//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Something Sparkling // by Captain_Cosmos //------------------------------// “And after that, Autumn and I agreed to hang out tomorrow in the new studio. You’ll get to meet’er and we’ll have a right time recordin and stuff.” Sparkler happily said. Flappy listened to the joyfulness in her voice as Sparkler finished up her story. It was now late at night, and after a long, eventful first day in Appleloosa, both he and Sparkler had returned to their room at the Inn. Flappy raised an eyebrow. “Squawk! So...you met a new pony. Squawk!” He said. Sparkler nodded. “Yep.” “Squawk! You introduced yourself. Squawk!” “Sure did.” Sparkler replied. “Squawk! You two held a legitimate conversation. Squawk!” “You bet.” “Squawk! And now you have plans to hang out tomorrow at the studio. Squawk!” Sparkler nodded. “Yer darn tootin we do.” Flappy stared at Sparkler for a solid minute before a grin exploded on his face. “Squawk! You made a new friend tonight! Squawk!” Sparkler realized what Flappy was getting at and chuckled. “Yeah. I don reckon I did.” Flappy let out a woot woot. “Squawk! Your first pony friend outside your parents! You FINALLY made a friend after all these years! Squawk!” Sparkler blushed. “Oh. Yeah. I guess Autumn is my first friend outside you and mah folks.” Flappy laughed. “Squawk! And she’s a musician too. Just your luck, the first friend you make in this town is a musician.” Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. Can’t say I was really expecting it.” She said as she lit her horn and encased her poncho in her magic. She lifted it off her and hung in on the door hook. Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Well what are ya waitin for? Did you talk about anything besides music? Don’t leave me hanging! Squawk!” Sparkler chuckled as she remembered the other important part of the meeting, walked over to the bed, and hopped up onto it. “Well.” She said as she sat down. “We actually did talk about something that may result in our residency problem bein resolved.” Flappy raised an eyebrow. “Squawk! Oh? Squawk!” Sparkler nodded. “She don mentioned she was looking for a roommate. Quite the picky gal too. She needs a roommate that wasn’t in a committed relationship, won’t feel lonely when she travels, and doesn’t mind loud noises.” Flappy smiled. “Squawk! Sounds like you check all three boxes. Squawk!” Sparkler nodded. “Yeah...I don reckon I do.” Flappy immediately picked up on Sparkler’s less enthusiastic tone. He raised an eyebrow. “Squawk! Something wrong pal? Squawk!” Sparkler sighed and craned her neck to look at her side, where there were a pair of pink wings with gradient blue tips. “I may not have told the gal about my condition.” She said sadly. Flappy sighed. He should’ve seen this coming. “Squawk! Hey, this isn’t Saddle Arabia. Who knows...maybe this town is friendlier to ponies like you. Squawk!” Sparkler nodded. “Maybe. But still...I decided to hide mah wings under the poncho and look what happened. I finally made a friend, a real, genuine friend.” Flappy nodded. “Squawk! From what you’ve told me she doesn’t seem like the kinda pony to just turn her back on a friend for them having extra things. Squawk!” Sparkler sighed. “I thought the same thing about Sheldon. And look how THAT turned out.” Flappy shuddered. “Squawk! Yeah that wasn’t a good day. Still though, new town, new life, new ponies. Squawk!” Sparkler nodded. “But does that mean a fresh start...” Flappy sighed. “Squawk! Look, I know you’re scared—“ He gestured out the window. “—But there’s a new town out there, a whole new world to see. Far away from Saddle Arabia. Far from any pony that knows about your condition. And I highly doubt anypony from Kilihima village lives here. Squawk!” “What’re you goin on about Flappy?” Sparkler asked. “Squawk! This is a fresh start for you. Isn’t that why we moved out of Saddle Arabia? For you to have a fresh start? Squawk!” Sparkler sighed and nodded. Flappy continued. “Squawk! Look, I’m not gonna pressure you into telling anypony. But I REALLY think you should consider it. Especially if you and Autumn end up rooming together. Squawk!” Sparkler nodded. “I know. I just...I can’t go through all that again Flappy.” She sniffled as her eyes started to glisten. “I just can’t.” Flappy saw the tears coming from a mile away and lunged to wrap his wings around Sparkler. “Squawk! Hey. Don’t worry pard’ner. I’ll always be here for ya. Me and you. Squawk!” Sparkler giggled. “Always got each other’s back we do.” She wrapped her forelegs, and both wings, around Flappy. Basking in the familiar embrace of a friend. “I’m still scared though.” Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Hey, just remember that no matter how bad things get, you’ll always have a friend in me. Squawk!” Sparkler nodded. “Thanks Flappy.” The sun grazed the desert land and poured into the windows of Appleloosa. Including the Inn where Sparkler and Flappy...were already up? What? Sparkler closed up her saddle bag and used her magic to load it up on her back. She smiled and turned to Flappy. “Ready fer our first flight in Appleloosa, Flappy?” Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Heck yeah. But hold on. I thought you said you weren’t ready to reveal your wings? Squawk!” Sparkler nodded. “Which is why I’m gonna turn invisible.” She lit and flashed her horn, and disappeared from view. “With this here spell, I can keep mahself hidden until we get out of town.” Her disembodied voice said. Flappy smiled. “Squawk! That’s genius! Squawk!” At that moment, a window opened and Sparkler’s voice chuckled. “Before we go however…” Flappy felt a tingle in his eye before seeing Sparkler reappearing, though not completely. Like a ghost. She smiled. “Come on pard’ner. Let’s fly!” Flappy raised an eyebrow, as Sparkler seemed to be forgetting something. “Squawk! Wait, I don’t remember, you have your poncho right? Squawk!” After a second, Flappy saw the poncho float from the hook on the wall, and disappear into what he assumed was Sparkler’s saddlebag. “I do now.” Sparkler said with a chuckle. Flappy nodded and spread his wings. “Squawk! Let’s fly! Squawk!” Autumn woke up the next morning in preparation for performing a check on how she’s feeling. Her thoughts before drifting off last night were “Well, let’s just see how things go” In reference to her mental state, and she expected that to be the first thing she thought about in the new day. She was right, and sadly, there didn’t appear to be any change. She still felt justified in calling herself “picky” in a negative light when it came to finding a roommate, and it still hurt her heart. However, she then fortunately remembered that there now existed a go-to place for help on this... “I’ll try and talk to Sparkler. I think she could help.” “And we agreed to meet together today anyway, in her new studio. Yeah. I’m gonna go ahead over there!” She looked over at her bedroom clock; the current time was 9:13, so getting there on time wouldn’t be difficult. Good thinking on Autumn’s part to ask Sparkler for support on her struggles. She had to go through her classic lonely morning routine again, but at least she had hopefully a session of help to look forward to. Sparkler and Flappy soared side by side in the desert sky, making the trip back to Appleloosa after their morning flight/scouting mission for potential secluded flying spots. In which both parts of the mission were successful. “Well. I don reckon that canyon is a fine place to fly!” Sparkler exclaimed excitedly, smiling wildly. Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Nice, secluded. Perfect for maintaining your cover. Squawk!” Sparkler nodded and noticed Appleloosa quickly getting closer in her view. “Speaking of maintaining cover. Time fer me to go invisible. It’s nearly time fer Autumn to be gettin to the studio so let’s head there.” She said as she lit her horn and cloaked herself. Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Well there ain’t no point in keeping pace with you if yer just gonna cloak on me. See you there. Squawk!” With that, he took off towards the tavern. Sparkler nodded and chuckled. “Sure thing Flappy.” She shook her head and took off after him.  No longer than a minute later, Sparkler reached the familiar building from yesterday and found Flappy waiting by a window on the second floor of the tavern. She peeked into the window to see that it was their studio. She smiled, and, without saying a word, lit her horn and teleported into the building, where she canceled her cloaking spell and quickly summoned her poncho from her saddlebag to slip into it. She then went over to the window and opened it to let Flappy in. Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! Ya know, For Nightmare Night you could be a ghost. Squawk!” Sparkler laughed. “Hehe. Yeah. I reckon I could.” With the invisibility spell, she could be even more of a ghost! Autumn traveled down the same path to the tavern she had taken yesterday. The difference being that she was now headed to the tavern’s new music studio. Oh yeah, she wasn’t just hanging out with Sparkler today for help with her emotional hardships. Today was a musical day too. Good thing I remembered to bring my gear. Autumn thought. She stepped back into the tavern, where her first encounter was Grapefruit, another familiar face from the previous day. Grapefruit heard the doors to his tavern open and turned to see Autumn enter the building. He smiled. “Well if it isn’t Autumn Apple. Good morning! What brings you here today?” He asked. Autumn felt warmth in her heart at such a greeting. “Good morning to you too, Grapefruit! I’m here today to work with Sparkling Medley in her new studio up on the top floor of this building. Excited for that.” Grapefruit smiled and nodded. “Well I hope you two have fun. She sure sounds like your kinda gal.” He said with a wink, knowing