Twilight stared blankly at Happy, who held his hoof out. It was only when the door shut behind her that Twilight snapped back into reality, jumping and whacking Happy's hoof with her own.
“Do remain calm, Miss. Sparkle,” he said. “If you have any questions regarding your new house, or any preferences to location, now is the time to say so.”
“O-oh.” Twilight cleared her throat and took a few deep breaths. “W-well, for starters, I can't stay here or move here!” she said. “The cutie map summoned me here as there was a friendship problem that I must solved. Unless there was a mistake, which there couldn't have been, I must apologize. I-I can't simply stop teaching my school.”
Happy raised an eyebrow. “You intend on leaving?”
Twilight slowly nodded and brought her hoof back. “Yes?”
Happy’s eyes narrowed. “Nopony leaves this place,” he said. “I understand that you must have some family and friends outside of here, but I cannot simply let you leave. To do so would let others see that you have authority over me, and no one has that.” Happy pressed his about up against Twilight's. “Now, shall I show you to your new home? I designed it myself with all the love and care I put into every other building in this town.”
“I…” Twilight took a step back and shifted, clearing her throat. “I have a school to run, Happy.”
“Lovely, you can teach at the school here,” Happy chirped. “The students are sure to adore you.”
“I'm sorry, but I cannot stay here!” Twilight stomped a hoof. “If you do not let me to leave, I will have no choice but to have Princess Celestia and the Royal Guard come here and have you arrested.”
A smile formed on Happy's face, stretching from ear-to-ear. “Is that so?” he asked. “I must say: I've always wanted to meet her.” Stepping out Twilight's side, Happy wrapped a wing around her and whispered, “Tell you what. How about you stay and have her come here. That sound good? This town has been waiting a very long time for Celestia to visit us and your ability to have her come here is the perfect opportunity to fulfill the dream of not just me, but the entire town.” Happy brought his wing back to his side and backpedaled up to his desk. “In exchange for you granting the wishes of my town’s citizens, I'll let you leave!”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow. “What if I do decide to leave overnight?”
“I know you won't,” Happy said. “You were destined to come here and you are destined to stay here.”
Twilight felt a flurry of emotions rush through her. At first, she flinched, only to immediately tilt her head, at which point a large smile formed on her face, only for it to turn upside down and for her brows to tilt down with it. Once her chain reaction of emotions finished, Twilight’s face returned to a blank expression. “And why are you so eager to meet her?” she asked. “You know the moment she gets here, you’d be arrested for holding me captive, right?”
“What can I say? I’m a big fan of hers.” Happy walked up to Twilight’s side and patted her mane. “Now let's go to your house. I have things to do and I'm not going to run behind.”
Without another word, Twilight followed Happy out the doors, motioning for Spike to follow her. He got off of his chair and walked to her side. “So, what’d you talk about?” he asked as the three of them left city hall. “I heard a bit of yelling and I almost ran in, but the old mare behind the desk looked at me with that look you give me when I say I want to eat ice cream before bed.”
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, only for Happy to turn and face them. “We spoke of things that will set into motion the start of a new, glorious age.” He turned around and spread his wings, pointing to the ponies that wandered, all smiling and talking to each other. “This is where it will all begin, and you will both play an important role in it spreading to the rest of not only this country, but the entire world.”
Spike raised a hand. “And if I may ask: what age exactly is that?”
Happy turned around and withdrew his wings. “It’s what I call the Age of Serenity.” he said. “It is an age that I saw from an archangel when I was at my lowest point. The angel came to me, her armor shining with the brilliance of ten thousand suns, and told me that I would lead ponies into an age the likes of which we as a species have never seen before.” He pointed to Twilight. “And she is the key to it becoming a true reality.”
Twilight sunk back and cleared her throat. “Yes, well, I am most certainly eager to assist in making it a reality,” she said. “I, uh, believe that I can help advance us towards that if we get to where I will be staying however.”
“Oh, goodness, I almost forgot.” Happy turned back around and trotted away without another word.
Twilight and Spike, however, slowly turned to look at each other, both bearing looks of hesitation.
