own stars?" He glanced up at the sky, marvelled. "Do you know which ones we are?"

Trixie's walk slowed, and her head fell. "Stars are made with a very high-cost spell. Not only has only Luna the only known pony who ever cast it, it also consumes a living- or recently departed -pony's body, or more specifically their 'self'. You six will never see your stars."

"Aw. I think Rarity would have loved seeing herself in the sky."

"I can see why." She turned to the sky once more.

"How come I'm only learning about this now, by the way?"

"Well, the only pony who ever learned how to immortalize ponies in the heavens also 'got stuck' there. I suppose the practice evaded the public consciousness after a millennium, and Celestia," she spat out the name with venom, "probably didn't feel the need to remind everyone of this amazing feat she couldn’t perform.

He recoiled at her sudden bitter outburst. He felt he should change the subject. "...I see. But how come you know about it, then? Did Twilight tell you about it?"

"Pfft! Twilight only repeats that which she can read, and Celestia would never have committed something like that to paper. As to how I came across such knowledge, we need simply go back to the royal advisor I mentioned earlier: her name was Trixie Lulamoon. No, I'm not that old, but..." She gulped, "...the house I grew up in happened to have a few history books you could not find anywhere else. One of them detailed how my family descended from Lulamoon herself, making me a direct descendant of her on my mother's side."

Flutterguy took a moment to respond, after parsing though all the information he was just given. "...And you consider that book a reputable source?"

"And why shouldn’t I?"

"Well, that's a good point. What was the book called?"

"I.... well," her eyes darted around, then settled on the stone path. "I can't remember."

Trixie's face shriveled, then gave way to a tired expression. "I suppose I shouldn't believe it, but if it's true, then it'd give me ancestry to be proud of."

"But I'm certain there's someone else in your family you can be proud of, like your paren-"

Flutterguy froze as Trixie suddently jumped in front of him and bared her teeth. "Shut up. You want to know the most noteworthy thing my other ancestors did?! They assisted Nightmare Moon's escape from beyond the grave. Not one of them deserves an ounce of praise."

He recoiled. "I-I'm sorry I brought them up." He walked around her, and spotted the light coming from his cottage nearby. "Oh, we arrived."

Trixie turned around, illuminating the steps to the entrance. "Oh. Alright then, I suppose."

They walked up to the entrance together, then he turned around at the porch. "Thank you for lighting the path for me. I really enjoyed learning about the stars. Goodnight."

Trixie's stomach rumbled. Flutterguy heard it. "Oh dear. Would you like to stay for dinner? I think there's enough for one more pony."

"I-If you would be so kind!"

And so, he beckoned her in after opening the door, and she left her bag by the door after entering.

A multitude of animals sat around a rectangular dinner table, with Trixie and Flutterguy across from each other. Angel occupied one of the far edges, laid down on a bowl of salad and inhaling each leaf like a swimmer about to dive.

Flutterguy ate silently, and Trixie chewed idly. Bothered by the cacophony, she spoke up. "Ahem. This salad is, uhm, quite nice."

Flutterguy looked up from his bowl. "Oh, thank you. Angel here helped me with it." He turned to face the bowl surrounded by specks of green. "Say hi, Angel!"

A paw rose above the edge of the bowl. "Burrrp. 'Hi, Angel,'" came the squeaky reply.

"Oh, you!" He turned back to Trixie. "He's such a funny little guy, isn't he?"

She opened her mouth as if to speak, hung it open for a few seconds, then closed it again.

Two rabbit ears and the top of a head joined the paw above the bowl. "Uh, she can't understand anything I say and vice-versa, remember?"

Flutterguy covered his muzzle with both his hooves. "Oh! I'm sorry, Trixie. I sometimes forget other ponies can't talk to my animal friends."

Trixie sat up, and brought her forelegs on either side of her plate. "You- you can talk to them?! What did he say?"

"Um, he said hi."

"Oh." She faced towards the bowl. "Greetings, creature of Equestria!"

Flutterguy spun ninety degrees on his seat. "She says 'Greetings, creature of Equestria!'"

"Does he also not understand what I say? Intriguing."

Two paws hoisted the rest of Angel Bunny up as he peeked over the edge of the bowl. "'Creature of Equestria'? Could you ask her to narrow it down a little? I didn't see who she was talking to."

"Um, alright. Trixie, Angel wants you to 'narrow it down' a little."

"'Narrow it down'? Who else could I have been referring to?"

"...Every creature in this room, for starters. Including you and me."

"What? Trixie is no 'creature'! She isn't a base animal like all your other guests."

"W-well, technically, ponies fall under the animalia kingdom, same as all my friends here, so..."

"So what? Up until today I haven't seen any animal eating food at a table like a pony, and I can see why very clearly!" she said, gesturing at the green spread around angel's bowl. "Do you eat like this every night?"

"Only on the last sunday of every month, actually."

Angel rapped a foot against the inside of his bowl for emphasis. "Man, why'd you have to bring Miss Tantrum here on Slurp So Savagely Sunday of all days? At least take out whatever thorn's in her paw before bringing her in!"

Flutterguy sighed, and turned to face her. "Trixie, could you please calm down? You're making my friends uncomfortable. If you don't, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

Trixie's pupils shrunk at the warning, and she swallowed dry before replying. "Trixie... will calm down. And she's"- she took a deep breath, in and out. -"sorry."

Flutterguy smiled. "Thank you, Trixie."

Angel grinned. "That's more like it!"

Trixie reciprocated their smiles. And along with it, the silence.

Annoyed at the lull in conversation, Trixie spoke up. "So... this is a very nice cottage, here. When'd you get it?"

"Hmm?" Flutterguy perked up. "Oh, not long after I moved out of my parents' house. I saved up enough for it after working as a veterinarian, but I had my eye on it ever since I came to Ponyville. It just seemed like the perfect spot to be in contact with nature but still near the town."

"I see. It, uh, is very nice."

"Thank you!"

"Dude!" Angel called out, "ask her about her house!"

Flutterguy's ears perked up. "Oh, um, Angel says he wants to know about your house."

Trixie's face fell as she berated herself for bringing the subject up. "He... wants to know about my house, huh."

"Yes, he does."

"Does he need to know?"

"Hm, let me ask him." He spun to address the rabbit. "Do you need to know about her house?"

"Well," Angel put a paw to his chin, intrigued. "Now I kinda do."

"Thank you. Angel says he kind of does need to know about your house, Trixie."

"Well, if he needs to know so kind of bad," she sniffed, "I left it next to the door when I came."

Flutterguy, puzzled, floated up to look at the entrance to the cottage. Next to the door laid a duffel bag. "Your bag?"

Angel bounded up to peek at the bag, and nearly fell on his head as the realization overcame him. "Oh, oh no. Forget I ever asked that!"

"Yes, my bag. It's all I've got. When I said I spent my every last bit on that amulet, I meant it."

Flutterguy's focus darted between her and Angel as he floated back to his chair. "Oh dear. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's my fault. Besides, I've managed well enough. You wouldn't believe what some ponies throw away!"

"Oh, oh dear. Did you not have anypony that could help you, like your family?"

Trixie suddenly rose, and slammed her hooves on the table. "My family is why I've lived on the road for all these years! They chewed Trixie up, then spat her away like nothing! The streets of this town are much more preferable." She sat back down, and draped herself on the table. "Besides, they live in canterlot and I haven't even the bits for a train ticket. So even if they had a modicum of love for Trixie..."

Flutterguy pushed his plates aside, and leaned forwards to place one hoof over one of hers. "That is awful. I could lend you the guest bedroom of the cottage tonight, just so that you wouldn't sleep on the dirt. Especially since I've led you to the edge of the Everfree Forest..."

Trixie slowly lifted herself off the table. "You'd... do that, for ME?"

Angel chuckled to himself, before laying back on his bowl with his arms behind his head. "Giving a room to an ex-dictator. Did you know you're one of a kind, man?"

"Yes," Flutterguy responded to both questions. "The guest room is that way, on the right." He pointed to a staircase. "Let me get your luggage for you."

Trixie made her way to the bedroom, and laid down on the bed to get a good look at the ceiling afterwards. She only moved after she heard Flutterguy bring her stuff through the door. "Flutterguy, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because you need it." She heard hooves on wood as he landed next to the bed. "Because it's the right thing to do. And because it feels nice."

"It does? Hmm."

"Yes, it gives me this warm, fuzzy feeling. But can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, you may."

