//------------------------------//
// Lunch Invitations 
// Story: Fictionationality - Equestria 
// by Spirit Guide 
//------------------------------//

It was mid-morning when the four friends stepped out of the library, eager to start the day. Ponies were already out in the streets, going about their daily business. Twilight and Spike led their new friends around Ponyville, telling them about the many events that took place, taking them all over town and pointing out all the interesting sights.

Fang stopped beside a dry patch of mud. It was piquing his interest in a most obnoxious way. "Would somepony please tell me why this mud hole is so eye-catching?"

Twilight looks over the green dragon's shoulder. "I remember this spot," she recalled. "This is where I met Rainbow Dash, on my first day in Ponyville." She smirked at the memory of that encounter. "She really wasn't looking where she was going, was she?"

"Probably not," agreed Spike.

"While we're still on topic," Spirit said, "where is this Rainbow Dash?"

Spike pointed up at the sky. "Right there." Spirit and Fang craned their heads and glanced up at the cloud-filled sky. A cyan-colored pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail was flying around, clearing the clouds away by slamming into them.

"How does she do that?" Fang asked. "I mean, affect the clouds? They're just water vapor."

"Pegasi like Rainbow Dash have a special kind of magic that lets them manipulate weather," Twilight explained. "She's part of the Ponyville Weather team."

"How do we get her attention?" Spirit wondered aloud. "She looks kinda busy."

"I've got this." Fang spread his wings and leapt into the sky, leaving his friends to gasp at his sudden take-off. A feeling of elation filled his soul as he flew, and his heart felt like it was soaring too. It had been a while since he had last flown, back in the Republic with his friends, and he had almost forgotten the joy it brings. Fang climbed and gathered speed, then flipped over and began hurtling toward the ground, pulling up at the last second and startling several ponies. He soared back up into the sky, trying to find the cyan pegasus Spike had pointed out, he had lost track of her while he was getting his love of flying back.

It was her yelling that gave her away eventually. She was twenty feet away, busting the last few clouds in the area, leaving clear skies over Ponyville. Fang glided silently behind the rainbow-maned pony, being careful not to be noticed. The second she stopped her wild activity, he shot past her, leaving the pegasus mare spinning in his wake.

Shaking herself, Rainbow Dash watched the flying green streak disappear around a house. "Oh, no you don't," she said, revving her wings up for a chase. "I'm the fastest pony around here." She dashed after the emerald trail, making her way around the corner in under ten seconds. She stopped and hovered when she realized there was nopony around. She glanced left and right, but aside from three Earth ponies walking by she was alone. She was about to turn back when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Whizzing around, she jabbed toward whatever it was that touched her, only to come up with empty hooves.

"Whoa, you really are fast," a voice said behind her.

Swinging around, Rainbow braced herself for whatever was coming. When no blow came, she lowered her hooves and peeked out. She was surprised to find a green dragon hovering in the air before her. Dragons weren't exactly common in Ponyville, Spike being the only one she knew of.

"A dragon?" she spluttered in disbelief, realizing who it was that zoomed past her. "And a winged dragon at that. Who are you?"

The green dragon grinned, his wings flapping in a prefect rhythm that kept him aloft. "I'm Fang. I'm new in Ponyville, staying with my friends at the Golden Oak Library."

"You're staying with Twilight?" Rainbow inquired. "Does she make you read all her books?"

"Nah, I do that myself."

Rainbow Dash couldn't believe her ears. Here was a dragon who liked reading the same books that Twilight did. Rainbow decided to move on before she caught the Egghead Disease. "So, you roaming Ponyville on your own today, Fang?"

"Nope. Me, Twilight, Spike and my friend Spirit were just looking for you. When we saw you up in the sky kicking clouds I decided to try flying again. I haven't flown for a while, you see, and it just feels so good to be able to soar again."

"I know what you mean," Rainbow said, remembering the day she discovered racing. Flight was truly a blessing to those who understood it. "So, where are they now?"

Rainbow's question was answered by a familiar voice from below. "Hey Rainbow Dash, come on down!" It was Twilight. Rainbow looked down to see her unicorn friend standing beside Spike and a dark-azure unicorn stallion she had never seen before. That must be Fang's buddy, she figured. The cyan pegasus flew down towards them, closely followed by the green dragon. The two airborne landed in front of the ground trio.

"Good morning, Rainbow," Twilight greeted.

"Hey, Twilight," Rainbow replied. She glanced at the stallion standing beside Twilight, who immediately noticed Rainbow's magenta eyes staring at him.

"Hi, I'm Spirit Guide," the black pony said. "You must be Rainbow Dash. Twilight's told me about you."

Fang rolled his eyes. "Dude, that sounded like you've been preparing it all morning."

Spirit laughed. "Yeah, while I was reviewing magic with Twilight."

Rainbow chuckled. She was beginning to like this new pony. "So, you were trying to find me just to say hi?"

"Actually, Rainbow," Spike said in a droning narrator's voice, obnoxiously waving the checklist under Twilight's muzzle. "According to Twilight's checklist, we would like to invite you to lunch later today."

Fang covered his mouth, trying to prevent himself from exploding, but it was to late. He rolled on the floor laughing, tears of merriment sliding down his face. The contagious fit quickly broke out among them and soon all five friends were roaring with laughter, getting odd looks from passing ponies. Eventually they dragged themselves to their feet, still snorting and chuckling.

"What was that all about?" Spirit chuckled accusingly at Spike.

"Sorry," the dragon apologized, still snickering. "I just thought I could make things interesting. I didn't think it would have such an impact on everypony."

Fang shook his head. "So, you coming, Rainbow?" he asked the pegasus.

"Yeah sure," Rainbow Dash said. "I'll be there. Where's it gonna be?"

"I think we'll have a picnic, in the park," Twilight replied.

"Okay. See you there." Then she added, "And you too Fang."

Fang stared at her speechlessly as the pegasus launched herself into the sky. He turn to Twilight and asked, "Did Rainbow Dash just do what I think she did? Because if she did, I'm gonna start freaking out."

Twilight shook her head. "Don't worry, Fang. Rainbow just likes your flying. She doesn't get much competition around here, you know, so she's always keeping an eye out for a fast flyer."

"Ah, I get it now."

"Alright then, Twilight," said Spirit. "Should we get a move on?"

"Yes, of course," she replied happily. "Next stop, Sweet Apple Acres."