“Should… should we stay and follow him?” Spike asked. “Or should we go and find a way out? Because I feel like he’s going to lead us to some sacrifice.”
Twilight bit her lip and thought for a minute. Although Happy struck her as odd to say the least, and her power as an alicorn could easily outdo anything the guards threw their way. Though she knew that deep down that it was her mission to fix whatever friendship problem was going on here.
Even if it meant having to be trapped in a town with an enigmatic pony.
“If we stay, there’s going to be trouble,” Twilight said, “but if we leave, it will be double. Who knows what he’ll do if we manage escape.” She sighed. “Besides, we’re here to solve a friendship problem, and we have an obligation to solve it. I’ll leave Happy to the guards.”
Spike nodded, a look of reluctance on his face, and followed Twilight as she rushed to catch up to Happy. By the time he was by their side, they'd reached their new residence. Unsurprisingly, it looked just like the others houses, save for the innovative addition of a small picket fence around it.
“This beauty was hoofcrafted with love and care by the citizens of this very town!” Happy said proudly. “And it's all yours!”
“It's nice,” Twilight replied curtly. “I believe I'll enjoy it very much.”
Happy nodded and tossed a keychain to Twilight. “Just remember, princess: the Gods of this world do not care for you. They care only for themselves.” He rested a hoof on his chest and smiled. “I, however, do care for you.” With that, Happy walked off, whistling a nameless tune to himself.
Twilight stared back at Happy for a few seconds before walking into the house with Spike.
The living room had a coffee table, a couch, and a rug beneath them. The walls were a light blue. Connected to the living room was a small kitchen. To the left of the room was a short staircase that lead upstairs.
“Well, this is… cozy?” Twilight locked the door and grabbed one of the bags Spike has been hauling around, placing it on the couch. “What do you think, Spike?”
“I think I got a hernia from carrying around half of your room.” Spike placed his hands on his back and cracked it, letting out a sigh of relief. He turned around and saw a not-so-amused Twilight. He rolled his eyes. “Oh, the house is nice too. Reminds me of the old place we had—but without anything that made it nice,” he said. “So… it's nothing like the old place.”
Twilight chuckled. “Well, now that we’re ‘home’, I need you to take a letter,” she said. “Now.”
“And they said that everyone here is happy.” Spike grabbed a quill and parchment from a bag. “Okay, what do you want me to tell her?”
Dear Princess Celestia,
I shall keep this as brief as possible. The cutie map summoned me to a small town in northern Equestria—not too far south of the Crystal Empire. Spike and I arrived a few hours ago and we were greeted by a few guards. I think
SpikeI may have pissed myself.The town itself is named ‘Happy Town’ and everypony here is smiling. It's like their faces are being held in place. I saw foals that were smiling as they chanted about how blessed they were to live in the town. A few lovers were kissing and I think they were doing so by connecting their teeth rather than their lips.
The town is run by a stallion named Happy Townscolt, and he wishes to meet you. He also said that I must live here and has all but said that I am a prisoner in his… lovely little town.
I'm unsure as to what he'd do if we leave or tried to, but something about him doesn't feel right. He claimed to have been visited by an archangel that told him to usher in a new age. His citizens seem adamant that it's something that will come. I saw posters on a few shops that said it was ‘imminent’ and that it would come “with a bang”. I overheard a few ponies saying that when it came, “the Age of Princesses would end, and the Age of Serenity would begin”. Others mentioned that I have a “deformity”.
I dared not ask as I worried they may recognize me. In hindsight, nopony has noticed that I'm a princess, save for Happy. He seems to be the only one who knows most of the things that most ponies would consider basic knowledge. Everypony else… I think they're indoctrinated.
I’m considering going around town to learn about it. If there's anyway to prevent this ‘new era’, I wish to do it.
Your former student, Twilight Sparkle
Spike rolled the letter up and sent it off to Celestia. “So, you really think Happy would do something if we flew off in the middle of the night?”
"I don't know, Spike.” Twilight unpacked an assortment of books and medicinal items. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her assistant do the same, setting them into neat, orderly stacks.
