//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: New Friends // Story: Acceptance // by Meatabex //------------------------------// As I shuffled down the road, head bent over, I suddenly realized that I was really hungry. I hadn’t eaten anything since I had gotten here, and the smell of apple pie, muffins, and salads entranced me. Wait, why would I want salads? I ate salads, but only because it was all I could do to survive at home. My tongue watered at the thought of eating salads, even though all the ones I had eaten before were gross. Slowly, I turned my head to look in the direction of the smells. The distinctive tinge was wafting from the cake shaped shop! I had to take a gander, at the very least. I dragged my growling stomach over to the shop, and opened the door. Inside, swirls and bright colors greeted me everywhere I looked. A pony stood in front of a polished counter with a cash register. The counter convened countless confectioneries, including cakes, cupcakes, candies, and chocolates. I sighted the surroundings, and suddenly I found myself staring at the scrumptious scruples surrounding me, like sugar, sugar cubes, sugar canes, shortcakes, Swiss rolls, Swiss cheese, sandwiches, strawberries, sundaes, and even sarsaparilla! “Um, excuse me?” I looked up towards the voice, and discovered that I was lying on the carpet right next to the counter. Embarrassed, I quickly got up.   “I’m sorry,” I quickly stammered. “I was just so hungry-”   “It’s ok!” The blue pony giggled slightly. She sounded more mature than the other ponies I had met so far. “I can see you’re not the only one obsessed over our delicious treats!”   “What-” I turned. A pegasus was barely hovering over the carpet, face pressed into the glass of the display. I could see that she had bubbles on her flank. Her blond mane and tail brought out the yellow color in her eyes, which were strangely looking in different directions. She was staring at a particularly mouth-watering cupcake in the center of the display.   Quickly, before I could react, she yelled.   “HERE! Two bits!” the pony tossed two golden coins out, and they bounced off the counter, and landed into the cash register, which the blue pony was barely able to open in time. Before the golden coins even touched the metal, however, the cupcake was gone, as well as the mysterious cross-eyed pegasus.   As I stood there in awe, the blue pony suppressed a giggle at my frozen expression. “She always comes here, quick as a bat!” she responded to my immobility. I shook my head, and turned to face her.   “You must be new here. I’m Mrs. Cake!” Mrs. Cake introduced. “I run the Sugarcube Corner, along with my husband, Mr. Cake, and our employee, Pinkie Pie!”   “Wait, Pinkie Pie works here?” I finally understood why Pinkie Pie was always so excited.   “Yes, as well as being a resident and occasional babysitter!” Mrs. Cake replied cheerfully.   “That’s rather neat! She’s one exciting pony!” I exclaimed.   “Yes she is,” she said knowingly. “You should have seen her when our two babies were born.”   I really wanted to continue the discussion, but my stomach had let a huge growl out at this point. I looked at the labels for one of the breads. “So, um, how much is one, erm, loaf of whole-hay bread cost?”   “It’s a bit twenty!” the mare replied. I suddenly realized that I had no money.   “Um, I think I forgot my dollars, I mean bits at home,” I stuttered slightly, embarrassed that I had no money to spend.   “Now, why would you come to the shop to get something if you had no money for it?” Mrs. Cake questioned thoughtfully.   “Um, I mean, I probably forgot it, yeah,” I continued. I suddenly felt so guilty about thinking that anything here could be free.   “I’ll pay for it!” A voice came from behind. Another pony had walked in while we were having our conversation. I looked to see who she was.   She was a unicorn, with a short, light blue blade-like mane with white streaks. She had a light blue-green coat. On her thigh was a symbol of a harp of some sort. Her tail was similar in color to her mane, but longer. Her voice was melodic, as though she used to singing. “Hey! I haven’t seen you around before!” she sung in a sing-song voice. “I’m Lyra! Lyra Heartstrings!” “Hi Lyra,” I breathed a sigh of relief, which quickly turned to guilt again. “But you don’t have to pay for me...” “Aw, that’s fine!” Lyra dismissed with a wave of her hoof. “I always pay for when Bonbon and I go shopping! Besides, its just a bit twenty!” She quickly scanned the counter for anything she wanted, and picked out a twelve pack of sarsaparilla and a massive