The beginning of a potential miniseries. The mane six and the CMC travel to the tropical island of Haywii. The CMC go out to make new friends and spread the club of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. See some G3 characters be "re4matted."
The mane six and the Cutie Mark Crusaders travel to the island of Haywii for a vacation. While the mane six are up to fun shenanigans, the CMC make new friends and spread their club to off of the maneland. But like in Ponyville, there are bullies in the way. But an unexpected move-in gives the CMC an edge.
Note: A lot of G3 characters will be seen, "4matted."
"Come on, girls!" Apple Bloom cheered as she and her two friends raced from the train, "Maybe we can find our cutie marks here!"
"I totally want to try surfing!" Scootaloo declared.
"Maybe I can get my cutie mark in hula dancing!" Sweetie Bell replied.
"I wonder if we could spread the Cutie Mark Crusaders here! I bet there are some blank flanks here!" Apple Bloom said.
"Hold your horses, girls," Applejack said, "Ya just can't wander around here without supervision."
"Thank you for inviting us, AJ," Twilight Sparkle said, strolling down the short flight of stairs.
"No problem, Twi," Applejack replied, "I received a letter from the granddaughter of an old friend of Granny Smith, and she's a resident here." She quickly glanced over her shoulder to make sure that the young trio accompanying them wouldn't hear, and added, in a whisper, "She said that her younger sister is being teased for her blank flank. During a visit to Ponyville, she saw that Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo had formed their little club."
"So she wants your sister to meet her?" Spike asked.
"In a nutshell. But she also said that there were a lot of interestin' things to see here. That's why I decided to bring you two along."
"What kinds of interesting things?" Spike asked.
"Any libraries?" Twilight asked.
"She never mentioned anything about libraries, but she did talk about a large observatory."
"Really!?" Twilight asked, ecstatic.
"Talk to her, not me," Applejack replied, "We should get going. Girls!?" She called out, "GIRLS!? Oh, sweet Celestia, where in the hay did they run off to?"
She was answered with a series of screams.
"What in tarnation!?" The farm pony asked, galloping through the station, with Twilight and Spike close behind.
When they found the fillies, they realized that the screams were of delight. The trio were jumping around with another filly: a white unicorn with a dark brown mane and tail and green eyes. And no cutie mark.
"Hey, Applejack!" A voice said. Applejack, Spike and Twilight turned around to see a coral-colored unicorn behind them. She had a tropical green-and-purple mane and tail and purple eyes. Her cutie mark was two coconuts, one of which was sliced in half, on a palm leaf.
"Ya must be Coconut Grove," Applejack said.
"Yeah," the unicorn replied, "and that's my sister, Coconut Cream." The fillies had all calmed down, somewhat. They bounced up to Grove.
"I'm Apple Bloom!"
"I'm Sweetie Bell!"
"The name's Scootaloo!"
"I know. Applejack told me about you three," Grove said.
"Wait, these are the visitors?" Cream asked.
"Applejack and I arranged the trip. Do you have any issues with it?"
"Of course not! This is the best surprise ever!"
"Okay," Grove said, "I should show you guys where you're going to be staying."
"It IS getting late," Spike said, yawning. Twilight could just tell from the light that the sun was setting.
"Awwww, come on!" The four fillies whined.
"You've had a long day just coming here, and I've been busy getting ready. Now come on. You guys will get to sleep in the same shack."
"A shack?" Scootaloo asked.
"Almost all of us sleep in shacks," Cream said, "It never gets cold here and there is always a pleasant breeze."
"Sounds a bit like tha barn," Apple Bloom said.
"Rarity would never have agreed to come," Sweetie Bell said, "She's not exactly one for roughing it."
"That's a shame," Cream said, "This is far from roughing it."
"Come on!" Spike said, "Some of us are actually getting tired!"
The foursome raced up to the mares, and they walked toward the station's exit. Twilight could not help but admire the architecture. It wasn't anything fancy. It was a large building made of planks of palm wood with a grass roof. Rather than concrete or tile, the floors were covered with rough granite.
But from what she heard of the island, the building captured the spirit of the place perfectly. And from what she saw a few seconds later, she believed that even more so.
Grove pushed open the door and showed the girls their first look at the island. The setting sun casted the entire island in a golden glow. The beach sparkled with pink and orange. The palm trees swayed gently in the wind. Flat, brown stones made a series of roadways. Strange white Flowers that faded into yellow at the center drifted to the ground from large trees.
"What flowers are those?" Sweetie Bell asked.
"Plumeria trees," Cream replied, "Aren't they beautiful?"
"I'm starting to take back what I said about Rarity not wanting to come here."
The group continued to a series of houses. Like the train station, they were crafted of palm wood and had grass for roofs. Many of them had paths to one another covered by more wood and grass.
"What are those?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Shacks," Grove answered, "We generally keep them small and one-room to provide maximum air circulation. If we want to expand and add another room, we build another one nearby and make a covered path to it."
"So much for me taking back what I said about Rarity," Sweetie Bell said.
"Here we go!" Cream said, "Home sweet home!" The group approached a small cluster of shacks, arranged in a ring and a small garden at its center.
"You can enter from any one of these rooms, but this is the mane room," Grove said, leading the group into the largest hut.
"Woah," Twilight said. The room didn't have much, but it was a decent place. There were enough chairs for everyone to sit down and relax if they wanted to, but it was no place for sleeping.
"You three, come with me," Grove said, "Cream, could you show the others where they'll be sleeping?"
The filly nodded, and took her new friends to the next room to the left.
"This is my room!" She exclaimed.
"Wow," Sweetie Bell said, trying to be polite. The room was much smaller and plain than her room at the Carousel Boutique.
"I understand if it's a bit iffy," Cream said, seemingly reading Sweetie Bell's mind, "But it's what I call home."
"I feel right at home here!" Apple Bloom said, "But I do have one question: where do we sleep?"