*


"So, the Apple family is the main supplier of apples in Equestria?" Spirit couldn't help but admire the big strong apple trees that made up the enormous orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. He and the others were doing their best to find Applejack among the broad fruit-bearing trees.

"They sure are, Spirit," Twilight confirmed. "They have relatives all over Equestria, each one with their own orchard. At least, that's what Applejack told me last applebuck season."

"Where is Applejack," Fang asked, searching left and right. "This place is huge!"

"Easy," Spike said. "Just follow the sound of bucking."

"The what?"

"Bucking, put simply, is a kick with the back legs," Spirit informed. "Mostly executed by equines."

"Oh, right," Fang nodded in understanding. "So she's over there."

Twilight, Spike and Spirit followed the green dragon's claw and listened. Sure enough, the sound of hitting bark and shaking trees could be heard in the direction Fang was pointing. They trekked on through the orchard in the designated route until they reached a tree who's base was littered with baskets full of apples. Beside the tree was an orange Earth pony wearing a stetson, who was repetitively kicking the tree, causing apples to fall from its branches and land in the already brimming baskets.

Twilight waited patiently for the mare to stop before approaching. "Morning, Applejack," she called cheerfully.

Applejack pushed her hat back up. "Howdy, Twi. Nice of you to drop by the farm. Anything I can do for ya?"

Spirit stepped up alongside Twilight and said, "Actually, we just wanted to know if you would join us for a picnic lunch later today."

Applejack raised an eyebrow at the stallion's sudden appearance. "Well, who's this fine fella? Ah ain't never seen him around before."

Twilight put a friendly hoof over Spirit's shoulders. "This is Spirit Guide. He's staying with me and Spike at the library."

"Where'd he come from?" Applejack asked curiously, then added, "unless you'd rather not."

Spike and Fang walked over to the ponies. "We're not from Equestria," Fang declared, "but we promise to tell the whole story at the picnic."

Applejack's eyes widened to the size of the apples she was bucking. "Oh, now ah'm really lookin' forward to lunch. But right now, ah got a bit of a problem."

"What's wrong, AJ?" asked Spike.

"Seems that there's a bunch of apples that refuse to come down. Ah've been kickin' away at this tree and a few others long after most of the apples fell, tryin' to get those last ones. Ah just don't know what to do now."

"Tricky apple trees, huh?" mused Spirit, walking over to the apple tree. He gave it a once-over and looked up at the few, but still plentiful, apples still stuck to the branches. The black pony leaned in close to the trunk, examining the wood carefully before bringing up his hoof and jabbing a knot in the wood. The tree shivered, from its roots to its crown, and all at once every last apple came tumbling down into Applejack's baskets, not one of them missing.

Applejack tipped her hat up and whistled loudly. "Yee-haw, that was downright impressive, Spirit. And it got the job done lickety-split."

"No problem, Applejack," Spirit said, looking around at the baskets of ripe apples, and then at the few other tree around them, their bases ringed with baskets and their branches still loaded with apples. He went around the grove, poking each tree in a specific place, causing the trees to release their unnatural hold on their fruit. In no time at all, the trees were devoid of apples.

Applejack was standing beside the first tree, her mouth hanging open. "That there was incredible! How'd ya know what to do?"

Shrugging, Spirit replied, "The places that me and Fang have been to have taught us many a strange thing. We've learned how to solve perplexing problems of this sort."

"Well, thank ya kindly. Now ah can finish harvestin' the rest of the apples. You'd best be on your way too. Ah'm sure ya still got some thing to do."

"If I'm understanding the list correctly," Fang read over Spike's shoulder, "we've still got to meet Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie." 

Applejack gave the tree another strong kick with her hind legs. "Well, don't let me slow you down."

"Alright, Applejack," Twilight said, "we'll leave you to it. By the way, would you mind bringing some of your amazing baked goods to the picnic? Even Pinkie Pie has her limits."

"Oh, ah wouldn't count on that." Applejack flapped her hoof around. "But sure, I'll bring somethin'."

Spirit nodded in response. "Great, we'll be off then. See you at the picnic, Applejack."

Applejack waved. "You too, Spirit." The farm pony turned around and went back to kicking the apple trees.

Twilight and the others began to make their way out of the orchard. Once they were out of earshot, Spirit announced, "A hard worker. That's something to be admired."

"You've been saying that a lot," observed Spike.

"That's because it's true. I simply can't get myself to fake it."

"That's interesting," Twilight brought up, "because Applejack is the bearer of the Element of Honesty."

"Maybe her connection to the Element is what compelled me to speak up how I felt just now."

"You learn something new everyday," Fang said, as the group reached the edge of the apple orchard. "Where to now?" the dragon asked Twilight.

"Rarity's."


*


"Do you ponies believe in basic decor?" Fang questioned as they approached the brightly-colored boutique.

"Of course, Fang," Twilight replied. "Rarity just likes things to be fabulous. Being a fashion designer, I guess that makes a lot of sense."

"And since when did you care for overdecorating, Fang?" asked Spirit curiously. "You're always the one making everything extreme!"

Really, thought Twilight. Then maybe when...

The dragon scratched his head thoughtfully, knitting his brows as he tried to come up with an answer. "Okay, fine," he said at last. "I usually am the one who riles things up, but that's only when it's boring."

"Like now," Spike butted in, almost eagerly. "Can we go inside already?"

Twilight sighed. "Okay, Casanova, we're going in."

"Yes!" Spike ran to the door so fast he kicked up a cloud of dust.

Spirit raised an eyebrow quizzically at Twilight. The mare leaned over and whispered into the his ear, "I think he's got a crush on Rarity."

"If you were whispering to keep me in the dark," piped up Fang, popping up between the two ponies, "don't bother. I heard everything. And besides, I'm older than I look."

"You're my age," Spirit pointed out. "But we're getting off topic. Let's go see Rarity before Spike does something silly."

Spirit trotted over to the dressmaker's shop, closely followed by Twilight and Fang. By the time they go there, Spike was already feverishly ringing the doorbell, his eyes wide and hopeful. Twilight rolled her eyes at the young dragon's antics.

The door was opened by a white unicorn mare with a curly royal-purple mane. She was wearing a pair of red glasses. "Why, hello Twilight," the pony said graciously. "What are you doing here this fine morning?"

"Good morning, Rarity," Twilight replied. "I wanted to introduce you to my new friends." She gestured towards them with her hoof.