bag of candies. “Here you go,” Lyra opened her saddlebag, which I hadn’t noticed before, “six bits and seventy cents.” Her horn shone, and the money deposited itself into the register. “Oh yeah, and also add one bit and twenty for this mare’s bread.” “Thank you for shopping at Sugarcube Corner!” Mrs. Cake thanked. “It’s no big deal, Mrs. Cake!” Heartstrings laughed. “I come here pretty much every other day in the week for ol’ Bonbon.” Quickly, the food in the display began to levitate. The sarsaparilla and bag of candies were dropped into the saddlebags, while the whole-hay bread hovered until it reached my hooves. I clumsily grabbed it with my hoof. “Thank you so much!” I told Lyra. Then, realizing how hungry I was, I quickly downed the bread. It tasted sweet, and full of texture. Who knew hay would taste so well? “Sweet Celestia,” Lyra stared. I looked around, and Mrs. Cake also had a rather surprised expression on her face. My cheeks turned pink. “Have you not eaten at all today?” I didn’t even move, and somehow she understood that as a yes. “That’s terrible!” She grabbed my hoof. “Look, I’m buying this soda for a party! You wanna come?” “Um, well,” I couldn’t really think, after how embarrassed I was. “Sure, I guess...” “Alright!” Lyra quickly pulled me along. “This is going to be great! I thought I hadn’t seen you around, but Pinkie Pie usually throws a party for new ponies! Strange, that she could miss a newcomer.” “I think she left,” I managed to say as we exited the Sugarcube Corner. “What for?” Lyra was heading towards another house, me in tow. “Um, she had to go to Canterlot for some reason,” I replied. “Really? So you have met her! Makes sense.” ----- Lyra had dragged me through the door, and suddenly I was blasted by music. Gigantic speakers on two sides of a turntable, managed by a pony with a pair of goggles, were flaring as upbeat techno music spilled out. All over the place, ponies were dancing, playing, and singing their hearts out. I closely followed behind Heartstrings, who was heading towards a particular pony near the edge of the wall. The pony, who had a long curly blue and pink mane and tail, and yellow fur, was busy conversing with another pony, this one with a black combed mane and tail, and similarly toned grey fur. “HEY BONBON!” Lyra yelled. The cotton candy colored pony turned, and smiled. “HEY LYRA!” Bonbon yelled back. I discovered the music was far too loud for ponies to talk in a normal voice. “I BROUGHT YOU THE SARSAPARILLA AND CANDY!” Lyra responded. “THANKS LYRA! YOU’RE THE BEST!” Bonbon screamed. “SCRATCH IS GONNA TAKE OFF HER SHADES! TEN BITS SAYS SHE HAS TAN EYES!!” “NO! SHE HAS RED EYES FOR SURE!” Heartstrings hollered back. I looked up to the stage. The DJ stopped the music, and paused to get everypony’s attention. Some groaned slightly, and I could hear my hears ringing. Satisfied by the reaction, she pulled the goggles off her face, eyes closed for dramatic effect, and then quickly snapped her eyelids up, revealing a fiery maroon blaze, contrasted by her cool mane. “BAM! THEY’RE RED, BABY!” she yelled. Most of the ponies screamed in glee, while a few groaned as they lost money to those they bet against. One of which was Bonbon, who disparagingly tossed the bits to Lyra. “Thank you!” Lyra said in a mock courteous voice, but was drowned out by the DJ, who continued, “YOU CAN TELL EVERYPONY TO STOP ARGUING NOW!” Bonbon then noticed me. “Who’s this pony?” “Her name is...” Lyra cocked her head, and then asked me, “Hey, what’s your name?” I opened my mouth to talk, but suddenly my head reeled as heavy bass and treble pumped against my ear drums, making it impossible for anypony to hear. The DJ must’ve started the music again. “WHAT?” Bonbon shouted. “Leafwing,” I said slightly louder. The grey colored pony from earlier spoke up. “I CANNOT HEAR YOU OVER THIS DISRUPTING MUSIC!” “THIS ISN’T DISRUPTING!” Bonbon yelled. “IT’S FUN!” “IT IS SIMPLY DISTASTEFUL!” the grey pony cried out, stomping her hooves on the ground. “I WOULD RATHER GO LISTEN TO GLASS BREAKING THAN THIS GARBAGE!” “THEN WHY ARE YOU HERE?” Lyra howled. “MY PERFORMANCE WAS SUPPOSEDLY SCHEDULED HERE HALF AN HOUR AGO!” the grey pony paused to run a hoof through her mane, then continued. “HOW IN EQUESTRIA IS THIS PARTY STILL GOING ON?” My head started to hurt after all the yelling and loud music. “SILLY, IT’S THE AFTER PARTY! TALK TO THE DJ!” Lyra started dancing again. “WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” Bonbon asked. I sucked in as much air as I could. “MY! NAME! IS! LEAFWING!