//------------------------------// // 27: Shopping // Story: The Night's Shining Armour // by Appleody //------------------------------// Chapter 27 Well, this is a bit of a novelty. Actually leaving Canterlot castle for once, and entering the city. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve left before with the Princesses, but that was at two in the morning. There wasn’t a single pony to be seen. Not to mention the fact I was distracted by a lost foal. Now? Now, there’s going to be so many amazing sights to see. As we approached the stairs leading down to the city proper, I wanted to pause and savour the moment. When would I ever get to go down them again? There was one small issue with my desire. My wearer didn’t quite share it and so, when we reached the stairs, she just casually continued to trot to our unknown destination without a care in the world. Probably a good thing, seeing as we have a mission to complete. Loony’s birthday present must be acquired at all reasonable costs. As the two of us travelled through the city we passed many regular ponies, going about their business. Many of them were dressed in a variety of ways, with the minimum level of clothing being just a hat, while others had their own shoes and coats. The occasional royal guard, probably meant for keeping the peace, was also seen. I like the look of this, it means my usual form might not be as out of place. The mist would still be a problem though. My wearer just walked past the multitude of mostly unicorns with a happy smile. Occasionally she would smile and wave at a random pony who glanced at us. The majority of the time they’d wave back and continue about their own business, heedless of the knowledge that their ruler just past them by. After we waved at the twelfth random pony, it started to seem like Sunny might be after someone to interact with. Well, I’m here. “It sure is busy out here,” I said directly into my wearer’s ear, in the hope of starting a conversation. This prompted my wearer to pause and do a quick scan of the bustling streets around us. “Of course it is, Canterlot is a city full of life. Each of our ponies have their own unique reasonings for being here.” That’s true, some of them are clearly working, running stores and cleaning the streets. Others were like us, clearly seeking to buy things from the multitude of stores. Celestia then continued on her way saying, “as do we.” “Oh yeah, I know.” Loony’s present needs to be the highest priority. I can enjoy the sites afterwards. Maybe Sunny would even be willing to bring me down here again. Maybe Luna would want to come. Now that could be fun. I bet a lot has changed since the last time she had a proper explore. After another few shoe steps, a fancy building slightly on its own caught my eye. It was decorated with stars and a large golden plaque. Through its windows, groups of children could be seen sitting at desks. Hmm, that must be one of the city’s schools. My thoughts on the building were interrupted, as my vision was turned away from it followed by a familiar laugh. “Oh sorry, some of these buildings are quite interesting in the light.” In my distracted state, I’d forced the disguised pegacorn to stare at the distinct building. Probably not the most helpful, as she couldn’t see where she was going. “I am glad you enjoy our fair city’s aesthetics,” Sunny replied in her warm tone, before stopping to look at the building. “That my metallic friend, is the school for gifted unicorns. Many of our brightest ponies graduated from that institution,” she educated, while ignoring the confused glances she was getting. Giving a tour to someone they can’t see probably looks a little strange. “Cool,” was my response, while I wondered if there was an equivalent school for gifted pegasi/ground ponies. It’s a little strange to raise ponies separate like that. It could stop them integrating properly. Saying that, ponies do seem to get on quite well. At my continued interest, Celestia started to make her way towards the building. “Would you like to take a closer look?” “Not right now,” I said hastily. If it’s a school, there’ll be a lot of kids in there. It would be a little creepy for a random pegasus to take a look. Especially one that keeps talking to herself. That gained me a shrug of Sunny’s now smaller wings, “your loss. You would probably prefer our city’s library anyway.” Now that had me interested. “Is it bigger than the castle’s?” “Well, it is an entire building dedicated to books,” The disguised pegacorn said slyly. When we’re finished present hunting, that place has to be our next stop. There’s no way she’d bring that up without giving me the option to visit, right? Maybe I could convince someone to take me for an entire day out? Celestia’s next statement broke me from my daydream of books. “Hmm, maybe we should start here,” she suddenly said absently. She had stopped outside of an apparently random store called Spire Designs. “Luna might appreciate something like this from you.” What does that place even sell? The store front gives no indication and aren’t spires big, tall towers