Sunny Starscout was sleeping.
An alarm clock stood on a nearby stand next to her bed. The screen flickered to 7 AM and Sunny popped out of her covers before the clock even sounded the alarm. Her fuchsia mane poofed around her head, but she didn't care. She quickly yawned before trotting over to her vanity desk. It was made by Izzy after the original one broke during Sprout's attack. She grabbed some teal hair bands from an orange drawer and snapped it around her newly combed hair. She smiled at her braided mane before walking to the door.
Sunny charged outside and slammed the door behind her. Right before she put on her favourite roller skates, she opened the door again and righted a picture frame that hung beside the door that tilted when the door slammed. She smiled again and quickly put on her roller skates. She yelled goodbye to her dad and skated away.
Sunny breezed past streets, bridges, and ponies before making a stop at her smoothie truck. Her boss pointed at a cart which she grabbed and hooked it up to herself. The orange mare smiled before skating around and delivering her refreshing drinks. She and her friends saved Equestria from the depletion of magic and united the three pony tribes and their efforts were rewarded with the various banners of harmony that was located around Maretime Bay.
Sunny skated past a pegasus flirting with an earth pony, a unicorn filly playing with a pegasus colt, and a unicorn mare playing with an earth pony colt. Sunny smiled at the sight of friendship and how nopony fought with each other anymore. She smiled as the couple called for some drinks, she delivered the smoothies with a flourish and the pegauss gave her some bits.
***
Sunny found Hitch Trailblazer in his office. He was directing some lost unicorn tourists to the recently built inn.
"Yes, Stony Jade. Canterlogic is down this street...yes, this street. Your welcome, Stony."
"Hitch!"
"Oh, hi Sunny. What brings you here? Can't you see I'm busy with tourists?" Hitch looked annoyed as he faced Sunny.
"Haven't you heard? Queen Haven is coming here in a few hours!" She ignored his tone because she knew it wasn't really directed at her.
"QUEEN HAVEN!? Why wasn't I told of this! I need to get the town prepared...I need to..."
"HITCH! Relax, I told you now. You have about 4 hours to get prepared...ooooor, now I guess."
The duo looked upwards to see three pegasi floating downwards to them. The lead pegasus was Queen Haven, followed by Zipp Storm, and Pipp Petals behind them looking at her phone.
"Hey Sheriff, missed me?" Zipp looked at Hitch with a cocky grin.
"Sunny!" Pipp smiled at the orange mare, briefly glancing away from her phone.
Both earth ponies smiled at their friends, with various levels of embarrassment. When they landed, the four caught each other up on the latest news from Zephyr Heights and Maretime Bay.
"So, why are you here? It can't be a friendly visit, otherwise why would the Queen be here?" Sunny asked.
"Maybe we should wait for Izzy. You know, do it together and..." Zipp said thoughtfully.
"I'm already here!" Izzy Moonbow bounced out of nowhere and landed in front of them with a flick of her purple tail. It took a while for everypony to calm down from their near heart attacks.
"So, now that we're all here, what do you want of us, Your Highness?" Sunny bowed her head slightly.
"Ah yes, Sunny, I have a letter addressed to you from a Pinkie Pie. I don't know anypony with that name, perhaps you know of her?" Queen Havan took no notice of Sunny's surprised expression.
"P-Pinkie Pie? I-I don't mean to be rude, but are you absolutely sure? Like positively sure?" Sunny took a step forward to the pegasus regent.
"Mmm, quite sure. Here you go," the white mare pulled out an envelope from her left wing and hoofed it over, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have business elsewhere!"
***
The five friends stood around a table in Sunny's lighthouse. All 10 eyes stared at the envelope on the table wondering who's going to make the first move.
"Well, are you going to open it or should I?" Zipp shot a questioning glance to the orange earth pony, breaking the silence.
"N-no, I'll open it," Sunny slowly took the envelope and opened it.
"What so special about Pinkie Pie anyways? You looked like you saw a ghost when you heard that name? Ooooh, maybe she is a ghost!" Izzy said with a smile, "Having a ghost pen-pal would be so fun!"
"Pinkie Pie was one of Twilight's friends, the ponies saved the world many times. A pony from before magic was lost, but how can the letter be addressed to me?" Sunny just received non-committal noises and shrugs from her friends. She took a deep breath before finally opening the letter and gasped.
She read out loud:
To Sunny Starscout!
I hope we could've met, you seem such like a nice mare! Please tell Hitch that your birthday is coming up and that you like strawberry ice cream.
Now you don't have much time left, but you should head out to the hut in Bridlewood. Izzy knows about it.
Pinkie Pie
P.S. Tell Zipp to step to the left.
Sunny looked confused and awed at the same time, reading and rereading the letter to see if this was a prank. Then she looked up to Zipp and saw that she did in fact step to the left when suddenly a hoofball came flying in from an opened window hitting exactly where the pegasus just stood.
All five slowly turned to the letter with mouths hanging.
***
"Why are we going this way again?" Hitch asked with a slight tremor in his voice.
"Aw, is the Sheriff scared?" Zipp looked just as uneasy, but kept her head high.
They were following the bouncy unicorn through a creepy section of the forest. Izzy said that this place was off limits because it was haunted by a cursed parasprite, doomed to roam the trees forever! In the heart of the forest, lies a cabin as old as time, with roses lining the sidewalk that can come to life at any moment!
"Are we there yet? I can't get any bars in here!" Pipp held out her phone in various angles, oblivious to the creepy shadows.
Izzy just grinned, "Just a hop, a skip, and a jump," She demonstrated to the others what she meant. When she landed her jump, her grin went even wider when she saw the shack standing in the middle of a clearing surrounded by roses.
"Sunny? Please don't tell me we're going in?" Hitch looked at her with pleading eyes.
"We've got this far already, we can't give up now!" Pipp was now invested with what was happening and decided to butt in.
"Here goes nothing," Sunny took another breath before trotting up to the door and knocking three times. She quickly took a couple steps back just in case. Beside her was a curious looking Izzy, a supportive Pipp, and a Hitch who hid behind Zipp while she poofed out her wings, trying to look as big as possible.
The door opened up to reveal a small grey unicorn with a blond mane. She had a strange thing attached to her left forehoof that glowed a bright green. She glanced up at the five in surprise before lowering her head, "Well, fuck."