The Element of Magic

by Blue Dragon

Rating: teen
Tags: Comedy, Octavia, Bon-Bon, Spitfire, Adventure, Derpy Hooves, Alternate Universe, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 50162

What if Twilight met different element bearers? How different would things end up?

Twilight Sparkle must go to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. She sends Spike to check on the preparations so she can study Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony. She meets five unlikely ponies that may turn out to be her friends and the key to defeating Nightmare Moon, as well as other challenges.

How will Twilight deal with Nightmare Moon's return? How will she handle these ponies? And just how different will everything turn out? Read to find out!

Additional tags: [First Episode] [Different Mane 6] [Derpy] [Octavia] [Bon Bon] [Lyra Heartstrings] [Spitfire]

Published 2012-11-18 19:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-12-30 03:18:20 UTC

Meet the Ponies Part I

"Do you know what this means? Take a note, Spike, to Princess Celestia! This is really important!" Twilight shouted to her number one assistant while in her dorm in Canterlot.

"What is it, Twilight?" Spike grabbed a quill and parchment, eager to help his friend.

Twilight Sparkle explained the phenomena of Nightmare Moon in the smallest terms possible, as the baby dragon was having trouble with spelling. It annoyed her that she had to keep downgrading her vocabulary, but at least he was doing it fast.

"Aw, come on Twi...Nightmare Moon is just an old pony's tale!" Spike exclaimed after looking over the letter's contents. Twilight shook her head with a scowl.

"No, Spike! It's true." Twilight was about to explain to the dragon exactly how dire the situation was, when he cut her off.

"Princess Celestia is really busy right now, Twilight. She probably won't even see this letter until after the Summer Sun Celebration!" The dragon gave her a look that shouted for finality on the subject.

"The Princess will see the importance of the letter and send word immediately. She may even get the army and prepare for war. Just send it, Spike." Twilight glared at him, telling him that she would not take another excuse. Spike took the hint, sending the note to the Princess. He still thought that it wasn't a good idea to bother her with such a trivial matter, as what Twilight was fretting over was simply a legend.

A few seconds later, an audible 'pop' rang out as another letter dropped onto the floor. Twilight cheered before ordering her dragon friend to read it aloud. He cleared his throat.

"My most faithful student, I have taken into account what is bothering you, but you simply must get your head out of those dusty old books! I am hereby ordering you to go to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration. You must make friends while you are there. You will be accommodated in a library, and will be leaving tomorrow morning. Signed, Princess Celestia." Spike looked up after finishing the letter, trying to contain an 'I told you so.'

Twilight's jaw dropped. Spike snickered at the look on her face. This was going to be an interesting arrangement.

"Where are you going, Twilight?" Spike raced to keep up with the unicorn. Immediately upon arriving in Ponyville she trotted straight for who-knows-what.

"To the library. I need to find out how to prevent Nightmare Moon's return," Twilight Sparkle looked around dubiously, not sure where the library was. The unicorn figured that Ponyville must have been a country town based upon the natives' appearances and the setting. The road looked worn, the marketplace full of farmers selling their products, and even the buildings looked as if they've been there for a long time.

If Twilight were being honest, she'd admit that she doubted this town would have a library. Based off of what she had seen so far, she wondered if anypony here even read books.

Spike raced to keep up with his friend. "Twilight! Princess Celestia said that you were supposed to be making friends and checking on the food, decorations, music, and weather stuff for the Summer Sun Celebration, which is tomorrow!" He exclaimed. Twilight stopped walking to think.

"You're right, Spike!" Before the dragon could take pride in himself, Twilight continued, "Which is why you should do that for me!" He slipped and hit his head on the ground.

"What?!" He jumped up as quickly as he could, rubbing the spot of impact, "She wanted you to do it, not me!"

"Come on, Spike. This is the fate of Equestria we're talking about! Please!" She begged. Spike sighed in defeat.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever...Twi, you owe me for this." He gave her the most serious expression he could muster. Twilight smiled thankfully, and the dragon walked off, muttering under his breath.

The unicorn noticed a normal-looking pony with a beige colored coat with a pink and blue colored mane. Her cutie mark had three bows, and Twilight decided to approach the mare.

"Hello!" She greeted, and the stranger turned and looked at her, surprised. The other pony smiled kindly before speaking.

"Hi there! You don't look like you're from around here... Do you need help with something?" Her eyes widened, "Oh, tell me you aren't trying to avoid Pinkie Pie. I can't help you with that."

Twilight furrowed her brow. "Pinkie Pie? I haven't met anypony here yet, but do you think you could point me towards the library, Miss...?" The other mare seemed to realize that she hadn't given her name yet.

"Oh! It's Bon Bon, and sure! What's your name?" Bon Bon abandoned her supposed shopping spree to walk with the unicorn.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle. It's a pleasure to meet you." She reached out for a hoofshake, which the other pony returned. Bon Bon led Twilight to the library unhurriedly and they talked for a bit.

"So are you going to be living here?" Bon Bon asked out of nowhere.

"No, I'm here to oversee the preparations of the Summer Sun Celebration, but I have some more...pressing matters at the moment." Twilight glanced around, half-expecting Nightmare Moon to pop up out of nowhere.

"Is something bothering you?" The other mare's expression changed drastically, showing her concern. She seemed like a really kind pony, Twilight noted, that was very friendly and easy to talk with.

"Oh, it's nothing." She dismissed with a hoof, before pointing it out at a strange tree-like building. "Is this the library?"

Bon Bon simply nodded. Twilight internally cheered before saying goodbye. She was surprised when the other mare stopped her.

"We should hang out sometime." Bon Bon smiled genuinely, "I own the candy shop right over there..." She pointed a hoof towards a newer looking establishment before looking back to Twilight, "So you should visit me when you get a chance!"

Feeling a little nervous, Twilight just said okay before slipping inside. It was strange to talk so openly with somepony other than Spike or Princess Celestia. The only thing she really knew about the other mare was that her name was Bon Bon and she owned a sweets shop. During the entire walk she seemed to inquire upon Twilight rather than talk about herself. It was a lot different than most conversations Twilight had taken part in.

The unicorn flipped on the light switch and couldn't help a smile. Shelves and shelves filled to the brim with books stared back at her. What made this an optimal experience was the fact that nopony would bother her, either. She could study up on the Elements of Harmony (that old book had said they were the only things that could defeat Nightmare Moon) and the evil villainess herself.

Twilight was glad to find that the books were already alphabetized, and tried to find titles relevant to her situation. She ended up pulling out only one book: The Legend of Nightmare Moon. Maybe this story would have some link to the Elements of Harmony she kept hearing so much about.

Giddily, (Twilight always loved to learn new things!) the unicorn turned pages until she was on the first chapter. It must have been an old book, as the words seemed ancient. That only excited the lavender mare more--she had enough experience with old Equestrian in some of the more aged tomes back in Canterlot.

Just as Twilight was about to finish the first chapter, a knock was heard on the door. At first, she ignored it and continued to read. Somepony knocked again. The unicorn groaned before getting up and trotting to the door. She opened it with magic to see a unicorn mare with an aquamarine colored coat and a light blue-green mane. Her cutie mark looked like a golden harp which complimented her yellow eyes nicely. She had a large grin plastered on her face.

"Hi! My name's Lyra Heartstrings, and I'm really glad to meet you!" She was hoofshaking Twilight's hoof so furiously that the lavender mare couldn't even see it anymore. "You see, my good friend Bon Bon told me there was a new pony in town, and said that they were shacking up in the library. She said that you were really nice and probably wouldn't be staying long, so I came by to make a new friend!" She giggled a little.

"Um..." Twilight was trying to think of a polite way to ask this other unicorn to leave, but wasn't able to come up with anything. The other pony didn't seem to notice the intrusion at all as she walked into the library.

"It's a nice library, isn't it? Not that many ponies check out books, though. Were you looking for something in particular? Oh, silly me; I don't even know your name yet!" Lyra smiled at her own mistake before speaking once again, "So what is it?"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle. I was looking for books on the Elements of Harmony and also Nightmare Moon. Do you know anything on the subject?" The unicorn didn't really expect to get a positive answer, but one could hope.

Lyra tapped a hoof to her chin. "Actually, there was this book called The Element of Harmony: A Reference Guide, that was checked out by...uh..." Her expression twisted into confusion. Twilight leaned forward, surprised that this mare actually remembered something like this. She hadn't been able to find anything on the Elements of Harmony while browsing earlier, so maybe this information could help with her research.

"Oh! I remember now--the pony you're looking for is Derpy Hooves! Yeah, I was here when she checked out that book. D-Don't look at me like that; I'm not a stalker or anything! I just worked part-time here for a little bit." She looked bashful now.

Twilight's eyebrows rose. This talkative unicorn as a librarian? She ceased to amaze her. "Derpy...Hooves? Where can I find her?" The lavender mare was already sliding the book she was reading earlier into her saddlebag for easier transportation.

"Probably a muffin place. Everypony in Ponyville knows how Derpy likes her muffins." Lyra laughed at her own joke, but Twilight didn't get it.

"Thanks for the help, Lyra Heartstrings. I'll uh, talk to you later." Awkwardly excusing herself, Twilight walked around the unicorn.

"Aww, you're leaving already? Well, that's okay. Make sure to see me sometime, too. I hang around Bon Bon's place, or my house, which is over there." Lyra pointed to somewhere in the distance, and Twilight hadn't the faintest clue of what the buck she was motioning towards. She simply nodded, hoping Lyra would leave so she could get back to studying.

"Bye, Twilight!" Lyra gave a short wave with a smile. These ponies were too friendly. Twilight only smiled before trotting on her way. She wasn't sure where a bakery was, but had a feeling one would be close to the market.

The unicorn let her thoughts wander. In the past few minutes she had met two different ponies that were trying to be her friends. They seemed nice, but Twilight didn't have the time or the energy to keep relationships like that going. Her studies were tiring enough, and took up every day of the week.

"W-Watch out!" Twilight heard somepony shout, and before she could move or even see who it was, she was tumbling with another pony. They were rolling for a bit before they finally came to a stop. The stranger who ran into her was on top of Twilight. The unicorn was wheezing from the extra weight and adrenaline. When she finally dared to open her eyes, (when had they closed?) a gray pegasus with crossed eyes was laying atop her. Twilight looked at the mare's cutie mark to see bubbles.

The pegasus grimaced. "I'm sorry 'bout that! I dunno what happened!" She smiled good-naturedly.

"It's...It's okay. What's your name?" The blonde-maned pony stood and helped Twilight up (with a bit too much strength, but Twilight was able to right herself before falling over again).

"I'm Derpy! Derpy Hooves. What 'bout you?" Her eyes lolled a bit, but Twilight ignored that. She'd seen ponies with disabilities before, and wasn't about to offend somepony because of it. Although she was a little curious as to what was affecting her...

"Twilight Sparkle. So, um, Derpy...Do you have a book called The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide? It's really important."

The other pony turned her head. "Uh, I think I had it."

Twilight had a crestfallen expression. "Had?" Derpy nodded exuberantly to this, and Twilight face-hoofed. "What happened to it?"

"I gave it to another pony." Twilight was annoyed at this point with the vague answers, and just about ready to go back to the library empty-hoofed. "But I can help you find it if you want me to."

The unicorn perked at this. She was still a little hesitant in accepting this offer from this pegasus though, for obvious reasons.

"Do you remember who you gave it to, by any chance?" Derpy flapped her wings to get airborne, but she swayed from side to side due to lack of control.

"Yeah! I think. Maybe." Derpy tapped a hoof to her chin as her eyes took their normal position. "It was the pony who's in charge of the music for the Summer Sun Celebration. She said that she would give it back to me soon, 'cause she has to go back to Canterlot after sun rise."

Twilight smiled. She finally had information that she could use to find that book! If she didn't find it quickly enough, Nightmare Moon would win.

"Thanks, Derpy. You were a great help." Twilight turned around and started walking away, when the gray pegasus flew next to her (accidentally bumping into the unicorn).

"Aww, can't I help ya out? I ran into you and stuff, and I'm just a little clumsy, but I want to make that up to you. I don't have anything to do, either." She looked pleadingly at the lavender mare.

Twilight eyed the bag at the pegasus's side. "That looks like a mailmare bag. Does that mean you were delivering the mail before yo--I ran into you?" Twilight corrected, not wanting to offend her.

Derpy laughed a little at what she said. "What, this? Mail can wait if somepony needs me. I am always ready to help!" She puffed out her chest in pride.

"I see... Well, Derpy, I actually do have something you may be able to help with." She leaned in to hear Twilight's secretive whispering. "You see, I have this purple baby dragon I was looking for, and he's called Spike. I can't find him anywhere! Do you think you could look for him while on your route?" The unicorn felt bad for lying, but she honestly wanted to get the book and go back to the library with as little interaction with other ponies as possible. Each time she stopped to talk to somepony, she lost the precious minutes that could've been spent preventing Nightmare Moon's return.

"Sure thing, Twilight Spark! I gotcha covered." Before the lavender mare could tell her that her name wasn't 'Twilight Spark,' Derpy had flown off. The unicorn stood there for a moment, wondering what had just happened. She shook her head before trotting back into town.

Twilght wasn't really sure where the head-of-the-music department would be, so at first she just looked around. Ponyville was still bustling with activity down at the market, and apparently somepony was selling some really good apples. At least, that's what the unicorn overheard from a blue pegasus talking to a yellow one. They seemed like they were old friends, but the lavender mare didn't dawdle on the thought very long. She still had a book to find!

When Twilight finally started to get tired of this dead-ended search and was practically out of town, she heard something. It was a very nice melody coming from a lone tree. Rather, a lone pony beside a tree. The mare had a gray coat with a darker gray for her mane. Twilight couldn't see her cutie mark from the distance, and because she was leaning on said tree, playing what looked like a violin. The stranger had a peaceful expression as she played, and for once, Twilight wanted to talk to this pony.

Before she knew it, the unicorn was walking closer and closer.The tune sounded melancholic and sad, and it brought upon feelings that Twilight had thought she had buried long ago. It seemed to dispel her current troubles, but only to replace them with regrets. To enjoy the music fully, Twilight closed her eyes. The music stopped abruptly, and the unicorn opened her eyes in her wonderment of why it had ended so suddenly. The other mare was watching Twilight blankly.

"Um...Hello?" Twilight attempted. The other pony didn't make any response. "That music you were playing was really good, but it was sad. Are you the pony in charge of the music for the Summer Sun Celebration?"

"Yes." Even her voice sounded like music. "You are Twilight Sparkle, protege of the Sun Princess, right?" Twilight nodded. She always had liked to be recognized by other ponies.

"I see. And I assume that the purple dragon was yours? Spike, I think it was." The gray mare started to put her violin in its case.

"You're finished playing?" Twilight whined, ignoring her question. She wanted to hear more of the addictive yet depressing music. The other pony's eyebrows rose, but she smiled still.

"Yes. That song was...special, and I only play it when I'm alone." She brandished the violin carefully and lovingly.

"Who are you?" The question was out before Twilight could stop it. She felt impolite in asking something so personal, but this mysterious violin player was practically begging for it.

"I'm Octavia." She continued to put away her violin. "I live in Canterlot, but I was asked by Princess Celestia to play at the celebration. I only intend to stay here until tomorrow."

"You live in Canterlot? I've never seen you before. I'm actually going back tomorrow, too. Princess Celestia wanted me to oversee the preparations of the celebration and to...make friends..." Twilight winced. She didn't want to be reminded of that task.

Octavia's smile only widened. "Is that so? I've seen you around a few times. Mostly when you run between the library and what I'm guessing is your apartment. I don't know if you remember or not, but I've had audiences with the Sun Princess to play. You were usually there, too, but you were always working with papers." She explained.

Twilight tried to recall these scenarios, but her mind wasn't letting her. She suddenly remembered why she was looking for this pony. "Oh, right...Octavia, do you have a book called The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide?"

The gray mare stuck her hoof back into the violin case and pulled out a book. "Here." She turned it so the cover was staring at the unicorn. Indeed, it was the right book.

"Thank you! This is just what I needed--I have to go, it was nice meeting you, and I guess I'll see you at the Summer Sun Celebration." Twilight grasped the book magically and took off towards the library. Octavia blinked before smiling to herself.

"And I thought I was used to filly fans..."

It took some time to finally get back to town, but Twilight was really excited. The sun was starting to go down, and she was feeling nervous, too. The unicorn failed to notice the suspicious pony covered with sunglasses, a hat, hoodie, and even shorts. It all clashed terribly.

Twilight ran into the pony at full-speed, causing all of its clothes to fall off. An orange-yellow mare with a blue outfit was there.

"Spitfire?!" A blue pegasus with a rainbow mane cried, "It's Spitfire, the Wonderbolt!"

"Buck..." The revealed Wonderbolt cursed before turning to Twilight, "We gotta go. They'll be after you, too. Hold on, okay?" Before the unicorn could get a word in edge-wise, the famous pegasus picked her up and flew off. Twilight squirmed and clutched her book tightly to her chest, extremely uncomfortable with flying. All unicorns were.

Apparently somepony had stopped the pony with the rainbow mane, as she wasn't following them. After finding a spot behind a building where nopony was around, Spitfire landed. "I'm really sorry about grabbing you like that. If I didn't act fast, you would've been a goner. I've actually known somepony who broke a leg in a mob of fans from being close to me like that." Twilight shivered, laying on the ground.

"Aww, come on. It wasn't that bad, right?" Spitfire bent down so she could look Twilight in the eyes. "I mean, you were the one who accidentally knocked off my disguise."

"S-Sorry..." Twilight apologized, still feeling shaken.

"It's no big deal. I’ve had more collisions than I can count. Hey, aren’t you…?” Spitfire squinted, trying to recall who this pony was.

“Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia’s protégé. You’re a Wonderbolt—So what are you doing here?” It was Twilight’s turn to try and figure out something without help. Spitfire chuckled good-naturedly.

“I came to see the Summer Sun Celebration, as a representative of the Wonderbolts. The others on the team are busy doing a show back in Trottingham, and ‘sides, the Princess wanted me to be there for some reason. Not sure why, though.” Spitfire opened her wings and closed them idly. “Why are you here, anyway? I’d think you’d be in Canterlot with your teacher.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, Princess Celestia wanted me to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration, and she wanted me to make friends. I’m not sure why, either.” The unicorn got to her feet and picked up the book with magic.

“That’s weird. Only Princess Celestia knows what she’s thinking, and she is the wisest in Equestria, so I guess we shouldn’t question her. I’m sure you know more than I do about her, anyway.” Spitfire smiled before continuing, “You seemed like you were in a hurry earlier, Twilight. Since I kinda just ponynapped you, do you want me to fly you somewhere in particular?”

Twilight gulped. “I was going back to the library, but it’s okay, I don’t need a r—“Spitfire picked the unicorn back up with a devious smirk, cutting her off. “N-No, it’s really alright, I can just wal—ah!” Twilight shouted as the Wonderbolt took off at top speed. “Oh sweet Celestia…” She murmured.

It didn’t take long before she was in front of the library, dizzily swaying from side to side. Spitfire chuckled at this. It was a very amusing sight—she looked just like a filly.

“Well, I gotta go, Sparks. I don’t wanna get you in trouble with the ponies in this town. If you ever need anything at all, just call for me. You’re pretty cool, and I can tell you’re not one of those crazy filly fans of mine. I may go all over the place, but I’ll make sure to stop by. Oh, and I’ll find you at the celebration, since I’ll have to be disguised. Peace out.” Spitfire flew off with a trail of dark looking clouds, causing ponies around to stare in awe. Some of them had even seen her speak to Twilight, and were gawking at her as well.

The unicorn smiled sheepishly and disappeared inside of the library with the book. She had studying to do.

The Ticket Master (Fair Distribution is a Must!)

“Thanks for all the help, Twilight,” Bon Bon wiped some sweat from her brow, “You have no idea how busy I’ve been since we, you know, defeated Nightmare Moon.” The mare continued to crush colorful gems that she’d be using for rock candy.

“You’re welcome. I wanted to see your business, anyway.” Twilight smiled wearily. She was using magic to wrap the candy up so they’d be ready for purchase.

“What do you think of Bon Bon’s One Stop Sweet Shop?” The owner smiled as she said the name of her place. It was very colorful inside, as the thought of candy provoked.

“It’s beautiful, Bon Bon…” Spike stated with a dreamy look in his eyes. It had taken him a full ten minutes to get ready to come, since he kept insisting that his spines weren’t straight.

Twilight chuckled. “The alliteration is nice, and the candy’s pretty good.” Bon Bon smiled thankfully just as Spike belched flames. The dragon blushed in embarrassment at this and apologized to the beige mare profusely. Twilight lifted up the letter and opened it.

“…Two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?” Both Spike and Bon Bon stopped talking and looked over at Twilight. Spike jumped onto his friend’s back and whispered into her ear.

“Twi! You gotta let me have them so I can go with Bon Bon, please!” The dragon clutched Twilight’s neck a little too tightly.

“Sorry Spike…look at what Princess Celestia wrote…” The unicorn levitated the letter into Spike’s grasp. He snatched it and began reading aloud.

“My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Enclosed are two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala that I would like you to attend with one guest. I hope to catch up with you once there. Signed, Princess Celestia.” He looked up from the letter with an upset expression.

“Never mind… I don’t want to go to a girly thing like that.” He frowned.

“The Grand Galloping Gala? You mean, the Grand Galloping Gala?” Bon Bon stared at Twilight with a hopeful glint in her eyes. “Can I go with you?”

“Oh no you don’t, Bon Bon!” Somepony shouted before the unicorn could say yes. Lyra Heartstrings was standing in one of the candy-filled aisles. She trotted up and pushed Bon Bon away comically.

“Can I go to the Grand Galloping Gala with you, Twilight?” The lavender mare looked between the two, torn.

Bon Bon got Lyra off of her and spoke with an edge in her voice. “I asked first, Lyra. Besides, if I can go to the Grand Galloping Gala…It’ll jump-start my business! I’ll pass out flyers that show my place and discreetly mention that I’m the bearer of the Element of Honesty.” She smiled as if in a daydream. “Then maybe I’ll finally be able to afford that cotton candy machine!”

“That’s no good, Bon Bon!” Lyra shook her head in mock woe, “When I go to the Grand Galloping Gala, I’ll do my totally awesome stand-up comedian act. Everypony will laugh so much and beg me to give up trying to do music and instead become a comedian! You don’t understand how much that’d mean to me.”

Both mares watched Twilight pleadingly. The unicorn gulped and tried to imagine Lyra actually making somepony laugh with her antics. Not very likely.

“You’d give up on your special talent?” Spike questioned, looking confused. Lyra stopped all movement before plastering on a very fake smile.

“Well…Yeah…” Lyra scuffed a hoof. “I’ll never be as good as Octavia; I don’t even know why it’s my special talent. I’m not good at it, and Ponyville isn’t exactly…a music place…” Twilight suddenly felt depressed.

“Anyways…” Lyra composed herself, “You’ll give it to me, right?”

Twilight knew that she’d never be able to pick somepony over the other. Luckily, her stomach rumbled, giving her the perfect excuse to escape.

“Oh, would you look at that. I’ll get back to you girls on this after some food.” The two mares didn’t get a chance to speak before Twilight darted out of there. Spike was only just able to latch onto her tail.

Once out of immediate danger, Twilight stopped cantering and sighed. “How am I supposed to pick somepony to come with me to the Grand Galloping Gala, Spike?”

“YOU HAVE AN EXTRA TICKET TO THE GRAND GALLOPING GALA TWILIGHT SPARKS?!” Derpy Hooves flew right into Twilight’s face. The unicorn flinched when everypony within earshot turned to look at her. “I’ve wanted to go since I was a filly! You know why, Twilight? ‘Cause they have the bestest muffins! I’ve heard stories all my life about how delicious they were and what a great texture they have! Don’t you understand? My life would be complete if I could go!”

Derpy wasn’t the only one. Everypony within the vicinity flooded towards Twilight with all sorts of reasons for wanting to go to the Grand Galloping Gala. Overwhelmed, all Twilight could do was teleport away.

The unicorn ended up in midair. She wasn’t even sure how, but chalked it up to the fact that she couldn’t focus. Spike was still on her back when she began her descent back to Equestria.

“Ahhhh!” Both she and Spike screamed.

“I’M SORRY FOR ACCIDENTALLY BURNING YOUR BOOK UP TWILIGHT! I DIDN’T MEAN TO!” Spike shouted.

“I KNEW IT WAS YOU!” Twilight reached a hoof up and grabbed Spike. She hugged him. “IF THIS IS THE END, YOU WERE THE BEST ASSISTANT I’VE EVER HAD!”

“YOU WERE THE BEST…PONY EVER!” Spike attempted. Twilight closed her eyes, preparing herself for the harsh and unforgiving ground. It never came.

Twilight felt wind blow through her mane and forced an eye open. “S-Spitfire?”

The Wonderbolt laughed loudly, “Hehe, that’s me! Sorry for grabbin’ you so late, but your goodbyes were pretty funny. You should’ve known I’d come to save the day, Sparks.” Spitfire smirked, “Like last time, right?”

Twilight wasn’t in a good enough mood to smile, but she blushed in embarrassment. Spike squirmed in her hooves, but she held him tightly.

“Can we land? Please?” Twilight felt like she was going to throw up. Spitfire started to slow down and got closer to the ground. She gently placed Twilight on her hooves and moved around so they were facing each other.

“There ya go. So why were you being surrounded by everypony?” Spitfire was wearing her trademark uniform. She used a hoof to push up her goggles.

Spike bristled on the ground. “We were being swarmed ‘cause Princess Celestia gave Twi an extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala! Derpy announced it to the whole town.”

“Really? Sounds like something she’d do.” Spitfire chuckled. “I have a performance there every year, so don’t worry about me asking you for your ticket. Unless you want me to go with you,” The Wonderbolt stuck her tongue out before snickering, “I’m joking! Hahaha, don’t make that face!”

Spike looked over to see what Spitfire was talking about before falling over laughing too. Twilight quickly composed herself and glared at the two.

She sighed. “Anyways, I’m not sure what to do… Everypony wants the extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“Heh, don’t look at me. I’m not good with this kinda thing. Why don’t you go find Octavia or something? I’m pretty sure that she would know what to do in this situation. I guess.” Spitfire shrugged. “I’ll stop by later just in case you need saving again.” The captain smiled.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen Octavia just yet today… Why didn’t I think of that sooner…?” Twilight face-hoofed. Of course. Octavia was always level-headed, and she was the Element of Kindness.

“I haven’t seen her in a while. Good luck findin’ her. If you need anything, all you have to do is give a shout out. I should be able to hear you.” Spitfire saluted before flying off.

Twilight hid behind buildings as she went through Ponyville. A bunch of ponies were running around screaming her name and Spitfire’s, so she figured it wasn’t a good idea to make her presence known.

Octavia wasn’t anywhere to be seen. That was strange. Twilight knew for a fact that she’d moved into Ponyville, but she hadn’t really seen the pony since the defeat of Nightmare Moon. Twilight felt a little bad that she hadn’t paid as much attention to Octavia as her other friends.

Music. Twilight could hear a cello playing close to Town Hall. The unicorn peeked around the building she was behind and looked towards it. Octavia was playing and she had gathered small crowd. The ponies were throwing bits into her cello case and silently cheering her on. It was a very beautiful piece.

When Octavia finished playing, everypony tossed more bits and bid her farewell. The musician frowned before sorting out the money.

“Spike, could you go over there and get Octavia to come over here?” Twilight asked. Spike copied Spitfire’s salute before waddling over to the gray earth pony. The unicorn watched Octavia glance up at the purple dragon, and look at Twilight. She nodded to Spike, putting the bits in a saddlebag and putting her cello away. The musician followed him back to Twilight.

“Why so secretive?” Octavia questioned with a smile as she straightened her bowtie. Spike silently pulled out the two tickets and motioned to the ponies not so far away looking for Twilight. The earth pony nodded understandingly.

“I see. The Grand Galloping Gala is quite the event.” She looked over at the unicorn, “It has been awhile. How are you, Miss Twilight?”

The lavender mare shook hooves with Octavia. “You can just call me Twilight. I actually needed some advice.” Octavia waited patiently.

“You see…Everypony wants to have the extra ticket, but there’s no way I can pick between my friends…” Twilight’s stomach growled. “Er…Can we continue this over lunch?”

Octavia laughed a little before agreeing. When they began to walk, Twilight found herself wondering how she could lug her instruments around all the time; especially the cello. Spike seemed to be marveling over the same thing.

“I am planning to attend the Grand Galloping Gala as well, but simply as a musician. The pay will certainly keep me going for quite some time.” Octavia’s voice had a hopeful touch to it, but she changed the subject before Twilight could reply. “Where would you like to dine?”

“How about Sugarcube Corner? I’ve heard they sell cupcakes with gems! Gems!” Spike mentioned with a cheeky smile.

“Actually…” Twilight glanced over at a nearby place, “How about over there? I’d really like to eat something not sugary.”

Octavia concurred with Twilight, causing the dragon to pout. “I never get to have gems…” They trotted up to a table and took a seat. The waiter came by with a huge smile on his face.

“Here you go.” He placed a milkshake in front of Twilight.

“…I didn’t order anything yet.” The unicorn stared at the server, quickly becoming annoyed with his shiny teeth.

“Yes, compliments to the young lady over there.” The stallion pointed over at a certain beige colored mare. Bon Bon waved exuberantly at Twilight.

The unicorn looked back at the milkshake. “This is bribery, isn’t it?” The waiter shrugged. “I don’t want this. Would you give her a message? Bribery will not work. Oh, and we’d like two daisy sandwiches.” The server didn’t look too happy, but he took the milkshake away.

Twilight looked back at Octavia. “A daisy sandwich is okay, right?”

Octavia nodded absently before leaning towards Twilight to whisper. “So, what seems to be the problem?”

“Well…Like I said earlier, Princess Celestia wants me to go to the Grand Galloping Gala with one other guest. Bon Bon, Lyra, and Derpy all want to go with me, along with the rest of the town, but I can’t pick somepony over the other. It’s important to all of them, too.” Twilight frowned.

Octavia tapped a hoof to her chin. “My, my, what a decision you have. And Spike the dragon does not wish to attend?” Spike shook his head defiantly.

“If I could go with Bon Bon, yeah, but it’s too girly for me to go with just Twilight. She’d just be with Princess Celestia the whole time anyway.”

Octavia kept a straight face while she thought. “Perhaps it would be best—“”Two daisy sandwiches and a birthday card!”
Twilight turned towards the waiter with an irritated huff, except now it was a mare. An undeniably turquoise colored mare. “Lyra—I know what you’re doing.”

“Open your card!” The other unicorn pretty much shoved what was obviously a birthday card into her hooves. Twilight opened it cautiously and was blasted away by its contents. Literally. A red boxing glove had emerged out of it and punched her square in the muzzle, pushing her and the chair she was sitting flying backwards.

Lyra doubled over laughing while the card began singing ‘Happy Birthday.’ Octavia was beside Twilight and helping her up almost immediately. The lavender mare rubbed the spot of impact with tears in her eyes.

“What was that for? It’s not even my birthday! And how the hay did you get a boxing glove to fit into a card?” Lyra stopped giggling and sat up.

“You didn’t think it was funny?”

“Of course not! That really hurt!”