"Why didn't you like those 'I'm in charge of my own destiny' pins Toe Tapper was handing out at the alley? I thought they were incredible. I'd be wearing mine right now if I had anything to wear it with."

Trixie rolled until she was facing him. "Because the destiny I'm in charge of has, among other things, gotten me thrown out of my parents' house for being a freak."

"But you're not a freak. You're Trixie!"

"I said that same thing, on that day. And I'm glad I went bowling, but I can't just be so open about it. And I'm glad we are friends now or whatever, but I hate owning a favor and- sorry, I'm rambling. Just- I can't thank you enough for seeing me and deciding to extend the olive branch, alright?"

His ears snapped forwards. "Sorry, extending what?"

"Uh, the olive branch. It means a peace offering. Have you never heard of it?"

"...Not heard, until tonight, I have only seen it written down."

"Whatever. Trixie thinks she's going to sleep already. Goodnight, Flutterguy."

"Goodnight, Trixie! And thank you!" He said as he flew through the door at a surprisingly hurried pace.

"...You're welcome?"

Back at the dinner table, angel was currently dreading the work ahead of him. As much as he loved Slurp So Savagely Sunday, he was also the one who campaigned for it to only happen once a month: having to clean that big a mess once a week would probably kill him. No, definitively would kill him. Because of all that, he did not take being suddenly hoisted towards the sink kindly.

"Wh- hey! slow down, man!"

"Oh, sorry," Flutteguy said as he calmly set the bowl down. "By the way, what is this 'man' thing you keep mentioning?"

"Uh, frankly, I don't know. Some mice started peppering their speech with it, and it caught on. Why'd you go do the dishes like your life depended on it?"

"Oh, I guess I'm just excited, in general."

"Is that so. Is there any particular reason behind your joy?"

"I think I'm just at peace now." He turned on the faucet, and grabbed a sponge. The shiver from that morning came back in full force. "Could you try calling me 'Olive Branch' for the time being?"

Author's Note

Welcome back, everypony! finally, the story's title makes sense!
sometimes, you suck at pacing and chapter three ends up being twice as long as the last two chapters combined. Whoops!
here's hoping things go well for Olive Branch and Trixie from now on. Happy holidays, and let's meet again soon!

To the Elements

Olive Branch awoke to the song of birds in the morning. He leapt out of bed, and fluttered downstairs while occasionally doing pirouettes. He giggled to himself while murmuring his new name, before landing in the floor of his kitchen.

Trixie, who was currently draped over her seat at the table, raised her head just enough to greet him. "Morning."

His wings flared as he spun around to face her. "Ah! Oh, sorry, Trixie. I didn't see you there. Good morning to you too!"

Trixie furrowed her brow. "I did not say 'good' morning. If I had to describe this morning, I would sooner call it foul and agonizing!"

"Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that." He walked up to the table, and sat across from her. "Did something happen?"

Trixie brought her wizard hat over her eyes. "Well, when I finally managed to go to sleep, my dreams insisted in repeating the embarrassment I suffered at the bowling alley yesterday. Except this time, I was in my underwear."

Olive Branch looked at the mare in front of him, then at her trademark outfit of only a cloak and a hat.

She looked at him, then slouched. "It's stupid, right?"

"Well, I don't think so. I'd hate to be in your place."

"What even was the last time you saw anypony wearing underwear? I can't even remember the last time I wore some!"

"Wouldn't it be hard to know if somepony was wearing underwear, since they'd wear it under their other clothes?"

"Well- I- you- the, ah, FORGET IT!" Trixie grasped her hat with her magic before crumpling it into a ball. "Let's talk about literally anything else! For example, why did you say YOUR morning was good?!"

Olive flinched at the sudden change in tone. "Um, it was because of you, actually."

"...What?"

"Well, remember how I said 'Flutterguy' was a work in progress?" She nodded in response. "So, I think I might've come across the finished version!"

He sat up, balancing against the table on his forelegs, cleared his throat and said: "What do you think of 'Olive Branch'?"

Trixie squinted, her head tilted to the side. "You mean like the food? I think their taste is a bit too strong. How'd they become part of a symbol for peace, anyway? I'd much rather we gave each other crackers on such an occasion."

Olive opened his eyes as wide as they'd go, then closed them along with a deep breath as he looked for what words to use. "Alright, but what I'd meant to ask is what do you think of me using 'Olive Branch' as my name?"

"Huh?" Trixie blinked wearily thrice, rubbing her eyes with the back of a hoof, "What do you-" before jolting backwards on her seat all at once.

"Your name? I think it fits you!" She balanced on the two back legs of her wooden chair. "Wait, did you get it from- did the Great and Powerful Trixie give you the inspiration for that?!" Trixie teetered on the two left legs of the chair before abruptly shifting her weight to her right. "You're right, this really is a good morning!"

Olive Branch barely heard her celebration over the sound of her chair nearly snapping from the stress placed on it, but he could tell she was happy. "Yes, yes it is. Now could you please stop that?"

All at once, Trixie's wobbling ceased, her chair rattling as the excess kinetic energy was dissipated. "Stop what, Olive Branch?"

His relief over seeing her stop couldn't compete with the euphoria he got out of being addressed by his new name. A warm feeling blossomed in his chest, and made its way to his face where it pulled his lips into a smile. He began to subconsciously rise in the air, basking in the feeling.

Trixie folded her forelimbs behind her head in satisfaction, then leaned back on her chair just enough to immediately fall backwards with a THUD!

"I'm fine!" Trixie said before Olive could start worrying. "First lesson of magician school is how to fall down without getting hurt!"

Olive let out a relieved breath at her reassurance, and gently floated down into his seat. "I'm very glad to hear that. Now how about we have breakfast? I should have some bread in the pantry for us."

"Ooh, do you have peanut butter to go with that? Today just keeps getting better!"

"I might! let me go rouse Angel too and we can get started."

And so, they ate, chatting away about their lives.

"...And so, that is why I need your help in taming a manticore so that I may get swallowed whole before reappearing inside a box!" Trixie said, leaning over the poster for The Humble and Penitent Trixie's Equestrian Apology Tour (working title) and grinning.

Olive Branch stared, dumbstruck. "Trixie, I appreciate the free magician history lesson you gave me, erm, 'in my house', but don't you think that's a bit, um, dangerous?"

"Firstly, it's 'on the house', not 'in', and secondly, that's why I am asking you for help! If there's anypony who can make diving headfirst into a manticore safe, it's you!"

"Yes, I could convince a manticore to swallow you without chewing, but there's so much that could go wrong. For one, what if you don't manage to teleport out in time?"

"Well, I'd simply, uhm... maybe you could have the manticore puke me out if it comes to that?"

"I don't think I can train a manticore to just throw up on command like that, Trixie. Besides, this is all supposing you do get shot straight into the manticore's mouth. If you missed by even a few inches..."

"Pah, alright!" Trixie puckered her lips and sniffed. "Since you don't want to help me with my apology gift to Equestria even after I gave you that last bout of inspiration you needed..."

Olive took a deep breath and leaned over the table. "Listen, I'm very, very grateful for what you've done for me, but what you're asking me to do in return would put both you and an innocent animal in danger. I'd be happy to help if you could prove that you had the 'reappear in a box' part down, at least."

Trixie grimaced, and grit her teeth in response. "Hrmph! The Great and Powerful Trixie shall prove that right here and now!" She curled into a ball while grunting, her horn lit up.

"W-wait!" Olive shouted. "You don't have to do that!"

He began backing away just as the sound of her exertion reached a crescendo, until a flash of light filled the room.

Once he gathered up the courage to open his eyes again, he saw a dumbfounded Trixie glaring at Angel, who was fast asleep in a heap of eggshell white cloth. The fabric was speckled with red hearts, and just below angel's head was a torn-up label.

"Olive, why is your pet sleeping in my underwear?"

"I don't know. But you made it seem like your underwear looked much worse than these. I think they're quite nice. How come I've never seen you wearing it?"

"...I only wear this pair to bed. Could you pry him off of it so I hide it in the deepest recesses of tartarus?"

"Of course." He gently eased a hoof under the rabbit's body. As he began to lift his hoof, Angel began to stir. He opened one eye, then the other, then slowly looked around his surroundings.

He slipped off the hoof the very moment he made eye contact with Trixie.

