//------------------------------// // 2 - A Unicorn Named Izzy // Story: Sunny Starscout and The Mystery of Magic // by OneLonelyPickle //------------------------------// “Please, everypony, listen to me! We don’t have to fear the unknown! We can embrace it!” Sunny spoke with conviction and fervor, waving a hoof dramatically as she did, as if to ease her words along. “ALL ponies can live in harmony, I know it!” she raised a hoof and curled it into something akin to a fist, huge open-mouthed grin on her face. The boat she was on rocked from a turbulent patch of water and a wave crashed up onboard, soaking her from head to hoof, her black, rubber hat and coat doing little to ease her damaged pride. The sailors on the trawler, most of them older stallions, roared with laughter. “Hey, Sunny, embrace that, ya loon!” one of them cried with a gnarly, raspy voice. The others laughed some more. Sunny spit out a stream of water and glared forward. Sometimes I hate living in a fishing town… The trawler was a modest vessel, with enough space below for tons of cargo, but not much surface area on the upper deck. Only eight ponies could man it at a time. A large stallion with multiple scars around his face turned the ship’s wheel from the upper platform and growled down at the sailors and Sunny. “LANDLUBBERS! PIPE DOWN AND FOCUS! COMIN UP ON A SCHOOL RIGHT ABOUT… NOW!” Everypony jumped to position, Sunny being the slowest among them. She leapt over to a rope attached to a pulley system. Sunny grabbed onto the rope for dear life and pulled down with clinched teeth. “GET DOSE NETS INTO DA WATER! ARE YOU SNAILS ER ARE YOU EARTH PONIES?” All the sailors roared back in response: “EARTH PONIES!!!” Sunny just rolled her eyes. The multiple nets on either side of the boat crashed into the rolling waves of water. Sunny continued holding on with an iron grip, closing her eyes to focus on her task. Just… a bit… more… After a minute, the captain snapped again. “ALRIGHT LADS AND LASSES, LET ER GO!” Sunny did just that, with a heavy sigh of relief. She fell onto her rump as the counterweight in the pulley system gave away and sent her side of the net careening upwards out of the sea. Soon, all the nets were back up onto the ship and releasing mountains of wriggling, flopping fish, big and small. The sailors cheered as the deck filled with finned creatures. “ALRIGHT, GIT THIS LOAD UNDER AND GIT BACK UP FOR ANUDDA!” Everypony cheered again in response. Sunny just sighed and stared out into the dark sea. I prefer when it’s bright and sunny like yesterday… although, this feels more my mood. She frowned with a pouty lip. I miss the Professor already… * * * After a few hours of strenuous work, Sunny was beat. Her back and shoulders felt bruised and battered, and every step forward was like a mini workout. She mumbled under her breath as she trudged over the boat’s gangplank and back onto the dock of Maretime Bay. “Hey! Sunny Starshot!” yelled the captain after her, still up at his wheel. Sunny half-turned back with a glare. “It’s Starscout. What is it?” The captain chewed on the inside of his cheek. He was a gruesome example of somepony who spent a life on the sea, and some time of it under the sea as well. One of his eyes was grey and blind, the other piercing and ocean-blue. His light brown head was totally bald and most of his face was wrinkles and scars. His Cutie Mark was an anchor and chain. “Don give me that sass, little girl. Ya cut tha ruckus out, the namby-pamby talk about harmony.” The captain returned Sunny’s glare with equal ire. “Yer a spring chicken, and ya don’t know nothin’ about what Equestria’s really like. Ya’d sing a different tune if ya did.” Sunny scoffed and turned back around. “Whatever! You old ponies are all the same — listen, I’m just here to do the bare minimum for the town’s sake. Don’t ask me to change who I am.” The captain barked back as Sunny cantered off. “I AIN’T ASKING YOU THAT, JUST KEEP IT ON DRY LAND AND AWAY FROM MY SHIP!” The tide battered the rocks along the shore as Sunny stomped her way to the outside of town along the coast. She briefly swiveled her head out to the water when something caught her eye. Toward the farthest reaches of the bay, a whale came out of the waves before flopping down hard with an immense splash. In the overcast weather, the seagulls were still eager and hopeful, soaring in groups of 9 or 10 and crying their usual song. Sunny sighed. The Professor