“Surrender all hope and kneel before the magnificent Tower of Friendship!... endhip… enship...” A very proud Izzy wearing her particular pair of working glasses stood before what I could only describe as a monstrosity of junk parts stacked on top of each other just outside the Crystal Brighthouse, where Zipp, Hitch, and I watched as the crafty unicorn continued adding more and more pieces to what she called the ‘perfect birthday present’ for our birthday mare, Sunny. Said process had taken the better part of the morning, and not even after a couple of hours could we make heads or tails of it. Nope, the thing would keep growing and growing until Izzy had had her fill, or Sunny woke up from all the ruckus.

“Uh… I don’t think I’m seeing it, Izzy.” Thankfully, Hitch was the first to voice what the rest of us lacked the courage to do.

“Duh! Of course you don’t. It’s not finished yet! I believe it needs some… hmmm… Alex! Quick! What’s it missing?!” She suddenly jumped in front of me, pointing a demanding hoof at my face.

“I don’t know! A solenoid?” I sputtered the first thing that came to mind.

All ponies present blinked twice and shared questioning looks with each other. “Ugh, metal string coiled around in a cylinder, like a spring.” I accompanied my explanation with a few hand gestures.

A light bulb shone over Izzy’s head. “Oooooww, yes, I think I have one of those somewhere… uuuh….”

With a hop, she dove headfirst into one of the other piles of junk that 'adorned' the area near the entrance to our home, emerging victoriously a few seconds later with the missing part. "Found it!"

I didn't need to be a mechanic to know that what she had in her hoof wasn't a solenoid. "I said like a spring, not literally a spring!"

“Shhh, Sunny doesn’t need to know.” She flashed me a playful wink and merrily went around the scrap monstrosity in search of a fitting place for the ‘solenoid’.

“Guys, I uh…. I’m definitely lost right now.” Zipp finally relented at trying to make any sense of Izzy’s creation and instead chose to take off and fly around the unstable tower, phone in hoof and seemingly recording our unicorn friend who, in a spectacular show of agility had managed to climb all the way up, placing the spring right on the top as one would place the star atop a Christmas tree. Or the Starship Enterprise, if you were so inclined.

A chirping sound brought my sight away from the craz… I mean, crafty unicorn. I found Hitch patiently listening to the birds chirping as if he could make any sense of it.

As it happened, he could. Another ‘small’ tidbit they forgot to mention. Somehow, his newfound earth pony magic, whose origin was still a mystery to me, included a one-way animal-to-pony translator, a skill only one other pony had possessed as far as I knew. Perhaps it was the yellow coat?

“Wow, that’s very inspiring, Kenneth!”

Whatever they were discussing was lost to me, although I couldn’t help but wonder why he was granted such ability. It became clear he had an innate affinity with animals since the moment I’d met him, shown by the abundance of critters that always seemed to follow him everywhere he went. Just as their innate earth pony magic had been… the best term I could come up with was boosted, perhaps that other ability had been boosted too. Another incognita to my ever-growing-never-shrinking list of pending mysteries and promised headaches.

“Eeeeeee!! This is gonna be the best birthday present for a friend I've ever made because I finally have a friend and it’s her birthday!” Izzy suddenly cheered in a random bout of excitement.

“Not if you fall down, it ain’t going to be!” I warned her, as her little outburst had shaken the tower in a way that gave me the jitters. That definitely looked as unstable as the Gryphonian economy.

“Pshhh, re-lax. You’re dealing with a master crafter hereaaaAAAAAH!”

And, of course, the ‘master crafter’ promptly lost her hoofing and proceeded to stumble down from her magnificent creation, with said magnificent creation following shortly afterward in a tremendous clutter. In a split-second, I was ready to intercept her fall with my magic, but a surprisingly speedy earth pony sheriff beat me to it, and by ‘beat me to it’ I mean ‘rudely push me aside’ as he scrambled to save our unicorn friend. Said rescue ended with a human eating dirt, an earth pony acting as a cushion for a disoriented unicorn, and a pegasi who cracked up with laughter until her wings almost gave up.

And not to forget a baby dragon giving us his best applause for the little show.

“Pfff! Dude! What was all that about?!” I demanded as I spat the dirt from my mouth and cleaned my now ruined clothes.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t control it. It dragged me all the way here!” Hitch looked as confused as the unicorn currently incorporating above him.

“What are you talking about?!”

“Uh, Alex, you might want to take a look.” Zipp offered her phone as she made a landing nearby. She had recorded what had happened, and what I saw left me even more confused. Hitch’s newfound earth pony magic had activated in response to his stress and had dragged his hooves over the grassy ground all the way to the base of the tower, following a path drawn by the same mystical vines that appeared every time said type of magic was used.

“What the actual fudge…” There were baby dragons present, mind you. “Hitch, what am I looking at?”

“I don’t know!” Answered the distraught sheriff. “I’m struggling to just keep it under control in the first place. You’re the magic expert, you tell us!”

“I’m not a… bah, it doesn’t matter.” I was going to rewatch the video again, but Izzy seemed to be looking for something with visible concern. “Everything okay, Izzy?”

“Nonononono NO! I lost my crafting glasses! I need my glasOUCH!” Said pair of glasses fell from the sky right into her forehead in a typical Equestrian show of nonsense. “Oh. Well, that’s convenient.”

‘And I’m the only idiot who bothers to ask how that works.’ I thought with a dejected sigh. Izzy put back her glasses and proceeded to assess the damage the tower had endured while Hitch went to stop a certain daredevil from making an even worse mess of the front yard. Zipp, for her part, wanted to show me something else.

“Hey, check this out too. I’m not entirely sure what to make of it.” She rewound the video back to the beginning, where Izzy’s flank appeared in full view.

“Oh, wow, that’s some nice flank you got there Izzy, it looks great on camera!” I praised loud enough for the wacky unicorn to hear.

“N-No! That’s not what I….”

Izzy’s head suddenly appeared from behind the pile of junk. “Awww, thank you. There’s more where that came from.” She flashed us a naughty wink and returned to her crafting, to my amusement and my friend’s visible embarrassment.

“Ugh, that’s not what I wanted you to focus on!” Zipp chastised me with a frown.

“I’m an XY, Zipp, that’s as much as you can ask of me.”

Zipp decided to ignore my comment and returned to the video, this time moving the time set a bit forward, where Izzy’s flank remained in view. However, I now could see what puzzled her.

Izzy’s cutie mark was glowing, and I meant like glowing glowing. As if some kind of light was being emitted from it, accompanied by a few telltale sparks which always accompanied magic.

“Can you make any sense of it?”

I struggled to give her an answer. “Um… I mean, it’s not the first time I’ve seen a cutie mark glowing. But never in that fashion. Can’t remember any mentions of something like it, either. What are your thoughts?” I asked in return.

“I still need more situational data before reaching a conclusion, sorry.”

“Don’t be.” I patted her between her wings. “When you think you’ve reached something, let me know. If there’s anything I can tell you about cutie marks, it’s that their magic is nothing like any of the three tribes’ own brands of magic. Waaay more obtuse and complicated, so don’t break your head over this, ‘kay? It doesn’t seem harmful to me, anyway.”

“Hmm, if you say so... but that ain’t going to stop me from investigating!” She puffed her chest with renewed resolve.

“Of course it isn’t.” I gave her a confident smile and decided to allow her to take this matter into her own hooves. I already had enough to deal with, and I knew how much she liked a mystery. It seemed that the lost princess was slowly finding herself. I had to say I was very happy for her.

A disgruntled cry brought our attention to the not-so-magnificent-now tower. “AAAGH!! I’m running out of time; I have to finish it before Sunny…!”

The front doors opening and closing marked the end of the time Izzy had to finish her present. A tired-looking orange mare struggled to rub the sleep from her eyes, slowly becoming fully aware of her surroundings. “Did anypony hear that? It shook the whole of the Crystal Brighthouse.”