"You have a choice," Cream said, pulling out four large pieces of fabric with a green aura, "You can sleep on the floor," held the cloths just above the ground, where it was made evident that it would be a tight fit, "Or in the air," and hung the cloths on hooks, making hammocks. "Come on!" She said, jumping in one of them. The others quickly followed.
"Ah, this is the life," Scootaloo said.
"I know," Cream replied, "I just know that we're going to have so much fun together. I know I probably should have told you this before, but welcome to Haywii."
"This is where we earn our living," Grove said, leading the group to a large coconut orchard.
"This is Haywii's equivalent to Sweet Apple Acres!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.
"Yeah," Cream said, "But we have the easy way out. The trees are relatively low maintenance in terms of basic care. The weather is so lush that we don't have to worry about watering the trees. They thrive in soil that most weeds can't tolerate. But you don't have to worry as much about weather as we do. We always keep an ear on what winds and storms the pegasi have in store. The trees are actually very fragile. We've lost the entire orchard to a tropical storm more than once."
"She has a point," Grove said to Applejack, "I don't know how hard you buck apples, but please be careful. I can't help but think that you are capable of knocking down a tree with a leisurely buck.
"Anyway, I was wondering if you could help me harvest the ripe coconuts."
"Sure thing, sugarcube. This should be a breeze." Applejack approached one of the trees and kicked it. There was a snap, and the tree began to tip.
"TIMBER!!!" Cream yelled. The tree came crashing to the ground.
"I warned you about that," Grove said. ......................
A few hours and many coconuts later, all the ripe trees were harvested.
"Now it's time to get them to the market!" Cream said, "And after that, we can go to the beach!"
"Wow!" Scootaloo said, "I bet that we can get our cutie marks there!"
"Cutie Mark Crusaders beach explorers! Yay!" The CMC cheered.
"What are you talking about?" Cream asked.
"It's a club we formed in Ponyville. It's dedicated to helping fillies and colts everywhere get their cutie marks!" Sweetie Bell said.
"Pathetic," a snobby voice said. The ponies turned around to see two ponies, a pegasus and a unicorn, approaching. The pegasus was a pale yellow with an orange and pink mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a flower with a jewel at its center.
The unicorn was a pale lavender with a pink and blue mane and tail with a cutie mark of a seashell with a pink pearl.
"Oh no," Cream said.
"Bullies?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Yeah. The Pegasus is Gem Blossom and the unicorn is Pearl Tide."
"Look who it is," Pearl said, "It's Loco nut Scream."
"And who's your entourage?" Gem said.
"It doesn't matter," Pearl replied, "I've been told that misery loves company."
"And what's your point?" Scootaloo asked.
"You're Scootaloo, aren't you?" Gem asked, "Diamond Tiara told us about you three. We don't want to hurt you, but we're just giving you a taste of what life is going to be like. It's nothing personal."
"Then why do you only do it to them, and nopony else?" Grove asked, walking up.
"You need your sister to swoop in and save you?" Pearl asked, "Now I just feel sorry for you."
"Leave them alone," Grove said in a warning tone.
"Okay, okay, don't get your horn in a twist," Gem said, walking off with Pearl.
"Unbelievable. They know Diamond Tiara," Apple Bloom said.
"Does she bully you in Ponyville?" Cream said.
"Her and Silver Spoon," Sweetie Bell said.
"Come on!" Grove said, "We're almost to the Shoreline Plaza!"
The ponies and dragon forged ahead. ............................
"How come ya only unloaded half the cart?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Half go to the market. The other half goes to the Sweet Shoppe," Grove said.
"The Sweet Shoppe makes the best candies you've ever tasted!" Cream exclaimed.
"Ya sure?" Apple Bloom asked, "Cuz Sugarcube Corner's hard to beat."
"I'm not sure what Sugarcube Corner serves, but the sweets here tend to have lots of fruit and is made fresh every day. We always make a morning trip here so we can provide the island with fresh coconuts. The lunch weather equates to an eternal growing season."
The group then found themselves at the back of a building about the size of Sugarcube Corner. A door opened up to reveal a smiling earth pony. She was a reddish purple with a green and white mane and tail. She had green eyes and a strawberry cutie mark.
"Hey, Coconut Grove!" She said, "And you too, Coconut Cream!"
"It's nice to see you, Sweetberry!" Cream said.
"I see you made new friends!" She exclaimed, "Oh! Hello, Princess Twilight. And you too, Applejack and Spike. How was the trip here?"
"You knew we were coming?" Spike asked.
"We're a tight family," Grove said, "News here travels faster than Sunny Daze on water skis."
"Speaking of which, have you shown them the beach yet?" Sweetberry asked.
"Not yet, but that's our next stop," Grove said.
"Then there's no time to waste! Let me help you unload all this."
After the coconuts were off the cart, Sweetberry said, "Whew! I don't know how you do this day after day. Why don't you stick around for a treat? Don't worry; it'll be on me. You've earned it."
"Thank you!" Cream said. "I'll go for a cup of cherry-flavored shaved ice."
"Let's see, I'll have a scoop of pineapple pulp," Grove said.
"Eeww!" Sweetie Bell said, "That doesn't sound appealing."
"It's simply ground up pineapple that's served cold," Cream said, "It's actually really good."
"Let's see, I think I'll have a strawberry smoothie," Scootaloo said.
"What are the chocolate covered macadamia nuts?" Spike asked.
"The treat is made from the seeds harvested from any of the four tree species within the macadamia genus. The seeds are then covered with a mixture of ground up cacao seeds, sugar, and milk. The seeds are then cooled, and served as a delicacy," Twilight said. Everyone stared at her, confused.
"I'll translate," a pony that just walked in said, "Basically, there are four types of Macadamia trees that grow around here. We like to pick their seeds, cover the seeds with chocolate, and cool them. It's a very popular treat."
A series of "Oooohhhh"s spread through the Shoppe.
"Thanks, Triple Treat," Sweetberry said.
"Any time," Treat said. She was an earth pony with a pale mauve coat and a pink, purple, and yellow mane and tail. Her cutie mark was an ice cream cone, a lollipop, and a cookie.