Autumn’s struggle to find a roommate. It was a product of Autumn’s fame around town; lots of ponies knew about her desire and requirements for a roommate. “She does seem like a good fit; I can tell that already.” Autumn replies. “Hope you have fun too!” Grapefruit nodded and tipped his hat to Autumn as she walked past him to the stairs. “Thank you Autumn. “See ya later Grapefruit!” Autumn exclaimed as she made her way up the dark staircase and on to the second floor that appeared barren, but that she knew had a gem behind that specific door with a beautiful decoration on it. A gold star, with the exact brand name she was looking for: Sparkling Harmony Records. Here we go, Autumn thought, knocking on the door. Inside, Sparkler and Flappy heard the knock, and Sparkler almost jumped in excitement. “Shoowee! That must be her!” She bolted for the door and swung it open to reveal Autumn, who had a guitar bag strapped to her side. “Well bust mah whistle. Good mornin Autumn!” Sparkler exclaimed excitedly. “Hi Sparkler!” Autumn responded. “Awesome to see you again! I loved that hangout downstairs last night. It was really fun.” Sparkler smiled. “Always a pleasure to meet a new friend.” She backed away from the doorway to let Autumn in. “Well don’t be a stranger. Come in. Welcome to Sparkling Harmony Records.” Autumn giggled at that “stranger” sentence and walked into the sight of a fully-completed, professional-look studio. “Wow! You say you just moved here; how did you make the studio look like this so fast?” Sparkler smiled and tapped the horn on her head. “This here horn means I can magically move things into place much quicker than Earth Ponies or Pegasi. It also helps that I had help.” “Squawk! And that help would be me. Squawk!” Came a raspy voice Autumn didn’t recognize, from a creature she didn’t know existed. Autumn turned her head to the direction from where the voice came from, and noticed a small teal parrot sitting on the big console in the room. “Oh! You must be Sparkler’s pet parrot she was talking about last night. Nice to meet you!” She said, walking over to the bird. The parrot nodded. “Squawk! So you must be Autumn Apple. The gal Sparkler wouldn’t shut up about last night. Squawk!” He extended a wing out to Autumn. “Squawk! Nice to meetcha! I’m Flappy! Sparkler’s faithful pet parrot, loyal friend, and assistant producer here at Sparkling Harmony Records!” Autumn giggled as Flappy’s wing wrapped around her hoof. “Nice to hear Sparkler has such a good companion! I didn’t know parrots could do jobs!” She said. Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “That’s what ya get when yer parrot watches ya do yer schoolwork for twelve years. They tend to smarten up enough that you can put them to work.” She explained. Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yep. I’m smarter than yer average bird. Squawk!” Autumn couldn’t believe the history she was hearing. “Oh wow!” She said. “You’ve had Flappy for a long time!” Sparkler nodded. “Yes ma’am. Had him ever since he was a wee whittle chick.” She leaned in over the console and nuzzled Flappy in the cheek while she said this. Autumn could almost feel a cuteness overload coming on. “Aww.” She said in response. Sparkler chuckled as she nodded and decided to move back on track. “So, Autumn. I see you brought yer guitar with ya.” “Yep.” Autumn responded. “I was planning to work on the banjo-driven song you were hearing me play last night, but I find that song is still kind of lacking in guitar parts. “If you’re wondering, yes, what you heard last night was a demo.” Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “A demo huh? I could’ve sworn it was the full song.” Autumn realized her statement wasn’t totally accurate. “Well, it is mostly full.” She said. “Correction from earlier; it’s not really a demo, it’s just slightly incomplete. “Most of the instrument parts, I think are complete, but if you remember from last night, there was barely any acoustic guitar in that mix. I could feel there was an empty part. And I’m here to fill that part.” Sparkler nodded, seeing the need now. “Well then. Let’s get to it shall we? You happen to bring a record of what you have with ya?” “Yep.” Autumn said, reaching into her saddlebag and showing the record sleeve. “Luckily, I didn’t forget.” Sparkler nodded. “If’n you give that to me, I can set it up on the player and we can get this show on the road.” She gestured behind her at the open space. “Behind me is the recordin area.” She said. “Alright. Let’s do it!” Autumn responded, handing over the brown sleeve. Sparkler took the record in her magic and walked around the console, to a bulky record player that was hooked up to the main console. She put the record inside the machine and sat herself in one of the chairs. She smiled at Autumn as she put a pair of headphones on. “Alright. Ready Autumn?” Autumn had a slight eyebrow raise, not being familiar with the process at Sparkling Harmony Records and not catching what Sparkler was asking if she was ready for. “Wait a minute, what are we doing here?” Sparkler chuckled. “I’m gonna hit play and yer song is gonna come out of the speakers I hung up around this room.” Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You said that all the song was missing was the acoustic guitar, right? Squawk!” “Oh, well, what I didn’t mention was that backing vocals are missing too. Only my lead  vocal was sounding off last night. But yeah, I want to do the acoustic guitar first. “I haven’t written it yet, though.” She added Sparkler nodded. “Right, we can do that. I loaded this machine with blank records. When I press record, It’ll automatically write the session to a new blank record and it will import the track on the record you brought and add the acoustic guitar to it to make one track.” Autumn was impressed by this machine intelligence. “That’s awesome!” She said. “I’ve always had to do that by hoof. You sure know a lot about this technology.” She nodded. “What I think we should do first is play my song as it is now, and I’ll try to work out the acoustic guitar part as I listen.” Sparkler nodded. “So we won’t record right now. Got it. Ready?” “Ready.” Sparkler nodded. “Alright. Playin’ in five...four...three...two…” She pressed the play button and sound came blasting out the multiple speakers situated around the room. Autumn listened for the chord changes she wrote and played her guitar along, attempting to improvise. She didn’t imagine it as being too difficult, as acoustic guitar parts tend to be simple in country music. All she had to do was play with the rhythm through the correct open chords. Sparkler replayed the song played five times over for Autumn to solidify what she was to play. After the fifth time ended, and after Autumn played the guitar part by itself and then played it behind the song, she knew it was the keeper. “Alright. I think I’m ready to record now.” She said. Sparkler smiled. “Right! Wanna take a practice run first?” “Nah.” Autumn responded. “I think that last check I just did to make sure the part sounded good also counted as the practice run. Let’s do the recording now.” Sparkler nodded. “Alright. In that case, Recording and playing in five...four...three...two…” She hit the record button, and then the play button. The song came blasting out the speakers again. Autumn, beginning to play the more intimidating part of music in performing the recorded part, thought to herself “How many takes will I need?” Answer: Just one, it turned out! She nailed that entire part in one try, which filled her accomplishment tank to the highest degree. She gave a victory fist with her hooves after the recording stopped. At the end of the song, Sparkler smiled and stopped recording. She clapped her hooved together. “Woo! Way to go cowgirl! Perfect!” Flappy gave a woot woot and high-fived Sparkler. Autumn felt herself blushing again. She could tell they were proud. “Alright, so I’m not sure if the acoustic guitar parts are complete yet; one thing commonly used in country music is two acoustic parts playing in different channels for a stereo effect. “But if I were to do that for this song, I’d probably use a different guitar to create a larger effect, and I don’t even know if it needs the stereo effect or not, so let’s move on to the backing vocals.” Sparkler nodded. “When it’s all said and done we can listen to the final song and if you think it needs another acoustic part than we can make that happen.” “Sounds great!” Autumn said. “And say, Sparkler… would you like to perform the backing vocals on this track?” She asked. “You’ve been amazing to me the past two days, and I’d like to give you the honor.” Sparkler’s eyes shot open and she blushed at this high honor. “Ya mean it? I thought y’all would’ve wanted to sing it yerself.” “Well, that’s what I was planning at first.” Autumn said. “But again, I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done for me so far, and I know you’re a singer too, so it makes sense to me.” Sparkler’s emotions at Autumn’s offer went so far as her having a tear in her eye. “Aww shucks. You’re gonna make me cry. You don’t have to thank me.” Autumn didn’t know how to respond to this. But what she did have on her mind, was that this was a sign of a blooming friendship. And she decided to spill these thoughts out. “I think we might have something special together.” Autumn said to Sparkler. Sparkler sniffled a little and wiped the tear from her eye. Nopony had ever said that to her before, at least nopony outside her parents and Flappy. “I...I don’t know what to say. That means a lot Autumn.” She said. Autumn figured it was time for something physical now. “Wanna hug?” She asked simply. Before Sparkler could even think about responding with words, she just bolted around the console and wrapped her forelegs around Autumn. Autumn could tell by that speed that she had really touched Sparkler’s heart. It made her really