The vision of the terrible mess that adorned our front yard quickly woke her up the rest of the way. “W-What?! What going on here?!”

All present slowly switched our gazes towards the culprit of this mess, who with a nervous laugh struggled to find a convincing answer.

“Hehehe, um…. One sec!” After which she jumped back headfirst into the collapsed tower, leaving us awkwardly standing there without an answer.

I decided to seize the opportunity and turned towards Sunny. “Well, this might or might not take a while. In the meantime, happy birthday, Sunny.” I kneeled in front of her and tenderly nuzzled my nose against her snout, eliciting a cute giggle from her.

“Thank you. I’m SO looking forward to tonight’s party!” She cheered with a little celebratory dance.

“YES!!” Izzy’s victory cry signaled the end of her impromptu search in the pile of junk. She held in her hooves some kind of… bracelet? It looked like a bracelet from where I was standing, anyway. Bouncing over to us, she offered it to my earth pony friend. “Happy birthday, friend! And happy first-time-saying-happy-birthday-friend to me, hehe! I made you a present!”

Sunny took Izzy’s improvised present in her hooves and couldn’t help but smile. “Aww, Izzy!” To our surprise, she decided to clip it to her mane. I guess that it wasn’t a bracelet after all. “Oh, this is the most amazing birthday present ever! I totally need to show it off! *GASP* Wanna go to the Maretime Bay Craft Fair?”

Izzy didn’t need any convincing whatsoever. “With my friend on her birthday? Of course I wanna go!”

With that said, she turned back toward my standing form and patiently waited, her smile not once wavering. By her posture, it was evidently clear what she was waiting for.

“That’s a bit presumptuous of you.” I joked, making Sunny avert her eyes with an embarrassed blush. “I’m just messing with you, Sunny. I’ll give you your present tonight at the party. You know? What it’s actually customary to do on birthdays, hm?” My last comment was directed to our unicorn friend, who playfully stuck her tongue at me in return.

“I can’t wait!”

With that, we made our way towards the Craft Fair, the girls excitedly talking about Sunny’s present and tonight’s party. Hitch and Zipp had volunteered to clean up, bless their hearts. It was a huge mess to clean up, though. I didn’t even know where Izzy kept all that stuff.

As we made our way down the slope of the cliff, the rustling of bushes distracted me from my friend’s conversation. Looking back, I couldn’t discern anything out of order.

“Something wrong?” Sunny asked after noticing I had stopped following them.

“… No, everything’s fine. Just thought I heard something.” Feeling a bit uneasy, we resumed our walk towards our destination. It surely was some critter foraging in preparation for the upcoming fall.

“Pheeeew! That was a close one, Misty. You’ve gotta be more careful!”

Chastising myself wasn’t going to get me to where I wanted to be. So, after finishing my early report to Opaline, and making sure they were far enough down the road to not notice me, I resumed lurking behind the trio, keeping my eyes open for anything worth reporting. I barely needed any time to confirm Opaline’s suspicions about the stabilized magic. Just as she had said, it seemed stable and working fine once again, with the earth ponies slowly getting the hang of their new magic. She had ordered… no, asked me to investigate anything I could, as she couldn’t yet make the trip and reveal herself to the ponies, and especially to that ‘hooman’. Whatever it was that happened between them, Opaline never wanted to talk about it. It always made her angry, so after a few tries I thought it was best to just drop it. Although, I knew it had to be something really bad to get her all riled up like that.

Her magic pool had allowed us to get a few glimpses of the ponies I was sent to investigate. But seeing them up close… I wasn’t sure what to think. I didn’t want to disappoint Opaline, but…. they didn't feel like they were the bad ponies she’d painted them as. They seemed… normal, I guess.

The same couldn’t be said for the hooman. Finally catching a a glimpse of him up close only reinforced my thoughts on him. The only word I could use to describe him was ‘weird’. I hadn’t seen anything like him before, although… I guess I’d never really had the chance to see much of anything. There’s only so much the books from Opaline’s stronghold could show me… the ones I’m allowed to read, that is.

However, just as with the ponies, he didn’t seem that terrible to me. He was trading jokes and laughing with the rest. They seemed to be having a good time, in fact. I couldn’t understand how that behavior fitted in with Opaline’s description of him, which depicted him as a dangerous monster whom I, under no circumstances, should ever have any interaction with.

‘Enough of that, Misty. We have work to do. Opaline is counting on us!’

I kept in the shadows for the rest of the way, sneaking my way behind them until they crossed the arched entrance to the town proper. From there, I made use of the crowd the fair had attracted to blend in and search for a better position to spy on them.

I found said position over a bridge that crossed over the main street where the fair had been placed. There were dozens of ponies milling about, checking over the stands where other ponies sold their crafted wares. It took me no time at all to find Sunny’s smoothie stand amongst the multitude of other refreshment stands.

The hooman rested against the counter, chatting with Sunny as she began to move stuff around in preparation for the opening rush. The unicorn Izzy seemed to have preferred to check over the fair, stumbling with the pegasus Pipp soon after leaving the other two behind. I kept my binoculars set on the figures over the smoothie stand. Sunny was my mission, after all.

“Hmm. I wonder what they’re talking about.”

I couldn’t risk being discovered, so I had no other choice but to wait for him to leave her side. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait for long, since only a few minutes later I saw him wave his weird-looking claws in what I believed was a goodbye gesture, and he then left for the deeper part of the town.

“Great! Now’s my chance!”

However, my readiness was short-lived since a considerable bunch of customers had chosen that exact moment to replace the strange creature at the stand.

“Uuugh, come ooon!”

It seemed I was going to have to wait until the rush hour had passed, which with the festival in full swing, wasn’t going to arrive soon.

“I can’t wait all day! I’m at risk of being discovered, and Opaline wants me to report back before dusk! Thinkthinkthink THINK!!”

I returned my eyes to the binoculars and desperately searched for an opportunity to sneak in, perhaps through an alley or something similar where I could slip in unnoticed; even a distraction would do. For several minutes I searched without finding anything useful.

“So, who are we spying on?”

I must have jumped twice my height from the sheer scare of being caught hooves on, almost dropping the binoculars into the street below as I crashed into the stone bridge. Before I had the chance to locate whoever had spoken, I stuttered my pathetic improvised excuse. “S-S-Spy? I-I’m not spying. I’m just, uh… taking in the views, yes! The town looks so beu-”

Unfortunately, the sight of the very same hooman, whom I had been ordered to steer well clear of, standing behind me immediately shut my muzzle tight, as I felt a deep apprehension take root inside of me.

The hooman soon noticed my rising fear, and with a concerned expression, kneeled in front of me and spoke in a soothing tone. “Wow, I sure gave you a scare didn’t I? Sorry about that.” He flashed me an apologetic smile, but I couldn’t get my body to move, much less answer back, making the situation even more awkward.

“Um, okay. Let’s try this again. Hi there, I’m Alex. I don’t think I’ve seen you around town before, first time visiting?”

With my legs still shaking like leaves under me, I struggled to get even the simplest answer out of my muzzle. “K-K-Kinda?”

The last thing I wanted was to make him suspicious, much less anger him. If Opaline’s warnings held any truth, then I was in for a bad time if I did so. I had to bolt out of there ASAP before I had the chance to mess it up. But against all my preconceived thoughts about him, he was actually being kind, which in this particular situation worked against me.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll love the town; I know I do.”

He stood up on his… hooves?; and offered one of his weird claws to me. It took me a second to realize he was offering to help me stand up too. My initial reaction was to shy away from it, which only worsened his concern. Realizing I was only making things worse, I nervously gulped down my apprehension and accepted his help. His appendages were very smooth, yet strong enough to grasp my hoof and pull me up. It felt... strange.

“T-Thank you….” I managed to stutter as I dusted myself and replaced the binoculars around my neck.

“So,” He began, repositioning himself to rest against the bridge’s railing. “Can I get a name at least?” He inquired with a friendly grin.