or something? Maybe they’re an interior decorator or something. “Sure,” I said to the pegacorn who had already started pushing the door open, eliciting the sound of a small bell. “What does this place… oh.” From the numerous racks of clothing, it was quite clearly some sort of clothes store. “Yeah, this is a great idea.” For royalty, Luna doesn’t seem to own many clothes at all. The only outfits she really seems to wear, are her standard regalia and well… me. “Since that time she wore you to the gala, I have been thinking Lulu’s wardrobe needs improving,” Celestia divulged, clearly thinking along the same lines as me. She then took a precursory look around the room. “Does anything catch your eye?” Oh no, decisions. Does she think I know things about this stuff? Well, it makes sense that the one getting the present has to pick. Maybe Celestia should get the clothes and I’ll pick something else? Well, I’ll give it a go first. “Not yet I’ll have to take a quick look.” “Okay, I think there are some nice dresses over there,” Celestia said while pointing a hoof. As she didn’t walk over, I took that as permission to wander over myself. She didn’t even acknowledge my actions as I started carefully shoeing through the dresses she pointed out. Now then, Loony seems to wear black and blue most of the time, but she also seemed to like silver. Hmmm, well she doesn’t own much silver stuff, so that’s probably the best place to start. Upon moving over to a collection of silver emblazoned dresses, I became aware of a pleasant tune coming from nearby. So close that you could say it was almost directly below my hat. Seems Sunny has started humming to preoccupy herself. It’s probably pretty boring to be walked around a shop like a puppet. Well, everyone likes a little music while they shop, especially when it’s as melodious as this. I’m not going to distract her. Aided by my wearers tune, my searching eventually narrowed to a selection of four dresses. These dresses were much thinner than Loony’s previous, lacking the extended skirt that dragged along the ground. That length constantly rubbing across the ground was pretty annoying for me. Good for letting me pick things up though and to throw a changeling or two around. Anyway, ignoring the shorter length, the four dresses only had the fact they were silver in common. Everything else about their style was completely different and being the uncultured ball of gas I am, there’s no way to distinguish which is best. Maybe material is an important quality to review? How to go about checking that? With that thought, I glanced at the furry forelegs I currently had access to. Oh right, that makes sense. Lifting up one of my wearer’s legs, I began rubbing it on a random dress to see how nice the material was. It didn’t feel impressive to be honest. There was nothing wrong with it per say, as it wasn’t rough and didn’t catch. It’s just something you would hardly notice. Maybe that’s a good thing? Wonder how I feel to ponies? While inspecting the various dresses, it suddenly dawned on me that the pleasant sound resounding through my hat had ceased. Celestia had stopped humming. That thought made me freeze in place, like I’d been caught with my shoe against the Discord statue again. I’m doing a weird thing aren’t I? “What are you doing?” came the expected confused words, as the disguised pegacorn looked at her raised foreleg. Okay, I just need to own my actions and it’ll all be fine. “Just trying to test them out. Does that material feel okay to you?” Right, that response hopefully nailed it. Thankfully, my words elicited a light giggle from my wearer, “sure, it feels fine. That is a pretty unusual method for testing clothing. Normally ponies would try them on.” Well, I can’t try on clothes thank you very much. She then moved her foreleg over to another dress and picked up its hanger. “I kind of like this one.” Moving my sunglasses down Celestia’s muzzle, I gave the garment a closer look. “Might be a little plain for Loony.” One solid colour without any patterns? Loony deserves better than that. That gained me a head tilt, “plain does not have to mean bad. Many ponies like a less extravagant style.” As Sunny finished speaking, a haughty laugh echoed from behind us. “Oh, my dear, that dress doesn’t match your divine coat in the slighted. One moment and I shall show you the way,” an unknown pony said. By the time Celestia turned to speak to her, the light blue unicorn had already made her way to the other side of the shop and began searching through another rack. “It is okay, I am here to buy for somepony else,” Celestia said politely, while we watched the mare continue her search. The mare in question seemed to completely ignore my wearer’s words and continued to diligently search, leaving our eyeline when she walked behind another set of displays. I could only sigh when Sunny decided the best thing to do, was put her selection back and politely wait for the shop assistant to return. In an attempt to reassure me she for once whispered, “do not worry, we can politely refuse her when she gets back.” She’s wasting