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, just at the music stopped. All the ponies were staring at me. A few in the corner giggled. Some had surprised, amused, or disgusted expressions. And the rest just stared. I started to back up, lowering my head in shame. Why do I always get myself caught up in situations like this? I thought. “What was that?” one pony called out. “I’m... so sorry,” I said, slowly backing up. The embarrassment was so strong, it began to hurt. “Weirdo!” Another shouted. My face reddened. “Get outta here!” yet another hollered, and a general murmur of agreement filled the air. My eyes started to water. “HEY!” Lyra quickly trotted in front of me. “You don’t make fun of my friend like that!” “She’s your friend?” one of the ponies said incredulously. “I’m... your friend?” I said, even more surprised. “Yeah! And she might be different, but you don’t make fun of her!” Lyra nuzzled my body, trying to comfort me. I barely noticed the tears dropping from my eyes. Bonbon stepped in front of me as well. “This is my party. I can decide to end it if I want! So be nice to her!” The other ponies that spoke up quieted down. Satisfied, Bonbon glanced over to me to see if I was ok. “May I take this opportunity to speak?” the grey pony asked. Bonbon nodded, and slowly walked towards me. “You ok?” I nodded, but tears were still streaming. Was Lyra really my friend? “Um, excuse me, but in case you did not know, my name is Octavia,” the grey pony cleared her throat again. “Somepony has asked me to perform onstage tonight, and I can see that this... other pony,” Octavia pointed to the DJ, “has taken the venue for quite some time. If you would be so kind, Bonbon, as the party manager, to ask this pony to kindly pack up her belongings and get ready for the Equestrian Quartet, I would be so delighted to demonstrate my musical talent.” “HEY!” The DJ yelled. She stepped out from behind her turntable. I could now get a good view of her body, bright white with a musical note on the top of her back leg. I wiped my eyes to get a better look. Her hair was was short and shaggy, alternating between blue and green. She stripped her goggles off, and her blazing red eyes stood out as she opened her mouth to talk, “Are you saying I have no musical talent?” “Well, now that you say it,” Octavia put a hoof to her chin, “I must say this... noise is utterly distasteful!” “Hey, girls,” Bonbon tried to hush the two. “You did go a little over your venue shift, Vinyl.” “The hay I did!” the DJ replied angrily. “It’s called an encore, Octave, which I doubt you’ve heard before.” “How dare you,” Octavia started, but Bonbon covered the musician’s mouth with her hoof. “That’s right!” the DJ, or Vinyl, continued. “I don’t think anypony has ever gone ‘Encore, Octavia, Encore’ at one of your concerts!” “You want to fight?” Octavia lifted her hooves into the air, knocking Bonbon off. “Right here, right now,” DJ-Pon3 jammed her goggles back on. She then assumed a karate pose, putting her hooves above her mane and standing on one leg. “STOP IT! RIGHT NOW!” Lyra shrieked. Her scream traveled up and down the stairs, down hallways, out the door, and reverberated as it bounced around the room. She panted for a few seconds before somepony else spoke up. “What in Equestria has happened?” Bonbon continued for Lyra. “I thought that Ponyville was a town of tolerance and love! Why are all us ponies talking hatefully? Parties are fun! Now, if you could just tolerate the fact that a new pony has come to town-” “A new pony?” Vinyl interrupted. “I thought Pinkie Pie throws a party for all the newcomers!” “Well,” Lyra said, in a matter-of-fact tone, “she has gone to Canterlot to run some errands.” “And she probably missed Leafwing as she came in,” Bonbon added. “Look, the point is that we are better than this. We shouldn’t be arguing. Now, Vinyl Scratch, if you can come off the stage and make way for the quartet, we can continue this after party without a hitch.” Vinyl Scratch grumbled, “ I was gonna get off anyways.” She shone her horn, and the speakers, as well as the turntable, and techno lights all vanished in a flash of light. As she passed by, other ponies offered their condolences for her leaving. Lyra turned to me. “Leafwing, you’ll be ok. Now, since you’re probably very hungry, there’s-” “No,” I muttered. “I need to talk to Vinyl.” I knew Vinyl still had hard feelings against Octavia, and they had to be resolved. I started out the door. “Wait!” Lyra yelped. I looked back. “I’ll come with you.” “Ok.” I nodded, and we both set out to search for Vinyl. ----- She hadn’t strayed far, and was near a well. Her shades off, she