Chapter 40: Secret Canter
In the Crystal Brighthouse, the Mane 6 and Sparky, sin Izzy isn’t there at the moment, are putting up the Winter Wisday decorations as they are now decorating the Wisday tree as Sparky and Zipp are flying to high places to put the decorations high, Hitch was about to warp the white decorative stream around the tree, but for some reason the power went out.
“Huh?” Both Sunny and Pipp asked in confusion from the sudden black out.
“The powers out.” Sunset pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
And then suddenly, the front door opened as a pony with a red cloak on, with his/her face in the hood of it, came in with some fog around him/her.
The rest of the Mane 6 gasped in fright as they, except for Sunset, ran for cover as they hide, with Sparky getting spooked by this as it made him fart out his dragon fire from his rear, which durn the boxes of decorations as Sparky giggled a bit from that before he hides as well.
Sunset ignored what Sparky did as she gave a glare at the intruder. “Who are you? And why have you come to our home?” She demanded seriously with a stern tone, not gonna let her friends get hurt from this intruder.
“You will find out!” The hood figure said in a familiar tone of that from a mare. “Ponies! The time has come…” She called out as the others popped out of their hiding place behind Sunset, looking frightening as Sunset kept a brake expression, but then the figure took off. It's good as it is revealed to be Izzy, smiling cheerfully at her friends. “...To do ‘Secret Canter!’” Izzy cheered as she began to dance around while singing. “Secret Canter time. It’s Secret Canter time!” She sang with a twirl as she struck a pose with a wink as she smiled at her friends, who were looking at her in confusion. “Time to canter secretly. Sing chorus repeatedly. Secret Canter Time.” She sang with a cheery smile.
“Uh, Secret what-er?” Pipp asked in confusion.
“What are you talking about, Izzy?” Sunset asked in confusion, not sure what Izzy is saying, or singing for that matter.
“It’s an annual Bridlewood Wishiehoof tradition.” Izzy answered while waving her hooves with a smile. “Full of secrets!” She finished with a spook tone with a spooky expression.
Sunset then spoke with a raised eyebrow. “Uh, Izzy, what did we talk about spooky tones?” She asked.
Izzy then realizes what she did as she gives a sheepish chuckle. “Not to use them at all unless it’s for a spooky story.” She said sheepishly.
“Good.” Sunset said with a smile. “Now how about you fill us in on this while setting up this Secret thing.” She suggested.
Izzy smiled cheerfully at what Sunset said. “Sure!” She cheered as she rushed off to get ready.
Sunset turned to the others. “Get ready guys. Whatever Izzy has in store for us, this should be interesting.” She said to the others with a little chuckle as they chuckled along with her with smiles in agreement, knowing Izzy, this should be interesting.
Sometime later, Izzy lit up some candles as Izzy got her hood back on as she gave a mischievous smirk to her friends.
“Come forth, ponies!” Izzy called out to her friends as her friends watched on, a little confused as they shrugged to each other. “And let the sacred Wishiehoof vestal reveal if you’re Pony it to you!” She announces as she holds up a holiday hat to the others with a smirk.
The others looked on with raised eyebrows, still confused by this. “So, we draw names from the hat?” Sunny first to ask, summarizing what Izzy is trying to say.
“Kinda.” Izzy said in her usual tone with a smile.
“Izzy, you and the other unicorns have way too many weird traditions in this new era.” Sunset commented, wondering how many weird traditions the unicorns in new Era Equestria have.
Twilight appeared from the necklace with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, just how many traditions do you new unicorns have?” She asked, wanting to know herself.
“We have a ton of traditions.” Izzy answered with a smile before going back to her mischievous expression and tone. “But with magic and mystery!” She said while shaking the hat while whispering the ‘mystery’ part.
Pipp then got a closer look at the hat Izzy is holding as she spoke with a shock expression. “Hey, my elf hat!” She called out, recognizing that hat as she gave Izzy a look that made her flinch. “I’ve been looking for that!” She called out, really not happy that Izzy had it the whole time.