“But it was the ‘punch-line.’ Hehe… I thought for sure that you’d catch on pretty fast.” Lyra continued to poke fun into Twilight before sighing. “Sorry, I got a little carried away in thinking that you’d think it was as funny as I did. Working on my comedian skills. But yeah, really sorry. And to make it up for you…” She slinked over next to Twilight and threw a hoof over her shoulder, “Why don’t I give you an exclusive pass to my act at the Grand Galloping Gala? It’s sure to make up for this…humorless incident.” Lyra winked.

“Hm, good poin—Wait…” Twilight blinked before scowling. She hadn’t realized that Lyra was such a good trickster. “I’m not falling for that.”

Lyra giggled. “…Sorry…I can be good. I just like to laugh is all…” Lyra looked back up with a smile. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. Just got carried away, heh… You think I can try again? I actually had a birthday present handy too.”

Both Octavia and Twilight stared at the gift carefully. Lyra noticed this and opened it for them. A strange bipedal animal model was in the box. It was wearing clothes and didn’t look like a pony or anything Twilight had ever seen before. “You like to study new things, right? How about this?”

Twilight stared at the figure, feeling very interested. However, her resolve not to fall for bribery kept her from accepting, despite wanting to study it. Was it even real?

“I…can’t take that. Sorry, Lyra…Octavia,” Twilight nursed the wound on her jaw, “I’m going to head back to the library. I’m not hungry anymore…” The unicorn trotted off towards her home.

“Well, how about we make a pit stop at Sugarcube Corner for me?” Spike asked as he waved to the two ponies they just left. Twilight shook her head.

“Not right now, Spike. This actually really hurts and I want to put ice on it.” The unicorn continued on her way, feeling the dragon’s sulky mood. She was wondering if maybe she should stop by this ‘Sugarcube Corner’ just for Spike, but she almost ran over somepony.

“Oh, sorry about that…” Twilight stared down at the cutest thing she’d ever laid eyes on. A little unicorn filly stared up at her with puppy dog eyes. She had a light purple coat, blonde mane and matching yellow eyes.

“It’s okay, miss.” The little filly smiled brightly. Twilight felt like she’d seen this pony before…

“What’s your name?” Spike yawned from atop the unicorn’s back, obviously signaling her to move on. It was rather rude.

“I’m Dinky Doo! Umm, you’re Twilight Sparkle, right?” The little unicorn looked up with hopeful eyes when she nodded. “You see, miss, my mom really really wants to go to the Grand Galloping Gala. She isn’t exactly the smartest mare on the block, but I know that she’d be really grateful if you’d give it to her. It’d mean a lot to me, too. It’s always been her dream… So… Please? Won’t you think about it?”

Twilight gulped. When an innocent filly was asking her for something so selfless, it surpassed her adorable meter, leaving it to the dust. Twilight wanted to hug the little pony for all she was worth.

“Who is your mother, Dinky?” The smaller unicorn beamed with pride.

“Derpy Hooves, of course! The greatest mother ever.” Twilight’s brain stopped working. Derpy was a mother? But wasn’t she a little…young? After the initial shock, anger began to swell within her. This was by far the worst. Even if Lyra had physically hurt her, using your own foal to get you a ticket… It was selfish by all means; and was especially so for the spirit of Generosity.

“Woah,” Spike sat up, suddenly interested in the conversation, “So she wanted you to get the letter for her?” Dinky’s eyes widened as she waved her hooves and shook her head frantically.

“Nonono! Mom came home and talked to me about it. I knew she really wanted to go with you, but told me that she couldn’t be selfish enough to take it when everypony else wanted to come. You see, Miss Twilight, sometimes she can’t take stuff for herself because she doesn’t want other ponies to be upset. My mom set aside her own wants and she also knew that she’d be stressing you out, too. So please don’t be mad at her! She doesn’t know that I came here, and if she did she’d be angry with me and wouldn’t let me go out with friends. So please don’t tell her, and maybe let her go with you…!”

The petite filly’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Spike grimaced and looked at Twilight for support. However, she was feeling guilty herself for thinking ill of Derpy.

“Don’t worry, little filly. I won’t tell your mother. I’ll…think about the extra ticket.” The mare smiled encouragingly, “Why don’t you run along back home before she notices your absence?”

Dinky Doo grinned even wider. “Oh thank you thank you thank you! I’m sorry about the trouble I’ve caused you—but you’re really cool, miss Twilight! I’ll be sure to tell my mom about how great you are!” The filly ran off without another word, leaving the lavender mare with a warm feeling in her heart.

“Well, that was probably the most respectful filly I’ve ever seen. By the way, I don’t know about you, Twi…” Spike said quietly, “but I’d be getting out of here, if I were you. Everypony’s starting to notice.” Twilight looked around, and, as the dragon had stated, everypony was closing in on her. She’d stayed in one spot too long.

“I’m going to teleport, Spike, hold on to the tickets.” She closed her eyes to concentrate.

“But remember last time...!” He protested loudly.

“Don’t worry, I know where we’re going this time.” Twilight imagined the library’s front door and focused her magic into her horn. This time she didn’t let all the noise distract her, and instead let Spike try to diffuse the situation. She was still learning the technique for perfect teleportation, but this was good practice. As the library’s details started to come into place in her mind, she heard that satisfying ‘snap!’

When she opened her eyes, Twilight saw exactly what she wanted to see—the library’s front doorstep. She cheered audibly, but her good spirits were cut short when Spike vomited. Twilight shuddered when she heard it and was thankful he hadn’t done it on her.

“S-Sorry, Twilight. I just got a little…sick,” the dragon wiped his mouth with a claw. “I’m okay now.”

“I should be sorry, Spike. I’ll work out the kinks of that spell soon enough.” She trotted into the library and flipped the light switch on.

Four mares were inside. Bon Bon, Lyra, Spitfire, and Octavia were all making themselves at home. Her eye twitched—when could she get some time for herself?

“…What are you girls doing here…?” Twilight spoke with irritation.

Spitfire stared at the unicorn’s muzzle. “Woah! Who gave you that shiner?” She pointed at her own muzzle.

Twilight glared at Lyra for a long second; she just shrugged with a playful smile. Spitfire connected the dots with a frown.

“Wait—did you get in a fight or something?” She glanced back at Lyra, obviously wondering why she didn’t have any bruises. Maybe she chalked it up to Twilight not being very strong.

“It was a birthday present for her! It was a prank I pulled, but she didn’t think it was very funny.” Lyra giggled and Bon Bon stared quizzically.

“It’s your birthday, Twilight?”

“No, of course not! Anyways, why are you all here?” With rising annoyance, Twilight looked over the guilty ponies.

Bon Bon seemed to be the most affected. “I wanted to tell you that I didn’t want a ticket anymore. What I was doing was really selfish of me, and I should’ve seen how nuts it was driving you. I’m sorry for making you choose between us.”

A corner of Lyra’s mouth dipped down. “I’m sorry too, Twilight. I didn’t think you’d get a bruise out of that—and I got a little out of hand about that Gala ticket. Really sorry about that, and I’d understand if you didn’t want to speak with me again.”

“I probably should’ve helped you more, Sparks. I was thinking about your problem and came to see if I could help you. I was trying to practice, but couldn’t help feeling like I betrayed you. Made me a little mad at myself, so I made sure those two knew how much they were stressing you out.” Spitfire’s tail swished back and forth.

Octavia nodded with a small smile. “It’s true. Although, she may have been a bit too harsh with her methods. However, they can see what they’ve done wrong, so I assume it was a good thing. I apologize for not being able to take on this task myself. I didn’t want to be cruel, and figured that it would work itself out. In spite of this, I should have known that by avoiding it that I’d be inadvertently hurting somepony else. I’m sorry.” The musician hung her head.

Twilight looked over her friends with new eyes. She’d already forgiven them a long time ago. “It’s okay, girls. Don’t worry, but still… What should we do about this ticket?” Spike held the two tickets up.

Bon Bon looked tempted, but she wasn’t easily swayed from her decisions. “I say we should send them back to Princess Celestia and Twilight goes by herself.”

“Me too!” Spike immediately agreed with Bon Bon. Twilight figured that he’d go with anything if Bon Bon said it.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Spitfire concurred.

“But girls…I don’t want to go if you can’t.” Twilight frowned. “I’ll send them both back and tell Princess Celestia that I can’t come, and none of you are going to be able to change that decision. Spike, take a note to the Princess.” The unicorn took the tickets in her magical grasp to make sure the dragon could use both claws to write.

“Dear Princess Celestia… I regret to inform you that I will not be able to attend the Grand Galloping Gala this year. You see, Princess, my Ponyville friends all wanted to have the extra ticket to come with me. I couldn’t pick somepony over the other, and it wouldn’t be right to attend if they can’t. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Before anypony could object, Spike went ahead and sent the letter. Twilight waited for a response, (usually Princess Celestia sent one pretty fast), and sure enough a few seconds later another note had 'burped' into existence.

Spike picked it up and read it aloud. “My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Why didn’t you say something earlier? I could’ve provided for all of your friends if you’d only let me know! Enclosed are five tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala for your Ponyville friends. The fifth one is for Spike, too! Signed, Princess Celestia.”

Four tickets to the Gala slipped out of the sheet of paper and fell unceremoniously to the floor. Everypony smiled. “I guess we can all go then!” Twilight grinned. Lyra and Bon Bon both picked up their tickets happily. Spike pretended not to be glad that he’d gotten a ticket.

“I’m going to go give this one to Derpy. I’m sure it’ll cheer her and Dinky right up.” Twilight was already trotting to the door.

“Dinky?” Spitfire questioned with a curious look on her face.

“Derpy’s foal. You should meet her sometime.” Twilight was glad that she’d be seeing that cute little filly again, and was looking forward to Derpy’s expression when she saw the ticket. With everypony at the Gala, it was sure to be a great event.

Author's Note

Wow, wonder how this new section will be. Anyways, decided to give Derpy Dinky Doo. Thoughts on that? Sorry for taking two weeks, but I've had my hands full with other stories. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and there was a little character development/depth. (I wonder if any of you found any split-ends or things I'll be addressing in the future. Hmm...)

Too Many Letters

“Derpy Hooves!” A buff brown pegasus shouted, shuffling papers at his desk. He had a black cap on, and his cutie mark was of a wooden crate. He appeared to be very stressed out; what with the random papers, envelopes, and packages strewn out around his entire room.

The gray pegasus flew into the office with her mailmare bag strapped on securely. “Yes, sir?” He glanced up from his work and set it down with a sigh.

“Would it be possible for you to work overtime for the next couple of days? We’re getting tons of packages recently… The other mail ponies are sick, and you’re the only one not doubled over in bed.” He coughed, “But I would understand if you said no. I don’t have enough bits to pay for overtime…”

Derpy puffed out her chest with a smile. “I can do it, boss! I can’t ask you for any bits, all due respect, sir. I can get this done alone in just a day or two.”

The stallion’s mouth dropped and his eyes widened. “Really? Are you sure you can handle this by yourself? Even though she’s not a mail pony, I could ask Cloud Kicker if she could help you…”

The mailmare’s grin didn’t falter as she started to stuff her bag with envelopes. “Of course! Leave it to Derpy!”

Derpy Hooves hummed to herself as she flew around Ponyville. She wasn’t the greatest flyer in all of Equestria, but she definitely had the spirit! She was sure she’d be able to take care of all the mail by herself easily, but there certainly was a lot…

The pegasus touched down next to her friend Lyra Heartstrings’ mailbox. She had a get well card from…Bon Bon. Apparently Lyra was sick, too. Why Bon Bon was sending a letter to a pony that lived in the same town was a mystery.

Derpy shoved the envelope into the mailbox before pulling out another one from her bag. This one was addressed to Carrot Top.

…It was going to be a long day.

Derpy Hooves was trying to find where Spitfire was living in Ponyville, (she’d never heard of the street) as she had about two hundred fan mail cards. While that was all fine and dandy for the Wonderbolt, it was difficult carrying so many envelopes in one run.

The pegasus trotted around town, her eyes scanning each street sign closely. There was no ‘Blaze Road,’ nor was there a building with a number one painted on it. It was nonexistent. Derpy frowned—she was known for being able to deliver mail no matter the distance; she always got the letter, or package, to its destination (mostly) in one piece.

The ground started shaking beneath Derpy’s hooves. Her eyes lolled in confusion at this, and she turned to check on everypony else’s reaction. Some ponies were looking around in bewilderment, while others were still going about their day normally. However, the vibrations continued to intensify until the gray pony could identify them as hoofbeats.

Just as Derpy was finally about to connect the dots, a mare cantered past everypony, shouting as loudly as she could.

“STAMPEDE!!! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, EVERYPONY!”

That was Bon Bon. She looked really anxious, and it was obvious she wasn’t lying. Derpy turned herself towards the source of all the commotion, and a herd of cows was headed straight for Ponyville.

The bubbly mare started panicking. She was about to fly to the clouds for cover, but when she saw her fellow ponies utterly defenseless… Something ignited within her—a certain need to protect them. Derpy wasn’t sure where the bravery came from, but she wasn’t about to complain.

The pegasus flew as fast as she could (dodging most ponies) straight towards the stampede. She was able to get there before they reached the town, but she wasn’t sure what to do next.

“Hey, cows! Don’t run over Ponyville, okay? Go that a-way!” None of the animals paid her any mind. If anything, they only ran faster. Derpy tried to physically push the lead cow to the side, but it wasn’t working. Darn, she thought, Should have kept those muffins.

Just when things were starting to seem hopeless, an idea popped into Derpy’s head. She pumped her wings a little harder to get ahead of the herd and planted her back legs firmly onto the soil. She thrust her two forelegs out in front of her, wings opened in a display of superiority.

“Stop!” The cows up front neared closer to the pegasus with a spooked expression. They were definitely scared. At the last possible second, (Derpy was a little frightened as well) the cows steered off to the side.

The gray pony took a deep breath and shakily got back onto her hooves. She heard cheering erupt from the town, and turned back to look at who was doing so. Some of her friends, Twilight, Bon Bon, and Octavia were clapping their hooves happily. Derpy didn’t see Spitfire or Lyra, but she did see something she’d rather not have.

While trying to save the town from impending doom, her mail bag had gotten loose. Hundreds of envelopes, (mostly Spitfire’s) were floating around in the chaos, and, to make things worse, her old, worn and beloved mailmare bag was lost.

Derpy managed a small smile towards her friends and a short wave. She’d be able to get a new bag, and she’d just have to collect the mail before somepony else got to it. Easy.

Twilight was a mare of organization. Everypony in town was thankful for Derpy being there to steer the herd away from Ponyville, and they all pitched in to throw a party. The best part was that she’d be getting an honorary award from Mayor Mare herself!

Twilight had prepared a special speech, too. It was long and extravagant—as it should be. Derpy deserved the very best after she singlehoofedly saved Ponyville. However, she wasn’t expecting everypony to interrupt throughout the entire thing.

“Hello, everypony! We are gathered here today to honor a very reliable pegasus, with whom we owe our lives to. I’d like to personally thank Derpy Hooves for her contribution to our lovely town. And, more specifically, for saving Ponyville from being trampled. Furthermore—“Bon Bon jumped up from beneath the stand with a giddy smile.

“Did you see how she steered the cows away? It was so brave! And she’s going to help me make the legendary Burning Baby Blue Bonbon, whose spiciness is well-known even within the constructed limits of candy fame.” Twilight glared at the mare until she shrunk away.

“Anyway…” The unicorn was about to begin her speech anew, when another pony was atop her.

“Derpy’s so awesome!” Lyra sniffled and spoke nasally. She was obviously still sick, “She’s going to help me with my jokes and give me pointers. I’ll definitely become a comedian with a hero like her helping me.” Twilight shot her a look that told her to get off. The blue/green pony grinned before she too got off the stage, sneezing the whole way.

Twilight sighed, annoyed with having so many interruptions. “Does anypony else have something they’d like to add?”

She saw a hesitant hoof rise up from the crowd. The unicorn’s head dropped in annoyance, but she stepped away from her stand. Octavia smiled thankfully before taking her place.

“Derpy Hooves is a wonderful and friendly mare who will be assisting me in my next musical piece, titled ‘Love and Loneliness.’ I’m looking forward to this, as she will surely bring a different quality of music out of me.” Octavia smiled widely.

Twilight shooed her offstage shortly afterwards, gathering her speech papers once again. She cleared her throat, only to notice something in her peripheral vision. The unicorn glanced to the side to see Mayor Mare with a cheeky smile on her face—Twilight knew what was about to happen.

She groaned loudly, throwing her speech papers into the air and stomping off the stage. Mayor Mare only took this in stride with a simple grin plastered on her face, taking Twilight’s place.

“And so, with no further ado, it is my privilege to award the Prized Pony of Ponyville award to our very own… Derpy Hooves!” The curtains to the side opened, but nopony was inside.

Everypony gasped collectively, and it grew silent.

“I-I’m here, everypony…” Derpy walked through the crowd uneasily, carrying tons of envelopes in her forehooves. When she saw the papers on the floor, she hurried to them and began picking them up despite the heavy load she’d already collected. Twilight found it strange that she wasn’t using her usual bag to hold the mail.

“These don’t look like letters…” The gray pegasus squinted at one of Twilight’s speech papers. “Why is it getting so blurry?” Twilight wondered if she could actually read with her strange eyes.

The lavender mare cleared her throat and approached Derpy. She whispered into the pegasus’ ear so she wouldn’t embarrass her in front of everypony else.

“Derpy… Those aren’t letters, and Mayor Mare is about to present you your award.”

“A-Award?”

“Don’t you remember? It’s the ‘Prized Pony of Ponyville’ award. You’ve earned it after saving us from that stampede.”

Derpy Hooves blinked blearily. She looked really tired. Twilight pushed her on stage and watched from the crowd. Mayor Mare didn’t seem bothered by the interruption.

“Derpy Hooves, we would all like to thank you for saving our town, Ponyville. This is yours.” The mayor hoofed the trophy over to Derpy. The gray pegasus glanced between her hoof-full of letters and the trophy. She leaned over towards the award and took it gently in her mouth. It was easy to see she was trying to smile and say ‘thank you.’

Some ponies gave her strange looks, while others cheered. “Go, Derpy! Speech, speech, speech!”

The pegasus’ ear flicked, and she spoke. Tried to speak. “Mmf ar nngh,” She tried, “Erp oof oves hist own.”

Twilight could sense the awkwardness like a thick veil. Derpy seemed too tired to even care. Mayor Mare, however, knew when to take charge of a bad situation.

“Let’s all give one last applause for our Derpy Hooves!” Everypony stomped the ground in approval. The gray mare smiled wider, almost dropping her trophy in the process. Balanced on her two back legs, she walked down the steps as carefully as she could. Twilight moved to help her, but Derpy was already gone. The unicorn’s brow furrowed; now she was worried.

Derpy yawned as she flew back to the post office to get more mail. She was sure she was getting somewhere with all these letters…

Upon entering the building, she found even more letters than she’d seen at the beginning. Her mouth dropped, and her boss Crafty Crate gave her an understanding look.

“Just got another shipment of letters.”

Derpy gave him a small smile, though she’d barely heard what he said. Her vision was a little blurry, but she managed to gather a hoof-full of letters.

She prepped her wings for flight.

“What happened to your bag?” Crafty Crate questioned, noticing the fact she was still holding all those envelopes.

“What happened to my flag? I don’t have a flag, sir.” Derpy’s nose wrinkled in excitement, “But a flag would be nice to have.”

“No, no… Are you okay?”

“Am I going air-way? Sure am, be back for more later, Crafty Crate.” Derpy spoke louder than necessary, and after another yawn she took off. The older stallion didn’t get a chance to stop her.

Derpy bumped into the door, dropping a few letters. But she didn’t stop to collect them; she kept going out. The pegasus looked at the one on top of her stack and tried to read the curly hoofwriting.

“T…Twilight…Spark? Oh! From the Princess!” She blinked a few times. “Sending it through the mail? That’s kinda really weird.”

Derpy slowly made her way to the library, dropping letters here and there. She didn’t notice, though. As soon as she made it there, she pushed the letter inside the mailbox.

“Derpy! I was just about to go looking for you!” The gray pony jumped and more envelopes fluttered to the ground. The pegasus was quick to gather them up, squinting towards the pony who had addressed her.

“Twilight Spark? What did you say?”

“Are you okay? You don’t look very good…” The blurry Twilight Sparkle leaned down towards Derpy. “I think you’re overworked.”

“Yes, I’m going air-way soon. I don’t think that makes sense, but why does everypony ask me? And I’m not shirking work! …What does ‘shirk’ mean?”

The unicorn only stared. “That further backs my hypothesis. I’m worried about you, Derpy.”

“I want to stay Twilight Spark, but I have to keep working, I’ve got a lotta letters I gotta deliv…deliv…” The pegasus’ eyes closed and she slumped over.

“Derpy…? Derpy!” Twilight shook her friend awake. The snoozing pony jerked and blinked rapidly.

“Why are there so many letters?”

“Everypony’s getting sick, and Mr. Crafty Crate wanted me to…to work a little harder while they’re gone. I should get back to work now.”

“Do you want some help? I could—“”That’s okay. I got it.”

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea…”

Derpy shrugged her off and walked away to deliver her next letter. This one was addressed to Spitfire, too. The mailmare groaned audibly and opened up her wings. The pegasus had barely found where she lived last time, and wasn’t looking forward to flying up so high again. The Wonderbolt had her home custom-made in Cloudsdale out of the very best clouds, and kept it way above Ponyville so no fans would be able to find her. She even got to name the ‘road’ what she wanted to. Obviously, she’d made the address public, but nopony knew where it was.

Bon Bon waited patiently in her shop. Derpy was supposed to arrive twenty minutes ago, but it was worth it. If she could recreate her very own patented Burning Baby Blue Bonbon that’d only been successfully made once, she’d die a very happy pony.

In the distance, she saw Derpy trotting towards her place. The pony bumped into several other strangers, and tripped over her own hooves. Bon Bon didn’t really notice—she was too excited to make her famous candy.

The pegasus stopped in front of the earth pony. Bon Bon giddily pulled her inside where all the materials were already strewn out over her counter top. She spoke with seriousness.

“Derpy Hooves—this recipe is not to leave this shop, okay? If anypony learns of how it’s made…” The gray pony nodded gruffly, and that was enough. Bon Bon’s expression lightened into a smile.

“Okay. Well, we’re going to have to do our very best to make sure this goes according to plan. I have yet to have it come out just right. It’s a very delicate procedure—are you ready?”

“Y-Yeah.” Derpy was trying her best to listen, despite the fact she kept drifting off. She should’ve been working, but her friends came first. Crafty Crate didn’t know that she wasn’t delivering letters at that moment.

“First off—I’d like you to temper the chocolate molding. No, I repeat, no water on it, okay? None! You just have to mix it completely, put it into this pan with bonbon shapes on it, and let it dry, okay? Okay?!” Derpy nodded briskly. “Good. I’ll work on the filling and try to get it to its full spicy potential.”

Bon Bon moved over to her station and looked over her shoulder. “If you need any help, just ask, got it?”

The pegasus stared at the big bowl in front of her. What went in chocolate, again? The only sweets she knew about were muffins—yum. She took a moment to fantasize about them. What was she doing again…? Right—making chocolate. Just how…?

Derpy found a bunch of chocolate looking cookies in the corner of the kitchen. She glanced back at her friend before tasting one. Definitely tasted like it. She threw all of them into a blender and turned it on. Bon Bon seemed too concentrated on her own work to notice the loud noise.

Derpy turned the blender off and stared at the new concoction. It was dust—wait, didn’t Bon Bon say to add lots of water?

The pegasus grabbed a huge glass of water and poured it in, stirring it up. Now that looked like milk chocolate!

The gray mare noticed the pan Bon Bon had pointed out earlier and pulled it towards her. It was silver with twelve circular indents in it. Derpy shrugged and tilted the blender for all of the mixture to pour out onto it. She found a butcher knife and smoothed it all out. It still looks wet. Derpy thought, Should I put it in the microwave?

The pegasus lifted the pan that was entirely covered with chocolate and shoved it into the small microwave. At first it didn’t fit, so she had to slam the door shut. She set the microwave on five minutes and ate a couple muffins while she was waiting. (She’d brought a couple just in case for situations just like this!) Meanwhile, Bon Bon was sweating as she added a trace amount of hot sauce.

Just before the microwave dinged, Derpy pulled it out and hurriedly set it on the counter. It was really hot, and her tongue was burnt. It looked okay, though. The pegasus glanced at her friend, who happened to look over at the same exact time.
Bon Bon looked at the strange chocolate, and nodded approvingly.

“That looks different, but good. Record time, too. Next you want to hollow it out for the filling.” She turned back to her work.

Derpy took the butcher knife in her mouth again. She frowned and turned her head sideways. The chocolate mixture was really hard, but she managed to cut small holes in each piece.

“I think I’ve got it…” Bon Bon whispered, eyeing her own liquidy substance. She spoke more towards her friend this time, “Are you done, Derpy?”

“Derpy’s done.” The gray pony said in third-person. Bon Bon had a smile as she walked over with the filling between her hooves.

“Looks pretty good, Derpy! Have you done this before?”

“What was that?”

“Have you done this before?” The candy mare repeated slower.

Derpy shook her head, and Bon Bon shrugged. She pulled out a measuring cup and poured the filling into it slowly. She did that for each candy, and was able to get it inside of each one.

“Finished!” The two ponies looked at the creations.

“Time to see what these bad boys taste like.” Bon Bon popped one into her mouth, and she chewed leisurely. The beige pony swallowed and her face turned red. She raced over to the sink and drank water from the faucet. Derpy watched with concern.

Bon Bon looked back with a small smile. “I don’t know what you put in that… but it certainly didn’t taste like a Burning Baby Blue Bonbon! It was something else entirely…spicy, yeah, and…cookie-like?” She shrugged, “Thanks for trying, though.”

“Why’s Bon Bon and…everypony else breathing fire?” Twilight questioned, staring out her library window. “Isn’t that what you do, Spike?”

The dragon jumped up, trying to catch a view of his love. “I don’t know… Here’s hoping she wanted to find something in common with me!”

The unicorn shook her head, but said nothing on the subject. “Speaking of oddities,” she began, “I don’t think Derpy has slept at all for the past three days. Wait, wasn’t she going to help Bon Bon with her spicy candy, or something? Maybe she had something to do with this… What do you think, Spike…Spike?”

Twilight looked around. The library door closed shut the next second, and she realized he was on his way to go see Bon Bon. She let out a sigh, glancing out the window. She saw her assistant racing towards the beige mare.

“I think I’ll go check on Derpy.”

Derpy Hooves shoved a letter into a mailbox, took it out, and put it back in. She did the process several more times before realizing what she’d been doing. She tripped over one of her hooves and fell over, dropping the last piece of mail she had with her. She gathered the package back up and made her way to the next pony’s house.

Twilight followed her. “Derpy! Take a nap! Celestia knows you need it.”

“I dun’t…dun’t need help.” She slouched when putting the package on the house’s doorstep. “I can do it…all muhself.”

Twilight shook her head, “No, you can’t!”

Derpy became adamant when she glared at her friend. “Of course I can! I…I have to go. To do something or… something for…uh, Lyra. Yeah, Lyra.” The pegasus’ eyes rolled around. “She wanted me to…to help her with jokes or…somethin’.”

Derpy didn’t give the unicorn a chance to speak before she took off flying. That was the last package she had in that round, so she figured she’d have a couple minutes to help Lyra out.

Her house was pretty close to town hall. It was a small home, but it suited a mare living alone. Derpy knew that Lyra had Bon Bon help decorate the inside, and it did look inviting. Lyra was obviously waiting for her, because the minute the pegasus knocked she was already inside.

“Thanks for coming,” Lyra sniffled, “I hope I don’t get you sick, though.”

“No, dun’t worry about it.” Derpy swayed from side to side from fatigue. The unicorn got her to sit on the loveseat, and sat next to her.

“This is important to me—I’d like you to help perfect my jokes. They need to be…be…” Lyra sneezed. She wiped her nose off before continuing, “Sorry…Ugh, I hate getting sick! A-Anyway, they need to be funny. Alright?”

Derpy tried to listen; she honestly did, but didn’t really hear properly. She stared blankly at the unicorn, who took it as understanding.

“Here’s the first one—when do vamponies like racing?” Derpy didn’t show any sort of acknowledgement of the joke, so Lyra continued.

“When it’s neck and neck!” She began to laugh, but ended up in a coughing fit. The pegasus’ eyes wouldn’t stay open, and she ended up falling asleep. When Lyra opened her eyes again, she tapped a hoof onto her muzzle understandingly.

“Too boring? I get it—I put you to sleep with that one. Alright, good. You get how this is going to work, so you can wake up now.” She shook Derpy awake. The pegasus lifted her head back up and blinked blearily.

“I’ll try to liven the jokes up a little. What’s a pony’s favorite game?” Lyra could barely contain her excitement. Derpy shook her head.

“Don’t know? It’s stable tennis! Eh? Eh?”

“S…Stable?”

“You know, that’s the term for where we sleep. And it’s a pun for…never mind. Didn’t understand the joke, so it’s not funny. Thanks.” Lyra sniffled as she thought.

“Okay, here’s my icebreaker! Why can’t ponies dance?” The pegasus looked around.

“We…We can dance.”

“Just answer the question!”

“Um…I dunno…”

“Because we have two left feet! Ahaha!” Lyra giggled, but Derpy remained stoic.

“I think your jokes would be funniest if you didn’t laugh too.”

“Hm…I see. Thanks for the pointer. I got this.” Lyra took a deep breath, trying not to smile. “You’re great at this! I’m sure I’ll be a first-rate comedian with your help.”

Derpy was doubtful anything could help her.

Derpy snored. She was laying on the floor right beside a mailbox. She hadn’t been asleep very long before Twilight shook her awake.

“Derpy, you shouldn’t sleep outside… I’m really worried now. You’re still delivering these letters?”

The pegasus barely registered what she said and nodded.

“I think I should help you… Lyra came to my house a couple minutes ago with her ‘killer’ jokes that you taught her, telling me that I was sure to laugh at them. She thinks she’s hilarious right now.” Twilight shuddered. “Corny. Anyway, you’re getting worse. It’s been what—four days? You need help.”

“No, I… I’m fine. Perfectly. And… Perfectly. B-Besides, October—“”Octavia,” Twilight corrected with a sigh.

“Yeah, Octavia needs my help with her music. It’s none of your business. I dun want to be mean, but I don’t need nopony’s help. This…is nothing…”

Twilight groaned when Derpy flew away. The pegasus fell to Equestria a few times, but she managed to make it out unscathed.

“Why does she have to be so stubborn?”

“My, my, are you alright, Derpy Hooves?” Octavia questioned. The musical pony decided the park would be the best place to write a piece, and the pegasus had literally dropped out of the sky right in front of her.

It took the earth pony a minute to realize that she was asleep. Gently, she patted Derpy’s back. The wall-eyed pony didn’t wake up, so Octavia let up. She stood on her back hooves with practiced balance and pulled out her cello. She would play until Derpy woke up by herself.

Which, it turned out, only took two minutes. The bubbly mare jerked awake, as if from a bad dream, and jumped up.

“O-Oh, Octavia. I…I…sorry for falling, and falling asleep.” Octavia raised an eyebrow at this, but didn’t question her.

“It’s quite alright, Derpy Hooves. Are you ready to write music?” The pegasus stared at the earth pony for a long minute.

