//------------------------------// // Season 1 Episode 1: Friendship is Magic - Part 1 // Story: My Little Pony: Broships are Magic // by eemoo1o //------------------------------// Three moons later “Hm,” hummed Sunburst, flipping onto his back and tapping his chin with a hoof. “Elements of Harmony? Never heard of those before.” With his magic, he stuffed some potato chips into his mouth. “Ember! C-Could you-” his glasses slid down his face, so he pushed this back up again, “check the Canterlot Library for the Elements of Harmony, please?” Ember passed by Sunburst’s bed, on which he lay, with a white towel around her body and another over her shoulder. She was brushing her teeth with a red toothbrush, which matched her bored, lidded eyes. “You do it.” She said simply, somewhat passive-aggressively, and that was that. “Hey, Sunburst!” Twinkleshine, a white unicorn with a fluffy pink mane, greeted. The cloaked stallion simply trotted passed, head in his levitated book with a barely audible response. The yellow unicorn next to her was the next to call him. “Sunburst! Hey! You coming home for Starlight’s birthday tomorro...oooow..?” she trailed off the second she saw that Sunburst had disappeared. Ember, who had been on the unicorn stallion’s back for the entire trip to the library, finally spoke once her feet were both on the ground again. “Aren’t we, you know... getting them anything? For their party, I mean.” Sunburst didn’t even look at the cerulean baby dragon as he put the book he had been reading back in one of the saddlebags under his cloak. “Party? W- I, uh- What party?” “The one those girls were going to?” she said dubiously, scratching the back of her scaly head. “Twilight’s I think they said?” “E, E, Eeeee...” he drawled, barely paying her any mind as he flipped through a book. “Nope!” The aforementioned book was tossed over his shoulder and into Ember. The baby dragon groaned and rubbed her head. She turned to him with narrowed pupils. “Hey, jerkface! Watch it!” Sunburst muttered a curt sorry Ember, and then used his magic to twirl a selection of open books in a circle over his head (tilted forward a smidge so he could view their contents). “E...” he muttered, “E, E-L? Elements- I, ugh!” He pranced on the spot antsily, before tossing his ring of books over his shoulder one by one, each hitting Ember back to the floor. By the time the little blue dragon got back to her feet, smoke was coming out of her nose. Her face went purple for a second as she clenched her fists and puffed out her cheeks. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she released the tight breath that she kept in, her purple face returning to its usual shade of sky blue. She was calm, until another book hit her directly in the face. “Sunbuuuurst!” The smoke that had filled the room had caught the unicorn’s attention, and he turned with wide eyes to the source. “Ember! How many times have I told you, not to breathe fire or smoke in the Canterlot Library! You might burn some valuable information!” Ember growled. “I wouldn’t have to if you didn’t keep throwing things at me, jerk!” Sunburst turned away from the second window he had just opened to peer at the collection of books scattered on the floor around her. “Which reminds me! Could you- uh,” he gave a sheepish grin, pushing his glasses back up his striped nose, “pick, I, uh- pick those up for me? Please?” “No.” came the blunt response. “What you’re looking for-” “The Elements of Harmony.” “Right.” Ember showed very little amusement. “Is probably going to be in the Magical Historical Artifacts of Lost Equestrian Culture in the Lifespan of Lord Discord.” She pointed over her shoulder with her right thumb. “What you’re looking at is the Magical Historical Artifacts of Old Equestrian Culture in the Lifespan of Lord Discord.” Sunburst merely blinked, before chuckling sheepishly and averting his gaze. “How could I forget! Wait until Headmare Twilight hears about this!” “She’d wish she was deaf.” Ember grumbled, before turning to spot the stallion pulling out a book from the top shelf of the section that she had guided him to. “Aha!” Sunburst exclaimed after flicking through the pages. He set the leatherbound book on a lectern and started reading. He blinked after a second with a shocked expression. “E-Ember! Come- Come quick!” “What?” Ember rushed over, wide eyed, and watched with Sunburst as piece by piece and page by page, the contents of the book disappeared with sharp rips until the cover was baron. “What the-” “Mm! Mm!” The two turned to see a snaggletoothed creature with body parts of several animals (an eagle here, a lion there, dragon in some parts and a bit of pony in the next) sitting mid air with a fork in one hand and a bowl of paper in the other. He was eating it like... like... “I do love a good salad, don’t you?” asked Discord with a mischievous grin. “You- you just-” Sunburst was at a loss for words. “Dry?” Ember grimaced, clearly having not joined two and two together. “Why,” Discord grabbed a bottle of ink from one of the writing desks close by, “now that I think of it...” he squirted it as if it was rubber and not glass. With every pump ink squirted into his ‘salad’ until it blew a