“Silence!” Izzy called out, which quieted Pipp as she held up the hat before giving a smirk to the others. “The time for secret selection is upon us.” She said as she held out the elf hat to the others.
Pipp raised an eyebrow in confusion as she placed her hoof in the hat. “Hmm.” She hummed as she searched through the hat and took out a card.
One by one, the rest of the Mane 6 are each picking out a card for themselves as they take them out of the hat.
Izzy spoke again after her friends got the cards. “You may secretly check what pony you are picking.” She said with a smirk.
The rest of the Mane 6 looked at Izzy for a bit as they looked at each other in curiosity as they opened up their cards and looked at who they had picked as they gasped at what they had, while Sunny smiled at who she picked while the others were surprised at what they picked.
“Now go!” Izzy cheered with a smile. “And make them a present!” She announced with a wave of her hoof.
“Whoa there!” Hitch called out as he raised his hoof. “Make? Uh, You mean ‘buy’.” He corrected Izzy with a nervous smile. “We’re not makers, Izzy.” He pointed out, saying that they're not makers, but then he heard somepony clear their throat as he turned and saw Sunset giving him a look while Twilight raised an eyebrow at Hitch from what he said. Hitch realizes what he said as he chuckles sheepishly. “Well, other than you and Sunset, we’re not makers. We…” He said sheepishly, forgetting that Izzy and Sunset are the best crafters.
Before Hitch could finish, Izzy cuts him off with a smile. “Secret Canter demands…” She said in her acting tone before speaking normally. “...You craft the best gifts you can.” She instructed while giving her friends a wink. “And remember ponies…” She started with a smirk.
Zipp smirked at Izzy, knowing what she’s about to say. “Let me guess, you have to do it in secret.” She playfully said with a wave of her hoof.
Izzy got close to Zipp with a playful smile as Zipp smiled back at her. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” She asked playfully as the Mane 6 smiled and shared a laugh together.
“Come on, ponies. Let’s get started on making gifts for one another.” Sunset called out as the others nodded in agreement as they began the secret game.
A little bit later, Izz is holding a cake recipe as she begins to stir the batter as she is making a cake.
Izzy tasted the batter to see how it is. “Ah!” She sighs, seeing how great the cake is.
In another room, Sunny is trying to tape something together as she groans in effort, with some take and diamonds on her as she takes the gift down determinedly.
In another room of the Brigthouse, Pipp is unwrapping some clear candy wrappers and inspecting them to see which ones as she sighs tiredly as she flop onto the counter dramatically.
In another room of the Brighthouse, Zipp is trying to open up a bag, but is having trouble as she then grunts in effort as she rips the bag open, but red glitter then got into her face in the process.
In the Police Station, Hitch is covered in pink glitter as he splatters some on a pink book, but splatters it too hard as he gets some on his face as he yelps from it.
Hitch tries to shake the glitter off him, while Sparky is playing with some purple paint on the floor that was spilled, but then Hitch slips on the paint as he is losing balance. “Aah!” He cried out as he then tripped on some paint cans in front of him as he fell on the floor with a thud.
Sparky saw Hitch fell to the floor, but continues to play with the spilled paint as he giggles happily.
In another part of the Brighthouse, Sunset is working on her crafting the gift, and she’s really good at arts and crafts.
Twilight appears from the necklace as she sees the craft gift Sunset is making with a smile. “Wow, Sunset. You are really putting your heart into it.” She commented with a smile.
“Thanks, Twilight. Years of practice in art. Never lose the skills.” Sunset commented with a smile.
“I can see that.” Twilight said with a smile as she watched Sunset finishing the gift.
Sometime later at the main room of the Crystal Brighthouse, Izzy called out to her friends in front of her.
“The time is upon us!” Izzy called out cheerfully. “Revealeth your gifts!” She added, as she somehow got to hang upside down while looking at her friends.
The rest of Mane 6, and Sparky, looked at the six gifts on the table as they looked at it with smiles and sparkles in their eyes. “Whoa…” They said in awed.