said to be more subtle… but if I don’t use my voice, I have nothing else. I mean, am I going to draw a painting? Write a novel? I’m no good at any of that! Sunny got off the path on the pier and onto the sand of the beach. She studied a nearby rock and figured it was good enough so she hopped on top and closed her eyes. She held her neck up high, letting the sea breeze flow through her ponytail and the rest of her mane. The salty wind kissed her shoulders and lightly touched her face. Sunny inhaled the sea’s aroma and breathed out, calmer than before. Maybe I just need to go somewhere else. Somewhere where the ponies appreciate all the other ponies, whether Earth Pony, Unicorn, or Pegasus. Sunny opened her eyes and looked up at the sky. More of the same grey and depressing nothingness. Grey, grey, grey. What a terribly depressing day. Sunny’s face slumped downwards and she contorted it into a deadpan expression. “Bleh,” she said aloud, “I’m bored.” A sailor back on the pier yelled, causing an involuntary jump in Sunny. “GET ALL THE FISH READY! TRADE SHIPS ROLLING IN FROM ABYSSINNIA!” Sunny looked back and watched all the ponies running about the pier to attend to the dockyard business. Crates of fish were being brought out of the numerous warehouses by the wagonful and rolled down the side of the pier to the docks, where Sunny could see foreign ships pulling in. Tall, lean galleys, they were, tan in color (some sort of tropical wood, Sunny figured) with great big sails sporting images of a black cat’s paw. Sunny always found it funny how her fellow townsponies, who seemed to hate other ponies so much, were fine with trading with walking, talking cats so long as those cats also had an overabundance of hay and wheat. If only Earth Ponies were any good at farming and not just having thick heads, Sunny jokingly lamented. The foghorns and ship bells started up again and she figured it was time to go. “Yeaaah I’ve had enough of the sailor experience for another week.” She jumped back onto the pathway on the pier and once again started walking towards the outside of town. If she continued, she’d do a half-loop around Maretime Bay and find a hidden trail that took her deep into the woods, and then up a hill that led to a cliff. And on the top of that cliff— Sunny stopped dead in her tracks. Her heartrate picked up, her head started to vibrate. Her eyes became saucers. Something that she could never even fathom arriving in town… was casually walking towards her on the pier. “U-U-Uni…” she stuttered. Just a stone’s throw away, walking at an ever-so-slow shuffle, was a wobbly pony with a mulberry coat of fur. A bracelet of small gemstones was around her left hoof. Sunny was jealous of the Unicorn’s long, flowing blue mane, which had shades of almost-purple in it, but what stunned her the most, what really took her breath away, was the horn on the top of the mare’s head. Sunny instantly remembered her words to Professor Tyson and her mouth dropped open. IMPOSSIBLE! Sunny shook her head, certain it was some kind of mirage. When she looked back in front of herself again, she confirmed that it was most certainly not a mirage. The Unicorn took notice of Sunny and opened her mouth to speak. Sunny rushed forward before she could. “W-what are you DOING here?” Sunny asked in a hushed tizzy. The Unicorn cocked her head. “I’m… I’m not sure.” She had purple eyes, like an amethyst that the local gem dealer might have on display at the market. Sunny was jealous of those too, but more importantly, she was now face to face with a Unicorn who had just wandered into town. Wait, a Unicorn just wandered into town… and I met her first… and nopony else is around… Sunny’s eyes grew large again as the Unicorn just stared in confusion. The Unicorn waved her hoof gingerly in front of Sunny’s face. “You okay, miss random stranger? You look like how I feel. By the way, what’s with the weird rubber hat and coat?” Sunny grabbed the Unicorn’s shoulders and shook her, terror in her face. “We gotta get out of here! Do you know what might happen if somepony SEES you? I mean, did you just crawl out from under a ROCK!?” The Unicorn frowned. “I’m really, really not sure, okay? I’m sorry to be an inconvenience.” The Unicorn’s ears perked up and she suddenly looked worried. “W-wait, why would anypony not want to see me? Did I do something wrong!?” Sunny’s mouth dropped again. “Wha — who” — Sunny shook her head until she felt her brain