I spoke without thinking. “M-Misty… I’m… Misty.” I was quick to realize my mistake. ‘Nono NO!! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!! You should’ve made something up! Opaline’s gonna be so mad!’

“A pleasure, Misty.” He extended his claws, closed up in the form of a fist which I hesitantly bumped as I shut my raging thoughts at my carelessness. “I gotta say, Misty, I really like your mane ‘n tail.”

It took me a second to realize he was complimenting me. It caught me by complete surprise. “Uh?....” ‘He… likes my mane and tail?’

“Yeah. You don’t see ponies with curly hair that often. That’s more common in zebras and sheep in my experience. Very charming.”

‘…. What is going on?’ I struggled to make any sense of the situation. I’d never spoken to another pony aside from Opaline before. After all that I’d read back at her castle, I had absolutely no idea how to address his compliment. Should I answer with one of my own? Should I giggle politely?… Should I just jump off the bridge and make a run for it? ‘Opaline’s lessons didn’t cover any of this!’

“Um… Thanks. I, uh…” My struggling brain reasoned it was best to answer his complement with one of my own. However, a quick analysis revealed just a little bundle of brown hair atop his head, and only a sickly amount of fur covering his exposed arms. I couldn’t work with that! So, I tried with the second-best option. I hoped. “Um… your skin is very… white?”

His widened eyes and perturbed expression told me that my sad excuse of a compliment had achieved the complete opposite of its intended purpose. ‘Oh, Misty. What have you done?’ I lamented as I waited for him to regain his bearings.

“Ah, um… that’s… very kind of you, M-Misty.” It was evident that his words carried anything but that message. “However… I, ah… would have chosen, perhaps… something about my clothes?”

Now outright panicking, I tried to salvage whatever I could from the awkward moment. “I-I’m sorry! I wasn’t trying to ofe-”

He interrupted me with a vigorous wave of his claws. “No no! It’s okay, just… it’s a complicated matter for us humans as well, don’t worry. You're fine.” He flashed me a smile that was more unnerving than reassuring. I could now discern a pair of small fangs adorning it, although it was far from as menacing as I was led to believe. Opaline’s words sounded like they were a fair distance from the creature that nervously chuckled at my side. I didn’t know what to believe at that moment.

“Hey, um. Sorry to cut it short all of a sudden, but I’m kinda busy. I’m in the middle of a secret mission, you know?”

It had earlier seemed that I’d totally flunked it with my big mouth. Whatever confidence I’d managed to build quickly shattered under my out-of-place comment, but now, he sought a quick end to our awkward exchange. That definitely worked to my advantage though, since it meant that I could finally resume my mission. However, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit disheartened at having to cut our encounter short.

Before he had the chance to slip away, my curiosity got the better of me. “Secret mission?”

“Mhm. It involves sweets and a candle. And with the fair over on Mane Street I doubt I’ll find any left around here. I’m going to try Mulberry’s, and see if I can sneak some away.” He flashed me a playful wink and stood back from the railing. “Guess I’ll see you around, Misty. Enjoy the fair!”

Before I had the chance to realize it, he reached across with his claws and playfully tussled my curly mane as he made his way past me and toward the opposite side of the bridge. I remained petrified for a few more minutes, equal parts relieved at his departure and confused by his behavior toward me. This was the heartless monster that brought ruin to Ancient Equestria? Who conspired with the evil princess to steal Opaline’s magic?

‘… But, he was so nice…. he even complimented my mane and tail…. Opaline’s never said that to me…’

I slowly fell against the railing, my back sliding down until my rump made contact with the cold, sorry floor. My mind was filled with questions, questions which, after today’s mess-up, Opaline would definitely NOT be willing to answer. When I got back, I was going to be in for a lot of yelling and I was definitely going to end up grounded. Since the appearance of the hooman, she’d been more irascible than ever, and that’s saying something.

“Come on, Misty. We’ve gotta finish the mission and get our flank out of here! I’ve already exposed myself too much as it is.”

Peeking once again over the railing, I saw a chance to enact my plan as the crowd of customers had shrunk considerably. If I took to the side streets and snook up from behind, I could leave the mirror on the stand and be out before anypony realized.

With renewed determination, I slipped towards the opposite end of the bridge and into the shadows of the narrow alleys that bordered the main street, patting my mane to make sure Opaline’s little gift was tightly secured.

I sighed to myself as I resolved to finish the mission.

Let’s hope this works.

“Ups. Sorry about that.” So absorbed was I with my surroundings that I didn’t see the unicorn mare exiting the small store in front of me, causing me to lightly bump against her side and we almost dropped our respective purchases.

My ‘secret mission’ had been a complete success, allowing me to acquire a small treat for later, to share after the party. I didn’t want to skip the tradition, even if it was kind of pointless for me given the present circumstances…

Leaving behind the slightly disgruntled mare, I resumed my path through the multitude of ponies that were going from stand to stand with cheerful enthusiasm, buying every and all trinkets that called out to them, to the delight of the numerous craftsponies who accompanied each purchase with a warm smile and heartfelt gratitude.

Dodging the numerous passersby, I retraced my steps until I reached the smoothie stand at the end of the street, beyond the multicolored amalgam of stalls that adorned the avenue. There, Sunny was stacking the last batch of fruit boxes next to her workspace, empty after serving the multitudes of customers who enjoyed a refreshing snack as they hopped from stall to stall. I had managed to catch a glimpse before leaving for my short trek. The earth ponies of Maretime Bay were starting to experiment with their newfound magic, breaking record after record for both quantity and size of all kinds of vegetables and fruits. Even some new ones that I was not able to recognize. I was truly impressed.

Recognizing my characteristic two-in-two-step pace, Sunny hurried to finish her work and returned behind the counter of her little stall.

“Hiiii! *GASP* Is that my birthday present!!” She bellowed as she lunged over the counter, trying to sneak her muzzle inside my bag.

“Aaaah ta ta ta ta!” I stopped her advance mid-jump with my hand over her muzzle.

“….”

“….”

I reacted first after a few tense seconds, using said hand to tickle all over her neck and forcing her to retreat into her stall, her laughs filling the immediate area before being assimilated into the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Playfully sticking my tongue out, I lowered the bag and secured it between my legs.

“Sorry, Tangerine, you’ll have to wait ‘till tonight’s party.”

“Awww…” She attempted to soften me with her most adorable pout. However, as much as I was a sucker for puppy eyes, I had years worth of practice in my pocket, so after a full minute of trying she had no choice but to surrender with an annoyed huff.

“If you’re done with that, I’d like to order a banana and strawberry smoothie, s’il vous plaît.”

She scrunched her muzzle in a dignified pose. “Hmph, I don’t know… what’s in it for me?”

“Uh, money?” I shook the coin pouch in emphasis.

“Meh, I already have enough of that.” She answered passively, absentmindedly checking over her forehoof as she leaned over the counter with the other.

“… The point is getting more of it, last I checked.” I tried again, but she didn’t relent with her passive demeanor. “Money can also be exchanged for goods and services, you know…”

“Well, if you can’t offer me anything else, I’m afraid I’ll have to…”

“I’ll give you a full body massage.” I sharply interrupted her, offering my most mischievous grin. I’ve never known a pony to willingly pass up the opportunity.

Sunny’s ears stood to attention as her posture froze. A small blush crept over her cheeks. “U-Uh, w-why would I…”

Her words died in her mouth at the sight of my wriggling fingers, her brain swiftly making the connection, visible via a full-body shudder and widening eyes.

“… Deal.” She finally spoke, but I was feeling a bit impish that day.

"Mmmmm, you know what? Nah. I think I’d rather go over to Vanilla’s and get a shake." I started to get up from the counter and march in the opposite direction when Sunny's threatening voice reached my ears, mad at my decision to go to one of her competitors.

"Don't you dare, Alexander!! Don't! You! Da-!"

