The door to Rarity’s hidden safe opened, revealing the box containing Spike’s present. It had been placed at eye level for easy access. Rarity took the box, popped off the lid, and checked to make sure the gem was there for the millionth time. The spinning galaxy at the center of the gem looked back at her. Satisfied, she placed the lid back on top the box and dropped the container into her bottomless orange saddlebag. She shut the safe and the door to the secret closet on her way to the stairs.
She wanted to be among the first guests to arrive at Spike’s birthday party. Her makeup and mane were perfect. She had been certain to wear some perfume she knew Spike liked. Rarity stuck a sign informing potential clients of her early closure to the window on her front door. All she had left to do was swing by Fluttershy’s house and get her and Discord to join her.
It felt odd to have gone from seeing Discord every day to not even hearing a peep from him. She hadn’t expected him to stop by her shop before the party, but a part of her hoped he might just to say hello under more normal circumstances. Nothing could have been more boring to him.
Once Rarity reached the cottage, she paused for a moment in front of the chicken coop. A few of the chickens that were out and about came to greet her, expecting food for their show of comradery. It took a good minute to find the one she wanted to see. Doodle was beneath the coop. Rarity got the feeling Doodle had been watching her from the second she had wandered into view. Doodle didn’t bother looking away. She appeared to be a healthy chicken and had to have been eating, if merely by necessity alone. Satisfied, Rarity went to Fluttershy’s front door, feeling Doodle’s eyes on her back the entire way.
Fluttershy opened the door to her home before Rarity could knock. “Good afternoon, Rarity. Are you here on your way to the birthday party?”
“I am. I was hoping we could go together. Is Discord with you?”
A look of confusion crossed Fluttershy’s face. “No. Was he supposed to be?”
Rarity nodded.
“He didn’t say anything to me about that at all.”
Rarity scoffed, but resisted the urge to jump to conclusions. “Do you have a way to get a hold of him?”
“Yes. Come inside.”
Three macaws squawked out a greeting as four squirrels scampered up a wood tower to get a better look at Fluttershy’s visitor. A few rats bounded out from beneath the furniture to investigate the commotion. An alpaca poked its head out of the kitchen, snorted, and then went right back to whatever it was doing.
Despite her home doubling as an animal rehabilitation center, Fluttershy had always gone to great lengths to ensure her cottage was clean and presentable. Loose hair and bird feathers couldn’t be found hiding in any corners. Water and food always stayed inside their respective dishes. Most importantly, anyone could leave without feeling like they needed to take a bath immediately after visiting with her. It was an impressive feat to achieve without the aid of magic.
“I know this is going to sound really awkward, but we have to go into my bathroom to call Discord,” Fluttershy said.
“That sounds relatively tame. I had expected something far more impractical.”
“Well. . .you haven’t seen the process yet.”
They stepped into the main bathroom on the ground floor, which managed to fit an impressive amount of bathing stations into a small space. Animals in need of a good bath could have one inside during the chilly months that marked the beginning and end of each year. The only peculiar part of the room were the blackout curtains ready to blot out any light coming in from the window.
Fluttershy opened a cabinet and retrieved a glow stone from a bucket of items. She knocked it against the edge of the bucket, activating the magic inside. Judging by the strength of the light, the glow stone had been freshly charged. She placed the stone in a cradle located on her sink and went over to the curtains Rarity had been curious about. Fluttershy closed them over the window. The glow stone and what little light crept in from underneath the door were their only sources of illumination.
“This might seem like its meant to call something else, but don’t worry,” Fluttershy said. “Discord will be here in less than a minute.” Fluttershy flushed her toilet and stood in front of the sink facing the mirror mounted above it. She started spinning in place. “Discord, Discord, Discord.”
Rarity recognized the ritual as a ridiculous variation of a cheap parlor trick meant to ensnare foals with undesirable members of the supernatural community. Though outlawed, it and several similar games were still in occasional use at unsupervised slumber parties. Rarity moved next to the door and put her hoof on the knob in case there was any interference getting through to Discord. A thudding noise came from the pipes inside the walls of the cottage, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Fluttershy opened the hot water valve on her sink.
