//------------------------------//
// Love For My Friends 
// Story: Of Mail and Wings 
// by Wiz Ahmad 
//------------------------------//

At 10 a.m., well after the sun rose, I blinked and sat up, my head still teetering and tottering from slumber. I walked into the bathroom and performed a good manly hygiene routine – washing my hands and face before applying moisturizing cream and giving a good deodorant spray to my underarms, which had sweated considerably throughout the hassle of yesterday. But the best was about to come.

With my face and body feeling, looking, (and smelling) clean, I opened the door to my friends’ bedroom and flicked the light switch. They all looked just as worn out as I’d been, though I was surprised to find that they’d already taken out the blankets and had slept soundly under them. To awaken them in a non-shocking way, I pulled out my phone and played a tropical house song. In less than a minute, they were all stirring. Music has its ways, you know.

“Rise and shine everybody, it’s a beautiful brand new day, thanks to God,” I announced happily with a smile on my face. Knowing the concepts of spirituality might be different back home for them, I lowered my voice on that last note to avoid confusion or bewilderment. 

“Brian!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, running over. Before she could hug my leg, I knelt and grasped her soft furry body. Bringing her close, I cuddled and kissed her, just like my mother did to me when I was a toddler. 

“Good morning, Brian,” Fleetfoot said, pushing back the blanket and walking off the mattress. “How far did your sleep go?”

“Very deep if I’m honest,” I replied, trying not to laugh at her ignorance of a shocking innuendo she unknowingly pulled off.  I turned to Gabby. “You hungry? Let’s go prepare some food together.”

In the kitchen, I decided to prepare something different with the food I’d bought. I took out my toaster and cleaned it out, then popped in a pair of bagel halves. Gabby had already figured out where everything was and was already pouring some milk into bowls, while Apple Bloom and her friends sat patiently at the table. As I peered over at them, I noticed that all of them had distinctive markings on their hindquarters, all of which looked the same except for a unique symbol in the centre.

“You all seem closely related to one another,” I noted, popping up the toasted bagel slices and smearing butter on them. “Are you members of a club or something?”

“Yes, we are…THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” they all chorused together, including Gabby. My eyes lit up in astonishment. “Aha! So that’s what those marks on your hindquarters are called, and you’ve obviously been on a quest to obtain them. Let me guess… a cutie mark is a symbolism of your life’s goals and purpose?”

“Exactly!” Sweetie Belle declared with a nod.

“I can only imagine how amazing that graduation moment must’ve been,” I joked, adding some strawberry jam to the bagel slices and pouring some juice into a glass. Fleetfoot decided to make some instant oatmeal with my microwave, and we all settled down to eat.

“Haven’t eaten this before, and it’s awesome!” Scootaloo exclaimed, clearly enjoying her bowl of cornflakes.

“Absolutely delicious cereal this is,” Gabby said with a delightful smile.

I sat back and smiled at the wonderful friends I’d been blessed with, them being so friendly and kind and loving compared to the other people that I’d had to deal with throughout my life.

“There’s still plenty of cool stuff that I want to show you all,” I stated, sipping the last of the juice from my glass. “But first though, let’s quickly prepare the bedroom.”

“You mean… you got us gifts?!” Apple Bloom gasped, starting to connect a couple mental puzzle pieces. 

I simply winked with a smile, slid the dishes into the sink, and turned on the water. “Come on, let’s take care of your bedroom.”

As a treat, I carried Apple Bloom on my shoulders and Sweetie Belle in my arms, while Scootaloo and Fleetfoot, along with Gabby, trotted along behind.

In the bedroom, I unpackaged the mattress covers and bedspreads, and showed Gabby and Fleetfoot how to pull them on, while the Cutie Mark Crusaders watched inquisitively. With the mattresses ready, the three of us lifted the blankets and draped them neatly over the mattresses.

“Rarity would be proud,” Sweetie Belle whispered. I caught wind of it, but remained silent. 

With the mattresses looking prim and neat, I scrunched up all the packaging and tossed it into the trash bin, then headed downstairs for the grand reveal of all the stuff I’d bought. Fleetfoot, Gabby, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all sat down together on the couch while I opened the large old box and started carefully picking through the clothes. I opened one shopping bag and pulled out a white short-sleeved blouse and a navy blue jumper. 

“So I decided that since you’re going to be living in a world of humans for quite some time,” I began, “you might as well wear clothes like them. I got this one for you, Apple Bloom. Give it a try.”

“Thanks!” she replied with a smile, holding the outfit in her hooves. I then pulled out an electric blue hoodie with the Tampa Bay lightning logo adorning the front, and handed it to Scootaloo, who clutched it with an overjoyed look all over her happy little face.

“Oh, it looks so amazing thank you!!” Gabby exclaimed and gripped me in a tight hug the instant I mentioned the words “for you” after holding up a camo green sweater and a pair of jeans. I also gave her a pair of black work socks.

I gave a cute blue and pink short-sleeved summer dress to Sweetie Belle, along with a dainty little flower-adorned summer hat. For Fleetfoot, I bought a plain orange shirt with a blue long sleeved athletic sports jersey and shorts.

While my friends ran off to try on their new outfits, I got out the special gifts and placed them on the floor, with one-minute paper name tags. I’d given Gabby an envelope portfolio for her saddlebag, a four-wheeled scooter for Scootaloo, and a microphone for Sweetie Belle, complete with a stand and mount.

I bit back a squeal as they all trotted into the living room wearing their new outfits – which made them look adorable! The cuteness before my eyes was almost overpowering. So too, on the other end as they gazed in awe at the gifts that lay before them.

“It is with great pleasure and thanks that I present to you these wonderful gifts for you to enjoy,” I simply said, before being wrapped in a blanket of hugs and shouts of thank-yous.