Have You Ever Met a Pony...
Izzy tucked Sunny in tight, then gently tapped her nose. "And remember: no getting up in the middle of the night! It's jinxy to peek before Wishie Surprise Morning."
Sunny struggled against the covers and grunted, "I'm… not sure I could get out if I wanted to, Izzy."
"Yeah, Izzy," Hitch said from across the room. He looked all around and gestured to dozens of animals. "I'm impressed at how many beds you made for the critters, and it was nice of you to set up this sleepover, but–"
Izzy leapt to the side of his bed and pouted. "Aw, but what?"
Hitch grimaced. "Half these critters are nocturnal. I'm not sure I can keep them all up here while I'm sleeping."
From her elaborate, cushy bed, Pipp settled beneath her duvet. "Don't worry so much, Hitch. Izzy just wants us to get a good night's sleep.” She yawned. “And I'm all for it." She slipped a silk eye mask over her face and snuggled herself in.
"No argument here," Zipp called from across the room. "I was following up on the case of Rocky’s missing hairbrush at Mane Melody today, and I'm beat."
Hitch looked up. “Missing hairbrush? Did you solve the case?”
“Oh, yeah,” Zipp yawned. “Great story. But that would take about five minutes to talk about. I’ll tell you tomorrow.” She flopped onto her side and was out like a light.
Izzy pulled the covers over Sparky. "It's okay, little dragon buddy. Just sit back, relax, and dream of a wonderful Wishie surprise."
"Eweh…" Sparky snuggled under Hitch's foreleg and quickly drifted off.
The whole group settled in, exchanged a few more yawns and goodnight wishes, and then fell asleep.
All except Izzy.
Half an hour later, Izzy cracked an eye open. She looked all around as her eyes took in the dim, soft glow of the nightlights. She liked what she saw: blankets moved slowly with the breathing of her friends, and she heard the distinct sounds of easy snoring from each of them. It was time.
Izzy quietly pushed back her blankets and sat up. She held a hoof to her face to stifle a giggle, and she used her magic to softly jiggle Pipp’s bed.
Pipp sat up, rubbed her eyes, and mumbled, “Bweh? I… I wasn’t asleep. Just…” She yawned. “Just resting my eyes.”
Izzy hopped up, sucked in a deep breath, and nearly–
“Sh!” Pipp held a hoof to her lips. She whispered, “Remember the plan, Izzy? Sneaksy!”
“Oooooh,” Izzy whispered back. “Right! Sneaksy!” She dove to the side of her bed, pulled four different colors of yarn out of her secret yarn drawer, and tied pillows to each of her hooves. Then, in one fluid motion, she leapt off her bed, landed noiselessly on the floor, then sat and held up her hooves. On each pillow was a letter, which spelled out, “Tada!”
Pipp smiled broadly and danced in place, trying not to make noise. She hovered silently on her fluffy wings, then flew over to Izzy, careful not to wake the others. She followed as Izzy tiptoed to the central elevator, and they rode it down together.
They two of them arrived at the main foyer with a small ding from the elevator. Pipp did a quick circle in the air before landing in front of Izzy. "I'm so excited to finally tell them!"
"Me, too!” Izzy flicked her horn towards the elevator. “I was sure Zipp would have found out by now, but you did amazing at not spilling the beans!” She gestured around. “And can you imagine how slippery it would be if there were beans everywhere?”
“Well, I know a thing or two about keeping secrets from my sister.” Pipp nuzzled her, cheek to cheek. "So is Wishie Surprise Morning a real thing?"
"Yes…” Izzy tapped her chin. “...but it's only celebrated during years that are prime numbers, or if the new moon is 4 days before the solstice, or if the temperature matches the number of owls that hoot at 11:43 am the prior day."
"That sounds confusing."
Izzy threw up her hooves. "It is! Which is why we also have the Celebration of Not Quite Wishie Surprise Morning on the off-years!” She looked up and to the side, then shrugged. “It's pretty much the same, and it makes planning a lot easier."
Pipp giggled. “So is tomorrow the real deal or an off-year?”
“Nooooo idea!” Izzy leaned over and kissed Pipp on the cheek. Her eyes fluttered. “Heh. Can’t wait to start doing that more often around the Brighthouse.”
Pipp nodded. “Just one more night, and then all our friends will know.” She flinched.
Izzy spotted it immediately and came in for a nuzzle. “What’s wrong, Pipp-a-dipp?”
“It’s nothing.” Pipp looked to the side.
“Pfft!” Izzy blew a raspberry. “You’re not gonna fool me that easily! C’mon, you can tell me anything.” She hugged her.
Pipp bit her lip. “Well, you don’t think it’ll be weird for our friends, right? Having the two of us dating?”
“Aw, you’ve got nothing to worry about! They’re our friends, and they’ll be super happy for us! Besides…” She pickpocketed Pipp’s phone and wiggled it in front of her face. “Just think of all the interactions on Clip Trot!”
“Izzy!” she said in mock-scandal. She grabbed the phone back and bopped Izzy’s nose with it. “You’re an evil genius.”
“I like to think of it as chaotic creativity! Speaking of which, I got some more garland for the doorway. Wanna see it?”
“I’d love to.” Her eyes went wide, and they flicked up at the elevator. She shuffled Izzy down the ramp and into the main foyer. “But we should probably be quick. If our friends see that both of us are missing, they’ll get suspicious, and I am not ruining their first Wishie Surprise Morning.”