Discord’s head erupted from the spout and slithered out until he was looking down on Fluttershy. He wore a pink swimming cap. “You rang, my dear?”
The curtains drew themselves back, letting natural light into the bathroom. Discord spotted Rarity. She instantly gave him the look male members of any species were to receive when they knew they had done something to displease a member of the opposite sex. Discord responded as any self-respecting male would do after recognizing the look by rolling his eyes, which caused Rarity’s frown to deepen. He pulled himself out of the faucet and had to shrink his true height to stand comfortably in the bathroom with the two mares. The shower cap on top of his turned into a fish that leapt into the sink and scampered back into the faucet. Its journey through the pipes elicited the same peculiar noise Discord’s arrival had emitted.
Fluttershy decided to speak first. “Umm, Discord? Was something supposed to happen today?”
“Perhaps.” An agenda emblazoned with the colors and logo of Celestia’s School of Magic appeared and opened itself for Discord’s perusal. “I’m so busy helping protect Equestria from threats these days that I can hardly keep track of everything. I don’t know how you two do it.”
“Then we can exchange notes at the party we’re going to,” Rarity said.
Discord sighed and gave his agenda to his own reflection, which accepted the copy with its lion paw. “Alright. Real talk. Is this entirely necessary, Rarity?”
Rarity sputtered a few times in stunned bewilderment before being able to put words into complete sentences. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you. Spike needs to thank both of us. In person.”
“Relatives send each other presents through the mail all the time,” Discord said. “How is this any different?”
“Fine. What’s the real reason you won’t go? Let me guess. It’s because you’re only familiar with two of the guests, isn’t it?”
“And you think that’s a poor excuse? Besides, Twilight, Cae Cae, K-Dance, and Moonbutt are going to box my ears when they find out what I did in Neighpal and I want to wait until after they’ve cooled down before I must endure whatever pointless reprimand they have in store for me.”
Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin. “Moonbutt?”
“I’ll back you up on what happened in Neighpal,” Rarity said.
“No, you don’t have to cover for me,” Discord said.
“But I’m going to. I will also drag you to this party if I must. You don’t have to stay for the whole thing. You will watch Spike open his presents and have some cake and ice cream. After that, you’re free to leave.”
“I think this will be good for you, Discord,” Fluttershy chimed in.
Discord groaned. “Why are you mares all so extroverted? Can’t you see the beauty in sitting on your couch for an entire afternoon because you have nothing better to do?”
“I seriously hope you’ve never done that,” Rarity said.
He sighed. “What flavor is the cake?”
Fluttershy replied, “It’s an ice cream cake, so it’s mostly vanilla with a little bit of chocolate thrown in for good measure.”
“Ice cream cake with ice cream,” Discord said. “If youth had a taste. Fine! You win. I’ll go to Spike’s silly birthday party.”
Rarity had to present another condition while the moment was still fresh. “No antagonizing Applejack.”
Discord threw his claw and paw into the air. “That was the whole point of going there! We aren’t even at the party and I’m already bored!”
Rarity turned to Fluttershy. “Do you need help with anything before you’re ready to leave?”
“All of the animals have already been fed and Angel knows I’ll be gone for a little while. I’m ready to leave whenever you two are.”
Discord headed for the front door. “Then let’s get this over with.”
It was impossible not to notice Doodle watching them as they left. Rarity did her best to ignore it and caught Discord returning the stare with a satisfied smirk on his face. Aside from waving at acquaintances, their trip to the Castle of Friendship was highlighted by the flash of a camera capturing them on their way to the birthday party. A previously hidden journalist was responsible for suspending their trek in time for so long as the picture featuring it remained intact. It would likely show up in the local newspaper and in the one printed in the Crystal Kingdom. Rarity knew she looked good, so there wasn’t anything to worry about.
Right before they reached the steps leading up to the entrance of the castle, a familiar pegasus pony swooped down from an inconspicuous cloud and landed in front of them.
Dash grinned. “Rarity? I had a feeling you’d be the first guest here. In case you weren’t, I was going to make sure it was me, but since you are, I’ll just fall in line.” Dash moved in beside Fluttershy. “Hey, Discord. You didn’t invite Smooze this time, did you?”