Rarity regarded Spirit with interest. "And who might you be?" she asked him gently

"My name is Spirit Guide," he said, bowing his head politely, "And this is Fang."

"A pleasure to meet you, Rarity," Fang said casually, which actually sounded kind of cool.

"Oh my," she exclaimed. "You two certainly are something special. When did you meet Twilight, if I may ask?"

"Just last night," answered Spirit.

"Just last night, you say?" Rarity thought for a moment. "Did any of you happen to feel that tremor yesterday? It knocked over all my mannequins."

"I'll say we noticed it," Fang said, knowing exactly where to go from there. "In fact, if it wasn't for that earthquake, we would never have met Twilight and Spike."

Spike stirred slightly from his dreamy state beside Twilight when he heard his name, but before he could say anything, Rarity spoke up. "Really? That is quite remarkable. Would you care to tell me more?"

"We'd be more than happy to," Spirit confirmed. "In fact, we would like to tell you and all our friends the whole story at the picnic lunch we're having later today. Would you be so kind as to join us?"

Rarity's smile fell. "Oh, a picnic you say?" She clopped the ground nervously and slowly turned to reenter the boutique, closely followed by Twilight and the others. The seamstress pony began scanning her shop in a desperate search. "I would love to, really I would. It's just that I have an outfit to complete and I've lost both the thread I was using and the small chest full of amethyst crystals that the client requested I use. I simply cannot leave until I've finished."

"Wait, did you say amethyst?" Fang looked around Carousel Boutique's interior, tapping a claw against his chin. "Spike, come here," he called to the smaller dragon. Spike walked over obediently and Fang whispered something to him. Spike nodded furiously and the two dragons suddenly zipped into opposite directions, each one scouring a part of Rarity's shop.

Twilight tapped Spirit to get his attention. "What are they doing?" she asked her friend.

"Isn't it obvious?" Spirit waved towards Fang, who was sniffing the area underneath a table. "Fang's recently developed partiality for amethyst have a given him a nose for the purple quartz. While he tries to sniff out the chest, Spike's going to find the thread."

"I found it!" Spike's voice called out from behind a curtain. He ran towards the group, holding a spool of black-and-sliver thread and looking very pleased with himself.

"Oh Spike," Rarity cried out, wrapping the little dragon in a hug and the spool in a light-blue magic aura. "Thank you so much! I just don't know how I can thank you enough."

"Aw, it was nothing," Spike said. He looked at the spool of thread Rarity was levitating and remembered. "Where's Fang? He went to look for your chest of amethyst."

"Right here!" The green dragon popped up from beneath a heap of fabrics, a small purple and yellow chest in his claws. He leapt out of the pile of cloth, buttons and thread and joined the others, laying the chest on the desk. "I believe this is what you lost, Rarity?"

Rarity was speechless. Not only had Twilight introduced her to some new friends, they had also helped her out of a jam. Breathing deeply, she reached for the latch and flicked the small box opened. Inside was a cluster of amethyst crystals, their soft purple glow reflecting off of the ponies' and the dragons' faces.

"Bedazzled by minerals," Fang muttered slowly. "Again."

"Wow, Rarity," Twilight exclaimed. "Where did you find this?"

"In the mountains just outside Ponyville," answered Rarity. "On our way back from that red dragon's cave, I noticed quite a few gem deposits he must've missed. I found this outcrop of amethyst right by the path and couldn't help myself. I pulled it out of the ground and dragged it all the way back to Ponyville. I was lucky I did, for when I returned home I discovered that somepony had placed an order for a bejeweled garment, but requested that I only use amethyst on it."

"What a stroke of luck," Spirit said, amazed. "You'll be able to finish the outfit now?"

Yes, I will. And of course, I'll be able to come to the picnic."

"Yes!" Spike and Fang cried out together. The three unicorns stared bizarrely at the reptilian duo, surprised by their sudden outburst, but their questioning looks were replaced by smiles once they realized what the dragons were so glad about.

"So, we'll leave you to our work, Rarity," Spirit said. "It's been nice meeting you."

"Yeah," agreed Fang. "It was a blast."

"Wait," Rarity called as the four of them headed for the door. They watched as Rarity carefully chipped the lump of amethyst, causing two sizable shards to detach from the mass. She trotted over to her friends, levitating the purple quartz towards Spike and Fang. "I believe you two deserve a reward for the help you gave me. Don't worry, I have more than enough amethyst left for that outfit."

Spike held the crystal in his hand, staring at it as if he had been handed the most beautiful object in the world. Fang smelled his reward with a far-off look that Spirit hadn't seen in a while before dropping it into his mouth, crunching the crystal loudly.

"Thanks Rarity," Spirit said in Fang and Spike's place, both dragons clearly incapable of saying it themselves. "I hope your customer is satisfied with your work."

"Me too," Twilight added, half-dragging Spike towards the door. "Well, we'd best be off now. We've still got to find Pinkie and Fluttershy. Bye Rarity"

"Toodle-oo, Twilight." Rarity waved from the doorway as Spirit and Fang followed the purple unicorn out the door. "And you too Spirit. See you all at the picnic."

"Bye Rarity," Fang called after he'd swallowed his mouthful of amethyst. Rarity smiled and went back into her shop, the door closing gently behind her. "Wow, she is something. I can see why you like her, Spike." Fang turned around. "Spike?"

"Oh great," Twilight groaned. "He's out of it." She nudged the dragon lightly and he fell over, the hard crash not even snapping out of his stupor.

"I'll carry him," offered Spirit, levitating the prostrate dragon on to his back. "Come on. Where do we go to from here?"


*


"I do hope that Fluttershy is home," Twilight said as they neared the grass-covered cottage.

Fang bent down next to a hole in the ground, lightly knocking on the entrance. A small grey bunny popped out of the hole, closely followed by a brown one. The two rabbits proceeded to sniff the green dragon curiously, much to his obvious delight.

"She takes care of animals, right?" he asked Twilight, gently stroking the bunnies, who nuzzled him in return.

As Twilight and Spirit crossed the small bridge spanning the stream, a ferret climbed up beside them. Spirit looked down at the long, slender animal. "All kinds of animals, by the looks of it."

"Fluttershy is really good with animals," said Twilight. "She loves caring for animals and uses her special talent of being able to speak with them to help her.

Fang took interest in that last bit. "Fluttershy can talk to animals?"

"That is truly remarkable," Spirit said admiringly. "The ability to communicate with animals is a talent that only a few of my other friends actually have."