Izzy appeared in front of them with a smirk. “Step forward for your gift, and you may keep it. But whomever it's from shall forever remain secret!” She said while whispering the ‘secret’ part with a smirk.
Hitch then grabs a blue gift as he opens it with a smile as he sees what he has. “Ooh, a photo album! For pics of me and Sparky! And covered in red sequins – Sparky's favorite!” He said happily to the homemade photo album, while Sparky giggled at this while looking at the photo album with sparkles in his eyes. “Thank you, hoofever this was from!” He said happily to whoever made this photo album.
Pipp then gave a smirk to her sister while Zipp was smiling while having some red sequins on her muzzle. “Hmmmm, who could it be? Eh, Rudolph?” Pipp said teasley to her sister with a smirk, knowing that Zipp made it since her red sequins on her muzzle gave it away, but Hitch doesn’t notice.
Zipp saw what Pipp was talking about as she saw the red sequins on her muzzle as she wiped some off and embarrassingly walked backwards from her sister with a sheepish smile while Pipp silently chuckled to herself from teasing her sister.
Zipp then grabs the next gift, which has her color scheme on it as opens it up. “Oh! Oooh! Perfect for my detective work! A magnifying glass…” She says excitedly, but then realizes that the magnifying glass is made of wrappers. “...made from candy wrappers... that doesn't actually magnify anything…” She pointed out, seeing through the homemade magnifying glass, as it didn’t magnify at all.
Pipp laughs nervously when with a little sweat from what her sister got. “Hoofever made you those must really know you well.” She said nervously, since she doesn’t know the right glass for the magnifying glass materials so she had to deal with what she had as she walked to her gift next with sparkles in her eyes with a smile, looking exciting.
Zipp then came closer to her sister with a smirk. “I guess I can just move my head closer to the clue?” She teasley said to Pipp and used the homemade magnifying glass at the candies stuck on Pipp’s mane, seeing who made it but not telling as Pipp gave her sister a sheepish smile.
Pipp opened her gift and saw a pair of goggles, with some tape on it as Pipp looked at it with sparkles in hers. “Oooh! Perfect for creating new products at Mane Melody!” She said excitedly as she put it on and saw that it fit as she took it off and looked at it with a smile. “Awwww! Thanks, secret mystery pony!” She said happily while hugging the goggles.
Sunny tries to get the glue, tape and diamonds off her as she tries to shake it off. “Oh, veeeery mysterious.” She said to Pipp while giving her a smirk
“It’s a mystery, even for me, that’s for sure.” Sunset said with a smirk while nudging Sunny playfully as the two ponies chuckle to each other.
“Yeah.” Sunny said with a chuckle.
Sunset then picked at her gift as she opened it and gasped at what she saw. “This photo album with all the pictures of us, it’s amazing!” She said as she held out a photo album with them on it with their times together they had, while the cover has the Mane 6 Cutie Marks with the Mane 6, and Sparky, in the picture in it as they huddled together with the Crystal Brighthouse behind them, shining its rainbow. “Whoever made it, thank you.” She said happily.
“Oh, they sure know how to make it.” Sunny said smirking while winking her eyes at the others, who winked back, saying that they made the photo album together, since there was nopony else to make a gift for Sunset, so they all made one for her together, a little note Izzy put down for their friends, sins Sunset, should know.
Sunny then opened up hers and saw some kind of desert, appearing to be a chocolate cake with pink frostings with orange sprinkles. “Wow! It's a... uh, I want to say a cake? Or maybe a cookie?” She asked with a smile, after lifting the dessert out of the box she saw that the cake is as flat as a cookie as Izzy then tossed some baking soda over Sunny, which caused said pony to look at Izzy.
Izzy got some baking soda on her face as she was unwrapping her gift. “Hey, did you know that we're out of baking soda?” She asked the others as her hood came off, which revealed her baking soda face. Izzy then realizes what she said. “Not that I have any reason to know that.” She said as she quickly wiped the baking soda off her face and looked at the gift with sparkles in her eyes. “Oooh! Oh, it's a diary!” She said excitedly as she picked up the pink glitter diary, with a drawing rainbow on it with a lock as well. “Because I love secrets! And glitter!” She cheered as she tossed some loose pink glitter into the air happily as she watched it come down with sparkles in her eyes with a smile.