"You must be the new visitors," Treat said, "Nice to meet you." ...........................
After introductions and sweets, the ponies made their way to the beach. Although Apple Bloom immediately saw something off about it.
"Why's the sand black?" She asked.
"It's volcano rock," Cream replied, pointing to a nearby mountain, "That's Mount Valoria. When it erupts, it spews melted rock. The rock cools when it hits the water. Everywhere, tiny bits of all kinds of rock break off and become sand, but volcano rock is black."
"Cool," Scootaloo said.
"So what are we going to do?" Sweetie Bell asked.
"I'm honestly feelin' a bit plum tuckered," Applejack said.
"Come on!" Scootaloo said, "We should try to get our cutie marks in surfing!"
"Sweet Celestia," Applejack muttered.
"Let's talk to Sunny Daze. She's the go-to pony for anything beach-related. Not to mention that she runs the surf shack here on the beach," Cream said. The fillies then took off.
"Girls, wait!" Twilight yelled, flying after them.
The mares and dragon caught up with the fillies at a store. In truth, it wasn't even a building. It was a decent sized wooden deck covered with the usual grass roof. There were shelves of anything anyone could want at the beach, from sand toys to surf boards to scuba gear. In the middle, there was a large desk where a mare was sleeping with sunglasses.
The mare had a white coat with a windblown mane and tail striped with yellow, orange, pink and purple. Her cutie mark was a sun in front of two clouds.
"Hey Sunny Daze!" Cream yelled. The pony awoke with a start, and her glasses flew off, revealing deep violet eyes.
"Geez, Cream," Sunny said after catching her breath.
"We wanna go surfing!" Apple Bloom said.
"Hang on..." Sunny said as Twilight, Grove, Applejack and Spike walked up to her.
"Hey, guys. I see that the youngest visitors already have some high goals for this summer."
"I'm really sorry, Sunny. They took off without us."
"It's fine, Grove, but I'm not sure what their hype is about."
"My younger sister helped form a club called, 'The Cutie Mark Crusaders,' and I guess Cream is now one of 'em. They want to go surfin'"
"Hmmm," Sunny said.
"Please?" The young ponies asked.
"It's too still of a day to go surfing. The pegasi haven't planned any strong winds until tomorrow."
"Well isn't there something we can do?" Sweetie Bell asked.
"Let's see... If you want to do something on the water..." Sunny said to herself.
A yawn escaped Applejack.
"Of course!" Sunny exclaimed, "Have you ever gone inner tubing?"
"Ooh! Inner tubing is the most fun thing to do on the back of a motorboat!" Cream cheered.
"Wooooooaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!" Spike yelled, "This is not relaxing!"
"Try telling that to Applejack," Twilight said. Applejack was on a bench, snoring.
They had been on the boat for about fifteen minutes. Sunny was driving the boat and wasn't afraid to go full throttle. Despite the air feeling like knives against her face, Twilight found the panoramic views of the crystal clear water and the shrinking island beautiful. It was a perfectly clear day and she caught sight of a rainbow in the distance. Unfortunately, not everyone was enjoying the view.
"Are we there yet?" Scootaloo groaned.
"Define 'there,'" Apple Bloom said.
"'There' is a word used to indicate a location in relation to another. It is often accompanied by pointing in the direction of the location," Sweetie Bell said.
Scootaloo groaned again in annoyance.
"Okay, this is a good spot for you guys to get on," Sunny said, stopping the boat. She nodded to Twilight, who threw the large circular tube off the back of the boat.
The fillies then jumped on it.
"Everyone, grab two handles!" Sunny called out.
"Ready? Here I go!"
She revved the engine and the boat was off.
The tube bounced and leaped on the water, but the fillies were having a blast. Until the tube literally flipped over. Then the four of them were in the water.
Sunny turned the boat around and Twilight got them back in.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"That was amazing!" Scootaloo said, "Let's keep going!" .........................
Hours later, the ponies headed back to the house. The fillies except for Cream were asleep and the mares were carrying the others on their backs.
"What a day," Applejack said tiredly.
"Tonight is a night to unwind," Grove said, looking up at the sky.
"You know," Twilight said, "I've never seen a sky this clear before." There were millions of tiny stars and the moon was full and shining.
"That reminds me," Grove said, "You have yet to see the observatory. I'm tired out, but you can go if you want."
"Really?" The purple alicorn said, "You wouldn't mind?"
"Not at all," Grove said, "I'll put the fillies to bed. You go ahead. It's the building with the bunch of telescopes. Your can't miss it!"
"Thank you!" Twilight said, taking off into the night.
"Woah," Twilight said as she stepped up to the large doors. The observatory was at least the size of Canterlot castle. The facility was painted silver and blue, and the windows contained prismatic glass, refracting the light into hundreds of rainbows. Large telescopes stretched toward the stars.
"Hello?" Twilight said, knocking on the door. A bluish-silver bat pony opened up the door. She had a white mane and tail with brown eyes.
"Well, hello there, princess!" She said, "We've been expecting you. My name's Star Beam."
Star led Twilight down a series of hallways, each riddled with drawings and pictures of constellations, galaxies, and nebulae.
A small white filly flew through the hall and crashed into Star.
"Honolulu!" She exclaimed, "What are you doing up at this hour!?"
"I'm trying to be a bat pony like you!" Honolulu replied. Star sighed.
"Besides, I've been learning all I can about the stars. I've been trying to earn my cutie mark!"
Twilight looked at Honolulu's flank, which displayed nothing.
"Listen, Lulu," Star said, "You know that Starcatcher wants you in bed."
"It's alright," another voice said. Twilight turned around to see a pegasus walking towards the trio. The pegasus was white with a pink, white, and blue mane and tail with pale violet eyes.
"Yay! Thank you!" Honolulu exclaimed, flying circles around the older pegasus.
The pegasus then approached Twilight. "You must be Twilight Sparkle," she said, "I am Starcatcher, head of the observatory. That filly, Honolulu, is my younger sister. Although a lot of ponies just call her Lulu." She then turned to Honolulu. "You can stay up for a few more minutes, but when we walk past your room, you need to go to bed, okay?"