"Did you have to drag it out like that?" complained Fang, rolling his eyes.

"I for one like Spirit's long definitions," Twilight defended, giving the stallion a pat on the shoulder.

"I've stood in the presence of very powerful beings," Spirit said memorably. "I guess I got into a habit of using big words."

"Yeah yeah," Fang waved his claw . "Poisonous demons don't change their weapons. What say we drop the big talk and go say hi to Fluttershy?"

"Don't you think we should try to resurrect Spike before we go in?" Spirit asked, motioning to the unconscious dragon on his back. Spike hadn't budged since he'd passed out at Rarity's house.

"Hmm." Fang slapped Spike's cheek, first lightly, then harder, with no success. He thought for a minute, while the two unicorns watched the green dragon optimistically. "Twilight, do you have Spike's amethyst present from Rarity?" Fang asked her.

"I picked it up the moment he collapsed," Twilight replied, happy she had thought of holding on to it. She levitated the purple crystal into Fang's open claw. The winged dragon walked over to Spirit's back, where Spike still lay senseless. He grabbed both the purple dragon's nostrils and held them open, holding the amethyst under Spike's nose.

"His love of gemstones boosted his sense of smell, " Fang explained when Twilight scrunched up her face at the sight of his actions, "even though minerals typically have no scent. If he breathes in enough of it, he should wake up." He stopped his speech and took a whiff of the quartz he was holding. "It does smell good."

"No Fang," Spirit said sternly. "First of all, that's not yours. Second, we need it to wake up Spike."

"I know, I know." Fang shook the amethyst crystal beneath the purple dragon's snout, almost jamming it up his nose. Soon, Spike was stirring on Spirit's back, and slowly sat up, whereupon he slipped of of the black pony and landed firmly on his feet. 

"What did I miss?" he asked groggily, wildly glancing left and right.

"Not much, buddy," said Fang, handing the dragon his reward.

Spike grasped the amethyst tightly, giving it a good long look. "You guys held onto it for me while I was out?" His three friends nodded, a smile on everyone's face. Spike sniffed. "Thank you."

"All right, that's enough," Spirit said in a very final way. "We've still got to go see Fluttershy."

"Yes, yes, come on." Twilight and Spike led the way up the path to the door of the cottage. Fang was hopping up and down, his feet had fallen asleep on the bridge. Spirit merely looked up at Fluttershy's home in silent wonderment. Twilight gently knocked on the door. "Fluttershy?" she called. "Are you there?"

A light clopping sound could be heard inside the cottage, and the door swung open. A white bunny stood behind it, looking up curiously at the visitors.

"Hey Angel," Twilight called down to the bunny. "Is Fluttershy home?"

Angel nodded, kicking the door open to welcome the ponies and the dragons into the cottage. Inside the house it was warm and cosy, almost as if it were trying to make the visitors feel at home. On a couch at the end of the room lay a long emerald snake, being tended to by a yellow pegasus mare with a long pink mane.

Angel hopped over to the yellow pony and tapped her on the hoof to get her attention. The pegasus turned and looked down at the bunny. "Yes Angel, what is it?" she asked quietly.

The white rabbit pointed at the group that had just entered the cottage and Fluttershy gasped slightly at the sight of them. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming, Twilight."

"That's okay, Fluttershy," Twilight said. "I just wanted you to meet some new friends."

Spirit stepped towards the pegasus mare. "Hello, my name is Spirit Guide."

Fluttershy looked at the deep-azure unicorn before her with a somewhat fearful look. From her perspective he looked rather scary, with his dark-colored coat and deep blue eyes that were focused on her. She glanced back at the snake on the couch and was considering making a run for her room when Angel jumped on her back, in an unyielding manner. She looked at the bunny and knew then and there that he wasn't going to let her wriggle out of this one.

The shy pegasus stared at the unicorn stallion out of the corner of her eye and whispered, "I'm Fluttershy."

"Nice to meet you, Fluttershy," Spirit said cheerfully.

Twilight's jaw dropped so low it whacked Spike on the head. Could it be that Spirit Guide heard Fluttershy's barely-audible introduction? She herself had to repeat the exchange three times and couldn't even get Fluttershy's name. It wasn't until she saw Spike that she'd even begun to speak clearly. While Twilight was trying to glue the facts together in a way that made sense, Fang walked over and stood beside Spirit. "Hi Fluttershy. I'm Fang."

Fluttershy's eyes lit up and a smile appreared on her face. "A dragon! Oh my, I didn't know you met another dragon, Twilight." She stroked the dragon's scaly head with her hoof. " You're so cute. It's nice to see another little dragon around here."

Fang giggled. He was usually not ticklish but this shy pony had just discovered a nerve point. He held still as Fluttershy began tickleing his chin. "Nice to meet you too, Fluttershy."

"Where did you both come from?" she asked inquisitively, something she didn't do often.

"We'd like to tell you Fluttershy," Spirit promised. "In fact, we're going to tell everypony at the picnic we're having later today. Will you come?"

A loud hiss from behind her cut off anything that Fluttershy was going to say and made them all jump. The snake reared its head and hissed again, only to lay back down on the couch. Now that they were looking, Twilight, Spirit and the dragons could see that the snake was tied in a knot near its middle. Who could have done such a thing and how it was done they didn't know, but the snake was certainly not going anywhere in its present condition.

Twilight approached the couch and squinted at the reptile upon it. "Fluttershy, that's an Everfree Tree Boa. I've read about them. How did it get here?"

"I don't know," the pegasus replied softly. "I was just feeding my animals when I heard a hissing at the edge of the forest. Normally I don't go near the it but whatever had made the sound was clearly in trouble. You don't have to be able to speak to animals to know that. Me and Angel followed the sound and found the poor boa lying under a tree, exhausted and tied in a knot. I calmed it down and Angel helped me get him into the cottage where I immediately set to work trying to untie him, but," Her eyes started to water and tears began to form in her eyes. "I've tried everything that I know and nothing works and now the poor thing is going to stay knotted forever!" She started to cry, holding her head in her hooves as large tears streamed down her face. Twilight and Spike watched in sad silence, neither of them knowing what to do. Fang was wearing a thoughtful face, massaging the sides of his head, trying to come up with a solution.