“How do you…do you stand like that for so long?”

“Can’t you? I recall you doing the same to save Ponyville not too long ago.”

“B…But that was for a second. I lost my balance a second later. You do it…long time.” She skipped a few words, but in her exhaustion she didn’t care.

“It takes a little practice, I admit. But being an earth pony and musician, I must be able to use my forehooves.” Derpy didn’t say anything, so Octavia changed the subject.

“Anyway, Derpy Hooves—“”Just Derpy…Derpy’s fine.”

The musician didn’t object. “Derpy, how would you like to help me perfect this piece? I have the music written out, and the title of the song is ‘Love and Loneliness.’ It’s meant to be a meaningful song with a more depressing look on love. That’s how I feel when I play it, anyway.” Her eyes turned downcast. “Regardless, I’d like to have your opinion on it.”

Derpy nodded mutely, and Octavia held the bow gently. She closed her eyes and began to play. Despite being super duper tired, the pegasus kept herself awake. The notes of the song were drawn out and low, giving it the feel of a sad love. Even though she’d only experienced love once in her life, Derpy felt as if she was a part of the piece. Just like everything else she’d heard Octavia play, it was beautiful. There was a reason her cutie mark was of a treble cleft.

The earth pony finished the melody with a bittersweet end. It left more to be desired, but was still satisfying. Derpy felt a little bit more awake. A little.

“What did you think?” Even her voice sounded more musical after the tune. However, Derpy wasn’t very good with words, especially when she was so sleep-depraved.

“It was great, sad, and made me think of somepony else. Maybe you could make it…longer…” Her eyes started to droop again.

Octavia brandished her cello. “Perhaps. What would the next part be about—love or loneliness?”

“I think…” Derpy yawned again. “It should be about…love. If it ended on a happy note, it would be happy and sad at the same time, making ponies want to hear it again. Or something… Like bubbles and muffins.”

“L…Let me show you.” Derpy got up on two legs. Octavia gave her an incredulous look.

“I don’t think that’d be a good idea, Miss Derpy.”

“Jus’ Derpy, and... is okay.” She took the cello from the musician and began playing. With her hoof.

“N-No,” Octavia was quick to correct her, “You must play with this.” She held the bow in her hoof, trying to give it to the amateur.

“I dun’t need it.”

“I insist.”

“I’m fine.”

“Miss Hooves, the cello is a very delicate instrument. It requires the utmost care, and hoof-playing is unheard of. It could damage the strings…”

“It’ll be al…right…” Derpy was nodding off. Octavia was able to get her instrument safely away from harm and in its case before the pegasus was aware of her surroundings.

“Thank you for the help, Derpy. I’ll see you again sometime.”

“Derpy! You haven’t just been causing yourself problems with this, but now you’ve affected everypony!” Twilight shouted to be heard by the exhausted pony. “Everypony is still under the weather from those candies you made, you almost ruined Octavia’s instrument, and you’ve got Lyra running around town getting everypony sick, not just with a cold, but with her jokes! You need help, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”

The pegasus put an envelope into Cloud Kicker’s mailbox before walking back to the post office, which was right next door. Twilight followed her, still lecturing her. Derpy had zoned out a while ago.

She went inside and saw absolutely no mail, and no Crafty Crate. Derpy blinked a few times before looking back at the unicorn with a victorious smile.

“I TOLD YOU! I needed no help, I said so and I got all the letters delivered—I told you, I told you! All by myself!” Derpy jumped up and down, accidentally slipping and falling on the ground at some point.

Twilight had an apologetic look on her face. “Erm, Derpy…”

“I knew it wouldn’t take too very long! I did it!”

“Derpy…”

“Told you, Twilight Spark!”

“…Your boss is at the door.”

The pegasus opened her eyes and looked back at the entrance. She saw Crafty Crate and… a huge shipment of envelopes. Derpy fainted.

When Derpy awoke again, she saw Twilight staring down at her with concern written on her features. She was still in the mail room.

“Derpy? Are you awake?”

The pegasus only blinked up at her, and she continued.

“I understand that you wanted to get all of this done by yourself, but we’re your friends, and we can tell that you need help. If you could just step aside and not be stubborn, we could get somewhere, and you wouldn’t have to be so stressed out.”

Derpy’s expression showed remorse. “O-Okay…I understand, Twilight Spark…I do need help.”

“As I was saying, don’t be st—you said yes?” Twilight blinked at the pegasus. Obviously, she expected Derpy to remain adamant.

“Yeah… I…I do need help with this—it’s a lot and too much for somepony like me to do alone. Please won’t you help me? I don’t want to be selfish and ask, and I’m sorry…”

Twilight chuckled before smiling at Crafty Crate, clearly thinking ‘Job well done.’ He grinned back.

All of Twilight’s friends were helping Derpy deliver the mail. She was part of the organizing team, with Crafty Crate, while everypony else got the letters and packages where they needed to go. While she got the addresses down and their areas, she also got Spike to write a letter to Princess Celestia.

“Dear Princess Celestia. My friend, Derpy Hooves, is one of the best friends anypony could have. She’s always there to help, but is hesitant to ask for it herself. While friendship is about the giving of ourselves to our friends, it’s also about accepting what our friends have to offer. Derpy's learned that the hard way this past week while trying to deliver all of Ponyville's mail by herself. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”

Derpy had gotten some sleep since the other day, and she was refreshed. The pegasus held out a tray of muffins with a smile.

“Muffins, anypony?”

Spitfire was there in no time, already eating one. “Thanks, Derps.”

The rest of her friends followed suite, thanking her their one way. Spike whined.

“Can’t we eat the Burning Baby Blue Bonbons? They’re really good!” The dragon munched on one, immediately belching flames for no reason. Bon Bon stuck her tongue out at the thought.

“No way, those aren’t even Burning Baby Blue Bonbons! They’re…hm…Fiery Flying Fuchsia Derps.”

“That…makes no sense.”

“I couldn’t think of something that started with ‘f’ for the last part!”

“What’s with you and alliteration, anyway?”

“I-I don’t know!”

Derpy giggled and hugged all of her friends. “You guys are the best friends anypony like me could ask for.”

Spitfire blinked, just remembering something.

“I heard you had a foal?”

Author's Note

Spicy candy. I went there. I had to look up how to make bonbons to make sure I got Derpy doing it wrong. Learned something! Heh, anyway, I wasn't sure which pony to use for this chapter. It took extra planning, and I have the next couple of starring roles picked out. Can any of you guess who I'll be using for 'Griffon the Brush Off'? I would've gotten this out sooner, but you know, holidays. Hope you liked it, regardless!

Edit: Oh, and I made a new cover art! What do you think? :)

DJ P0N-3 the Wubmaster

Octavia loved this song. It was very meaningful, and nopony else had ever heard the melody. Well, Twilight had accidentally happened upon her playing it, but that hardly counted. Besides, she’d only heard a couple of measures.

But this song… It was passed down to her just before her teacher’s untimely death. Octavia made sure to play it before every concert and when she had a chance. He was a great stallion that really knew what he was talking about.

The earth pony pushed thoughts of her mentor to the back of her mind and simply played her emotions out on the violin. It too, was given to her by the same stallion, and usually only played it to give tribute to him with this song. At any other point in time, she’d simply play the cello.

“Hey, Octavia!” The gray pony immediately stopped her playing and frowned. Lyra was here. She was a good pony and fun to be around, but not for long periods of time. Octavia always found herself annoyed at the unicorn, but managed to keep any sore feelings inside. She didn’t want to hurt the mare’s feelings, even if Lyra was going overboard with her obsession.

“Hello, Lyra,” she spoke simply, “What are you doing here?” She glanced over at her surroundings meaningfully. She’d picked the park for a reason—so nopony would be able to listen.

“I saw you, so of course I came over!” Lyra smiled, “You’re gonna play more, right?”

Octavia felt the corner of her lips dip down slightly. “I’m afraid not. I...have a previous engagement that I must attend to.” The musician gently put her violin in its case.

“Really? Well, I won’t hold you back, then!” Lyra took a step away with a smile, “But where is it?”

Octavia had gotten away in record time. She wasn’t able to think of anything to answer Lyra’s question, and could only make out a hasty apology. However, the unicorn was looking for her.

“Hey, Bon Bon! Do you know where Octy is?” Lyra asked with a giggle, “She kinda just bailed on me. I don’t know where she went!”

Bon Bon, that traitorously honest mare, glanced over towards Town Hall. “Didn’t she just trot over to Town Hall? I’m pretty sure I saw her go around it.”

“Thanks, Bon Bon! You’re the best!” Lyra smiled before following after Octavia. The gray pony didn’t get a chance to escape.

“Hey, Octavia! So, is that engagement of yours here in Town Hall? Getting married in the center of town would make sense!”

“N-No, I’m not getting married…” Octavia blushed slightly at the ridiculous thought.

“You lied? Well, that’s not very nice!” Lyra tapped her hoof on the ground.

“It isn’t a lie—an engagement doesn’t have to be marriage. It can also be an appointment or meeting…” Octavia explained, still slightly flustered.

“So you actually had something you needed to do?” Lyra asked with a straight face. The other mare hesitated, and that was enough for the turquoise unicorn. “Good! ‘Cause I actually needed you for something, if you don’t mind!”

Octavia didn’t have a choice in the matter.

The gray mare didn’t think Lyra had this side to her. The unicorn had taken her to an orphanage. It may have been naïve, but Octavia didn’t think Ponyville would have one. Well, it was hidden away in the corner of town, but still.

The little foals were coloring at the moment, but seemed to be having fun. They hadn’t noticed the two mares intruding in their small little home. It really tugged on the gray pony’s heartstrings.

“You see, Octavia,” Lyra smiled towards her, “when I told all these foals that you were my friend, they really wanted to hear you play! As soon as I found out that there was an orphanage in Ponyville, I just had to come. You know? I’ve visited them every couple of days for a year now! They really are great kids. Do you think you could play for them? It would definitely make their day!”

Octavia really wasn’t expecting this. The fact that Lyra came to an orphanage to help little foals on a regular basis gave her a new respect for the unicorn. “Yes, of course I will.”

Lyra’s smile widened even more. “Oh, cool! Hey, everypony! Octavia’s here to play for you all, like I promised! Gather around!”

All the little foals, minus one, rushed over giddily. The filly remained by the table, entirely focused on her drawing. Octavia recalled that she was sitting alone beforehoof.

“Lemon Daze, c’mere!” Lyra said with a grin, “Octavia’s gonna play for everypony!”

The so-called ‘Lemon Daze’ looked up from her picture at last. She stared at Octavia for a minute before breaking out into a huge smile.

“The Octavia? Your musician friend?” The filly babbled quickly. She stuffed her drawing into a saddlebag and hurriedly trotted over. Her coat was a sleek white that contrasted well with her blue eyes and yellow mane. As she got closer, Octavia could see two beamed eighth notes on the filly’s blue saddlebag.

She stayed near the back of the crowd, however. The other foals didn't seem to be particularly nice to the filly, but they weren't mean, either. Mostly, they just ignored her. That too, was a harsh blow to the older mare.

"Are you ready, Octy?" Lyra turned towards the musician. When around the orphans, she seemed a lot more mature. Octavia undid the clasps of her violin's case and pulled it out. Normally she would've preferred the cello, especially for audience performances, but she didn't have a choice this time. Besides, her special talent was broad enough to include all instruments if she practiced enough.

Octavia checked if the violin was ready by playing the simple "A" string, and deemed it out of pitch. She twisted the fine-tuners at the tail of the instrument a few clicks clockwise before trying again. It was perfect this time. She looked back up at her silenced audience before getting settled for playing.

"This piece is titled, 'Summer,' first composed by Antonio Vivaldi." Octavia drew the bow across the strings slowly at first, but the song called for a fast pace. She lost herself in the music and let it engulf her thoughts entirely. She heard the foals' awed gasps at certain points, but she didn't pay much attention to them. The gray pony didn't need a copy of the composition--a classic such as this should be memorized.

The song reached its peak and neared its end. Octavia played it perfectly, as she'd done plenty of times before. However, this performance seemed much more meaningful. As she hit the last note, she let it draw out, unlike the rest of the jerky, fast-paced ones. When she finished and opened her eyes, all the foals (and Lyra), were staring at her wide-eyed.

One filly in particular, Lemon Daze, clapped her hooves excitedly. "That was great!" Everypony followed her example and began stomping the ground in approval. Octavia automatically liked the little filly, smiling at her.

She played as many solos for the violin as she could remember, and even took requests from the foals. She didn't know how long she'd been playing until some of the younger ones were yawning.

Lyra stopped Octavia with a grin. "Looks like it's getting kinda late. How about we let them sleep?" The colts were quick to protest. However, what seemed to be their caretaker, swooped in from the crowd.

"Yes, they probably should be getting some sleep..." The pink mare turned towards Octavia, "Thank you so much for coming. It means a lot to them, and it gave me the chance to relax. Taking care of so many foals can get a little hectic, I'm sure you understand. Once again, thank you!"

The young earth pony turned towards the orphans, "Say goodbye to Lyra and her friend, and then off to bed!" Some of them grumbled in response, obviously upset to have to leave. They still complied, though.

"Goodbye, Lyra and Octavia..." The main herd made their way to what seemed to be their bedrooms. Lemon Daze waited before dashing up to Octavia with a smile.

"You'll come back, right? Please, Miss Octavia?" The small foal begged. The display was entirely too cute for Octavia's taste.

"Of course I will. Have a good night, Lemon Daze." The white pony's grin was so large it looked like it hurt. She hugged the gray mare tightly.

"Oh, thank you! I hope you have a good night too, Octavia! I mean, Miss Octavia... You're so cool! Bye!" The filly giggled before rushing to the same room all the others had taken, not tired at all. Octavia just noticed that Lemon Daze didn't have a cutie mark.

The pink pony blinked before addressing Octavia. "Lemon Daze seems to have taken a shine to you. I've never seen her so happy, and never have I seen her speak so much in one day!" Upon seeing the gray pony's skeptical look, she elaborated, "You see, the other foals don't usually let her play in their games, so she's secluded herself. That saddlebag of hers was given to her just before her mother's death. Lemon Daze's parents were always travelling, playing music in different cities, so she didn't see them very much. It all happened so fast that night... I shouldn't say so much about her past..."

The musician felt a pang in her chest, but decided to change the subject. "Does she go to school?"

The caretaker seemed relieved to not have to talk about something so dreadful. "Oh, yeah! Ms. Cheerilee's class, actually."

Lyra smiled, entering the conversation. "It's a great class, Octy! Derpy's filly, Dinky, is in it too!"

The three mares smiled at each other, falling into a mutual silence. Octavia took this as her cue to leave. She threw the violin case's strap over her shoulder and gave the newly met pony a hoofshake. "It was lovely to meet you, and I'd like to come again. Would that be alright?"

"Oh, yes!" She babbled, "Anytime. The foals absolutely loved your playing, and any help I can get around here is appreciated. Have a good night, girls!"

"Thanks for letting us come by, Berry Punch! What you do for all these foals is incredible." Lyra mentioned slyly.

"Well, I'm just a volunteer, but thanks!" Berry Punch smiled as she led the other two towards the door. "Be safe on the way home, and come back when you can!"

The young mare promptly closed the door. Octavia adjusted the strap before beginning her walk. Lyra prodded her with a forehoof.

"What did you think?"

"...It was very unexpected, but I liked playing for them. How often do you see the foals?" Octavia questioned as they fell in step with each other.

"Every couple of days. You see, they help me with my jokes, too. They love them and think they're sooo funny. Probably where I got the inspiration!" Lyra laughed quietly. It was already dark out, so it was only natural to keep your voice down.

"We should go together." Octavia said suddenly. Lyra's smile brightened.

"I knew you'd come through!"

Everyday, Lyra would meet Octavia in the park and they'd make their way to Ponyville's Orphanage for the Less Fortunate. She'd alternate between bringing her cello and her violin, and sometimes she'd rent out other instruments for the foals. Octavia grew to adore the little ones, and felt herself become closer friends with Lyra. It was something new they had in common--the love to help others. Lyra Heartstrings seemed to have many layers in her personality, and after this discovery, Octavia wanted to know what else she may be hiding from everypony else. And, most of all, did Bon Bon know about Lyra's daily ventures to the orphanage?

Regardless of that answer, Octavia was enjoying herself very much. Unlike back in Canterlot, she looked forward to each performance, despite the lack of bits in return. Once, Berry Punch had offered money, but Octavia wouldn't take it. She had enough to pay for rent at the moment, anyway. And if she needed any, she could do a quick performance on the curb. Her apartment was very cheap for a single pony.

However, she wasn't expecting anypony to visit. Least of all, her.

"...Vinyl?" The DJ pony whirled around with her suitcase in hoof. The unicorn mare had an electrifying blue mane and tail, along with her white coat and, from memory, Octavia knew her eyes were ruby-colored. Usually, she'd cover them up with large goggle-like glasses, though.

"Hey, Octavia! It's been awhile!" Vinyl Scratch pushed her glasses up with a smirk.

"How did you...?" The gray mare began quietly.

"Wellll, it's a long story! I was just mindin' my own business back in Canterlot, doing my thing as the infamous DJ P0N-3, when I figured out my buddy Octy wasn't in town. I remembered how you had to do a gig here in Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration, and when you didn't come back for so long, I just had to come check up on you!"

The DJ sauntered over to the earth pony and threw a hoof over her shoulder casually. "So what's been goin' on?"

Octavia wasn't sure what to say, exactly. Vinyl had been her first real friend, but their friendship had lots of ups and downs. Back in Canterlot, they'd been roommates (how that ever happened, Octavia would never know) and occasionally helped each other with their music. However, those moments were far and very in between.

So, Octavia told her everything.

Lyra had waited a whole fifteen minutes at the park. When Octavia never came, she made her way to the musician's apartment. The unicorn was glad to have somepony go to the orphanage everyday with her, if only for a few minutes. It really could make a pony feel important, and Lyra cared deeply for those little foals. Lyra couldn't wait to see Octavia again!

What she wasn't expecting, however, was some DJ pony to be standing outside the doorstep talking with her.

"Hey, Octavia! Who's your friend?" Lyra trotted up next to them with a smile. If she was a new pony, maybe she could be her friend!

"This is Vinyl Scratch, my friend from Canterlot. Vinyl, this is Lyra Heartstrings." Octavia hesitantly introduced the two mares. The smooth looking unicorn thrust out a hoof with a crooked smile.

"Nice to meet you, Lyra! You can call me Vinyl, DJ P0N-3, or sexy if you want!" Her teasing tone wasn't lost on Lyra. She automatically didn't like her.

"Vinyl..." Octavia began her reprimand, but Lyra was quick to interrupt.

"Well, hello Vinyl! The name's Lyra Heartstrings, but my friends call me perfect!" The white-coated unicorn let out a snort. The turquoise mare's dislike for her only grew.

"Haha, you're good, Little Miss Perfect! I like you already." The DJ turned back to the earth pony, "But yeah, Octy, you'll be comin' back to Canterlot soon, right? Lots of your old clients have been asking me about you."

Lyra could sense Octavia's anxiety. "I've decided to stay here."

"Woah!" Vinyl took her goggles off entirely and gave the earth pony a skeptical look. "Are you serious? I've had a couple of gigs here in Ponyville, and it's not really your kinda place, Octy. Music-wise, it's more of like, Fiddlesticks' kind of thing. Country and stuff."

"It's a nice town!" Lyra had a smile, "The ponies here might be a little 'close-minded' when it comes to some stuff, but we love to make friends and have fun."

"Riiight," Vinyl looked back at the other unicorn, "So, Little Miss Perfect, you ever been to Canterlot?"

Lyra felt annoyed immediately, but managed to keep her cool. "Yeah, I actually have."

The DJ changed moods entirely, as if she were switching up the music. "It's an awesome city, right? Other than all the snobby nobles, anyway! If you find the right place to do a gig, you can meet some pretty cool ponies hangin' around. Did I tell you I'm a DJ?"

The turquoise mare only smiled before returning her attention to her friend. "Octavia, we're a little late in getting to our engagement, as you would've said it, so we should get going! Vinyl Scratch, it was nice meeting you, but me and Octy gotta go do some very important stuff right now. See you later!"

Lyra was already dragging Octavia away when Vinyl stopped her. "Hey, hey, what's the big hurry? Actually, I was hoping I could hang out with her while I'm here. You know, to catch up and stuff. Could you call a rain check for me?"

"Well... Okay. I'll come back tomorrow though, alright? I'm sure the foals will be fine for a day." Lyra said halfheartedly. Octavia nodded.

"Yes, it'd be best for me to speak with Vinyl today. Sorry, Lyra. We can surely reschedule, right?"

Lyra agreed, and slowly walked away from the two ponies. After a few steps, she glanced back and saw how close they seemed to be. After they'd started talking more, Octavia looked really happy with this DJ. What did that mean?

"I'd forgotten how much I missed you." Octavia said with a smile. After making so many new friends, she'd barely thought about the DJ.

"Aww, don't get all mushy on me, now. But for the record, I missed you a lot, too." The unicorn set her luggage down inside of Octavia's not-so-spacious apartment. "You know what, Octy? Why don't we play that song. For old time's sake!"

The earth pony stared at her rambunctious friend. "You don't mean...?"

Vinyl Scratch laughed. "Now you get it! Remember how fun it was to combine our two different types of music? Ha, I'm surprised we haven't done more with it!"

"Honestly, Vinyl, it sounded horrid! The only words I can think of to describe it is a dog's scratching on marble flooring while barking in an obnoxious manner." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"It wasn't that bad!" Octavia gave her a look. "Okay, it was a little weird, but it was awesome. Come on, let's give it another go!"

Octavia let out a sigh, and reluctantly got out her cello. Vinyl rummaged through her stuff and got out some DJ equipment. The earth pony had no idea how she was able to fit so much stuff in such a small amount of space.

"Alright, ev-er-y-po-ny! DJ P0N-3 is in the house with her back-up musician, Octavia! Get ready to hear the best tune ever!"

"Vinyl, must you say that when it's just us?"

"Yup! It's a DJ's code anytime he or she is scratching up the song. Let's do this." She flipped her glasses back down and picked a track that she'd be working with. Octavia didn't really like Vinyl's music, but she respected her for what she did. The unicorn seemed to have the same unspoken appreciation for her own music.

And, as they began trying to mix the two very different sounds... It sounded like a dog's paws trying to find purchase on a marble floor while barking obnoxiously. Yes, it was exactly how Octavia had remembered it.

However, she continued playing, even if it was giving her a headache. Doing the song with her old friend seemed to rekindle the friendship much more, and the feeling of longing increased. It went on much longer than the first time they'd played the tune.

What did finally stop them, though, was somepony throwing a rock at the window, breaking it. "Turn that awful noise off!"

Octavia blushed in embarrassment when Vinyl trotted over to the broken window with a constant smirk. "I liked it. You didn't have to go and throw a rock, did you?"

The stranger puffed out his chest arrogantly. "It was causing an earthquake and was givin' me a splitting headache! I have half a mind to call the police ponies for public disturbance."

Vinyl giggled. "That was a good joke! Splitting your head, then saying you have half a mind? That was awesome," she smiled. "Anyway dude, DJ's out the house, so if you got complaints, talk to my buddy Octy here! She lives in this apartment, by the way."

The unicorn used her magic to stop the musician from making a hasty escape and levitated her over towards the window. "She's cool and will take care of any problems you have."

The DJ then walked away from the carnage, laughing as she heard the stallion's enraged yell.

"Vinyl..." Octavia turned back to her friend, "Must you be like this?"

"Aw, come on, he was bein' rude. And look, now you have to pay for the window!" Vinyl tapped a hoof to her chin and said thoughtfully, "Although, only the best gigs end up with broken windows. Must mean we were a hit!"

Octavia would never understand Vinyl's way of thinking.

Lyra didn't understand what was so appealing about the DJ. She'd decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, though, and did the only logical thing a pony could in this situation.

She stalked them.

Well, that was a very crude way of saying it. It was more like she was following them with very noble thoughts in mind. She was worried for Octavia's safety--that was all!

But the thought that Vinyl Scratch was more important to Octavia than she was bothered her. Over the course of all the visits to the orphanage, they'd gotten pretty close. Of course, Bon Bon was Lyra's best friend, but that was something else entirely. But... Did Octavia feel this way when she saw Lyra with Bon Bon?

It'd been three days since the DJ had shown up. Each morning, Octavia would be more and more attached to the unicorn and would pay less attention to Lyra. The turquoise mare fought for more time with her, but Vinyl won every time. It was very frustrating, and it made her feel less important. Even worse, the foals at Ponyville's Orphanage for the Less Fortunate were starting to get restless. Lemon Daze wasn't speaking very much and was sad almost constantly. None of the other kids would talk to her.

And because of all that, the DJ wasn't making a very good impression on the turquoise mare. She seemed to be more trouble than she was worth. First of all, she somehow caused Octavia's window to break, and lots of ponies were complaining about her. The orphans were out of control without something to entertain them, and Berry Punch was having sleepless nights. Also, Vinyl was taking up all of Octavia's time, and the others were starting to feel neglected, too. Furthermore, Lyra had seen the DJ passively insult some of the ponies around town! Although it wasn't meant to be taken that way, (such as when she'd called Lyra 'Little Miss Perfect') it was definitely received as such. It was enough to get Lyra to take action. Or, more specifically, talk to somepony.

"Bon Bon! What do you think about that DJ?" Lyra asked as she paced in her best friend's shop. The candy mare wasn't paying very much attention, as she was currently eyeing her new creation very carefully, wondering if it needed anything else.

"She's okay." She spoke absently. Lyra gave her a look.

"But she's causing trouble for everypony around town, especially for the foals at Ponyville's Orphanage for the Less Fortunate. They really miss Octavia over there, and it's Vinyl's fault for taking up all her time!"

Bon Bon glanced at the unicorn. "Lyra, mare up! You're acting immature... Vinyl Scratch is only visiting, after all. She'll be gone soon enough, and then you'll be able to hang out with Octavia again. You know she's a good pony; she won't just forget about you."

Lyra took a few deep breaths. "But Lemon Daze asks me everyday if Octavia's going to come. I feel so bad when I have to tell her she isn't. You know how little fillies get that one look on their face!" Lyra smacked her face with a hoof.

"Lemon Daze?" Bon Bon questioned curiously.

"She's a little filly at the orphanage. Real sweet, and shy around the ponies her age. Kinda like you were when you were a filly."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but she's a bigger fan all around than you used to be." Bon Bon blushed.

"I was only a little filly then! Besides, it was one of your silly jokes that introduced me to the things I obsessed over." Lyra froze as the gears in her head started to spin.

"Wait... I got it! Thanks, Bon Bon! I know exactly how to deal with the DJ!"

It was the perfect plan. Bon Bon was totally right--Lemon Daze was a huge filly fan. All Lyra had to do was ask Berry Punch if she could take the little filly out to see Octavia, and bam! Vinyl Scratch would be out of town in a hurry, and Octavia would spend her time with Lyra.

"I can't wait to see Octavia, Lyra! I'm soo excited! It's been a really long time. How come she didn't go see us?" The foal trotted even faster than the unicorn did.

"A friend of hers came to visit. Her name is Vinyl Scratch, or DJ P0N-3. She's famous and lives in Canterlot!" She exclaimed. Lemon Daze gasped in excitement.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. And she's super close to Octavia, so they had to meet up. I wanted you to meet her, too. Her DJ music is legendary! I'm sure it'll help you with that composition of yours. Yup, I know what you work on during coloring time every day."

The filly blushed in embarrassment at being found out. "Is she really that good?"

"Probably even better than Octy is!"

"Really?"

"Really, really."

Lemon Daze beamed. "I can't wait to meet her, either! She'll be totally awesome then! Are we almost there? Are we? Are we?"

Lyra laughed. "Actually, they're right over there! Vinyl Scratch is the one with the blue mane and goggles on."

"Woah, she looks soo cool!"

"She sure is. Go on, say hi!" Lyra watched as the foal cantered up to the two ponies, tripping in her excitement. This was going better than she'd hoped!

"...Lemon Daze? What are you doing away from the orphanage?" Octavia inquired, glancing down at the giddy filly.

"Lyra took me to see you and your friend! Is it true, Octavia?" Both Octavia and Vinyl exchanged a confused look.

"Is what true?"

"That your friend is Vinyl Scratch! The legendary DJ pony from Canterlot, whose music could even rival yours?" Lemon Daze looked over towards the electric-blue maned mare with sparkles in her eyes. The DJ visibly gulped.

Lyra trotted up to them with a practiced apologetic expression. "Sorry! She kinda just ran off when she saw you. You wouldn't believe how much she missed you, Octy!"

Octavia glanced between the advancing filly and Lyra. "...I see..."

"Hi, Vinyl Scratch! My name is Lemon Daze, and you're really cool! Do you think you could be my friend?" Vinyl obviously wasn't used to a younger fan.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Whatever floats your boat, kid."

The miniature pony gasped. "You say cool stuff, too! Could you come to the orphanage tomorrow? Oh, and the next day? And the next? And the next? And the ..." She continued to rattle off the same question over and over again. Vinyl's head was spinning.

"Uh..." She looked over at Octavia for help, who shrugged. "I think I'm gonna head back to Canterlot, now! It was great seeing you Octy, and you come visit me next time!"

"And the next? And the next? And the next? And the ..."

"And don't bring this little filly, okay?"

"And the next? And the next? And the next? And the ..."

"Okay! DJ P0N-3 is out of the house!" The white unicorn cantered off, grabbed her luggage, and ran for the train station. Lemon Daze followed, echoing the same question. Lyra let out a hearty laugh.

Octavia cracked a smile, too. "Well, I guess I won't be seeing Vinyl for a while..."

"Nope! Lemon Daze'll probably scare her away."

Octavia let out a small laugh. Lyra smiled, happy to have the earth pony on her side now.

"How's about we get Lemon Daze and head back to the orphanage? I'm sure everypony wants to see you again."

"That sounds wonderful."

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today, I learned something very interesting from my two friends, Lyra and Octavia. They taught me that you shouldn't spend all of your time with just one friend, or you'll make the rest feel insignificant. It's important to treat all of your friends the same way and never give one special treatment, or else you'll end up hurting somepony's feelings.

Your Most Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

Who the hay could make Vinyl Scratch a bad pony? I certainly couldn't! I adore her as a character, and I just couldn't make her a bully like Gilda. Anyway...

Why did this take so long to get out, you may ask? I created a visual. No really, I did it myself! Lemon Daze turned out pretty good, in my opinion, for a non-artistic person. I hope you feel the same, and that maybe it added to the quality. I'm no judge, though. Tell me what you think! The point of adding her was because I wasn't sure if many of you knew who she was. And if you didn't, I hope the actual photo helped you! :)

Moving on, this chapter was a step away from the series. I definitely tried to give it more spin with originality and creativity, so let me know how I did with that. I hope it wasn't a bad idea to add an orphanage. /:

Sweet Talkers

"Come on, Twilight! You can do it!" Spike urged happily. He just knew this transformation spell was going to impress Bon Bon.

"I-I'm working on it!" Twilight muttered, concentrating on the dragon's scales. He stood proudly, looking forward to how great he was about to look. The assistant felt magic wrap around him, lifting him into the air...

And the spell was a success!

"Twilight! You did it! You did it!!!" He exclaimed, beaming at her. He glanced back at the new addition to his body.