raspberry at him to show that it had been emptied. “I do like a lot of dressing!” He sprinkled some scraps of satin and lacy frills into the bowl by just rubbing his paw’s digits together. He continued eating once his fork reappeared. Sunburst was shocked. “L-Lord Discord! Why? Why did you just-” the Lord of Chaos dabbed at his pointed lips with a paper napkin once his bowl was empty. “Isn’t that also paper?” “Hm? Point taken!” The napkin soon became a nice last addition to his meal. “My lord,” Sunburst briefly bowed, “with-” he fixed his glasses with his golden magic aura, “all due respect, why did you eat the book that I wanted to read?” In a flash, all objects that Discord held had vanished, and the draconequus now had his clawed arm around the unicorn, pulling him close. “Just between you and me, Sunshoes,” he said, “Fluttershy told me that you haven’t been getting out much. Friendships are important, and you’ve got-” Discord pulled away, counted on his fingers and muttered dim witted mathematical-sounding phrases like ‘add the one’, ‘carry the two’, and the like, before he threw his hands up in a shrug, “-well, you live a pretty sad life. So, we’re - and by we I mean I - here to watch you bloom!” In one quick motion, Discord now held a baseball bat and bowled a ball into the air. It went into the air, towards the domed ceiling of the Library (which Sunburst was sure seemed higher than normal, and continued higher and higher because of Discord’s discord-magic) until it suddenly started to drop like a stone. However, before the ball could hit cowering Sunburst in the face, it blossomed into a pink lotus flower and drifted onto his nose like a feather. It suddenly exploded with a poof and Sunburst sneezed at the sudden pile of petals (and explosion of pollen) on his face and mane. By the time he stood and patted himself down, Discord’s props had vanished. “Pack up your bags, Sunshine! You’re headed to the refound Crystal Empire for the Crystal Faire!” “WHAT!?” Discord snapped his fingers, and in a flash, Sunburst and Ember were back in their chambers. The second they were gone, and he was alone, the draconequus’ arms dropped to his side and his grin fell. “I really do hate salad.” On the train to the north tundra, Ember held up a letter to read to Sunburst, who sulked with his head on his forelegs on the narrow windowsill. “Okay,” he sighed, “now you can read it.” “Dear Sunburst,” she started, “I am grateful for your visit. Although there is more to a young pony’s life than studying, it does not hurt to know as much as you possibly can. I know somepony who was like you, once. Who, but your own Headmare Twilight Sparkle!- Ugh, why are all ponies’ names so... sappy?” Sunburst shot her a glare. “Alright, alright. Sheesh. Ahem... She was sent by her mentor to make friends, and now she’s blossomed more than ever! I’m excited to have you supervise the first Crystal Faire’s preparation. I’m sure the Empire would love to see a friendly face after their millennium disappearance. But, Lord Discord and I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends!” Sunburst groaned, and buried his head deeper into his forelimbs. “With lots of love from, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” Ember finished before turning the scroll around, frowning. “P.S. Call me Cadance. All my friends do. Ugh.” she rolled her eyes, her tone flat. “P.P.S. I know Twilight from my foalsitting days. You and her really have so much in common.” “That’s why she’s my tutor.” Sunburst grumbled, putting one of his white hooves and face together. “Hey,” Ember rolled up the scroll and placed a claw onto Sunburst’s shoulder. He looked over at her. “Look on the bright side, Sunburst. The Princess and Royal Advisor planned for you to stay in a nice bungalow to yourself with plenty of books. Doesn’t that make you happy... or, uh, something?” her smile had faded and she had looked up to retract her claw and roll it with the palm faced up as she spoke. Sunburst shot up, taking the dragon by surprise. “Y-Yeah! Yes, Ember,” he fixed his glasses with a hoof, “why yes it does. I’ll read up on the Elements of Harmony and find out why Lord Discord ate all there is to know about them!” “But when will you complete your little side quest?” The train halted. “Y’know, like the Princess said.” “She said to check on preparations.” Sunburst said once the two were outside at the train station, dressed for the colder weather. “And I’ll do my duty.” They entered the Empire after a gust of snow obstructed the camera angle. “But the fate of Equestria does not rely on me making friends.” Sunburst proclaimed. “Don’t jinx yourself,” Ember muttered. Sunburst, using his magic, pulled out a scroll from his saddlebags under his navy cloak. He unravelled it and skimmed through all the way to the bottom. “Okay, it says here that the first thing on the list is the weather.” The two started walking through town. “Hey, how about over there.” Ember pointed to a cloud that held a dozing pale blue pegasus stallion on his front, cheek pressed against his forelegs. Despite the one he was napping (and snoring, and drooling) on, the sky was clear. “Um,” Sunburst fixed his glasses before he and Ember shared a momentary look. “Hello?” He peered at his scroll. “S-Soarin, is it? Soarin?” “H-” the pegasus snorted, bright green eyes opened, “Huh? Huh! Huh?” He looked around, each movement of his head like quickfire. His eyes slowly met them, he finally checked to see who had been calling him. “Oh, hey little stallion!” He fluttered down to greet them. Upon noticing Ember, his smile faded. “You’re not from around here, are you?” “Oh, no! I’m a student of Lord Discord…’s Royal Advisor’s... friend.” “Who, as we all know, runs everything under Lord Discord because he couldn’t care less about education.” Ember chimed in. She looked up, and the second she saw Soarin’s face, her eyes turned into love hearts and her feet left the ground.  “Yes, thank you, Ember,” Sunburst muttered. Upon seeing Soarin’s taken aback expression, the unicorn averted his gaze with a sheepish grin. “Yeah. He sent me here to make sure the Faire was all organised.” “Soarin...” Ember said absentmindedly, still afloat. Noticing her expression made Soarin feel a little awkward. The sunny yellow unicorn looked up at the sky and adjusted his glasses. “But, I see you have it covered, so we’ll be going now. Bye.” As he and Ember turned to leave (Ember much more hesitantly than the unicorn, with love hearts fading in her eyes as she turned), Sunburst was irritated to find that Soarin was calling them back. “Hey! Hey, dude! Dragon-dude!” Ember sighed and muttered under her breath. “I’ll take it.” “What?!” Soarin grinned sheepishly; he scratched the back of his head with his hoof as he started following the two from the air. Sunburst, with an annoyed and half-lidded expression, dragged Ember along with his magic before placing her on his back. “You’re working under Discord?” Soarin asked, smiling. “You must be real talented to get into his schooling program. I hear he’s not that easy to impress...” “Uh-huh.” Sunburst assented, nodding dryly. “You, uh- You heard correctly.” With his magic, he readjusted Ember on his back. “Whose class you in? Wow, I can’t believe you’re studying under Discord! The Discord! I’m surprised that the Lord of Chaos even has a school! How talented are you really? Come on! Tell me!” “I- I’d rather not.” as he walked, Sunburst pushed glasses up his nose as he walked, his whole body taught and head low. “What’s it to you, anyway?” “Oh, I- uh, I’ve got this unicorn friend whose sister teaches there. So, who you under?” Sunburst huffed haughtily. Ember was much more willing to respond, her eyes glued on Soarin. “Comet Tail’s!” Soarin paused for a brief moment. “So your knowledge is better than your skill! Ha! I like it!” He calmed down after receiving a side-eyed glare from Sunburst. “’Cause, y’know, you’d be too overpowered, then, right? After what I’ve heard over the years, too much power can lead to weird life choices, man. The less you’ve got, the better. Ya get me?” Sunburst feigned thought for a second. “N-No, I-I don’t think I do.” The two stopped in front of a green house made out of crystal; the oddly shaped roof was orange, and there were ivory steps leading to the door. Sunburst turned and looked up at Soarin, still a little vexed if anything. “Look, I don’t know what a pegasus like- like yourself knows so much about unicorn magic - never mind a magic school, for unicorns - but...” Soarin frowned. Sunburst inhaled and exhaled. “I appreciate you-” he used air-quotes with one hoof, “-‘walking me home’, but I’m going to hit the hay early. See you, uh, Soarin.” Sunburst headed inside. Once he knew that Soarin had gone, he continued about town with Ember by his side. “I still don’t see why we had to ditch Soarin like that,” said Ember, frowning. “You did wake him up from his nap. And he was nice enough not to bite your head off. Aren’t pegasi meant to be, like, really into their naps, or... something?” She inquired, looking up thoughtfully and tapping her chin. “And not interested in magic in the slightest? Well,” Sunburst trotted ahead of his companion, to which she jogged after him to catch up, “Soarin just seems different, I guess.” He stuffed his face into his now-opened checklist. “Speaking of different,” Ember began, at Sunburst’s side again. “It says here there should be a pegasus clearing the clouds on the north-west side of the Empire.” He looked up at the very cloudy sky. “But the sky hasn’t been cleared at all.” “When did you say you were going to tell your mom that you changed your address, again?” “Huh?” the stallion halted, reading his checklist over again. “Oh. That. I’ll just... let her figure it out on her own.” Ember pulled a face as Sunburst carried on. “And how is she going to figure that out?” “She’ll just have to... uh-” Sunburst dropped to his haunches. He looked over the scroll before rolling it back up and rubbing his head with a hoof. “Sunburst!” Ember speed-walked over to his side. “You, uh- you okay?” Sunburst blinked at the lanky seafoam-coloured pegasus stallion he had bumped into. He had an unshaven muzzle and a thick blond mane pulled into a loose bun atop his head. The stallion revealed downturned raspberry-coloured eyes the second he looked at Sunburst, who blushed in embarrassment. “Oh, I-I- I’m sorry, I- uh-” he