//------------------------------//
// 44 - Birthday 
// Story: Sunburst to the Rescue 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Maud looked up from the gem she had been examining. "Welcome back."

"Technically, they're here, not back."

Maud nodded lightly to her boyfriend, but her eyes were on Sunburst and Spike.

Sunburst approached, the great rock in his bags coming free. "Here we are. When Ember smashed one open, the crystal inside shattered, how delicate will it be?"

Maud reached out a hoof, accepting the stone easily as if it weighed very little. "Once properly cut, it becomes more resilient." She produced a hammer and a began chipping at the stone gently. "This will take a while."





"We're barely on schedule, which means we're just in time!" Pinkie took a sharp right off the road with her wagon. "Welcome to your fir--second modern party!"

Platinum was trotting along beside the wagon, keeping up with Pinkie and her load of baked goods. "How lovely..." They had arrived at an open area, lush grass and bright flowers, along with benches, and ponies already enjoying all three of those things. "We are to deliver these, are we not?"

"And we--" She lashed out a hoof, kicking her cart. The cart exploded upwards, unfolding into a dazzling array of prepared treats. "Have!" She slipped free of the harness and danced out of the way as hungry ponies began to swarm the offerings.

Platinum moved to weave through the crowd towards her pink employer when a small pony, a filly, crashed into her. "Pardon."

"Yeah, excuse you," retorted the filly with a sneer. She wore a tiara and was peering at Platinum intently. "Look at what Pinkie dragged along."

"I don't, like, know them," admitted another filly that was with her, a grey earth pony filly with glasses.

"If they're helping Pinkie do deliveries, they're obviously not very important." The first turned up her nose.

Platinum felt rage burn in her cheeks. How dare that little earth pony even imply she was... She couldn't even finish the thought! She was Princess Platinum! "What is your name?" she demanded with a scowl.

"Diamond Tiara, and you better remember that." She turned away, thwapping Platinum with her tail.

Platinum was ready to tear the little filly apart, but a hoof gently landed on her shoulder and drew her away. "Sssshhhhh," came the soft insistence of her caretaker. "I know she can be... a challenge at times. She's getting better, honest."

She whirled on Pinkie instead. "Did you hear how she addressed me?!"

Pinkie nodded softly. "Yeah, she's like that, but she's also just a filly. We can't get super mad at fillies." She leaned in a little. "Besides, it's way more fun to tell on them to their parents."

Platinum's ears went up, some of the red fading from her face. "That does sound... pleasing. But if she is that ill-behaved, will her parents discipline her properly?"

"Oh, trust me. I know exactly which parent to say what to." She nodded with sublime confidence. "She is going to be very upset to hear her daughter was badmouthing a princess, and she doesn't hide that, especially from little Diamond Tiara."

Platinum brought her forehooves together with a sublime smile. "You have put me entirely at ease. May I trust you with delivering the news then?"

"For a friend? Of course." She gestured at the cart with a hoof. "Say, you want one? Feel free."

"Pinkie, I have little objection to little tastings... but I'm just... a shell of magic. The food would do nothing for me." Her tongue extended slightly as she thought about it. "Ugh, except float around inside there waiting to be gotten rid of."

Pinkie tilted her head left and right. "We should fix that. If you could eat food, maybe you wouldn't need so many recharges. You could make your own magic, like a normal pony."

"That would also necessitate all the things eating does." She perked an ear at Pinkie. "Things I have never actually performed, I remind. Tasting and swallowing, this I can do, there's little that could go wrong... I'll abstain from the aftermath of these actions."

Pinkie tilted her head back to the left. "Well, alright. That's your choice, Platty."

"Platinum."

"I was just being friendly." She stood up and reached with her mane for a cupcake, drawing it over to chomp down in one big bite. "Say, when you're all princessy again, you wanted to help ponies, right?"

"Hmm, yes." Platinum glanced towards the sweet treats that were diminishing in numbers quickly. "Not in the same fashion as you, Miss Pie. We both will help ponies, and expect compensation."

Pinkie nodded without argument. "You'd help a pony that really needed it, if they didn't have bits, right?"

Platinum blinked at that. "That... Are they of dignified descent?"

Pinkie blinked softly. "I don't think any pony has a 'dignified descent'."

Platinum huffed at that, tossing her mane. "Are they of noble or royal lineage?"

"Oh! Well, uh, let's say not?" She shrugged her shoulders emphatically. "What if I needed some help?"

"Well, for one, you're a mare. I know how to coach stallions. If you wanted me to coach a potential boyfriend or other suitor into being a better partner for you, I could do that?"

Pinkie burst into giggles. "Oh wow, now I'm tempted, but alright, alright, so let's just pretend I have a boyfriend, and I want you to coach them, but I'm low on bits. What now?"

Platinum hiked a brow high, regarding her pink jailer. "Well... First..." She wasn't sure how to proceed, frowning with thought. "I... would... rather not? Please don't be angry with me."

"Is it because of the bits?"

"In part." Platinum glanced at the festive ponies and back at Pinkie. "In... part..."

"What's the other part?"

"Dear... you remain an earth pony." She waved a hoof at Pinkie. "I..."

"And? Have we or have we not had tons of fun?"

Platinum put a hoof behind her head, squirming uncomfortably. "We are having a perfectly agreeable time, for a punishment."