"Uhrm?! Agh!" He landed on his feet, and hopped away as fast as his groggy body would let him. Olive caught him as he jumped off the table before setting him down on the floor.

"HEY, GET BACK HERE!" Trixie galloped after the rabbit, forgetting about her boxers entirely.

"I have to serve breakfast to my animals, so play nice, you two!" Olive shouted after them. With another deep breath, he shook his head and went to listen to the singing of the birds.

A trio of birds flew up to the window, and he opened it to greet them with a genuine smile on his face. "Oh, good morning little friends. Your singing is oh so pretty."

"Only the best song on a day such as this," the birds tweeted in response. "Won't you join us, sir?"

His menagerie took the news surprisingly well, considering most of it hadn't been aware of the concept of gender until recently. To them, his word was the only window by which to learn about ponies, and as such they trusted him completely.

He consdered the proposal for a moment, then answered. "Yes, it is a very beautiful day today, certainly something worth singing about. There's just one thing I have to do first, though."

Olive fluttered out of the kitchen, swiftly putting his forehoof inside three rings of lace, each stuck to a pinecone covered in fat and birdseed in a single motion. He took the fat balls with him as he flew out of the front door of his home,

He slowed down as he approached a tree filled with small birds, and took a big breath. "There's music in the treetops," he sang as he hung the bird's breakfast on the tree, "And there's music, in the vale." He exaled as his hoof lingered after hanging the last fat ball.

He headed back inside to fetch two baskets, one filled with grain and one with vegetables. He flew outdoors, leaving the greens basket by a rabbit burrow and spreading the other one's contents across the floor of his chicken coup.

"And all around me, music fills the skyyyy..." He sang about the music in the river as ducklings ate a hoofful of oats, and about the music in the grass as a sparrow delivered acorns to a family of chipmunks.

Olive Branch took the bird in one hoof and smiled at it. "And the music makes your heart soar in replyyyy..."

Olive took a deep breath just before finishing his song with a collection of Aa-aahs, meditating on the past week. Going to the bowling alley had been a fulfilling experience, and getting to know the New and Improved Trixie was also fascinating. He thought of the support of his animal companions as he cantered down a dirt path, and of how Angel helped him get the point across.

Three birds laid an oversized flower crown on his head, which soon came to hang on his neck in the image of a bowtie. He paused to admire it in a river, and seeing himself on the water's surface filled him with joy. This new era of his life might not be perfect, but he was quite literally floating with glee.

He ended the song on a high note and a pirouette, then basked on the applause of his animal friends. "Oh, thank you so much. You're too kind," he said, and he felt well and truly proud of who he was- and the standing ovation only helped.

Until an innocent expression of wonder cut through the air like a knife against a loaf of bread.

"WOW!"

Olive Branch snapped towards the voice, and saw his best friends staring back, slack-jawed. "Oh. You, um," he scrambled to think of anything to say with all of his might. "You didn't hear me, um-"

"-singing in the most beautiful voice EVER?!" Pinkie cut in.

"Yeah we did!" Rainbow answered. "Also, I'm liking what you did with your mane!"

Olive froze. He could feel each and every muscle in his legs and wings tensing up like a bow ready to fire, ready to launch him to anywhere but here. He scooted away while hiding behind his forelegs until his flank bumped against a rabbit.

"Wow!" proclaimed Twilight. "I've never heard you sing a solo like that before."

Applejack teetered to her right, and smiled. "It was like a little slice of heaven..."

"...With ice cream on top!" Pinkie finished.

"Fluttergu- ahem." Rarity began. "...I cannot believe your spectacular voice isn't already part of the Pony Tones."

Olive Branch swallowed back the lump in his throat. "Um, well, about that..."

"Especially since you'll be having us perform for your Ponyville Pet Center Fundraiser tomorrow night."

"Well, you see, I-"

"Rectifying this shall be easy! You've already made friends with half of our line-up. You must share that stunning voice at the event!"

"Yeah!" said Pinkie, appearing beside him. "It'll be so amazing! You'd be there on stage, basking in the hooflights, the center of attention, a shining star..." Olive flinched at both that idea and the accompanying hoof-swing.

Pinkie, undeterred, kept the barrage going. "With everypony staring at you, judging you, jealousy noting how they could be WAY better than you! Why wasn't it them? Why wasn't it them?" Olive could feel his eyes beginning to water. "And then, when you choke, they'll turn on you becoming a seething-angry mob, and you'll be horribly humiliated," Pinkie paused for a quick inhale, and Olive dared to hope. "NEVER ABLE TO SHOW YOUR FACE IN PONYVILLE AGAIN!"

Olive was about to go see if Harry's cave had a guest bedroom when Rarity brandished a rolled-up poster against his tormentor. "Pinkie Pie!" Thwack. "Don't be ridiculous!"

He turned his focus towards Rarity completely, and watched as she walked away. "Come, darling. You will join the group making the Pony Tones Quartet into the Pony Tones Quintet!"

He tensed up his face, then relaxed it. Inhale, "No." exhale.

Rarity stopped as if she nearly tripped, and craned her neck back at him. "...Pardon me?"

He gulped. "I love the Pony Tones. I'm one of your biggest fans! But I do not want to perform with them."

He shrunk back against the ground as Twilight asked him- no, asked Fluttershy "Why not?"

"Well, you see..." He frantically looked for some form of plausible excuse among the grass. "I... I have-" He looked to Rarity for help, and met with a worried look on her eyes. "I-I have..." He wrapped his limbs around himself and tried to force anything other than the truth out of his mouth.

Rainbow jabbed him in the shoulder with a hoof, perhaps a little harder than the aspiring Wonderbolt meant to. "Spit it out!"

Olive suddenly he had an idea of what to say. "I have... stage fright!"

A gasp erupted beside him followed by the rustling of leaves, but he couldn't make out any individual words after that, focused as he was on Rarity's gaze. "I'm very thankful the Pony Tones are singing at the Pet Center Fundraiser-" Her pupils suddenly shrunk to a third of their normal size "-And I'm really looking forward to the performance!" Her eyes met his before she began to scour the dirt, looking for a hole to hide her sudden regret in. "But I'll be watching safely, from the audience."

Rarity swallowed dry. "Well, I understand that you're not comfortable, and I apologize for trying to shove that role onto you so suddenly."

"Thank you." Olive said with a smile before a white smear caught his attention.

"Pssst! You-two-are-being-super-awkward-and-we've-still-got-to-finish-working-on-the-stage-for-the-Pony-Tones-!" Angel stage-whispered at him.

"Ooh!" Olive cheered. "Angel's right! We better get going. There's a lot of work to do before tomorrow's event!"

"Everypony's saying you should learn to express your voice," Olive sang along with the Pony Tones as he stacked five birdhouses in the shape of a pyramid.

"But if talk-" He bit down on his tongue as soon as he spotted two mares walking along the path to his left, and listened to the rest of the song in silence.

Olive caught the last part of a sentence by Spike as he got near the stage. "...Eh, the rest of you were pretty good too."

He walked to the front of the stage, and made eye contact with one of the singers. "Oh, I thought you were all amazing, Pony Tones."

The red-maned mare to his right spoke up. "Thanks, Fluttershy!" Wince.

Olive thought he saw Toe Tapper blink with unnecessary force, and Rarity breathed in carefully before changing the subject. "Now, Pony Tones, I want you all to rest your voices for the remainder of the day, starting now. We'll do a final run-through tomorrow before the big event. Is that all right?"

"Sounds great!" The mare from earlier answered before following Big Mac past the curtains.

"Hey, buddy." Toe Tapper said. "Sorry about Torch Song, there."

"There's no need to apologize," Olive reassured. "If anything, thank you for being so discreet about it. I'd like to let ponies know at my own pace."

Rarity walked in front of him. "I'm glad this is what you want, darling, but seeing you subject to that... are you sure there's nothing we can do for you?"

"You're already helping with the fundraiser, and that's more than I could ever ask for. Thank you again for helping me help the animals."

"Oh, I'm very glad to hear that! It is wonderful when a plan comes together without any sort of drama, isn't it?"

"Couldn't agree more, boss!" Toe Tapper chimed in.

"A-a- a turkey call?" Rarity's magic pulled Big Mac by the bowtie. "You lost your voice doing a... a turkey call?!"

"Lost his voice, and the title!" Pinkie punctuated her gloat with a near-perfect imitation of a turkey before bouncing away as fast as she'd arrived.