“I didn’t have the chance to,” Discord replied. “It’s not like I would have, though. This particular gala isn’t a public affair.”
“That’s a relief,” Dash said.
Rarity shot Dash a reprimanding look and bared her teeth.
Dash chuckled. “It’s good that you’re here, though. I hadn’t expected you to show up. But here you are! I guess it’s my day to be wrong about things.”
Of everything Dash could have said, she just had to inadvertently pick a combination of words that perfectly set herself up for a sarcastic reply. Rarity held her breath.
There was a familiar glimmer in Discord’s eyes. “If that’s the case, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It only means the rest of your day is bound to be full of surprises.”
Rarity exhaled in relief.
“Although I wouldn’t recommend operating any heavy machinery until tomorrow morning,” Discord said.
Dash and Fluttershy had a laugh at his lighthearted dig. Rarity shook her head, but smiled. He could still be himself without being too much of a jerk. The party had started off on the right hoof. They ascended the stairs to the front door together in high spirits. Upon reaching the final step, both front doors burst open with a tremendous boom.
Confetti and streamers shot out from the entrance where Pinkie Pie stood on her hind legs with her hoofs up in the air and her head thrown back. “Welcome, friends! Come right on in!”
None of them were fazed by Pinkie’s usual antics. Twilight stood in the foyer and used magic to reload the canons suspended from the ceiling by several ropes. Spike was with her, standing next to a large cart full of gifts in various shapes and sizes. Rarity’s entrance got Spike to step away from the cart of presents he had been ogling.
Spike bounded up to her, eager for attention. “I’m glad you could make it, Rarity.”
Discord cleared his throat, breaking the trance Spike had slipped into.
“I’m happy all of you were able to come here today.” Spike rubbed the back of his neck. “I know everyone has been busier than usual these days since the holidays are on their way. It’s rare to have a few hours to relax. It means a lot that everyone would want to spend them on me, even if it is my birthday.”
“No problem,” Dash said.
“We’re happy to be here,” Fluttershy said.
“Such a lovely little speech,” Discord said in a tone balanced delicately between sarcasm and sincerity. “Twilight is rubbing off on you.”
Twilight smirked. “It’s not just me. He’s had plenty of positive role models to look up to, one of whom has yet to arrive.”
“I’m right here.” Applejack stepped out of the entrance to the dining hall, covered in glitter. “Figured I could avoid a cannon if I came in through the back. Ya’ll are welcome to have a laugh now.”
Pinkie Pie giggled. A quick spell from Twilight removed all the festivities Applejack was covered in.
Applejack’s eyes widened when she noticed a particular guest and then narrowed into a glare. “Howdy, Discord.”
Discord nodded. “A-J.”
Rarity needed to keep the conversation moving forward. “I take it all of you turned in your gifts to Pinkie Pie?” She received plenty of nods. “I happen to have mine with me right now.”
Twilight moved in for a closer look at Rarity’s saddlebags. “Is that a bottomless bag?”
“It is. How could you tell?”
“No bulge.” Twilight put a hoof on it and pressed in to emphasize her point.
Rarity didn’t feel a box pressing up against her, but had full faith that the present was in there. Somewhere.
“Oh, I love these things!” Pinkie Pie said. “Hey, watch this!” Pinkie Pie opened the saddlebag and stuck her head in it. Her head popped out of a cannon suspended from the ceiling. “Whoa! What a trip!”
Everyone laughed. Pinkie Pie pulled her head out through the tunnel. A tendril in her hair had wrapped around the box containing Rarity’s gift.
Dash barked a laugh. “You used your own colors and your cutie mark? Are you sick, or something?”
Rarity replied with confidence, “I’d ask that you hold off judgment until after the gift has been opened.”
“It’s alright,” Spike interjected. “It will be easy to pick it out from the rest of them.”
The pink tendril from Pinkie’s mane extended until it set Rarity’s gift on the cart and retracted into the rest of her mane with enough force to shake out a top hat that had been hidden inside the mass of curls.
Pinkie caught the top hat in her hoof before it fell to the ground. “Now that everyone is here, allow me to explain the super special way we’ll be opening the presents. Inside this hat is a slip of paper containing all our cutie marks. We’ll give the hat a few shakes and then Spike can draw from it.” Pinkie stuck the hat back in her hair.