Confused by her sudden loss of words, I followed her gaze down the principal avenue, where my eyes met an amalgam of floating objects encased in a halo of lavender magic. Behind them trotted Izzy. Far from her usual peppy self, she seemed distressed. We had parted ways with her shortly after arriving, claiming she wanted to take a stroll around the fair in search of inspiration. And that was NOT the expression of an inspired pony.

In silent agreement, Sunny and I left her stand behind to follow our distraught-looking friend. We found her unceremoniously dropping all that stuff over an empty table near the fair’s starting point, with her upper body soon following.

‘Wow, this is not looking good.’

Sunny was the first to address our unicorn friend. “Uhhh…”

“Do I look desperate?!!” Izzy’s sudden query made us both jump back in surprise. If she looked distressed before, she now looked as if she was about to blow a fuse. Her left eye was even twitching a bit. It appeared that that was a common trait between lavender-furred unicorns. Or rather, unicorns and alicorns.

“Um, a little?”

“Definitely.”

Sunny’s subsequent glare didn’t deter me from backing away from my claim. “What? We must address the issue if we are to solve it.” I implored in my most innocent tone.

“Good, because I am super desperate, and I have no idea what I'm doing!” Izzy’s interruption prevented any possible argument from arising between us. “I mean, even my piles aren't mighty towers anymore! Doesn't that say it all?...” She cast a dejected look over the small piles of materials littered around the desk. Whatever differences between those and that morning’s stunt, overall size apart, I couldn’t tell.

“What do you mean?” I inquired, taking a seat just beside Izzy.

Izzy sighed dejectedly. “I… found Pipp while browsing the stands and she l-o-v-e-d Sunny’s birthday gift and told all her fans about it and how they could find me if they wanted one for themselves.”

Oh, dear…

“And… you got ambushed with loads of requests, right?”

“No! I mean, yes! It’s just…”

“Is this about what you told me before, at the smoothie stand? About how you did that one as a special gift for me and you feared that you wouldn’t be able to replicate it?” Now came Sunny’s turn, who seemed to have nailed it, as Izzy slowly nodded her head up and down.

“Mhm… Pipp told me to listen to my fans and let my creativity flyyyy.” She sang in imitation of the small pegasus. “But… I guess I’m just not feeling it.” She sunk further into the pile of stuff over the desk. “Ponies are asking for exactly the same as yours Sunny, but I just can’t get it right! I haven’t been able to make a single one for anypony. They always end up passing ‘cause it ain’t the same…” She finished with a sad whimper, her face now completely buried in the disorganized chaos in front of her.

My short laugh was the last thing both mares were expecting after that, which forced me to quickly explain myself. “Sorry, it’s just… this reminds me of a certain unicorn who faced a very similar issue.” Both mares tilted their heads in curiosity. “A story for another time, girls. So…” I scurried closer to the upset unicorn and wrapped my arm over her back, slowly petting her foreleg with my thumb. “Let’s see if I got this right: you want to create unique crafts for everypony, but all they want is the exact same thing you crafted for Sunny, which you aren’t sure you’ll be able to replicate, and it sits wrong with you to make the same thing over and over without being able to add a bit of Izziness to each of them?”

I felt her nod against my shoulder where she had decided to rest her head. “Well, what do you suggest, Sunny?” Of course, I already knew the answer, but I reasoned it would be better to give the still-learning earth pony a chance.

Faust, how I wish I had that journal.

Sunny didn’t require long to come up with an answer. “Nopony can dream up such unique creations as you do! That’s who you are, Izzy.” Sunny gave her a friendly nuzzle. “Just…. dig deep and, I don’t know, go back to your roots?” She offered with a reassuring smile.

Izzy’s eyes lit up with an audible gasp. “Sweet sauce horseshoe toss! Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” She asked with an excited shake of her bushy tail.

Sunny and I looked at each other, unsure of the unicorn’s meaning. After a moment of silent debate, Sunny offered with a nervous smile. “Uh, yes. Yes, I am.”

Izzy’s sudden return to her hooves pushed me slightly backward, almost making me knock off the numerous materials and making the mess worse. “Careful, Izzy!”

She stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. “Sorry,” And promptly glomped Sunny. “Thanks, Sunny! You’re the best! Also, happy birthday, friend!” Once again, she surprised herself with her own words. “Oh, that is so fun to say…”

And with her merriest trot, Izzy proceeded towards… wherever she was heading off to, leaving us both amused yet confused by her antics. However, not ten steps into her journey, a last-minute thought halted her progress. “Oh, before I forget!” She strained her neck and looked back at us. “I think Pipp was also struggling with her new hit. She looked a bit bummed when I left her back at the brighthouse. Why don’t you guys check up on her? I’m sure she’ll appreciate it! Ta ta!”

With the lavender unicorn disappearing into the crowd, Sunny and I were left behind to ponder our next step. “Hmm, I’ll go check on Pipp. She should be at Mane Melody if she’s composing her new song. Why don’t you head home when you’re done and help Hitch and Zipp with the clean-up? I doubt they’ll be able to finish soon with all that mess, sheesh.” I shuddered a bit at the idea of facing such a task. “See if you can also practice your alicorn magic, ‘kay?”

Sunny offered no complaint and quickly returned to her smoothie-serving duties. I set off towards the flashy mane saloon (and karaoke), arriving to see no customers waiting outside for pampering or styling. I guessed that, with the fair in full swing, ponies were more preoccupied with things other than mane and tail care. Nothing that couldn’t be fixed by waiting for tomorrow, when the business would surely return to its usual pace.

Not finding the ‘CLOSED’ sign posted on the entrance, I made my way in and found both of Pipp’s coworkers carrying out their routine tasks, managing supplies, reshelving what needed to be reshelved, the usual. However, both sported concerned expressions, directed towards the defeated pegasus mare sprawled on her belly over the edge of the small stage where she would, on occasion, entertain her customers with some live music. Head and forelimbs hanging over the edge, it was evident that progress on her much-acclaimed new hit was not going well at all.

‘Damm, that’s sad.’

Passing by the empty stylist chairs placed along the central corridor, a small shrug and a lost look were what I received from Rocky and Jazz when they saw me entering. Signaling that I was taking care of it, both returned to their tasks without much fuss, although I had to take a step back and check over Jazz again. Knowing what I was about, she annoyedly pointed towards her head, more precisely her ears which stood proud over her magenta mane. I swear they weren’t there just a second ago. I swear!

Not giving it more importance, I approached the gloomy pegasus, who remained oblivious to my approach. Lowering myself to rest with my back against the stage’s edge, I waited for any reaction from Pipp, only receiving long sighs and a few sad whimpers. I knew she tended to be a bit of a drama queen, like a certain unicorn I knew all too well, but it could be plainly seen that she was having a very bad time at the moment. I had read the hundreds of posts asking her, more like demanding if you ask me, when the new hit would be released, and how they wanted it to be. Pipp was the kind of artist who could get ten songs done in a day if she set her mind to it, and rarely would she ever disappoint her fans.

But this sad excuse of my friend wasn’t looking like she was getting anything done, much less getting it done today as she’d promised her fans.

Gently grabbing one of her dangling forelegs and raising it above her head, I let it go, the limb falling back into position like that of a lifeless ragdoll, still without any reaction from Pipp. I felt she was facing a similar problem as Izzy was back at the fair. But, this mare at my side wasn’t Izzy, so I had to think of a different approach.

Removing the headphones I had been carrying around my neck since that morning, I connected them to my phone and searched around the music library I had stored inside it. Finding the desired track, I pressed play and placed the headphones over Pipp’s droopy ears.

If my presence and my messing around with her limbs hadn’t elicited a reaction from her, the music playing over her ears did the trick, her entire upper body rising to give me a puzzled look. I said nothing and allowed her to listen to the full track. She did so in earnest, the gears in her head turning to analyze the melody coming from the headphones.

It wasn’t a long track, about two minutes perhaps. As the sound of the acoustic guitar faded away, Pipp removed the headphones and passed them back to me. “So, what did you think?” I asked the still-puzzled princess.