“That mare, Candy, said he was a prophet, right?” Spike asked. “You think he really knew we were coming?”
“I don't know.” Twilight sighed heavily. “I really don't. If he is, then I'm sure Celestia will know of him.”
“You really think Celestia would be fond of someone whose followers are preaching the end of the age of princesses?”
Twilight grimaced. “I… do not know, Spike,” she said through clenched teeth. “I'm sure that Celestia will however.” With her magic, she grabbed some of the books and walked upstairs. Within her mind, however, a flurry of possibilities ate away at her.
Would he really be so callous as to do something if we fled? Twilight entered the first room she saw. A queen-size bed rested against the wall. Next to the was a small nightstand, and across from it; a bookshelf. Guess he's callous enough to treat us like we’re in a two-star hotel.
Twilight made several trips downstairs and back up. Slowly, her new bedroom began to look like the one she had back in the Golden Oak Library. To some degree anyway.
“Spike!”
Spike poked his head out from his own bedroom across the hall. “Yes?”
Twilight stepped aside. “What do you think?”
Spike walked into the bedroom and examined it. Stacks upon stacks of books filled the room. There was also a cup of water on one of the stacks. Looking down, Spike saw a book open to a page on an infamous cult that operated out of Manetana that was run by a stallion named Apple Seed. “Twilight, are you still thinking about what Happy will do?” He picked the book up and flipped through the pages. “Didn't you say you got rid of this after Starlight saw it and cried because she thought you didn't trust her?”
Twilight yanked the book out of Spike's hands. “I bought two copies just in case that situation ever arose!” She sighed “I’m sorry. I have been thinking about and it's frustrating me,” she said. “I wanted to see if there was anything on why everyone seemed so… strange. I think Happy's indoctrinated the residents somehow.”
“How do you think he did that?” Spike asked. “Think he did what Starlight did?”
Twilight shook her head. “I think he did something else,” she said. “I think he did it the old fashion way and seduced the residents with his charisma and then used something to make sure they never wanted to leave.”
Spike waited a bit. “Like?”
Twilight shrugged. “I don't know. I read that some cult leaders in the last have used things like self-made spells to make the residents believe they've lived there their entire lives while others have used magical brands,” she said. “Neither strike me as things Happy would do though.”
Spike opened his mouth to reply, only to burp out a letter from Celestia. Twilight grabbed it, unravelling it.
Dear, Twilight,
I do apologise for taking so long to respond. I regret to inform you that I was unable to pinpoint exactly where you are, but I'm continuing to attempt to figure out. When I do, I will be there as soon as possible. Until then, I believe it's a wonderful idea for you to learn more about the town. Do send me updates on what you learn.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia
“Well, guess that's our cue to go repeat what we did when we first went to Ponyville,” Spike said. “Where do you—”
Knock knock
Twilight walked downstairs and opened the door, only to be tackled to the ground by Summer, who wrapped her legs around the princess. “Hello again!”
“Hi…” Twilight wrapped her legs around Summer. She tilted her head back and looked up at the stairs to see Spike, who looked down with concern. Shrugging her shoulders at him, she asked, “What brings you here?”
Summer released Twilight and sat up. “I said I'd show you around town, silly!” she said. “Happy says that my personality makes me perfect for showing new residents around town as I embody everything about what he strives for in ponies!”
“How'd you even find our place?” Spike asked, descending the stairs.
Summer ran over and hugged Spike, causing the little dragon to struggle for freedom. “Happy told me!”
“Well, you're in luck,” Twilight said. “We were just about to go look around the town and see what it has to offer.”
Summer dropped Spike, who scrambled to his feet and ran to Twilight's side. “Well, let's not waste any time!” She pushed Twilight and Spike outside, closing the door behind her. “First up, there's the big wall around our town!” Summer pointed to it, moving her back and forth wildly. “Happy had it built when he first made the town, expanding it with time as needed. He says that it's there to protect us from the Forbidden Forest.”
“You mean where we came from?” Spike asked. “And where those guards ambushed us?”