our precious time to get Loony’s present. Maybe we should tell her to go away? That’s probably a bit rude. Luckily, we didn’t have to wait too long for the mare to return, cargo in tow. Said cargo, was a very expensive looking bright golden dress. The kind of golden dress that a certain Sun pegacorn might want to wear. “Voila, this one should help accentuate that precious coat of yours. It’ll even go with those golden shoes marvellously,” our anchor explained. Do my shoes really look that expensive? This mare probably thinks we’re easy marks. Luckily for me, Celestia had her eye on the true prize. “That is very nice but…” she started to say before hesitating. Her eyes started to wander over the fiery trim of the dress. Simultaneously, I noticed a knowing gleam enter the sales pony’s eyes, “yes, yes, I see it now. This should fit your sunny disposition spectacularly.” The dress then hovered ever closer to Celestia’s intrigued face. Seems I wasn’t so lucky after all. With a slight ear flick, Sunny raised a hoof to touch the dress. “That dress truly looks lovely, but…” she started to say before looking down at my shoes. She then, without looking away from me, asked “Can I try it on?” Seriously, what happened to polite refusal? Before I could answer, the unnamed mare nodded in response, while hovering the dress over Sunny’s back. “But of course you can,” she said, while waving a hoof for us to follow, “there are some changing rooms over here. I’ll be right outside to see how dashing you’ll look.” Sunny just politely nodded, before carrying the dress inside and closing the door. Once we were obscured from view, Sunny’s ears folded back while her head drooped in an apparently guilty expression. She then carefully said, “do you think this dress looks nice with your shoes?” “Erm, sure,” I said while mirroring her tone. Does she think I’m going to be mad at her for getting something for herself? “Would you mind if I take you off for a minute? I will be quick,” she said while looking over to the slightly garish outfit. An unsure “Yes?” escaped my lipless hat. “You don’t have to ask permission for that.” How weird would it be if I forced my friends to wear me? Sunny seemed to brighten back up at that and after saying “thank you” began removing my bags, earrings, hat and sunglasses. She then folded me into a neat pile on top of a provided bench, making sure to place my sunglasses on top so I could still see. As I watched her dress herself a thought struck me. If she were to leave me here, I’d have no means of disguise, effectively leaving me helpless to the stares of passing ponies. Sunny probably asked permission because of that. That was nice of her. Once her slightly less sentient attire was donned, Sunny did a little spin in the manner of a dog chasing its tail, before letting her gaze settle on my resting sunglasses. “So, it looks good, right?” the pseudo pegasus asked, the usual smile once again upon her face. “Yes, I like the… erm… patterns?” Please don’t ask me of all people about these things. My opinion has got to be the least qualified. Luckily, my terrible disaster of a compliment didn’t appear to dampen Celestia’s mood. Probably because she expected it. She only slightly shook her head before opening the door to the awaiting shop assistant. “Oh my, a fiery dress for a fiery mare,” the unicorn said, her mouth open in forced awe, as she gestured my friend forward. “Come come, get a feel for it. You know what they say? The dress chooses the wearer.” My friend chose to obey the irritating sales pony’s words and walked out of the room, leaving me behind. Unexpectedly, the sales pony took the time to have a quick scan through the changing rooms interior with a confused expression, before closing the door. She might have heard me talking there. Oh well, she can think Sunny’s talking to a ghost as much as she wants. With the door closed, I could only really make out a few muffled words, as the two ponies moved away from the room. The only thing left for me to do was to sigh and wait alone in the box. This really does suck, without Celestia I really am stuck with nothing to do but twiddle my shoes. Wait a second, where are my shoes? They were right here, right? It was then that I noticed the light pressure that comes with a pony walking in shoe steps. This was quickly followed by a light pull in the door’s direction, causing my hat and glasses to fall off the bench. Oh, dammit Sunny. I should have known after she said she liked how it went with my shoes. Okay, it’s fine. She’ll be back soon. From the way the pull lessened and increased sporadically, it was clear she was walking up and down an aisle. That made it ever so more irritating. While there was a period where I could relax, it came without warning where I was suddenly pulled towards the changing room door. How longs she going to be? It’s already been ten seconds over my limit. With a groan, I debated my options. Option one, cut my shoes off from myself. I’ve done it before with a small amount of mist, I can do it again. The only problem is that it kinda hurts. Option two, drag