Rarity watched in disbelief as Pinkie Pie pronked past. "...Okay. But now we can't perform tonight!"

Olive Branch stared in shock. "Wait, what? No! You have to perform! Otherwise, the fundraiser will be a disaster!"

Rarity walked to the edge of the stage, and crouched down to meet him. "I'm truly sorry, darling, but we cannot perform tonight with only three voices. It would take rearranging all the music, and we just don't have time. I'm sorry, darling, but I have no remedy for this situation."

Olive's eyes shone with an idea as she finished saying the word "remedy". "Of course! A remedy!" He turned on his hooves and began trotting away from the stage. "Follow me!"

Rarity shrugged at Big Mac before both did as instructed.

"...So yes, that's what I had in mind, Zecora. Do you think you could do that?" Olive finished, and looked expectantly at the zebra.

"Hmmm. Yes, I've got enough Poison Joke to sate your woe. Lucky, that it'd change your voice so."

"Oh, Yes, yes!" Rarity pointed a hoof at Olive. "Your voice became really low, making you sound like-"

"-Flutterguy!" both Olive and Angel exclaimed in unison.

Olive started to giggle as he considered having that handsome baritone voice again. "Thank you so much, Zecora!"

Rarity placed a hoof on her chest. "I'd also like to thank you, Zecora. Now we can get flutterguy here on stage!"

Olive halted, turned to look at her, then gulped. "Er, r-really? I don't think I can bring myself to sing on stage in front of everypony."

"What if you sang not in front of everypony? What if Big Mac was onstage, moving his lips while you're behind the curtains singing his part? It would be just like singing in your house! Nopony would know it was you!"

Olive considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Zecora, mix it up!"

"So, with no further ado, please welcome the Pony Tones!"

Olive stood behind the stage, heartbeat at nearly a continuous drone. A shrill tone cut through the air, the cue for him to take a deep breath.

He sung the first note, and the sound of his own voice surprised him for what must have been the tenth time that afternoon. As he relished in his new voice, he allowed himself to relax. Once more a warm feeling crept across his body, and he extended his wings to savor it. As the song neared its end, a smile was plastered on his face.

The sound of cheering invaded his ears, and he peered beyond the curtain to see a mass of adoring ponies applauding the performance. He hid back behind the curtain, and practically melted with glee.

He almost managed to sneak out of the back of the stage before a pink blur intercepted him. "Fluttershy," Wince, "you were on the wrong side of the curtain! You totally missed the show!"

Rarity heard her, and walked up to aid him. "Uh, just like a true professional, our friend here was backstage making sure everything ran smoothly!" She turned to Olive, and whispered to him, "And it was perfect" with a wink.

The warm feeling from earlier returned in full force, and Olive found himself taking deep breaths just to stop himself from looping around in the air.

He was shaken out of his stupor by a father and daughter shouting "Tomorrow!" in unison.

Rarity recoiled. "Oh, gracious, I'm terribly sorry, but that's much too last minute."

The cream filly's face drooped, and her father let out a sigh. "Well... I understand."

Olive felt a pang on his heart as he watched the two mop away. "Oh Rarity, we can't disappoint that sweet little filly."

Rarity covered her face with a hoof as she whispered. "Are you sure you're up for it?"

Olive Branch nodded without hesitation.

Olive Branch hung from a ceiling rafter, breathing heavily after his latest performance. "...But we wouldn't want to disappoint the Mayor."

Olive peered from inside a barrel. "We wouldn't want to disappoint Lotus and Aloe!"

Olive floated in the surface of a jacuzzi. "We wouldn't disappoint Cheerilee and her students, would we?"

Olive stared down an exhausted Big Mac from the inside of a bush. "I see what you mean, but how could we possibly disappoint the Cakes?"

Olive grinned to himself from behind the curtain at the latest Pony Tones performance, and began to prance on the spot. He nearly would've missed Rarity and Toe Tapper walking in behind him if she hadn't cleared her throat. "Darling, we need to talk. Big Mac's voice is all better now, so you no longer need to play his part."

Olive bolted up as if he'd heard a cannon going off, and turned to face her still in mid-air. "Wh- wait, sorry, what did you say? I'm sorry, I don't quite think I, um, got that..."

Toe Tapper took a step forward. "Listen, pal, we're awful glad you could ad-lib for Mac during the last full work week,"

"-And we're also keenly aware" - Rarity chided in - "of how happy you are with your new voice. But Toe Tapper here sought me out after yesterday's show, and he complained about the fact that you and me have been, um, working the rest of the Pony Tones down to the bone, so to speak."

"And the quality of your ad-libbing has also plummeted," added Tapper.

Olive flew backwards until he had his back to the wall. "Look, I didn't mean to work you all so hard. And, um, if I mess up it's because I got too excited. But please, let me just sing one more time!"

Toe Tapper turned to Rarity. "I don't know... do you promise we'll get a break after this?"

Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but Olive spoke up first. "Yes! I'll do anything!"

Toe blinked in surprise, then slowly turned back to Olive at the same time as Rarity. "...Anything?" A toothy grin slowly emerged on his face. "How about getting us an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Pegasus?"

Olive gulped. "Well, I could go about renting out the cottage's guest bedroom..."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Darling, please. We're quite happy to let you sing this last time," she snapped towards Toe Tapper, "for free."

Toe Tapper giggled in response. "Alright, alright! You're reminding me of when my own voice started to deepen. But after this I'm taking a break!"

Olive broke into a giant smile. "Ooh, thank you so much! I'll be sure to savor this one!"

Both made for the curtains, only for Rarity to pause just as her hoof met cloth. "Oh, and Olive, one more thing?"

Olive snapped out of his own cloud of glee. "Oh. Hm?"

"Please, do be careful, alright?"

Olive managed a quick nod.

After she'd crossed the threshold and introduced herself to the now fairly well acquainted audience, Rarity blew on her pitch pipe, providing the cue for Olive to being.

Olive took a deep breath, smiled, and began. "He-ey, find it! oh why, you can find it, In your heart, yeah, find the music, yeah!"

Rarity watched Big Mac's lips closely, and felt a single bead of sweat trail down her forehead.

Olive spun 810° degrees clockwise, and pushed against Big Mac though the curtain in his excitement. "It's in you right now! Oh, yeah!"

Toe Tapper saw Big Mac lurch forward, and tried his best at sighing and singing simultaneously.

Olive flew up near the top of the stage, "Yo-ou can find the music!", and accidentally bumped against the top of the curtain, causing it to fall down on the Pony Tones. By the time he noticed the music had stopped, it was too late to run.

He noticed the sudden light from the spotlight even behind his eyelids, and opened his eyes to see a whole crowd of ponies staring back. At him. At his deepest secret, laid bare.

As soon as he stopped shivering from fear, he bolted out of Sugarcube Corner's back door and ran away as fast as his legs would carry him.

Rarity climbed out from beneath the curtain just in time to see his pink tail disappear through the doorway. "Olive, wait!"

She clambered up to the door as fast as she could and looked around, but saw no sign of the pegasus other than a half-open back door leading into the night.

She trotted outside, stood on her hind legs and put a front hoof on either side of her mouth. "OLIVE! Where are you going!?"

No response was heard.

She called for him a few more times until it was clear he was far away. She walked back into Sugarcube Corner with her head hung low.

"-was livin' her dream in the shadows because she couldn't bring herself to come into the spotlight?" Applejack finished just as Rarity returned.

At her brother's confirmation, she spun around and jabbed a hoof past Rarity, into the night. "Well, for corn's sakes! Let's go!"

Rarity stopped her with a hoof just as she was about to leave. "Actually, I think It'd be better for our friend if we made just a quick detour first, if you'd allow it."

Olive stared at the bathtub before him, breathing in the herbal scent. He contemplated the past week, how having the voice of a stallion made him feel. How good being praised for his singing felt. How horrifying it was to be known.

Angel hopped onto the border of the tub, and nearly slipped into the herbal bath. After making sure he wouldn't fall, he turned to talk to Olive. "Really, man?"

Olive shifted his gaze to the floor. "I know. I loved singing so much. And I love this voice, I really do. But... my friends are probably going to be so worried after I ran off like that. And it'd be very easy to just dip in and never bring up what happened."

"Yes, but that's assuming you wanna lie in the first place. Do you think that'll be necessary?"

Olive thought, again, about how his friends would likely react. He thought of Rarity, who decided to make him a suit free of charge even after the sudden change to his mane made her somehow even paler.