rattle — “Nevermind, crazy unicorn! Just — hold on!” Sunny looked around frantically for something, anything, to shove onto the Unicorn’s head to cover her horn. The Unicorn stared at her like she had five heads. Finally, Sunny bonked herself on the head and smiled wide. “Of course! This stupid thing can actually be useful for once!” She removed her rubber fisherpony’s hat and plopped it onto the Unicorn’s head. The horn disappeared underneath, though the Unicorn did not look happy to have the waterlogged, dirty apparel sitting on top of her immaculate mane. Sunny didn’t blame her. “Ucky…” the Unicorn said with an involuntary look of disgust. Sunny grabbed the Unicorn’s hoof and looked her in the eyes. “Listen, we need to go back to my place. Follow me and don’t take that hat off NO MATTER WHAT, okay?” The Unicorn smiled and nodded. Sunny grumbled under her breath as she led the two of them away. Once the two passed through the dockyard and into the less-fishy downtown core, the abundance of ponies increased exponentially. First there was the market to traverse, and the entire time Sunny’s blood pressure was threateningly high. No need to panic, no need to panic! You’re just escorting a UNICORN to your APARTMENT in a town full of UNICORN-HATING Earth Ponies, who are renowned for their strength and anger! Sunny wore a goofy smile and her eye twitched. NO PRESSURE! Sunny and the Unicorn navigated through the crowds of ponies, taking great care not to bump into anypony. The Unicorn looked all around as if she’d never seen another pony before. “Wow…” she began amid the noise of the marketplace, “Is this stuff all for free?” Sunny briefly looked back at the Unicorn with complete disbelief and a bit of annoyance. “Of course not! And keep your voice down! Let’s not draw any more attention to ourselves than we need to—” Sunny froze and locked eyes with none other than Old Man Withers, who was in front of the peanut stand collecting his daily dose of nutty delights. His one eye, bigger than the other, bulged out. “Hey — YOU!” he cried, which led a few ponies in the crowd to turn toward Sunny. Her face turned red. Withers continued, “I got a BONE to pick with you!” Sunny yelped and snatched one of the Unicorn’s hooves, dragging her away with a three-legged trot. “Wh — hey now! Careful!” the Unicorn complained. Ponies in the market were starting to take notice. Sunny started to question her sanity. WHAT AM I DOING?!? I MUST BE CRAZY! “STOP!” Withers cried, following after the mares with his limping gait. Sunny and the Unicorn broke off into a thin alley. There was no time to stop and catch their breaths. Sunny was mad with determination. The Unicorn whined once more. “If I promise to keep up, will you please let go?” Sunny turned back briefly and shouted. “NO! Old Man Withers will definitely spill the beans on you!” Sunny turned back around and focused on going as fast as she could while attached to another pony. “I once watched him catch a thief who was hiding some radishes in her mane! He’ll see right through the whole hat disguise — I mean, look at us! I’m wearing the coat and you have the hat… it’s too suspicious! I knew I should have…” Sunny closed her eyes and groaned. “Nevermind.” “Sorry…’ the Unicorn said quietly. The two came out of a string of alleyways onto a larger, dirt road. On the other side of the road was a three-story apartment complex. Sunny’s face lit up. “Home sweet home!” she cheered. Her and the Unicorn rushed up the stairs and ran along the second story veranda that led to her apartment. They turned the corner of the veranda and— “AHA! PREDICTABLE AS ALWAYS, SUNNY STARSCOUT!” Old Man Withers. Sunny’s heart nearly bounced right up out of her throat. “BAHH!” she screamed. The elder pony’s crooked smile gleamed with victory. Sunny’s demeanor quickly turned onto the defensive. “Old Man Withers! What do you want?” The mushy, wrinkly features of Withers’ face pulled and flexed as he spoke. “Don’t be worried, now, young lady. Back at the market… that was a joke! Just a joke! Hmm, who’s this here with you?” Withers cocked his head and studied the Unicorn, who looked back with a blinking, blank expression. Sunny bit her bottom lip and started to sweat. “T-this… this is… well, you see…” Sunny began, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. Old Man Withers stepped closer and inspected every side of the Unicorn, who stared ahead blankly and blinked. Withers leaned