Celestia back in here. That’s the less painful option and she’ll understand, she’s the most understanding pony I’ve met. The answer was pretty obvious to be honest, so concentrating on the walking pattern, I halted the pegacorns little patrol and turned her around. It was then easy to start marching her back to my little prison. As she neared, I could hear the shop assistant’s voice sounding slightly confused while Celestia continued to speak normally. Suppose my blind shoe steps might have looked a little janky. When she got close enough, I caught the final part of their conversation. “I think I will purchase this, it is lovely. Right after I open this door,” came the barely audible words of my shoe’s wearer, right as an audible thunk occurred on the doors outside. Uh-oh. That sound probably didn’t mean anything good. The accompanying, “are you okay?” from the shop assistant helped reinforce that idea. Probably should have let her finish the journey herself. Trying to prove a point wasn’t worth it. A moment after I let Celestia move, the door swung open admitting one pegasus who was gently rubbing the end of her muzzle. “Do not worry, this dresses’ beauty had me lost in thought,” she said to the apparently concerned shop assistant before she stepped right on top of me and closed the door. Apparently, feeling my sunglasses press down to the floor with the slightest crunch wasn’t a pleasant feeling for the pegacorn. It wasn’t for me either to be honest. Her response was immediate, in that she winced before very slowly raising her hoof. When she finally brought herself to look down, she let out a breath in relief. “Oh, thank goodness, I thought I had broken you there,” she said after putting my glasses back on the bench. Well, she had, but I just fixed it. It turns out not to be too difficult really. “It’s fine. I might have deserved it for walking you into the door.” At least she’s forgotten to be mad at me for that. If she ever was. “No pony deserves their eyes to be destroyed,” the sun pony said while removing her garment. “Besides, Lulu would probably have had my head if it was on purpose.” “That’s a little bit of an over exaggeration.” From the way Sunny bobbed her head side to side, it seemed she didn’t agree with me. As she once again donned my form, Celestia decided to move the conversation along. “Sorry I forgot about your shoes. They go so nicely with my coat.” “Thanks, I made them myself.” “You know, if it were possible, I would love to commission a set from you,” the sun pony added with a smile before moving to open the door. Her dress draped across our back. “Clothes designed by clothes? That could take off,” I said jokingly. Then again, maybe I could make some for her? That shard Twilight had was separate for such a long time and I never noticed. I’d just have to stop them trying to get back to me. Hmm, maybe that could be an idea for Luna’s present? Once Celestia opened the door, we were met with the curious waiting shop assistant. “Is everything okay?” she asked, a slight hint of concern tinting her voice. She probably thinks Sunny’s crazy. Suppose it doesn’t really matter, seeing as this pegasus won’t exist after today. “Oh, I am fine. The world got away from me for a little bit. Sorry about knocking over those racks,” Sunny replied while scratching the back of her head. Behind the shop assistant, an entire line of racks had been carelessly knocked aside. Whoops, seems walking blind is a terrible idea. She then used a wing to hold up her dress, “I think I am quite ready to make this purchase.” “Excellent, I’ll get that rung up for you Mrs,” the nameless shop assistant said without a trace of her earlier concern. Clearly, she was only interested in making the sale. As the unicorn rushed off towards the till, I decided to ask, “are you really going to buy that thing? It won’t fit you.” “Of course. You said it yourself, this looks quite nice on Sunny Skies,” she said a little too loudly. Starting to think she wants the shop assistant to think she’s crazy. It is partially my fault, maybe I should have kept quiet so she didn’t feel the need to reply? If she overheard our conversation, she didn’t show it, as she happily entered the sale into her till and took Celes… Sunny Skies’ money. She’s using my nickname for her disguise. Well at least she appreciates it. “That’s gone through. Are you interested in anything else?” our sales pony asked, probably in the hopes of selling something else expensive to the easy mark. Celestia started to say, “hmm ye…” Before I interrupted her in her own voice, “No, thank you. I’ve got what I came for.” That earned me the slightest of frowns from the pegacorn. “Well, if I am not interested in buying anything else, I will see you another time.” She then turned and went to leave the store, a disappointed sale’s pony waving behind us, probably wondering if she could have gotten more money out of the crazy mare. The moment the door closed behind us, Sunny looked down at me questioningly, “what about Lulu’s present? Do you not like clothes shopping?” She actually sounded pretty disappointed. “As far as