She didn’t take long to answer. “Uuuh, there were a few notes out of place around the beginning, I think, but overall I liked it. It was a pleasant melody and the rhythm felt right, not rushed or wavering at any moment. Who’s the one playing? I don’t think I recognize the hooves.”

“Me,” I answered in short, returning the headphones around my neck.

The surprise woke her from the support she had submerged herself in, her eyes widening at my claim. “Y-You?!”

“Yes.” I gave her a coy smile.

She practically shoved her muzzle into my face. “You play the guitar?!” She asked as she grabbed me by the jacket around my shoulders.

“I do.” I continued with the short answers. A few seconds passed as Pipp's brain registered what she had just learned.

“… And why am I only just now learning of this?!” She angrily demanded, shaking me to emphasize her displeasure at being kept in the dark about it.

“‘Cause you never asked.”

I was dangerously close to getting a face full of hoof if I continued with my cocky answering, so I decided to take the smart option and gave Pipp what she wanted, helping her get her mind away from her creative block. “Wanna hear the story behind it?”

“Uh, yeah!”

Chuckling at her newfound enthusiasm, I scooted a bit in search of a more comfortable position, with Pipp mirroring my movements, placing her head over her forelegs, ears forward and attentive. I allowed myself a small victory whoop. Phase one of the plan was complete: get her thoughts away from her depressive state.

“Well, there’s really not much of a story to be told.” I began, “Back in high school we had a subject called ‘Music,’ which kinda covered a bit of everything: history of music, reading and interpreting scores, even learning to write some music by ourselves. It was nice, I guess, not my personal favorite but not the worst, either. However, there also was the part where we had to learn to play an instrument. Can you guess which one it was?”

The small pegasus shook her head no, her attention completely focused on my narrative. “The flute. A school flute to be more precise, although I think my British friend would have called the one he had a ‘recorder’.” Her head tilted sideways in bafflement at the choice of instrument. “Yeah. Cheap, small, easy to carry and store, hard to break, easy to take apart, and as simple an instrument as you can get, perfect for teaching young kids the basics of music.” I chuckled at the fond memories of my childhood. “Gosh, how much I hated that thing.”

“You did?” A surprised Pipp inquired.

“Oh, yeah. It was a pain in the ass to get the notes right. None of us in the classroom could get a proper hold on it, making the small rehearsal lessons a cacophony of screeching noises that made you want to jump out of the window. The headmistress was smart to propose soundproofing the music room before the start of the school year. Mother of Faust, what a torture of lessons they were...”

I recalled the memories with fondness, to the bewilderment of my pegasus friend who looked a bit horrified at my articulate description. “Come on, it couldn’t have been that bad.”

“Yes it was, Pipp,” I insisted. “That’s what actually drove me to learn how to play another instrument. It wasn’t going to be the flute, I ended up loathing that cursed multi-holed plastic stick.” I repositioned myself to regard the resting mare with a side glance, resting my head over my arm. “I’ve always been a good student, so I generally got my homework and studying done pretty quickly, leaving me with a lot of free time in the afternoons. I was never a sports guy either, so going out to play football with the rest of the kids wasn’t really an option for me. So, in an effort to peel me off the computer screen, my parents thought that perhaps I could give music a chance, and learn how to properly play an instrument.”

“And why did you choose the guitar?”

A smirk grew on my lips. “Well, there wasn’t enough room to place a big instrument such as a piano or a drum set, and I wanted NOTHING to do with wind instruments.” An embarrassed blush lit up my cheeks. “And then I remembered all those movies where the cool guys would play the guitar to get the girl’s attention, so… yeah.”

A few tense seconds passed before I could meet my friend's gaze from sheer embarrassment. As I feared, Pipp began to laugh her head off, rolling over the stage from the sheer strength of her cackling. Back near the storefront, Jazz and Rocky held their hooves tightly against their muzzles so as to not reveal their eavesdropping with their own set of guffaws.

I could only bury my head in the crook of my arm, happy at having achieved the second phase of the plan: lift her spirits. If only it hadn’t cost me my dignity…

“Oh my gohohohosh! AHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Her fit of laughter didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon, relegating me to wait with my best face of circumstance as I busied myself counting the blue dots that adorned the pink decor of the saloon walls.

When I finally heard the cackling dying out, I returned my gaze to the out-of-breath pegasus who dried her tears with her hooves as she tried to get her breathing under control. “Are you done?” I asked in my flattest tone.

“……….Pfffffff, AHAHAHAHA!!” Nope, she wasn’t done, returning once again to bust her belly out as my tired sigh was drowned under her laughing.

Once she got her bearings under control, and promised me she was done making fun of my poor prepubescent reasoning, I continued with my story. “Well, after this rude interruption,” I cast a nasty glare in her direction, eliciting one last giggle from the pink pegasus. “I chose to learn how to play the acoustic guitar, and I did so by myself. Lots of YouTube tutorials and a few apps got my fingers moving over the cords well enough to get some semblance of a melody going. And you know what? I liked it. I kept playing past high school and all the way into college.”

I twisted my body to fully look at Pipp, resting both arms over the stage and my head above them. “I played for myself. I would record myself to later listen and improve over it, the best recordings I saved because… well, if I’m allowed to say so, they’re pretty good.”

Pipp flashed me a proud smile. “If they’re anything like what I've just listened to, I guess they are.” She finished with a wink.

That allowed me to drive my point in. “I never played for others, just me playing alone in my room, whenever I felt like it, playing whatever songs I preferred. But that’s not how it is for you, am I right?”

Her posture sagged at my words, her eyes returning to the carpet that ran over the middle section of the stage. “No… I guess it’s not…”

“Pipp, when was the last time you just jammed? You know, grab the microphone and the synthesizer and just play some tunes for yourself, regardless of what you or the Pippsqueaks want? Try new stuff, speak with other artists, or simply just… listen to music and enjoy it. Enjoy it for yourself, without wondering what your fans might or might not like.”

Her muzzle remained shut, but her eyes told me everything I needed. Pipp was so obsessed about pleasing her fans, that she had forgotten the real reason why she composed music in the first place.

“Pipp,” I gently grabbed her withers. “I know you love your fans. You show it every single day in your livestreams and in each and every song you make. But they need to understand that you’re not a hits-spewing robot who can whip up a tune the moment they demand it. Your music is beautiful, and for it to be so, it has to take as much time as its composer needs.”

I took her muzzle with my other hand and turned her head toward my direction. The beginning of tears matted her cheeks as her eyes sought an answer to her predicament in mine. “I’ve seen the videos on my way back from town. ‘Like the old ones, but different and better’” I cited.

“A-And what’s that supposed to mean?” Her broken voice inquired.

“Isn’t it obvious? They want more of Pipp.” Her scrunched muzzle told me she wasn’t getting it. “And Pipp shall deliver, but only when Pipp deems it ready. And Pipp will stop obsessing so much about catering to each and every one of her fan’s demands and actually enjoy what she’s best at. ‘Cause the day she doesn’t, Equestria will become a bit darker.”

A silent minute passed between us as Pipp mulled over my words, her saddened visage slowly regaining its light. The silent moment was broken by a tiny chuckle from the recovering pegasus.

“What?”

“Nothing just… you’re good at this. Like, really good.”

“Ha! If I had a bit for every time I said ‘If I had a bit for every time I’ve had to give the pep talk’…”

Pipp's crooked smile only heightened my amusement. With one final laugh and a big hug from the recovered pegasus, we decided it was best to call it a day at Mane Melody and head back home. There was a birthday party to set up, and since it was Sunny’s first party with actual friends, we wanted to make it as special as we could. Also meant that it was best if I kept my mouth shut and let the ponies celebrate to their heart's content. I would deal with my own thing after the party.

I sighed as we took off, eventually reaching the cliff; when we started our final approach toward the looming brighthouse, Pipp voiced her last concerns. “I guess…. what scares me the most is suddenly finding out I have nothing else to give. Like, this is it, this is where it ends. Livestreaming is great, it helps to be in touch with the Pippsqueaks and all that, but…”

“But it’s something anypony can do. You want to give them more, bigger and better.” I finished for her.