"...Why don't...you...give them a try?" She panted from the exertion of the spell. Spike was all too happy to oblige. He flapped his newly made wings until he was airborne. It was a pretty sweet experience. The only thing wrong with them was how they were gray, and didn't match his scales at all. That didn't bother him much, though.

"Wow, Twi! This is awesome! Spitfire wasn't lying when she told me flying was this good!" He flew around excitedly chattering, "And doesn't that make twenty-five spells?"

The unicorn's cheeks colored, and she sheepishly cast her eyes downward. "Well, yeah..."

Now that her concentration had been broken, the dragon's fake wings disappeared, and he fell to the ground with a thump. "Yowtch!" He exclaimed, rubbing his bottom where he'd landed. "Give me some kind of warning before doing that!"

"Sorry, Spike... It just... happened, and it's your fault for saying something like that!" She bristled.

"Whatever... I just know Bon Bon would've loved it! You think you can cast it on me again later, Twi?" The assistant looked into Twilight's eyes pleadingly.

The unicorn giggled at the display. "We'll see."

Spike and Twilight walked casually through town. The unicorn was laughing, but the dragon didn't seem amused.

"Twi, would you stop laughing, already? It wasn't that funny!" He kicked at the ground in annoyance.

"It was funny, Spike! I didn't think you'd run into the wall like that! Maybe you aren't ready for wings just yet." She smiled at him fondly. He was still wearing a frown.

"Says the mare who freaks out when she doesn't have a schedule done a year ahead of time!"

"Hey, hey... Let's not get into that."

Spike pouted, but he couldn't hold a grudge for very long. He was already back to commenting on Twilight's magical prowess. "Anyway, you did that spell pretty easily, Twilight! You're getting good. You might be the strongest unicorn in all of Equestria!"

"No way!" A different voice exclaimed. Both Spike and Twilight jumped in surprise, turning towards the shouting somepony. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is..."

The blue unicorn's voice died down, and she stared at Twilight for a long time. The stranger had a beautiful blue coat, a silver-white mane that sparkled in the sunlight, and her cutie mark showed some sort of magic trick. The mare didn't move at all, and she was beginning to worry Twilight.

"Excuse me, but are you... okay?" She inquired gently. The blue mare continued to stare unblinkingly, until her cheeks turned bright red.

"Trixie is always okay! She's wondering who you are, though." Spike instantly disliked the mare with the way she talked like she was better than everypony else--and the third-person speaking was even worse.

"Um..." Twilight was taken aback, too. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. Who are you?"

The other unicorn was looking at the mare in a way the dragon didn't like. "I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon, here to show my magical prowess to the ponies of Ponyville! You'll... You'll show up, won't you?" Her voice grew to a normal pitch at her last request.

"...Yeah? Sure." Twilight's eyebrow rose on its own, silently questioning this strange pony. However, she was pretty dense, and didn't take the hint.

"Good! The show takes place in five minutes by Town Hall--you'd better be there!" The blue mare gave her one last look before trotting away. A bewildered Twilight remained in place, unsure of what had just happened. Spike stomped the ground in annoyance.

"Who does she think she is? Did you see the way she was looking at you and called herself 'great and powerful'? Twilight! Are you listening to me?!" He glared at his friend. The pony jumped at the sudden assault on her ears, giving Spike an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Spike. What was that?" He huffed angrily, but got over it pretty fast.

"You're not actually gonna go, are you? That mare's got trouble written all over her!"

Twilight gazed at the dragon curiously. "What do you mean? She seemed okay."

"What do I mean?" Spike repeated incredulously, "She said she was better than you, and she was talking like a lunatic! We should just go back to the library and--"

"What about Bon Bon? We were just going to meet her at Town Hall!" That shut him up. Spike crossed his little arms, thinking about the situation. He eventually gave in with a sigh.

"I guess you're right... I do want to see Bon Bon..." He mulled over the thought, "...Let's go." The assistant hopped onto Twilight's back, even going so far as to dig his heels into her side. It was quite the gesture of disrespect to ponykind.

"Spike, you're not supposed to do that! It's rude!" She turned and glared at the dragon on her back. He raised his claws apologetically.

"Sorry... Just had to give it a try..." The unicorn gave him another stern look before continuing her trot to Town Hall. It didn't take very long, and there was quite the crowd in front of a portable stage. Spike glared at the mare atop it as they blended into the group of ponies.

"Now," the showpony began in a rehearsed tone, "I will need an assistant for these tricks!" Lots of mares instantly raised their hooves in an excited manner. Twilight remained still, curious as to the magic involved.

"I choose..." Her eyes scanned the crowd, and for some ominous reason, Twilight was sure she was staring straight at her when she finally spoke again. "You!" The unicorn's horn lit up, and Twilight suddenly found herself on stage. Oh no... She immediately thought, feeling dread snake its way into her heart.

Trixie leaned towards the other mare with a devious smirk. "Just go along with me, won't you? It won't be difficult, I assure you."

Spike glowered at the stage, angry that he'd fallen to the ground on his bottom not once, but twice that day. He squeezed his way through the crowd until he was at the front. Apparently, Spitfire, Bon Bon, and Derpy were already there.

The showpony turned back towards her audience. "Prepare yourselves for the show-stopping ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie's magic, and her assistant, Twilight Sparkle."

The unicorn pulled her hat off of her head. "First, we will start off with something simple. Twilight Sparkle, see what you can find inside this hat." Trixie made sure to show the crowd that there was nothing in her cap before pointing it towards Twilight. The lavender mare really didn't want anything to do with this, but couldn't find a way out of it. With a sigh, she reached a hoof into the hat. And...

Nothing was there.

Twilight groped around, trying to find something to pull out. She never was good with illusionary magic, so she knew she couldn't fake something. However, she had been practicing transformation spells.

The unicorn smirked, and faked a gasp. Twilight pulled out her hoof--or what used to be her hoof. It now looked like a purple dragon's claw. In the crowd, Spike quickly hid his new hoof with a sheepish smile.

"What happened to my hoof?" She stared at it with fake surprise. The ponies in the audience seemed taken aback, too. They were probably expecting a bunny to be pulled out of the hat.

Trixie was grinning, too. "My, my! Allow the Great and Powerful Trixie to aid you." She put her hooves on Twilight's claw, her horn lighting up. Somehow, she knew how to reverse the spell, and the body parts went back to normal.

The ponies all stomped the ground in approval--except Twilight's friends. They didn't look too happy.

"Next, prepare to see something you've never seen before!" Trixie's horn cast a bright light that blinded everypony, and when they could see again, there were multiple Twilights. Of course, the original knew right away that it was just an illusion.

For some reason, though, Bon Bon, Spitfire, and Derpy were still glaring at Trixie. Everypony else seemed pretty content with the show. The blue mare wore another smile, spinning a fake Twilight around. The real unicorn was a little confused as to the point of this trick.

"Trixie has a question for those of you in the audience... How will this Twilight Sparkle react to a kiss?"

The real Twilight blushed immediately, not liking this at all. None of her friends did, either. Most of the crowd laughed, saying that she'd kiss her back. The unicorn wasn't sure how to feel about how they thought about her.

Trixie did not seem phased in the least. She leaned down and planted her lips on the fake unicorn's. Immediately, all of the fake ponnies disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving nothing in their places. The showpony laughed at the look on the real Twilight's face.

Most ponies in the crowd laughed, too. The show went on in a similar manner, embarrassing Twilight more than ever. The blue mare seemed to be acting entirely too friendly to her, and with a huge ego at the same time. The longer the tricks went on, the angrier Spike, Spitfire, Bon Bon, and Derpy became.

Eventually, Spike had enough when Trixie had made Twilight disappear, and reappear in her forelegs. "Grr, stop it!!!"

The dragon pulled himself on top of the stage, glaring at the showpony. Trixie frowned at him, letting Twilight go. "What is it, dragon?"

"All you've been doing is boasting about your magic and being weird around Twilight! She's stronger than you are!" Spike puffed out his chest with pride, "She can do twenty-five powerful spells in a row! There's no way you're better than she is, so you can just leave Ponyville and never come back."

Trixie gave him a look before a small smile took its place. "Oh, Trixie think she understands... You must have feelings for Twilight Sparkle."

The dragon slipped and fell on his face, blushing. "W-What?!" He stuttered, pushing himself back up to his feet. "I do NOT!"

Spitfire flew onto the stage, wearing a simple baseball cap to hide her unmistakable mane. "He's right. You ought to trot back to where you came from; your boasting was getting on my nerves."

The blue mare laughed a little too loudly. "Honestly? Trixie does have a show she needs to finish, and you are interrupting it."

Bon Bon got up on the stage, too. "If we're speaking honestly, that's my thing. Your tricks are a bit much for somepony you don't really know, aren't they?"

Trixie didn't get a chance to reply before Derpy joined in. The gray pegasus glided over next to Twilight, placing a hoof on her shoulder as she glared at the showpony. "You were making Twilight Spark really uncomfortable!"

"So you're all jealous of Trixie? My, Twilight Sparkle, you have quite the harem going on..." The unicorn didn't even know what that meant. She just wanted to disappear at this point in time. "However, all of you are nothing in comparison to the Great and Powerful Trixie, who can court anypony!"

The crowd that'd been dispersing quickly became interested, trotting back to see what was about to happen.

"In fact," she continued, "Trixie challenges all of you neigh-sayers to a competition! Whoever wins Twilight Sparkle's heart is the victor. And... if I win, she will become my permanent assistant in my travels."

Twilight's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "What?! Don't I get a say in this?!"

They ignored her. Spitfire kept her heated gaze on the showpony, the temptation to compete too much to refuse. "You're on, Trix. I'll show you just how ridiculous you look in front of the whole town--and just how great I am with dating, whether it be with a stallion or a mare."

Derpy trotted towards the blue unicorn, scowling at her. "Me too. Tricky, I'll win before you even get to the starting line."

Trixie was about to question the logic behind the statement and about how she'd called her the wrong name, but Bon Bon was already speaking.

"I've never been one to back down on a challenge, especially when it depends on my friend's life! You'll never win, Trixie." The mares glared at each other. Spike looked a little upset that Bon Bon had agreed to it, but felt stronger about Twilight's predicament.

"I know Twilight a lot better than you do, Trixie! You'll see--I know exactly what she looks for in a stallion. You won't last a second." The dragon smirked pridefully.

Trixie grinned deviously. "I suppose I'll make the first move." The showpony pulled Twilight towards her, spun her in a way similar to how she'd handled the fake one, and...

She kissed her.

Twilight was never very good with social interactions. This one, however, really took the cake. Hay, she'd never even thought of romance seriously, except for that one time with a colt she'd had a crush on in Celestia's school. Things didn't work out, and she'd forgotten all about it even existing.

Trixie's kiss, Twilight's first kiss, brought it all back. In the panicked frenzy of her mind, all she could do was teleport away to the safety of her home. It was a strange experience; one that she wasn't sure she liked or not.

And with a mare? She'd never heard of such a thing.

The unicorn couldn't even think straight, wondering how things could've gone downhill so fast. She should've listened to Spike in the first place--just go home, that mare's crazy. But all this nonsense about how friendship is magic convinced her to give Trixie a chance.

Obviously not a good idea.

Twilight trotted up the stairs and hid in her room, mulling over when the next train to Canterlot would leave. She buried herself under the blankets and pillows.

It didn't take long before she heard a knocking on her window. She ignored it, sure that it was somepony from back at the show. The pony knocked on it a little louder, and when there was no response, opened it silently. The mare came in quietly, closing the window behind her.

"I knew you'd be here, Twilight," Spitfire said, smirking, "You should've seen the look on her face when you disappeared. Hey... You okay?" The pegasus glided over towards the unicorn, who only retreated further into the sheets.

"...No..." She admitted. Spitfire let out a laugh.

"You know what else happened? Everypony was laughing at her when she fell on her face, and she cast spells on us. Look what she did to me."

Twilight pushed the covers away and sat up. What she saw immediately made her giggle.

"Yeah, I know. I was so mad--but it is kinda funny. I didn't even know she could tell I was the captain of the Wonderbolts." Spitfire's cap that she was using to hide her fiery mane was now designed with Trixie all over it. She pulled it off and tossed it to the side. "Seriously, can't believe that was the best she could come up with."

She shook her head. "Anyway, what're you gonna do about this?"

"I don't know...Pretend to like somepony, I guess..." Twilight shrugged half-heartedly, not really sure what she was planning. The pegasus smiled.

"Pick me--I'm the obvious choice. It'd make sense since we've gotten the chance to talk alone, right? 'Sides, that Trixie has trouble written all over her."

"Funny... That's exactly what Spike said about her."

"Really? You should listen to him a little more, then. That mare's got a few loose screws, if you ask me. I was talkin' with Bon Bon, Derpy, and Spike. We knew you didn't like how things turned out, so we decided to go ahead and fake our way through this. Trixie's a fake through and through, anyway. What do you think?"

Spitfire watched her closely. Twilight's brow furrowed. "I'm studying the magic of friendship, though. Wouldn't that be a contradiction?"

"What, so you want to take this thing seriously?" It was her turn to be incredulous. "You want somepony to make you fall for them just for the sake of a competition in which you wouldn't win at all? She's obviously got something planned to even try somethin' like this. Come on, Twilight Sparks."

The unicorn frowned, thinking. There really wasn't any way she could win. If she tried to call this thing off, she wasn't sure Trixie would even listen to her. Plus, if she even saw her, she'd probably go to the extremes and kiss her again. If she took this competition seriously, then she'd end up with a broken heart or even leaving her friends. The last choice... if she faked a love for somepony, the study of friendship wouldn't have any meaning. Being truthful to friends--or possible to friends--was a must.

There wasn't a logical way this time.

"...I don't know..."

Spitfire sighed. "Look, those three are distracting her right now. All you have to do is go up to her and tell her that you have feelings for somepony. That'd shut her up pretty fast. And don't worry; she won't kiss you again."

Twilight thought it over, and decided it was the best course of action. Maybe they could be friends once Trixie knew she wasn't interested. "...Okay, Spitfire. You win."

Twilight and Spitfire made haste back to Town Hall. It seemed that Ponyville had finally gotten used to its new celebrity's presence, and she didn't really need a disguise. The hat was only used because she was in a crowd of ponies, and didn't want to risk anything.

At the show, lots of things Twilight would have rather not seen were happening. Spike was glued to the ground upside down, Bon Bon had goat horns and a goatee, and Derpy's wings were suddenly three times larger than they were beforehoof. Spitfire chuckled apologetically.

"Forgot to tell you what happened to them... Sorry." Twilight shook her head, trying to get the images out of her head. She trotted straight up to the mare responsible with a determined expression.

"There's no point to this, Trixie... I'm... I'm..." She couldn't finish, but luckily, Spitfire did. The captain glided next to her and slung a hoof over her shoulder casually.

"We're already in love. Sorry, Trix, I tried to tell ya. Looks like you'll have to find somepony else."

Trixie gave her a dry look before turning her gaze onto Twilight. Several minutes passed before she spoke.

"Prove it."

"W-What?" Twilight sputtered, her head spinning. Trixie's mischievous grin only grew as she watched the two supposed lovers.

"Prove it," she repeated, "Prove that you're actually in love."

Twilight's jaw dropped, and she could sense Spitfire's uneasiness. Her wings opened and closed on their own as she glanced at the ponies still watching them. Even Twilight could see the reason that she was hesitant--her loyalty was conflicting with her need to be the perfect pony to her fans. There was no way she could make Spitfire make that kind of decision.

"...Okay, Trixie... It's not true..."

"N-No, Twilight, it is! I'll show you who's my mare, Trixie!"

And that was when Twilight's second kiss was claimed by the captain of the Wonderbolts.

Trixie hadn't been too happy, but it definitely silenced her. She'd been suspicious at first, but the kiss was definitely convincing. However, she needed to hear it from Twilight, and she knew exactly how to do it.

"Perhaps you two are in love, but Trixie must have confirmation! Twilight Sparkle, you must prove your love for this pony." Trixie's horn lit up, and a magical aura enveloped Spitfire. The pegasus wasn't comfortable with the magic, but didn't have a chance to react before she disappeared.

Although everypony was a little dazed by the recent events, Derpy was able to recover fast enough. "Hey, where did you take Spitfire, Tricky?!"

"I am the Great and Powerful Trixie, not what you dumbly pronounce as 'Tricky.' Your friend has been transported to a safe location--I assure you--but Twilight Sparkle must prove her love if she's to--"Twilight glared at the unicorn, silencing her without a word.

"Tell me where she is, or I'll get it out of you." Despite the intimidation, Trixie maintained a cool head.

"Feisty... I like that in a mare. Trixie wants to know why you don't just give up and travel with her." The unicorn was smiling in a creepy way--in Twilight's opinion.

"Trixie, I don't like you! I don't even know you! Where's Spitfire?" The lavender mare watched her calculatingly. Trixie let out a sigh.

"Fine, say what you will. And just--just have your friend back. You could so much better, Twilight Sparkle." Spitfire dropped from the sky, hitting the stage with an audible thump. "And I'll be back. Just you wait, Twilight, I'll prove to you just how much better I am than this pegasus ruffian."

The captain finally collected herself, snarling at the unicorn. "HEY! How dare you use your magic on me! You'd better get going, 'cause nopony messes with me or my friends! I don't care about how great you think you are, or even how GREAT you think your feelings are for Twilight! I DON'T CARE! I just want you out of here right NOW!!!" Spitfire's infamous rage flared just as much as her wings did. Ponies all around cheered for her--apparently she wasn't the only one annoyed with this big-talker. Even Trixie seemed intimidated.

"Trixie will not stoop to such--"

"I said now!" Even Spitfire's friends cowered at the strength in her gaze. Twilight was even tempted to label her as having Bipony Disorder.

When the unicorn showed no signs of leaving, Spitfire took a threatening step towards her. She gulped, but stood her ground.

"Trixie is no coward!"

Bon Bon snuck around the showpony, and whispered eerily into her ear. "You know, Trixie... I heard from a friend of mine that you boasted about having defeated an Ursa Major, and when only an Ursa Minor showed up... You split town. I don't know about you, but that sounds a bit cowardly to me."

Trixie's skin crawled. "That's--That's a rumor! Nothing more than mere lies!"

Derpy nodded slowly, getting the hint. "I heard it, too! You could, um, always stay here with Twilight Spark, but I think everypony in town's heard of the rumor."

Spike could barely contain his excitement at the look of horror on Trixie's face. "Eww, you mean that Trixie?"

"...Trixie does not believe any of you. The ponies of this town adore her, see?" She motioned to what remained of her crowd. "Your lies have no affect on her. Her magic is based on illusions, so it's only natural that I would be able to see through them."

Trixie had a point, but all it did was annoy Twilight further. "Trixie, I didn't want to be mean earlier, what with my study of friendship, but I think this is on the border of stalker-ship, if that even exists. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"...I see, Twilight Sparkle. You do not wish to reveal our relationship to everypony. Trixie understands, and she will be back for you when she is ready to elope with you." The lavender mare's jaw dropped.

There was a lesson here, she knew. Trixie's life was so consumed with everyday tricks and illusions, that she'd lost sight of the truth. It was very saddening, and it was then that Twilight realized that chasing her out of town was not what she should be doing.

"Trixie... I'm sorry, but I don't like you that way. We can be friends, though, and maybe you could visit. Is that... Is that okay?"

Spitfire stared at Twilight incredulously, but she paid her no mind. Trixie frowned in thought, glaring at Twilight's friends.

"Trixie thinks she understands this, too. Yes, she will return, but to Twilight only. Twilight Sparkle's friends are not ponies I approve of." The looks of anger coming off of everypony else led her to glower at them, too. "However, Trixie thinks she needs to get going. Ponyville is not a place for me, and not for you either, Twilight Sparkle. I'll be back for you."

And with that, she disappeared with a flurry of magic, her magician's hat sitting where she was once standing. Twilight blinked a couple of times, unsure of how she should feel. On one hoof, she was glad she could put all of this behind her, including the rather abrupt kiss from Spitfire, but on the other...

Would Trixie be back soon?

Author's Note

Time flies by too quickly with school... I'm sorry for the delay with this chapter, but I hope you liked it regardless! ^_^
Speaking of which, I really didn't intend for it to turn out this way. Seriously, it just kinda happened when I tried to make it different...
Oh, and Octavia and Lyra? Hangin' out at the orphanage. ;)

Bon Voyage (Or Not?)

Bon Bon sighed, resting her head on the counter in her boredom. Nopony was coming inside her shop, and even Lyra was nowhere to be seen. That was odd, as the unicorn mare was always hanging around her. The earth pony shrugged it off, sure that she'd be around soon enough.

But that did nothing to soothe her mind now. Living alone had its perks and its downsides. As of right now, with no company, she was sure this was the worst day ever. Well, she could be a drama queen sometimes, but that part of her only came out when Lyra wasn't around. The hyperactive mare usually required the utmost attention from only the most level-headed of ponies to keep her under control. Otherwise, Bon Bon could be a different pony entirely.

What was really strange, though, was that there were no customers browsing her infamous candy. It was a wonder in itself how anypony could keep away from a candy store knowing the owner's name was Bon Bon, for Pete's sake. She trotted away from the counter with a furrowed brow, moving toward the door. She was going to solve this mystery.

Her first realization upon reaching the door: the open sign was facing her, so that meant everypony else saw it as closed. Of course... Ugh, why is that when Lyra's not around I can be such a ditz? She flipped it around with an annoyed grunt, and then she noticed something else.

There was smoke in the skies around Ponyville. That caused her to switch the sign again, trot outside, and lock her store. Bon Bon glanced back at the ponies, and they seemed to be going about their day normally. Had they really not noticed the obvious smoke billowing up by the clouds?

The earth pony wasn't sure what to do about this situation, so she simply stood there while her mind worked furiously, begging somepony to notice her distress. Before meeting the others, Bon Bon would usually have ignored this, knowing that somepony else would come along and take care of it, but now that she had so many real friends... She knew she couldn't just leave this for somepony else to do. She couldn't be a bystander--or as she'd called herself a few times before--a Bonstander. Though she'd been working on it, she always fell back into being just a pony in the background--a bystander, and a follower. Almost as if... she were a one trick pony.

Bon Bon let out another sigh, thinking about who she used to be before making friends. She never knew how to handle situations like these, as all she ever knew how to do was to walk away. It's not like she wanted to, it was just the only think she'd ever known.

Just as she settled onto particularly upsetting thoughts, still remaining completely still in front of her store, somepony finally made a move.

"Everypony! Don't worry, but smoke is spreading over all of Equestria! Princess Celestia has sent me a letter informing me that it isn't coming from a fire... It's coming from a dragon." Twilight announced to the town as if to calm them.

Everypony gasped, and Bon Bon's eyes widened. A dragon?

"Twilight, what the hay is a dragon doing in Equestria?" Spitfire questioned, flapping her wings furiously. Things had been awkward recently between the captain and the scholar, as well as with everypony in town, but they seemed to just ignore the unspoken conversation as a whole. Neither Lyra nor Octavia had gotten the information from anypony, though they did try on numerous occasions to pry. Obviously, the cello player was more subtle about her attempts.

"Well..." Twilight began, flipping through a book, "According to the Princess, he's taking a nap. His snoring is what's causing all the smoke."

"That's possible?" Lyra giggled, "I just thought of an awesome joke. Bon Bon, why are you getting sent to go do something about the dragon? Because, we'll have a bonfire!" She fell over, laughing. Bon Bon didn't find it amusing in the least.

"Lyra!"

"We must try to get him to consider sleeping elsewhere, right?" Octavia questioned, focusing everypony's attention on her. She was sporting the smaller violin case, and, from experience, Bon Bon had a feeling it was full of medical supplies. For some reason, instead of bringing assurance, it only made her more nervous.

Wasn't there somepony else that could take care of this? Like, the Princess?

"Precisely. And we have to do so with--"

"With muffins?" Derpy suggested, grinning toothily with a basket of muffins in her hooves. Bon Bon wasn't sure where they'd come from. Twilight shook her head disdainfully.

"Well, no. By peaceful terms, yes, but this dragon may not appreciate your generosity, Derpy. Full-grown dragons are known for their ruthlessness and selfishness. They won't spare a single pony, especially if that pony endangers its hoard. Anyway," Twilight looked over her friends as if she were assessing them for boot camp, "Princess Celestia has assigned us the task of moving the dragon by any means possible, preferably with peace. We cannot fail, or else Equestria will be covered in smoke for at least a hundred years."

"That's a lot of time for sleep..." Derpy commented with an eyebrow raised. Lyra laughed.

"Yeah, I would say he's gotta get his beauty sleep, but dragons aren't exactly beautiful." She tried to maintain a serious expression as she cracked another joke.

"Hey!" Spike called from upstairs, offended.

"You know she's just kidding, Spike," Bon Bon called up the stairs, "You're very cute." Both Lyra and Bon Bon shared a conspiring look with each other. His silence suggested he was blushing. Though the two had been known to play a few harmless pranks, Bon Bon knew where to draw the line. She wasn't lying; Spike was a cute baby dragon. Just maybe not that kind of cute. Twilight looked over at the earth pony thankfully, before gathering everypony's attention once more.

"We need to get going within the hour... Meet me at the northern edge of town, girls, and make sure to pack light. You never know what could happen in mountainous terrain."

Slowly, everypony fanned out to their respective homes. Octavia stayed at the library with Twilight, obviously all ready; Bon Bon had been right in her guess.

The candy mare absent-mindedly packed, not even paying attention to what she put into her saddlebags from the shop. And, not long later, she was already making her way to their meeting place. She was completely zoned out as she stared off into space.

A dragon? How in the wide world of Equestria were they going to convince him to move? Bon Bon already knew that she'd be absolutely no help in that aspect. Maybe Lyra's jokes would convince him to leave the country, or Derpy's way of making you want to leave the room could make him leave. Or Octavia's beautiful music could move him so much he'd listen to her. There was always Twilight's negotiating skills, too. Spitfire could probably knock him off his high horse and back to where he belongs, if you'd ignore the pun. But what about Bon Bon? She had nothing to give. She was a small town mare that made candy. That was her talent. Like she could totally give the dragon a Burning Baby Blue Bon Bon and that would somehow convince him to leave.

Right.

Twilight, Octavia, and Spitfire had already arrived. The pegasus was impatiently flying in place. That mare was always like this when something was being threatened, and there was no reasoning with her. As great a quality as that was, her impatience could get annoying. Octavia was helping Twilight map out their route, though she mostly just watched. Not long later, Derpy and Lyra joined the crew, smiling.

"Everypony here?" Twilight questioned, though she already knew the answer. Bon Bon watched as everypony nodded in sync, and too late did she realize she'd done it too. Falling back in to the same routine...

She swallowed a sigh.

"Good. We should get going, then..." Twilight said, leading her friends out of town. Derpy flew up next to her with a look of confusion.

"What about Spike? Can't he talk to the dragon and try to get him to leave?"

The unicorn shook her head, an incredulous expression plastered on her face. "Don't you remember what I told you, Derpy? 'Dragons are ruthless.' They won't spare a single pony--or dragon--that threatens its hoard. They get extremely territorial about it, especially if another dragon shows up. I don't want to endanger him with that. Besides, I told him to make sure nopony was panicking..." The sound of ponies shrieking in fear went of behind them in the background, but Twilight shrugged it off. "He can take care of it."

Silence reigned as they trotted to the mountains in the distance. Spitfire groaned.

"Can't we go any faster?"

As the ground began to slope upward and became rockier, Bon Bon found herself slowing down. Everypony else seemed to be doing just fine on it, and she tried her best to keep up. When Lyra noticed her having trouble, she began walking slower. The unicorn whispered to her friend.

"Hey... You okay, Bon Bon?" Her voice was quiet and gentle. When you heard her speak like that to you, you knew that you were one of the ponies she truly cared about. Bon Bon had heard her use that tone many times before, back when the were little.

Spitfire was itching with impatience. "Look, I'm going to go scope it out up there..."

"No!" Twilight was quick to intervene, "You can't, Spitfire. This is a team effort. I'm sure you know how that works, seeing as how you're the captain of the Wonderbolts. Besides, we're talking about a dragon here..."

The captain sighed with resignation, regaining her cool. "I guess you're right, Twilight... I just wish I had time to get my team here." She frowned, and she didn't complain again.

The slope began to get even steeper, causing everypony to go even slower. Bon Bon lagged behind.

"I'm... fine... Lyra..." She panted to her friend in reply. Lyra said nothing, but helped Bon Bon along. She was thankful to have such a nice friend. And, if memory served, she'd had this friend for approximately 7304 days.

Bon Bon didn't necessarily think it counted as a "talent" like everypony else's secondary skills, but she had a knack for remembering things she really shouldn't. She didn't even know how she knew that number from the top of her head, but it was true. Something similar had happened when she was smaller, and that was one of the reasons she didn't like standing out. The very same day was the one she'd met Lyra, too. After what happened back then, she never did anything that'd make her stand out; instead just blending into the crowd.

...Jerks.

"You sure? I could ask Twilight to slow down a little." Lyra promised, but Bon Bon didn't want to be a burden. She shook her head, and picked up the pace even more.

"No... I can handle this, Lyra." The unicorn shrugged (or tried to) and followed closely. After what seemed like fifty miles of walking, they finally came across some different terrain. Well, a little gap in the rocks. Everypony got across just fine--until it was Bon Bon's turn. She didn't even bat an eyelash as she began to cross it, but the rocks on the other side gave way.

She was falling. She was falling fast. Bon Bon wasn't afraid of heights at all, but she definitely felt the adrenaline rush as the ground rushed up to meet her. Just as she was beginning to think she was a goner, somepony's hooves wrapped around her torso, slowing her descent.

"I-I gotcha," Spitfire said, "Just hold on, you're okay..." The pegasus began flying back up to the others, dropping Bon Bon down safely.

Bon Bon couldn't quite get her heart to slow down, even after landing on solid ground. She grimaced as she looked down at where she could've been flattened. "Thanks, Spitfire... You're a life saver. Really."

The Wonderbolts captain nodded in acknowledgement, but said nothing. No other words were exchanged between the group of ponies, and they continued on their way up the mountain. Well, Lyra was still talking, but that hardly counted.The free-falling scare definitely gave Bon Bon enough energy to keep going, and she didn't even feel tired anymore. Such is the effect of a rush of adrenaline from a near-death experience.

However, that made her a little too jumpy. As the mares passed through a deadly gorge were even the lightest of sounds could cause an avalanche, several of their members could barely keep still. Well, that is to say, Derpy, Lyra, and Bon Bon. Spitfire kept Derpy in check in the skies, making sure she didn't "accidentally" bring about their early deaths. Bon Bon, though spooked herself, had to keep Lyra quiet.

That was a difficult task.

"Shh," Twilight whispered urgently at Lyra, who was giggling like a maniac, "You have to be quiet! If you make any sudden sounds, then that could cause large rock to fall on us."

Lyra tried to stifle her giggles, but it was near impossible. "Sorry, Twilight, it's just that this trip is draggin' on!" Her laughter increased in volume, annoying everypony but Derpy. Bon Bon had just about enough of her friend's antics. And to think that earlier she was actually being considerate.

"Lyra--"Twilight began, but was swiftly interrupted by the mare herself.

"Wait! Sorry for cutting you off, but scaling this mountain has been such a chore!" Her snorts were getting louder. That lame pun was the last straw for Bon Bon.