"Okay," Lulu said obediently.
As the foursome kept walking, Starcatcher asked Twilight something interesting, "How did you come to love magic so much?"
"Well," Twilight said, "I was inspired by Princess Celestia when I saw her raising the sun at the Summer Sun Celebration. Ever since, I practiced magic until I was able to qualify for entering a private magic school. I ended up having so large of a magic surge, that Princess Celestia took me under her wing, saying that I had great potential," she then looked at her wings, "Maybe she saw this in me."
"My parents were both Lunar guards," Star said, "Until they were killed in battle when I was just a foal." A tear formed in her eye, "But Starcatcher took me in and I've been tutored by her ever since."
"I consider her as much of my sister as Honolulu," Starcatcher said, "In fact, when I retire, I already know that I'll leave the observatory in her hooves." The ponies passed a series of rooms.
"This is where we live. The observatory is our home!" Honolulu said.
"Now, Lulu," Starcatcher said, "Remember what I told you."
Honolulu gave a huff of frustration, but flew off into one of the rooms.
"Poor thing," Star Beam said, "She's been getting restless because she doesn't have her cutie mark yet."
"You know, Twilight," Starcatcher said, "I bet that Honolulu would make very good friends with the fillies you brought on the island with you."
"I bet you're right," Twilight said.
"But enough about that. We must seize the night while it is at hoof. Come with me." The three ponies then came to a spiraling staircase stretching at least ten stories high.
"It's a long way up," Star said he, "Unless you have wings."
She spread her wings and took off. Twilight followed, then Starcatcher. What Twilight was shocked at was the majesty of Starcatcher, especially her wings. If Twilight hadn't known better, she would've thought that Starcatcher was a princess. Her wings were more than three times the size of a normal pegasus's wings, and they even extended further than Twilight's. Plus, they were white at the base, but faded into a sky blue.
"I know, right?" Star whispered to Twilight after seeing her gawking, "Rumor has it that Starcatcher is the descendant of an alicorn princess."
"Is she?" Twilight said back.
"She won't say," Star answered, "I think that she likes to keep ponies guessing. Kind of like the night sky, if you ask me. Their origins are a mystery. The same dust that makes stars makes up everything, from rocks to the elements of harmony. We're not sure why. Chances are, we're never going to understand. But we keep looking. Out desire to understand leads our research. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if I learned that Starcatcher was born from the stars themselves."
"And speaking of research," Starcatcher said, "We're here." The trio landed on a small platform with a closed door. Star opened the door, revealing a large room under a dome. In the center of the room was a telescope that was at least ten times the size of Pinkie Pie's party cannon. Starcatcher pressed a few buttons, and the ceiling opened up, revealing the array of tiny stars bound to the sky.
"Amazing," Twilight sighed.
"It gets better," Star replied. After dialing a few knobs on the telescope and checking the eyepiece, she looked satisfied. "Care to take a look?" She asked.
Twilight approached the telescope and looked in.
She gasped. "This is unbelievable!" She was able to look at constellations and planets for hours. And she did, until the stars began to fade.
"Morning," Starcatcher said, "Time to cut our galactic journey short."
"It was already cut short for her," Star said, nodding toward the purple heap snoring on the ground, "Think we should wake her up?"
"Let her sleep," Starcatcher said, "She's going to need her energy today. I want Honolulu to meet those fillies, and Celestia knows what mayhem that may bring."
"You know, isn't a fan of yours moving here today?"
"Yes. And she has a younger sister that is also a blank flank. If they're anything like little Lulu, I worry about them."
"Why?"
Starcatcher paused, and said, "It's nothing. I'm probably getting ahead of myself."
Star Beam looked at her questioningly.
'I'd expect nothing less of her,' she thought, 'That's who she is: a living enigma. That's how I've always known her. Not to mention that she has close ties with one of the wisest ponies I've ever heard of. I'll just see where this takes us...'
"Hi, Coconut Grove!" The silver bat pony said, "I brought someone you should meet."
Honolulu flew up to the coral unicorn, "Hi!"
"Well, hello there!" Grove said.
"Starcatcher talked to us, and we agreed to let Honolulu meet the other Cutie Mark Crusaders," Twilight said.
"WHAT!?" A chorus of voices said from inside. The four fillies scrambled outside to meet the newcomer, followed by Applejack.
"Sweet Celestia," she mumbled.
"Actually, we were about to head out for the next portion of the tour," Cream said, "We're going to see Mount Valoria's sister volcano: Mount Lawilla. This one's dormant, so we don't have to worry about it erupting."
"That's a relief," Sweetie Bell said.
"Count me in!" Honolulu said. .............................
"This place is HUGE!" Scootaloo exclaimed. They were at the base of the hollow mountain.
"It's ten miles across and up!" Grove said, proudly.
"That sounds like a long hike," Apple Bloom said.
"Don't worry. There are plenty of pre-cut paths and tunnels. If you ask me, the inside of the volcano is better than the view outside," Cream said.
Everyone made their way inside, and they found themselves in a cavernous room.
"I already like it," Spike said.
"Hang on," Twilight said. She saw a pony that looked familiar. The shadows made it hard for her to make out who it was, though, especially since the pony was gray. When the pony turned around, though, Twilight immediately recognized the dull eyes.
"Hey, Twilight," she said, flatly, "Are you here to check out the rocks, too? I'm here to let Boulder have a family reunion."
"Hey, Maud!" Twilight said, "Fancy meeting you here!"
"Hey, Twilight!" Another familiar voice said. She ran up in a blur of pink and embraced Twilight in a tight hug.
"Hey, Pinkie," Twilight said.
"This is amazing!" Pinkie said, "I get to be here with some of my best friends! Come on! You can join us and Maud!" She took off. ......................
"How much longer?" Scootaloo groaned.
"We've only been going for five minutes," Grove said.
"But Maud is pretty slow paced," Twilight said.