stammered, and the two stood. “Don’t, ugh,” he shook his head, “don’t mention it, Cloaky.” “Cloaky?” Sunburst repeated under his breath. “Look, you’re Zephyr Breeze, right? Aren’t you meant to be... you know, clearing the clouds for the Faire? Like you’re supposed to do?” “Hey!” Zephyr adopted an offended tone, putting a forehoof on his chest. “I can clear this sky in five seconds flat!” “Prove it.” Sunburst challenged him, defiantly turning his head and fixing his glasses back up his nose. “You got it, Cloaky!” That said, Zephyr Breeze took to the skies. He kicked and punched clouds, and whipped some with his relatively long tail, but as he quickened his pace to match five seconds (failing, as he started to speed up on the fourth second, and went over to seven) his moves started getting clumsier, and he flopped, landing in a large puddle of thick mud. Sunburst ended up on his front, with Zephyr draped over him. “Ugh,” Sunburst groaned, and the two sat up, facing each other. When they opened their eyes, Zephyr winced and averted his gaze, while the unicorn used his magic to wipe two thick layers of mud off of the lenses of his glasses. “What was that?” “I, er...” upon noticing himself, Zephyr stood and shook the mud off of himself, like a dog after being bathed, and inadvertently onto Sunburst, who growled in turn. “Ooh! Sorry.” Zephyr wrapped a foreleg around Sunburst’s neck to pull him close. “Heh, I- how’s about I treat ya to a nice hot coffee in the town, huh, Cloaky? I’m Zephyr, by the way. Zephyr Breeze. You, uh, mighta heard of me, with my sister... being the Royal Advisor and all.” Sunburst glanced at Zephyr’s hoof, and removed it slowly so he could get more space between him and the pegasus. “No, I’m - uh - not much of a coffee drinker.” He chuckled nervously, presenting a fake smile. Ember snorted. “Yes you are, Sunburst! You drank three cups just this m-” Sunburst elbowed her sharply in the ribs, still keeping his wide, nervous smile; Ember held her side in pain. “Oof!” “I can see that you’re very, very busy, doing - er -” nervously, Sunburst giggled, and started to back away, “nothing, so we’ll just be on our-” “Woah, whoa-whoa!” “Merry...” Sunburst had turned already, and sighed in defeat when he heard Zephyr speak again, “way.” “Nothing?!” As Sunburst turned, Zephyr closely inspected the unicorn in offence; he reeled back and took to the air again, vertically hovering tall after placing the recently drawn back hoof on his puffed out chest. “I’ll have you know, Sunshoes-” “Sunburst,” came the correction. “Yeah, whatever! -That I am styling the Crystal Empire’s very own princess’ hair for the Faire!” He gloated. “She asked for me personally! Sunburst fixed his glasses. “Oh, I’m sure you are- I-I er-” he stuttered for a moment; “she... did. Come on, Ember.” As they left, he muttered to the baby dragon: “Next is the festivities. Hopefully no one there will try to strike up a conversation.” An earth pony stallion in a Texan cowboy hat and traditional poncho, with a limp rubber chicken riding on his back, seemed to be in charge of the party planning and decorations. His body was the colour of melted cheese, and his mane and tail were both so curly that it looked almost impossible to maintain. Sunburst and Ember watched as the dressed up party pony pointed out a perfect place to hang some fairy lights, which a smiling red stallion with a strawberry blond man was holding in his mouth. “Maybe if you try socialising first,” Ember said, pointedly, “then maybe they won’t try to strike up a conversation with you.” Sunburst put on a smile. “Um, hello! How are the decorations going?” He looked at his list. “My apologies, I don’t have your name, down on here. My list doesn’t specify a party pony running the preparations.” “Oh, they’re going good. I-” the earth pony turned; upon noticing Sunburst, he gasped and stared with wide eyes. The two were unwittingly locked in a staring contest. “Uh...” Upon collecting himself, the earth pony tipped his hat so that his eyes were shadowed. Using three legs briefly - and then four - the cowboy took a few steps towards the unicorn. His cheery demeanour had turned into one more cold and threatening. “You’re not from ’round these parts, are you, strange... cloaky pony? Ember stifled a chuckle into her claw. Sunburst shook his head at the thought of being called ‘Cloaky’ again. “Um, y-yes.” He took a step back sheepishly as the party pony got closer. “Yes, I am.” He readjusted his glasses. The strange earth pony (called Cheese Sandwich) cleared his throat; Sunburst and Ember were visibly scared, he more than she. Cheese Sandwich pointed a hoof east, down the street facing the castle. “Into that house?” A bead of sweat ran down Sunburst’s forehead. Ember bit her lip. “I- I, um...” Cheese Sandwich hummed. “Hm. I see.” He walked off down the street on three hooves, the fourth on his hat. “Come on, Boneless. We’ve got work to do.” Sunburst was left jittery. “He-He’s not going to destroy m-m-my h-house, right!?” Ember shrugged and mumbled an ‘I don’t know’ noise. “How am I meant to know?” Sunburst cleared his throat and checked his list. Gulping, he spotted the other stallion. Big McIntosh was a broad earth