June 22, 2024

The trio walked towards Town Hall, a massive cylindrical building in the center of Maretime Bay. "This is the Town Hall? I mean, it looks pretty and all, but really? There isn't anything on the outside? No banner, no flags, no nothing!" Sunny said, pointing at the building.

"Maybe the ponies decorating it haven't done the outside yet," Spike shrugged. "And it's not like we're going to be outside during the Summer Sun Celebration, after all."

"No, but there are going to be stalls outside," Twilight added, shaking her head. "Though, I wonder how they will set it up, especially when there's nopony here." Twilight looked around, and the area around them was deserted. "You think in a tourist town, you would see a tourist. Whatever, come on, let's go in."

The trio trotted up the stairs towards the entrance to Town Hall, and Twilight used her magic to push the doors open. Inside, two unicorns were busy designing the interior of the building. There was a white unicorn with a purple mane and a light purple unicorn with a blue one instead.

"Red? No, no," The white unicorn muttered as she held up different colored bows with her magic. "Gold? Maybe, hm, Izzy, dear," She turned to the purple unicorn, Izzy. "What do you think? Gold or red? Because, you see, red matches the walls perfectly, but gold contrasts the night."

"I think..." Izzy thought about it for a while before she said, "Red! It'll match the walls and give off that night vibe when it's night, y'know? And besides, Rarity, I plan to use those gold bows with something else."

"Well, I see your point," Rarity said, putting the gold bow on the ground as she tied the red one onto one of the pillars. "There! Doesn't it look wonderful?"

"It certainly does!" Twilight said, speaking up.

Rarity jumped in fear as her head spun around, unaware of the trio until that moment. Izzy, however, looked unaffected as she continued with her work. "Uh, sorry? My name's Twilight Sparkle, and my friends and I are here to check on the decorations!" Twilight sheepishly said.

"Oh, of course, heh," Rarity awkwardly said, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, what do you three think about it? Does it look good? I, for one, think it looks amazing right now, but I think it could do better. But, of course, I need to go back to the boutique to get more materials."

As Rarity rambled on, Spike looked at the white unicorn with a lovestruck look, one that Twilight recognized immediately. "You're beautiful," Spike said, unaware of what he said.

Rarity stopped and looked at the dragon, which caused Spike to snap out of his daze. "I meant it's beautiful! The decor! It looks amazing!" Spike said, smiling awkwardly.

"Ah, well, thank you dear," Rarity chuckled. "I admit, this is my first important job, so I was getting a little worried. It helps, hearing a compliment from such a cute little dragon!" Rarity said, pinching Spike's cheeks.

"You... think I'm cute?" Spike said, a small blush forming on his cheeks.

"I mean, look at you," Izzy said, stepping into the conversation. "You have such an adorable belly! And, oh, my gosh, that little checklist and claws! D'aw, that's so cute! You're just as cute as Sparky! Maretime Bay's resident dragon baby!

"Sparky? Dragon baby?" Sunny repeated, tilting her head. "Wait, you have another dragon baby in Maretime Bay? Where!?" Sunny asked.

"Oh, he lives with Hitch, the sheriff!" Izzy answered, shocking Sunny. "He's always been with Hitch, since... ten years ago, I think."

"Hitch? As in, Hitch Trailblazer?!" Sunny asked, her eyes widening. "He's the father of this 'Sparky?'"

"Yup! Why?" Izzy asked. "Are you like, childhood friends?! Woah!"

"Um, yeah," Sunny replied, smiling at the remembrance of fond memories. "We are."

"Oh, dear," Rarity mumbled, levitating an empty box in front of her. "I don't have any more materials. It appears I have to go back to the boutique to grab another box." Rarity said before her eyes lit up. "Ooh! You three should come with me! We could get to know each other better!"

"Uh... I don't know," Twilight said. "We wouldn't want to distract you from your work, especially since the Summer Sun Celebration is later this midnight."

"It's quite alright, darling. Besides," Rarity trotted away as a light blue aura wrapped itself around Twilight's legs, dragging her with the white unicorn. "Me and Izzy are about done with the interior, and the exterior is quite easy to do. Come on, then, to the boutique!"

As Rarity and Twilight walked out the door, Twilight being dragged against her will, Sunny, Spike, and Izzy followed them as Twilight complained.

Inside a carousel-themed boutique, Twilight was put on a stage as Rarity grabbed a rack full of dresses. "Eek! So, which one do you want to try first?" Rarity asked, levitating a couple of dresses for Twilight to decide on.

"How about the, uh..." Twilight looked around the room, desperate to find a way to stall Rarity from dressing her up when she saw a light lavender dress, which looked unfinished. "...that one! The light lavender dress behind you!" Twilight said.