"Hmmmm," Grove said, "Cream, can I trust you enough to make sure you guys don't get lost? Why don't you show your friends around?"
"You can count on me!" Cream said, saluting.
..........................
"Are ya sure we're not lost?" Apple Bloom said an hour later.
"No," Cream admitted, "We need to find somepony who can help us."
"Of course," a voice echoed through the caverns, absentmindedly.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Sweetie Bell called.
"Yeah. I am. I can't say the same with my sister," another voice said. The girls ran towards the sound and came across two ponies. One was pink with pink and purple hair put up in a green headband. Her cutie mark was a kite with a butterfly. The other pony was a filly with a reddish purple coat with a magenta and orange mane and tail. She was a blank flank.
"Another one!" Honolulu exclaimed.
"What?" The filly said before noticing the bare flanks. "You too!?"
"Yes! We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Scootaloo said.
After the fillies introduced themselves, the new filly spoke. "I'm Twinkle Twirl. That's my sister, Skywishes." She nodded toward the pink pony, still starry eyed, gazing at the volcanic rock and scribbling on a note pad.
"The lines formed by the obsidian are exquisite!" She said.
"We come from Manehattan," Twinkle said, "Sky's an artist, and said that moving here would give her more time and inspiration to work on her paintings. And so far, it hasn't been very fun for me."
"Twinkle," Skywishes said, finally acknowledging her sister, "You need to change your outlook on life. You always complained about getting teased for your blank flank. Now's the time for a change."
Twinkle groaned in annoyance.
"Don't worry, Twinkle!" Apple Bloom said, "How would ya like to be the latest member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"
Twinkle Twirl looked at the fillies, then her flank, and nodded.
Then, they heard a drilling sound. Maud came barreling through a wall, followed by Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, and Grove.
"What are you guys doing?!" Twilight said.
"Talking with our new friend!" Honolulu replied, pointing to Twinkle.
After introductions, the ponies left the volcano.
"I'm off to examine the sand," Maud said.
"I'll catch up with you later!" Pinkie said. She joined the group as they walked off.
"Say, why don't I show you guys where we're living?" Sky said. She led the group further inland, up to a large tree.
"Where's the door?" Sweetie Bell asked.
"Up there," Twinkle said, pointing into the leaves. There was a set of stairs carved into the tree that the ponies could walk on. They took the staircase to the door.
"Cool! A treehouse!" Scootaloo said.
When they stepped in, they were greeted by an unusual sight. The place was rather small, just one room. There was a small stove and oven with a pantry in one corner, along with a table and chairs. Two sets of hammock hooks hung from the ceiling. In the opposite side, there was a large easel with shelves cluttered with paints and brushes and the like.
"Here we are," Twinkle said, in a lousy voice, "Home sweet home."
"Cheer up, Twinkie!" Sky said, resulting in a look of shock and anger from her younger sister.
"I hate being called 'Twinkie,'" she muttered. But Skywishes didn't notice. She was taking out paints of a variety of different shades and brushes of many sizes. But then she stopped.
"Hmmm," she said, scratching her headband.
"What's wrong?" Pinkie asked.
"I don't know what to paint," Sky answered, "I have the thoughts, the intricate, abstract feelings, but I don't know what to do to get it on a canvas." She then walked up to a window and stuck her head out, leaning on the sill.
"Not again," Twinkle said.
Skywishes closed her eyes and began speaking in a breathy whisper, with the wind, as if on cue, blowing through her hair. "I wish, I wish, I wish I could capture the feeling. The freedom. The untamed nature of this place, and preserve a snippet on my canvas, to share. To inspire. To show the wild beauty of this place."
After a few seconds, her eyes shot open. "Eureka!" She exclaimed, "How would you guys like to go kite flying?"
"You're kidding me," Twinkle said, "No philosophy moments where you go on a speech about what you're going to paint."
"The kite is a fabled wish catcher. What better way to celebrate the golden ways of this land than with a kite soaring above a blue horizon? I can see it now: a graceful kite with long, flowing tails billowing from behind. Behind it, the sea touches the sky, and maybe even an island barely visible. No end is seen, I can see it. Everything..."
"Of course," Twinkle said, "Can we go kite flying already?"
"Oh! Of course!" Sky said, snapping out of her trance, "Come on!"
.......................... Think about a time that you flew a kite with some friends. That's essentially what happened. It was honestly nothing exciting. Skywishes was sketching. The fillies were talking about themselves when flying the kites. ............................
"Wow! That was fun!" Scootaloo said.
"Yeah, but I'm plum tuckered," Apple Bloom said. The sun had gone below the horizon. Skywishes had taken Twinkle Twirl home. Star Beam had picked up Honolulu. Pinkie Pie went back to the cave she and Maud were staying in. The four fillies were back in their hammocks, slowly falling asleep.
"Unbelievable," Gem said, looking at the house, "Those Cutie Mark Catastrophes are actually gaining members!"
"What are we going to do about it?" Pearl asked.
"I'm sure we can get away with something," Gem answered, "Both of my parents work in the mines and yours out on the water."
"But not too much," Pearl said, "My mom said in a letter that she feared that I was getting too devious, like there is such a thing."
"That's sad," Gem said, "But what's even sadder is what's going to happen to those blank flanks."
"What do you have in mind?" Pearl asked, half intrigued and half afraid. Gem leaned in and whispered, and Pearl paled.
"Look out below!" Honolulu cried. Everyone dodged as coconuts fell to the ground. They were harvesting again, and since Honolulu wasn't strong enough to buck, she resorted to flying up to trees and shaking down the fruits.
"We need to well stock the cart today!" Grove said.
"How come?" Sweetie Bell said.
"We're having a luau tonight!" Cream said.
"A what?" Scootaloo asked.
"A Haywiian party!"
"Oh."
"Twilight," Skywishes said, "Did you write to your other friends to come?"
"Yep," said Spike, "I wrote to them for her."
"Great!" Grove said, "I also wrote to my friend Minty, who actually lives in Canterlot."
"Really!?" Twilight exclaimed.