“And glittery secrets.” Hitch said with a smirk to Izzy, while Pipp is taking selfies with her phone with her goggles on with a smile.
“Hey, there’s one left.” Izzy pointed out as she saw the last present on the table and read the card. ‘And it’s for Sparky?” She curiously said.
Sparky heard Izzy as he came running towards his gift while giggling along the way.
Sunset smiled as she grabbed the gift and gave it to the baby dragon. “Here you go, Sparky. Your Wishieday Secret gift.” She said with a smile.
Sparky excitedly opens up the present and looks at what he was as he laughed happily and brought it out, and it appears to be 6 plushies of the Mane 6 as Sparky hugs them happily.
“Aww!” The Mane 6 said together, finding Sparky and his gifts cute together.
“Aw, whoever made these, Sparky is really happy with his gifts of the plushy versions of us.” Hitch said happily as Sparky kept playing around with the Plushy 6.
“That is so cute!” Sunny said in a cute tone with sparkles in her eyes.
“Adorbs!” Pipp said as she took a picture of Sparky and his plushies.
“Whoever made these, really knows their craftings.” Izzy commented, finding the plushies cute and amazing.
“Yeah. I wonder who.” Sunset said with a smirk, having made 6 of them for Sparky as a Wishday gift.
“Oh, that was fun, Izzy!” Sunny said happily. “Anypony want some cookie cake?” She asked the others with a smile while holding out the cookie cake, but then it deflated as Hitch and Sunny gave a surprise look from that.
Zipp, Pipp and Sunset saw that as Zipp’s magnifying glass top piece came off and fell to the floor, Pipp’s goggles landed back on her eyesight, but broke in half as it fell to the floor, and then the red sequins from Hitch’s photo album came right off completely, which made Hitch gasps in surprise from that, the only remaining gifts still intact are Sunset’s photo album, Sparky’s plushies and Izzy’s diary.
“Uh…” The Mane 6 said together, not sure what to say, but then they all started laughing together from this outcome, finding it funny.
“Sorry, Izzy.” Pipp said to Izzy with some chuckles. “Guess we're not expert crafters like you or Sunset.” She added, since they are not as skilled crafters as Sunset and Izzy.
Izzy gave an assuring smile to her friends. “Oh, pshaw. You put your hearts into crafting these gifts.” She said while the Mane 6 put their gifts on the table. “It's the thought that matters in Secret Canter.” She added with a smile.
“Yeah. It doesn’t matter what you gave somepony a gift, it shows you give it your best and how much you care for one another. And it’s not the gifts that counts, it’s using being there for each other.” Sunset said with a smile.
Twilight appeared from her necklace with a smile. “That is true. Sure it's fun when opening gifts on this special holiday, but what matters more is spending time with friends and family. It’s not the gifts, the decorations or traditions, it’s spending time with your friends and family.” She said, knowing the true meaning of the holidays.
The Mane 6 smiled at one another as they laughed together, but what they didn’t know is that their Cutie Marks were glowing as they smiled at one another.
Sparky gave off some giggles, but then some smoke from Sunny’s deflated cookie cake came to his nose. “Ooh!” He said with sparkles in his eyes as he looked at the cookie cake and sniffed at it, but he cringed at the smell as he began to sneeze. “Ah... Ah... Ah…” Sparky sneezed on the homemade gifts of the Mane 6 as his dragon fire hit them.
But then after Sparky’s dragon fire settled, the Mane 6’s gifts have become better than ever, Sunny’s cookie cake is now a three layer cake, Hitch’s photo album has a true book cover with a horseshoe symbol on it, Pipp’s goggle is now a stylish protective goggle, Sunset’s photo album now has her color scheme with her Cutie Mark in it with the photo of at the front cover and Zipp’s magnifying glass is now a complete detective suitcase with all the detective gears in it.