As they walked, Izzy gave Pipp a mischievous sidelong glance.
Pipp rolled her eyes and sighed. “Or Celebration of Not Quite Wishie Surprise Morning,” she said with a laugh. “Did you get a chance to rehearse the song?”
“Only like a bajillion times!” Izzy flailed her head around, like her neck was made of rubber. “I know this is really, really important, Pipperoo, and I’ll do my best.” She trotted off towards the closet.
Pipp held up a hoof, but she watched as Izzy practically bounced her way to get the supplies. It was one of the things she loved most about her: no matter how much was on her mind or how big tomorrow would be, Izzy found ways to embrace the joy in every little moment.
Izzy returned, grunting and pulling a heavy box. "Okay! So I know you said you wanted something tasteful, so I made…” Seemingly from nowhere, she pulled out a platter covered by a silk cloth. “...announcement cookies!" She pulled the cloth away, revealing cookies decorated with hearts and their faces on a silver tray.
"Oooh, that's the cutest!" Pipp gushed. She pulled out her phone. "I have to take a photo for the Pippsqueaks!'
Izzy gasped and grabbed attention the phone.
"Oh! Right. Surprises. Sorry." She quickly put the phone away. “I need a distraction.” She smiled slyly at Izzy. “Think we can practice one more time?”
"You just wanna make sure I know the words." Izzy wrinkled her nose and poked Pipp.
"And I want to hear that amazing singing voice again."
Izzy grinned and nodded. “You got it! But I wanna keep putting up the decorations. I feel a burst of creativity coming on!”
“You got it!” Pipp pulled up the karaoke app on her phone and selected her newest song. At the last moment, she remembered to turn the volume down, just loud enough for the music to fill the room without giving them away.
Her hoof hesitated over the play button. Her thoughts raced with everything that the next morning would bring, and she looked up. There, in front of her, as eager as ever to get the decorating party started but always willing to wait, was a happy, smiling somepony who just wanted to spend time with her. Pipp felt a tingle spread from her hooves to her wingtips. She took a deep breath, relaxed her shoulders, and pressed play.
The melody started up. Pipp flew to the garland, picked up a hoofful, and hung it up as the music swelled. "Have you ever met a pony," she sang slowly, sweetly, as her eyes glazed over and warmth spread from her chest. "...who can make your world bright?" She flipped a switch, and the little lights inside the garland began to sparkle.
Izzy bounced along below her, slapping photos of the two of them onto the walls with glittery tape. "Have you ever met a pony, and it was love at first sight?" She smiled up at Pipp.
Pipp flapped her wings and brushed a hoof gently along Izzy’s horn. She swooped down and grabbed a few hoof-made ornaments from a box on the floor and hung them from the ceiling. “Well, you see I’ve met a pony, and that’s what they do.” As the ornaments spun, they revealed even more pictures of the two of them.
Below, Izzy rolled out a big banner that read, “Izzy + Pipp 5Ever!!!” and she sang, “Well, I’ve never met a pony who makes me feel like you do.” She stopped, perked up, and said, “Is it weird that we’re rhyming ‘do’ with ‘do?’”
Pipp laughed and flew by, angelic in her soft, swift movements. “We’ll fix it for Clip Trot.”
“Neat!”
The music picked up, adopting an up-tempo beat, and Pipp twirled in the air. “Somepony special, who's creative, who can make my heart soar!” She spun in the air, hoof to heart.
“Somepony dazzling, who makes me happy…” Izzy got a dopey look on her face, but she quickly burst with happiness. “And she has gorgeous feathers that are so floofy and whenever we cuddle it's like hugging a cloud and–”
Pipp swooped down to meet her. “Did… that one get away from you, Izzy?”
“Oh! Right! Uh, what rhymes with soar?” She tapped her hoof, then held it aloft. “Oh! Dooooooor!” she sang, but then, she rolled her eyes and said, “Oh, wait, adore was right there! Can we start again?”
Pipp merely laughed, and as the music slowed down again, she sang, “Well I tell you, there’s a pony, that I think about all day.” She landed on the floor and picked up Izzy’s hoof, which she held gently in her own. As she did, a warm, bright smile spread across her face.
Izzy’s ear flicked. She looked down at their hooves, and then her eyes met Pipp’s. “From when I wake up in the morning until I hit the hay.”
Pipp took a half-step closer, and she pressed her forehead to Izzy’s. The soothing breath of her marefriend relaxed her in a way that no spa day ever could. “I need to tell them something, and I hope they know it’s true…”
Izzy lived in that moment, feeling it with the entirety of her being. For all the excitement rushing through her veins, Pipp brought her a sense of calm that she’d never dreamed of. “And that special something is…”
And together, they sang, “I love you.”
Their noses met, and with closed eyes, they gave each other a soft, sweet, warm kiss as the final chords played.
Izzy's eyes fluttered open first. "Happy Night Before Celebration of Not Quite Wishie Surprise Morning, Pippy-bear."
Pipp chuckled. "Happy Izzy-Pipp night, love."
"Ooh! I like that one!"
They kissed each other again, and from the second floor of the Brighthouse, Sunny, Hitch, Zipp, and Sparky huddled together. Jinxy as it was, they peeked down at the scene below them with smiles on all their faces.
Zipp wiped away a happy tear and whispered, "So we're all going to act surprised tomorrow, right?"
"Right!"
"Uh-huh!'
"Hweh!"