pony with a work horse collar around his neck. His family was in charge of the sweeter confectionery items, coming all the way in from Ponyville to share their homemade baked goods. After recollecting himself, Sunburst approached Big Mac, who turned his back on the decorating to smile at him in turn. “Why, hello there! How’s everything g-going... on this part of town?” asked the unicorn with an awkward smile. Big Mac looked from side to side, and then gave a quizzical countenance. “..Eeyup!” An orange mare instantly appeared at this, a hoof around Big Mac. She smiled at Sunburst, her blonde mane and tail glistening in the sun. On her head rested a cowboy hat that rivalled Big McIntosh’s work collar for its brown leather hue. “Now, Big Mac!” she exclaimed, dragging out the ‘i’ for an extra syllable with her southern drawl. “That’s no way to treat a friendly pony,” she narrowed her eyes and jabbed Big Mac’s chest with her other hoof, “now, is it? “Er...” the red stallion shook his head, “nope!” Sunburst double-checked his list. “Apple..jack?” he asked warily. Applejack dropped back down onto all fours to greet him properly. She laughed. “Right ya are, whippersnapper.” she swung her left forehoof in front of her as some sort of greeting. “Howdydoodie!” “Oh! Uh... howdydoodie to you... ma’am.” Sunburst returned, his smile fading doubtfully, before returning; “I, er, hear your family’s in charge of most of the catering for the Faire?” “Why! You heard correct, Cloaky!” Sunburst: whispered to Ember: “Seriously, what’s with all this... Cloaky business?” “Now then,” Applejack pulled Sunburst to behind one of the stalls. She plugged one of her hoofs between her teeth and whistled; in response, ponies of orange, red, yellow, and green all approached. They were all either tending the other food stalls or putting up decorations. Nevertheless, they all heeded to Applejack’s call. Sunburst’s eyes were wide. “That’s a lot of ponies,” even Ember - who acted aloof with her arms crossed - couldn’t help but foster a shocked face. “Howdy, uh...” Applejack reached over the stall Sunburst was behind to grab one of his front hooves with the both of hers. “Gah!” she had taken him by surprise; “Sun- Sunburst!” “Sunburst!” She repeated joyfully, using a hoofshake so powerful that it moved his entire body, even lifting him off the ground as it went up. When she let go, he retracted his hoof and put it on the side of his head, his eyes taking a moment to roll around in their sockets, accentuating his dizziness. “A pleasure making your acquaintance! I’m Applejack, an’ that over there’s my big brother Big Mac! We Apples sure do love makin’ new friends!” “But... I thought you were ponies,” Ember noted, bluntly. “Friends?” Sunburst parroted cautiously. “Eeyup!” chimed in Big McIntosh. “But, I-” “So!” exclaimed Applejack, putting her hoof out to gesture to the large herd of green, yellow, orange, and red ponies surrounding them, all smiling kindly. “What can I do ya for?” she winked. “Well,” Sunburst cleared his throat, “I am - i-in fact -” he readjusted his glasses as they slid down his nose, “here to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.” “Oh! So, you ain’t native to the Crystal Empire also?” “N-No,” frowned the unicorn, “I don’t think I am. I’m... not a crystal pony, so-” “So, that’s why Cheese got all worked up! We ain’t natives here, either! Nor is Cheese, for that matter. His Cheesy Sense must have been go’n’ all over the radar like snow in summer the second he met ya!” “..Cheesy Sense?” “Yuh-huh!” Applejack confirmed. “A sense as sure as sugar!” “How can cheese... sense?” Ember scrunched up her snout. “Does that mean I have to lay off the pizza rolls? Or the garlic bread?” She dropped to her knees and balled her fist, closing her eyes tightly: “Not the garlic breeeead..!” her voice echoed through the Empire, making a few citizens gasp and birds flee their roosts. “So,” Applejack started, “care to try some of our samples?” “Maybe just one,” Sunburst gave a coy smile, averting his gaze. “Ya hear that?” the orange mare yelled joyously. “Soup’s on, everypony!” The crowd of earth ponies cheered. “Now!” She reappeared behind the stall, with Ember (who was wriggling in an effort to free herself) under her foreleg. She let the baby dragon go. “Lemme introduce y’all to the Apple family!” “Why, thank you, but we really need to hurry-” “This here’s Apple Fritter,” a yellow mare with a green bicolour mane and tail - both with a small red bow at the end of each - to match her eyes set down a plate with a single, albeit large and greasy, apple fritter upon. “Apple Bumpkin,” another yellow mare stepped forward with two caramel apples in her mouth. Her two-toned red hair was styled into some sort of perm, and around her neck a dark green yellow-checkered-lined handkerchief was tied. Once she set them down she - like Apple Fritter - vanished speedily back into the crowd. “Red Gala,” this time it was the only pale pink mare spotted. She had an unkempt green mane and a green-iced cupcake with an apple slice as the finish on the top. Like the other two, her treat matched her cutie mark of three, but her name did not. “Red Delicious,” the cycle sped up. Fourth was a yellow stallion with a blue mane and tail and a big red apple on each of his flanks. He had presented a cinnamon apple swirl of sorts. “Golden Delicious,” a beige stallion with a dark brown - almost black - mane and tail was next. “Caramel Apple.” A yellow, redheaded mare with a cutie mark akin to Apple Bumpkin’s. “Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp!-” Applejack was no longer next to Sunburst and salivating Ember - who were both hidden behind the enormous pile of apple-based foods that had been thrown onto the stall’s table. She reappeared in front of the stall before the rest of the group. She took a loud gasp for air, her smile still worn proudly on her lips. “Big McIntosh,” she started up again, like a revving engine of sorts; the stallion presented another cupcake; “Apple Crumble, Apple Pie, Apple Snickerdoodle, Applejohn, Empire Apple, Apple Butter, Apple Jam, Pink Lady, Applewood, Macoun Apple, Li’l Macoun Apple Junior, Apple Cake, Apple Syrup, Apple Blossom, Apple Tree, Apple Phone, Apple Bite, Apple Bread, Apple Profiterole, Apple Cream, Apple Seed, Apple Milk, Apple Core, Apple Skin, Apple Crisp, Apple Cinnamon, aaaaannd... Cinnamon Apple!” Applejack was breathing heavily after that enormous list. “Wow,” Sunburst was agape. Ember scrubbed her eyes with her knuckles and stared at the enormous group. “I-” “Oh! An’ who here can forget li’l Apple Bloom an’ Granny Smith! But they’re back at the farm tendin’ to the animals and crops!” Sunburst chuckled nervously, staring up at the leaning tower of food. Its top was obscured by the sunlight. “Heh, heh... who can forget?” “I’d say,” Applejack took Sunburst under her foreleg and stuffed a cupcake into his mouth, “you’re already part of the family!” He forced a swallow and coughed once all of the cupcake went down, from the sheer size alone. “I- okay, well…” he used his magic to put Ember (who had her claws on the Apple Fritter from the start of the list and stuffed it into her mouth) onto his back as he backed away from the crowd, in the direction of where he remembered his house being. “I see ‘soup’ is already handled, so we’ll just be on our way... now... heh, heh...” “But... aren’t you gonna stay for lunch?” Apple Bumpkin asked. “We all really like you, Sunburst!” “Yeah, Sunburst,” Ember was of little help, “they all ‘really like’ you.” When the unicorn turned, he saw that the baby dragon was wiggling her eyebrows mischievously. “Ohhh-ho... oh-ho-ho! Ho...” Sunburst was sweating, adopting the most fakest and widest smile he had ever adopted. “You all-” he wheezed, “you all- you all really like me! You all-” He spun around on his hooves and ran. “Wasn’t that pretty... rude of you to do that?” asked Ember once the duo reached the front of their temporary crystal-walled home. “Well, what else did you expect me to do, Ember?” Sunburst frowned, and the two entered before he slammed the door behind him with a back hoof. “They wouldn’t have stopped until we burst!” “Well, that is in your name, Sunburst.” Ember crossed her arms and looked up at him with her now-glowing ruby coloured eyes. One of her brows was quirked. “And isn’t, like,” she rolled one of her claws around at shoulder-level, “connected to a pony’s cutie mark, which is connected to their special talent, or something just as sappy?” “My special talent is not bursting,” Sunburst started a roll of stammering: “I- uh- gah- how would tha- that even work?” “Whatever,” she mumbled in return. “I just need to study,” Sunburst sighed, noticing the darkness that they were in, “that’s all. Hopefully,” he turned to the circular and wooden table behind him and used his magic to lift a lantern and a match to make a light source as he spoke, “I’ll find what I need to on the Elements of Harmony and the essential history needed to finally conclude why Lord Discord didn’t want-” The room was lit, and revealed as the veil of shadows was washed away was a crowd of smiling non-crystal ponies surrounding them. Most either wore party hats or held a noise maker in their mouth, or even had both. The confetti and streamers that adorned the walls, floor and ceiling all shimmered in the light of the lantern that Sunburst was levitating (and the light that someone had turned on shortly after). “Suuurpriiiise!” They all cheered. Having just yelled in shock and jumped up into the air and landed on his front with his forehooves over his face in a cowardly, quivering mess, Sunburst gulped. He groaned once he finally realised the scene - a party - and got back up with Ember by his side (rolling her eyes at that with a much more agitated, and embarrassed flare), before dusting himself off with a single hoof. He used his magic to place the lantern back on the circular table, which also had a punch jug on its top. “Why, hey there, friend! Welcome to the newly rediscovered Crystal Empire!” Cheese Sandwich, the earth pony from before, popped up in Sunburst’s face, taking him aback. He blinked, before taking a second (literally, a second, before the party pony decided to pop up somewhere else around the room) to analyse the earth stallion’s features without the pure terror of a potential threat wrestling his innards. Cheese Sandwich had discarded