happy. She then reciprocated the action. Flappy watched the mares hug it out, and was REALLY tempted to join them, but restrained himself. He understood the importance of this moment. And to think, Autumn doesn’t even realize just how happy she made Sparkler. Sparkler just basked in the moment. Her insides were bursting at the fact that she finally had a real friend that wasn’t her folks or a parrot! Autumn correctly figured, without Flappy telling her, she had made Sparkler even more happy than she thought, as the hug continued going on for longer. And Autumn liked it. After a solid minute, Sparkler finally let go of Autumn. She blushed a little. “Ahem...Sorry for the lack of a warnin, I just really wanted to hug you.” “No problem.” Autumn said. “I did catch it in time to respond, and I feel good to know that I just made you so happy.” Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Happier than you could possibly imagine. Squawk!” Autumn turned her head to Flappy with a smile. “Oh, really? What’s, like, the context behind that?” Sparkler chuckled nervously and reached a hoof behind her neck. “It’s ‘cause of the sad fact that you’re mah first friend outside Flappy and mah folks.” She said as her smile faded and her ears dropped. Autumn’s facial expression also changed, to a look of concern. “Really? You never had a real pony friend your whole life?” Sparkler sighed and nodded. “Let’s just say I wasn’t the most popular pony in school and leave it at that fer now. I really don’t feel like going down that road right now.” “Okay.” Autumn said. “No pressure if you don’t want to talk about it.” Autumn then remembered the scheduled activity that led to all of this and decided it was time to return there. “So, would you like to perform the backing vocals?” Sparkler nodded without hesitation. “I’d be honored.” “Great!” Autumn exclaimed. “I’ve already got the papers for the lyrics and what the backing vocals should do in terms of which notes to hit, so you’re good to go there.” Sparkler nodded and lit her horn. Setting up a music stand and positioning the mic accordingly. “Alright. Hit me with’em!” Autumn thought she had caught Sparkler skipping another step. “Wait, who’s going to press the button? Are you pressing the button, Flappy?” Autumn asked Flappy. Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Standing by to press the button. Just say the word! Squawk!” “What word?” Autumn asked. Then she realized it was her who was being confusing. Not them. “Oh, shoot, I didn’t give you the papers yet! Silly me.” She chuckled. “Anyway, here they are.” She said, hoofing the lyric and vocal note sheets over to Sparkler. Sparkler nodded and put the papers on the stand. “Right. Ready!” Flappy nodded and got ready to press play. “Squawk! Practice run in five...four...three...two…” He pressed play and Sparkler began to sing to Autumn’s song. As expected, it took several practice runs for her to get the parts down, but eventually, it was recording time. Flappy smiled. “Squawk! You think it’s ready to record now Autumn? Squawk!” “Well, there are multiple backing vocal parts, but she does have this one down, and the other parts can wait until another day if needed.” Autumn said. So yeah, for the part she was just doing, I think she’s ready to record. Great work, Sparkler!” Sparkler nodded. “I can’t take all the credit.” She cleared her throat. “Alright. Let’s do it!” Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Recording in five...four...three...two…” He pressed the record then play buttons and Sparkler sang again. Autumn didn’t have to guess who Sparkler was giving credit to, and listening to her sing over her own song… she couldn’t be more flattered. Oh yeah, and she was impressed at Sparkler’s abilities and voice. Just like Autumn with the acoustic guitar, Sparkler’s talent level and luckiness level was so high that this only took her one take. At the end of the song, Flappy stopped recording and gave a round of applause. “Squawk! Wow! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two have been a musical duo for years! Sparkler, your singing never ceases to amaze me, and you, Autumn, are as good a musician as Sparkler! Squawk!” Flappy was good at compliments. Both Sparkler and Autumn smiled warmly at him.  Sparkler chuckled. “I agree. Autumn you sure are something else.” “Aww.” Autumn says. “Thanks.” Autumn found a new topic to go to, as she looked at the clock which read 12:03. “I figure we’re at a good pausing point now and we should go on lunch break. What do you say, Sparkler?” Sparkler nodded. “Sure. I can go for some grub.” Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Does Grapefruit serve lunch? Squawk!” “I’m pretty sure this tavern is open all day.” Autumn said. Sparkler nodded. “Then let’s go fill up our tanks!” “Yes! Let’s go!” Autumn said. Sparkler nodded and all three of them left the studio, ending session 1. “Here ya are Sparkler!” Grapefruit said as he pushed two plates in front of Sparkler. “Two Hay Sandwiches and a piece of watermelon. As you requested.” Sparkler smiled as she took the two plates in her magic, and put down a few bits in their place. “Thanks Grapefruit.” Sparkler used her hoof to tip her hat to Grapefruit. Grapefruit nodded. “Anytime Sparkler. Y’all have a nice lunch now.” Sparkler nodded and turned to head over to where Autumn and Flappy were sitting at the tavern. She smiled as she approached where they were going to eat. “Here we are! Two Hay Sandwiches and a piece of watermelon!” Flappy smiled as Sparkler levitated the watermelon piece to him. “Squawk! Thanks Sparkler!. Squawk!” “Thank you Sparkler!” Autumn said as she took the plate in her hoof. “It turns out, I’ve never eaten a hay sandwich from this tavern before.” Autumn said. Sparkler raised an eyebrow as she sat down in the chair across from Autumn. “Really? I thought you might’ve tried it before. You did order it.” “I’ve had hay sandwiches from many other restaurants, and I love them, but here, I usually get the hay tacos or garden salad. Those are my favorites from the menu here.” Autumn replied. Sparkler nodded in understanding. “Gotcha.” She said as she started eating her sandwich. Autumn took a bite of hers too, and she was pleasantly surprised “Wow! This tavern makes amazing hay sandwiches!” Sparkler nodded. “You bet. This might be the best sandwich I’ve ever had.” “It would have to be up there for me.” Autumn replied. Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Well, I’m just glad this joint has watermelon. I LOVE watermelons. Squawk!” Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “It’s true. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nothing but Watermelon for this here parrot.” “Really?” Autumn asked. “Only one food, ever?” Flappy nodded. “Squawk! If I can. Squawk!” Autumn decided not to ask any further questions; questions about strange food habits would be best for later. She just kept eating her sandwich. Sparkler smiled after a second. “So Autumn, other than music, What do you like to do for fun?” “Well, I also have a secondary profession, in playing horseshoes. Which, I’ve gone very far in that field. Do you know what happened in this town a while ago?” Autumn asked. Sparkler shook her head. “No. What happened?” She asked. Autumn smiled. Time for a little history story. “So, a pony from Ponyville who loves horseshoes, exotic elements, and the bronze-silver-gold winning tier thing, you know, gold for 1st place, came to Appleloosa with a twist on the game of horseshoes where you can get more points per throw than just one, two, or three.” Autumn said. “In the updated version, a bronze horseshoe keeps the points as normal, but a silver horseshoe will upgrade it to two, four six, and a gold horseshoe will update it to three, six, nine. “Then what color you get to throw is determined by what you threw last. If you get a ringer, regardless of what color the shoe you ringed with was, you get a gold shoe for your next throw. And you always start with gold. “With these rules being what they were, ponies quickly aspired to hit 10 gold ringers in a row, for a perfect game. Long story short, this perfect game hysteria then turned into an entire, huge, organized tournament that shook the town for days on end. Masses of ponies in this really hard-working town took unscheduled days off to compete for being the first to hit a perfect game with the new scheme. “And... guess who won the competition? Who was the first to hit a perfect game?” Autumn brought up her saddlebag from under her chair and eagerly dug in for this fact about herself that she had been looking forward to revealing to somepony who didn’t know. “Well… that would be me!” Autumn said, sliding on the perfect game medal that she received after being the one to hit that 10th golden shoe. Sparkler couldn’t be more in awe at the fact she was sitting across from somepony wearing a gold medal. “Wow!” She exclaimed. “That’s quite the achievement!” Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Congratulations! Squawk!” “Thanks.” Autumn says, simply. “And if you ever want to see the trophy, it’s at my house.” Autumn then had a pause. In no way had she seen it coming, but talking about this topic shifted to something else. It shifted to another topic that the trophy connected her to. A much sadder topic. “Every time I look at that trophy, though…honestly, I’ve kind of become desensitized to the achievement. Because even though winning that title was awesome, there’s still something I haven’t… won yet.” And there went Autumn back to her dark place. Suddenly, after the sunshine that was the day so far, she was back in her dark place again. Remembering these desensitized feelings to her achievement then led to remembering yesterday, when she met Sparkler, but then when she went to bed that night, she started wondering if she was, in a moral sense, too picky. The domino effect at its finest. It didn’t take