//------------------------------// // The Loved // Story: Three More Things! // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Jade and the fillies were huddled up together on the second floor of the antique shop, staring down as they watched Uncle at work dusting. "Alright, the preparations are almost complete," Jade whispered to the others as she hung up the phone. "Jumping Jackal will be in the den in time for Operation Surprise...though I don't know what he got as a present. Everyone else's preparations complete?" Sweetie Belle nodded eagerly. "The decorations are in place, ready to expand back to normal size for visibility with a single casting. Unc- sorry, 'ancient rabbit'," she corrected herself as Jade glared at her playfully, "won't suspect a thing." "And I've managed to find a cake recipe that he'll be able to digest without problems that'll taste good to us, too," Apple Bloom spoke up, not quite as eagerly as Jade or Sweetie had been. "And I've got an accurate weather report for the big day!" Scootaloo added excitedly. "The early morning gentle fog that Uncle loves so much, burning off with the first rays of the sun as the sky lights up, with just enough cloud cover to keep it from being too bright for his eyes or skin so he'll be perfectly comfortable, ending on an orange and violet sunset painting the sky in my colors." Three sets of eyes spun to stare at Scootaloo. "And how do you know all that much?" Jade asked flatly. "I...may have bribed a few fairies with a cupcake to get the info," Scootaloo admitted. "Turns out Uncle's got a real big rep with the local Unnoticeds, and they'd been retroactively shaping his birthday to have perfect weather for him...once I told him what would be best. They reached back several weeks to ensure nothing got destabilized by the shaping, and everything would be within the natural error tolerances of the existing weather systems." "...wow..." Jade murmured softly, shaking her head. "You'd think I'd be used to this sort of thing by now." Clearing her thoughts, she grinned. "So how's everyone doing on presents? I figured a good memory would make a good gift, considering how much Uncle wants to make memories with all of us, so I got a picture of all of us together at dinner when we were dealing with the Rooster Talisman-" "The 'chew soup' incident?" Sweetie Belle asked teasingly, causing giggles all around. "Yeah," Jade confirmed, rubbing the back of her head. "Anyway, I've got it in a nice picture frame with 'Happy Family' written at the top in hanzi. What about the rest of you?" Sweetie Belle grinned widely. "I did something in the same vein. I wasn't able to find a single good image to capture what I was going for, so I made a collage of happy times from Uncle raising the three of us. Not all pictures, though. I had to draw a few things, and also added a few mementos-" "Broken chopsticks?" Scootaloo offered teasingly, ducking Sweetie Belle's swung hoof. "So what did you get Uncle, Scoot?" Jade asked intently. Scootaloo's grin split her face. "I got him his own personal rainbow," she explained eagerly. "Two tiny clouds stuck together with a rainbow between them. He can pull them apart to let the rainbow light shine out, to always put a smile on his face. You know how much Uncle likes rainbows." Jade's smile began to fade. "Okay, I definitely need to start learning magic at some point. There's no way I can compete with you three, otherwise." "It's not a competition, Jade," Sweetie Belle chided playfully. "What matters is the effort we put in, not the result. That's what Uncle will value." "Speaking of effort," Scootaloo added, turning to Apple Bloom, "you haven't shifted from your potion kit since you finished the cake. What have you been trying to make, anyway?" Apple Bloom lowered her head. "Umm...remember back when Jackie brought home the Sheep Talisman? When I talked about a spell to make Uncle a teenager for a few hours so we could all do stuff together?" "Vaguely," Jade offered nervously, fearing she was about to be outshone again. "Well, I thought I'd figured out how to make it a potion, so Uncle could just drink it for a few hours full of youthful energy, and I wanted ta perfect it as a birthday present." Her eyes dimmed. "But ah just can't get it ta work right. All it does is grow nerves back..." "Grow nerves back?" Scootaloo asked, shocked. "How'd you manage that?" "Got some ideas from the Horse Talisman," Apple Bloom explained. "Mixed in a few petals from the blossoms on mah tree out back. Gives it a boost. But all it does is restore dead nerve cells all over the body and in the brain, but Uncle don't need that." "You...made a potion to regenerate brain cells, and you're disappointed?" Jade asked, stunned. Scootaloo also looked a little miffed. "Well ah can't make enough ta mass produce it," Apple Bloom countered. "Takes too much magic and apple blossom petals from just mah tree, and not any other, ta work. And it's not like Uncle has memory problems or paralysis, so it's useless ta him. Some birthday present..." "Well, you managed to make and perfect a new magical potion formula," Jade offered comfortingly. "You could offer that as a way of showing how much you value all he taught you. Give him the gift of a skilled student?" Apple Bloom managed a small smile. "Ah guess...just wish it was what ah actually wanted. Ah'm just...missing something..." "You'll figure it out," Sweetie Belle offered confidently. "And if you can't do it alone, we'll help!" Scootaloo added. "Me too," Jade concluded as the group pulled Apple Bloom into a reassuring hug. Apple Bloom managed a more genuine smile. "So...what about music for the party?" she asked, turning the discussion towards something happier. "Maybe some hip hop?" Jade offered hopefully. "Uh uh," Sweetie Belle instantly shot down the suggestion. "Trust me, Uncle's hip does not hop." Giggles followed, leading to a more leisurely discussion.