in and sniffed the Unicorn. “Aha! No doubt about it. You’re a Unicorn, aren’t you?” Sunny’s stomach felt like it was knotting into a pretzel. She shot Withers a wavy smile, sweat streaking down her neck. The Unicorn just looked confused. “W-what, ha ha?” Sunny said with a fake laugh, “Are you crazy, Old Man W-Withers? A Unicorn… here?” Her equally as fake smile started to twitch. “S-she’s just an Earth Pony from the next town over! An old pen pal — yeah!” Sunny felt a huge, invisible weight start to crush her as Old Man Withers interrogated her with his surprisingly piercing, blue eyes. Sunny gulped. I suck at lying! Old Man Withers was unflinching. He took a step forward, scrutinizing Sunny with a single one of his honed eyeballs. A grumbly hum escaped his throat. I’m gonna crack! “Is that the truth, Sunny Starscout? Is it REALLY?” Sunny only lasted another heartbeat or two before exploding, grabbing Old Man Withers by his shoulders and pleading with her aquamarine eyes. “NoIt’sNot.TheTruthIsSheIsAUnicornAnd — OLD MAN WITHERS YOU CAN’T TELL ANYPONY! PLEASE!” Withers shoved off Sunny’s hooves and backed away. “Bah — why would I do something like that? Ehhh you youngins think I’m just an old curmudgeon, stuck in the past, and all that, right?” He looked at the Unicorn, did a quick once over, then scoffed. “What do I care if a Unicorn comes into town? After all,” he started before walking away, “Isn’t that how ponies used to live in the past?” He shot a smile at Sunny before turning the corner. Sunny looked at the spot where Withers used to be with an open mouth. She blinked rapidly. “T-that… happened?” Sunny grabbed the Unicorn by her hoof and shoved her into Sunny’s apartment. The magenta-maned Earth Pony rushed inside after and slammed the door behind her, breathing like mad. The Unicorn slowly removed the rubber hat atop her head and put it on the floor. “We’re safe!” Sunny cried, chest heaving in and out. The Unicorn hung her head down. “Sorry… this is all my fault…” Sunny finally caught her breath and shuffled out of her rubber coat and threw it on a coatrack, then grabbed the rubber fisherpony’s hat and hung it up. She turned and studied the Unicorn. She found herself enraptured by the Unicorn’s blue horn, which had some lighter blue, thin lines running around it. After a moment, she looked down at the Unicorn’s face and narrowed her eyes. “We need to have a chat.” * * * After making a quick supper of leftover wheat cakes and carrots for herself and the Unicorn, Sunny sat opposite her guest at the plain, wooden dining table and grilled her with her eyes, mouth and snout pulled towards the centre of her face. “So! You’re a Unicorn, and you just thought it’d be a good idea to wander into an Earth Pony town without even trying to hide your horn?” The Unicorn looked down at her plate of food and shuffled her hooves nervously underneath the table. “S-sorry… but I don’t remember anything about — well, anything.” She looked up with wet eyes. “Am I… bad for being a Unicorn?” Sunny’s heart relaxed and she eased her expression with a smile. “That’s not it, not as far as I’m concerned. It’s just…” Sunny lifted her hoof into the air and paused midsentence. “This is weird to me, is all. Did you hit your head or something?” The Unicorn rested her hoof under her chin and hummed in thought, looking up to the ceiling. “Maayybe. But it doesn’t really hurt, so maybe not.” She tentatively raised her hoof and touched it to her head. Nothing. She moved it around her scalp. Suddenly, she yelped in pain. “AHHH! Umm, ouch, okay maybe I did hit my head” — the Unicorn slowly brought her hoof down to the table and her eyebrows pulled up — “Actually, now that I think about it, I think I can remember what happened!” Sunny beamed. “That’s good!” Sunny tapped her hoof against the table impatiently. “So, spill the beans already!” The Unicorn looked over to the living space of the apartment, where two worn, cushioned hoofchairs sat. She blushed. “Uhh, do you mind if we sit somewhere more comfortable first? I think it’s been a long day…” Sunny zipped over and took her own seat in the living space. “Yep! No problem! Sore butt? These bad boys are the solution, sister!” She smacked the arm of the chair a few times. “Saved these puppies from the dump! Nothing wrong with ‘em, and the smell’s nearly gone!” The Unicorn raised a hoof to say something, even opened her mouth, but she decided against it. She flashed a