Rarity turned around, saw the dress, then turned back to Twilight. "That one? Are you sure?" Rarity asked. "That one's unfinished, you see. I didn't have the time to finish it last evening."

"Oh, it's fine! It looks good, even if it's unfinished!" Twilight said. "Though, since we have time, you could finish it up, right?"

Rarity seemed to mull over this thought before she simply said, "I guess that's true, and it won't take that long anyway..." Rarity grabbed a needle and some thread and grabbed the dress as she put on glasses. "Stay put! I won't take long, darling, I promise."

As soon as Rarity's back was turned, Twilight tried to make a run for it, but Sunny, Izzy, and Spike stopped her. "Hey, guys, you're blocking the door!" Twilight said, chuckling nervously.

"Sorry, Twilight, but you know what the Princess said," Sunny sternly said. "And besides, you had fun with Rainbow Dash, why not Rarity?"

"Yes, but you know I don't like wearing dresses, or trying on makeup!" Twilight said. "Please, Sunny! Please, please, please!" Twilight begged, but Sunny shook her head.

"I don't know why you would want to leave when the prettiest mare in the world is right in front of us," Spike said, his pupils turning into a heart.

"And... done!" Rarity said, holding up the finished dress.

Sunny pushed Twilight back onto the stage as Rarity turned around and held the dress in front of her. "Ooh, it matches with your coat and mane perfectly!" Rarity squealed. "Though, it still looks a bit plain, do you want me to add sapphires or pyropes?"

"Uh, both?" Twilight answered, shooting a glare at Sunny. "Whichever you think suits me the best, you are the fashionista here, remember?"

"Right, right," Rarity said. "Sapphires look better on you, but I feel like if I add some white topazes here... ooh, and some amethysts here..." As Rarity rambled on, Twilight glanced at Sunny, who shook her head as the purple unicorn sighed.

"Well, I shouldn't ramble on and on about gems, it must be boring you, am I right?" Rarity asked, and before Twilight could answer, she added, "Don't answer that, I know you are."

"I wouldn't say gems are... boring, heck, I studied a few myself, under Princess Celestia's guidance, of course," Twilight informed, shocking Rarity.

Rarity spun around and put her hooves on Twilight as the diva looked into the studious unicorn's eyes. "You study under the Princess?!" Rarity asked. "If you study under the Princess, that must mean you know royalty! And more importantly, you must live in Canterlot!"

"You're surprised? I thought I mentioned it earlier," Twilight said, tilting her head.

"No, you didn't!" Rarity said as she released her hold on Twilight. "Oh, this is just wonderful! I have a new friend, and she lives in Canterlot and knows royalty! Eek! Twilight, tell me, what's it like talking with the Princess? Mingling with the fancy ponies? Eating fancy foods? I must know it all!"

Rarity stared at Twilight akin to how a crazed fan would stare at a celebrity – and Twilight was instantly weirded out. She turned to look at Sunny and Izzy, who had similar thoughts, and then she turned back to Rarity. "Well, I'm sure I could tell you about it... some other time! Hehe," Twilight said.

"Oh, no, no, no! I simply must know!" Rarity said, her smile growing a bit too wide. "Come on, tell me just one thing! What is Princess Celestia like? Or, how are the parties? Or, what does it take to gain a reputation in Canterlot?! Please, Twilight, tell me one thing!"

"Uh... the parties are... fancy?" Twilight said, but it sounded more like a question than a statement. But, in any case, Rarity was satisfied. "Shouldn't you go back to that dress? I'm sure, um, indigo gems would match my mane."

"Indigo gems?" Rarity asked. For a moment, Twilight started to sweat as Rarity seemed to ponder over the thought. "Of course!" Rarity smiled as she trotted away. "I'm sure I have some tanzanite somewhere around here..."

As Twilight jumped off the stage, Sunny said, "Let's go, quickly! Rarity's nice, but right now, she seems a bit... obsessed with Canterlot."

"Finally!" Twilight said.

Sunny looked at Izzy with a face that said 'Are you coming?', but Izzy quickly shook her head. "Nah! Me and Rarity have to work on the decorations, remember? I'll see you three at the celebration!" Izzy said. As the three left the boutique, Izzy waved them goodbye.

When Rarity came back, in the air was a handful of tanzanite. "I'm back, darlings!" Rarity eagerly said until she noticed that the only pony in the room was Izzy. "Where'd they go?"

As the trio trotted on the street, Spike sighed. "Did we really have to leave that early? I mean, she's just a regular pony like you two, just, more prettier." Spike said, earning him a glare from the two mares. "Heh, sorry."

Sunny rolled her eyes before she asked, "So, I'm assuming security is next?"

"Yup! At the sheriff's office!" Spike informed, holding the scroll up. "I finally have the chance to meet another dragon! Did you hear that? Another dragon, like me! Are you excited, Twilight?!"