"Are we friends?" She suddenly thrust a hoof forward. "I'd like to be friends."

Platinum peered at the offered hoof a moment. "We are... agreeable acquaintances... Pinkie, please... Can I have more time?" She slowly turned for the road. "Everything is different. I understand my ways may not... be ideal, but they are who I am, I can't just change them on the spot without abandoning myself. You don't want a mentally unsound ancient artifact, do you?"

Pinkie suddenly burst into laughter, throwing a leg over Platinum's neck. "Well, when you put it that way, I suppose we don't, but even if you weren't an ancient artifact, I'm not trying to make you upset, Platinum."

Platinum's expression brightened a little. "I believe you... and that should mean something."

"It does! It really does!" Pinkie bounced back a step. "Thank you. Now, if you would, let's clean up the mess and get the wagon back to Sugarcube."





Maud sat back, regarding the gem. Extracted from the stone, it was a bright yellow instead of the dull grey. "And now we begin carving." The chipping resumed.

Sunburst glanced aside at Mudbriar. "So, you two are an item?"

"Technically, we are not."

"Oh, what are you then?"

"We like one another." He nodded softly. "We enjoy the other's presence."

"That's good." Sunburst smiled gently. "Um, congratulations?"

"Thank you."

Sunburst glanced between him and Maud. Their emotionally stunted speech certainly seemed to be in sync... He wondered if it would stand the test of time, then a vision of Twilight appeared in his mind. Would his relationship stand the same test? Was he even being a good boyfriend, wandering off as he did...?

"Did you bring the platinum?"

He jerked out of his thoughts, looking  up at Maud. "Oh, right!" He dashed off to buy some of the precious metal.

As he dashed across town, he ran into a pony he knew. "Twilight!"

"Sunburst! Good to see you back." She approached with a bright smile. "You caught me in the middle of something, but more than enough time for this." She offered an arm.

He slipped under it, pressing to Twilight, his fears fading a moment. "It's good to be back. I just need to buy some platinum. Maud's making the pendant for us."

She squeezed him gently. "Hmm, the book was right."

"What book?" He inclined his head towards her.

"It said that distance could strain a relationship, but the removing of that distance can create a moment of even closer ties. Let's  not make that a habit, but it was nice having you back."

Sunburst blushed softly, head lowering a little. "Oh, well, um, can't promise that. You get called to save Equestria, or the map could call us. Let's just be, you know, understanding. I'll be home tonight for sure, let me just get this finished."

He fled away, leaving Twilight pondering. "Home..." Perhaps it was time to consider that... She moved on to finish her own chores, setting the thought aside for the moment.



 

Spike eyed the copious yellow shavings, considering. "Nah, I shouldn't."

"Shouldn't what?"

"Oh yeah!" He dug into a pocket and pulled out the other half of the rock he hadn't dropped. "This is for you."

Maud paused her carving to step over and lean in. "Thank you." She took it from him and set another stone where it had been resting. "Trade."

"Oh, I mean... wait." It was a heart-shaped red gem. "Woah, just what I was hoping to find! How'd you know?!"

"Lucky guess." She resumed chipping carefully at the yellow gem that was starting to shine with the care and lines it was being given, able to capture the light in brilliant sheens.

"Have it!" called Sunburst as he hurried back into the chamber, an ingot of platinum hovering beside his head. "I hope Twilight doesn't mind having the bill sent her way."

Spike hiked a brow. "This is all basically her idea, so she better not."

"Thank you." Maud plucked the ingot away. "Now..." She took firm hold of the ingot between two hooves and squeezed with barely a grunt. The bar began to glow dimly. She pressed all the harder, the glow becoming more fierce. The bar began to melt in the intense pressure and she shaped it as if it were simply clay ready for hoof-sculpting.

With a snatch, she grabbed the yellow gem and set it in the still hot metal, letting it cool directly onto the gem, grabbing it and sealing it in place. "Almost." She plucked out a file and started working on the rough edges she had made, soon rendering it into a lovely pendant, only missing a cord to dangle around the neck. "Here you are. Spike already paid."

Sunburst accepted the cord-less pendant in his magic. "He did? Thanks,  Spike."

Spike gave an emphatic thumbs up. "Let's get this to Twilight and Starlight so they can do whatever crazy magic things have to be done."

"Thanks again, Maud. You're a real lifesaver." He nodded to her, then Mudbriar. He and Spike fled back towards the castle, their treasure well in grasp.





"Sunburst!" Starlight spotted him first. "Spike! Two fellas I'm glad to see." She grabbed them, one arm around either of them. "How was the tri--Oh!" The pendant bumped right against her face. "A success?" Her eyes crossed, trying to get a good view of the yellow-gemmed pendant.

Spike gestured up at the floating thing. "Ta da! As promised."

Sunburst nodded. "This should be able to do everything you need it to; provided you  have the magic worked out?"

"As if there was a doubt." Starlight rolled her eyes as her magic took the pendant from Sunburst. "No chain? I'll fix that, but that's not the important part. It's time to weave some magic." She clopped her forehooves, free of the two males. "I haven't had a chance for a good enchantment in a while; looking forward to this."

She trotted away from them, pendant floating with her. "Now where did I leave those notes..."