“The angels rescued you two from the forest!?” Summer placed her hooves over her mouth and looked around. After a few moments, she whispered, “That's so cool! What was it like there? Were there leviathans? Pools of fire?” She gasped. “Do the spirits of the dead wander and beg for salvation?”
Twilight and Spike exchanged looks of confusion before shaking their heads.
“Aw, I guess you two weren't in the right place then,” Summer said. “Anyways, the wall is guarded by angels! They're pegasi that Happy himself chooses and trains to protect us from the evil that lurks outside!”
“And said evil is leviathans and the spirits of the dead?” Twilight asked.
Summer nodded. “There's also the demonic forces that Princess Celestia rules over.” She shivered. “You came from the forest. Have you seen any of them?”
Twilight furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?” she asked through gritted teeth. She could feel an immense level of anger rise inside of her—it was rising fast. “I don’t think I quite—”
A sharp pain shot through her leg. Looking down, Twilight saw Spike swipe his hand just below his chin; a look of displeasure on his face. Shaking her head, she looked back at Summer and cleared her throat. “Um, I apologize, I… uh, am not used to hearing the truth about Celestia!” A nervous laugh escaped Twilight’s mouth as she remembered the posters she saw around town. “I’m sure they're very scary though!”
“Oh, you didn’t have to apologize!” Summer bounced over and hugged Twilight. “I understand that the truth is a lot to take in. Happy would understand! It took him a long time to come to grips with it.” She let go of Twilight and placed her hooves on her shoulders. “Same with me. It took me months to realize that I had been living a lie!” Summer motioned for Twilight to follow her, who looked down at Spike. They both shrugged and trailed slightly behind her.
“I've heard stories from some of the angels that they've seen Celestia herself and they she had four horns that she can detach that turn into smaller princesses,” she said. “I also heard she had a sister that she sacrificed to her pagan God so she could rule forever.”
Twilight grimaced. “Who told you this?”
“Happy did,” Summer replied. “He told me when I first arrived here with my coltfriend—Green Horn! He got his name because he was born with a deformity that made his horn green, so he wasn’t very good at magic. Which is a shame, because we almost froze to death the day that we arrived here! You see, we’d just had a blizzard and got caught in it. Our cabin was destroyed by the winds and in the middle of it, we got lost. We ended up wandering around and our coats were both covered entirely in snow after a few minutes.” Summer shivered. “Sorry, just remembering how cold it was… it’s scary. Anyways, the angels found us when it seemed like we were destined to freeze. They brought us here and there wasn’t a bit of snow on the ground. The sky was like it is now.” Summer let out a sigh and fluttered her eyes. “As I looked around, a sensation unlike any I’d ever felt filled me. It was like I’d walked into Heaven. But best of all: I could see Green’s beautiful green coat once more. It was also shinier than I remembered it.”
Twilight gave a slight nod. “Where’s your coltfriend now?”
Summer snapped out of her stupor and shook her head. “My…” She looked out the ground. “Oh. Green Horn’s been apparently working full-time with Happy on keeping the town running.” She looked back up at Twilight, a tear running down her face. “So he’s never home anymore.” Summer shook her head once more and rubbed her eyes. “B-but that’s okay, because Happy says that he’s always smiling while we works!”
“He’s happy to be working endlessly?” Spike asked, perplexed. “Does he ever sleep or get breaks?”
“Happy gives him a few breaks everyday,” Summer replied. “Though he also helps with other things around town! I sometimes see him and he sometimes waves to me, so I know he’s okay.”
“Well, at least he’s okay,” Twilight said. “Now, where to next?”
Summer thought. “Oh, I know just where!” She stood up and raced off. “Follow me!”
“Boy, she sure knows how to change moods,” Spike said as he and Twilight followed suite. “Think it’s something in the water?”
“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Twilight said. She and Spike kept a steady pace on Summer, who raced past numerous ponies, each of whom greeted her. Likewise, she greeted them back, stopping to hug a select few with a level of vigor that could only be matched by Pinkie Pie. After a few minutes of endlessly running, Summer stopped just short of a marble fountain carved to look like Happy, who was holding a torch.