long at all for her to have the sad face on again. Sparkler saw the sad face and gave Autumn a look of concern. “Autumn? You okay there sugarcube?” “Not really.” Autumn honestly replies. “I’ve now just remembered something that’s still really bothering me, that I talked to you about last night, but hasn’t been solved. And I planned to talk to you about it today, but got distracted by the music.” “What would that be?” Sparkler asked. This was indeed Autumn’s plan for today, to talk to Sparkler about this problem. But it hurt to do it now, because of how well things were going before. Autumn wished that she had continued to be distracted by happy topics. “It’s about me being a picky shopper when it comes to finding a roommate. Like, I know you tick all three boxes, but… (sigh), it’s just that… I question if those three boxes are morally right. “You get told all the time by the world that being flexible and adaptable is a good thing, and that being picky is bad. So, because of that, I do get worried that I’m, like, being a bit of a…featherbrain, because I want such specific personality traits and relationship statuses out of my roommates. “And as such, I feel like I should be forced to room with somepony I don’t think I’ll work out with, because, well, as they say, ‘You need to learn how to adapt.’ “But I really don’t want to do that, though. I don’t want to be a roommate with somepony who can’t handle loud noises, being alone when I’m on tour, or is in a committed relationship. Like, it just wouldn’t work out for the happiness of both of us. “But should I try and force myself to be okay with it? Honestly… I feel like that’s what society tells me. “But forcing yourself to do something that bothers you feels awful, and while it is necessary sometimes, say, for house chores and the like, I, again, don’t see it as good for roommate purposes, because it could cause you to get snappy at them. Dissatisfaction doesn’t put you in a good mood. “And in fact, I know this from first-hoof experience. Believe me, I have tried to adapt to these things before. I have run roommate trials with ponies who hate loud noises and are with somepony else. We all could tell it wasn’t working out, for both of us. “Even still though, it seems like the right thing to do somehow. Apparently, being picky is bad. “Overall, I’m just really fed up with this situation. Fed up so much, and I feel like there’s no way to escape from it.” Autumn said, with more tears starting to come down. Sparkler saw the tears and immediately flashed both a smile and words Autumn’s way. “Hey now. There’s nothing wrong with bein you.” Through her blurry vision caused by tears, Autumn could see Sparkler smiling at her, and she was determined to listen. Sparkler continued when she saw Autumn give her her attention. “The problem isn’t you. If anything it’s society that’s the problem. With their message of being adaptable.” Autumn raised an eyebrow. “Huh?” She asked in confusion. Sparkler nodded. “Let’s go through your criteria one at a time. First up is loud noises. You are a musician, It’s who you are. So of course you’ll want a roommate who doesn’t mind loud noises.  “As for the traveling thing. You just don’t want to make yer roommate feel lonely. That’s a common worry between friends. And finally, the thing about you feeling like the third wheel. You just don’t want to get in the way of a relationship.  “All those things ain’t things society has a right to change about you. Because it’s who you are that counts. And if you have all these strict roommate criteria, then society can’t do a thing about it, the worst that will happen is that you don’t get a roommate. And that is the decision of the individual ponies concerned and not society.” Sparkler finished. Autumn let out more sniffles and brushed tears away with a tissue as her brain processed Sparkler’s words. Starting off with the reassurance that her pickiness in this situation wasn’t a bad thing, Autumn had trouble believing somepony would really say that. No, it wasn’t like other ponies she had talked to about this had thrown insults at her or anything, but to the extent of her memory, all of them did (calmly) suggest trying to adapt, and reaffirmed Autumn’s belief that she could never find a roommate like this.  