He leaned over the side of the tub, and dipped a hoof in as angel watched, ears flopping down. Then a strange sound was heard as the liquid began to flow out of the tube, revealing his hoof wrapped around the chain of a rubber bung.

"You make a good point. I don't think it'll be needed, no."

He subsequently dropped the bung as the bathroom door was pummeled. "He-ey-ey! Would you mind hurrying up? Trixie has to go and she has to go right now!"

Olive held a hoof to his chest. "Actually, my friends should be arriving any minute now. I should be there to welcome them if nothing else."

"Alright! I'm gonna go and finish the chores that I've been forced to do since the pony who was supposed to do them spent the whole week singing." Angel hopped past him with a smirk.

As soon as he touched the handle, the door swung open and Trixie bolted inside. "Thank you so much I almost- hey, this place smells nice..."

Olive closed the door after him, and stood on the balcony. He took a deep breath, and let it go slowly.

The door to his cottage opened slowly, and Rarity's head peeked in through the gap. "Darling? Are you in here?"

"Yes, I am." Olive beckoned her in with a hoof. "Wait, what's that you're carrying on your back?"

"Oh, this? consider it an apology gift."

Rarity balanced a gift box on her back. The box was a very faint light blue, and it was wrapped with a deep pink lace. Near the top of the knot and too far away for Olive to read was a white gift tag.

Olive got a good view of it before the rest of his friends came through the door, accompanied by a pink blur. The blur leapt over Twilight, dashed underneath Applejack, leapt to the wall beneath the balcony and clung to it as she climbed, nearly sending a picture frame tumbling down.

"That was totally unbelievable!" Pinkie got up to the railing and pulled herself over it, getting close enough to let Olive smell her sugary breath. "I mean, the curtain came up and there you were, singing in front of everypony! And you know, I don't think anypony was jealous, 'cause there certainly wasn't an angry mob!"

Well, that's one concern down, out of a half-dozen.

"But it must have been horrible standing there on stage," Well, flying above it. "All eyes glued directly on you!" Except for anypony under that curtain, that is. whoops! "It's like you were living your own personal worst nightmare!" And I lived through it...

Olive gently laid a hoof on her snout as she tried to push him to the floor with it. "I-in a way, yes. But I'd say it was worth it..."

Pinkie pointed a hoof at his throat. "Wait! Why do you still sound like that?"

Olive stared for a few long seconds, then tried to swallow spit that wasn't there. "W-well... it's, um, because..."

He tried to put some distance between himself and Pinkie, but the mare leapt after him, nearly headbutting him repeatedly. On her fourth attempt, she was enveloped and lightly shoved back by Rarity's magic. "That's quite enough of you, Pinkie. Now, I'd like you to have this." she stood in front of olive and knelled, nudging the gift with her horn. "Go on, open it!"

Olive tentatively bit on a loose end of ribbon and pulled. The knot unfurled, and the box lid opened itself once freed. He looked inside the box, and suddenly he couldn't contain himself.

"...I see you like it, then!" Rarity said after recovering from his excited cheer. "Want to try it on- and you're already putting the dress shirt on! Wonderful. Do you need any help with the bow tie? No? Then at least let me help with the wing holes in the sweater!"

Olive finished putting on his brand-new Pony Tones outfit with a delighted whinny. It wasn't until after he flicked the edges of his bow tie a couple times he noticed the rest of his friends staring back at him.

"O-oh. Um, you're all probably wondering why I've been acting different these past few days..."

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash flew up to the balcony and rested her chin on the hoofrail. "Like, why'd you do that to your mane, and why isn't Rarity freaking out about it?"

"I've already gotten it out of my system. Now, darling, you were saying?"

"Well..." Olive brushed a hoof through his hair. "Do you all remember the day we met Zecora and got affected by the Poison Joke?" Everypony else in the room nodded. "Well, hearing myself that day was... hard to describe. And I've thought a whole lot about it, and I want you all to know that I'm a stallion now." He waited for a few seconds, and then stared at the floor. "So, um, yeah."

"Ohhhhhhhh!" Pinkie hopped in front of him. "Is that why you didn't want to sing on stage, Fluttershy?"

"Erm, yes. And, since you mentioned it, could you girls please call me 'Olive Branch' from now on, if that's alright?"

Applejack held her chin on a hoof. "As in 'extendin' an olive branch'? Why, I think it fits you like a glove!" The room was filled with murmurs of agreement.

Olive smiled, then wiped a tear that threatened to drip down his face. "I'm so happy to finally get this out of my chest. I don't know why I ran away on you all like that..."

Twilight walked up the stairs to the balcony. "Now, It's normal to feel nervous with something like this, but you know you can trust us with anything!" She laid a roof on his shoulder. "No matter what, I swear I'll support every choice you make, because you're my friend!"

Olive wrapped his forelegs around Twilight, and moments later he was joined by the rest of the Mane Six in a pile. "Oh, you girls just make me so happy!"

Just then, the toilet from the other room was flushed. "O-oh, Sniff sorry everypony." Olive raised a hoof in defense just as the group hug dispersed. "That must have been my guest, she's staying with me for a while until she can stand on her own hooves."

A beleaguered Trixie stumbled out of the doorway shortly after. "Huff! Trixie would NOT go in there if she was-" she slowly looked around the room, noticing each of the elements of harmony in order, with Twilight last. "-you?"

Twilight blinked a few times, raised a hoof above her head, and brought it down to point at Trixie in a grand motion. "Every choice except that one!"

Any murmurs of agreement that might have begun were silenced by Olive raising an eyebrow at Twilight. Then, to the surprise of everypony there- his own included- he erupted into laughter.

Even Trixie eventually joined him as he realized what'd happened. It wasn't that he thought the situation funny, far from it, but that he was just too happy to be angry. And he didn't mind it one bit.

To the Wild

The midday air moved thorough the trees in a slight breeze, its dance dragging the odd fallen leaf into the cottage's kitchen. Olive and Trixie sat across from each other at the table and talked over their lunch as he dragged a pencil on paper.

"Oh-ho-ho, you were looking when Trixie's great and powerful new friend teleported her out of the manticore's mouth," Trixie punctuated her sentence by drawing a circle in the air with a hoof, then punching through its middle, "and into the box, right? 'twas the best part of the night!"

Olive thought back to that night with a slight tremor. "I still can't believe you actually talked me into training that manticore for you. I am glad you and Starlight have become good friends, though."

Trixie slouched on her chair with forehooves behind her head. "Believe me, I'm glad too. I'm almost sad that the show made me enough for me to stand on my own hooves now..."

"At least you'll still come back to Ponyville from time to time. And she won't be the only one waiting for you!"

"Yeah, yeah... actually, there's something I want to tell you, regarding that."

Olive looked up from the letter he was writing, head held at an angle. "Hmm?"

"I'd like to pay you back for letting me live with you for a while, now that I can support myself..."

Olive raised a hoof to decline, but Trixie silenced him with a flourish of hooves. "...By granting you and all of your animals free admission into any of my shows!"

Olive held his outstretched hoof and open mouth for five full seconds. "...That's, um, very nice of you, Trixie. Please remind me of that in the off-chance the Cutie Map sends me to someplace you're performing in."

"Remind me to remind you, then." Trixie paused, crossed her hooves and held her chin on her right forehoof. "Wait, the Cutie-what now?"

"Oh, the Cutie Map. It's this really big round table in Twilight's castle that sometimes makes our cutie marks glow and vibrate, and-" Olive took care to listen to his own voice, and for the first time since the fundraiser he felt something other than euphoria from it. "...I think Twilight might be able to explain it a little better than me, actually."

Trixie looked to her left, and exhaled hard. "If so, then I'm sure it's not that important." Her gaze shifted back to what remained of her flower salad, then to the half-written letter Olive was working on. "Hey, what's that there?"

"Oh, I'm writing a letter to a friend of mine. He's been off on vacation for the last couple of weeks, and he's the only friend I have who hasn't met Olive. I'm going to go send this letter after lunch; would you like to come with me?"

"Ehhhh..." Trixie bent herself over her chair's backrest and listened to her back creak. "Why not. I should probably get out and walk a bit more..."

"Wonderful." Olive bit down on a forkful of leaves before turning back to the letter. He paused midway through a sentence, and swallowed. "Hey, Trixie, what's the name of the treatment we're both getting, again?"

"You mean hormone-replacement therapy? Wait, why are you..."

