It took a couple of days, but the ponies finally made it to Bridle Falls. As they exited their steam powered chauffeur, they stopped to take a look around. It was a modern town, yet carried a homespun style and charm about it that reminded Izzy a little bit of Bridlewood itself. However, nopony was depressed here. Flowers bloomed in row upon row of luscious gardens that dotted the landscape. Homes had been given personal touches and the individuality of each citizen shone very brightly. Pegasus, Unicorns, and Earth Ponies alike trotted through the streets, greeting each other with bright, honest smiles as they went. Sure, the town wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t expected to be. Here, the weight of one’s collective could be shed in favor of unabashed friendship and understanding.
For Sunny, it was a slice of heaven in Equestria. She smiled deeply as she led her expedition through the streets. Each pony wore a button signifying that they were members of the Canter Logic Exploratory Team. News of their journey had spread like wildfire, and multiple ponies crowded in, eager to hear of their exploits. Patiently, Sunny and her friends answered each question, no matter how ridiculous it was. For instance, one pony asked if they would encounter any of the legendary abominable snow ponies in the forest. Sunny had to explain that, for one thing, it wouldn’t be snowing, and for another, it was just a legend. All they knew was that a mysterious force lurked in those woods, just waiting to gobble ponies up in a trap.
“But, Sunny, aren’t you all scared?” Somepony asked.
“I’d be lying if I said that we didn’t have our reservations,” Sunny said honestly, “but we believe in the power of friendship. I mean, it’s that same power that brought Equestria back together again. Now, we just need to believe that it will pull us through!”
The crowd cheered at the encouraging words and soon dispersed, leaving Sunny and her friends to their task. Luckily, Meadow Bloom had left directions to her home in a recent letter and Sunny used her horn’s magic to pull it out of her saddlebag. While she was still new to being a magic user, she found it helpful when she had her hooves full. It was also rather satisfying to watch her horn glow with an aura powerful enough to float things. She’d always dreamt of having a friend who could do this. Izzy had fulfilled that dream. Now, she could do it, too, and she had so much fun sharing magical ideas with her unicorn compatriot. Setting these thoughts aside for a moment, she unfurled the letter and pointed to the bottom.
“Meadow said she lives down Canter Court…the fourth house on the right, it seems.”
So the ponies set about trying to find this particular location. They asked around and found the directions given to be very helpful. Once on Canter Court, they trotted down the street to the place of which Meadow had written. The home itself was rather quaint and small, more like a cottage than an actual house. A nice garden made its flowery presence known in the front beds while a well kept lawn spread out towards the street. A small white fence surrounded the area with a gate on the main walk up to the front door. Sunny gently nudged it open as she and her entourage made their way up to the small porch that extended away from the portal. The door itself was made of fine wood with a shiny gold knob and door knocker in their usual places. Sunny magically caused the knocker to move and whacked the door three times with it.
“Who…who is it?” A nervous voice called from inside.
“It’s Sunny Starscout and her friends!” Sunny responded in a friendly way.
The door suddenly swung open and a pegasus greeted them. She was pale yellow in color with a soft pink mane that carried streaks of gold in it. Her bright blue eyes blinked in their direction in a friendly, yet inquisitive manner. She seemed to carry a sense of fright, yet also had a wondrous air of compassion and mercy. A smile adorned her face as she greeted her pen pal for the first time, and the two began jabbering away about their recent correspondence. When this finished, the entire group retired to the front room and Meadow offered them each a mug of warm tea.
“I’m so delighted to meet all of you!” Meadow chirped as she took her seat. “Please, forgive my nervousness at the start. I very often have trouble socializing with new ponies.”
“That’s okay, Meadow!” Izzy sang out, “we’re just happy to be here!”
“Yeah…happy,” Pipp said with a doubtful look thrown Izzy’s way.
“Um…so,” Sunny said in an attempt to dissolve the sudden awkwardness, “you said you had something to show us?”
Meadow nodded, held up a hoof as if to ask for patience, and then trotted out of the room. A few moments later, she returned with a small bundle. It looked to be about the size of the standard tome of literature. She undid the top rope and the sack fell away to reveal the book itself. It was old and worn and the cover looked very yellowed. However, there seemed to be a magical quality about it. Some of the ponies felt drawn to it, as if some force from beyond imagination was pulling them in. It was beaten almost beyond recognition, yet the title was still somewhat legible.
“Where did you get this?” Sunny asked.
“It was passed down from my mother to me,” Meadow responded, “but I have no idea where it came from.”
“For some reason…the title rings a bell in my head,” Sunny said.
“It does?” Hitch asked.
“Yeah, it does,” Sunny said, “but…I can’t remember where it came from. Something…so familiar, yet…so intangible. It’s old…and at the same time, so new. I’ve never felt anything like this before…”
The title of the book was simply…The Journal of Friendship.