A gentle hoof stroked Fluttershy's mane. Raising her head, she found Spirit Guide standing beside her, a comforting look of understanding on his face. "Don't cry," he asked of her, levitating a tissue from the table on the other side of the room. Taking the tissue in his hoof, Spirit carefully wiped the tears from Fluttershy's eyes, leaving them slightly red but otherwise dry.

"Thank you," she sniffed. "Is there something you can do?"

"As a matter of fact, I think there is." He called Fang over and the two friends slowly settled beside the couch upon which the snake was resting. The green serpent reared again and hissed, showing it's forked tongue and small but sharp fangs. Spirit merely looked it in the eyes, his round blue ones stared into the snake's slit pupils. Gradually, the boa lowered itself back onto the couch, seemingly calmer.

Spirit nodded to Fang. "Right, that's a start. Let's continue." Spirit opened his mouth and hissed. It was a blood-chilling sound that shouldn't come from a pony. Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike were so startled that they jumped and fell onto the floor. "Sorry," Spirit whispered, and then added mysteriously, "it's been a while." Returning his attention to the boa, he emitted a number of whistles and chirps, also sounds that ponies don't usually make. The snake seemed to like this, however, and relaxed even further. "Okay, Fang," the black unicorn breathed. "Go."

Giving his mate a thumbs-up, Fang knelt beside the couch and gently laid his claws on the snake's back. It shuddered at his touch, but a few soothing hisses from Spirit soon put it at ease. Working carefully so as not to hurt the boa, Fang pushed the two parts of the knot in opposite directions, slowly loosening the tangled coils. He gently grasped the boa's tail and pushed it through the knot's large hole, freeing the snake from its entanglement.

The serpent rose up from the couch, flexing its freed coils. It flicked its tail and climbed onto Spirit, wrapping itself around his neck. Fluttershy sighed happily. She walked over to Spirit and stroked the boa's smooth green scales. "There there, everything's all right now." The snake locked eyes with the pegasus and loosened its grip on Spirit, carefully climbing off of the black pony's neck and crossing over to Fluttershy's, where it curled up in an unmistakable hug.

Fluttershy was so happy her eyes watered, this time with joy and relief. The new friends she'd made had helped a fellow creature in need when she couldn't. It really was too much. She threw her hooves around Spirit and Fang and her tears trailed down their backs, but they didn't mind.

Stepping back, Fluttershy wiped her eyes with Spirit's tissue. "Thank you so much," she cried. "Thanks to you, this little guy can return home safely. And know I can even come to the picnic."

"Oh right," Twilight said, slapping her head. During all the excitement, she had almost forgotten the picnic lunch. "We've still got to see Pinkie Pie."

"I bet she's just waiting for something to happen," Spike said.

"Not Pinkie," argued Twilight. "She'd probably make something happen if nothing's going on."

"We'd better go find her then," Spirit said. Before making his way to the door, he turned to Fluttershy and said, "It's been nice meeting you, Fluttershy.

Fluttershy didn't respond. Instead, she threw herself onto Spirit, wrapping him in yet another hug. The boa sensed the embrace and added its own coils to the tangled mess of equine and serpent. Twilight, Spike and Fang watched events unfold from the doorway, secretly wishing they could join in the hug. Fang didn't wait for an invitation. Throwing his arms around Twilight and Spike, they started their own embrace by the door. The air was filled with positive feelings and happy sounds.

Slowly releasing her friend-hold on Spirit, Fluttershy took a step back, the boa obligingly unwrapping itself from Spirit's neck. "Thanks again," she said, blushing slightly, and then to everyone, "See you all at the picnic."

Spirit put a friendly hoof on her shoulder. "It's always a pleasure to help a kind soul like yourself." Turning to the boa, he said, "And you. We'll see each other again, I hope."

The boa blinked once and nodded slowly, stretching its face into what could only be a snake's version of a smile.

Spirit followed his friends out the door, after saying goodbye toy Fluttershy, Angel and the boa, and immediately shared his thoughts. "What a nice pony," he sighed. "Is she always this kind?"

"Yes," Twilight replied, also rather dreamily. "She's so careful and gentle."

"And quiet," Fang said with a slight frown.

"Don't be like that, Fang," complained Spike, nudging the winged dragon. "Fluttershy's just a bit timid. She has her moments though."

"We all do," Spirit announced sagely. "Everypony is special in their own way, and that gives them their hour to shine. Just like the night of Nightmare Moon's return," he added, looking pointedly at Twilight, "when you and your friends discovered each of your special qualities, and thus were able to wield the Elements of Harmony."

"You talk too much, Spirit," Fang said, patting the pony on the flank.

"At least what I say makes sense," Spirit shot back. "Unlike you."

"Well, hold on to your senses," Twilight announced, "because we're off to Sugarcube Corner!"


*


Spirit and Fang were awestruck by the sight of the bakery, its gingerbread house-appearance something even they've never seen before in all their adventures.

"Wow," Fang gasped. "That is one heck-of-a bakery."

"I think we've arrived at that conclusion already," muttered Spirit, who was engrossed in counting the cookie-like roof tiles.

"Sugarcube Corner is where Pinkie works," Twilight told them, "but it's also where she lives. We're most likely to find her here. Shall we go in?"

"Wait." Fang raised a claw, as if checking for wind. He glanced left, then right, then stared directly at the bakery's left wall. Without warning, he rushed off to the wall, flexing his claws. "Go in without me!" he called to the others, who watched him with a mixture of confusion and surprise. "I'll join you soon, promise!" He turned the corner of the bakery and disappeared from view.

Spirit began to wonder what Fang was after, but his eagerness to meet the last pony which Twilight had told him much about had left him temporarily unsuspecting of what the green dragon might be on to. "Let's go. Fang is always true to his word. I'd trust him with my life."

"That was a bit excessive." Twilight pushed open the door and the three friends walked into Sugarcube Corner. The interior of the bakery was filled with tables and chairs, with a counter at one end. Behind the counter was a male Earth pony with a light amber coat and orange mane setting up some baked goods for customers.

"Hello, Mr. Cake," Twilight called to the stallion.

Mr. Cake looked up from his work. "Oh, hello there Twilight. It's good to see you. What can I do for you?"

"Would you please tell us where we can find Pinkie Pie?" asked Spirit, sidling up to the counter.

Not surprised by the appearance of another pony in the shop, Mr. Cake greeted him like any other customer. "Good morning to you, sir. Are you new in Ponyville? I've never seen you around before."

Spirit inclined his head. "Yeah, I'm new. The name's Spirit Guide."