was just staring into the bottom of the watery pit. I galloped to the musical mare, and tapped her on the shoulder. “AH!” She shifted away fast as lightning, and brought both her front hooves up in a fighting stance. Lyra and I leaped back in fright. “AH!” Lyra and I screamed. “I’ll take you all- oh. It’s you.” Vinyl slumped back into her sad position. “Hey, listen,” I urged. “I hope you don’t hate me for what I did.” “No,” she muttered. “It’s not you.” “I know,” I continued, “but I was the awkward silence that I created that allowed her to remind you of your schedule.” “You must’ve been thinking about this for a while,” the DJ laughed with an ironic tinge. “it was the right thing to do, her reminding me of the schedule.” “But you were doing so well up there on the stage!” Lyra insisted. “My performance was already up,” Vinyl said dejectedly. “It’s fine.” “So then,” I asked, “why are you so sad?” I suddenly felt her feelings bounce about. There was a mixture of guilt, followed by sadness, and regret. It was almost as though I were feeling them too. “We’ll... I don’t... I can’t tell you...” she started to drift off, as though remembering an old memory. I could still feel the pain, horrible emotions drifting off of her. “Look, I know how you’re feeling,” I pushed. “I don’t know how, but I seem to feel like you have some sort of guilt, or pain from the past.” She looked astonished for a second, but then went back to her downcast expression. “You can tell me,” I moved closer. “I don’t know anyone in this town anyway, I won’t tell a soul.” “Ok, here goes,” Vinyl took a deep breath, and then continued. “When I was a filly, I attended the Musical Academy for Rising Equestrian Singers, or MARES. At the academy, I had lots of friends, of course. But I also really liked this one pony. She was different from the others, more talented and gifted than the others, and terribly cute. She was the same age as me, and we were both in the same grade. Her name was Octavia. “So, we eventually got together. We became very good marefriends. She was one of the best, too! She knew how to be classy, was absolutely adorable when it came to dressing up, and really smart. She was kind, generous, and a great musician at heart. “But, one day, her parents decided that she wasn’t supposed to learn at MARES at all. So she found out, and came to me for help. Being a young filly, I was mad at her for leaving. I mean, how could she? And so she hit me, and we got into a fight...” At this point, Vinyl started to cry. Lyra’s eyes began to water as well. “I don’t remember quite how it went... it was all a blur... but after it... she left me!” She began to wail, and it was all I could do to keep myself from crying three times in one day. “It’s ALL MY FAULT! BWAAAA!” She began to hug me fiercely. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and I hugged her back. Lyra joined the hug, crying her eyes out as well. For a long time, us three sat there, next to the well, the sun slowly going down, tearing up. I hiccuped as I tried to calm myself down. Lyra was blubbering on the ground beside me, and Vinyl shook her head to get rid of the tears caught in her mane. “So now, we can’t set the past aside, and this is the first time I’ve seen her since then. She hasn’t changed one bit. Well, maybe she’s become more talented with the cello, but other than that, she’s the same. I don’t know why she had to leave MARES. She was one of the best singers there.” “Why don’t you -hic- two apologize?” I asked. “Because,” the DJ moaned, “I’m afraid of what she’ll say. Now, not a word to anypony,” Vinyl said quietly, “please?” I nodded, and so did Lyra. “By the way,” Vinyl stood up, “I’m Vinyl Scratch, in case you don’t know me.” “Nice to meet you,” I replied. “I’m -hic- Leafwing.” “Yeah, I heard ya,” she quipped, and I blushed as I remembered the awkward silence following my outburst. “Don’t worry, that was my bad.” She winked. “Hey,” Lyra spoke up, “Leafwing, wanna head over to the after party?” “Sure,” I answered. “Hey! Vinyl!” Vinyl was slowly making her way to a different house, but turned. “Want to hang out?” Lyra asked the DJ. “We still have food at the party.” “No,” Scratch laughed nervously. “Octavia’s still in there, and she’ll attack me for sure.” “No she won’t.” Lyra stamped a hoof down as she spoke. “I’ll make sure of that!” ----- “Are you sure this’ll work?” Vinyl pouted. “I hope so,” I replied. “Octavia loves music, right?” “Well, duh!” Lyra pointed. “Look at her on her cello!” The Equestrian Quartet was playing a nice, but doleful jazzy tune. Octavia was playing the cello with a grace