"I admit, having another dragon would help see if you're growing healthy," Twilight admitted. "Seeing as ponies don't exactly have detailed books on dragon lives, this could really help! And I believe the sheriff is Sunny's old friend, am I right?"

"Oh, yeah," Sunny said. "Me and Hitch are still talking, though from our last conversation, which was months ago, he didn't have a 'Sparky' under his care. Or what if..." Sunny's face grew worried as she continued. "He didn't trust me enough to tell me!? Am I a bad friend?!"

"I don't think it's that," Twilight assured, which did little to quell Sunny's worries. "I'm sure it just never came up! Maybe he forgot to tell you. In any case, you can ask him about it," The three stopped in front of a building with a badge on the top. "Because we're here."

Sunny stepped inside, and the only pony inside was a light yellow earth pony mare with a pink mane, tied in a green tie. Twilight and Spike entered not too long after. "Uh... who are you? I haven't seen your faces around here," The pony asked. "Especially that little dragon."

"We're new to Maretime Bay," Sunny replied. "I'm Sunny Starscout, and these are my friends, Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon, it's a pleasure to meet you... uh."

"Posey Bloom," Posey informed. "So, since you three are in town the day before the Summer Sun Celebration, I'm assuming you're here for that, right?"

"Technically, yes," Sunny said. "Princess Celestia asked us to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration since Twilight here is her personal student. Have you seen Sheriff Hitch? He's supposed to be in charge of the security."

"He's at CanterLogic with his deputy, Sprout Cloverleaf," Posey replied, looking starstruck. "Wow, I can't believe I'm talking to somepony who knows the Princess personally. I think... I think I'm going to..." Before Posey could finish, she fainted and landed on the ground.

Twilight immediately crouched and looked for a heartbeat, and thankfully, Twilight found one. "She's alive, just unconscious," Twilight said.

"Should we help her?" Spike asked.

"I'm sure she's fine, besides, she'll wake up sooner or later," Sunny said. "Come on, let's head towards CanterLogic."

In front of a large gray building, a red stallion with a blonde mane and a teal dragon stood at the doors. The stallion seemed to be pondering over something as the dragon tugged at his hooves. "Sprout? Aren't you going to head inside?" The dragon asked.

"Hm? Right, right," Sprout said, smiling at the young dragon. "I'll head inside soon, Sparky. You go on ahead, I'll be right behind you. You don't want to miss the show, do you now?"

Sparky gave Sprout a salute, and he did the same before Sparky ran inside, leaving Sprout alone with his thoughts. "You think they'd noticed if I didn't go? I mean, I've seen all the machines before, it's not like I'll miss anything..." Sprout said to himself. "No, no, I have to foalsit Sparky while Hitch is backstage checking on all the gadgets and gizmos."

As Sprout trotted inside and closed the door, Sunny, Twilight, and Spike arrived. "Alright, we made it!" Sunny said, panting. The orange mare walked to the door and pushed, only to find out that it was locked. "And it's locked, perfect." Sunny groaned.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Twilight has a spell for it," Spike said, turning to Twilight. "Right, Twi?"

"I mean, I do, but breaking and entering?" Twilight gave Spike a questioning look. "Spike, what Princess Celestia taught me in magic is not for... breaking into a building because we were late! I'm sure we can wait until it's done," Twilight contently said. A few seconds passed by before Twilight sighed and said, "Never mind."

As Twilight's horn lit up, a translucent magenta lock appeared in front of the locked doors. With little effort, the magenta lock opened, and Sunny was able to push the door open. "Was that easy?" Sunny asked.

"Oh, it was," Twilight said, looking proud of herself. "Just, never tell this to anyone. I don't want anypony to know I broke into CanterLogic because we were late." As Twilight ran inside, Sunny and Spike followed behind her.

Inside CanterLogic, multiple ponies were lined up towards the stage. Around the room were many different gizmos and gadgets, each with a pony running a stand designed to attract ponies. On the stage, a light pink mare with a blonde mane and glasses trotted towards the mic and took it.

"Hello, citizens of Maretime Bay!" The mare said, smiling towards the audience, who was cheering. "You all know me, right? But, in case you don't, which is highly impossible, I am Phyllis Cloverleaf, C.E.O. of CanterLogic!" Phyllis introduced. "You all must be here for the showcase, correct? Well, today, I'll be showing three new machines limited to the summer months!"

As Phyllis walked around the stage, Sunny, Twilight, and Spike found a spot where they could see everything. "All of you know that CanterLogic only makes products designed to help make our everyday lives easier, and these machines will help keep us protected during the Summer Sun Celebration and our lives! Make sure to get them before they go off sale!"

"And for some who don't have full trust in us, well, we'll let you know our very own Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer has checked and made sure that it is safe to use!" Phyllis said. "Now, welcome him on the stage for he will be giving a small speech."