"She moved there after you moved to Ponyville. She's helping Donut Joe with his bakery. She's also a great help with the holidays."
"Speaking of which, Starcatcher said that she wrote a long-time friend of hers that she wants us to meet at the luau."
Grove brought out a bunch of smaller carts designed for fillies.
"An extra large order!" She said, "I'm going to need your help."
Soon everyone was loaded up and on their way to the Sweet Shoppe. ..............................
"Look at them," Gem said.
"Yeah," Pearl said, with a hint of hesitation, "All naïve and everything."
"Time to see how naïve they can really be," Gem said.
Pearl swallowed, and fired a beam of magic. It hit the largest cart, causing it to break and all of the coconuts to fall off.
"Aren't you going a bit hard?" Pearl asked. Gem simply shrugged.
"Oh, hayseed," Applejack said, "What in tarnation?"
Gem snickered. Apple Bloom turned to the sources of the sound.
"You girls!" She yelled angrily.
Pearl, terrified, took off with Gem close behind.
"Ya get back here!" Apple Bloom said, chasing after them.
"Apple Bloom, wait!" Scootaloo said, detaching her cart, grabbing her scooter, and riding after them. Soon, the other fillies were behind them.
"GIRLS!!!" Twilight yelled, but they were already out of sight. The ponies had ran into the forest inland.
Gem was laughing. It infuriated Apple Bloom. The others caught up except for Honolulu. But they came to a five-hoof-high ledge. Gem carried Pearl up, but the others were stuck.
"Hey, Scootaloo!" Gem said, "Fly up here and get us!" Scootaloo, enraged, threw down her scooter and flapped her wings. They beat at almost a hummingbird's speed, but she couldn't get higher than a few inches above the ground.
"Wow. Diamond Tiara was right! You are a chicken!" Gem teased.
"What would your parents think of this?!" Twinkle Twirl said, angrily.
"They don't have to know," Pearl said, out of fear.
"Exactly!" Gem added, "Do you want to be snitches?"
"That's not going to work!" Sweetie Bell said, "We learned that lesson the hard way a few years ago! Call us snitches! We don't care!"
"Oh yeah? How would you react if we told you that we invited Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to the luau? And believe me, we told them about you. And we don't want any blank flanks ruining our party."
"Who said it was YOUR party!?"
"She's right! It's everyone's party!"
"Oh, I can change that. Pearl, would you help me please?"
Honolulu lost them. Now she was lost herself. Too tired to fly, she was going at a full run. Tears streamed down her face. She wasn't even looking where she was going. She could only run. And she ran. Right into someone.
The pony turned around and faced her. Honolulu turned and looked up at her. The pony had a light purple coat with a dark purple mane and tail. But her eyes. Her eyes were green, but they were also relatively thin and a bit slanted.
The strange pony looked down on her with an unreadable expression. A filly walked up from behind her.
The filly was a unicorn who was pale pink with an even paler flower for a cutie mark. It contrasted greatly with her dark brown mane, tail, and eyes. The eyes were also slanted like that of the purple pony, and they were focused on her. ..........................................
The CMC now were covered with minor scratches.
"If words won't hurt you, then sticks and stones will have to do!" Gem said.
"Gem, don't you think that this is going too far?" Pearl asked.
"WHAT!!!?!?!?" Gem screamed, causing Pearl's horn to fire. Gem immediately grabbed Pearl and aimed her horn at the CMC. Beams of light flew everywhere, narrowly missing the girls.
"Run!" Pearl yelled, "I can't control my magic! And Gem can't control her anger!"
"Hiyah!!!" A voice rang out. A pale pink unicorn with slim, brown hair leaped into the spot beneath the ledge. She dodged the beams with leaps and turns that Apple Bloom didn't know was possible.
"Why you little..." Gem growled. The pony paid no attention. She climbed up the ledge without any hesitation.
"Yah!" She yelled with a swing kick. The force of the blow made Gem lose her grip on Pearl.
"Go ahead," Gem growled as she got herself off of the ground, "Fight me."
"I did not come here for a fight," the pony replied, "I came here for peace."
Honolulu raced up behind her. "Are you guys okay?" She asked.
"I honestly have no idea," Pearl answered, shaking as she stood up.
"I'm sorry if I startled you," the pony said, helping her up.
"One minute you hate us, and the next, you're helping us?" Gem said, with hatred still simmering.
"I never said anything about hating you. What made you attack them like that? And why did you use your friend the way that you did?" The pony said, calmly, yet sternly.
"Forget it," Gem said, spreading her wings.
"Wait!" The pony cried out as Gem took off. She sighed.
"I must say that I've taught you well," a serene voice said. The violet pony walked up behind them, followed by Twilight, Applejack, and the other mares.
"You guys are okay!" Grove cried, embracing her sister. Applejack did the same thing with Apple Bloom, before whacking her on the head.
"What in tarnation were you thinkin'!?" She yelled.
"I wasn't," Apple Bloom said guiltily.
"We thought that something like this might happen so we rushed in to defend her," Sweetie Bell said.
"I understand what you did," Grove said, "But you shouldn't have run off like that. We were trying to catch up to you guys but we lost you."
"If I hadn't fallen behind and bumped into these two," Honolulu said, motioning toward the two ponies, "I don't know what could have happened."
"Who are y'all, anyway?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I'm Kimono," the purple pony said, "And this is my sister, Sakura."
"We come from a place known as 'Tameura.' Our people have lived there for generations," Sakura said.
"I actually have ties with Starcatcher," Kimono said, "She invited me here in secret."
"Why secret?" Scootaloo asked.
"I'm what my people call a Zen Master. I'm actually training Sakura in my ways. We are secretive in our ways, primarily because of our knowledge. All too often I see ponies abuse knowledge, turning it against its purpose. Think of Zecora. I've spoken with her on more than one occasion. We both share only fitting advice to others. No more. No less."
"I see," Spike said.
"Oh, wow!" Sakura exclaimed, "I didn't see you there."
She examined him a bit. "Are you a western dragon?" She asked.