I’d never seen before, and the ponies were all dancing to her melodic plucks. “It’s about to end!” Lyra whispered. “It’s your time!” “I don’t know,” Vinyl frowned, “I don’t think I can, not after what I did to her...” I glanced at Octavia again. For a minuscule millisecond, I saw her eyes flicker over Vinyl Scratch. In that one millisecond, I suddenly felt an extreme shock, followed by anger, sadness, and longing hitting me like a hammer straight to my heart. Octavia continued playing for awhile before she looked again. Once again, as she glimpsed at Vinyl, a feeling of grief and yearning smashed into me. This time it was so powerful that I backed up a few steps, bumping into Lyra. “...and she might forgive you, but it’s unlikely- hey!” Lyra stumbled back as I crashed into her. So it wasn’t a fluke after all! Somehow, I was able to pick up Octavia’s emotions. I would figure it all out later. Now, I had important news to tell Scratch. “What was that-” I cut off Lyra’s words. “Vinyl Scratch! I know she’ll forgive you.” “How?” Scratch scratched her mane. “I just know.” I tried to be as discreet about my abilities as possible. “But if you don’t go and apologize, you’ll lose your chance!” “Ok, I’ll go then,” Vinyl took a deep breath, and then walked onto the stage. “Hey! You!” Octavia turned around, acting surprised that Vinyl would show up. I knew better, of course. The ponies in the room all turned their heads to look at the speaking pony. “What?” Octavia spoke in a condescending voice, “why are you here, Vinyl? Your concert is-” “Over, I know,” Vinyl brushed her bangs away. “I know what you think of me, after our incident...” “I know,” Octavia responded, still astonished, “but that’s why I left. And that’s never gonna change between us...” “I want to apologize,” Scratch walked in front of her, to the front of the stage. All the ponies in the jazz band had now stopped playing, to watch the scene unfold before them. “for what I did. I shouldn’t have hurt you when you needed me the most.” Octavia stared into Vinyl’s ember eyes. I could see an almost physical connection, a string, connecting the two together... “No.” “What?” Lyra, Vinyl, and I said simultaneously. “That is correct, Vinyl Scratch, or as all these ponies care to know you as, ‘DJ-Pon3.’ Apology not accepted.” Octavia looked away from the DJ. “I have standards, Vinyl, and you broke them a million times over when you did... what you did. I cannot allow us to be together again.” “But... but...” I felt grief rise in Vinyl. She was starting to give up. Grief, strangely, was also rising from Octavia, only increasing as she tried to keep her composure. Think, Leafwing, think! I brainstormed rapidly, trying to think of ways to save the situation. Scratch was already starting to slump in defeat, as Octavia slowly strutted to the changing room... “WAIT!” I hollered. Everyone froze. Octavia and Scratch, both confused, looked at me like I was crazy. “Back me, Lyra.” Lyra looked confounded as well. I jumped upstage, and grabbed a mic off one of the stands. Here goes nothing, I thought. I cleared my throat. There was slight feedback from the mic as all the ponies just stared at me. And then, I started to sing. “I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend. You could cut ties with all the lies, that you've been living in.” All the ponies continued to stare at me, but now in awe.   “And if you do not want to see me again. I would understand, I would understand.” Lyra finally took the hint, and pulled her harp out. Soon, she was playing to my singing. “The angry pony, a bit too insane, Icing over a secret pain. You know you don't belong...” Even the Equestrian Quartet had joined in at this point. “You're the first to sing. You're way too loud. You're the lone earth pony up in the clouds. I know something's wrong.” Walking onstage, I pointed at the two ponies, who were now both awkwardly staring at the floor. “Well, everyone I know has got a reason,” I sung. “To say.” Everypony shouted, “PUT THE PAST AWAY!” “I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend. You could cut ties with all the lies that you've been living in.” Lyra had her own microphone at this point, and sung the next lines. “And if you do not want to see me again, I would understand, I would understand.” Vinyl looked up, but quickly looked back down after Octavia looked up. “Well, she's on the stage And she's got a bow, And I do not think anyone knows What they are doing here.” Lyra and I began to harmonize, Lyra strumming on her harp the whole time. “And your friends have left you You've been dismissed,” I sung