“Yes! That’s exactly it!” her wings pumped in enthusiasm. “My music allows me to achieve that feeling. It’s the best I can offer to them. But you said it yourself. I can't always give it to them when they demand it, or rather, I could, but it’ll end up being empty and repetitive.”

“Hmm, perhaps something different to fill those gaps will help you? Although your hooves are full of work already with Mane Melody and all.”

“I don’t mind as long as it helps me be the best pop star princess I can be!” She pumped her hoof in emphasis.

“Well…. back on Earth there was this trend of making podcasts, where people just sat down in a group and recorded themselves sharing opinions on various subjects, some of them even interviewing semi-famous people. A lot of online content creators gave it a go, some with better results than others. How does that sound? ‘The Pippcast.’”

Small jitters soon exploded into a fuzzy ball of energy as Pipp practically exploded with excitement at my proposition. “Yes yes yes, it’s perfect!! Oh my glitter, I can totally make it work!” She excitedly flew laps around me as she voiced her ideas out loud. “I-I can give interviews, and talk about news, and other things like music, fashion a-and EEEHEHEHE!” She couldn’t contain herself as she launched herself and me, trapping me in another big hug.

“And you, mister,” She playfully threatened after releasing me, jabbing my chest with her hoof. “Are so going to appear in it.”

“As the princess commands.” I gave in with a mock bow.

With her mind bustling with ideas, we finished our trek to find our friends finishing with the enormous cleanup operation. It seemed Izzy had made quite a mess in search of supplies after leaving with us for the fair. Thankfully, everything was back in their proper crates and ready to return to the storeroom.

As Pipp sped up the ramps and into her little studio at the girls’ shared bedroom, I was met with the sigh of Sunny glaring daggers at one of those crates, her muzzle scrunched in impotent effort. And no alicorn magic to be found.

“Wow wow, simmer down, girl. You’re gonna pop a vessel if you keep pushing it!”

With one final cry of effort, Sunny let go of herself and relaxed her posture, the crate unmoved and the mare mad at her inability to summon her alicorn form. With an annoyed huff, Sunny resigned herself to dragging it into one of the carts we’d stored for carrying heavy loads and began pushing it toward the door of the storeroom where Zipp held it open.

With the task finally over, we could focus our efforts on assembling the birthday party. A painful sting pierced my heart at the memory of Equestria’s number one party planner. We would’ve been done in no time if we’d been able to call for her help.

‘Come on, Alex, enough of that! We knew how it was going to be!’

The feeling of a pony’s head burying into my stomach ended my short mental scuffle. It was Sunny’s, whose failed training session had taken a toll on her.

“You’re doing great, Sunny, Next time you’ll get it.” I gently rubbed her droopy ears. “Come on, none of that on your birthday uh… day, yes?”

Slightly invigorated by my reassuring words, Sunny extracted herself from my belly and, with a parting thankful smile, joined the rest of the gang in their party assembling. From our tiny group, Izzy was the only one missing. I prayed whatever she was working into didn’t take much more time, since the party was set to start just after sunset, which was still a couple of hours to go, but knowing where that unicorn’s head could lose itself…

I used the chance to take a little detour towards my room, crossing paths with a positively beaming Pipp who in record time had already finished a rough draft for her newest project, and had already listed the attendants for the first few chapters, a.k.a. my pony friends and myself. It wouldn’t be my first interview, but it would be my first in a podcast format. I gotta say I was kinda looking forward to it, which contrasted ironically with my still-lingering introversion.

Carefully setting aside numerous notes and diary entries, I placed my purchase over the table and grabbed Sunny’s birthday gift… well, gifts actually, since another little thing had caught my eye the other day while taking a stroll through town. I was positive she was gonna love it.

Sneaking back down the ramps, I managed to place my gift, the big one that is, with the rest, although I didn’t miss a certain orange-furred mare casting a wanting look from the living room’s entrance towards that tempting pile of gifts. Gently pushing her back on my way out, Sunny’s whines of protest fell on deaf ears. “Sorry, Tangerine, you’ll have to wait until after blowing out the candles. How many are there, by the way?”

“Twenty-six.” She answered, her eyes betraying her unrestrained desire to dive into the pile of gifts from her most cherished friends.

“Oh my, aren’t you an old hag already?” I playfully jabbed, winning a tongue sticking in return.

“You’re one to talk mister ‘I’m too old for this.’” She spoke imitating an old pony’s accent as her legs shook in mock weakness.

“Har har.” I tussled her mane and ushered her towards the kitchen where the last touches to the cake were surprisingly being delivered by a certain sheriff.

“You?” I asked in bewilderment, to which Hitch’s answer was a simple shrug.

“What can I say? Grandma Figgy taught me plenty.” He clarified with no little amount of pride.

“I can see that.” I had to admit, he did a pretty decent job. It wasn’t Pinkie Pie-sized, thank goodness, but still enough for all of us to get a bite. Two layers of sponge with a strawberry n’ cream filling, topped with pink frosting. It had been quite a while since I’d last had cake. I’m not ashamed to admit my mouth watered a little at the sight of it.

Near it stood a series of snacks, meticulously organized by type, the work of a certain white-furred pegasus who flapped down from the pantry, carrying in her forelegs a blessed sight for my thirsty eyes.

“Oh ho, now we’re talking!” As I lunged towards the apple cider bottles, Zipp quickly pumped her wings to escape my reach.

“Sorry, big guy, not until we’re all settled and ready to get started.” She landed at the other side of the kitchen table and placed the box with the bottles over the counter behind her, standing watch in front of them with narrowed eyes.

“There’ll be consequences for this treason, Princess.” I jabbed her using the royal titles she so eagerly despised.

“I shall be waiting, your Highness.” She jabbed back to the amusement of our friends who chuckled at our little exchange.

“Where’s Izzy by the way? We can’t get this party started without her!” Hitch addressed the group as he gently grabbed a sneaking Sparky who sought to take a bite out of the positively-appetizing cake, the poor baby dragon making his displeasure known with a few threatening growls.

“I still can't make any sense of her note, I’m afraid.”

“What note?”

Zipp passed me a hoof written note which only read ‘B.R.B.F.B.B.B.’ “Uh….” Was all I could muster.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too. Guess we’ll have to ask her when she returns.”

The next couple of hours were spent finishing the preparations for the party, after which we joined together in the living room, leisurely waiting for the missing unicorn to arrive. An overcurious Sparky had taken an interest in the bottle of apple cider I’d managed to sneak away from under Zipp’s attentive gaze. With soft growls, he made his desire for a taste known, to which I complied with, carefully passing the bottle towards him.

“Alex! What are you doing?!” An alarmed Hitch inquired after seeing his adoptive son taking a swing of the liquid delicacy.

“What? It’s just apple cider.” I innocently shrugged.

“It’s alcoholic!”

“And he’s a dragon, Hitch.” I calmly answered. “He could drink an entire barrel worth of cider and wouldn’t even notice. Were you listening when I explained dragon physiology to you?” I flashed him an accusing leer.

Nervously scratching behind his head, Hitch suddenly found the couch’s cushions very interesting. “Um… it kinda gets a bit hard to keep up sometimes… most of the time.”

With my flattest look, I switched to address the little dragon on my lap. “Your dad ain’t smart, Sparky. I’m sorry.”

“Grrrrah!”

“Hey!”

Hitch’s offended protest brought a laugh out of all present. Sparky jumped down from my lap and proceeded to scamper around the place in a childish fashion. Listening to the ponies talk about their things, I laid back in comfortable silence, resting my head against the back of the sofa and closing my eyes.

A furry presence brushed against my right side, hesitantly moving back and forth as if it could not make up its mind. I didn’t need to open my eyes to know who it was.

“You may cuddle with me, Sunny. I ain’t feeling like taxing it today.” I caught the orange-furred mare with a side glance as I raised my arm in invitation.

