“I’m so booooored!” Izzy whined as she draped herself across her flower-shaped tea table. “When is Zipp going to get here? She’s super unfashionably late, you know!”
Sunny giggled at Izzy’s antics before taking a sip from her teacup. “She’ll be here, Izzy, just try and be patient a little bit longer.”
Izzy groaned again as she plopped her head back down and blew a raspberry. With little warning, she suddenly leapt up as her eyes lit up and her face broke out into a smile. “I know!” Galloping to the back of the room, Izzy threw open a door to a room marked “Material Room” and dashed inside, the loud sounds of rummaging coming from the room as several objects and knickknacks were tossed aside and onto the floor.
“Nope… Not that… Was wondering where that got to, but still no… Aha! Found it!”
Trotting happily out of the room, Izzy kicked the door closed behind her, causing several wind chimes hanging from the ceiling to rattle and shake. As she approached the tea table, Sunny could see that Izzy was now clutching a thick book close to her chest, which she dropped onto the center of the table with a loud thud. “Look!”
Sunny leaned over to read the title. “Slumber 101: All You Ever Wanted To Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid To Ask?”
“Yep, yep! I never had any friends who wanted to have any sleepovers, and I know this isn’t ‘technically’ a sleepover, but I thought to myself, ‘Izzy, now would be the perfect time to try it out!’ So, what do you think? Wanna give this baby a whirl? At least until Zipp finally gets here? Please?” Izzy was practically bouncing on her hooves with excitement as she eagerly awaited Sunny’s answer.
Sunny glanced down at the book once more. She couldn’t deny that the thought of trying out some of the stuff in this book certainly sounded like fun, even if it was only for a little bit. “Sure, let’s go.”
“Yay! And I know which thing we should try first!” Scooping the book back up, Izzy flipped it open to a random page and began to skim through it until she found what she wanted. “This!” Flipping it back around for Sunny to see, she pointed a hoof at the page title of the page, which read, “Makeovers and Mane Styling”. “I’ve always wanted to try styling somepony else’s mane.”
“Ok, but be warned. My mane can be a bit… unruly at even the best of times.”
“Oh, how bad could it be?” Izzy said with a wave of her hoof as she led Sunny over to her vanity. As the Earth pony sat down into the chair, Izzy undid the hair ties holding Sunny’s braided mane in place. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she rushed into her kitchen. Sunny could just barely hear the sound of running water for a moment before she spotted Izzy in the reflection of the vanity returning with a bowl filled with warm water. Propping up the bowl on a stool, Izzy positioned it behind Sunny’s head. “Now, just lean back and let me do all the work.”
Leaning back, Sunny let out a content sigh as she felt her mane dip into the bowl of water. The smell of apples tickled her nose as Izzy added some soap to the water and swirled it around. Once the water was nice and foamy, Izzy began gently combing her hooves through Sunny’s mane, humming to herself as she did so.
Sunny smiled as she felt a sense of calm settling over her. It had been years since she had last had somepony else clean and style her mane for her like this, bringing with it fond memories of her dad doing the same for her when she was a filly, only for her to inevitably get water everywhere somehow and leaving them both following over with laughter. As Izzy began to massage her scalp, it took all her willpower to not fall asleep right there.
“Hey, Izzy?”
“Mhm?”
“Why aren’t you using your magic? Wouldn’t this be easier with it?”
“Hmmm… maybe, but the thing is it’s been soooo long since I had magic that I’m still getting used to having it back. I can pick up stuff and move them just fine, but for more delicate stuff I still prefer using my hooves. Plus, there’s just nothing better than working with your hooves, right?”
“Mhm... “ Sunny mumbled as she tilted her head up so Izzy could start using a towel to dry her mane.
It was at this moment that the door to Izzy’s home opened as Zipp walked in. “Hey guys, sorry I’m la-” Zipp stopped mid-step as she finally noticed the two. “... What are you doing?”
“Hi, Zipp!” Izzy greeted with a wave of her hoof. “We got bored waiting for you, so we thought it would be fun to style each other’s mane while we waited.”
“Uh-huh… So what you mean is you got bored waiting and roped Sunny into letting you style her mane, am I right?”
“Details, details!” Izzy replied as she grabbed a hairdryer and went to work blowdrying Sunny’s mane. After a few seconds, she switched it off to admire her work so far. “Alright, now comes the fun--”
Izzy was cut off as Sunny’s mane, now free from its binds and all dry, suddenly puffed out like a pufferfish, draping Sunny’s face in a mess of magenta and purple curls. “Whoa.”