“This is the park!” Summer galloped over to a fountain and pranced beneath the water, giggling. “Every Saturday night, we all meet up here and play!” she said gleefully. “It's also where I had my first kiss!”
Spike gagged, only to receive a nudge from Twilight. “How romantic,” she said. “Say, tomorrow's Saturday. Perhaps you can get us acquainted with some more of the residents here!”
“Oh, that's a lovely idea!” Summer bounced in a circle beneath the fountain. “You can meet all of my friends!” She stopped and thought for a minute, mouthing off a few names. “Which is almost everypony!” Rushing over to Twilight's side, Summer wrapped a let around her. “Now c'mon, you have so much more to see!”
Before Twilight could respond, she was whisked away by Summer. Through the park they ran with Spike flying at their side. The trio stopped at an assortment of places: the town library, which Twilight was dragged away from by Spike. Next was the town jewelry store, which Spike had to be dragged away from by Twilight. Finally, there was the town bakery, which both had to be dragged away from by Summer.
After a few hours of wandering around the town, the three ended up back where they started—the sun now casting an orange glow across the sky.
“So, now you're almost all set for your new life here!” Summer chirped. “There's just one last thing you need to do before you're officially a resident of Happy Town!”
“What’s that?” asked Twilight.
“Well, you see: Happy likes to play the newcomers to the town a song he made!” Summer beamed. “And it's, like, the absolute best song ever!”
Twilight’s eyes slowly widened as Summer’s words echoed in her head. She felt a wave of fear crash over her. “Oh, uh.” She coughed, her eyes frantically darting back and forth, eventually settling on Spike, who inched back until he was behind Twilight. “Y-yeah, I, uh.” Her eyes landed back Summer, whose smile had all but faded.
Summer tilted her head, a child-like smile reforming on her face once she realized she had Twilight's attention again. “Come on,” she said. “Just say yes and I'll bring you to Happy's place so you can get hooked on the best feeling ever!”
Twilight gulped. Her legs shook. “I, uh…” She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead.
“What's wrong?” Summer asked. “That weird deformity of yours acting up and giving you a fever?”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What deformity?”
Summer pointed to Twilight's horn and her wings. “Happy says that very special ponies are born with both,” she said, “but also get very bad fevers at times. His song can make it all better though!”
Twilight blinked. “N-no, I'll be fine,” she said “I'll definitely think about it, I promise. I just need to… settle down, y'know?”
Summer’s smile briefly faltered. “Aw, okay!” she said. “I’ve gotta go though! I'm pretty sure my mommy and daddy wouldn't have approved of me being out so late on a weekday!” She wrapped her legs around Twilight, embracing her in a constricting hug. Once she'd released her, she darted over to Spike and hugged him before he could flee, releasing him once he managed to squeak out a plea for mercy. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
Before either of them could say a word, Summer galloped away, vanishing around a corner.
An awkward silence fell between Twilight and Spike as they walked back into their house. Once inside, Twilight sat down against the door. “I’m exhausted,” she said. “Spike, can you fetch me a pillow and blanket? I think I'll sleep here tonight.”
Spike smirked and folded his arms. “Too tired to send Celestia a follow-up letter about what you learned?”
Twilight raised her head and nodded. “Between the school and now this, I'm beat,” she said. “I never thought teaching so many the joys and values of friendship could be so exhausting.”
“You don't think about a lot of things, Twilight,” Spike replied. “You didn't think to ask Fluttershy about how dangerous Black Widows were before you panicked and began writing your will.”
“I was stressed!” Twilight responded. “And I'm even more stressed now.”
“Your point?”
Twilight put on her best sheepish smile. “Could you write the letter to Celestia?”
Spike sighed and walked over to Twilight's side. “C'mon, I'll help you to your bedroom,” he said. “Then I'll write the letter.”
Twilight giggled and shakily stood up with Spike's help. With the grace of career drunks, the two made their way upstairs, stopping once they were outside their bedrooms.
Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight. “Good night, Twilight.”
“Good night, Spike.” Twilight wrapped her wings around Spike in a loving embrace before the two walked into their respective rooms.