She eagerly accepted my offer, pressing her side against mine and resting her head on my shoulder, my arm hugging her from behind and absentmindedly petting her other side.

“You were jealous when I mentioned going to Vanilla’s for a shake, eh?” I playfully noted.

“Jealous? Pfff, sorry mister, I simply was looking out for my business.” She offered with her snout high in the air.

Her resolve slowly crumbled under my knowing look. “My smoothies are better...” She muttered under her breath after escaping my gaze.

“Yeah, they sure are.” I gave in with a few vigorous rubs over her barrel.

We enjoyed each other's company as we listened to an excited Pipp, who detailed her plans for the podcast with the rest of the gang and asked (but totally demanded) their eventual appearance in it. All of us agreed, although she didn’t really give us much of a choice.

“I’m baaaaaaaack!~” Izzy’s singsong voice echoed through the enormous hall and into the living room, announcing her return from her little trip to wherever she had gone in search of inspiration.

We all joined her near the main entrance, where a frowning Pipp chastised her for her tardiness.

“Where have you been by the way? I didn’t catch a glimpse of you over at the fair on my way back.”

“Oh, it’s been amazing, Alex!” Izzy began retelling her little trip. “So, I took Sunny’s advice to go back to my roots and rushed towards Bridlewood. Didn’t you guys read my note?”

At Pipp’s confused visage, Zipp handed her sister the note they had found. “B.R.B.F.B.B.B.?”

“Be right back from Bridlewood, best buddies!” Izzy clarified with a cheer, electing a collective ‘ooooohh’ from the ponies.

“Yeah, I wasn’t gonna crack that one,” Zipp admitted in mock defeat.

“You guys made me realize I had to be more creative about being creative. And I needed more supplies too!”

“You thought you could go to Bridlewood and back before Sunny’s party? It’s almost half a day away on hoof!” Zipp exclaimed, eliciting an embarrassed grin from the unicorn.

“Yeah I, um… kinda realized it on my way there… but! Just as I was on my way back, I found something buried in the mud near the road!” She finished with an energetic hop.

“What did you find?” Hitch voiced our thoughts.

Izzy flashed us a coy smile. “Why don’t you guys come ‘n check it out?”

Without waiting for an answer, Izzy pranced back outside, with us following in tow after exchanging confused looks.

From Izzy, I could have expected anything, but what waited for us outside jammed the gears in my head.

“Tadaaaaaaa! Prrrresenting, Izzy Does It!!... does it… does it…” Izzy proudly presented her finding, which was parked just outside the brighthouse’s lawn.

“Uh… that’s, um… very nice, Izzy.” Sunny’s attempt to make sense of the silver vehicle displayed in front of us brought a little chuckle out of the unicorn.

“Aww, thanks, bestie. It IS my best work so far!”

At that moment, thoughts resumed to flow through my mind. “You got a scooter.” It wasn’t a question. Parked in front of me was a metallic silver, almost a pale shade of azure scooter adorned with a few floral adorns, as well as Izzy’s cutie mark proudly displayed in the rear, and carrying a huge trunk on its back. The size was pony-friendly, and the lack of visible engine parts as well an exhaust tube signaled it must run with some kind of electro-thaumatic engine.

Holy fuck. I did see some of the first attempts from the guys in Detrot with modern vehicles, but this is one I’ve never seen before.

“Uh Uh! It’s my uni-cycling cart.” She jumped into said vehicle. “My trailer of treasures! My wagon of whimsy! My…!

“A scooter.” I cut her presentation.

Izzy jumped back down from her newfound vehicle and slowly approached me with a defiant gaze. “Uni-cycling cart.”

I mirrored her movements. “A scooter.”

“Uni-cycling cart.”

“Scooter.”

We went back and forth until nose and snout were almost touching, the rest of the gang enjoying the show, amused by our silliness.

“Ssssssssssscooter.”

“Uni. Cycling.Cart!”

“Sssssc-” Instead of continuing with the back and forth, I surprised Izzy lunging for her neck, blowing a raspberry that got her to fall on her back with a yelp, with me immediately after assaulting her in a tickle attack.

“Nohoho! AHAHAHAHA! Y-you ch-cheateHEHEHEHER!”

A minute later, I ended the assault on her sides, leaving the out-of-breath unicorn madly giggling over the grass. “And that’s for making us wait for the better part of the afternoon for your tardy flank.” I playfully scolded her.

Izzy was still unable to stop the giggles from escaping her muzzle, the moment I used to give her scooter another good lock. “But seriously, it looks great, Izzy. It just screams ‘you’.”

Once back on her hooves, her telekinetic grasp trapped my jacket’s sleeve. “Oh ho, you ain’t seen nothing yet!”

Izzy gave us an impromptu ‘tour’, showing us all the trinkets and modifications she had added to what now could be used as a mobile mini-workshop, perfect to whip up her crafts on the go instead of being cooped up in her workshop. And she had done so in the space of a few hours making use of the tools back at the local tramway depot. That unicorn was good.

“So, you like it?” A positively beaming Izzy asked our friends.

All the ponies showed their enthusiasm and congratulated Izzy, with Pipp apologizing for the terrible advice she’d given her that morning about pleasing her fans since the pegasus herself hadn't been able to follow her own words. A warm hug later, the two mares stood as if nothing had ever happened.

With the last pony now back at the fort, the gang set to get the party started once and for all, Sunny taking the chance to thank Pipp for some mirror she had given to her as a birthday gift. I must have missed that. However, Izzy wouldn’t join them until she’d heard my verdict, standing at my side with expecting eyes.

“Again, Izzy. It looks great. I’m very proud of you.” I offered her my proudest smile.

Not able to resist, Izzy vigorously began to nuzzle my chest after my praise, pushing me slightly backward, almost making me trip over her scooter.

“Yes, yes, you’re very welcome, you cuddlebug.” I scratched her under her chin with a chuckle. Leaving behind her new mobile workshop. We went back inside to rejoin the rest for a night of partying. Izzy energetically pranced back into the brighthouse in a very Pinkie Pie fashion, her mane and tail bouncing up and down which each hop.

‘Heh, I guess some things never change.’

The party went on for the rest of the afternoon and well into the night. The dreaded ‘birthday song’ moment got a blushing Sunny embarrassingly squirming in her seat but never losing her smile. Got to give it to Hitch, the cake was delicious. A certain pink earth pony mare would be proud.

The moment the last piece of cake was devoured, Sunny practically shoved us into the living room, barely able to contain her excitement. It was time for the presents.

“EEEEEHEHEHEHE!!”

Yeah, she was looking absolutely forward to it.

Pipp’s gift, aside from that mirror she had surprised Sunny with earlier, was a new collection of perfumes, which were the first in a new line of natural scents or something. Zipp’s presents were a pair of aviator sunglasses similar to her own, with Sunny’s cutie mark engraved on the rim. Izzy had already given Sunny her present that morning, but she was nonetheless smothered in a hug by the earth pony. Hitch’s present was a new cookbook, which Sunny eagerly devoured with her eyes for a few minutes.

And then, my turn came, the birthday mare standing before my sitting form, ogling the big present, which rested in my lap, wrapped in star-themed wrapping paper. Her front legs jittered in excitement, as did her tail, excitingly wagging back and forth.

“Here you go, Sunny girl.” I handed her the present, whose wrapping she tore apart in an instant, her eyes growing to unsettling sizes at the sight of the brand-new state-of-the-art telescope.

“The girls told me how you lost the other one when your lighthouse’s tower collapsed. And the Mareseid meteor shower happens in a few weeks, so…”

Sunny’s muzzle hung wide open, but no words came out of it, holding the metallic case on her hooves as if it was a long-lost treasure. I made use of her astonishment to give her the other present.

Leaving the couch and kneeling in front of her, I reached for my one of pants pockets and extracted my old pendant. Sunny’s attention left the new telescope and instead fixed itself on the ornament that was shaped the same as Twilight’s cutie mark.

“W-What is…?”