"Oh, Yes that's the one!" Trixie began twisting herself by leaning on her forearms as she spun her head as far as it'd go with her eyes narrowed to strips, and Olive pulled it towards him as soon as he realized she was trying to read the letter from where she stood. "Don't worry, I'm not going to mention you by name in it if you don't want me to."

Trixie sat back down with a sigh. "Thank you." She took a bottle of olive oil and draped her salad with its contents, then grasped a hoofful of green with her magic and stuffed her mouth with it. "Hh, ohe moh' thinh. Gulp: Are you going to mention the whole week you spent behind a curtain while Angel taught me how to clean up after a whole ecosystem?"

"Erm, well, I already have, actually. In fact, the only part left is transcribing it in pen and putting it in a proper envelope." Olive punctuated his last statement by clicking a ballpoint pen against the table, then twirling it with his wings' fingers against a brand new sheet he produced from the same breast pocket.

Trixie watched the dexterous display with a smidge of horror. "Don't you pegasi ever think the wing finger thing's a little, like, gross? It's like they shouldn't bend that way..."

Olive looked at her while making a conscious, and incredibly challenging effort to keep his expression neutral. "No, not really. They're useful for when my hooves just don't cut it." He put the pen on the paper, and wrote out the letter's date and first paragraph. "See? This pen is specifically made to be held with wings. It's really comfortable."

Trixie stared with wide eyes at the trail of ink. "...And really fast too. I think you wrote all that in less than ten seconds!"

"Well, I got a lot of practice ever since Twilight came up with the shared diary. But it's easier than it looks like; I'd suggest you try it, but..."

Trixie tapped her horn with a hoof. "Eh, I'm not too broken up about it. Besides, I bet your wings can't do this!" As her horn lit up with its light magenta glow, her half-eaten plate of salad floated up to her face, and she promptly dove into it.

With his left wing fanned out to obstruct the grisly sight of his guest's meal and his right busy writing, he used his left front hoof to hold the paper steady while his right brought small bites of leafy greens to his mouth with a fork.

"BURRRP! Have I ever told you how amazing your cooking is? I kind of lost myself in there just now."

Olive wiped away a tiny piece of lettuce that landed about a hair away from the letter with a napkin. "...Yes, I can see how much you enjoyed it. And just at the same time I finished writing my letter, too!"

"Ha, yeah, you- you what?" Trixie looked at the letter, blinked, looked again, then rubbed her eyes before looking a third time. "How did you even- did I take that long to finish?"

"I wish you'd taken your time with it... but that's in the past now. Would you like to come with me to deliver the letter now?"

"Oh, sure." She lit up her horn, and enveloped the plates and silverware with her mana. "Just got to wash these so that Angel won't bite me again..."

Olive shot up a hoof to stop her. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary." He put his wings around his muzzle in the shape of a cone and spoke up. "Harry, would you kindly do the dishes?"

Trixie's glowing horn and puzzled expression simultaneously fizzled out as a two-and-a-half meters tall brown bear hobbled around the corner and stood at one end of the table. It scanned the table thoroughly, noted the half-circle of green detritus around Trixie's plate, and wiped a bit of leftover alfalfa off her cheek with a deep growl.

"Harry says that he hopes you're enjoying your stay, Trixie."

Trixie shook herself back to action and leapt over the table with a "t-thank youuu!" before clambering towards the front door.

"Hey, wait for me, Trixie!" Olive took the letter in one wing and the envelope and stamp for it in another. He turned to the bear, "Don't worry. She just needs to get to know you better!" before running after her.

He whipped around the hallway, went down the staircase two steps at a time and galloped out of the door to find a panting Trixie leaning against the mailbox. "Listen... you can't... just sic a bear... on ponies without warning..."

"I didn't 'sic' Harry on you, I asked him to clean up after you. And running away on him like that was terribly rude!"

Trixie pointed her nose up at him, and adjusted her hat. "Okay, okay, sure, maybe Trixie doesn't really have to fear your furry friends. But can you really blame her for being scared of the mountain of claws and teeth that just came around the corner and walked up to her out of nowhere?"

Olive paused, and took a hoof to his chin. "Hmmm... you've had the chance to get to know him better before, so yes, I think I can. N-not that I would, though!" he added after her gaze bore through him.

Trixie let out a huff. "Eh, whatever. Exercise after lunch is good for digestion, anyway." She stood up, and nodded at the envelope olive was currently stuffing the letter into. "Do you need some help with that, or can you manage on the way to the post office?"

Olive looked up from his labor just in time to miss the letter shooting up into the air and land on his head. "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure the mailponies can help if I don't get it by then. And I also hope they've got glue for this stamp..."

Trixie grasped the letter with her magic, and floated it in front of his eyes. "I hope so too. After you!"

Olive sheepishly took the letter in his teeth, and took about three steps down his front lawn before a blinding light erupted before him.

Where there had been nothing an instant ago now stood a beast ripped right out of legend. Its body mismatched, with prey and predator parts stitched together haphazardly to form the vague outline of the creature that currently stood at least three times taller than Olive. It, for whatever reason, had squeezed itself into a mailpony uniform that miraculously managed to wrap around its upper chest unharmed, and it brandished a pen in one claw and a clipboard in the other.

Trixie began shuffling away on her back as soon as she recovered from the flash. "What the- Olive, what in the name of Equestria is Discord doing on your front lawn?!"

Discord exhaled a plum of black smoke at her comment, causing it to crash and start a small fire ontop a nearby stone. "Excuse me, but is this the Shy residency? I've got a delivery for her."

Olive forced his smile to stay on after hearing his whole sentence, and took advantage of the motion of storing the letter in a breast pocket to exhale. "It's so nice to see you, Discord! I thought your vacation would last a few more weeks..?"

"Now, I'm afraid you've mistook me for some other handsome devil, miss." He ripped out a name badge from his uniform and showed it to Olive. Sure enough, it read "Ditzy Doo", and the gray mare photographed on its side looked absolutely nothing like Discord. "See? Let me give you a closer look."

With a shake, the badge unfurled into a postcard from Las Pegasus, depicting five separate Discords playing ten total slot machines. The Discord nearest to where the 'photo''s camera was paused, then looked up, met eyes with Olive, and began to wave vigorously. On the left of the postcard was a small written note by Discord, reading 'Wish you were here, Fluttershy! You'd really hate this place!'

Olive took the postcard in a hoof, and sighed. "Listen, thank you, but since you're here, there's also a letter I've written for you here, so..."

'Ditzy' shook his head and pulled his mailpony cap over his eyes. "Sorry, Miss, but if you want to send a letter, you're going to have to take it to the post office. I just handle deliveries. Also, I wouldn't want to catch the cold you have- you're really hoarse." He wiggled his nose, and wafted away just as he'd appeared.

Olive brought a wing to the part of muzzle resting between his eyes and squeezed. "You can be so frustrating sometimes..."

Trixie took deep breaths until her heart stopped ringing in her ears, and slowly raised to her hooves. "S-so, uh, could you tell me, uh, what just happened, exactly?"

"...Alright. That was the friend I was telling you about at lunch, despite what he insists. I thought he'd only get back until after you left, but apparently I was wrong. And he's usually not this grating."

"I got that part. but why is your friend a god of chaos?! And how come I'm only learning about this now?"

"Oh, sorry, I must have forgotten to mention it. As for how we became friends, it all began when Celestia hauled his stone prison to Ponyville on a flying chariot after she decided to have him redeemed."

Trixie's eyebrows slowly sunk until it was hard to tell whether her eyes were open. "...Alright, okay. I can totally see why the 'Chaos God Who Nearly Destroyed Equestria' thing could have slipped your mind."

"Well, thank you for being so understanding, Trixie. Maybe I'll be able to introduce you two properly some other day..."

Olive's contemplative ruffling of the grass was interrupted by the shriek of a steam whistle to his back and left. He turned back, and froze as a black locomotive slowly rose in from the surface of a river, the jaw-like protrusion in its front pointed towards the sky. Once floating on the very surface of the water, it slammed down on the grass with a distressingly metallic cry of protest, and roared to a point not a hair's length away from his behind. Olive peered behind the engine's path, and was extremely relived to find that Discord's newest nonsense left no disturbed dirt or even agitated water behind. In fact, no creature present seemed to pay the machine any mind except for himself and a currently bluish-white Trixie.