The Earth pony held out a hoof. "Nice to meet you, Spirit," he said, as the unicorn stallion shook his hoof. "I'm Carrot Cake. My wife Cup Cake and I own Sugarcube Corner. And let me tell you, ever since Pinkie joined us business has been booming."

"Is she good?" Spirit asked.

"Good?" Spike laughed, pulling up beside Spirit. "She's the best! She's so quick but her skills are amazing. I bet she could make a batch of any kind of treat in no time at all."

Spirit whistled. "That is good."

Carrot Cake nodded, then asked, "When did you arrive in Ponyville, just out of curiosity."

Some might consider that nosy, Spirit said to himself, and then smugly, but it was a fairly innocent question. "Just last night. Me and my dragon friend Fang came to Ponyville, but we hadn't planned ahead, so Twilight jumped in and helped us out.

He's crediting me an awful lot, Twilight thought. I really didn't do that much.

You think too much, you know that? a voice sounded inside her head. And yes, you did.

Twilight gasped, but went unnoticed by the others, who were still chatting loudly over the cookies. She looked around the store, but nopony else was there. Confused and slightly tense, she walked over to the table next to the counter and sat down in the chair beside it, her head in her hooves and her mind going through all the possibilities. A loud crashing sound sent her eyes rolling towards the ceiling. The noise also caught the attention of Spirit, Carrot Cake and Spike, who had changed the topic of their conversation to fit the situation.

"What was that?" Twilight asked Carrot Cake, trotting back to the counter.

"I'd imagine it's Pinkie," the baker pony answered. "She often does noisy things up in her room. Although, maybe I should check on her. Wait here please." Carrot Cake walked around the counter and up the staircase in the corner of the store.

"Well that's just great," grumbled Spike. "What do we do now?"

"Wait," Spirit answered simply. "Surely you can wait a minute or two, Spike."

"He's still young," Twilight put in. "It makes sense that he has a short attention span."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, Spike."

Another loud crashing sound echoed through the bakery, this time originating outside the store. Twilight and Spirit rushed to the window and looked out. A large bush beside the house was shaking violently, snarling and hissing emitting from it. Fang tumbled out of the bush, jumped to his feet and growled at the shrub. The plant stopped shaking and went silent.

Fang started brushing the dust off his scales. "Darn it," he muttered. "So close."

"Hey Fang!" Spirit called to the dragon. "Get over here."

Fang obediently shuffled over to the window, resting his claws on the sill. "What's up?"

"What happened out there?" Twilight inquired. "What was in the bush? How did you know there was something there? When did—"

The purple pony's stream of question were blocked by Spirit's hoof, which he laid firmly but gently over her muzzle. "That's enough, Twilight. I'm sure Fang is going to tell us everything, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Fang peered into Sugarcube Corner through the window. "Hey, where's Pinkie Pie? You guys are the only ones in there."

"Twilight! Spike! Spirit! We're back!" It was Carrot Cake.

"Coming!" Twilight called back.

Spirit lowered his head down to Fang's ear. "Come on in, but use the front door, okay?"

Fang gave him a clawed thumbs-up. "You got it."

Nodding, Spirit retracted his head and returned to the counter, where Twilight and Spike were already waiting. Carrot Cake had returned to his spot behind the counter, but standing on the end of it was a bright-pink Earth pony with a poofy mane of a darker shade of pink. On the pony's face was a big smile and she appeared to be trembling with anticipation.

The moment the pink pony saw Spirit, she bounced up to him and launched into a talking-don't-try-to-stop-me mode that the he had seen before among his other friends. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie. Mr. Cake told me you came to Ponyville last night and your staying with Twilight, so I decided to come over and say hi, but then he told me that you were here looking for me, probably wanting to say hi too, so I came down as fast as I could 'cause I love making new friends as well as baking and throwing parties for them, so hi!" Pinkie stood there, staring at Spirit with big blue eyes, while he stared back at her, trying to choose the best reaction.

Spike needed no further instruction. He fell on the floor laughing, clutching his sides as tears of laughter streamed down his face. Twilight remembered getting the same kind of speech from Pinkie when they first met, and now that she was listening and watching from the sidelines, she too saw the humor in it. Spirit, however, remained silent, although a small smile appeared on his face. He had just found somepony who could rival the absurdity of—

"What's going on in here?" Fang asked as he entered Sugarcube Corner.

Pinkie Pie turned like a turret, her eyes now aimed at the winged dragon who stood in the doorway. Fang caught sight of the light-blue optical organs staring at him and returned the gaze with his dark-green eyes. The pony and the dragon held their gaze, their eyes growing wider every second, their mouths slightly agape. A strange aura appeared to be filling the interior of the shop, tension charging the cupcake-scented air.

Without warning, Pinkie and Fang exploded into peals of laughter, their lighthearted snickers and giggles forcing everyone in the bakery into a state of uncontrollable mirth. Twilight and Spirit fell onto one another in a failed attempt to stay upright. Spike, who had just climbed to his feet, toppled to the floor again, laughing harder than he did before. Carrot Cake had covered his mouth and nose with both hooves, but couldn't hold it in and collapsed onto the counter. Fang and Pinkie grasped each others shoulders for support, both of them laughing so hard that Sugarcube Corner shook to its very foundations. The merry outburst was even louder and longer than the brief one they had pulled off earlier with Rainbow Dash.

Spirit dragged himself upright, helping Twilight get back on her hooves. Still chuckling, he asked the two who started it all, "What was that all about?"

Pinkie had gotten hiccups from laughing so hard and her speech was a bit garbled and slurred. "I-ahaha-I couldn't help it. He-he was looking at me like a-ha-ha-ha, like a haHAHA!" Whatever she was going to say was knocked away by another fit of giggles.

"You're one to talk," Fang cackled. "You and your crazy stare. I thought I was going to, to, to-ahaHAHA!" He fell apart again, losing whatever was on his mind.

"Right, that's enough," Spirit declared authoritatively after he had calmed down sufficiently. His black horn sparkled with blue magic and a wave of energy spread out over the ponies and the dragons. Everyone's laughing fits ended as they suddenly came to their senses and regained their composure, Pinkie and Fang lying on the floor, still smiling but with a hint of disappointment. Twilight couldn't help but admire the spell that Spirit had improvised on the spot. "That was pretty good," she complimented.

Spirit gave her a warm smile. "Thanks."