“I know, it’s terrible…” Sunny replied as she brushed her curls out of her face. “I have to really fight to get it all under control some mornings.”
“Eh, I’ve seen worse,” Zipp remarked as she took a seat nearby to watch. “Ask Pipp sometime about how much work it takes to get her mane ready every morning, even with professional stylists on hoof. I swear there have been days where she hasn’t left the bathroom until after lunch.”
“Look!” Izzy said as she stood next to Sunny and stared at her reflection in the mirror. “We look like twins now!”
Sunny giggled along with Izzy.
Trotting back behind Sunny, Izzy rubbed her hooves together and mimed rolling up imaginary sleeves. “Alright, unruly mane, prepare to meet Izzy Moonbow!” Rearing up, Izzy went to work on showing Sunny’s mane what she was made of.
As Izzy worked, Sunny turned her head slightly and glanced at Zipp. “So, how have things been in Zephyr Heights lately, Zipp?”
Zipp let out a long sigh. “Busy, but that’s to be expected. Now that all pegasi can fly again, Mom and me have been digging up and reenacting old legislation like Flying Licenses, regulated flying zones so nopony accidentally flies into one another or into oncoming traffic, flight courses to teach the basics, stuff like that. Honestly, I don’t know how Pegasus ponies managed back in the day before you could just digitize everything and have it all within hoof’s reach. Not to mention the hassle it’s been getting the old station back up and running so we can reestablish travel routes between Maretime Bay and Bridlewood again... Uggggh!” Zipp groaned as she buried her face in her hooves. “I’m practically drowning in work these days…”
“Do you regret it?” Sunny asked with a knowing smirk.
“You kiddin’? Course not!” Zipp replied with a grin on her face. “Meeting you guys and getting to actually fly… It’s like a dream come true. If all it costs me is a little carpal tunnel and eye strain, then I can live with that. Plus, I haven’t told you guys the best part yet! You remember that banner that was hanging in the station? The one showing the three pegasus ponies in the uniforms? I looked into the Royal Records and found out that moons and moons ago they were a renowned flight team known as The Wonderbolts!”
“The Wonderbolts… I’ve heard that name before…” Sunny’s face scrunched up in thought for a moment before it clicked. “Oh, I read about them! One of the Guardians of Harmony, Rainbow Dash, was their Head Captain. Everything I read said she was the fastest pegasus alive during the era and was legendary for being able to pull off the fabled trick known as the Sonic Rainboom!”
“Oh, you don’t have to tell me. Mom says that the royal line is descended from Rainbow Dash, so I guess that makes her my great, great, great… uhhh… many, many great-grandma. It also means I’m the perfect pony to get it up and running again, wouldn’t you say?”
“Really? That sounds awesome!”
“Oh, you know it. It’ll take some time and a whole lot of work to get it going again, but I know it’ll be worth it in the end. You two are invited to the first show too, front row seats. Hitch can come too, if ‘Mr. Hotshot Sheriff’ isn’t too busy then. Speaking of which, how is the guy?”
“He’s doing okay, pretty busy still with the clean-up of Maretime Bay. Though things are moving much faster thanks to all the help from the Unicorns and Pegasi.” Sunny smiled as she recalled all the happy ponies she had seen while skating through the streets. “Maretime Bay is really becoming a place where ponies of all kinds can live together as friends, just like me and my dad always dreamed of.”
“I know he’d be super proud of you, Sunny. I mean, we all are, that’s for sure. Not a lot of ponies can say they helped change the world for the better.”
“All done!” Izzy loudly announced, clapping her hooves happily as she stepped back. “What do you think?”
Turning to look at her reflection, she was surprised to find that… she looked exactly the same, as Izzy had expertly braided her mane back to the way it had been before they’d started. “Uh… Izzy? This is the same style I always have.”
“I know!” Izzy exclaimed like it was the most obvious thing ever. “I tried to think of the best look for you, and I couldn’t think of anything that just screams ‘Sunny!” better than your usual style. You look amazing already, so why change it?”
Reaching up to touch her braided mane, Sunny smiled. “Thanks, Izzy. You did an amazing job.”
“Thanks! Now…” Turning slightly, Izzy locked eyes with Zipp. “It’s your turn!”
“Hard pass on that, Izzy. Afterall…” Running a hoof through her windswept mane, Zipp grinned. “... Why mess with perfection? Besides, weren’t we supposed to be having tea or something?”
Izzy gasped. “You’re right! I need to go make more tea then!”
As Izzy bolted into the kitchen to get another pot of tea ready, Sunny and Zipp shared a laugh for the unicorn’s lovable enthusiasm.