"LYRA!!!" She exclaimed. Only two seconds later did she realize her mistake as five other sets of eyes stared anxiously back at her, and then up at the mountain. Nervewracking silence was audible throughout the gorge, but then the certain unmistakable sound of sliding rocks took its place.

Everypony grimaced as they saw tons and tons of rocks racing down the mountain straight toward them. Bon Bon felt terrible for having caused it, but didn't have time to think about it before she was forced to take action and save her life. Spitfire and Derpy didn't have as much trouble as the others, simply flying above the debris. Twilight tried her best to avoid all the huge boulders, but there were too many. Just before a rather large one was about to crush her, Octavia managed to push her out of the way. Lyra dodged them with ease, though her expression said otherwise. Bon Bon did her best to follow Lyra's example.

Finally, as the earthquake began to subside, the dust cleared. Bon Bon pushed herself onto her feet and looked around for her friends nervously. Lyra was already standing, and both Spitfire and Derpy were alright in the air. The candy mare could just barely see Twilight and Octavia, but something was wrong...

Bon Bon hurriedly trotted over, and as she grew nearer, it was made clear that a rock had landed on Octavia's hind
leg when she'd saved Twilight earlier. It looked like it hurt.

The unicorn, obviously shaken from her close encounter with the boulders, tried to physically remove it. It caused more pain for the earth pony. Then, as Twilight remembered that she was a unicorn, she used magic to get rid of it. Luckily, it worked. Octavia pushed herself up, but winced when she put pressure on her injured leg.

"Are you okay?" Bon Bon questioned, feeling guilt twist her stomach into knots. Octavia shook her head, grimacing.

"I think I twisted my leg..." She reached down to make sure it wasn't broken. Bon Bon swallowed, but she still felt bad. Derpy quickly swooped in to help in any way that she could for her hurt friend as both Spitfire and Twilight spoke in hushed tones. Bon Bon stayed away from the rest of them, unable to stop herself from thinking about what a terrible pony she was.

I can't believe I did that... Octavia's hurt now because of me and my big mouth. What's wrong with me?

"Hey... Bon Bon..." Lyra began quietly, startling the earth pony. She hadn't even noticed the unicorn trotting up next to her. "Sorry for that. I didn't mean to get so carried away.It's my fault; not yours."

"What?!" Bon Bon couldn't believe her ears. How could Lyra even think of blaming herself for a mistake that was clearly not hers? Just goes to show you how much of a true friend she could be. "No, Lyra, it's my mistake. I was the one who shouted, after all..."

Lyra nuzzled her in a friendly, encouraging way, as if to say Whatever you think, I'll always be there for you.

"Can you stand?" Spitfire asked Octavia. The gray mare struggled onto her hooves and tried to walk with it, but ended up limping.

"I can, but I'll slow you down..." She frowned, staring accusingly at her injured leg. Twilight watched her with a concerned expression.

"We aren't going to leave you behind, but we really need to get up there quickly..." Everypony paused, trying to come up with a solution to this problem. After only a few moments of silence, Derpy raised her hoof with a sad little smile.

"Let me take her back down to Ponyville, Twilight Spark! I'll take her straight to the nurse, and then you girls can stop the dragon!"

Spitfire was immediately at her pegasus friend's side, her brow furrowed. "No, let me take her. It would be dangerous for an injured pony to go down there without a professional leading them to safety..."

Derpy shook her head. "Spitfire, they need you to help with the dragon! I can take care of Octavia."

The Wonderbolt captain was about to protest once again, but Twilight rested a hoof on her shoulder, halting any words that she might've said. "We are going to need you, just in case things go wrong, Spitfire..." The unicorn then trotted over to the earth pony that'd saved her life. "Thanks for... you know..." She hugged the cellist.

Then they remembered that they had to hurry. So, Derpy and Ocavia made their way down the mountain slowly, with the pegasus making sure she didn't hurt herself anymore. Bon Bon was glad nopony brought up the fact that she'd been the one who nearly killed them about seven minutes and thirty-two seconds ago.

Now that they were two ponies short, everypony was getting nervous. Even Lyra stopped speaking. They were nearing the dragon's den.

Bon Bon wasn't afraid of the dragon. Well, not anymore than a regular pony. She hoped it'd be a friendly one like Spike, but knew that was unlikely. As the remaining four ponies reached the cave, Twilight cleared her throat and turned to her friends.

"Okay, everypony, we're here. So... without Octavia and Derpy, we're going to have to change our plans a little bit. I'll go in and talk to the dragon, and if that doesn't work, Lyra will tell him the best jokes she knows. If all else fails, Spitfire, we'll need you to use force. Is everypony clear?"

Bon Bon stared at her friend. "Uh... What about me?"

Twilight turned to the earth pony with a thoughtful frown. "You can be Spitfire's back-up, Bon Bon. Okay girls, I'm going in." The unicorn trotted into the cave alone. Bon Bon felt left out that Twilight had forgotten about her altogether, and annoyed at herself for not standing out at all. Why did she even come up if she wasn't even going to be able to help at all?

Seconds later, Twilight returned with wide-eyes and a burnt mane. Everypony stared at her questioningly. "He's... He's not sleeping..."

"Seriously?!" Lyra exclaimed, "I bet he's got good taste!"

For some reason unknown to everypony else, the turqoise mare disappeared into the cave in a fast trot.

"N-No, Lyra!" Bon Bon shouted after her surely-dead friend. She chased after Lyra, ignoring the unicorn and pegasus behind her, who were trying to get her to stop. Large amounts of smoke clouded her vision, but she continued inside. Once she got past all the gray air, she ran into Lyra.

"Oh, hey, Bon Bon!" She said as if they were in a normal situation. Bon Bon stared open-mouthed at the dragon behind her friend. He was nowhere near being asleep, but a stove behind him was smoking terribly. "So, like I was saying..." The unicorn continued, turning back to the beast, "Since you're awake and we were expecting you to be asleep because that's what Princess Celestia told us, so I'm gonna have to wing it."

The joking mare waited expectantly for some sort of recognition for her clever pun, but the dragon snorted. "What a nuisance! Can't you see I'm trying to make my dinner?!"

Lyra blinked. "Is that what's causing all the smoke? I could be wrong, but I don't think you're a very good cook." That was the wrong thing to say. The dragon roared angrily at her, and raised his foot to step on her. Lyra shrieked and ran back out of the cave, leaving Bon Bon and the beast alone.

The red dragon growled, turning its fiery gaze onto the candy mare. "What do you want?!" He snapped loudly, causing Bon Bon to jump.

"U-Uh," she stuttered. She then began rummaging through her saddlebag for anything that might be able to help her, despite her not having any idea of what she'd packed. Of course.

All she packed was ingredients for candy. Typical Bon Bon.

"Well?!" The dragon agitatedly stomped his foot on the ground, glancing back at his stove in concern.

"W-What are you trying to make?" She attempted, unable to keep her hooves from shaking. The beast stirred the foul smelling concoction in the pot, causing more smoke to billow out of it. Jewels surrounded the rest of the cave, along with gold.

"Jewel soup, but I can't get it to come out right no matter what I do!" He threw the pan back at the entrance of the cave with a snort. An idea suddenly popped into the earth pony's mind.

"Excuse me, sir, but I could make you something to eat." His brow raised questioningly, so she continued, "My name's Bon Bon, and I own a candy store down in Ponyville. I packed some basic ingredients, and all I'd need is a few jewels to make it taste good."

He had a thoughtful expression, but Bon Bon could see the greedy gleam in his eye. "Fine, pony. Make me food, but if you take a single jewel from my collection..." A snarl echoed throughout the cavern as the dragon picked up the earth pony and dropped her non-gently onto the stovetop. Bon Bon swallowed nervously, and couldn't help but wonder what her friends were doing out there.

Bon Bon had never been so thankful of her strange ablity to remember numbers.

Okay... Since this guy's bigger than the average customer and he wants to be full... Guess I'll have to try baking a jeweled cake. Glad I grabbed flour, I guess. Twelve cups of flour... Four cups of sugar... Two hooffulls of jewels... Oh, glad I got milk--put in a gallon. And a dozen eggs. Mix it all up... Ready to bake!

Bon Bon turned back to the dragon, who'd been watching her closely. "Um... Could you put this in the oven?" She requested awkwardly. The red lizard lifted the pan and shoved it into the oven as Bon Bon turned the heat up. She couldn't help the anxious glance she sent to the opening of the cave. Now that the smoke had somewhat cleared, she could see Lyra talking with Twilight and Spitfire.

Just as Lyra had obviously finished her tale, Bon Bon saw Spitfire take off into the cave. The candy mare tried to tell the pegasus to stop and that she had it under control, but Spitfire wasn't paying attention to her. The dragon noticed Bon Bon's anxious looks, and turned just in time to see the charging Wonderbolt.

"Let my friend go!" The flaming mare shouted as she flapped her wings furiously, glaring at the dragon. "Or I'll knock your block off!"

The beast swatted at the flying pony, but she dodged everything. Through the commotion, Bon Bon knew the cake was done. She waved for Twilight to come over while the dragon and Wonderbolt feuded, and the candy mare told the unicorn to pull out the cake. Luckily, all the smoke had stopped wafting through the air, and the smell of a beautifully made confection took its place.

Lyra had somehow gotten comfortable laying on piles of gold. "Mmm, that smells great!"

The smell distracted the dragon from his fight, and Spitfire took the opportunity to buck him in the snout. He reared back at the powerful hit and his claws instinctively grabbed at it.

"Gotcha!" Spitfire called mockingly. Suddenly, tears welled up in the dragon's eyes, and he was unable to stop them.

"W-What did I ever do to deserve this?! I've lived in this cave for t-thousands of years, and never have I been bothered by ponies! Just once, I wanted to eat something other than plain jewels, but I'm not allowed to?"

Everypony watched with sympathy at the sobbing dragon, and even Spitfire calmed down. She landed next to Bon Bon on the stovetop, giving her a questioning look. The earth pony shrugged in response.

"Excuse me, mister dragon?" Twilight called up to him, "You are allowed to eat what you please in Equestria, it's just that the smoke from your cooking could cause many animals and ponies problems..."

"What am I supposed to do then?! Give up my cave and my riches to live with the rest of my kind, with which I've cut ties to? Have you seen the apron I'm wearing?! I'd be blown to bits before I even crossed the border!" He cried, "I can't stand another meal of just jewels!" Only then did everypony notice the frilly, pink polka-dotted apron the dragon was wearing.

The mares shared looks with each other. Bon Bon swallowed thickly, not wanting to cause this dragon sadness. There was a win-win solution for the dragon and Equestria, but it'd be a problem for the candy mare. Even so, her integrity and growing need to stand out and make a difference made her answer to this hungry beast.

"Don't worry, mister dragon... You can stay here in Equestria. I know how it feels to be made fun of by your friends and family at home, so none of us will make you feel that way," she gave Spitfire a look, "and as for your plain meals, I promise I'll make you something to eat whenever you want me to. Is that... Is that okay?"

The huge lizard sniffled one last time before nodding. Everypony relaxed with a thankful smile directed toward Bon Bon. Even though it'd be a lot of work, Bon Bon was willing to do it. For Equestria, and for this single dragon's happiness.

So, everypony had fun while eating a slice of the gigantic cake, and they soon became friends with Draco the dragon.

Spike would surely be jealous.

Author's Note

Sweet Celestia, a whole month?! >_<" I'm very sorry about that!
On another note... I personally like this one, but leave me a comment and let me know what you thought. :) And, just so you know, I've been saving this specific episode for Bon Bon, only because of the title I came up with. :P

Think Before You Spit Fire

"Soarin'! Stop that cloud!" Spitfire shouted to be heard over the storm. It was hard enough to remain airborne when it was this windy, but the Wonderbolts captain did her best to guide her fellow pegasi. Cloudsdale rarely messed up like this. Somepony had screwed up the weather machine, and all of Equestria was suffering from it.

Ponyville was being assaulted with heavy winds, rain, thunder, and pretty much everything imaginable in a thunderstorm. Las Pegasus was surrounded by blinding rainbows and blistering heat while Dodge Junction was covered in snow and hail. Trottingham's entire city was drowning in fog.

"Will do, captain!" Spitfire's second-in-command replied as he gave chase to the rogue thundercloud. Every pegasus in Equestria was trying to get the weather under control, but it was nearly impossible. Each city had a Wonderbolt representative to help out, while Soarin' was wherever somepony needed an extra hoof.

This isn't gonna work... Spitfire thought as she bucked another cloud, but it did little to quell the storm. The entire sky was overcast, and with one cloud's disappearance another took its place.

Soarin'! Go see if Fleetfoot needs your help in Hoofington!" The male pony did his best to salute before flying off. She then turned back to her other pegasi, who couldn't even keep themselves rightside up. "Come on, everypony! Ponyville needs all the help it can get!"

Each pony did his or her best to keep going, but many couldn't keep up with the strain. Unicorns did what they could with their magic while earth ponies tried to save their crops. Spitfire dashed down to where she knew her unicorn friend would be.

"Twilight, how are the other teams doing? What're our statistics?" The yellow pegasus could hear rustling papers, and watched as they blew away for the umpteenth time that day.

"Ugh, not again!" Spitfire could hear the hysteria in Twilight's voice, knowing that those papers were forever lost. Twilight sighed. "Everypony's up to their muzzles with problems! Everypony needs a helping hoof, but nopony has one to spare! We have a three to one ratio, where every one in three ponies is getting injured! If things don't look up any time soon, it'll be hours until nopony's left to take care of this mess!"

Twilight's mane was frazzled and sticking up as she tried to get everything organized and help out with the storm at the same time. Any papers she'd brought with her had either blown away or been soaked thoroughly, so they weren't much help. Spitfire was about to say something before somepony on the weather team had interrupted her.

"Captain Spitfire! We have a major problem on our hooves!" A shaky rainbow-maned pegasus screamed as she touched down next to the Wonderbolt. "A tornado's headed straight for us! Derpy Hooves, sir! S-She created it!"

"What?!" Spitfire shrieked as her gaze darted to the huge twister. "If it hits, the entire town will be destroyed! Can't you stop it, Twilight?!"

"I-I'm trying!" The unicorn squeaked back, but her magic had obviously been weakened from use. Spitfire cursed before racing up to try and stop the tornado in the way she'd done so many times at Wonderbolt Camp to save the trainees. The pegasus calculated the velocity of the twister before going in the opposite direction. The tornado slowed, but it was still on a collision course straight for Ponyville. Spitfire lunged into it for more power, and upon entry, sighted the pony responsible for this.

"DERPY! WHAT THE HAY ARE YOU DOING?!" Spitfire tackled Derpy out of the tornado, which dissipated without somepony keeping it going. Lightning struck the same moment the Wonderbolts captain pinned the cross-eyed pegasus to the ground. "What were you doing?! You put everypony in danger!" She hissed, glaring at Derpy.

"I-I was just trying to help!" Derpy squeaked under the mare's heavy gaze.

"Help? HELP?!" Spitfire stomped her hoof into the ground just to the side of Derpy's head. "I've had enough of your help! Never have I known a pony more... more ridiculous! I've tried not to say anything, but this is too much! I'm tired of you screwing everything up!"

Derpy recoiled into the ground, teary-eyed. "D-Do you really feel that way about me?"

Spitfire glared at her pegasus friend before looking up at the casualties caused by Derpy's tornado. Almost all of her forces had been downed by it. "I can't believe this..." She was angry at Derpy for hurting so many ponies, despite her trying to "just help." However, Derpy was a friend, and yelling at friends wasn't cool.

Even so, Spitfire didn't feel the need to apologize. She hadn't done anything wrong. Thunder boomed above, reminding her of the daunting task ahead of her. This was suicide. She gritted her teeth before flying up and continuing to fix the weather, even though she was the only one left.

Her muscles ached and her wings beat as hard as they could, but her eyes felt heavy. Even she couldn't keep going in this weather. When it became too much, her wings seized up and she fell to the earth.

When Spitfire opened her eyes next, she was laying in an unfamiliar bed in an unknown room. The walls were wooden looking, and she could hear the storm going on outside.

"Oh, good... You're awake." Twilight said from somewhere to Spitfire's left. The Wonderbolt realized that this must've been the library.

"What... What happened?" As Spitfire became more aware of her surroundings, she began to remember exactly what had happened before she'd passed out. "Oh no! I-I gotta get back out there!"

The pegasus jumped up and flexed her wings out, before feeling a sharp pain in her left one. Immediately, the wing drew itself close to her body, and she grimaced at the pain.

"Spitfire! You need to rest! You fell on your wing, and Nurse Redheart said you needed at least a week before getting back on it. Some of the other Wonderbolts are out there right now, and things are looking up. Cloudsdale sent out a newsletter stating that the weather machine should be fixed within the next couple of hours. Really, you don't have to worry any longer."

That's funny coming from you, huh... Spitfire continued to climb out of bed despite Twilight's protests. "It's just my wing, right? I can still walk."

"I suppose..." Twilight conceded, though it was obvious she'd have preferred Spitfire staying in bed.

"Hey, Twilight Spark? I heard something; Is Spitfire awake?" Derpy poked her head into Twilight's bedroom. Spitfire found herself glaring at the gray pony. There'd always been something about that pegasus that really bothered her. Maybe it was her bubbly attitude, or her "I was just trying to help" line that everypony seemed to accept. Spitfire had to work hard to get where she was today, and for somepony to just get by making mistakes was wrong. It was against the captain's nature. Or perhaps it was her eyes. However bad that may have seemed, her condition was no excuse.

The three ponies remained in an awkward silence. There was tension (perhaps only on Spitfire's side) between the two pegasi, and being around Twilight was already weird enough for the athlete. She'd done what she had to for her friend, and she wasn't ashamed of that. However, if you've ever done something that seemed perfectly normal to you, but made your friend feel awkward, it embarrassed you and just made the entire atmosphere reek of awkwardness. It was just one of those things that were contagious.

"Twilight..." Spitfire said under her breath, "What's she doing here?"

Twilight's brows knit closely together, but she still answered the question. "What do you mean by that? Ponyville's head weather representative--I think her name was Rainbow Dash--banned Derpy from helping out with the storm any more than she already had. And, seeing as how I was the only pony free at the time, ended up helping the two of you. At least I know Equestria isn't falling into despair without me."

Somehow, Derpy had entered the conversation. "Actually, the Princess herself had to order Twilight to go back inside--she was about to fall over."

"...Regardless, we're all here and nopony's allowed outside! So, I was thinking, and the perfect idea to spend our time..." Twilight pulled out a suspiciously large book from behind her back. "Would be a makeshift sleepover!"

Spitfire's heart dropped. "S-Sleepover?"

Derpy clapped her hooves together. "Oh boy, that sounds like fun!"

The Wonderbolt gulped, but upon seeing the look on Twilight's face, realized that she wouldn't be able to get out of this. However, she needed some sort of closure before even trying to get this to work. "Twilight... Can I talk to Derpy for a sec? Alone?"

Twilight's shoulders slumped slightly and her eyes lowered. "Oh, sure. You girls just come on down when you're finished, then. I'll look over the book..."

The unicorn's steps were slow and they dragged across the ground up until she'd left the room. It had the perfect amount of sadness to make Spitfire feel guilty. She didn't dwell on that thought for very long, however. When she looked back at Derpy, she was surprised to see the bubbly mare giving her a stern look.

"Uh..." The captain began, too surprised really to say anything.

"I know what you're going to say, and I accept your apology. I mean, it makes sense that you'd yell at me outta nowhere under that much stress. It was wrong, but you're Derpy's friend and I'm always getting yelled at." Derpy smiled genuinely. "I'll see you down the stairs."

Spitfire's jaw dropped as she watched the mare leave the room. That was not what she was going to say at all. For the pegasus to assume something like that--without giving Spitfire a chance to speak--was messed up. It made her really mad. What made it worse was that she'd been so sincere about it. She didn't even take responsibility for her mistakes!

The yellow pony ground her teeth together in frustration. She'd been roped into a sleepover with two ponies she wasn't exactly the most comfortable around. And then there was the pain from her wing--all Derpy's fault, no doubt--and the terrible weather that barred her into this situation. Not fair... Not fair at all.

The Wonderbolt waited a few more seconds for her anger to cool before making her way to the door. She'd calmly explain to the cross-eyed pegasus that tornados were dangerous to ponies who weren't in the loop (literally), and make the best of this situation. As long as Derpy didn't say something stupid, Spitfire wouldn't get hostile. Her temper was a force to be reckoned with when it flared, and she tended to lose control when it did.

Spitfire took one more moment to herself before trotting down the stairs. Twilight was grinning like a filly as she read through the book, and Derpy was reading over her shoulder. Well, what Spitfire assumed was reading. When the unicorn felt both pegasi's presence, she finally set the book down.

"Okay, we're all set! It says here that the first thing we should do is have some dinner, so we don't get hungry during the activities." she smiled.

Not wanting to cause her friend any unnecessary trouble, Spitfire was quick to intervene. "Nah, I'm f--"

"That'd be nice!" Derpy grinned, completely defeating the purpose behind Spitfire's words. "I'll make something for us."

Generosity! Well, that certainly was something good about Derpy. The gray pegasus bounded over to Spitfire excitedly. "You guys like salads, right?"

"Actually--" Spitfire began, but was interrupted by the other pony.

"Good!" Derpy hadn't given either mare a chance to stop her before taking off into the kitchen. The Wonderbolt glared after her. There she went again with the assumptions.

Seconds later, she returned with three bowls of salad, drowning in dressing. "Why, thank you, Derpy!" Twilight said as she began digging into the meal. Spitfire was less than grateful, and regarded her salad with a glance. It looked like a huge green trashy monster drowning in goo. When nopony was paying attention, Spitfire scraped it off into the trash.

As the other two ponies finished up, they began the next "must" for a sleepover: sharing secrets. Apparently, sharing secrets made you closer friends.

Twilight went first. "...I've never fallen in love with anypony before."

Both Derpy and Spitfire's mouths dropped, and an embarrassed blush spread across her muzzle. She tried to explain herself. "I mean, you girls know you were my first friends, and I've never even thought about it. Expanding my knowledge was all that was on my mind back in Canterlot."

"Wow... I guess I'll go next, then!" For some reason, just her tone was beginning to annoy Spitfire. "I got with a doctor once! Hehe, it's true! That's how Dinky was born." the mare giggled out. Without missing a beat, the Wonderbolt continued with their "secrets" game.

"I really hate how some ponies make assumptions when they clearly don't know what they're talking about." Derpy gasped. Spitfire thought that maybe she'd offended her (and finally gotten it through her thick skull), but her words confused the yellow pegasus.

"Me too!"

Spitfire resisted the urge to slam her head into the table in front of her. I swear, this mare is the most air-headed, ditziest, idiotic and utterly INFURIATING mare I have ever known!

Twilight seemed to notice the sudden heat coming off Spitfire in waves. When she got angry, ponies had reported, her mane tended to look like real fire and she a flying demon. Though she didn't seem to really understand what was going on, Twilight was smart enough to know that she needed to somehow defuse the situation.

"Let's move on to the next activity, shall we?" Spitfire glanced at the door, and wondered if her chances were better off out there. As if to answer her unspoken question, thunder boomed in the distance and lightning went off, effectively killing the electricity. Without the normal buzz of the lights, the rain seemed louder as it pounded against the library.

Silence and darkness reigned.

Ugh... I didn't even think 'are things gonna get worse...' complained Spitfire in her mind as she cursed the world.

"Well... I guess this sets the perfect scene for scary stories, heh..." Twilight giggled slightly.

"I'll go first." Spitfire said immediately, not wanting to give Derpy a chance to jump in. The pegasus waited expectantly. When nothing happened, she cleared her throat. "Uh... Twi? I need a light."

"Oh! Right. Just give me a sec." Spitfire heard rumbling sounds as Twilight got up in search of a light. Soon, she returned with a flashlight flickered on. "Here." she tossed the light to the pegasus.

Spitfire thought for a second about what story she was going to tell when Derpy caught her eye again. She was apparently trying to think of a scary story herself, as her tongue was sticking out and she looked like she was concentrating. Maybe it was just all that had already happened that night, but the Wonderbolt was annoyed by this display. Then, a brilliant (or so she thought) idea came to her. Perhaps she could open Derpy's eyes with this "scary" story.

Spitfire pointed the flashlight toward her face and began her tale. "There was once a mare named Ditzy. True to her name, she was clumsy and always made mistakes. She always forgot... Well, everything. However, everypony loved her, so she didn't ever get what she had comin' to her. Because of everypony's forgiveness and overall kindness to her, she assumed everypony would act like that. Here's where the story really takes off."

The Wonderbolt tried to split her gaze evenly between the two ponies, but it was a little difficult. Twilight kept trying to figure out her ulterior motive or something while Derpy was just smiling the way she always did. "Anyway... One day, another pony came into town. Her name was... uh... Firestorm. Yeah. She didn't take nothing from nopony--"

"Anything from anypony," corrected Twilight with a frown. Spitfire took this in stride.

"She didn't take anything from anypony, so they were bound to have trouble. Ditzy and Firestorm ran into each other later, and things were cool. At least, until Ditzy started doing what she was best at. Her assumptions annoyed Firestorm until she'd had enough. Little did they know, somepony else was watching them. Or... some ghost."

A chill ran through the air. Spitfire couldn't suppress the smirk that rose to her muzzle from her spot-on storytelling.

"...And then... it reached its ghostly hoof out to the two ponies, still unaware of its presence. And... BOOM!" Spitfire flickered the flashlight off and on while stomping the ground loudly to mimic the sound of a thunder clap. Twilight and Derpy, who were clinging to each other, jumped. "Neither pony was ever seen again, but rumor has it that Firestorm and Ditzy still wander through Equestria in search of ponies who make assumptions..."

"W-why would they do that?" Derpy asked in a hushed tone. Spitfire cast her a glance.

"Because... They think it'd be unfair for just them to be punished for it. They think they're spreading justice." Spitfire could see both ponies shivering. Though she'd come up with the story on the spot, it appeared to have the desired effect. Perhaps it'd worked a bit too well.

"Uh... How about we just forget the scary stories?" Twilight said, glancing hopefully at her two friends.

"L-let's just go to bed!" Derpy shrieked, unable to stop her chattering teeth.

"Yeah... We can't really do anything else with the electricity out..." agreed Twilight. She stood up shakily. "Okay, everypony, follow me." Her horn lit up with an illumination spell. Both Spitfire and Derpy trotted up the stairs behind Twilight, making sure not to trip on the steps. The Wonderbolt decided that she'd just forget about everything that'd happened that night. Maybe Derpy wouldn't be so annoying in the morning.

Everypony stood awkwardly at the door. "Uh... Do you guys think we could share my bed? I'm still a little creeped out..."

"We don't mind!" Derpy chirped. Despite it being completely true, it annoyed Spitfire so much that she'd speak for her like that. Now that Spitfire knew about this flaw of Derpy's, it stood out more than anything else. She couldn't just forget about it--it was kind of like that annoying itch that you could never seem to scratch the right way.

Ignoring her warring mind, the captain crawled onto the bed. She then noticed a certain dragon assistant's empty basket. "Hey... Where did Spike go?"

Twilight got onto her bed too. "Oh, well, Derpy was worried about her daughter Dinky, so I sent him to spend the night at her home."

"...In this weather?" Spitfire exclaimed. "How do you know he even made it that far?!"

"Relax." Twilight smiled. "You forget who I am. I teleported him straight there. Anyway... We should really get some sleep now. Everypony's had a long day."

And, as fate would have it, Derpy was already asleep.

And snoring.

Spitfire hadn't ever slept in the same bed as other ponies, as she did value her personal space, so this was new. Despite her being on the opposite side of the bed, (Twilight was in the middle) Derpy's chainsaw buzz could rival that of Soarin's. On long road trips, boy, could that pony snore up a storm!

The captain sighed in annoyance and rolled over to face her friend. She whispered quietly, "Twilight... Are you awake?"

"...Yeah. What's up?" Up close, the unicorn really did look exhausted. Though she didn't really show it earlier, maybe all that magic really had taken a toll on her. Not even the Princesses could handle that much magical strain.

"Just Derpy's snoring, I guess... I can't sleep." Spitfire's mind just then decided to replay the moment from when Trixie was in town. The one... Well, you know. The captain wished she wasn't so close to her. Unfortunately for her, Twilightt seemed to notice.

"Hey... What's wrong?" Spitfire hesitated. Her own answer surprised her.

"...Look... Twilight. Things have been weird between us since Trixie showed up. I need to know if we're still friends... 'Cause if we aren't, I'm sorry for acting out like that."

Twilight stared at her in disbelief for several seconds before the realization set in. "You're... serious?" The Wonderbolt only nodded. "Spifire... I was just... surprised. Of course we're still friends! I mean, it was just your loyal instinct to help me. We can just put this behind us and forget it happened. Thanks for going to that extent, though..."

They both shared a mutual smile. Finally, for the first time that day, Spitfire felt content. That lasted for about half a second before something weird happened. First, Twilight's window shattered. Then, somepony jumped in, along with pounding rain. Apparently, the weather machine was still having problems.

Then, out of nowhere, Spitfire's side went cold. Twilight was gone.

Spitfire almost bit her tongue in shock as she watched the shadow disappear out the window. Immediately, she hopped up and raced to the window. The captain was about to lunge out and fly after the mysterious pony, but upon flexing her wings, realized that she wouldn't be able to so much as glide on her hurt appendage.

The Wonderbolt's heart raced from the adrenaline. She didn't know what to do--her friend had just been ponynapped and she couldn't do anything about it! Then, Derpy's snore reminded her that she wasn't the only pegasus in the room.

So, Spitfire cantered over to Derpy and shook her roughly. "Get up, Derpy!!! Twilight's been taken!"

The pegasus' eyes opened groggily. "W-wha?"

"Twilight's gone!"

Derpy stared at her for a whole second before jumping up. "HUH?!" Spitfire cantered back to the window.

"Come on! Can you fly with cargo?" The other pegasus quickly joined her, peering out at the darkness. Thunder boomed, but Spitfire knew that she could find the culprit if they left right now.

"Yeah, easy peasy!" she exclaimed. Spitfire tried to figure out which position would be easiest for flight. She could hold on right behind the wing joint, but that could be dangerous if she fell off. Another way would consist of Derpy holding Spitfire in her forehooves, but that was even more dangerous if she couldn't handle the weight. Time was ticking, too.

Riding on her back it is, then... Spitfire hopped onto Derpy, trying to keep her weight distributed evenly. She wrapped her hooves around the mare's belly for security. "Okay, let's go."

Derpy flapped her wings a few times before jumping out the window. She was able to stay afloat, but she couldn't go very fast. Spitfire scanned ahead, trying to figure out where the ponynapper had gone to. While the weather wasn't completely normal, it had gotten better. Rain was minimal, and lightning brightened up the sky enough to see where they were going. However, it was still unpredictable.

A huge gust erupted out of nowhere, surprising both pegasi. Spitfire's grip had lessened just before the blow, and it had taken its toll on her. The wind blew her off her friend and spiraling to the ground.

"Spitfire!" shouted Derpy from somewhere above her. Oh sweet Celestia, NO! Spitfire forced both her wings open, immediately feeling the pain. Well, it was either that or death. So, Spitfire flapped her wings hard, but it wasn't enough. It was a natural body reaction to when a pony was in pain--obviously, she couldn't force her hurt wing to perform as well as she would've liked.