“This was a gift from Twilight. I found it in her room back in Canterlot during our trip.” I explained. “After my… accident with the Legion of Doom, Twilight commissioned it for me from the Mages Guild. It holds extremely powerful protection magic.” I sad smile grew on my lips. “She gave it to me to make sure I would never go through anything similar ever again.”

Sunny remained speechless, but words weren’t necessary when her eyes told me everything. Gently reaching forward, I tied it around her neck, centering the ornament to fit in the middle of her chest fluff.

Sunny, struggling to process the gesture, placed her forehoof over the shape of Twilight’s cutie mark, lifting it so she could glimpse it over her muzzle.

“Mmm, it fits you well, methinks.” I offered with a playful smirk.

Sunny’s gaze lifted from the pendant and met my own once again, the begging of tears matting her cheeks.

I sat back on my butt, expecting the mare to jump at me and squeeze the air out of my lungs.

However, I was deeply surprised when, instead of doing so, Sunny stepped over the telescope’s case, climbed on my lap, and placed her lips on my cheek in a loving kiss. A kiss that lasted more than what you would expect.

‘Oh my, that’s four Mississippi already.’

Pulling back with a burning blush, she sought to escape the embarrassment from the ponies’ collective ‘awww’ by burying her muzzle in my neck, her forelegs surrounding me in a warm hug.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” I heard her whisper as her muzzle brushed against my exposed skin.

“You’re very welcome, Sunny,” I whispered back, tightening my grasp on her. However, I felt like being a bit mean. “Oh, my, gosh, guys, did you see that? Sunny gave me a kihehehess!” I began cheering like an excited filly, electing amused chuckles out of my friends and an annoyed nip from the now burning-from-embarrassment earth pony snuggled against my chest.

The party continued with a blast, with the ponies drinking it up as best as they could since it technically was the first amongst true friends, an occurrence as common as Derpy crashing on a roof back then, and now a concept almost foreign for the new generation of ponies. I laid back with a smile and rejoiced in seeing the ponies having such a great time.

That is until an acoustic guitar was forcibly shoved in my grasp, courtesy of a knowing Pipp.

“Oooff!” I struggled to get a grip on it before it could fall onto the floor. “Dammit, Pipp, that wasn't necessary!”

“Less complaining and more playing!” She demanded while resuming her seat beside her sister.

“What is going on?” Inquired Hitch.

“It seems our tall friend here knows how to play the guitar, and decided to remain silent about it.”

Izzy’s excitmentometer promptly exploded with the news, almost shoving herself in my lap. “YOU KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GUITAR?!”

“I do,” I answered, shunning back from her invasion of my kinesphere.

“I KNOW HOW TO PLAY THE GUITAR TOO!” She informed me, her muzzle slowly inching with each word.

“That’s great Izzy.” I nervously offered.

“PLAY A SONG FOR US!”

I looked at the guitar and sighed. “Do I have to?” I never felt comfortable playing in front of others, but no amount of pleading would deter my friends’ desire to hear me play a tune.

“Fiiiine,” I gave in, taking a few minutes to tune the instrument to my liking, running through my mental lists of songs.

However, my gaze found Sunny’s, and an idea popped into my head. ‘Mmmmm, let’s see if the movies were right after all.’

Pipp’s excitement rose tenfold when she heard me clearing my throat, knowing full well it meant I was about to add some lyrics to the melody.

With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and began strumming my fingers over the cords with practiced ease.

“Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us, only sky

Imagine aaall the ponies

Livin' for todaaay

Ah ah aaah.”

Opening my eyes to check my friends’ reactions, Sunny’s sparkling ones told me everything I needed to know about her opinion regarding my choice of lyrics. With a silent chuckle, I continued with the song.

“Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion, too

Imagine aaall the ponies

Livin' life in peace

You-hoo ooh-ooh.”

I then turned to fully look at the mare seating beside me.

“You may saaay I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the wooorld will be as one.”

I decided to cut it a bit short, allowing the last note to hang in the air before ending my little show.

Pipp was the first to speak. “That’s the supposed ‘divorce-inducing’ singing voice you claimed to have?!”

I mock-sighed at Pipp, “I’m sorry it has to end like this, Pipp. I’ll have the divorce papers ready by tomorrow.” I jocked in fake sorrow, eliciting a tired eye roll from her.

For as much as I always denied it, everypony always told me I had a nice singing voice. Perhaps it was a bit of human preconception on my part. What can I say? I’m an introvert, and I’m sure many of you can empathize with that.

The rest of the ponies shared similar opinions, Izzy immediately asking (again, demanding) for us to play together, when I got my own guitar that is, since the one I was currently using happened to be hers.

Turning towards Sunny, I asked for her opinion. No words came from her muzzle. Instead, a teary laugh warmed my heart. She had loved it, a point for me.

Past midnight, everypony, and the baby dragon, had partied to the point of exhaustion and, a bit tipsy from all that cider, fell onto the nearest furniture which could pass as a bed, except Hitch who responsibly left a bit earlier with Sparky to ensure the baby drake got enough sleep, more for the sheriff’s security than Sparky’s convenience. A grumpy dragon stings alright, and a baby one even more.

With the array of colorful ponies passed out all over the living room, Izzy somehow ended up atop of Sunny, covering both their heads with her long mane, I took the chance and tip-toed back to my room, grabbing my purchase and taking it down into the kitchen. A single chocolate marbled vanilla muffin.

Searching around the drawers of the counter, I extracted the appropriate number of candles, only to realize my own stupidity since there was no way I could fit thirty candles on a muffin.

‘I mean, unless I turn it into a hedgehog muffin….nah’

Opting for using a single one instead, I stuck it in the top of the little treat and lit it up with a weak flame spell.

“Well, here we are again, Alex.” I began talking to myself. “Heh, I don’t even know if it should be thirty, seven hundred and some or whatever the equivalence on Earth’s years would be.”

Equestria’s calendar contained an impressive four hundred and twenty days spread across twelve months in a similar fashion to Earth’s Gregorian calendar, with days lasting twenty-six hours, fourteen hours of light and twelve of darkness in summer and vice versa in winter, all of it agreed between the species inhabiting the planet since having the sun and moon manually orbiting around you makes any kind of conception of time making use of both rather arbitrary.

This also meant that, in reality, I should be in my mid-thirties…

“But what does it matter to an Empyrean, uh?” I dejectedly mumbled. “No, we gotta go on and on until she gives us the kick, guides to our peoples, bringers of harmony…”

Memories clouded my sight, recalling the moments after discovering my curse, my desperate mind trying to make sense of what was happening to me, a raging Twilight demanding answers from the royal sisters.

“My task yet unfulfilled, no rest until I do so, whether of age, sickness or injury, forward… always forward…”

The candle was about to run out, ushering me to quickly make a wish before it did, but what was there for me to wish? I had everything I needed, and at the same time, I had nothing.

My thoughts drifted to my old friends, the burning desire to see them again, to smother them in hugs and tell them how sorry I was. To Twilight, to how much I missed her company, our long nerd talks well into the night, her closeness, the feeling of her fur against my skin…

The wall of cold rationality had kept the immeasurable pain of losing them from making me do something stupid that would endanger the mission. No matter of mental preparation nor cold, heartless resolve could protect me from the burning shame of leaving them behind, from the devastating fact that I wouldn’t be able to be with them again in this life. As much as I had attempted to fool myself, I knew better than anycreature how messy time travel was for the stability of the world, and how the simplest mistakes could trigger unimaged consequences, shattering the continuum being the most likely scenario.

I couldn’t risk the future I was fighting so hard to protect for my selfish desires. I had caused enough damage to this world already. I knew what I was getting myself into when we built that chamber, when we designed the stasis spell…

And yet, my lips spoke the wish, my selfish wish, and the candle’s flame was extinguished, plunging the room into darkness, only broken by the twinkle of the moon’s light in my tears.

Author's Note

In case you didn’t know, the Pippcast is an actual thing. It’s on Spotify.