his hat - allowing his mane to bounce much more freely - and poncho, not clad in a bright yellow polo shirt and a red fez. He was smiling brightly with a twinkle in his emerald coloured eyes. It seemed as though he was a completely different pony to the gruffly spoken one in the Empire’s centre. “I’m Sandwich. Cheese Sandwich!” Cheese Sandwich introduced himself, taking Sunburst under his foreleg and smudging the unicorn’s cheek against his chest. “I threw this party just for you, strange, cloaky pony! Were you surprised? I sure was surprised when my Cheesy Sense told me--” a sharp gasp broke through Cheese’s peppy demeanour, and he pushed Sunburst away abruptly to drop back to all four hooves and to lower to Ember’s eye level. “..What?” Sunburst lifted a hoof, agape, as Ember queried the earth pony with one brow raised. “You’re a baby dragon. Gosh, I’ve never met one of you guys before! Here!” He slid his rubber chicken in front of her. It fell limply, bending over itself with its head on the floor. “This’s Boneless? Do dragons like rubber chickens? Anywho, this is Boneless, he’s a rubber chicken that I received from my first party ever!” “Uh...” Ember took a small step back before smiling sheepishly and holding up a hand as a stationary wave. “Hi... Boneless.” Cheese’s bright, wide smile was unfaltering. “Ha! I knew the two of you’d get along alright! Hey, Sunshoes,” Cheese turned his attention back to Sunburst. “A-Actually,” he pushed his glasses up with some magic. “I-It’s Sum- gah- Sunburst.” “Oh! I apologise.” Cheese then whispered harshly to Boneless: “You told me that was his name, Boneless!- So, uh,” and he was back, “Sunburst, you wanna hear some music? If you can’t already tell by my cutie mark, I’m great at playing the accordion! You up for some sweet tunes, ol’ buddy, ol’ pal?” “You- You mean like polka?” Sunburst’s voice had inadvertently lifted an octave on the last word. “Gee, I never thought about it like that! But, I guess so! Polka it is!” That declared, Cheese Sandwich hopped onto the long and rectangular coffee table in the living area, pulling out a seemingly oldish accordion and hopping around on his hind legs in a sort of strange jig. “Heeeey, everypony! It’s the paaarty ponyyy poolka!” The crowd cheered excitedly, opposing Sunburst’s quiet groan. “It’s your welcome party, a very special day! I've got a song, it won't take long, I just wanted to say;” sang Cheese Sandwich. “If you wanna be the life of the party, but you're feeling just a little uptight-” “He’s singing,” Ember muttered. “Wow, Sunburst. I’m starting to see how this is getting annoying.” She rolled her eyes. “He probably wrote this just for you.” “W-Well I didn’t ask him to!” the unicorn protested. “-Call the doctor, beg and plead, ‘Doctor, tell me what I need!’.” The party pony, smile still bright and unwavering, leapt off of the coffee table and landed on his knees, the anticipation sliding him forward a foot or so. “Try to put a little cheese in your knees!” He finished off with a quick crescendo and repeated the final note. Everypony in the room bar Sunburst (and, by extension, a grinning Ember) cheered. “Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Sunburst!” Cheese Sandwich called over the noise, before approaching him now-empty hooved. “Seeing as you’re new, I took the liberty of finding you some friends based off of...” he inhaled sharply; “who you’ve spoken to today, your date of birth, everyday circle, internal circle, today’s smile count, vowels in your name, constants in your name, capitals in your name, hobbies, interests, occupation, peeves, allergies, favourite food, drink, things, age multiplied by the letters in your name, divided by the numbers of letters in their name, r--” By now, Sunburst had - with a rather bored expression - made his way to the punch table (with Cheese not far behind) to pour himself a drink. After taking his first sip, his jaw fell open, and he almost dropped his paper solo cup when registering what Ember said to interrupt Cheese’s long, long list. “There’s an algorithm for friendship?” “Not friendship, ya silly rubber goose!” Cheese stifled a laugh. “Broship! Us bros take things super seriously when it comes to forming a broship! It’s, like, diamond level of friendship! But, first, Sunburst...” Sunburst turned to the earth pony with a curt frown. “Meet your new friends!” The unicorn fought the urge to spit out his punch. His eyes went wide, and his swallow was delayed. Behind Cheese Sandwich a group had formed, eighty-percent of which he recognised. Soarin was in the air, leaning down; Zephyr Breeze was smiling pridefully, wings out and a forehoof raised with the back of it under his chin, as if presenting himself like a long-awaited prize; Big Mac gave a petite smile with a unicorn stallion built similarly to him by his side with a toothy grin. The unicorn - white with regal blue hooves that matched his bi-toned split-ended mane and tail and eyes - was one that Sunburst was yet to meet. His cutie mark was a singular image, and as large as Big McIntosh’s ample green apple-half. It was a navy blue shield, with a familiar magenta six-point star as the crest. Above were three barely-noticeable sky