Sparkler, though, had a different outlook. And that was alien to Autumn. In response to this, she said. “Really? You think it’s alright?” Sparkler nodded. “I will admit that it is a little selfish. But then again, ain’t we all a little selfish at one point in our lives? You can’t be at fault for being you. Quirks and all.” That was an interesting take if Autumn had ever heard of one. What she had always remembered being told about any kind of selfishness, no matter how small, was a bad thing that needed to be changed ASAP. But yeah, what Sparkler said. Everypony deserved to have things their way sometimes; being a perpetual pleaser couldn’t be a good thing either. Autumn did once remember being told that it’s okay to decline going to a party if you need to relax that night, and it did resonate with her. We might need to take a closer look at the definition of selfish, Autumn thought. For sure, in that, having a roommate is something very personal; a field in which you decline a situation because it doesn’t work for you. That was completely different from say, stealing all the cookies. The image in Autumn’s mind, she felt, might’ve been about to display a sign of sunrise. Sparkler noticed Autumn’s behavior and smiled. “I don reckon somepony needs a hug.” Autumn could finally feel a smile come back to her face with Sparkler’s sweetness. “Yeah. I think I do.” She said. Sparkler nodded, hopped off her chair, walked around the table to Autumn, and wrapped her forelegs around her in a gentle embrace. Talking things out felt good, but Autumn could tell right here that a hug was what she needed as well. “Never feel sorry for being you, sugarcube. Ya can’t do darn anything about it.” Sparkler said as she continued to hug Autumn. Autumn couldn’t do anything except hug back. “You’re so sweet, Sparkler.” She said. Sparkler nodded. “Just helping a friend out ma’am. Like anypony would do.” Autumn didn’t see the need for any more words here. She left the hug to speak for itself. Flappy watched the scene and smiled. “Squawk! Aww! Aren’t you two just an adorable pair. Squawk!” Autumn felt total agreement with this sentence, and picked up another possible implication that she couldn’t tell if Flappy had, but that she definitely had herself. “We are. We really are. And I think we’re growing closer and closer to friendship status.” Sparkler raised an eyebrow as she pulled away. “You sayin we ain’t friends yet?” She asked in confusion. “Well, this is only our second day even knowing each other.” Autumn replied. “I didn’t figure a friendship could develop that fast. Didn’t want to be too hasty.” Sparkler chuckled. “So far we’ve had two hugs, and you felt comfortable enough to spill all yer emotional baggage onto me in the time we’ve known each other. Unless it’s just that easy to get information out of you, I don’t feel it’s a stretch to call us friends.” This turned out to be a time for Autumn, the local, to introduce Sparkler, the new resident, to some Appleloosa things. “Well, I would say it is easy to get information out of me, and I have both hugged strangers before and spilled out those problems to them. It’s kind of what we do in this town; we help each other, no matter who it is.” “Oh. Huh. Good to know.” Sparkler responded. “Well, I still think it’s not a stretch to say we’re friends. Because there’s another thing I think you missed. Would you just let any ol’ stranger sing one of yer songs when you had fully intended to sing it yerself?” Autumn did have to think about Sparkler’s point there. “Well, I have invited ponies to sing with me during random jams before, sometimes to original songs, but I definitely can’t recall an instance of offering a role I had initially assigned to myself to a stranger. “In the studio, though, a lot of solo artists have session singers backing them up, and they might not know them very well. “However, those singers did get hired, so I would think the lead artist has met up with them before. “Or, maybe they haven’t? I don’t know; this is really complicated. “Maybe I would let any old stranger sing one of my songs, but there is the fact that we agreed to meet up again the very next day. If we were to remain strangers, I don’t think that would have happened. “You also offered to be my roommate… “Maybe we are friends!” Autumn concluded. Flappy nodded in agreement. “Squawk! I’m inclined to agree. Squawk!” Sparkler nodded. “I reckon we are!” Autumn, despite her doubts, had to agree. “A friendship with a two-day incubation period may sound unrealistic, but it definitely feels like it’s happened here.” Sparkler chuckled. “Ever heard of the term fast friends, cowgirl? That’s exactly what we are.” Autumn giggled. “Fast friends. I like that label.” She smiled at Sparkler. “Want to hug again?” She asked. Sparkler smiled. “Bring it in pard’ner!” She exclaimed as she opened her forelegs. Bring it in she did. This has been a beautiful time. She thought. And all of that distracted them from lunch, which they just noticed hadn’t been finished yet. Sparkler chuckled. “Dag nab it. All this hugging and friendship business made us forget our lunch!” Autumn looked over and saw the heap of unfinished food. “Oh shoot. I hope it didn’t get cold.” Sparkler shook her head. “Nah. Hay sandwiches don’t get cold. We’re good.” “Wow. I’m impressed that they can hold their heat like that.” Autumn said. Sparkler chuckled. “It’s all in the bread mah mom says.” “Must be really powerful bread. Anyway, back to eating.” Autumn said. Sparkler nodded. “Right!” They eventually finished up and returned to the music studio upstairs. All of them looking forward to what was to come. To be continued...