"I-I don't- what did it- why is-" Trixie desperately stammered at the second inexplicable entity she'd seen that day.

As if to answer her questions, A door on the side of the locomotive was thrown out of its hinges by two striped pink-and-yellow curtain hooks springing towards her and Olive. The hooks pulled them in so fast it'd be hard to say whether they hadn't simply been teleported to somewhere behind the conductor.

Olive rose to his hooves. "I guess he's glad to be back..."

A rhythmic thumping filled the room as the train was set in motion. It hurled forwards, launching the two ponies inside backwards.

A little after she stopped bouncing around the cabin, Trixie balanced on her middle back and curled herself into a half circle with great effort. "HRRNG- nope, I'm awake. Blast it all! What does this nonsense have to do with TRIXIE?!"

A scraping sound followed by clanging stone alerted both of them to Discord's presence, now dressed in conductor apparel. "Why, I'd figure if for any reason you'd happen to find your selves in here, it's 'cause a friend got a ticket for a friend, capeesh?"

Trixie rolled onto her hooves before jabbing one of them at him. "Well then tell that friend that we don't want to be here! And also tell him to ask before kidnapping two ponies who just had lunch off their porch, for Luna's sake!"

"Now, now, Missy. if you'd find yourself so bothered by your experience in the Entropy Express that you'd resort to language of such low caliber..." Discord cracked his knuckles as the back wall of the locomotive was torn away like a sheet of tinfoil, "...then I insist that you've the right to leave it at any moment."

Trixie backed down, and calmly walked to and sat down on a sofa as the horrible cry of tearing steel reverberated through the cabin. Olive, on his part, trotted up to Discord and firmly poked him on the side. "Stop that right this instant, Discord. Trixie is my friend, and I'm going to be very upset with you if you keep bothering her. It's her last day in ponyville, and I want this day to be nice!"

Discord pretended to not hear him as the rapidly returning back wall narrowly stopped a frozen Trixie from obtaning a deep understanding of the concept of relative velocity. "Sorry, madam,"- Madam? really? "but I don't happen to know or to be the extraordinary gentleman you've described just now, and I'd be delighted to assure you of that if you'd just look at my name here." And sure enough, his claw pointed to the words "D. Hooves" embroidered on the chest of his striped jumpsuit.

"Okay, alright. Mister Hooves, would you please stop this train so that me and my friend can get off?"

"Why, I see no problem with that..." Discord reached for a bright red lever sticking out of the cabin floor, "... especially since I'm 'spposed to stop at this station for just that very purpose."

The train's wheels shrieked as it came to a stop just outside the Ponyville post office. Discord pulled on the red lever again, and a small section of wall on the side of the train fell fowards as a makeshift ramp.

Olive, eyeing the ramp with suspicion, prodded it with a hoof a couple times before tentatively taking a few steps on it. Satisfied, he got about halfway down the ramp before a purple-and-blue smear of color almost ran him over.

"MMMUAH! MMMMUAH! Oh, dear stable ground, how I took you for granted! I shall never again complain about being tired of walking as long as it's on you!" She then wiped her tongue down with a hoof. "I don't think I'll make out with you again, though."

Olive rushed to her side, and crouched down to her eye level. "Oh, dear. I'm so sorry that you're having to deal with all of this, Trixie. Is there anything I could possibly do to make up for it?"

Trixie, startled, scrambled to her hooves and began a grand gesture of contemplation. "Hmmm... Trixie is not sure she could ever possibly forgive you for putting her in this life-threating situation..."

"Oh, alright. I guess that's fair..." Olive cowered further into the dirt just before a hoof tapped against his shoulder.

He looked up, and saw Trixie sporting a devilish grin. "Just kidding! In terms of travel by motorized vehicle, this has been one of my best trips. Do you have any idea why?"

Olive stood up, and put a hoof to his chin. "Not really, no. Do you happen to be a big fan of trains?"

"Nope! It's because I went with a friend this time around!" Trixie did a pirouette, and wound up facing the main entrance to the Ponyville post office. "And having you keep the Chaos God at bay is just a bonus!"

Olive did an exaggerated huff of annoyance before following her through the door of the Post Office. "Well, I'd just like to let you know that he's not usually this mean, or at least not since we became friends. I think something might be bothering him."

Trixie's first few steps on the red carpet of the post office were dragged against it, leaving brown stains against red. "Oh, does he only give death threats without almost following up on them on his good days?"

Olive sidestepped the dirt on the floor and galloped until he was at her side. "No, usually he uses his powers for pranks and japes. Like finding a whoopee cushion in your seat at the table after you sit down. Except there's no cushion, because he gave the chair its own digestive system and a full plate of cabbage instead."

Trixie held her face in a mixture of smugness and fresh horror for a few moments. "I- why would he even DO that?!"

"Well, so that it'd make a fart noise when you sat on it. Except with an actual fart, unlike a normal whoopee cushion."

"Haha. Wow. That's. Uhm..." Trixie silently thanked Luna as they neared a blue box labeled 'Collection.' "...the perfect way for me to change the subject!"

Olive read a line on the side of the box, then looked up at a wall clock intently. Noticing this, Trixie turned her attention to the same clock. "Oh, not one of those! Why doesn't the Post Office have a digital clock, of all places?"

"Maybe they're more expensive. The lowest point in that circle is where six is, right?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Do those go all the way up to 24 or do they also differentiate between AM and PM?"

A gray pegasus popped up beside the duo, clad in mailmare attire. "The time's one minute to two in the afternoon, friends!"

"Oh, wonderful!" Olive fished the letter from a chest pocket. "That means we arrived just before the letters get taken off to be sent!"

The mailmare pointed only one of her eyes downwards, towards the box's spot. "About that, sir..." She gestured to the suddenly empty space between them. "How'd they get that out from under us...?"

Trixie hung her head and threw an arm around Olive's shoulders. "Listen, the... friend my friend here's trying to deliver a letter to has a... knack for doing things you'd think were impossible. I gave up trying to question it a few minutes ago!"

"Oh, well then. Either way, don't beat yourself up for being late. I barely clocked in today 'cause I couldn't find my uniform!"

Olive brought a hoof to his chin. "...Well, I'm glad to see you managed to find it. By the way, would you mind helping me pack this letter properly?" He showed her the letter, envelope and stamp he'd stored on his pocket.

One of the mare's eyes studied the envelope for ten seconds. "I don't think that envelope is big enough, mister. Let me get you a bigger one!" She dashed towards a booth, displacing enough air to knock the letter out of his wing. As soon as he and Trixie managed to grab it out of the air, the mailpony returned with a sheepish look.

"Oh, dear, sorry about that. Here, let me get that for you..." She folded the letter into the envelope, and glued it shut with the same stick of glue she used to affix the stamp. "I hope that helps. Have a nice day!"

"Oh, thank you!" Olive took the envelope and stuffed it into his breast pocket. "You too!"

As they walked away, Trixie whispered into his ear, "Shouldn't she have said 'nice afternoon' instead? I'm starting to fear I'm the sanest pony here..."

"I started being afraid of that not long after meeting you. Why are you only getting scared now?"

"Oh, do hush!" Trixie swung the doors of the Ponyville Post Office open with a huff. "At least The Great and Powerful Trixie didn't decide to trot halfway across town to go mail a letter to a 'friend' who already arriv-"

Trixie and Olive looked around bewildered at the environment before them. The doors of the Post Office had led directly to the middle of the living room of Olive's cottage, and promptly disapeared before either of them noticed. Instead, the thing they saw after pivoting on their heels was Discord enjoying a cup of Earl Grey at a table with only one other seat.

"Back so soon?" Discord crooned. He slithered down his seat and up to the pegasus, putting himself between him and Trixie. "Delightful! Oh, Fluttershy, how I thought of you in my travels! We must catch up, now and not a minute later!"

Olive sucked in a sharp breath through his nose, and blew it through his mouth. "Then I just so happen to have something relevant for you here." He produced the envelope again, and showed it to Discord. "I was going to mail you this letter, but since you're already here..."

Discord snagged the envelope, ripped it open with a claw, and had a pair of reading glasses appear on his face with a swipe. "Alright! By the way, I simply adore what you did with your mane. It's very butch-y!"

"...Thank you?" But Discord was already engrossed in the letter. After a long, tense silence he simply muttered "I see..." and disappeared in a flash of light- one far less painful to look at than usual.

"...Discord?" Olive called out after waiting about a minute. "Where are you?"