"I.... Guess so," Spike said, "Why?"
"You'd get along well with Ning Jing," she said.
"Who?" Applejack said.
"She's an Eastern dragon and a close friend of ours. She actually took us here," Kimono said, "She's at the observatory. We were about to meet up with her there."
"But if she's a full grown dragon," Spike said, "How can she fit in the observatory?"
"Eastern dragons are smaller than western dragons," Sakura said, "You'll see."
The ponies walked up to the observatory and walked in. As they were gaping at the size of the mane room, Maud immediately walked up to the display of a rock that was twice her size. She tapped her hoof on it and felt its surface. It felt like lumpy metal.
"This is a meteorite, isn't it?" She said.
"Indeed," Starcatcher said, spiraling down. She landed in front of everyone and saw her old friend. "Well, hello, Kimono! Long time no see."
"It has been a while," Kimono said, "Sakura has reached the age that I began teaching her the concept of zen."
"Fascinating."
"Indeed."
"I see that you already became acquainted with my friends."
"I have. Including Spike."
"Where's Ning?" Sakura asked.
"Patience, sister," Kimono said.
"I'm up here!" A breathy voice said. Spike looked up to see a serpent-like shape spiral towards them. When she landed, the ponies had a stunning sight.
The form looked like a dragon, but unlike any they had seen before. The legs were more slender than most dragons, but they looked graceful, nonetheless. Her scales shimmered in a rich shade of green. Her underside was a golden yellow. Her claws were a midnight blue. She had horns on her head and spines on her back that matched. Her eyes, although narrow, had a sparkle in them, and the whites of the eyes were a sky blue. What was even more shocking was that she didn't have wings.
"How do you fly?!" Spike exclaimed.
"Eastern dragons like me don't have wings. We simply hover and glide." Even the voice sounded threatening and friendly at the same time. Rather than a dark grumbling noise, the voice was a breathy whispering sound.
"Woah."
The dragon didn't make any movements except for breathing. She expected this. She decided to let the little dragon take everything in before moving on.
"Okay," Spike said, "This is getting a bit awkward. You're Ning Jing, right?"
"Correct, but you can just call me Ning. You must be Spike."
"Y-yeah. So... I don't mean to say this rudely, but... What are you? Like, what do you do?"
"The ways of eastern dragons differ greatly from western dragons. I must say that I am curious to know about your life, and how it differs from those of other eastern dragons I've encountered."
"Well, it all started back when I was hatched from a little purple-spotted egg..." ...............................
"And that concludes it!" Said Spike.
"Very intriguing," Ning said. The other ponies had run off to talk with one another.
"I've never seen a dragon undergo an age reversal. For that matter, I've never seen a dragon be so generous before. For the first few years of their lives, most western dragons I've seen will have relations with other dragons, and even start families. But after the first thirty years or so, they'll slowly succumb to their own greed. Then they'll think of nothing but collecting anything valuable. It also shows in the fire one breathes. The brighter the flame, the stronger the dragon's feelings of greed, anger, and the like."
"Yeah," Spike said, sighing, "But what about you? What are eastern dragons like?"
"We're essentially the polar opposites of western dragons. Many of us don't grow to monstrous size; we just grow in length. Some can be over 20 hooves long, but are as thin as me. We simply glide and hover when we want to fly. And instead of fire, if we're attacked, we'll breath out a mist. It can range from barely visible to pea-soup thick, depending on how our emotions.
"Like western dragons, many of us live in caves. However, we're not out to collect the biggest collection of gold and jewels that we can. Instead, we try to form the most serene accommodation possible. They may spend weeks polishing river stones so that they have just the right texture. Some will fashion their abode out of a clearing in a forest of bamboo. We actually avoid jewels because they're loud. They break the calm atmosphere. But we'll often visit one another's homes and give advice on how to improve it. Of course, only about half of the advice is taken. Each dragon has their own version of serenity. So what may be helpful for one's peace can disrupt another's."
"So what about you, Ning?" Spike asked, "What's your home like?"
"I live deep in a cave not far from Tameura. There's an underground river, and stalactites and stalagmites everywhere, some even as large as Twilight's castle. In one of them, I carved a concave dome, in which I sleep. I set up a variety of wind chimes from large ones I've made out of bamboo to small, metal ones given to me by villagers. The citizens of Tameura live in peace with dragons. One of them, a unicorn named 'Aura Gami,' gave me an enchanted stone that lights up, as a 'thank you' for saving the town from a drought. She said that I could drop it underwater to provide better light in my home."
"You didn't ask for it as payment?" Spike said.
"No," Ning said with a laugh, "It wasn't much trouble; all I had to do was fly around the village and spread my mist. And even if it WAS trouble, eastern dragons are very generous. I wouldn't have asked for anything. I've lived in Tameura for centuries. I've come to be known as one of its guardians, since I rarely leave it and I'll risk my life protecting its people."
"You know," Spike said, "How did you find Tameura?"
"I was found as an egg," Ning answered, "Although there are exceptions, most eastern dragons find a safe location to lay their egg, lay one egg, and leave it."
"You mean you were abandoned!?" Spike gasped.
"I never said that I was abandoned," Ning said, "My mother cared about me. But we seem to find our role in life alone sooner than we do with our parents. Although eastern dragons are often very tight knit, we develop friendships, not love relationships. Since we live so long, we rarely have children. Usually, when two dragons meet and they feel like they were meant to be together, they'll give one another two tests. First, they test one another's strength. Then, they'll examine their homes. You see, they're looking for a balance between a feisty attitude and a sense of peace. If they agree, they'll mate, and they'll go their separate ways."
"Just like that?" Spike said, "And what does that have to do with a mother leaving her egg behind?"
"When the partners meet again, they'll usually resume life as friends like they would with anyone else. Although we develop strong bonds of friendship, we don't have much of a sense of love. We know that it exists, and we don't look down on it, but we just don't experience it ourselves. Of course, there are the exceptions."
"But what does this have to do with the lost egg?"