I can recall, this is my first-time shopping for anything, it was fine. My main concern is that those dresses are going to be way too small for you in your regular form.” Normal ponies sure are tiny, then again, so am I right now. It really does feel cramped in this form. Wonder if Celestia feels the same way? That gained me a slight pout, “they can easily be resized.” Really? Is that with magic or someone physically adding material? Suppose it makes more sense as to why she bought that dress now. Wait a second, she didn’t think I was calling her fat just then, did she? No matter how hard Luna tries to convince everyone, Sunny isn’t fat. Just heavier than the average pony. Deciding to skim over my potential insult, I said, “none of those dresses seemed to suit her anyway.” “Hmm, what would you have had in mind?” Sunny asked curiously as she began making her way down the road. After a slight pause to think about it I came up with a groundbreaking response. “Something different.” Yep, that’s helpful. “Different huh,” from the way she said that, she saw my words as equally ‘helpful’. “Okay erm, how about more patterns, more mystique. Something that reflects her magical nature, you know?” That’s a better response. “Sounds like somepony is describing themselves,” my wearer teased with a knowing smile. “I am sure she would love for you to be her dress again.” That’s not what I meant. “I wasn’t quite thinking that, but you did give me some ideas before.” If I can make something for Loony, it could be the best kind of present. If I get good at it, Celestia could even end up with those shoes she asked for. She is probably my second-best friend after Loony. “Well, we can continue looking around town for now, to see if you get any more,” Sunny said while looking back at the clothes store with a hint of disappointment. Wonder if she wanted to spend the full time in there? Clothes shopping can’t be that high up on her to do list. Ponies are naked most of the time anyway. “If you like, I can mimic your new dress,” I offered, in an attempt to make her forget about the shop. “No thank you, it is not really suitable for out here,” she supposed without breaking her stride. “Anyway, I am not sure what it is, but your material is a lot nicer than the real thing. You might end up making me jealous of Lulu.” “Fair enough.” Seems I actually do a good job. After meandering down Canterlot’s streets for a while, it became clear Celestia didn’t actually have any further destinations in mind. She probably planned for us to get Loony’s present there and then just explore the rest of the time. I mean we are still exploring, just with a slight goal in mind. The view around here is quite nice, they’ve got some pretty interesting statues out here. I bet none of them will come to life. Eventually, we made it to a familiar wide-open space. Familiar because it was where Luna took us to star gaze after helping out that foal. That was a good night. It’s pretty different during the day. For one thing, it is a little on the busy side. Still, the fountains in the middle are nicer in the day light. Sunny seemed to appreciate the area too as she had, to my delight, stopped to take in the view. There’s also a strange beeping sound drifting on the wind. Instead of turning my wearers head to look, I just slightly tilted my sunglasses. Sunny’s interest was quite clearly on something else in the opposite direction. What lay before my tinted lenses almost made me double take. Flashing lights were adorned to a building labelled as ‘the arcade’, the clear origin of the sound being that of actual real pony video games. I’d have made Sunny’s mouth fall open, if it hadn’t filled up with saliva first. Wow, what is she looking at to almost cause her to drool? The answer was a large cake store with ponies sitting outside enjoying deserts. Well, that makes sense. Wait, that gives me an idea. “Erm, Sunny have you seen that arcade over there?” That brought my friend back to reality. She stealthily swallowed her saliva before saying, “hmm, oh yes. That place contains something referred to as electronic games. They are a relatively new invention that the young ponies seem to enjoy.” After her quick glance at the building, she immediately looked back to the cake store. “Can we go in? It might be fun,” I suggested, attempting to lay the groundwork for my plan. “We should probably get a gift for Lulu first,” the disguised pegacorn said, predictably shooting down the idea. “Come on, it’ll only take a second. Then we could go and get a cake or something.” There, that should increase my chances. She was probably going to get one anyway, but this way we both get a thing. Happily, the pegacorn took the bait and started to walk towards the building. “That is a great idea, this can count as our break,” Celestia reasoned with herself. In my slight excitement, I made Celestia increase her pace to a light trot which from the laughter did not go unnoticed. “I’m just really interested in what ponies do for fun, okay? I haven’t seen that much,” I defended my actions as much as possible. “It is fine, it might