Shaking his head, Fang offered Pinkie a claw. "Sorry about that. You're Pinkie Pie, right?"

Pinkie held his claw in both her front hooves and shook it energetically. "Yuppers. I'm sorry too. It was mostly my fault. I can't help it, but whenever I meet somepony new I just find myself launching into a really, really quick 'n' cheery introduction that sometimes they don't even notice I'm saying hi to them. I guess I'm just a bit too fast for some ponies."

Fang regarded this for a moment. "Me too," he admitted.

Pinkie perked up when she hear this. "You mean you like over-the-top super-hyper antics too?" she practically screamed in his face.

"Oh yeah!" he shouted in hers. "Ever since I was little, No one understood me. I thought differently, I acted differently, I even walked differently. Every one kept telling me that there was a way that things should be and that I had to change the way I was and did things, but I never listened to them. Instead, I guarded and protected myself from the harshness of reality and advanced, never forgetting the things I'd learned and the friends I'd made. And that's how I ended up where I am now."

Spirit clopped his hooves together, Twilight and Carrot Cake joining in. Spike looked a bit disoriented, having not quite understood most of what his friend had said. Pinkie, on the other hoof, was smiling so brightly it was blinding. She threw her hooves around Fang, wrapping him in a hug. Fang responded appropriately, reaching behind Pinkie for a hold on her bouncy mane and returning her smile. Carrot Cake stepped over to the two unicorns and asked, "What did you want from Pinkie that we had to interrupt her?"

"Interrupt you from what?" Fang whispered into Pinkie's ear.

"Tell ya later," she whispered back.

"We wanted to ask if you would like to join us and the rest of our friends for a picnic lunch in the park later," Spirit said.

"A picnic?" Pinkie whooped. "I'd love to! What a silly question, who wouldn't want to go on a picnic? I mean come on, it's like one of the most-fun-funnest-of-fun things to do, like, EVER! Of course I'm gonna come!" She began hopping in circles around Spirit and Twilight. "Should I bring something? I know how much everypony loves my baking but if you don't need anymore that's okay too, just remember that I'm always ready to help with anything you might need especially if it has to do with baking but also if it doesn't, I'd just be happy to be able to help my friends."

Spirit was dumbfounded this time. Pinkie was obviously a pony who could out-talk most of the people he knew in the Republic, and maybe even out-psych most of them as well. While he stood there pondering this, Twilight stepped forwards and said, "We were hoping you'd be able to help us with dessert, Pinkie. You make some pretty good cupcakes."

Carrot Cake rapped on the counter top, getting everypony's attention. "You go right on ahead, Pinkie. The first picnic with a new friend is an important event. Only the very best treats should be there."

Pinkie's smile got wider. "You mean I can use everything in the kitchen?"

"Yep, down to the last sprinkle," he said nodding, then added, "just try not to finish everything."

"Okey-dokey-lokey! I'll get right to it."

Spirit felt someone tapping his shoulder and turned. It was Fang. "What is it? he asked the dragon.

"Um, Spirit," he started to say, then hesitated. Fang looked down at the floor, then up at the ceiling before returning his gaze to Spirit. "Could I, maybe, stay here to, you know, help Pinkie make cupcakes and stuff?"

The black unicorn stared at his best friend with a blank expression. No one in Sugarcube Corner managed to read his face, not even Pinkie Pie, who looked at Spirit with a puzzled but happy face. Fang looked a bit disappointed, probably with himself, beginning to wonder what it was his friend was thinking.

Do they often get into situations like this? Twilight wondered.

Not usually, the voice from before replied to her first, rhetorical question. Fang's just not sure what the final decision is and whether or not he'll get permission to stay when maybe there were other plans for him.

Twilight was not as easily surprised as before to hear another voice in her head. Who are you? she thought as loudly as she could.

Later.

Still confused, Twilight snapped back into reality, at the same time that Spirit gave his answer. "Of course you can."

Fang shot into the air and zoomed around the room, Pinkie mirroring his actions hopping around on the floor in the opposite direction, both of them shouting happily. Carrot Cake sighed contentedly and went to prepare the kitchen for the two energetic baking partners. Spike just gawked at the circles Fang and Pinkie were drawing around them.

Twilight pulled Spirit out of Pinkie's path before the pink mare collided with the obsidian-colored stallion, who was just standing in her way watching her, knowing full well where he was standing. "Are you sure it's safe to leave two of our over-excitable friends in a room full of cooking utensils and ingredients without supervision?" Twilight's eyebrow established a meeting with her maneline.

"I trust Fang. He's an outstanding cook, but he also knows when to stop. You're saying that Pinkie often doesn't clean up after herself?"

"No, of course not. Pinkie never leaves a mess. I'm just a little concerned that maybe—"

Once more, Spirit's hoof ended Twilight's speech. "Let's not worry about it. There are other things for us to do." He trotted back to his previous spot in Pinkie's path. When the hyper-active mare reached him again, she screeched to a stop right in front of him. Fang noticed Pinkie's pause and landed beside her. The two friends beamed crazily at the unicorn before them.

"Alright, you two," Spirit said, as if he were talking to a pair of troublemakers, which was a possibility. "Me, Twilight and Spike are going back to the library now. You two are going to stay here and make the cupcakes for the picnic, am I right?"

"Uh-huh," Fang and Pinkie answered in unison.

"Good. Then we'll see you both in the park in a few hours."

"Uh-huh."

Spirit walked towards the door, closely followed by Twilight and Spike. They turned around and saw Pinkie and Fang standing beside the doorway to the kitchen, waving frantically at their friends. "See ya later!" they called across the room.

"Bye." The three friends waved back and left Sugarcube Corner, feeling somewhat relieved. They had spent the whole morning running around Ponyville introducing new friends to old friends, but now they had completed their set task and were feeling elated. Twilight led their party back to the Golden Oak Library, where they sat down around the table to discuss the morning's events. Fang's five power cards were still on the tabletop.

"Well, Spirit," Twilight began. "I'd like to hear your thought on my friends, now your friends as well of course."

Spirit stroked his chin thoughtfully. "They all seem very special. You don't have to be smart to know that, just a good friend. It seems that they all know their place here in Ponyville and their work keeps them busy as well as happy. And of course, having you as a friend is definitely a good thing, Twilight."

"Aw, thanks."

Spike looked at Twilight, then across the table at Spirit. "Shouldn't we bring something to the picnic too?" he asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from where he figured it was going.