far-too-wide smile and nodded. “O-ok! Coming!” Once settled in, the Unicorn closed her eyes and sighed in pleasure. “W-wow, that hits the spot. You don’t notice how sore your — ahem, uhh, backside is sometimes until you sit down in a nice chair.” She looked at Sunny and smiled, and again Sunny was envious of the Unicorn, at that time because of her white crescent that definitely made Sunny’s look dull in comparison. “You see,” the Unicorn began, “I’ve been travelling for a little while. I can’t remember why, but I got off the road and went into the woods for some reason. And I must have tumbled off a drop I didn’t notice. The woods around here are quite thick.” Sunny smacked one of her hooves into the other. “Right! That would do it! An outsider wouldn’t know to be extra cautious in the Horseshoe Wood!” The Unicorn replied. “That’s what you call it? But I don’t remember seeing any horseshoes…” Sunny giggled. “Of course not, silly. The name comes from the shape. The woods form a sort of horseshoe around Maretime Bay. We’re pretty lucky, because there aren’t many other trees for miles around. Farther outside of town, it’s all craggy and rocky.” The two mares engaged in what Sunny assumed small talk was, although it was mostly her talking the Unicorn’s ears off. But the Unicorn didn’t seem bored, instead listening the whole time with a genuine smile and a nod every few seconds to show she was listening. Sunny explained the fundamentals of such Maretime Bay entertainments as fishing, clam digging, bay prospecting, and constructing lobster cages. They continued until the light coming in from the windows was reduced to a dull, sunset orange. Sunny recognized how late it was and her ears flicked upwards. “Oh, I guess we should get to bed. You’re probably pretty tired by now — come to think of it, so am I after working this afternoon on the trawler. You —” Sunny noticed the Unicorn was nodding off, her head sinking lower and lower, her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier. Sunny stifled her laugh behind a hoof. “Nevermind.” Sunny nudged the Unicorn and helped her to her hooves. “Hey,” she said softly, “The bed’s more comfortable. Come on.” The Unicorn mumbled sweet nothings as Sunny led her to the bedroom. It didn’t take much effort to push the Unicorn onto the bed, and Sunny promptly tucked her in with a giddy excitement tickling her heart. She couldn’t help but beam. This is kind of like… a layover! Sunny rubbed her cheek. No, no, wait, it’s a SLEEPOVER. Yeah! One of those! She threw caution to the wind and watched the Unicorn breath in and out, appearing to be passed out. Part of Sunny couldn’t help but be a little ticked off that the Unicorn was so much prettier than her. It felt… unfair. Maybe she’s royalty or something? I mean, she did forget who she was. The other part of Sunny couldn’t contain her happiness and she quietly hopped around the room. But! Somehow, I’m already fulfilling my promise to Professor Tyson! He’s gonna be so happy when he gets back! A small voice came from the bed, making Sunny stop instantly and snap her head back like a startled animal. “Izzy…” It was the Unicorn. “… my name’s Izzy…” She briefly opened her eyes a smidge and smiled at Sunny. “Sorry to be a burden… and thank you…” The Unicorn, whom Sunny learned was named Izzy, went back to sleep. Sunny’s smile engulfed her face and she resumed her happy bouncing. Izzy! My first friend’s name is Izzy! Eventually, Sunny remembered she’d also had a busy day and her hooves started to vibrate and shake. She bit her lower lip through a smile and brushed her ponytail out of her eyes. R-right. Sleep first, embarrassing displays of happiness tomorrow. Preferably with noearth — nopony around. She carefully climbed into bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Sunny sighed as she snuggled into bed. She smacked her lips happily and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she opened them again and frowned at the ceiling. Oh yeah. I forgot to visit mom and dad. Sunny just stared up at the ceiling for what felt like half an hour. Images of early foalhood played out in her mind. Finally, she turned to Izzy and let her eyes run over the sleek, blue strands of the Unicorn’s mane. I’ll just go with Izzy tomorrow. It’ll be nice to be out of town so I don’t have to worry about anypony discovering she’s a Unicorn. With her mind decided, Sunny gave into sleep’s embrace with a smile on her face.