be good to see what keeps the little ones entertained.” Upon entering the structure, the noise increased tenfold due to the large number of ponies enjoying the games. Many of them were fun sized, but quite a few were clearly adults. There were even ponies with marks that denoted joy sticks and CDs. That is the kind of mark I can get behind. The closest game to the door, involved two pixel ponies dressed in various garb fighting. If I only get one go on something, that’s the game for me. Shame it’s already in use. A further shame, because Celestia had walked us over to a cabinet containing a large number of stuffed toys with a claw at the top. Clearly, we have slightly different interests. Luna would probably want to try the fighting game. Off to our side, a pint size pony was operating a similar machine with a small joystick and failing to get a teddy bear. It took the little guy three tries before he gave up. That’ll be us soon. “There is quite a large selection of rewards within this machine,” the oblivious pegacorn pointed out, still focused on the machine before us. “Yeah, but no one ever wins any.” These things are always rigged; besides I have enough plushies. Heedless of my words, Sunny pulled out a single bit, “the two of us are likely more skilled than a couple of foals.” “Somehow, I doubt that.” These kids have probably spent way more time in here. That caused a smile to crack on Sunny’s face, as she gestured to a particular prize. “Look, you have to win that. It is almost fate.” Inside the machine were numerous toys, including replicas of the Princesses themselves. Not only that, but there was one particular one that stood out from the rest. It was a stuffed toy of Luna, similar to the ones in my room except for one aspect. The toy was wearing an okay replica of me. That’s probably come from the pictures of Loony after Discord’s defeat. Those newspaper articles were pretty interesting. “I think Lulu would love that; do you not agree?” Sunny said knowingly, while hovering her bit around the machine’s coin slot. Luna might actually enjoy the sentiment of that thing. Yeah, this is a good idea, as it can go on my shelf if she doesn’t want it. “Okay, you’ve got me,” I sighed out in mock irritation, while simultaneously using a shoe to push the bit into the machine. One try can’t hurt. Cut to thirty seconds later, on my third attempt the claw actually gripped the toy. Celestia had even started to congratulate me, just as the claw decided to let it go, dropping it the inch it had risen back into the cabinet. I couldn’t help the growl that escaped my wearer. “Stupid rigged piece of rubbish.” They’re using my image; can’t I get a free one? “Can I have a try? I think I see the method,” Sunny asked as a curtesy, already putting another of her bits into the machine. “Sure.” Her first attempt was awful, completely missing the stupid toy by half a shoe. That kind of set the tone for the next ten attempts, where each time she got ever so slightly closer. It does make sense that she wouldn’t be good at this, she’s probably never seen anything like it in her life. “Maybe we should give up? They might sell it somewhere.” My suggestion seemed to irritate the regal pony. “No no, I can do this. Luna needs this.” This thing is going to bankrupt the kingdom before we get that toy. Looks like whoever made this is getting some increased taxes. Saying that, Celestia’s concentration is kind of insane. She’s even started to bite her tongue absently. On the whatever it was attempt, the claw actually gripped the miniature Luna and rose it into the air. “Hah, see, it is all about patience,” the smug pegacorn began just as the wind was robbed from her wings when the toy fell back into the machine, inches from the prize bin. “Oh,” was all that she uttered in a slightly defeated tone, while her wings dropped by our sides. That’s as close as we are ever going to get. “Can’t you just magic the thing out?” I suggested, in a simultaneous attempt at sympathy and to bring an end to this situation. Come to think of it, how could a machine exist like this? Almost everyone is a unicorn, why wouldn’t they just float out the thing they want? With my suggestion, Sunny started to review the machine. Looking at various parts in an attempt to discern something. “Though nothing is visible, the machine is likely tamper proof,” she surmised, clearly thinking along the same lines as me. She then rubbed a hoof upon her forehead where a certain appendage was missing. “Even if it is not, my capabilities are a little reduced right now.” “Well, maybe I can get it out?” If this thing has some sort of magical method of stopping ponies stealing, it shouldn’t be able to affect my unique nature. I can probably just eat whatever tries to stop me. “That is cheating,” the pegacorn said matter-of-factly. “Only a little.” Suppose breaking the law in front of the nation’s ruler isn’t the best move. To my surprise, Sunny relented. “Fine, go ahead. This device has already cost me 50 bits. It is clearly cheating us in some way,” she assented, with a small amount of distain for the machine’s creator. 