“Can we go do that now?” Spike asked Twilight, barely able to contain his excitement.
“Sure. You’ve waited long enough. Let’s head into the living room and get started.” Twilight took control of the cart containing Spike’s presents and wheeled it behind her as she left the foyer.
Though Twilight called it the living room, it was essentially another component of the castle library. A throne had been added to the mix of furniture for Spike’s birthday in the main reading area. Two extra tables were in the room. One supported three five-gallon beverage coolers containing all of Spike’s favorite sugary drinks from Sugarcube Corner. Pretzels, cupcakes, rice cakes, and several other snacks were laid out on the other table. The ice cream cake and ice cream had to still be in the freezer.
“Twilight, I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Discord began as they headed for their seats. “How’s that little upstart doing?”
“Starlight Glimmer?” Twilight asked. “She’ll be moving in next week. I’ve decided to mentor her.”
“Let me know when she’s here. I’m very much interested in meeting the mare that threw you for a loop.”
“Alright. So long as you promise not to tempt her back to the dark side.”
“Perish the thought. I’m perfectly content with my life as it is right now being the lackey Luna has to turn to when she can’t figure out how to defeat a creature from another realm that drains ponies of their magical essence.”
“Are you talking about Tirek?” Dash asked.
Fluttershy chuckled. “No, he’s got his realities mixed up again. He’s talking about the Malum. Oh, I know! Discord, this would be the perfect time to tell them that story.”
“I seem to remember you mentioning it about a month ago,” Twilight said. “I’d like to hear it if you would be willing to tell it, Discord.”
“Only if our beloved whelp is interested,” Discord said.
“Sure!” Spike said. “I’m always up for a good story.”
Discord grinned. “I don’t know if I’d call it a good story. I suppose I’ll leave that up to you.”
“Before we get into that, what happened to those two new guards?” Applejack asked. “What were their names? Biggs and Wedge? Did you give them the day off? Is that why the backdoor was unlocked?”
“They requested a reassignment,” Twilight said. “They didn’t want to spend the rest of their tour guarding a castle.”
“Sounds like they have a taste for action,” Dash said. “Can’t blame them.”
“No, what it sounds like is this castle is without guards to defend it,” Applejack said. “Again.”
“We can talk about that later,” Twilight said. “I promise.”
Spike clambered onto his throne as the rest of the group took their seats around him. The present cart came to a stop beside him. Twilight teleported a trashcan next to his seat to collect the remains of the wrapping paper since he didn’t see the point in saving it. Pinkie shook her head violently until the hat containing their cutie marks dislodged from its hidden compartment and landed squarely in Spike’s lap.
“Go ahead and pick a mark!” Pinkie Pie said.
Spike looked away, closed his eyes, and shook the hat horizontally to keep the slips of paper from falling out. Satisfied that enough of a random chance had been achieved, he reached in without looking and promptly drew a piece of paper with three blue gems scribbled onto it, tearing startled gasps out of everyone but Discord.
Opening his eyes, Spike examined what he had picked. “Wow. That’s nuts.”
It was comedic. The gem would be sure to set the bar high for everything that followed. Rarity felt she should have been chosen last so the ceremony could have concluded with a bang, but the only feelings that truly mattered to the puppeteer engineering her destiny were those that advanced the plot.
Rarity felt the need to downplay the gift and only had a moment to wonder if the decision was truly hers. “I just want to make something clear. This is not a competition. Furthermore, I couldn’t have done this without Discord. Consider it from both of us.”
Spike clapped his hands together. “It’s all good. I can’t wait to see what it is!”
Twilight had no trouble selecting Rarity’s gift from the lot. She switched out the hat for the present. Spike tore into it with the same ferocity Opal went after catnip. The fancy box containing the gift was soon revealed. Spike’s claws had defaced its glossy texture.
The defining moment had finally arrived.
Spike gave the box a shake. “I think I might know what this is.”
Discord snickered, but kept his mouth shut. Spike removed the lid and froze in place. The box almost tumbled out of his grasp, but Twilight had her magic ready to help him keep the box from falling to the floor. His claws shook as he took the gem from its delicate bed. He held it high enough for everyone to get a good look at it.