to Vinyl, jabbing her side with my hoof. “I never thought it would come to this And I, I want you to know,” Lyra sung to Octavia, poking her with her tail. “Everyone's got to face down the demons.” Maybe today we can put the past away,” Vinyl and Octavia looked awkwardly at each other. At this point, all the ponies in the room, even the ones in the quartet, all, except the two ponies on center stage, were singing. “I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend! You could cut ties with all the lies, that you've been living in! And if you do not want to see me again, I would understand, I would understand.” Everypony else stopped. I bowed my head towards the ground as I hit the last words. “I would understand.” And now all eyes were on Octavia and Vinyl Scratch again. “I... I...” Octavia stammered, nervous by all the attention. “Well, um,” Vinyl took a step forward. “Do you accept my apology?” Octavia stood there, shaking slightly in fear. Vinyl, realizing it was hopeless, slumped her neck. All the ponies in the room quickly became downcast too. Lyra started to sniffle, and Bonbon came in with a tissue box to comfort her. I just stared, wondering why it didn’t work... “YES!” Octavia flung her hooves around Vinyl Scratch, and hugged her tightly. Scratch, not expecting it, got smacked backwards. Since she was so close to the edge of the stage, she had no time to move as they both fell off, and hit the ground with a loud CRASH! All the other ponies looked up in response to the crash, and quickly clamored to see what was going on. I got onto the stage, and looked down at the two. “I love you!” Octavia sobbed, “I was being such a stuck up mare that I never realized my feelings for you!” “Urg...” Vinyl struggled to get up. “Can you, uh, get off of me?” “Oh! Sorry!” Octavia let Vinyl up, and then, as soon as Vinyl got onto four legs, attacked her with another body wringing. “Ack!” Vinyl at first tried to block off the hug, but gave up, and hugged back. “Love you too, Octave.” All the ponies in the building awwwed together. Lyra started to cry again. “BWAAAA!” Lyra’s tears began to soak up the floor. “What’s wrong?” Bonbon swiftly brought another box of tissues. “Nothing -hic- is wrong!” Lyra cried. “They’re tears of joy!” I exclaimed. I was right. Lyra was the pinnacle of happiness, it was practically shining off her face. ----- “Hey, Leafie!” Tired as I was, I turned to face the pony. I could see Bonbon’s cotton candy colored hair in the bright moonlight. “Tonight was fun, Bonbon, thanks for letting me join the party,” I yawned, blurring some words together. “That’s fine! You were such a great guest! What a nice song!” Bonbon grinned. “It really saved the mood in the party. Everypony was getting worked up over DJ-Pon3 having to leave.” “Well, it worked out in the end,” I sheepishly smiled. “I better get going then...” “Wait!” Bonbon yelled again. “You can stay at our place. We’re having a slumber party!” “A... what?” I shook my head, making sure I heard that correctly. “What’s a slumber party?” “You don’t know what a slumber party is?” Bonbon gasped. “Now you have to be here!” She grabbed me against my objections, and pulled me back into her house. Inside, Lyra was running around, setting up pillows and blankets all over the floor, while Octavia and Scratch were cuddling in the corner. “Hey,” Bonbon trotted to the two ponies. “Do you two want to stay the night? We won’t have enough beds, but we have the floors covered, right Lyra?” “Right!” Lyra’s horn began to dim as she finished putting things in place. “Why not?” Scratch grinned. Octavia nodded in agreement. “Ok then!” Bonbon smiled. “There’s gonna be five ponies staying over for an exciting slumber party!” “Ok...” I yawned again, and slowly cantered over to the nearest carpet, and then lay my tired head on the fluffy feathered pillows that scattered the floor. Despite that Bonbon had exclaimed that the slumber party would be fun, Octavia and Vinyl both had already fallen asleep in each other’s hooves. Lyra and Bonbon were the only ones actively talking and telling jokes to each other. I was struggling to stay awake myself, still absorbing the excitement from the earlier party. I think Lyra noticed that I was sleepy, and nodded to me with a grin on her face. “Good night...” Lyra hummed quietly. The candles were snuffed, and I drifted into sleep as Lyra and Bonbon chatted on about the day’s events. Today was a strange day. I had found myself, now a pegasus mare, capable of actively perceiving other pony’s feelings. Even now, I tried to figure out if these ponies were truly my friends...