"We look for our purpose in life from the minute we hatch. We don't hatch full grown, but we have the same maturity level as a young teenager. The lack of love and the fact that our purpose often differs from our parents' usually complicates our youth."
"Oh."
"But a young pony found me. She was actually Kimono's ancestor. It was fifteen hundred years ago. She was just a filly. Although her name and face have obscured over the years, I remember what happened. She took me to a pony who had a connection with dragons. That pony watched over me until I hatched. After I hatched, I became acquainted with the town, just beginning at the time. They were building the first houses. I was out of town more often than not. I found the cave and made it mine. I explored. The people weren't afraid of me. They knew the ways of dragons and let me have my space.
"However, when winter came, the town was hit hard. The shelters weren't a match for the frigid air. Many of the ponies faced the risk of freezing to death.
"I had made myself comfortable in my cave, but I merely staked out one cavern of the entire network. When I realized how desperate they were, I showed them the way to the cave. They packed their food reserves and moved in. When spring came, they all celebrated. From there, I helped rebuild the broken structures. I became known throughout the village and grew loyal to it. Many things happened, but as the years passed, the town grew. I became a part of the town, and I became friends with Kimono.
"Starcatcher visited Tameura when she was around fifteen. She came to map the stars there. She became friends with Kimono and me.
"Have you ever seen your mother?" Spike asked.
"No, but I know that I will someday. One of the final steps to truly come of age as an eastern dragon is to meet your parents."
"Amazing," Fluttershy said, peeking in, "You don't mind if I come in, right?"
"Of course not!" Spike said. Fluttershy strolled in and looked closely at Ning.
"Amazing," she said.
"When did you get here?" Spike asked.
"Not long ago. I had walked into the observatory when I heard you telling your story. I couldn't help but listen."
"It's all right," Ning said, "You must be one of Twilight's friends."
Sakura and Pearl Tide, with Kimono's permission, had broken from the rest of the group, who were returning to the orchard to refill the empty carts.
"Why can't we go with 'em?" Apple Bloom asked.
"You want to go with them!?" Twinkle Twirl exclaimed. "Why!?"
"There's something about Pearl," Kimono answered, "No pony ever does anything without a reason. Something fueled Gem's anger. Pearl probably knows what it is. Gem is one of the closest ponies to Pearl. It's painful for anyone to reveal secrets to someone close to them." She paused, and added, "I know Sakura. She's always there to lend a hoof to a friend in need, even if they're not a friend. She's an apprenticed zen master. Pearl Tide is emotionally troubled. Sakura's youth will help ease Pearl."
"But why should we care?" Scootaloo asked.
Kimono pondered for a good few minutes before saying, "That's a good question. Why do we care about anything? Why do you care about your friends? Or your family? Or your cutie mark, for that matter?
"For all I know, we could simply live like western dragons, only caring about what we have and nothing else. Yet we don't. Why?
"In my eyes, we are all bound together by the elements of harmony. All of us, from dragons to timberwolves. We can either disregard the bond, or we can play our part in maintaining it. And Sakura and I are playing our part by helping Pearl. It's not just the duty of a zen master; it's what I personally believe. And that, Scootaloo, is why I care. At least that's what I think. There's an arbitrary concept to everything. You may think that no one should care. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You just need to find yours." And with that, Kimono walked up to a coconut tree. She began to tap on its trunk.
"Why are you doing that?" Sweetie Bell asked.
"I'm capable of breaking through 5-inch slate. I don't want to hit the tree too hard." After a few more taps, Kimono looked satisfied. She quickly reared up, spun slightly, and kicked the tree. Hard. Tremors shook through the branches, but the tree remained rooted. But every single coconut fell.
"How did ya get to be so good at karate?" Apple Bloom asked, "I tried it once and failed miserably."
"Well," Kimono said, "It's a combination of natural talent and practice. My teacher saw great potential in me, so she trained me."
The ponies continued to refill the carts until Grove said that they had enough. They made their way to the Sweet Shoppe.
"Hey, guys!" Treat said, waving at them. She rushed up to help them unload.
"We're making a slew of food!" She said, "I'm glad that Minty arrived to help."
"Minty's here!?" Grove exclaimed. She was answered with a cheer from inside.
"Coconut Grove!" A pony called from inside. The group went into the kitchen and saw Sweetberry kneading at a huge mound of bread dough with a sea green pony with a mane and tail with varying shades of pink. She had three peppermints for a cutie mark.
"And hi to all of you!" She said to the other ponies, "I'm Minty! Sweetberry told me about you all." She ran from the table with the dough to give her friend a hug, but tripped on her own hooves. She nearly fell but stopped herself in the nick of time.
Grove embraced her friend, and Pinkie began to cry.
"It's touching to see old friends reunite." Her tears then stopped, "I wanna join in!" She bear hugged the two, abnormally stretched out her arm, and pulled the other ponies into the hug. ................................
"So how has Canterlot been?" Cream asked Minty as she started helping with a batch of cookies.
"Really good!" Minty replied, "I'm actually really enjoying my job at Joe's donut shop. Although Joe tends to be a bit full of himself, he's not a bad pony, considering the other jobs I've had."
"What other jobs have ya had, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, helping to prepare a set of surf-n'-turf seaweed-sweetgrass sandwiches with Rarity; AJ washed the leaves while Rarity arranged and cut the sandwiches.
"There are so many, I honestly can't think of one off the top of my head," Minty said, "But every boss I've ever had has never liked me. I have a condition of some sort that makes me clumsy, so I could never get the job done the way they wanted it done. I was always fired within the first month. But Joe's different. Maybe it's because his business is smaller, but he actually payed attention to my condition. He set me up with the jobs that I could handle the most. As I got better at them, he moved me on to more advanced jobs. And when Hearth's Warming Eve comes around, he always goes to me for advice with the limited edition flavor!"
"That's awesome!" Rainbow Dash said.
An hour later, much of the goodies were ready.
"Thank you for your help!" Sweetberry said.
"You're welcome," Grove said, "But now we ought to help out Sunny with the decorations."