Rarity took the opportunity to examine their reactions while they were still fresh. The only creature present who didn’t have tears in their eyes was Discord, but that was to be expected. Instead, he had a rather satisfied smile on his face.
Applejack was the first to regain enough composure to comment. “Land sakes alive! Pass that over here and lemme get a good look at it when you’re done. Please.”
“That’s the prettiest gem I’ve ever seen,” Fluttershy said.
“I’ll have to take a picture and show it to Maud,” Pinkie said. “She’s going to totally flip out.”
“That thing is awesome!” Dash exclaimed. “It’s like having your own slice of the universe in the center of your hoof. Claw, I mean.”
“The. . .” Spike could barely talk as his eyes filled with tears. “The galaxy in the center moves.”
“That it does,” Discord said, eager to bring the sappy moment back to normal. “I can assure you it wouldn’t look anywhere near as amazing if Rarity hadn’t busted her haunches gathering the materials I needed to construct that shiny little rock. Think of it as a testament to the strength of your friendship. It’s easy enough to build if you have the right ingredients, but you won’t be able to get that creamy nugget in the center without a little extra oomph from someone special.”
Twilight levitated an old book from the top shelf of a bookcase, flipped through it, and displayed the page she stopped on. “Spike, that’s a Bonding Stone!” She tapped the page with her hoof to emphasize the illustration on it, which featured a replica with a smaller galaxy. “They are directly responsible for the development of the peaceful relationship between ponies and the majority of dragons that has continued to this day!”
Discord looked at Fluttershy. “She’s like a living, breathing, encyclopedia.”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle.
Twilight shoved her muzzle in the book. “What were the ingredients? Onyx. Makes sense. Wait a second. Celevite?” Her voice raised in pitch. “Lunatoite?” Twilight’s excitement had reached its limit. “Enchantable moonstone?” Twilight cleared her throat to bring her voice back to normal. “Those are some of the rarest gemstones in existence. Where in the world did you find them?”
Rarity smiled as a familiar memory of chasing a mare through the streets of Neighpal played through her mind. “It wasn’t easy.”
“What am I supposed to do with it?” Spike asked, turning it over in his hands. “It’s so beautiful, yet it looks absolutely delicious. Am I supposed to eat it?”
“I had figured you would want to,” Rarity said. “I wouldn’t eat the whole thing at once, if I were you. Exotic food can be a shock to one’s system, believe me. The first time I tried premium hay, I didn’t like it. Now I can’t eat anything else.”
He didn’t respond. Spike shook the gem to see if the galaxy would move in the direction he wanted, but discovered the rotation was out of his control. “No. I can’t eat this. It’s too precious. I think I’ll keep it instead. As a memento.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Pinkie said.
Rarity’s tears began to flow. He truly had grown up. “Are you sure, Spike?”
“Yeah. This is too rare to wolf down in one sitting. I’ll have to get someone to make a case for it.”
Applejack hit her chest. “I’m your mare. Leave it to me, it’ll be ready in five days.”
“I wanna hear how you two made this,” Spike said.
“As would I,” Twilight agreed. A composition notebook with a pen appeared above her, wrapped up in her aura.
“I’m afraid I have to interject,” Discord said. “It just so happens that I have a present for Spike as well.”
A familiar statue of a golem with its foot stuck in a hole appeared on the coffee table in front of everyone.
Spike placed the gem back in the box, jumped off the throne, and admired his new gift. “Wow! This is really cool! How did you know I was into statuettes of uncommon monsters?”
“Call it a hunch,” Discord said.
“Who carved this?” Spike asked. “Nice Smile? It has the attention to detail they usually put in their figurines. It almost looks real.”
“That’s because it is real,” Rarity said.
Spike blinked. “No way.”
Rarity scoffed, but kept a smile on her face. “I wholeheartedly assure you I’m telling the truth since I was there. That brute came after us when we retrieved a single sample of enchantable moonstone from the remains of the kingdom Discord once called home.”
“You were where?” Dash asked.
Spike climbed back onto his throne and held the gem in his claws. “Tell me all about it.”
“It’s a rather long story,” Rarity began, “but it goes something like this.”