blue five-point stars, aligning each point of the top of the shield. “How did you know all that abou--” Sunburst started, but Cheese whizzed over to the white unicorn and put his forehooves around him. “This is Shining Armor!” he said. “He’s a member of the Royal Guard! He’s a part of your everyday circle!” Cheese paused and tapped his chin. “Well... sort of.” Shining Armor smiled. “I’m Twily’s brother.” “And who is T-uh... Twily?” The question was much ruder than anticipated. “The princess.” He grinned. “Who else?” “I-” Sunburst was prepared to clarify that he wished for the party to end, that he wanted as little socialising as possible on his visit, and that he especially didn’t want any friends! Except, he was uninterrupted when the ground rumbled slowly and a shriek from outside sounded. The whole party ran outside. It seemed as though all inhabitants and visitors of the Crystal Empire had gathered. There, on the balcony of the Crystal Palace, was a dark unicorn clad in dark iron-cast armour and a scarlet white-fur lined cloak, with a dark black flowing mop of a mane with a short, wispy tail to match. To be frank, everything about him was dark. His crimson cloak matched his strange blood horn. Well, that was the only way to describe it without being too gruesome; blood red, it was, like the vessels inside were all prepared to simultaneously burst. The blood horn was a dark grey from red, with a sharp blade-like point (definitely evolved for piercing flesh, the audience of ponies figured), and had a few scratches and chips permanently scarred in the coarse, thick, and weathered keratin. To make it worse, his eyes were red (with purple smoke around them, and the whites lime green), and his broad smirk of pure malice lines with pointy fangs. “I have returned as your rightful ruler!” He bellowed. “My sweet inferiors, bow down before me, for your king has returned!” The witnesses all gasped in terror and shock; they all began a small tsunami of muttering, which was prematurely put to an end by the shadowy stranger’s demand of “Silence!”. “Heed your king,” he said, “for my first commands as your ruler, I shall enslave you all, and take seize of Kingdom Equestria!” A cerulean laser was fired, and out from inside the Crystal Palace a pink alicorn with purple tinted wings that matched her fiery and vicious eyes flew at breakneck speeds. Her shiny cream yellow, purple, and pink mane and tail were both ruffled, and there were a few scuffs on her pretty pink body. “I don’t think so, Sombra!” the alicorn declared. “Wasn’t one blast into the tundra enough?” “Is that...” Sunburst squinted, “Princess Cadance?” “I know,” Shining Armor commented with a dreamy grin, “isn’t she beautiful?” A dark cloud fogged behind Sombra, pouring down the front of the Palace and rolling towards the crowd of ponies below. The first row of spectators started coughing. Meanwhile, the dark unicorn’s fangs were bared, and the blood horn upon his head started to glow. A carnage-coloured crimson and black beam of light was directed towards Princess Cadance, but was met with a sky blue counterattack. The two lasers of magic met in the centre by a seam of navy and purple. After a couple of moves from both parties, it seemed that darkness would unfortunately prevail. The bicoloured magic blasted into Cadance’s stomach. She fell back, down into the black misty abyss below. The watchers all gasped. She let out a scream of pain, and several guards gathered in the spot she was estimated to land. Cadance’s eyes were scrunched closed. Shining Armor was a part of the select gathering, and soon so were Sunburst and Ember, with Big Mac, Cheese Sandwich, Soarin and (last but not least, a hesitant) Zephyr Breeze. The pink coated princess opened her purple eyes; Shining’s blues were the first to meet them. “Princess,” he exclaimed, “are you alright?” The white unicorn was given a dirty glare from Cheese Sandwich, Big Mac, and a purple pegasus in guard armour. He gave a sheepish look in turn. “What..?” “Of course she isn’t alright, Shining!” Big McIntosh hummed and nodded as Cheese Sandwich spoke. “She just fell, like,” he stood on his hind legs for a second or so, “a gazillion feet!” Princess Cadance shook her head and forced her guards away. She stood clumsily, before flapping her wings and taking to the air again. The first few strokes of flight were tricky, as her left wing was sore and twisted from an awkward landing, but she fought through, and engulfed her harmed wing’s feathers in her blue magic aura for assistance. “You won’t get away with this, Sombra,” again, Cadance’s eyes burnt with the flame of pegasus passion inside of her. She passed through the awkward crack in her voice. “Oh,” the dark unicorn cackled, his blood horn twinkling, “my dear, this is only just the beginning. I think I already have.” The black fog closed around Sombra, and then the entire Empire. As it cleared, ponies coughed and coughed. Princess Cadance wasn’t ready to give in yet, and flew towards the Palace balcony with all her might, only to crash through the opened double doors. She flew back out, looking over the balcony in a haze. She gasped, and so did the crowd of spectators below. Sombra was gone.