50 bits! I’ll have to reimburse her for that. This is supposed to be from me after all. Looking at the machine, it was clear the only point of access was the prize bin at the bottom. It had a little swinging door clearly designed to prevent anyone pushing a leg into the machine, with a noticeable amount of magic surrounding it. Well, it may stop a pony, but I’m a bit more slippery than that. With Celestia opening the door, I released a small amount of mist out of a shoe and poured it into the prize bin. When enough was through, Celestia let the door close intending to clear my way through to the prizes. It did work partially as intended, granting me the required access we were after. It also showed me why the door had an enchantment on it. As soon as the door closed, the magic enchantment meant to block a unicorn’s magic, snipped the mist extending from my shoe. Immediately making me pull my shoe back and shake it as if I’d been burned. This is the second time Sunny has seen this happen. At least she doesn’t seem to have noticed. My wearer had her face practically glued to the glass, as she watched my now small quantity of mist float around with some anticipation. She was probably desperate for this situation to end so she could get her cake. Oh well, this isn’t a problem, I can still move the mist. Once the mist had gotten its bearings, floating down towards the toy was a sinch and grabbing on was way easier than using the claw. An issue however did present itself. The toy was apparently too heavy for the small quantity of mist I had managed to infiltrate with. It could only lift the toy a short distance before having to let go, just like the damn claw. Wow, this is a problem I’ve never really had before. Seems that piece doesn’t actually have much magic left. Makes sense, seeing as I’m mostly outside the magic box. Feeling my wearer getting inpatient I continued my attempts to move the toy. Okay, maybe it’s just a matter of grip. Maybe I could put my mist inside the toy? I’ve done it with a slice of toast before. Absorbing my mist into the toy was not a difficult task and did allow me to move it more easily. In fact, I could fill up the entire space inside and move it like a miniature puppet. The moment I had the toy stand up, Celestia steadily murmured, “Eclipse, are you… the toy?” In response, the toy was easily manipulated to turn its stuffed head in Sunny’s direction and then give a small wave with its tiny forelegs. Not quite sure what to make of it, my wearer waved back. “Only partially, I’m mostly out here. Give me a second to get it out.” I chimed into Sunny’s ears, while I attempted to have the toy climb up to its salvation. “You are quite adorable in there,” Sunny chortled, while I failed to grip the top of the plastic shield. Even with the thing mobile, Luna’s mini me isn’t going anywhere. Hmm, unless… “Sunny, you should try the claw game again. You might have a chance this time.” She didn’t need asking twice as a bit was already ready in her hoof, ready to play another round. This time, the claw hovered over the toy and descended like normal. Its target then moved into position perfectly below it, before looking up at the metallic claw above, in apparent inquisitiveness. As the claw gripped on, I had the toy flail its legs in pretend panic, before having it hold on for dear life. The moment it was over the prize bin, I let the toy fall where it landed with a light thud. Ha, perfect, one present for Loony, sorted. The toy didn’t remain within the prize bin for long, as Sunny quickly opened the door and held it up with both fore hooves. A large smile forming upon her face. As it was quite close to her face, I had it gently boop the end of her nose, earning the toy a warm hug from my wearer. “Aww, this little angel is perfect. Luna will love it,” Sunny cooed, while the toy was squashed to her chest fluff. Maybe leaving the mist inside could be part of the present? It is separate from me. Then again, that shard didn’t like being left with Twilight. During my internal debate, Celestia noticed a spy off to our side, causing her to smile mischievously at the puppet. “Princess, it seems like it is your time to shine.” Before I could question what she had in mind, the little Luna was deposited upon the ground in front of a very similar sized flesh and blood unicorn. Said unicorn, was watching the toy intently and even raised a hoof to prod it. Oh no, don’t have me interact with children. That never ends well. Curse you, Sunny. A light hoof poked the side of the toys head causing me to move it back slightly. The child took another step forward before looking up to Sunny, “is that thing alive or something?” “Of course, it has the magic of our fair Princess,” Sunny proclaimed, while pushing the toy closer. “She has always cared for foals.” Not really sure what to do, I had the toy raise a stuffed hoof and prod the pony gently in the chest, eliciting a light giggle. Well, maybe I won’t cause this kid to run away in fear. You’d think that everyone would see a possessed toy as bad news. After a round of the two small beings