He's concerned, Twilight thought. But he really doesn't have to worry about that happening.

I'll say he doesn't, the voice echoed inside her head again. Watch this.

"Good idea, Spike," Spirit said suddenly. "Why don't you start making some sandwiches? We'll just wrap things up here."

The baby dragon looked shocked at the stallion's suggestion. He glanced helplessly at Twilight, but the mare just waved him out. "Go on, Spike. We'll be along in a minute to help."

Not reassured, Spike waddled out of the room, muttering about daisies and gemstones. When the door had closed behind him, the two ponies at the table locked eyes, purple looking into blue.

"Spirit, what gives?!" Twilight moaned without warning.

Spirit frowned, slightly taken aback by Twilight's sudden outburst. "I don't get it, Twilight. What's wrong?"

Regaining her composure, Twilight began again. "Ever since we've left the library this morning, whenever I'd think to myself I'd hear another voice in my head. I don't know what it is or if it's bad and I'm really worried about this. Do you know of any circumstances, maybe from your travels or in the Republic, where somepony started hearing voices inside their heads?"

Spirit stared at Twilight, his blue eyes glinting in the light. Twilight could see herself reflected in the glassy orbs. "You're in luck," he said at last. "I've had my fair share of experiences with this particular occurrence. Thought-speech is a form of communication, usually used by creatures who lack mouths and other sound-producing organs. Among the Republicans, there are those who can use thought-speech to communicate privately within the minds of others, so no one else can hear them."

"So you know who or what's been talking to me?" Twilight asked hopefully, eager to learn that which has been troubling her.

"Yes I do," Spirit replied.

"It was me."

Twilight grew silent. Her friend's answer was so unexpected that her train of thought was lost among the folds of her mind. So many questions exploded into being to replace the previous one, Twilight couldn't decide what to ask first. "Why?" she gasped. "How do you do it?"

Spirit walked around the table and placed a firm hoof on her shoulder. "Among the abilities I had gained during my divine promotion—for want a better word for it—was thought speech. It took a while to develop, but it was worth it. Projecting my thoughts telepathically instead of opening my mouth allowed me to share information with allies in times of strife and, sometimes, imprisonment."

"Okay, that's a start," Twilight said. "But how did you know what I was thinking? And why didn't you just mention it to me right then and there?"

"If I want to, I can see into the minds of others. I usually don't allow myself this view, though, as most would find it rude and undesirable for somepony else to be peering into their minds, knowing exactly how they feel and what their thinking. As to why I didn't simply talk to you after I heard your thoughts, I didn't think it was something that needed to be shared with everypony else at the time. I'm sure you'll agree with me on that."

"Yeah, it was kind of private." Twilight stared at the tabletop uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you it was me," Spirit said gently. "I usually keep some of my skills a secret, even the Republicans don't know the full extent of my powers. Truth be told, I'm not sure even Fang and I know everything about me."

Twilight laughed. The very thought of somepony not knowing themselves seemed rather funny. "Thanks Spirit," she said quietly, "for sharing what you know with me. It makes me feel like you trust us already."

"How could I not?" the stallion asked rhetorically. "With the kindness you ponies show, added to our knack for making friends, we create an unbreakable bond representing our friendship, no matter when, where or how. This is one of the things the Republic stands for: peace and harmony between all. We believe that no matter what you are, what you do or where you come from, everyone should feel at home and safe. Also," he added, "I needed some friends."

Smiling, Twilight took Spirit's hoof in her own. "You have friends, Spirit Guide. Even here in Equestria, away from your homeland, you will always have somepony to help you."

A tear appeared in the corner of Spirit's sapphire-blue eye, slowly building up and sliding down his face. It splashed against their hooves, spreading across the blue and purple surfaces, darkening the hairs. Twilight shivered, but Spirit's warm smile drove out the cold feeling, almost like magic, which it probably was.

"We should go," Spirit whispered, lowering his hoof, "or Spike will start getting worried that we're doing something stupid."

"Did you ever?" Twilight asked without thinking.

"No," Spirit replied, as if she hadn't asked such a private, possibly dangerous question. "There are laws I follow, one of them instructing not to get involved in such a way until you know that pony properly."

"Oh. Sorry."

"That's okay."

"Hey!" Spike shouted. "What are you two doing in there?" He sounded more concerned than angry.

"Nothing, Spike!" Twilight called back, almost sniggering at what the dragon must have been thinking. "We're coming!"

"About time too," the dragon muttered. "For a minute there, I thought you were going to—"

"Is he really thinking that?" Twilight whispered to Spirit as they got up from the table.

The black unicorn closed his eyes, walking beside Twilight as if he could see where he was going. "No," he answered. "He doesn't have the knowledge to visualize such a thing, although he has a very basic and inaccurate idea of how."

"Good. The last thing he needs to know at his age is how it works."

"What do you think the others are doing right now?" Spirit asked her, changing topics.

"I imagine they're all getting ready for the picnic. Rainbow Dash is napping somewhere, Applejack is storing her apples, Rarity is trying to decide what to wear for lunch, Fluttershy's probably saying goodbye to the boa and Pinkie and Fang are making more cupcakes than all of us can eat."

"So they're all doing fine, then?"

"Better than fine."

"Seriously, what are you guys doing!?" Spike called again. "If you don't come here right now, I'm gonna—"

"ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, WE'RE COMING!" Spirit roared.

They heard something crash against the floor and rushed into the next room. Spike was so startled by Spirit's thundering reply he had fallen onto the floor, along with half a dozen empty sandwich trays. The dragon lay on the floor, his face contorted with fear. "Sorry, sorry sorry!" he mumbled hurriedly, hoping not to anger the black pony again.

Laughing, Spirit and Twilight levitated the dragon to his feet. "Come on, Spike," Spirit said. "Let's get cooking."

The brief exchange was quickly forgotten as the three friends began preparing their take-out lunch. Ingredients were flung carelessly through the air, often followed by dishes or cutlery, always landing in a neat pile softly on a counter, a unicorn's magic field or a dragon's claw. Excitement and joy began to build as they eagerly looked forward to their picnic in the park. So much, in fact, that Spirit had temporarily forgotten about the dark forces that were probably roaming the peaceful world he was now in. Oh well, he thought, haphazardly tossing a daffodil and daisy sandwich over his shoulder, where it landed on a plate Twilight was levitating. Not even I can fight evil on an empty stomach.