Oh please, Derpy, don't assume I'm already dead or something!

Then, forehooves wrapped around her chest, haulting her fall. Spitfire could hear Derpy grunt as she tried to keep herself aloft.

"Oh man, I could kiss you right now, I feel so relieved!" Spitfire said, allowing her wings to fold back.

"Not yet... I...can't keep this up..." Derpy panted out, and the Wonderbolt was suddenly aware of just how high up they were. Whether or not she'd been disoriented during her fall or something, it looked like they were higher than before. If Derpy's wings gave out now, they'd surely plummet to their deaths.

So, Wonderbolt captain mode was initiated.

"Derpy! Keep those wings flapping! Don't assume for one second that we'll die! Twilight needs us. Don't give up, trainee! Get to that turbulance--it'll give us momentum!" Spitfire hated feeling like dead weight, so she decided to navigate. The Wonderbolt knew from experience that when you were pushed to the limit, your vision tended to get a little splotchy.

Derpy reached the different air current, which immediately pulled them downward in a nose dive. "I-I can't do this!" squeaked Derpy. Her eyes were even more wild than usual.

"You have to, Derpy!" Spitfire screamed over the howling wind, "You have to do this! You're the only one who can do this right now! Don't you give up on me!" The flaming pegasus could feel the other quivering, and her iron grip shaky, but she stayed in the speedy vortex. "Look! I see Twilight! Quick, dive right, DIVE RIGHT!"

Derpy forced herself out of the loop, but something happened. Her wings had closed up on themselves. Spitfire felt that scary moment of zero gravity, and watched the shadowy Twilight fly upwards as she fell down.

"I'm sorry! I-I couldn't do it!" Derpy shrieked. Tears were streaming from her eyes as they both free fell.

"You can still do it! You gotta force your wings open!"

"N-No! I can't...! Stop assuming I can do all these things when I just can't! I've never flown in weather like this before today, so don't expect me to be able to fly like a Wonderbolt!!!"

Spitfire swallowed thickly--quite the achievement as wind was tearing at her. Had she really been a hypocrite this whole time? Had the ghost of assumptions claimed Twilight to punish the two guilty ponies? And... was this the end?

"Y-You've been assuming things all day, Derpy! You can't just say it was all me when you're just as guilty! If we die here, if Twilight dies, then we're both to blame, got it?!" Spitfire could just barely see Derpy nodding. "But that's not going to happen! I won't let it end like this, and neither should you!"

The Wonderbolt forced her wings open again, but they did no good. Hope was burning a hole in her stomach, but it seemed useless. They were so close now--any second they'd be turned into pancakes. Finally, the adrenaline kicked in. Spitfire couldn't feel anything.

Perfect.

The Wonderbolt grabbed Derpy and flapped her wings as hard as she could. They were going up again. She wasn't sure how long it would last, but knew it wouldn't be long. She had to make this count.

"S-Spitfire...! You can't fly! I-I'll help!" Derpy began pumping her wings, causing them to move at an even more rapid rate. This was... This was going to work.

"That's enough." A voice suddenly said. Out of nowhere, the bad weather disappeared, and was replaced with a very beautiful moon. Huge wings enveloped Spitfire, and all she could see was white.

Minutes later, she was on the ground. Princess Celestia and Twilight were standing in front of her--both with sheepish expressions. Spitfire was confused, and apparently, so was Derpy.

"What's... What's going on here?" Spitfire was so surprised that she forgot to bow to the Princess. Twilight answered her.

"I... I noticed that you two weren't really getting along. I asked the Princess to help me get you two to make up. Things got kinda out of hoof, though..."

"The weather..." Derpy barely made out. She still looked like she was crying.

"It was resolved a few hours ago." Twilight said.

"But when did you get the chance to talk to the Princess?" The Wonderbolt asked. She couldn't believe what was happening here. It almost seemed like the Princess had played a prank on her.

"Remember when the electricity went off? That was real, by the way." Twilight scuffed her hooves. Spitfire felt pain shoot through her wing--so that was real, too.

"I can't believe this..." muttered Spitfire.

"Well... It worked, didn't it?"

Later, Princess Celestia returned to the castle, apologizing for her "uncouth" behavior, but she said she had fun regardless. Both Spitfire and Derpy promised to never make assumptions again, and that they'd never let something like that mess with their friendship again. Derpy had admitted that Spitfire's rough demeanor and commands bothered her a little, but they both made up.

The minute they got back into Twilight's bed, they all slept soundly. After all, they were friends.

Author's Note

So, I know this took a long time, but I feel like I did a lot better with this than the previous one. Perhaps a big fault would be the likeness to the episode, but I feel like it wasn't too big of a problem. Or maybe the sudden ending, but I think I did better with that than previously. Anyway, I'd like to know how I did. I did think and work on this chapter for a long time. Thanks for reading! :)

Hating Somepony Everyone Adores

Twilight wasn't sure how she'd gotten into this situation. Bon Bon had been complaining about some rival in her sales on the other side of town named Sugarcube Corner, who got the majority of business simply because of the mare who ran the cashier. Well, that's what Bon Bon said, anyway. She'd also gone on to say that if it kept up, she would be bankrupt in no time.

And that was when she'd asked Twilight for help. Lyra had puppy-dog eyes as well, perhaps trying to sway the unicorn's decision in their favor. And, since Twilight was learning the magic of friendship, she couldn't very well ignore Bon Bon in her time of need. So, she'd been on her way to the infamous Sugarcube Corner to see what they were competing against.

And, upon arriving, she was surprised to see it looking so... well, for lack of a better word, sweet. The outside of the building sparkled, and gave the impression of a decked-out gingerbread house. It gave off a happy atmosphere that could make your mouth water. Twilight frowned at this, wondering if Bon Bon's shop could ever compare to a business obviously more elaborate in its design and, rumor has it, goods.

Twilight nudged at the double-doors, preparing herself to see chefs and waiters and a sparkling floor, but she didn't even have the doors open all the way before something stopped her. Twilight was launched back by something pink with blue eyes, staring down at her.

Twilight's first thought: A pony had tackled her. Perhaps this mare knew she was friends with her business's rival, and wouldn't allow her in for fear of Twilight stealing their recipes.

Instead, the unicorn heard the squeakiest voice she'd ever had the displeasure to listen to. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie!"

Wait--Pinkie Pie? Why is that so familiar...

"You must be that pony who moved into the library a while ago! See, I meant to come meet you--'cause, well, I know everypony in town--but you were always doin' something important, so I decided I'd wait until you came to Sugarcube Corner. Everypony likes Sugarcube Corner!" She grinned as if her logic was perfectly sound. Twilight only stared blankly.

"Pinkie... Pie?" Twilight's mind replayed something that seemed like a hazy memory, long forgotten. It was of her first day in Ponyville, in which Bon Bon had been saying something to her--didn't she mention Pinkie Pie?

"Yup, that's me!" she chirped, "What's your name?"

"Um... As much as I'd like to talk to you, I have things to do. Excuse me." Twilight pushed Pinkie off of her before trotting into Sugarcube Corner. The interior was just as well-thought out and well-done as the outside had been, if not more so. It appeared to be designed in a way that invited ponies in and made them feel at home. Twilight trotted up to the counter, where nopony was present, and looked around the store. She was surprised there were no other customers milling around such a nice looking place.

Well, until that crazy mare sidled up behind the cash register. "Hiya, welcome to Sugarcube Corner! Let's start over, okay? I'm Pinkie Pie. We have just about everything you could think of here, from cupcakes to muffins to hot-sauce bagels!"

Twilight wondered why anypony would ever want to eat a bagel dripping with hot sauce. "...No, thank you, but would you mind pointing me in the direction of the owner of this establishment?"

"I'm sorry, but it's just me today! The Cakes are out enjoying themselves, 'cause they've been working really hard lately. What'd ya want to talk to them about? I could handle any in-ker-ies you may have. In-core-ies?" She adopted a dumb-founded look on her face. Twilight wasn't sure if it was worth the trouble to talk with this mare. She seemed to be a mix between Lyra and Derpy--with all the bad qualities, that is. She was ditzy and silly, talked way too fast and with an annoying squeak, and perhaps the worst of all, wouldn't leave Twilight alone.

"Eh... You know what? I'm just gonna have to come back later." The unicorn smiled as apologetically as she could muster before turning around and leaving. She was sure she'd gotten away from Pinkie, but not long later the annoying pony had caught up to her. She was bouncing leisurely beside her.

"This is fun, hehe," the pony giggled out. "Where are we going again?"

"Don't you have work to do?" Twilight questioned the mare, annoyed. This pony was giving her the creeps something fierce, and her voice wasn't helping.

"Nopey-dope, since nopony was in. Hey, are you okay?" Pinkie asked sincerely. Twilight wasn't really sure why she wanted to be away from this pony so much. Something was telling her that this Pinkie Pie was trouble with a capital "T," especially for her head.

Then, the unicorn remembered that she had her magic. Starting to run, she charged up a teleportation spell, but just as she was about to release it, that silly pony bounced onto her and was pulled into the vortex as well.

The two tumbled over each other at the front doorstep of the Ponyville library. Twilight scowled at the giggling mass over her. "What's wrong with you?!"

"Nothing at all, thanks for asking!" she said cheerfully, not getting the implication of the question.

"It's dangerous for a pony to jump into another pony's teleportation spell--had I been somepony else with less magical prowess, you may not have survived! Look, I don't have time for this... Just go home." Twilight stepped into the library and closed the door in front of the other pony's face.

Spike glanced over from the shelf he was working at. "Oh, hey, Twilight. You're back soon. I expected your visit to Sugarcube Corner to take a long while, all things considered."

"I'm afraid things didn't go quite as planned... Eheh, sorry, Bon Bon..." Spike arched an eyebrow at this lack of a reply. Twilight continued, "I ran into a crazy pony that wouldn't leave me alone."

"Huh? Who?"

"Somepony named Pinkie P--"

"DON'T SAY IT!" Spike's eyes had widened and he lunged over to cover her muzzle before she'd finished speaking. "If you say it, she'll show up out of nowhere, I swear!"

Twilight stared at him. "...You know who she is?"

Spike lifted his claws up defensively. "Well, yeah! I was doing some chores for you out in town, and she like, tackled me over speaking a million words a minute. Then she wouldn't leave me alone for the whole week until I finally said I would be her friend. And even now... if somepony says her name, she'll just poof into the room! It's happened before, Twi, I promise!"

"So what you're saying is that this Pink--"

"Don't say it!"

"--You-Know-Who will do whatever it takes to befriend somepony she hasn't already?" The dragon nodded his head in response. "Anything?"

"Yeah, she once tried to get Bon Bon to go on a date with me! Heh... Didn't work out though." Spike shrugged. Twilight grimaced at the thought of a pony bothering her at the most inopportune times--namely when she was studying, hanging out with her friends, or writing letters to the Princess... That could be troublesome.

"Urgh... Anyway, I'm just gonna relax and read a book... Spike, if You-Know-Who shows up, don't let her in, alright? She may try to 'befriend' me ..."

"Yeah, yeah, Twi... Actually, do you think I could go see Bon Bon to, um, let her know where you are? I'll lock the door." Spike's pleading eyes stared into Twilight's, giving her no choice in the matter.

"Alright, Spike. But be home by dinner, okay?"

"Sure thing, Twi. I'll make your favorite, too!" He smiled at his friend fondly before walking out the door. Twilight sighed when he was gone, revelling in the silence. Being in that pony's presence for only a few minutes had already left her with a headache.

"Time to get some work done... and pretend I don't exist."

Hm... I wonder what the Princess wanted me to do after finishing the sixty-fifth volume of The Origin of Magic... I guess I could re-read the series while I'm waiting for a new assignment.

Twilight mulled over whether or not she should keep reading, when other things began crossing her mind. I wonder what that Pinkie Pie is doing.

"Nothing much, really!"

Twilight screamed none too gracefully and looked around for the trespasser. A giggling pink pony was sitting right beside her. She glared at the new arrival, embarassed that she'd been snuck up on like that.

"Teehee! You're silly." Pinkie smiled widely at Twilight.

"How did you get in here?!" was the first thing the unicorn could think of to say. The crazy pony's grin never wavered.

"What do you mean by that? I walked in, of course! Silly filly." Twilight found herself glancing over at the door, which was still locked.

"Why are you even here? Can't you see that I'm busy?"

"You were sayin' my name. And you obviously can't be busy if you're calling me, right?" She smiled. "Wanna cupcake? You left in such a hurry you didn't even get to try our signature dish."

The earth pony pulled out a pink (and pretty tasty) looking cupcake from thin air. It looked pretty good, but Twilight didn't trust ponies who pulled tricks like that. No regular pony snuck into other ponies' homes while the door was locked and offered them cupcakes. That was just weird.

"Uh, no thanks." Twilight pulled out the first book in The Origin of Magic series, deciding she would re-read them. Perhaps Pinkie would get the hint and leave her alone.

Instead, she remained right there while she was reading, ominously silent. It was making her nervous, somehow, and she wasn't able to concentrate on the words. "...Do you need something?"

"Nope!" she replied.

"Then why are you here?" Twilight's eyebrow twitched.

"No reason in particular!" Pinkie responded with a grin. "Just hanging out with my new friend!" Twilight only glared at her.

"You're putting my friend out of my business, tackled me over, forced me to expend my magic to save your life, broke into my home, won't leave me alone, and you have the nerve to call me your friend? Go home!" Twilight pushed the pink mare out of the library before shoving the door closed. "Sweet Celestia, give me a break!"

"And then she just pushed me out..." Pinkie finished sadly. She traced a hoof idly around Bon Bon's countertop.
"Really? That's weird; Twilight's usually all gung-ho about making friends." Bon Bon frowned in response to what she'd just been told. Pinkie was helping her wrap up her newly made candy.

"Yeah, I don't think she ever wants to be my friend."

"All's ya gotta do," Lyra managed to say between mouthfuls of the very same candy she was sneaking into her muzzle, "is be interested in what she likes. Like books, or boring stuff..."

Bon Bon smacked Lyra in the back of the head. "No, Lyra! Stop eating the candy... If you don't, I really might just go bankrupt!"

Pinkie frowned at the two. "But, Lyra, I already did. You guys told me she liked making friends, so that's what I did!"

"You were just being too forward. I mean, sending the Cakes off and declaring Sugarcube Corner closed for the day? I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't just teleport away from you." Bon Bon said honestly.

"...She did." The pink earth pony's lower lip quivered. "All I want is to be friends with everypony in town and make sure they're all happy! It is my life's calling, after all..."

Lyra had begun eating candy again. "So, what this means is that our plan didn't work?"

Bon Bon glared at Lyra until her hoof receded away from the candy once again. "Well, not exactly." Her gaze drifted to Pinkie. "She still thinks my store may be out of business soon, right?"

"...Right." Pinkie said.

"Then maybe we can convince her otherwise." Bon Bon grinned, causing a smile to rise to Lyra's features.

"Aren't you supposed to be the Element of Honesty? And you're encouraging lying?" The unicorn snickered out. Bon Bon looked disapprovingly at the other mare, but underneath she was obviously amused.

"Just because I'm the Element of Honesty doesn't mean I can't lie! You know I'll do anything to help out a friend, Lyra. Besides, it's for a good cause... Don't give me that look!"

Lyra was having trouble keeping a straight face, and Pinkie didn't seem to be paying much attention. She was staring straight ahead, but not really seeing. Bon Bon pulled her friend a little closer so she could whisper into her ear without Pinkie hearing, though whether or not she would have heard was debatable, "Don't you want to see what their friendship would be like? I mean, it'd be like fire and ice--opposites!"

The unicorn became serious. "I never said I wasn't in, Bons! I was just wondering about your motivation, that's all. Seriously, this is gonna be tons of fun--how could I not want in?"

Bon Bon gave her a liberating smile before turning to her out-of-it friend. The candy mare pulled the other pony up and her beam turned somewhat mischievous. "Don't worry, Pinkie. By the time we're done, you'll be as close friends with Twilight as I am with Lyra!"

"This is gonna be so cool. It's totally going to work!" Lyra exclaimed. Bon Bon pulled her friend deeper behind the bushes.

"Shh!"

The two had only just sent Pinkie on her way back to speak with Twilight--to apologize for her previous behavior and pretend to be into the Daring Do series, since it was the unicorn's favorite. Now, Bon Bon and Lyra were camped out behind the brush beside the library, trying to figure out how it was going.

"...What're you two doing?"

Both Bon Bon and Lyra jumped. Then, at the same time, they pulled their mutual friend into the hiding spot. Lyra pushed her hoof into the mare's mouth to shush her.

"Look," the earth pony explained, "our friend Pinkie Pie, with whom I'm sure you've met already, is trying to become friends with Twilight. But she's a... tad bit more... enthusiastic than most ponies--even Lyra. Which means she's having some trouble."

Octavia only stared, her eyebrows furrowed--perhaps in a silent question. Bon Bon sighed in exasperation. "...Please don't say anything to Twilight. It'll mess everything up--so, er... think you could lend a hoof?"

"Not mine, of course!" Lyra grinned before removing her hoof from the gray mare's muzzle. Octavia situated herself between the two other mares, but she still seemed uncomfortable.

"Isn't it wrong to spy on other ponies and keep secrets like this?" she asked. Lyra threw her hoof over Octavia's shoulder.

"Don't worry--we're just doing what good friends would do for their other good friends. Right?"

Octavia still seemed hesitant. "Are you certain this is alright?" The unicorn nodded her head exuberantly in response. Then, Bon Bon pushed both of the other ponies down as she heard the door slam open--

"--AND STAY OUT!" Twilight finished promptly with a slam of the door. All three hiding ponies peeked their heads over the brush to see Pinkie Pie land on her flank on the doorstep. Lyra was the first to clamber over to her friend.

"What happened?"

The other two mares came over as well, though Octavia did so slowly. "I was just done apologizing, and she was just starting to warm up to me, and I told her that I liked Daring Do, so I ran over to the shelf where it was... While pulling the book out--it was at the top--I accidentally pulled over the entire bookcase..."

Pinkie frowned before her gaze drifted to Octava. "Oh, hey, Octy..." She raised her hoof in a way that was probably meant as a wave, but lacked its regular enthusiasm.

Bon Bon stood up and spoke before the gray mare got the chance. "It's okay, Pinkie. We can still do this. I've got another plan..."

"Good, 'cause your plans are usually pretty entertaining." Lyra joked. The candy pony pulled the other three mares back into hiding before discussing the details of her most recent plot.

"I swear, that mare's never gonna get out of my mane!" Twilight fumed. She was pacing around as best she could in the mess Pinkie had caused, just about to carve a groove in the floor. Usually Spike would have put an end to this borderline crazy behavior, but he had yet to return from his trip to Bon Bon's.

When the library door opened again, she was about to go off on that annoying pink mare for intruding in her home once again--

"Uh, Twilight? I have a letter for you." Derpy stepped closer, worry slowly making its way into her features. Twilight's mane was starting to stick up in weird places. The pegasus hoofed over the envelope to Twilight, who hardly looked at it. "Usually I'd just put it in your mailbox, but... eh... how to say this?... Your mailbox isn't there anymore."

"What?!" Twilight dashed over to her door, the letter fluttering down uselessly where she was standing less than a minute ago. Derpy caught it before it hit the ground, and she cast a concerned look over her shoulder. "What happened to it? It was there a few minutes ago--right after I kicked her out! Wait... She's at it again, isn't she? She wants to be my friend so much she's taken my mailbox and is going to 'return' it! Derpy, watch the library for me!"

The unicorn then cantered out in no set direction, leaving behind a confused mailmare and a cloud of dust in her wake. Derpy looked down at the letter, up at where her friend once was, and back at the letter again.

"This letter seems important..."

Pinkie, Octavia, Bon Bon, and Lyra had just finished discussing their plan. "So, what you're saying is that I've gotta save her life and then she'll be friends with me?"

Bon Bon nodded. "Spitfire saved all of our lives in the Everfree Forest awhile ago, and saved my life exclusively on the trip to the dragon's den. Now, I'm not sure I trust anypony more."

Lyra gave her a look, but said nothing.

"But how can I save her life?" Pinkie asked Bon Bon. It really was amazing that she was still determined to become friends with a pony who obviously didn't want anything to do with her.

"Hm..." Bon Bon's brow creased. "There's always timber wolves... but that's a bit extreme... Is Twilight allergic to anything? Nah, even if she was, that'd be too dangerous..."

"No, Bon Bon! Your plan will never work. C'mere, Pinkie, I've got just the thing for you!" Lyra pulled Pinkie aside and began speaking with her privately, which was responded with exceedingly excited nods.

"Huh?" Bon Bon said to herself, "Didn't you just say my plans were always 'entertaining'?" The earth pony grumbled to herself a bit more before joining the rest of her friends' plotting.

Twilight was stalking around town, walking on only the tips of her hooves. Pinkie--no, You-Know-Who was nowhere to be seen, but the unicorn was sure she was lurking behind one of these corners. After all, she always seemed to pop up when she least expected it. And, hopefully, this time she'd appear with her missing mailbox.

Several passing ponies gave her weird looks, but that was nothing compared to the expressions of those she asked about her stolen mailbox--"Have you seen my mailbox? It's been stolen, see, by a crazy pink mare that I keep seeing everywhere!"

Finally, Twilight stopped walking. She pressed a hoof into her forehead, feeling her headache worsen. Back when she'd had to hurry to save You-Know-Who's life, she'd been forced to expend more magic than she had prepped for the teleportation spell. Which, in earth pony lingo, meant she was going to be feeling very unreasonable and like manure for however long it would take her body to make up for the magical imbalance. No magic for a while.

And to think, I have to feel like this because of a pony I dislike... The things I go through... Makes me wonder if I ever should have left Canterlot!

Twilight glowered at the space ahead of her. I can already feel it coming... Great. Then, the smell of fresh apples made its way over to her. She suddenly felt hungry. So, the mare trotted over to where it had originated from--a small stand run by a red stallion.

"Hello," she greeted as cheerily as she could manage. The male only nodded at her. "May I have an apple?"

"One bit." he said simply. Twilight reached back for her saddlebag, where she'd keep a pouch for her bits, but then realized she didn't have it. She'd left the library in such a hurry she'd forgotten it.

"Oh... Heh, sorry, I'm going to have to pass this time." She smiled sheepishly at the bigger pony. However, a random pink mare appeared right beside her.

"Don't worry, I'll pay for ya!" Pinkie pushed a bit onto the counter as Twilight glared at her. The red stallion placed an equally crimson fruit atop the stand, but the unicorn pushed it back toward him.

"No, thank you." Twilight smiled apologetically at the vendor before turning and walking away. Not long after, You-Know-Who trotted up after her. She had the apple's stem in her mouth.

" 'Ere! Come on, just take it!" she pleaded. When Twilight didn't reply, the pink mare grabbed the apple and shoved it into the unicorn's mouth. Immediately, Twilight spit it out and rounded on Pinkie.

"WHY won't you just leave me alone?! You're so annoying--and I'll never be your friend! I DON'T MAKE FRIENDS WITH PONIES WHO STEAL OTHER PONIES' MAILBOXES!!!" Then, the unicorn, satisfied with herself, stalked off.

Pinkie remained there, a frown on her face. "...Steal other ponies' mailboxes?"

"I don't get it..." Pinkie sniffled. "Nopony has ever resisted being my friend like this!" Lyra patted her friend on the back.

"I'm sorry, Pinkie! I don't see how my plan could have failed--if a pony got me an apple, they'd be my best friend, hoofs down!" A glare was directed at Bon Bon. The two then proceeded to argue with each other. Octavia frowned, then approached the sad pony.

"Pinkie Pie... Allow me to introduce you to Twilight Sparkle." Octavia had her own plan to help Pinkie, seeing as how both Bon Bon and Lyra had their go. Hers seemed to have the highest possible success rate, and she really didn't want to see anymore emotional distress from anypony.

"You're friends with her?" The pink pony's ears perked in interest. Octavia nodded in response.

"--Why are you being so mean to me today, Lyra?!"

"Mean?! All you've been talking about is how it's so easy to become your best friend!"

Octavia ignored her other friends' quarrel and continued speaking to Pinkie. "You must reform yourself and ask for forgiveness. I will do my best to help with the process. Try to be more reserved--at least, until she accepts you as a friend."

Pinkie nodded once. She cleared her throat and straightened her posture. "Uh, how... how's this?" Her voice was a tad bit deeper, though it kept its feminism. The gray earth pony smiled lightly.

"Better. Are you prepared?" The pink pony hugged the other mare.

"Yeah, I'm totally ready to make a new friend! Er, I mean... Yes, I'm quite... prepared." She couldn't stop the huge grin from overtaking her features at her apparent success at conquering her normal demeanor. Octavia returned her embrace.

Octavia knocked on the library's door. Pinkie was beside her, though her expression was starting to look uncertain. Octavia gave her a reassuring smile and mouthed, Don't worry. Soon, a voice was heard behind the door.

"Who... Who is it?" Twilight's paranoid voice rang out. "If your name is, or of relating to, the letter 'P' or the color pink, please just leave!"

Octavia cleared her throat. "Twilight, it's me, Octavia. Would you let me in?" The door to the library inched open slowly, and the gray earth pony could see the unicorn's crazed expression, wild eyes, and frayed mane.

"Oh, hey, Octavia... I could use some help--"As she opened the door wider, her eyes caught sight of her. The door slammed shut in the two ponies' faces. "Sorry, Octavia, but I'm busy!"

"Twilight!" Octavia knocked on the door harder, then opened it herself. The gray mare didn't hesitate to step inside the strangely dark room. "Twilight, I need to talk to you..."

"What about? I-I'm doing something. Ponies that steal mailboxes and baby dragons aren't welcome here!" Octavia turned toward Pinkie with an incredulous look.

"Exactly... What did you do to her?"

"I don't know what she's talking about... I didn't take any mailboxes or baby dragons, I promise!" Pinkie said hushedly. Octavia didn't give her any response, and instead trotted to where she knew the light switch was.

When the light flickered on, Twilight was leaning back against the far wall, books scattered all around the floor. She looked worse in the light.

"We need to talk. All three of us." Octavia said simply. "Twilight, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Pinkie Pie. She is... certainly a piece of work, but a good friend nonetheless. If you are open-minded about it, surely you can find something endearing about her. I grew up with her, after all."

Twilight kept staring at Pinkie the way a pony would eye an explosive that could go off at any moment. She slowly walked closer. "If... If you really don't think she's bad... I guess I could give it a try. Maybe I was too harsh..."

Taking slow steps, Twilight finally stood directly in front of Pinkie Pie. Her posture suggested she was ready to jump away in case something did explode, but Octavia supposed that was a step up. She could tell Pinkie was doing her best not to give voice to her happiness to the world, but was unable to stop the small smile from creeping onto her muzzle.

Pinkie had always been this way ever since she'd thrown that party years ago. Ever since she'd gotten her cutie mark, no matter who it was, she'd made it her life's goal to make everypony happy. That was good and all, but it wasn't what Octavia wanted. Pinkie wanted to make ponies happy with a loud exuberancy--while Octavia wanted to do so quietly, with kind and gentle music. Perhaps it was Pinkie's revelation of her destiny that led Octavia on hers.

The two ponies were just about to shake hooves, when suddenly, the entire library shook. Twilight pulled back at once and glared accusingly at the pink mare.

"You--You're doing it again! Stop!"

"It's not me--I swear!" Pinkie attempted. Octavia was immediately looking around for the source of the disturbance--more books were falling to the ground. A random envelope fluttered onto Octavia's muzzle.

Spike wrote a letter to Twilight? The earth pony pulled the piece of paper off her face and examined it briefly. Indeed, Spike the dragon's name was in the corner and Twilight's name was printed neatly in the center. Not sure what that could mean but deciding there were more important things at the moment, Octavia rushed to the library's door, leaving the envelope behind.

Outside, was a very weird scene indeed.

Spitfire was flying in the air above, along with some other ponies Octavia assumed were a part of the Wonderbolts. Spike was talking adamantly with Derpy Hooves, who was gesturing her hooves wildly. The gray earth ponies eyes trailed off to the side where she saw a blue male pegasus rubbing his head.

"Soarin'! It's just a simple barrel-roll; how can you screw that up?"

Lyra and Bon Bon suddenly appeared, just to the side. The former was snickering at what Spitfire had apparently said, though Bon Bon seemed to still be angry. Octavia had no idea what was going on.

Octavia felt a flourish of wind pass by her right side, and glanced over just in time to see what had happened. Twilight had lunged at Pinkie from inside the library, and the two were now rolling around. Twilight had apparently lost it with the pink pony, and had every intention of making her regret it.

"Woah! What's goin' on here?!" Spitfire exclaimed as she quickly landed next to Octavia.

"I've had it with you!" Twilight exclaimed. Everypony in the viscinity turned to look.

"Twilight?!" Spike's jaw dropped at the sight of his closest friend looking like a lunatic. Spitfire jumped into the tussle, and was able to separate the two mares. Octavia checked to make sure Pinkie was okay, while the Wonderbolt captain kept Twilight at bay.

"What's wrong with you? I've never seen you so angry!" Spitfire grunted. She dropped Twilight on the ground, a ways from Pinkie.

"It's her--that pony's crazy!" Twilight covered her ears with both hooves, her eyes dancing from pony to pony.

Spitfire's face contorted in confusion. "What? Right now, you're lookin' like the crazy one!" The pegasus turned to the other mare involved in the fight. "You, explain."

Pinkie looked torn. "I've been trying to befriend her, but it hasn't been going so well, and she thinks I'm annoying..."

Spitfire gave her a funny look before glancing at her team. "Uh, guys...? Let's call it a day. We'll continue tomorrow."

Some Wonderbolts rolled their eyes before taking off. Soarin' nodded at the captain--perhaps out of respect, before leaving as well. Spitfire cleared her throat before looking at Twilight. She spoke calmly, "Twilight, in order to sort this out, we're gonna need you to explain, too."

The unicorn hadn't lost all of her sanity just yet. "I... This morning, I was going to Sugarcube Corner to help Bon Bon sort something out with the owners, when she pounced on me. I proceeded to look for the owners of the shop, but they weren't in. So, I was on my way back to the library, and she wouldn't leave me alone. Then, I was going to teleport away, and she latched on--"

"She could've died!" Lyra said suddenly. She must've paid attention in school.

"Yeah, but I was able to extend the magical field around both of us--"

"Ouch..." sympathized Lyra, wincing. The other ponies obviously didn't have a clue--Lyra and Twilight were the only unicorns there.

"I know, and it does hurt. Anyway, she wouldn't leave me alone--stole my mailbox--ponynapped Spike--lied to me about the fact that she 'reads Dairy Dude,' and actually knocked over a bookcase! Her voice--her in-your-face attitude--I can't stand it!"

"Wait--stole your mailbox? Ponynapped Spike?" The Wonderbolt turned toward Spike. "I thought you said you told her!"

The dragon scratched his face sheepishly. "I, uh, wrote her a letter and told Derpy to give it to her!"

"You dodo!" Spitfire face-hoofed. Everypony but those two stared on in confusion. Octavia then remembered the letter that'd landed on her face--and went to retrieve it. When she'd returned, she gave the envelope to Twilight.