nudging each other, the foal started to lose interest in the, I hesitate to call it, game, “can she do anything else?” “I am not quite sure, she might be a little nervous,” Celestia said warmly, while scratching her chin. Fine, I’ll try a little harder. There’s not much a tiny stuffed toy can do. It can’t fly or do magic, well it probably could if I put more mist into it. It does contain a part of me, maybe I can speak through it? Where does my voice actually come from? I don’t have a real mouth. Don’t think about that, just concentrate on the toy for now. Focusing on the small quantity of mist within the toy, actually led to a slightly more interesting development. A slight red glow came to its eye before a new point of view became available to me. One that was very close to the ground and filled with the now normal sized pony. Having the toy look up, I could see my now giant friend towering over me, more focused upon the kid than her littlest sister. Simultaneously, I could see the toy staring straight back at me. Seeing from two places is weird. Okay, here goes. Test one two three, nah, just go for it. “Hello,” escaped the toys stitched mouth in my usual musical tone, causing the foal to jump back in surprise. Suppose Loony doesn’t sound like some other worldly spirit. To the delight of my wearer, the small disturbance attracted the attention of a few more foals who came over to investigate. One of them eagerly asked her, “where did you get it? It’s kinda cute.” In turn, Sunny pointed at the claw machine. “From one of these fine machines behind me. She sort of jumped out at me, so I had to have her.” “But nopony wins those things,” a foal complained from the side. In an attempt to placate the kids, I made a slightly better effort with my voice. This time it emerged as an autotuned Loony, which might actually be passable. “I am the Princess of the night’s little sister. I require one gentle hug to, erm, I don’t know, lift my curse or something.” It needs to be gently so the toy survives until Loony’s birthday. Only one of the foals stepped forward, probably because the others were so creeped out by the talking toy. She immediately gripped onto the toy and squished it flat against her chest. I made the toy try its best to escape, but its tiny spongy limbs weren’t very effective. Much to the amusement of the gathered foals. “Sunny, help! The night is in danger of suffocation.” “Oh no, what ever will you do,” came the mock horrified reply. She then continued to happily watch the foals gather round the struggling toy. Okay, fun time’s over. This thing’s a present for Loony. Seeing as Celestia wasn’t going to help on her own, I used her hooves to grab a hold of the toy. “I think Luna is tired now little one.” I had her say, prompting the foal to release my smaller self. A chorus of awws rang out at the toy’s removal, prompting Celestia to sigh before depositing the toy upon her back. She then lit up once again, while gesturing to the machine, “you know, you could have your own if you manage to win. If you’re lucky it might be as magical as this.” Somehow, I doubt that. They should save their pocket money for the real games. Sunny then turned from the group of foals and started to walk away. As she walked, I had the toy turn and wave back, prompting a few of them to try their luck at the game. It was then that I became aware we were heading for the arcade’s exit. “Erm, Sunny, could we try that fighting game?” I asked directly into her ears. That’s way more my speed than a rigged claw game. “Hmm, I think we have too much attention to stay here any longer,” Sunny began, while looking at a few foals who were still eyeing up my present. She then pushed opened the arcade’s door and looked across the square. “Plus, I seem to remember the promise of a cake.” With a light sigh I relented, “that’s fair enough.” It’s probably overstepping my bounds to try and convince her to stay. As we walked, Sunny used a wing to hold the toy in front of herself, “do you think you could continue talking through the toy? It would be fun and maybe you could actually practice talking to regular ponies.” My voice sounded pretty good to me, if only I didn’t have that reverb. With only the slightest sigh, I had the toy look up at Sunny, before squeakily saying, “okay, but just so you know, this thing is basically just a shoe puppet for me. I’m mostly on you.” My words didn’t seem to stop the bright smile Sunny was sporting. “Well, you could probably fit more of yourself inside if you wanted. From the foal’s reaction, I say it would make a great way to ingratiate yourself to ponies.” That was true, I was practically acting on my own and they weren’t terrified. Maybe that does have merit for the future. Then again, it’s probably possible for me to copy this thing using my mist, no toy required. Seeing our destination fast approaching, Sunny once again deposited the toy on her back, before licking her lips. “Anyway, onwards to the cake store. I really need one final chance to savour these culinary delights, before Lulu torments me.” Hang on. “What was that last part?”