The Mane 6 gasp in amazement at this as they have sparkles in their eyes, really amazed at what Sparky’s dragon fire just did to their gifts.
“Whoa, check it out!” Pipp said excitedly as she put on her new and improved goggles. “A Wishentine miracle!” She cheered as she took selfies from her phone with a smile.
“Yeah!” Zipp said with a smile as the others smiled together. “Now this is what I was trying to make!” She said excitedly.
“Me, too!” Hitch agreed with a smile.
“Sparky’s dragon fire did us a favor!” Sunset said in excitement as she and the others looked at their new and improved gifts.
Sunny then turned to Izzy and saw her holding her diary, which didn't change. “Aw, Izzy. Your diary's just the same.” She said to Izzy with a small smile.
“Hm. You can't improve perfection.” Izzy said with a smile as she held her diary close to her.
The rest of the Mane 6 laugh from that, finding it true since.
“You can’t change what is already right, even if you tried.” Sunset said with a chuckle, finding that very true.
“Oh!” Izzy said cheerfully when she looked behind herself and saw something as she gasped to the others. “Ponies! Look! Over there!” She said as she pointed to an extra six gifts under the tree. “Oh, gosh! There seems to be an extra gift for each of us!” She said excitedly to the others.
The Mane 6 each grab a gift as they open them gasping at what they saw.
Pipp gives an unsure smile while Izzy is smiling at them. “Hey, look! We've all got…” She started.
“...crafting belts.” Zipp finishes sheepishly as they each have identical crafting belts.
“It's pretty clear we could all use the practice.” Sunny said sheepishly, knowing that they need to practice their crafting skills.
“Not me. There’s a note in mine.” Sunset commented as she read the note on the crafting belt. “It says, ‘I know you are a great artist, but this is just something in case you want to craft something around.’ That’s pretty much it. And I could use some artists' time every now and then to do something.” She said with a smile as she placed the crafting belt around herself.
“That is true.” Sunny said in agreement with a smile. “Thanks, hoofever got us those.” She said with a smile.
“I'm gonna say it was Sparky.” Hitch said with a smile as Sparky is giggling behind him, while muffling his sneeze to prevent his dragon fire from coming out.
“Oh, I have a few ideas on who it could be.” Sunset said with a smirk, knowing who got them those gifts.
Izzy giggles to herself, trying her best not to call out, but couldn’t help herself as she smiled at her friends. “They're from me! I made them for you all! They're from me! Me, me, me, me, me!” She said excitedly while popping around her friends, who are giving her surprise looks at what she just did. “Me! Me! Me! They were from me! Izzy! Izzy! I-I-I-Izzy! Me, me, me!” She said as she hopped around and pointed to herself with a smile.
“Uhhhh…” The rest of the Mane 6 said, uncertain what to say, since Izzy shouldn’t have said that to the point of the whole Secret Canter thing.
“Well, that didn’t take long.” Sunset said with a surprise expression, should’ve guessed Izzy would break that easily.
“Hah!” Izzy cheered as she hopped on the couch and opened up her diary and clears her throat as she wrote in her diary. “Dear diary... Whew! Keeping a secret is hard work!” She said aloud as she wrote it down, even though she knows herself that keeping secrets isn’t her thing, unless they are for surprises. Izzy then realizes her mistake as she turns and sees her friends still looking at her, having heard what she just said as well. “Oh. Wait, did I say that out loud?” She asked her friends with a sheepish smile.
“You sure did, Izzy. Keeping secrets really hasn’t been your thing. And that’s just you being you, Izzy.” Sunset said with a cheery smile as she laughed.
The rest of the Mane 6 laughed with Sunset, finding that part of Izzy true and how Izzy needs to practice on keeping her own secrets as Izzy laughs along with them, finding that true as well.
Outside the Brighthouse, Kenneth and his bird partner are on a tree branch as they each hold out a gift for each other, they chirp to each other as they hug happily together.
End of Chapter 40.