The unicorn read aloud, her voice somewhat quizzical. "Dear Twilight... You know how I said I was going to go to Bon Bon's? Well, I got side-tracked, and now I'm helping with Wonderbolt training! I'll be back home later tonight--oh, and this one guy named Soarin', he kind of ran your mailbox over... but he said he'd get it fixed. See you later, Spike."

She slowly looked up at the dragon and gave him an icy look. He dove behind Bon Bon to hide from that stare.

"I have a confession to make..." Bon Bon said suddenly. "I mean, we have a confession to make." The candy mare pulled Lyra and Octavia next to her. "We've been pulling some strings, Twilight... I kinda... lied to you this morning about my business's status... All three of us have been setting you up all day."

Twilight glowered at them, too.

Bon Bon continued, but her voice was sounding less confident. "We encouraged her to lie about Daring Do--though she must not have caught the title right. We told her all these different things she ought to do, and worst of all, used Octavia as bait!"

"Actually, that was my--"Bon Bon pushed a hoof into Octavia's mouth.

"What we're trying to say, is that we're sorry and that we've learned our lesson."

Twilight's glare slowly turned into one of understanding. "So, none of this was her fault, huh...? Pinkie Pie, I'd like to apologize for being rude and judging you before I actually got to know the real you, not what you thought you had to be to befriend me. Let's start over." Though still a little hesitant, Twilight trotted over to the pink pony and hugged her briefly. "Though I can't make any promises that I won't get annoyed at you."

Pinkie Pie looked like she was about to explode from happiness. Twilight pulled away and looked at Spike.

"Spike, could you take a letter?"

The dragon cleared his throat, probably attempting to regain his 'manly' status, and stepped out from behind his crush. "Sure, Twi," he said as he pulled out a scroll and feather.

"Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned not to judge a book by its cover, and that you should always look for the good qualities in a pony." Twilight said, only to have Bon Bon continue.

"And we learned that you should never lie to impress somepony, no matter what. You should be truthful to your friends, and they'll return in kind."

"AND," Lyra hopped up excitedly, "WE LEARNED THAT YOU SHOULD NEVER EVER TRY TO SEND A LETTER THROUGH THE MAIL WHEN THE MAILBOX IS MISSING!"

Everypony laughed at that. When she finished, Twilight said, "Signed, your most loyal subjects." As Spike scratched the last bit into the letter, he wrapped it up and sent it to the Princess.

"...What now?" asked Derpy.

"I suppose we could clean the library." Octavia suggested, which got an eager nod from Spike--who obviously didn't want to do it by himself.

"--and brush Twilight's mane out." Lyra grinned, but only received a glare in return. Bon Bon hit her in the back of the head, and everything was back to normal. Between Bon Bon and Lyra, and Twilight's crazy mane. Finally, Twilight was going to get the rest she deserved--

"Wait." Twilight blinked. Everypony that'd been trotting inside stopped and looked at her. "So, you two are really... sisters?"

Then, the attention was drawn to Pinkie and Octavia. The pink pony answered for the two of them. "Well, of course! Can't you see the family resemblance?"

And yet they looked just about as different as two ponies could be, not to mention personality-wise. Twilight only smiled in acceptance, wondering if any of the others had family members she had yet to meet. She knew she did.

Author's Note

So yeah, I know this is like, really over-due, but I should get some brownie points for the originality of this chapter. And what this does mean is that for the moment, Zecora will be absent from the story. Sorry if that bothers anybody! Also, I'm sure some of you are curious as to how often Pinkie will appear--just about as much as Big Mac does in the original series. Which means, hardly at all, but more than average background ponies. Please understand that this was a big leap for me to take as far as this story goes, and please also understand that I tried my best on it. But feel free to criticize; so far, all it's done is help me.

And, while I'm at it, I'll also give you a reason as to the tardiness of this chapter: I'd gotten about halfway done with what is now going to be the next chapter, but ended up deciding the plot would be better suited for Swarm of the Parasprites. So, for all you (hopefully loyal!) readers, that means the next chapter should come out sooner! Thanks for reading and see you next time! :)

A Fleeting Moment

"Spitfire, seriously, what is up with you?" Fleetfoot said as she took a sip of her drink. The younger Wonderbolt had asked Spitfire out to lunch, apparently needing to talk to her about something. Initially Spitfire had been cautious, but now she was just curious. Fleetfoot had even chosen the most underground tavern in all of Canterlot for the occasion.

"I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about," Spitfire replied, resting her hooves on the table in front of her.

"I think you do know, Spits." Fleetfoot pushed her drink aside and leaned forward. "You've been late to every one of our practices these past few weeks and even to our shows! The team's losing confidence in you. You don't even act like yourself anymore!"

"Huh? How so?" Spitfire asked. She was truly confused by the statement, as she hadn't noticed anything amiss in her own behavior. Fleetfoot sighed in an exaggerated manner.

"You used to have this fire inside of you!" The other mare waved aimlessly in the air. "A passion for flying! It was something that inspired all of us to keep up with you, to keep going even when things got rough! Now, you barely show up for team bonding sessions in favor of those... those ponies you met on a whim!"

"What are you trying to say?" Spitfire swallowed thickly, narrowing her eyes. Fleetfoot settled down in her seat.

"I mean no disrespect, ma'am, but I think you should consider getting your act together or give up your career as captain of the Wonderbolts."

The statement hung in the air, thick enough to weigh down on the ponies who were within earshot. Spitfire had almost seen it coming, but the knowledge did nothing to soften the blow. Fleetfoot was a comrade and one of her closest allies on the team, second only to Soarin'.

The team had felt pretty distant lately...

Spitfire stood from her seat and placed her bits neatly on the table. She said, "We'll continue this discussion later."

She walked away calmly, with an air of confidence that only she could maintain. Inside, however, was a completely different story. She was afraid she might throw up if she took flight, and she could hardly think past the lightheadedness that had come over her suddenly.

Giving up being a Wonderbolt, huh... Spitfire glanced up at the sky, that beautiful sky that had taken her heart so, and wondered. Weird... And I thought I wouldn't care that much. Must be getting soft.

The afternoon sun shone brightly, casting its light over all of Canterlot. It was a wonderful sight to behold; one that always made Spitfire speechless. There were no words that could possibly convey the warmth that gripped one's heart as they gazed at such a sight.

Spitfire shed her disguise (her trademark trench coat) and stretched her wings.

"Look! It's Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts!" somepony shouted at the top of their lungs, jabbing a hoof toward Spitfire. Ponies all around turned to look at her, awed by her presence.

"Time for me to fly." Spitfire saluted casually to the passersby and took off. A stormy trail followed her path, which always surprised her. It didn't make much sense for a pony of her fur color to have such a gray after-image, but she'd stopped wondering about it ages ago. Besides, she had a whole lot of thinking to do.

A nearby cloud soon caught her attention and Spitfire descended onto it. It was an amazing feeling, to have such a fluffy substance holding up your weight. It would've been enough to make other, non-flying ponies jealous, had they ever experienced it.

Spitfire let out a gusty breath and let her tense shoulders unwind. It'd been a while since it was just her. "I wonder if all of the team feels that way."

She frowned, letting her eyes stray to her flank and, more precisely, her cutie mark. "Did I make a mistake by coming to Ponyville?"

A longer silence followed, in which she couldn't come up with an answer. This was so unlike her. Maybe Fleetfoot was right; she really had changed. The old Spitfire would've scoffed in Fleetfoot's face and told her she wouldn't dream of leaving the Wonderbolts, that she was out of her mind for even suggesting it. The old Spitfire would've been offended by such an accusation, maybe even condemning Fleetfoot to some sort of punishment.

But that wasn't what happened. Spitfire remained sulking on a cloud as Fleetfoot sat at her chair undisturbed. Spitfire really had gone soft.

"...Maybe I should get back to Ponyville and get some sleep. Things'll work themselves out later." Spitfire flew in the direction of Ponyville, taking her time. A heavy heart is a burden that wings can't easily carry.

"A letter for Spits?" Derpy stared at the parchment in her hooves. She'd been delivering the mail as usual when she'd come across it. It wasn't unusual for Spitfire to get fan-mail (which always seemed to come in rainbow envelopes), but this looked a lot more professional. It was rolled up neatly, completely symmetrical, with a sparkling gold ribbon. The return address read: "From the desk of Fleetfoot, the renowned Wonderbolt".

"Woah, this looks real important!" Derpy swallowed nervously. "Really professional..."

Derpy got to thinking. This letter looked like it could be Spitfire's death sentence! Or what if it was an acceptance letter to colleg--No, Derpy, remember: This is from a Wonderbolt, she chided herself. But still, why the heck is it so formal? Spits... wouldn't mind if I took a peek, would she?

Derpy flapped her wings idly, weighing her curiosity against her morals.

Soon the pegasus had undone the ribbon holding the parchment together, eagerly rolling it open. After all, she was doing this with Spitfire's best interest in mind! If it was bad, she could help comfort her rather than simply deliver the bad news!

To Spitfire, My Beloved Captain:

I'm so happy to hear that you've come to a decision. I knew nothing could keep you grounded for very long! The team is overjoyed that you've come back to your senses and realized what's truly important. Soarin' and I will swing by in a few hours to help you move your things. (You know how efficient those mail-ponies are when it comes to priority shipping.)

Your Humble Teammate and Loyal Friend,

Fleetfoot

Derpy dropped the letter in her shock, only to have to scramble after it a few moments later. She couldn't believe what she'd just read... Spitfire was leaving? Come to think of it, she hadn't left her cloud home ever since that trip she took to Canterlot! Oh no, oh no, oh no...!

Instead of heading to Spitfire's home like she was initially, Derpy turned around and blazed in the direction of another of her friends' homes--the one closest to her location. It just so happened that the easiest way inside was through the window. She crashed through it with little grace, face-planting on the wooden floor with glass surrounding her.

"Woah!" Lyra Heartstrings stood at the door, her eyes wide in shock. "Derpy? Are you okay? ...On second thought, you wait here; let me go grab a camera."

"No time for that, Lyra!" Derpy exclaimed, jumping up to her hooves. She waved the letter in Lyra's face. "Spitfire's leaving Ponyville!"

"What?! Let me see that!" Lyra snatched the parchment from the pegasus' hooves and buried her muzzle into its elegant writing. "She can't be! There's no way she'd just--"

"But it's written right there!"

Lyra swallowed as she read what the note said, and soon her eyes were as wide and panicked as the other mare's. "T-there's got to be a mistake. You sure this isn't meant for the other Spitfire who's captain of the Wonderbolts? The one who lives like, right next door and has a firey lookin' mane?"

Derpy smacked a hoof against Lyra's head. "No time for jokes! Action! Now!"

"Where to then, Cap'n?" Lyra placed the tupperware she was holding down on her blanket before becoming aware of the glass littering her floor. "Also, you gonna fix that?"

Derpy waved a hoof in the air. "Of course! But we have a problem on our hooves. C'mon, let's go!" Derpy wrapped her hooves around Lyra's mid-section and hefted her into the air.

"Hey, I can walk, ya know!" Lyra grumbled, though the smile on her face spoke volumes louder than her words. She forced a serious expression on her face as they ascended out of her home. "Okay, we should totally go see Bon Bon next! She'll know what to do!"

"Yeah!" Derpy agreed, zooming off in the vague direction of Bon Bon's store.

"...Have you spoken with Spitfire yet?" Bon Bon said, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, not exactly... but that letter's proof enough!" Derpy replied in defense. She grabbed the letter back and shoved it into her mailmare bag.

"Maybe so, but still..." Bon Bon frowned as she continued washing dishes. "Don't you think you should've asked Spitfire about it?"

Derpy's wings flared out. "But if she really is thinking about leaving then we need all the help we can get to change her mind! C'mon, Lyra!"

The pegasus grabbed Lyra's hoof and pulled her back toward the store's entrance. Lyra shrugged toward the earth pony before the light of day blinded her.

"Hey, look, there's Octavia! I know she'll help out!" Derpy rushed over toward the aforementioned pony, leaving Lyra behind. The unicorn walked over calmly, watching as Derpy spazzed about the way she did when she'd spoken with Bon Bon. Octavia was startled by what had seemed to be a random pony shaking her by the shoulders, but once the supposed stranger's words had registered she only looked shocked.

Octavia pushed Derpy off of her and fixed her with a blank stare. "You're sure?"

Lyra walked up to the two and opened up Derpy's bag. She levitated the letter out and showed it to Octavia. "Yeah, that thing's pretty straightforward!"

Octavia read through the letter. "My, my... She did seem distant the last time I spoke with her."

"When did you see her?" Derpy asked, surprised. She gently put the letter back in her bag as she spoke. "She hasn't left home for the past week!"

"No," Octavia corrected. "She has. I saw her at the nearby Packing Mule--that store downtown where you buy all the necessities for travel. She was carrying a lot of boxes. She only said she was going on vacation, so I didn't think much of it."

"She was buying boxes! Who packs their things in boxes to go on a vacation?!" Lyra exclaimed, slapping a hoof against her face. "Why were you at the Packing Mule, anyway?"

"Er... Well..."

Derpy gasped, pointing a hoof up at the sky. The two ponies beside her followed her gaze. "Ohmygosh, look! Those ponies are wearing Wonderbolt suits! T-they're here to take Spitfire!"

Lyra jumped at the sight. "We've gotta do something!"

Derpy started flapping harder. "I'll distract them! You two go get Twilight and meet me at Spitfire's place!" Before either pony had a chance to stop her, Derpy flew up and intercepted the two Wonderbolts. Soarin' yelped in surprise while Fleetfoot only paused for a moment.

"Pardon us, stranger; we didn't mean to get in your way. If you'll excuse us..." Fleetfoot made to fly around Derpy, but the gray mare suddenly grabbed hold of the other's shouders.

"You're Fleetfoot, aren't you?!"

"...Yes?"

A short silence followed her response. Derpy hadn't thought that far ahead, but she was able to play it off easily. Her eyes lolled around as she grinned. "...I'm your biggest fan! This is a dream come true!"

Soarin' chuckled. "Wow, looks like the newbie's finally getting some fans!"

Fleetfoot glared at him before playfully swatting him in the head. "Hey! I've been on the team for a couple of years now; I hardly think I'm a newbie."

This was going better than Derpy had expected. They were doing all the stalling she was planning on doing. It was a good thing, too. She wasn't the best candidate for this type of mission.

"Can I, uh, have your autograph?" Derpy asked as their conversation died down. Fleetfoot smiled.

"Sure. Have a pen and some paper?"

"Of course!" Derpy stuffed a hoof into her mailmare bag and dug around in it for a few seconds. Soon she had produced some parchment and a quill. She handed them to the Wonderbolt.

Fleetfoot's expression twisted into confusion as she stared down at the piece of paper.

"Is somethin' wrong, Fleetfoot?" Soarin' asked as he took note of the uncomfortable silence. Fleetfoot looked up at Derpy.

"Where did you get this?"

It was then that Derpy realized that she had made a terrible mistake. She had given Fleetfoot the very same letter that she had penned herself. Oh, how could she have been so stupid?

"Uh..." Derpy glanced around uncertainly. "I'm a mailmare. See my bag? I was just on my way to deliver that when I saw my most favorite-est Wonderbolt. I had to stop and say hello, you know?"

"But it's opened..." Fleetfoot said as she examined the paper. "And it looks as if it's been crumpled up. This was supposed to get to Spitfire's place hours ago! Whatever happened to quality service?"

"I'm sorry..." Derpy said finally, hanging her head. The berating pony sighed.

"S'alright. Here, you can keep it. It has my autograph and all." Fleetfoot handed the letter back to Derpy, who smiled gratefully before gingerly pushing it back into her bag.

Soarin' looked around. "What'dya say we get a move on? Don't want to keep the boss waitin' and all."

"Good point. Well, see you around, Miss...?" Fleetfoot began, watching Derpy carefully. The cross-eyed pegasus saluted.

"Derpy! Derpy Hooves."

"Well then, Miss Derpy Hooves, it was a pleasure meeting you. May our paths cross again in the future." The two Wonderbolts continued their flight toward Spitfire's home. Derpy's gaze drifted to the land below, where she spotted her friends gathered together. Octavia and Lyra hadn't only gotten Twilight, but they'd brought Bon Bon along too.

Derpy swooped down to meet them. "Have you guys got a plan? They're on their way in there now!"

"Will somepony please tell me what's going on now?" Twilight exclaimed, looking around at the group with a glare. Spike sat atop her back undisturbed. Apparently nopony had deemed it necessary to clue her in.

Bon Bon decided to respond. "These ponies have got it in their heads that Spitfire's leaving Ponyville!"

"What?!" Twilight's eyes had widened considerably. "Why the hay would she--"

"There she is!" Lyra said suddenly, pointing a hoof up at the sky. Everypony looked up at once to see their good friend. Spitfire looked the way she always did, but with a streak less confidence. Her shoulders weren't as set back as they normally were, and her mane looked much more tame than the roaring fire it usually imitated.

Fleetfoot and Soarin' spoke with her, and both gave her a hug after a while. It looked like it lifted her spirits.

"What's going on?" Octavia questioned. She gripped her foreleg.

"I don't know... Wait, they're going inside!" Derpy said as one of her eyes followed the three pegasi. "...And coming back out with... boxes?"

"She really is leaving! I can't believe this... Why wouldn't she tell us?" Twilight lamented. She fell back on her flank and stared at her hooves, looking like she was about to cry. Lyra placed one of her own hooves on her fellow unicorn's shoulder and smiled encouragingly.

"I'm sure she was planning on it."

Twilight hugged Lyra, who returned it. Everypony else continued staring up into the sky, each with varying levels of fright in their eyes. It wasn’t long until one of them snapped.

“Hey, Spitfire!” Bon Bon shouted. The Wonderbolt’s head snapped over. Spitfire’s speed was but a shadow of its former glory as she flew down to meet them.

“Oh, hey guys. What’s up?” Spitfire said, giving them a nervous smile. Her Wonderbolt costume felt out of place.

“We should be asking you that!” Bon Bon jabbed a hoof at her chest. “The question most certainly is what’s going on up there?”

Spitfire sighed in defeat before taking a seat on the ground. “...I’m sorry. I know I should’ve told all of you about this, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

Spike slid off Twilight’s back and walked over to Spitfire, confusion burning in his green eyes. “I don’t get it... It’s not like you’re leaving us forever, right?”

When Spitfire didn’t attempt to refute his words, the dragon gasped. He recoiled back as if struck. “But we’re your friends!”

“I know, Spike.” Spitfire leveled her weary gaze at her smallest friend. “But something’s come up. The team needs me. I can’t keep shirking off work, especially since I’m captain. Twilight, you should understand duty more than anything, what with your relations with the princess.”

Twilight frowned, tears evident in her eyes. “Spitfire… There’s got to be another way. We don’t have to say goodbye here.”

“But…” Spitfire began.

“Stop being so stubborn!” Lyra interrupted. She appeared to be the angriest of the bunch. “Seriously, you’re the pony everypony looks up to! Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts, star among stars! If you can’t persevere, then nopony can. Get it?”

Soarin’ and Fleetfoot flew down next to Spitfire and set the boxes they were carrying down. “Everything alright?” the stallion questioned, his nervous gaze combing over the group of upset mares. When Fleetfoot had landed, her eyes were drawn to Derpy, her supposed number one fan. Derpy smiled nervously.

Fleetfoot turned her curious eyes on Spitfire. “Do you know these ponies, captain?”

“Yeah, these are my friends.” Understanding flitted through the other Wonderbolt’s eyes. She looked back at the crew, seeming to silently judge each one. Still, she seemed stumped by Derpy’s placement.

“Spits, we should probably get going,” Soarin’ reminded as he looked up at the sun. “It’s getting late.”

Spitfire nodded slowly before she stood up and prepped her wings for flight. Her friends had trouble finding the right words to say, but their window of opportunity was swiftly closing. Finally, Octavia decided to give it a shot.

“Spitfire.” The one word was enough to halt the Wonderbolt’s ascent. “If I may be so bold… You’re making a mistake. Possibly the largest you ever have.”

For some reason, the normally stoic pony’s words struck Spitfire more than the other’s. Her anger finally flared out--the very same fire that had been absent these past few days.

“What do you expect me to do? Give up being a Wonderbolt?! Being a part of the team has been my dream since I was a filly and now that I’ve finally reached it, I can’t just walk away! If living in Ponyville means giving up my career, I’m afraid the choice should be obvious.” Octavia’s poker face hadn’t wavered in the least, and she didn’t even take a step back. A lesser pony would’ve run for their lives at this point.

“What point is there in a life full of nothing but duty? The fact that you cannot reach a final decision should prove how much both options mean to you.”

Spitfire bit back a response, opting for silence. She stared down at her hooves for a while. Then, she looked back up and met Octavia’s gaze. “...I know you’re right, but I don’t want to admit it. Friendship means a lot more to me than it used to.”

She sighed heavily. “Fleetfoot.” The Wonderbolt turned toward her fellow flyer. “...I think you should take my place as captain.”

Gasps could be heard all around. Fleetfoot’s eyes bugged out of her head. “Are… Are you being serious right now?”

“Y-you can’t do that!” exclaimed Derpy at once. But Spitfire hadn’t paid her any mind, as she only had eyes for Fleetfoot now.

“Spitfire…” Fleetfoot began, still stunned. “I’m… flattered, really. But I’m afraid I can’t accept. We’re friends. I know I may have been a bit harsh with you earlier… but none of us want you to relinquish your position or leave. We just want the real you to come back to us.”

Spitfire didn’t say anything. Instead, Lyra took the chance to speak up.

“Isn’t there some way we can compromise so that Spitfire doesn’t have to leave Ponyville, but she can still be an active part of the team?”

Everypony remained silent, and for the moment it seemed like there really was no way for this problem to work out. Spitfire couldn't continue on this way, leading two lives; it was evident that it was starting to affect her well-being. But at the same time... both were too important to give up. If Spitfire chose one above the other, she knew she would regret it. That's what made this so hard.

Soarin’, who’d been quiet for a while, suddenly grinned. He glanced between both Fleetfoot and Spitfire. “I think I may have a solution you'll both enjoy!”

The bearers of the elements stood cheering in the stands for the Wonderbolts, who were performing some tricky aerial maneuvers for the viewers’ pleasure. All the strangers around them hollered for their favorite flyer, while some only ‘wowed’ on occasion.

“Spitfire sure is lookin’ good up there,” Bon Bon commented, nudging the trench coat wearing pony next to her playfully.

“I have to agree. Just look at that mane! It’s to dye for,” Lyra joined in with a snicker.

“Come on, guys. I swear the two of you still act like you’re fillies.” Spitfire grinned lopsidedly at her friends, who giggled. “Anyway, do you really think she can stand in for me?”

Twilight joined in the conversation. “I’m sure she’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t try to speak. It’s a good thing Octavia had experience with make up though. If she hadn’t, I doubt it would’ve turned out so well.”

“And her mane was already styled a lot like Spitfire’s!” Derpy said entirely too loud, causing the others to shush her. She blushed bashfully, apologizing for her outburst.

Octavia gave the trench-coated pony a hug. “I’m just glad you won’t be leaving.” Octavia’s statement led to all the other ponies joining into what had become a group hug. Above, the Wonderbolts flew in perfect synchronization, with Fleetfoot (in a very believable Spitfire disguise) in the lead. She looked genuinely happy to be leading the pack.

They’d come to an agreement that Fleetfoot could be Spitfire’s stand in whenever she needed it. Spitfire was still the captain, but now she wasn’t on such a tight leash. This compromise pleased everyone but Soarin’, who whined that he wanted to be captain-for-a-day.

Well... Maybe someday.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned a very important lesson about friendship. If something is truly important to you, your friends will be there to help with whatever they can. True friends will stand beside you no matter where your decisions will lead you, but they’ll do their best to help lead you in the right direction. My friend Spitfire taught me this lesson today.

AND you shouldn’t go snooping in other ponies’ things!

Derpy! That’s not the main point of the--Spike, don’t write that! What am I going to do with you? Ugh, just go ahead and send it.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

My sincerest apologies for the wait on this chapter. I know it's not as long as usual, but I am fond of it. I won't take the time to write out why it took so long because it will only seem like an excuse, and I know none of you want to read that. Anyway, I completely ignored the show while writing this and kept it original, the way most of you have been wanting from the start. I hope you enjoyed it, and you definitely won't have to wait as long for the next chapter. If nothing else, that is my promise.

Hope you had a wonderful holiday season as well.

Meet the Ponies Part II

“ARGH!!!” Twilight groaned angrily. She didn’t understand any of what she was reading! The words were hoofwritten so badly (probably by an Earth pony) that some were impossible to make out. She was at a really important part, too—the book was describing exactly what the Elements of Harmony were.

Twilight glanced anxiously at the window of the library. It was dark out. No doubt the sun would be rising soon. She needed to hurry, or else she would be late.

Suddenly, the door to the library opened and a purple dragon waddled in. “Hey, Twilight! The sun’s about to rise!”

The unicorn face-hoofed. She was too late. Her mentor would definitely notice her absence at an event as significant as that, so she couldn’t skip. She sighed before pushing the book into her saddlebag. After making sure the lights were out, the unicorn and dragon walked out together.

“Say, Twilight…” Spike glanced around, holding his claws tightly. “You know how you sent me to prepare for the Summer Sun Celebration?”

Oh sweet Celestia, please tell me he did it. Twilight thought before nodding briskly.

“Well, I met the most beautiful mare I’ve ever seen in my life!” Spike rattled on, “Her name’s Bon Bon and she was helping somepony with the food! They mostly made apple stuff, but anyway, she’s the best. I can’t wait to see her at the Summer Sun Celebration!”

The unicorn stared at the purple dragon in surprise. “You have a crush on Bon Bon?”

Spike blushed, but did not try to deny it. Instead, he avoided the question with another. “You know Bon Bon?”

Twilight dismissed the attention with a hoof. “She showed me where the library was. You were able to get everything ready before Princess Celestia arrived, right? And why were you so late in coming to the library?”

“I haven’t actually seen Princess Celestia yet, and I was late because I helped get the food set up.” Spike shrugged his shoulders as if it weren’t a big deal, but his blush gave him away. Twilight had a feeling he was just trying to spend more time with the candy mare.

The unicorn didn’t reply and simply made her way to the location this year—Ponyville’s city hall. (Supposedly where all the ponies were walking to.) It wasn’t too far from the library, so it was a convenient walk.

The minute Twilight stepped through the door she was bombarded by a certain pegasus. “Heya Twilight Sparks! I found your baby dragon!”

Derpy Hooves held up what looked like a baby alligator without any teeth. Twilight stared, wondering how she thought that was a dragon.

“Um, thanks…” She took hold of the alligator in her magical grasp and, when Derpy wasn’t looking, let him wander off through the crowd. A lot of ponies had gathered already; Twilight could see Spike tripping over his feet in his rush to Bon Bon.

“It’s no problem! I haven’t ever actually seen a dragon, so I wasn’t sure what he looked like.” Derpy smiled widely. “I am glad I could help you.”

Twilight’s ears perked when she heard music playing. The unicorn looked over to where it was coming from to see Octavia playing. The gray mare was holding a rather large cello this time, and it sounded beautiful. Her hooves moved expertly over the strings and Twilight found herself lost in the music. She wasn’t the only one, though. Other ponies stopped talking to listen to the melodic tune.

“Pssst. Hey, Twilight. It’s me.” Somepony prodded the unicorn’s side, breaking her spell. Twilight shook her head and looked to see who it was. Spitfire was wearing a long trench coat and was almost unrecognizable underneath it. The disguise worked well.

“Uh…I don’t want to be blunt or anything, but that doesn’t look very good on you.” She pointed out critically. Spitfire had a straight face, but half a second later she was laughing.

“Pfft, of course not! If I looked good I’d draw too much attention to myself, and that’s not what I need. Haha, you’re hilarious…!” Other ponies turned and glared in annoyance at the pony that was interrupting the beauty of the music. Octavia hadn’t once stopped her playing, nor had she made a mistake that Twilight had caught.

Spitfire didn’t even seem to acknowledge that she was irritating everypony else. The ones around them even started to glower at Twilight. The unicorn blushed in embarrassment and tried to look like she didn’t know who this mare was.

Everypony’s attention was drawn to a balcony where Princess Celestia was going to be making her appearance. Octavia’s music grew quieter and quieter until it stopped. She opened her eyes and nodded to somepony up on the balcony. Lyra had a big smile on her face when she pulled the rope that opened up the curtains. Princess Celestia was nowhere to be seen.
Everypony in the room, including Spitfire, gasped. A sense of dread grasped at Twilight’s heart. I knew it. This is bad, this is bad… Nightmare Moon is returning…!

“Where is Princess Celestia?!” Somepony shouted. Everypony looked at the royal guards for answers, but they looked just as confused as them.

Out of nowhere, somepony started laughing ten times louder than Spitfire had, and it sounded much more sinister. An alicorn appeared where Princess Celestia should have. Her coat was black, almost as dark as night itself, and her mane looked as if it had stars attached to it. The alicorn’s cutie mark matched her night-like appearance.

“Hello, my little ponies!” She said smoothly, “I’m sure you have missed us.” Nopony made a move that showed acknowledgement that they had heard the mare.

She still sounded amused. “Are all of you ready for eternal night? We should hope so.”

Spitfire seemed to recover from the shock when she flapped her wings, shedding the trench coat she was wearing. Some ponies looked in surprise at the sudden Wonderbolt’s appearance.

“Who the hay are you? And where is Princess Celestia?” She glared.

Nightmare Moon stammered, “Y-You do not recognize us?” She stomped a hoof angrily before scanning the crowd calculatingly. “None of thou recognize thee?!”

Everypony remained silent. Twilight swallowed her anxiety before raising a hoof timidly. “I-I…I know who you are…You’re Nightmare Moon.”

All the ponies Twilight had gotten acquainted to the previous day stared in surprise: Bon Bon, Lyra, Derpy, and Spitfire. For some reason Octavia didn’t even look phased.

“Indeed. So I am not completely forgotten…” Her voice took a bitter tone. “Your lovely Princess has taken to retirement, I’m afraid. I hope you do not mind the darkness, for this time all my little ponies will love the night.”

Nightmare Moon let out a hearty bellow. The Royal Guards finally figured out that this mare was dangerous and threatening their princess, so they took action. The armored pegasi lurched at the enemy, but she disappeared. The attacking ponies hit each other head on and were dazed.

A mist that looked like Nightmare Moon’s mane started to float away. “OH NO YOU DON’T!” Spitfire shouted, “I place this on my honor as captain of the WONDERBOLTS; you will not escape!” She flapped her wings furiously. Twilight had a weird sense of déjà vu. The captain took off faster than Twilight had ever seen a pony go before, and a trail of fire followed her. What a temper… Twilight thought, she seemed so cool-headed before.

The mist wasn’t fast enough. Spitfire caught up and latched on with her mouth. She started to slow down, but the haze was pulling her along. An audible snort rang out from her, a visible sign of effort, but the mist launched her back towards Derpy (who was on her way to help) before disappearing out the door.

Twilight didn’t look back—she was running. Not to Nightmare Moon, no, she needed to figure out what the hay these Elements of Harmony were, and where she could find them.

She cantered to the nearest light source—a street lamp not far from the town hall. Immediately she pulled out the book she needed. Hoofs shaking, and magic much the same, she opened the book as fast as she could. But still, she couldn’t read the shaky words.