As the audience cheered, Phyllis put the microphone back on the stand and got off the stage. A few seconds later, a yellow stallion with a teal mane and a sheriff's badge walked on as he gave a warm smile to the audience.

Hitch got the microphone from the stand and said to the crowd, "Uh, hello, everypony! As you may know, I am Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer, I keep Maretime Bay safe and protected every day!" When the crowd was deathly silent, Hitch started to sweat as he continued with his speech. "Um, as Phyllis mentioned, I checked on the machines! Yep, yeah, everything's fine! No problems there, and, uh, it's safe to use?"

When the crowd still didn't respond, Hitch started to awkwardly laugh as Phyllis groaned on the sidelines. Why couldn't I have a card, why couldn't I have a card?! Hitch thought to himself.

"I should've let him bring the cards," Phyllis grumbled. She turned to one of the workers as she said, "You! Get my son now! He's somewhere in the crowd with Hitch's dragon." Phyllis instructed. The pony nodded before trotting away.

With Sunny, Twilight, and Spike, Sunny looked away from the stage. "This is giving me secondhand embarrassment, urgh," Sunny said. "I never knew Hitch could be this bad at speeches."

Suddenly, to their surprise, Sprout walked on stage and took the mic from Hitch, who sighed in relief. "So, like what Sheriff Hitch said, he has given his approval on all of the gadgets that are set to release," Sprout said. "And we are 100% sure that all of you in the crowd will love them!"

"Look," Sunny said, nudging Twilight. "It's Sprout!"

"First things first," Sprout turned around, and the wall behind him started to open, revealing a padded cell designed for testing new products. "We will be showing you how our new products will help you in your day to day lives!" Sprout said. "Now, I will be picking a random pony in the audience to participate, and if you don't consent, just tell me, and you get to pick."

Sprout's eyes wandered across the crowd, looking for the perfect pony, when he saw Sunny. Sprout smiled to himself as he thought, Sunny? Ooh, this is going to be perfect! Sprout cleared his throat as he said, "You there! Orange mare with the magenta mane, accompanied by a purple unicorn and a... dragon?!" When seeing the small dragon, Sprout was understandably shocked but shook his head and continued. "Come up on the stage!"

As a spotlight shone over Sunny, the mare quickly realized what Sprout was trying to do. Sunny looked Sprout in the eye, and the deputy simply gave Sunny a knowing look. Sunny trotted up on the stage when Sprout said, "What's your name, orange mare?" Sprout asked, acting like he didn't know.

"Sunny Starscout," Sunny replied.

"Okay, Sunny," Sprout said. "Do you want to do this? If not, it's perfectly fine! It's perfectly fine to be a chicken," Sprout said the last part under his breath, and Sunny was immediately riled up.

"Oh, I am doing this," Sunny said, giving Sprout a determined look.

"Perfect!"

Sprout led Sunny toward the room, and Sunny looked behind her, locking eyes with Twilight. "Now, may you please step on the black pad?" Sprout asked.

Sunny looked at the black pad, which had four steel circles, which Sunny assumed to be for her hooves, before stepping on it. "What do I do now?" Sunny asked. Sprout pulled out a remote and pressed it. Suddenly, two pairs of hoof-shaped steel clamps rose from the steel circles and effectively locked Sunny in place.

"Don't worry, don't worry," Sprout said, happily trotting out of the room. "Just relax, it's perfectly safe! Because, here at CanterLogic, safety is our first priority for all of our buyers! And by the way, those who make their sales today before the Summer Sun Celebration will receive a 20% discount and a complementary CanterWatch 10!"

As Sprout resumed his speech, Sunny heard a loud whirring noise, accompanied by the faint turning of gears. "For our first product, we have..." The eastern wall of the cell opened, and a metal catapult with six cups rolled out on miniature tank treads. "...The Splat-a-Pult!"

A pair of mechanical wings rose down from the ceiling and put itself on Sunny, along with a construction helmet. "Now, you can still back out of this, Sunny," Sprout advised. "Do you want to do this?"

Sunny steeled her nerves, turned to Sprout, and with the most determined look she could make, she said, "Let's do this."

Author's Note

So, first post of 2025, how are we feeling? It's January, the month TikTok gets banned... heh, I'm glad I don't live in the US. Anyways, I've rewritten Rarity's scene so it has Izzy in it. Since I forgot to have Twilight's mane messed up, Rarity couldn't drag them to the boutique like in canon.

Now, we have CanterLogic! CanterLogic is basically Apple, but with more products in this universe. I'm planning on giving Sprout more angst, so, get ready for that.

If there's any problems, spelling errors, or anything, please comment it or private message me so I can change it! Hate comments will be deleted, so don't even try and hate!