Trixie plopped down on the unused chair and reached for the teapot. "Whelp, turns out the chaos god who nearly destroyed Equestria that one time is also a huge jerk. Who knew?"

"Trixie, that's not a nice thing to say." He took the seat opposite to her, shuddering at the surprising cold of the felt. Apparently Discord took his lower half being 'cold-blooded' rather literally. "Maybe he's just, um, looking up some of the terminology I used in that letter!"

Trixie stopped herself from pouring a cup of tea to look Olive in the eyes. "I understand that you think of him as your friend, but... just because he's near and dear to you doesn't mean he'll take it any better than anypony else." She reached over the table, and put her hooves over his own. "I'm sorry it happened, but the best you can do now is just... let go, and move on."

Olive pulled his hooves from underneath hers in one motion. "TRIXIE! I don't mind you not liking him, but you have to understand that that is just not who he is!"

"I- alright." She looked away, turning to the floating teapot next to her. "Do you want some tea?"

Olive wordlessly pushed his teacup and saucer over to her, but as she began to pour, the top of the teapot swung open followed by a nimble white limb. "Oh, MAN! That jacuzzi was incredi- oh, did I, uhm, interrupt something?"

Olive offered him a deadpan expression. "No, It's okay. I was just going to drink the tea you were presumably swimming in."

"Ah. Well, don't let me keep you!" Angel's bound away from Olive and his gaze was interrupted by the pink glow of Trixie's magic. "Oh, drat... look,, in my defense I didn't know I was submerged in tea! I just thought Discord had made me an herb bath! Honest!"

"An herb bath, you say? See, Trixie, I told you Discord wasn't that bad!"

Trixie closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, held it, then let it go. "Olive Branch, The Great and Powerful Trixie would like you to listen to her. You don't need to pretend-"

Her speech was cut off by yet another teleporting flash of light, now much smaller and centered on the table in front of them. Instead of any draconequuses, only a small brown package appeared, clad with a red bow and a note that read "my bad" in a foal's hoofwriting. The three creatures present scrutinized, shook and only one time, bit down on the package in turns until Olive took the package in his hands and flew up with it.

"I told you, Trixie. Discord wouldn't do something like that! Now I'll go and see what's inside here, if you don't mind..."

"Wait!" Trixie got on her back hooves on top her chair, front hooves up towards the ceiling. "You don't know what's in there! What if it's something dangerous?!"

"Celestia's wings, Trixie, what has gotten into you?! There's no reason to believe Discord would hate me enough to do something like that! Would you please sit down?"

Trixie's face flashed in pain for just a moment before she began lowering herself. However, just as she began to sit her attention turned to her shoulder. A white bundle dragged its teeth against her arm, then motioned upwards with its neck. As Trixie raised her arm once again, Angel climbed up to the top of her hoof and spoke up. "Okay, okay, relax. We're not saying that package is a bomb or whatever. But it could be an industrial scale can of snakes. Wouldn't it be more responsible to have Trixie open it from a small distance? Just so that one doesn't bean you in the face."

Olive considered his words, then let out a long sigh as he floated down to the ground. He set the package down in the middle of the living room, took three steps back and beckoned his friends. "Trixie, Angel suggested that you should use your magic to open this package from a distance just in case that there's a prank inside. Would that make you more comfortable?"

Trixie let Angel off on the table, got down from her chair, and tentatively walked towards the package, magically brandishing the same chair in front of her like a lion tamer. "Yes, yes, it would. Thank you."

She undid the bow after a moment of hesitation and braced herself for an explosion- or at least a snake- that never came. When she looked up, she saw packing peanuts spread around the box, and Olive reading a note taken from inside aloud.

"'Dear Olive Branch: It is very nice to finally meet you. I would like to apologize for my obstructive behavior this evening; I wouldn't have joked around THAT much if I knew how much today meant to you. I hope this gift makes up for how our first meeting went.'"

"'P.S: Apologize to this 'Trixie' mare on my behalf, will you?'"- Olive sneaked a quick glance towards her before continuing -"'You and her seem like good friends. I do hope my antics didn't ruin her day.'"

"'P.P.S: Las Pegasus was AWFUL. Would NOT recommend, specially for you. Spent the whole trip thinking of Ponyville.'" Olive folded the note into a pocket, and grinned with joy and just a hint of pride.

Trixie set the chair back into place with a huff. "Okay, that was... surprisingly nice of him. But what is this 'gift' of his, anyway? It could still be a prank!"

Olive narrowed his eyes at her statement, and so did the rabbit who popped out of the top of his mane. "Either way, could you help me dig through these packing peanuts?"

Trixie rolled her eyes and lumbered over to the box. She lifted clumps of packing peanuts with her magic, each around half the size of her head, until she heard something fall out of one and into the box.

"Oh, oh!" Olive exclaimed. "It's... oh."

Trixie and Angel perched themselves on the edge of the cardboard box, and peered in. And then almost fainted.

Olive fell down on his haunches despondently. "I guess you were right, Trixie..."

Trixie got up from falling on her back to look at him "What? No, Olive, it's- it's not- pfft- it's not a prank! It's not. It's not."

"Well, if not a prank, then what else?" Olive took the object in one hoof, and moved it between his hooves slowly. "Maybe there's a meaning to this I'm missing?"

"Hihih- yes, yes there is! There very much is, but I- PffthahaHA think Angel might be able to explain it to you a little better!" She looked to where he was a moment ago, then to most of his favourite spots in the room. "Where is that little rascal, anyway?"

She got her answer when he floated down to between them, using a pair of her underwear as a paraglider. "Wh-when'd you get your paws on those?!"

Angel simply shot her a devious smirk and offered her underwear to Olive.

"Angel? ...Why are you giving me those...?"

Trixie let out an exaggerated exhale. "We have something to show you, but you'll need to put those on first."

"...What?"

"Just do it! It'll make sense, I swear!"

"O-okay..." Olive went to grab the undies with his teeth, caught himself halfway through, then resorted to grabbing it with his wings as he rolled onto his back. He put the object on the ground, then slid on the garment with some effort, then stood back up on his back hooves. "Okay, you two, I've put on Trixie's underwear. Now what?"

Trixie let out a snort despite herself. "Okay, so this next part might be a little bit odd. Well, odder." She gently took the object in one hand, and turned to look him straight in the eye. "Do you trust me, Olive Branch?"

"Um. Why are you asking me that, Trixie...?"

"Do you trust me! Yes or no!?"

"Eeep! Um, I guess I do?"

"No guessing! The Great and Powerful Trixie needs to have a straight answer here!"

Olive thought back on his recent experiences with the mare currently glaring into his soul. He did. "I-I do. I trust you, Trixie."

She grabbed the front of his boxers with magic. "That's great to know. Now tell me: do you prefer dressing left or right?"

Olive's apprehension had to share space with his confusion. "I... don't understand what you mean by that. Are you asking which wing I'm better at writing with? That'd be my right..."

"Good!" She suddently yanked the waistband towards her, dropped the object into it, and let the band go with a crack.

"YEEOUCH! For pony's sake, Trixie, that hurt! Why'd you do that?!" He went to rub the part of the pelt that just got stung, but his hoof paused went he felt a lump just under it.

Trixie took a step back, giggling. "Sorry, sorry! But do tell: how do you feel?"

Olive stared at the bulge in his boxers, motionless and completely quiet for a few seconds. Then, he got back on his hooves, and made his way to the front door.

Trixie trotted after him. "Olive..? Talk to me! I asked you a question!"

He swung the door open with a hoof, and tilted his head back. "I've never been better."

He leapt out of the cottage and into the sky, and began doing loops around every tree in the vicinity.

Trixie and Angel watched the display from the porch until yet another flash of light left Discord in a coil at their paws and hooves.

"Oh, hey, Discord." Trixie nudged the pile of draconequus with her hoof. "We got your gift."

The pile slowly unraveled until Discord stood in front of them, handkerchief gripped tightly in a claw. "Ooh... I've just been such a horrid friend to him! Tell me, did he at least like it?!"

"I wouldn't say he liked it, no..." Trixie rubbed a hoof to her chin in thought, stepping aside to dodge the falling Discord now slumped against the side of the cottage behind her.

Discord sobbed against the wood until a series of quick jabs against his tail alerted him to Angel. Once he had his attention, the bunny pointed towards Olive's latest loop with both ears and three paws.

"...I'd say he loved it."