“Come on!” Twilight stared hard at the words, willing them to change form. “The Elements of Harmony are…? Ugh. Is there a spell for this?” The unicorn focused her magic onto the page, imagining the words in her neat hoofwriting. The spell wasn’t that hard, and when the lavender mare opened her eyes, she could read.

“Finally…Should’ve done that earlier…” Twilight mumbled, satisfied. “The Elements of Harmony—oof!” She found herself upside down with the air knocked out of her. The book flopped helplessly to the ground.

“I was looking for you, Twilight Sparkle!” Spitfire still looked angry, but more so at herself. Her mane almost looked like it was on fire with the rage. “You knew about that mare, right? As captain of the Wonderbolts, and one of Equestria’s fastest flyers, I need to know what you know!”

“There isn’t any need to be rough.” Octavia’s musical voice rang out. Twilight glanced to the side, and to her surprise, the gray mare had her violin case instead of the cello. The unicorn's eyebrows knitted in confusion, but she was alerted of the pegasus’s presence above her by her snort.

“I wasn’t trying to be. It’s just… Do you know what ‘Spitfire’ means? It’s a name for ponies with a fierce temper, that’s what.” She took a shaky breath. “Sorry. When I lose my cool I just…blank out.” The captain stepped off of Twilight. The unicorn stood up and saw Derpy, Lyra, and Bon Bon cantering towards them. She wondered how Octavia had gotten to her so fast, and where the cello had gone.

Twilight magically picked up the book and sat on her haunches. The three that had just arrived were catching their breath, so Spitfire spoke up.

“What do you know about this ‘Nightmare Moon?’” Everypony was watching her calculatingly, so Twilight flipped to the page she left off on before explaining.

“Nightmare Moon used to be an old pony’s tale, but long ago, because of her evil she was sealed in the moon by Princess Celestia herself. She vowed to bring Equestria into everlasting night when she returned. The Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her. Apparently,” Twilight began to read from the book now, “There are six elements, but only five are known. There is…Loyalty, generosity, honesty, laughter, and kindness. The last one was forgotten long ago, but the last known location of the other elements was in the Everfree Forest.” She looked up after finishing.

Lyra was holding hoof up like she was in school. Twilight nodded to her awkwardly. “I have a question about this Nightmare Moon pony. Why does she say ‘we’ and ‘us’ when talking about herself?”

Twilight paused to contemplate the answer. “I…I’m not sure.”

“I’m not usually one to stop friendly conversation…” Bon Bon spoke for the first time, “But I really do think we should be going. The situation is kinda dire, right?”

“That is correct.” Twilight hesitated, “Does anypony know where the Everfree Forest is?”

Both Bon Bon and Lyra raised their hoofs immediately while Derpy nodded with enthusiasm. “It’s just right outside of Ponyville. It’s not very safe, though.”

Twilight began to walk towards where she figured the forest would be, but Derpy tapped a hoof to her shoulder. “I don’t want to be mean or anything, butttt…you’re kind of going the wrong way, Twilight Sparks.”

The unicorn blushed lightly—she never was any good with directions. The other ponies followed Twilight without hesitation, and apparently without any intention of leaving. The lavender mare wondered how she was going to tell them that she needed to do this alone.

And the next thought caught her by surprise—why was it so quiet? Only Bon Bon and Lyra were talking to each other. Twilight realized something; these ponies didn’t know each other. Spitfire and Octavia didn’t even live in Ponyville, while Derpy…was apparently just Derpy.

“Umm…” She started, and everypony paid attention to her. It added to her nerves—did they all respect her so much? “Do none of you know each other?”

Derpy jumped up and answered first. “I know everypony! Kinda. Um…I know Bon Bon, Lyra, and Twilight Sparks, I’ve seen Spitfire before, but…er…I’ve never met you before.” She glanced at Octavia.

Bon Bon raised a hoof guiltily. “I’m the same as Derpy.”

Lyra had a wide smile plastered on her face. “Not me! I know Bon Bon, Twilight, and Derpy. I’ve seen Spitfire at shows and stuff before, and Octavia…” Lyra had sparkles of admiration in her eyes when she spoke. “I’ve heard so much about her. And some of her music, too. As you can see, my cutie mark is also music-related, so it’s my passion. I wish I was as good at it as Octavia though. She can play, like, any instrument!” The two music ponies shared a smile, although Octavia’s was admittedly smaller.

Spitfire glanced from side to side. “Honestly, I know Twilight, and have only heard of Octavia. The rest of you…Nothing.” She shrugged.

Octavia still held her violin case gingerly. “I’ve only recently met Miss Sparkle, but I’ve seen and heard things about her in Canterlot quite often, so I’m more acquainted with her than the rest of you. I’ve heard of Spitfire, but never have I seen her before today. I’m surprised she would make an appearance at Ponyville. As for the rest of you… Seeing as I’m from Canterlot, I haven’t known of you beforehoof.”

They looked at Twilight expectantly. She didn’t think they’d want her to answer the question, too. “U-Uh… I knew who Spitfire was a long time ago, due to her status as a Wonderbolt. I’ve seen Octavia in Canterlot before, I’m sure, but I don’t exactly remember. The rest of you; Bon Bon, Lyra, and Derpy…I didn’t know of any of you before coming here.”

“Hey, hey, you know what’s funny?” Lyra asked with a bounce in her step. “We three Ponyville ponies know each other pretty well, while you three big-time Canterlot-slash-everywhere ponies know each other. And, and, you know what else?” Bon Bon let out an audible sigh, about to quiet down her exuberant friend, but Lyra jumped away before a hoof could cover her mouth. “Each of these groups has a unicorn,” she pointed out to herself and Twilight, “A pegasus,” she emphasized Derpy and Spitfire, “And an earth pony!” She poked Bon Bon and looked at Octavia meaningfully. “And, we’re ALL mar—“Bon Bon finally succeeded in covering Lyra’s mouth with a hoof.

“Come on, Lyra. We still have to save Equestria. Stuff like that can wait, ya know…” Lyra scowled a little, but couldn’t keep up that front. She laughed a little and pushed her friend’s hoof away.

“Geez, Bon Bon. Just ‘cause we’re doing something this important doesn’t mean it has to be so serious.” Lyra remarked jokingly.

Octavia remained passive the entire walk, seeming more of a listener than a speaker. Spitfire continually urged them to move faster, but she did so coolly. She usually flew above them, guiding them to where the forest seemed to be. Of course the three good Ponyville friends were still talking. Twilight didn’t say anything until they got to the Everfree Forest.

“Okay everypony.” The unicorn spoke nervously, “This is far enough.” All the mares looked in puzzlement at Twilight.

“This is something I need to do for myself.” The lavender pony took a step into the wood, “You should all go back and wait in Ponyville. I should be back soon.”

Derpy flew in front of Twilight and thrust her hooves out. “Nono! Twilight Sparks, there isn’t any way you are going to the Everfree Forest by yourself. I won’t let you.” She had a determined expression.

Somepony pressed a hoof onto Twilight’s shoulder. She turned away from the gray pegasus only to be faced with another gray pony. Octavia spoke with a firm tone, “I’m afraid there isn’t any way I could let you go in there in good conscience, especially when I myself do not even know what is in there. We may not know each other very well, but I refuse to let a fellow pony try to save the world themselves.”

Twilight didn’t get a chance to reply. Spitfire spoke with practiced chivalry, “Sparks. Nopony gets all the glory. Not even me.”
Bon Bon and Lyra both nodded vigorously, showing their agreement. Twilight sighed in defeat.

“Fine, all of you can come…But don’t hold me responsible if you get hurt.” The unicorn already knew that if somepony got hurt in this expedition she would hold herself responsible anyway. Honestly, she probably wouldn’t ever live it down; she could already imagine the guilt welling up in her at the thought of somepony’s broken appendage.

She began trotting into the woods with the ponies following closely. Why had five—strangers at most—want to risk their lives to help Twilight in her quest to save Equestria? Well, when put that way she figured it wasn’t a big mystery, but most ponies would flee in terror at the prospect. So why…?

“If you don’t mind me asking…” Twilight began, “Why is the Everfree Forest considered dangerous?”

In less than a second, Bon Bon and Lyra were on either side of Twilight. The unicorn had to look left and right comically to listen.

“They say,” Lyra began conspiringly, “That nopony who goes in comes out.” The lavender mare gulped.

Bon Bon continued for her partner-in-crime. “The monsters that live in the Everfree Forest are also said to be unimaginably huge! Apparently, I’ve heard, an Ursa Major lives in here!” Something felt like it brushed against Twilight’s flank, and it didn’t feel like a pony.

“Boo!” Lyra jumped onto Twilight in the same second that Bon Bon’s sentence was finished. The unicorn jumped with a shriek and a bolt of magic shot into the sky. She cowered, shivering. Twilight wasn’t exactly a scaredy-pony, but she didn’t have nerves of steel. Especially when things jumped out at her. The already scary scenery of the forest didn’t help, either.

“Ugh, Lyra, I told you we shouldn’t do it. Look at her!” Bon Bon frowned disapprovingly, even though she had a hoof in the prank.

Octavia walked up to Twilight with an expression between sympathy and irritation, but strangely, she looked as calm as ever. She laid a reassuring hoof onto Twilight’s still shaking shoulder, “Twilight Sparkle. There is no reason to be afraid. I’m not happy to admit it, but some ponies in our party have conspired in a harmless prank against you.” She leaned a little closer so only Twilight would hear her. “And, if I were you, I would definitely have vengeance in a most…refined manor, if you will.” Her eyes twinkled in some sort of repressed amusement. Twilight swallowed her pride and was about to get up when she heard Bon Bon speak.

“Umm…what happened to the two pegasus-es?” Everypony looked up at the prospect of the question. The sight appalled Twilight—or, lack thereof. Nopony was in there.

“W-Where are they?” Lyra whispered, and everything suddenly seemed so much darker in the forest. Octavia’s hoof unintentionally put some extra pressure onto Twilight. Apparently she wasn’t as composed as she made herself out to be.

“H-Help!” A strangled and mangled cry for help made itself known from somewhere in the darkness. “S-Spitfire, the W-Wonderbolt, she—she…” It was Derpy speaking, sounding close to tears. Everypony cantered as fast as they could towards the voice.

Derpy was crying. Spitfire was knocked out and smelled reminiscent of a barbeque.

“What happened, Derpy?” Twilight immediately asked, flipping Spitfire over so she was face-up.

“S-Spitfire was flying high up to look for the u-um, Elements, and I didn’t think it’d be very smart to go up there a-alone, so I followed her. T-Tried to, I mean, she was pretty fast, and out of n-nowhere a lightning bolt flew up and hit her t-there.” Derpy was stuttering uncontrollably through the water leaking out of her eyes and pointed to the Wonderbolt’s chest. There was soot all around the spot and her right wing, and Twilight knew they needed to work fast. Dread gripped her heart when she remembered the past five minutes.

“I think…I think my magic skewered her…” The unicorn muttered.

“T-That would mean…” Bon Bon said, sounding just as guilty as Twilight felt. “When we scared you, and your magic shot off…”

Twilight only nodded briskly, feeling numb. She had studied medical science briefly with Princess Celestia in Canterlot—it was one of the first things her mentor stressed she needed to cover. They spent extra time on magical-caused injuries, such as the one at hoof. She could handle this. If she only had the tools…

“Is there…Is there any chance that somepony has a first aid kit? Or something?” Twilight glanced back at the other ponies. Octavia pulled out her violin case and opened it, revealing quite a bundle. Apparently she had only used the case to fill it up with the necessities for survival—water, food, bandages, and even some painkillers. The supplies were limited, however, as the case wasn’t very large.

“O-Octavia, how did you…?” Twilight looked at the other mare incredulously as the gray mare sat down next to her.

“We mustn’t spend much time talking,” Octavia said gently, “Miss Spitfire needs medical attention right away.” Twilight nodded and, berating herself for not checking earlier, bent her head to check the pegasus’s pulse. Strong. She wasn’t in a life-threatening situation, but it could get worse if left untreated. Twilight credited the still-beating heart to Spitfire’s airborne tricks and physical perseverance.

The unicorn lifted the injured wing gently to make sure no bones were misplaced, but it seemed okay. Twilight was about to ask her ‘assistant’ for the bandages, but Octavia was already hoofing the roll to her.

The injured pegasus twitched when Twilight began to wrap the wounded wing along with her chest. The unicorn was so focused on making sure Spitfire was okay that she wasn’t sure where the other three ponies were, and she honestly didn’t care—not when somepony was hurting because of her.

Octavia gingerly fed the Wonderbolt the painkillers along with water. She was going to need them.

“W-When will she wake up?” Derpy, glassy-eyed, asked like it was her fault.

Octavia frowned and spoke, seeming to have heard the tone in which the pegasus used, “Miss Hooves, I feel the need to stress this to you—Miss Spitfire did not fall because of you, nor is it any other pony’s fault. I believe it was simply bad luck, or perhaps being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The musician once again laid a hoof onto Twilight’s shoulder. “I must specify to you most, Miss Sparkle. It would not be right to allow you to scold yourself for this. Miss Spitfire will be fine, I assure you. I’m sure she, too, would not wish for you to be upset. Although I have not known her for very long, nor you, for that matter, I have a sharp eye for details and a pony’s personality. Please do not fret.”

Twilight did feel a little better. Spitfire’s eyes were starting to open again. “Urgh…” Everypony gathered around.

“What the…” Spitfire struggled to sit up. “What the hay happened…?” She winced when she tried to open her wing.
Despite Octavia’s little pep talk, everypony adopted a guilty expression. Lyra was the one who answered her. “You see…Me and Bon Bon kinda pulled a fast one on Twilight, but it scared her and a magic bolt flew out into the sky. Derpy was in the air with you and apparently the same magic bolt hit you, so you fell down. She was able to help you, and when the rest of us found you Twilight and Octavia had to do first aid on you.”

Spitfire pressed a hoof to her head. “Ugh… And I thought my crashing days were over…” She stood up and flexed her unhurt wing before trying the bandaged one again. She grimaced and did not try again. “Great. I’m out of commission guys.”

Twilight frowned. “I’m sorry that I did that to you. I really didn’t mean to; it happened out of nowhere when something weird touched me.”

Spitfire managed a smile. “Don’t worry ‘bout it. I’ll be okay. I guess I’ll just take a few days off ‘em.” Octavia packed up her violin case and spoke.

“Will you be okay to walk?” Spitfire tested her hooves and walked a few steps, but didn’t have a limp or a pained exression.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just this wing.” She nodded back to the injury.

“Are you quite certain?” Octavia looked a little concerned.

Spitfire’s eyebrow rose questioningly. “Uh, yeah. I’m alright.”

Octavia smiled, obviously relieved. Out of nowhere, Bon Bon let out a shrill scream.

“What’s wrong?” Lyra turned to her companion, looking around wildly. “I-I don’t see anything, Bon Bon!”

The candy mare rose a shaky hoof, shivering. Everypony looked to where she was pointing, but…nothing was there.
Derpy scratched her head. “There’s nothing there…!” Twilight furrowed a brow; she couldn’t see anything either.

“What?! Are you ponies crazy? I-It’s right there! Staring at us, I swear it!” She gulped visibly.

Doubt etched onto everypony’s face. Was this mare crazy? “Bon Bon, I don’t think—“”Twilight, I’m not lying to you! You guys have to trust me; I’m not joking around this time. I’m telling you—there are monsters right there!”

Twilight was a little reluctant, but she peered into the darkness for where these ‘monsters’ were. She cast an illumination spell and everypony gasped. Bon Bon wasn’t lying—a pack of dark-looking timber wolves had been stalking them. Their eyes glowed red and their wood coat was black. She braced herself and called to the others, “Get ready, everypony! Timber wolves are known for their aggressiveness…”

The first timber wolf lunged at Twilight before she could finish her warning. Quickly, she jumped out of the way and launched a ‘full-force’ spell onto the animal. The animal howled in pain as it was thrown onto a tree. Twilight risked a glance at the others. They were holding their ground, but there appeared to be more in the pack than they first anticipated. The unicorn heard snarling and turned back to her front side where three timber wolves were racing towards her.

Twilight gulped; her heart was pounding so loudly that she almost thought the ground was shaking. Or perhaps it was the sheer number of timber wolves—she couldn’t tell. As fast as she could, Twilight charged another ‘full-force’ spell. She didn’t have enough time to collect enough power to knock them all away, so when she released it only one timber wolf was blasted away.

Twilight’s other two combatants jumped over the gust of air and straight onto the unicorn. She managed to kick one of the wolves off and to keep the other from snapping its jaws into her face. More jumped onto her, causing a large dog pile. Literally.

Is…Is this how it ends? I-I’m sorry I failed you, Princess Celestia… Scared out of her wits, Twilight tried to keep the animals’ teeth away, but it was hard. Their combined weight was getting heavier and heavier, and she wasn’t getting any stronger. She wasn’t sure if the others were okay or not, but she hoped they were.

“GRRR, NO WAY! I AM NOT ABOUT TO ABANDON THEM!” Barely audible through the wolves, Twilight heard Spitfire shout. As if a bunch of trees had fallen to the ground, the unicorn felt the ground shake. Her hope rose when she came to the realization that those must have been timber wolves. Twilight wished she had time to cast a spell; she felt useless.

“HEY YOU FLEABAGS, YOU AREN’T MAKING A SNACK OUT OF MY FRIENDS! AND I WILL NEVER ACCEPT THOSE TERMS!” The lavender mare felt the weight atop her start to lessen until only the single timber wolf remained. Just as the enemy was about to sink its teeth into her, Spitfire kicked it away. Hard.

The injured pegasus turned to the other timber wolves with fire in her eyes and growled predatorily. They yelped and ran off with their tails between their legs.

Everypony looked a little worse for the wear, but they were alive. Spitfire must’ve gotten to them first. Breathlessly, Twilight spoke, “T-Thanks for saving me…And you too, Bon Bon. If you hadn’t told us…”
Spitfire took a moment to catch her breath. “It’s…cool…I’d never abandon anypony.” She threw a nasty glare towards the path the timber wolves took.

“Yeah, a-anypony would have done the same.” Bon Bon agreed, still looking shaken.

“Let’s…Let’s pay more attention and stay close, everypony, we don’t want to get caught off guard--“”MUFFIN!” Derpy shouted with a point of the hoof. Twilight quickly looked over and, indeed, saw a muffin. That was alive.

“W-Wait, Derpy—“The pegasus flew off after it. Her wings pumped fast, and the others had to canter to keep up.

“Buck it all—if I could fly I could reach her easily…” Spitfire cursed to herself. Twilight tried to use magic to stop Derpy in her tracks, but the mare was moving elusively. She was avoiding the magic so well that the unicorn thought that it must’ve been done on purpose, but had a feeling it was unintentional.

Derpy pounced on the walking muffin, limiting its movements. Twilight caught her breath, wondering why everything was moving so fast in the forest. The pegasus opened her mouth to eat the treat, but closed it instead. She looked back at everypony with guilt in her crossed eyes.

“I wasn’t trying to be selfish, honest! I really hate not sharing my muffins with anypony, and everypony looks hungry. So, I thought, I should share this muffin with everypony!” She smiled broadly. There wasn’t any room to argue; half a second later everypony had a piece of muffin.

“Umm…Thanks, Derpy. This is…very generous.” Twilight said. She wasn’t very hungry, honestly, but still ate her serving. The gray pegasus beamed from the praise, but quickly shrank down with the unicorn’s next statement. “But you really shouldn’t fly off like that. We were all a little…shaken after the fight, and when you took off it scared us.”

“I-I’m sorry. I just…Derpy loves muffins.” She sniffled.

“It’s okay. Nopony blames you. We were just a little worried is all.” Everypony took a few minutes to compose themselves and to work out a game plan on how to find the Elements of Harmony. Bon Bon showed her a map of the Everfree Forest and the group decided to check out the ruins.

“Didn’t you say that ‘nopony has made it out of the forest alive’?” The unicorn glanced at the two tricksters. Bon Bon scuffed a hoof guiltily.

“I kinda…stretched the truth a little. But you were silly enough to believe me, right?” The other mare looked pleadingly into Twilight’s eyes.

The unicorn was a little offended by this comment. “Silly?” Lyra, however, busted into full blown laughter. Twilight became even more annoyed and insulted by this. She huffed before walking ahead. The other unicorn, still giggling, raced to be next to Twilight.

“Aww, come on Twilight! If you think about it, Bon Bon came up with a pretty funny joke. And I mean, she didn’t mean it like that. You gotta learn to laugh at yourself sometimes!” Lyra guffawed loudly, “I do it all the time. Bon Bon’s just a little rough around the edges when it comes to that. Hahaha! Come on, do it with me!”

Embarrassed, the unicorn shook her head and continued to walk. She wasn’t quite so annoyed at Bon Bon anymore, but this other mare was starting to grate her nerves. “Twilight! Laugh, laugh, laugh, you know you want to!”

Comically, as if none of the past horrors had even happened, Lyra attempted every single funny thing in history. Slipping on a banana? Check. Standup comedy? Check. Knock-knock jokes? Check. Twilight was so used to checklists that they were starting to take over her mind.

Lyra even started to sing a song called ‘Giggle at the Ghosties,’ as she had dubbed it. Twilight didn’t want to be mean or anything, but this mare could not sing. Everypony else seemed to take notice and tried not to be obvious about closing their ears. To stop the song, Twilight forcefully laughed.

“Thanks for teaching me how to…laugh, Lyra. I learned the error of my ways.” Just stick to the music you know. Twilight thought absently.

“Ohh, great! I’m glad that you found my comedy entertaining! But still, I think Bon Bon needs to apologize for offending you. Right?” She looked back at her close friend.

Bon Bon trotted up next to Twilight. “Right. I’m sorry about that…I really shouldn’t have said that. I was a little embarrassed about what you said to me, and it wasn’t right for me to direct an insult towards you. I can tell you are already a smart pony, not a silly one.”

Twilight smiled gratefully, and the ruins were just ahead. Inside, five orbs were sitting on top of a structure, and Derpy had to carry them down, seeing as Spitfire couldn’t fly at the moment.

“Are these the Elements of Harmony?” Octavia questioned, moving the violin case strap to get more comfortable.
Spitfire stared at the orbs, “One…Two…Three…Four…Five…There were six right?” She looked over at Twilight for answers.

“Yes, but nopony knows what the sixth element is. I have an idea though. Stand back.” The unicorn sat down next to the Elements of Harmony, and the other ponies obliged by walking outside to give her some space.

“Okay…” Twilight spoke to herself as she readied a spell, “The book said something about a spark bringing about the sixth element. Perhaps it means magic…”

The unicorn concentrated as hard as she could, building up the supposed ‘spark,’ and didn’t notice the gust of wind pass her and collect the Elements of Harmony. When she finally did feel a little chill, Twilight opened her eyes and shrieked at the sight. A mini-tornado was stealing the Elements! Without much time to think, the lavender mare jumped into it and was teleported elsewhere. She could barely hear the shouts from everypony else.

Twilight was dropped onto the cement again, and was coughing due to a smoky mist. When her eyes opened again, Nightmare Moon was cackling evilly with the Elements in her grasp.

Knowing that this was the only way to save Equestria from everlasting night, Twilight readied herself to charge. Baffled, the other mare took a step back.

“What? You have to be kidding me.” Twilight didn’t make any response, and instead ran as fast as she could while readying a teleportation spell. Nightmare Moon happily obliged the duel, but was surprised when Twilight disappeared out of nowhere. Automatically, the evil alicorn looked back at the Elements.

“Just a spark…I can do this…!” Twilight charged the same spell from earlier, but Nightmare Moon stopped her before it was complete. She knocked the smaller pony away and destroyed all five of the Elements completely. Her victorious laughter echoed in the building.

“And you thought you could beat ME?! The night will last…FOREVER!” Nightmare Moon continued to ridicule Twilight. The lavender mare had a heartbroken expression; one that had disbelief written all over it. She hung her head in defeat.

“Twilight!”

”Where are you?”

”She’s gotta be up here!”

Twilight lifted her head and looked towards the entrance. Those were the same ponies from before. Those were…friends. Twilight’s eyes widened with realization. Feeling victory well up within her, Twilight turned back to the evil deity.

“You think that you can defeat the Elements of Harmony like that? Well, you’re wrong! ‘Cause, the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!” Twilight’s friends stood around her with confused expressions. The destroyed Elements started to lift into the air magically.

“What?” Nightmare Moon’s demeanor changed into panic and bafflement.

Twilight continued, not at all disturbed by the interruption. The words flowed smoothly. “Octavia, who comforted me in my time of need and who was concerned about Spitfire in hers, represents the Element of…Kindness!” Shards of a broken Element flew towards Octavia as if she had a gravitational pull. She didn’t look as sure of herself as Twilight at that moment.

“Bon Bon, who warned us of danger from a pack of timber wolves even though we didn’t believe her, represents the Element of…Honesty!” Another Element revolved around the unconvinced candy mare.

“Spitfire, who saved us from certain death even though she could have easily gotten away unscathed, represents the Element of…Loyalty!” Spitfire looked proud when the shards surrounded her. Twilight didn’t stop yet, though.

“Derpy, who was quick to share a muffin she would have rather had herself, represents the Element of…Generosity!” Derpy’s eyes took their trademark position, but she did not avoid the Element like Bon Bon did.

“And finally, Lyra, who showed me the meaning of laughter and how to not be serious about some things your friends say, represents the Element of…Laughter!” Lyra giggled at this and had a huge smile.

“B-But you do not have the sixth Element! The spark didn’t work!” Nightmare Moon stuttered, looking as if she were afraid for her life. Twilight only bent her head and smiled with determination.

“But it did! A different kind of spark…” Twilight turned to the other ponies as she spoke, “When I heard you call for me, I realized something. I was so happy to see and to hear you again. The spark ignited inside of me with the realization that you all…are my friends!” Twilight turned with a huge smile on her face directed towards Nightmare Moon.

A bright light above Twilight forced her to look up, and she saw the sixth Element floating just above her. This only encouraged the unicorn to continue her speech. “You see, Nightmare Moon, when these Elements are together and the spark that lives within us all is ignited, it breeds the sixth Element. The Element of…Magic!” All the shards surrounding the other ponies lurched towards the owner’s neck to form a necklace, while Twilight’s formed a crown. Nightmare Moon screeched at this development and attempted to get away, but it was no use. The combined powers of the Elements formed a rainbow that obliterated the evil deity, and only a small mare remained.

Everypony panted for breath. “Woah!” Lyra gasped and pointed at Bon Bon. “Bon Bon! That necklace looks like your cutie mark!” The candy mare looked at the two objects and beamed.

“Seriously?” Spitfire looked at her necklace to see her cutie mark, and then noticed that her wing was completely healed. “Sweet!”

Octavia had a slightly embarrassed smile on her face. “I’m afraid I doubted you a few minutes ago, Miss Sparkle. I didn’t think that I could possibly represent an Element, and I do so apologize for that. But I suppose we really do signify the Elements of Harmony.”

“Indeed you do…” A familiar voice resonated within the building, and Twilight felt affection well up within her. Princess Celestia appeared before them, and everypony, except for Twilight, bowed.

“Princess Celestia!”

“Twilight Sparkle.”

The unicorn ran up and hugged her mentor. Bon Bon, Lyra, and Derpy’s mouths all fell open; Twilight had forgotten to tell them that Princess Celestia was her teacher.

“I knew you could do it.” The Princess smiled almost as warmly as the sun.

“But there’s something I don’t understand, Princess. Why did you tell me that Nightmare Moon was an old pony’s tale if she really did exist?” Twilight looked up at the Princess.

“I told you to make some friends, nothing more. I knew Nightmare Moon was returning, and you were the only pony who could defeat her. But you could not stop her without the magic of friendship.” She continued to smile before looking over at the former Nightmare Moon.

“Princess Luna, I haven’t seen you in over a thousand years. It’s time for us to put our differences aside and to rule together, as we were meant to, little sister.” Princess Celestia walked over to the other pony and leaned down in front of her.

“Little sister?” Twilight and several of her friends echoed questioningly.

“Yes. Do you accept my friendship, dear little sister?” Princess Celestia waited, and Twilight felt her heart pounding with longing. She really hoped that this Princess Luna would accept her sister’s apology and that they could make up.
The younger alicorn looked down guiltily, before coming to a decision. She jumped up into her sister’s waiting embrace. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister…”

The two sisters continued to hug and it made Twilight feel warm inside. It was a very adorable scene. They were to go back to Ponyville and were going to have a party to celebrate their victory.

Twilight was grinning from ear to ear. She and her friends had saved Equestria and Princess Celestia was proud of her. It was all so wonderful she was afraid she was going to burst from the attention. Upon sight Spike had immediately hugged her, and that only boosted her spirits.

Princess Luna was being held with great respect from everypony, and it seemed like nopony knew that she was actually Nightmare Moon. That was a good thing, though. She needed to regain their trust, and needed a fresh start.

A sudden realization dawned on Twilight—now that this adventure was over, she would have to go back to Canterlot and away from her friends. Sure, Octavia would be going back there, but what of Bon Bon, Lyra, and Derpy? And Spitfire was a Wonderbolt; she’d be travelling all over! The unicorn frowned and fell into a state of sadness.

Princess Celestia must have noticed, because she walked over and addressed Twilight. “What is wrong, my faithful student? Aren’t you happy that your quest is complete, and that you can return to your home in Canterlot?” Stung by the absolute opposite, Twilight recoiled slightly.

“That’s just it, Princess. I just learned how wonderful it is to have friends, and now I’m going to have to leave them…” She hung her head.

Princess Celestia closed her eyes in resignation. “Spike, take a note, please.” The purple dragon quickly pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill already dipped with ink.

“I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, shall take on a new mission for Equestria! She must continue to study the magic of friendship and must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville!” The princess smiled as if this solved everything. Twilight smiled too, but she looked over at Octavia and Spitfire sadly. She trotted over to speak with them privately.

“Is there any way I’ll be able to see you two again?” Twilight glanced from one to the other anxiously. Octavia raised a hoof with determination flaring in her eyes.

“That won’t be necessary. I will be moving to Ponyville as well.” The unicorn’s eyes widened with unspoken questions, but the gray mare continued. “Over the course of my time in Canterlot, I have accumulated quite a bit of savings. I’ve never been friends with many ponies, but I can see that this is something I want to keep. Even though business will be slow, if there is any at all, I would like to try living here.”

Twilight internally cheered before looking at Spitfire. “What about you, Spitfire? You’re the captain of the Wonderbolts, so there’s no way you can just abandon them…”

The pegasus had a sad smirk on her face. “That is true, Sparks. The thing is, we’re always touring different cities and towns, and I’m afraid I can’t stay in one place even if I wanted to. However…”

Twilight perked a little at the upbeat tone in Spitfire’s voice. “I’ll be able to swing by a lot. Hay, you guys can come to my performances any time ya like. I’ll make sure we have tons of them here in Ponyville so we can see each other often!” She tried to look happy, but even the unicorn could sense her discontentment with that.

“We have a bunch of breaks; I’ll move practices to Fridays and performances to Saturdays and Sundays so I can stay here for the rest of the week! Of course, some times the shows might take more time, but still. That sounds good, right?” The pegasus looked pleadingly into her eyes.

“Yes…I think that sounds great! I’m glad that you won’t be leaving us for good!” Twilight smiled the widest she’d ever done before. This was wonderful. Hay, better than wonderful! This was…This was bliss. She’d finally made friends…!