//------------------------------//
// Let The Shipping Begin 
// Story: The Shipping Bar 
// by Spirit Guide 
//------------------------------//

The sun was shining brightly that day, a perfect time to be out and about. Better yet, out and about with a really good friend. Where would a pony go with his or her special somepony on a great day like this? What would they want to eat or drink together? These are the questions that led to Twilight Sparkle's opening the Shipping Bar.

The Shipping Bar was something the unicorn had put together after weeks of hard work. With permission from the Mayor and several letters to the Princesses, Twilight had opened the small but cozy establishment to the public. Celestia agreed that it would be helpful for Twilight to learn about romantic friendship and what better way to do so than serve couples a snack? And boy, was it a hit. Since then, Twilight opened the bar once a week, even when the weather was gloomy and ponies were still enjoying time together with friends. There always appeared to be some customers in the bar no matter what it was like outside.

Twilight turned the key in the lock on the double doors of the cafe and pushed them open. With a wave of her horn the curtains swung aside, allowing the bright sunlight to stream into the bar. Chairs were stacked on the tables which were scattered neatly around the room. The light fittings were shiny and elaborate as the day they were made. The multicolored walls were patterned with all manner of symbols and pictures. Twilight smiled. "It's time for another good day running the Shipping Bar," she announced happily.

A dark-blue unicorn poked his through the kitchen doorway. "Yes, it is."

Spirit Guide had been Twilight's special somepony for months now. After meeting him under strange circumstances, Twilight had taken a liking to the studious stallion, finding much in him that she could relate to. Despite his extraordinary, miraculous and sometimes far-fetched-sounding beliefs, Spirit had grown on Twilight and now she could hardly imagine life without him.

Twilight levitated the chairs down and slid them under the tables before heading for the kitchen. Spirit was arranging sets of cutlery and hovering them onto the tables. "Should we expect a larger-than-usual crowd today?" Twilight asked him.

"On Hearts and Hooves Day?" Spirit said incredulously. "Definitely."

Opening the fridge and the cupboards, Twilight began pulling out all kinds of things: fruit, drinks, baked goods, plates and cups. "Then we're going to need to restock."

"Don't worry. I already placed an order yesterday."

Twilight smiled. She loved how organized Spirit was. She pulled out a cutting board and zealously began slicing up apples. "Anypony coming yet?" she inquired.

"Hold on, I'll check." Spirit rushed out of the kitchen, through the bar and out the door. Looking down the road, he saw two ponies approaching, walking side-by-side in a way that could only be described as together. "Wave Ride!" he greeted cheerfully. "So good to see you again."

The arctic-blue earth pony smiled. "Good to see you too Spirit," Wave replied, giving the unicorn a hoof-bump. "Me and Paint were just on our way. Are you open for Hearts and Hooves Day or did we get the date wrong."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Paint Splash giggled.

"Nope, you got it right. Come on in." Spirit led the two ponies into the bar and seated them at a table in the center. He gave them each a menu and went back to the cafe entrance to wait for more couples.

Twilight trotted over to Wave and Paint's table. "May I take your order?" she asked professionally.

Paint smiled sweetly at Wave Ride. "Two apple ciders and a double Meadow Tart," he said, translating his marefriend's sign.

Jotting down the order, Twilight returned to the kitchen and began to prepare it. Meanwhile, Spirit reentered the Shipping Bar accompanied by two more couples. The minute she sat down, Pinkie Pie waved at Paint Splash and shouted a greeting, leaving Cheese Sandwich to reach over for a friendly hoof-shake with Wave. Spike and Rarity found themselves a secluded table in the corner of the cafe and sat down at it, enjoying each other's company and ignoring all else around them.

"First five minutes and already three ships," Spirit chuckled as he pulled out a stash of rubies reserved specially for dragons.

Twilight poured out the cider. "We've become popular. We'd best get ready in case we need to set up more places."

"Don't worry," Spirit reassured her. "I had a canopy installed so we can shade anypony who sits outside."

"You're so clever," Twilight complimented, nuzzling her coltfriend.

Spirit scrunched up his muzzle, not in disgust but rather in playful warning. "Hey hey, let's not us get excited before the customers. Wait till they've gotten into the mood, then we can have some quiet time."

Twilight blushed. "Alright, whatever you say." The two unicorns rushed out of the kitchen and served food and drink to their friends. Paint and Wave were gazing into each others eyes, already taken in by the Shipping Bar. Rarity had Spike in a soft embrace and Pinkie had scooted her chair next to Cheese so they wouldn't have to sit opposite each other.

"So Pinkie," Twilight began as she placed a stack of cupcakes in front of her and Cheese. "How's Party Hall?"

"It's great. Twilight!" Pinkie said, giving Cheese a chance to dive in first. "Me and Cheesie have been throwing parties all month. Ponies keep reserving like there's no tomorrow."

"Probably because we're the best party planners around," Cheese commented, taking the reins of the conversation so Pinkie could have a bite. "And nopony else has party cannons of varying size. But that's enough about of us, how about you Twilight? Learn anything important lately? Uncover a new spell?"

"Funny you should mention that," Twilight said. She looked over at Spirit, indicating that she wanted a break. Spirit winked back at her, informing her that he had it covered. And indeed, the other couples were already happily dining. "Spirit and I found a solution to the multi-special-somepony problem Equestria was facing."

"Really?" the two party ponies exclaimed together.

Twilight nodded. "It was in an old book-"

"It always is!" Pinkie whispered to Cheese.

"-where we found a very interesting spell. It was quite complicated, but me and Spirit? We just saw it as a challenge. We devoted several hours a day to work it out until we finally got it right. Turns out it was a spell made specifically for the Mirror Pool. Or rather, to make a Mirror Pool."

Pinkie frowned worriedly. "But didn't I - I mean, Pinkie - make a big mess when I... Urgh, this situation is sometimes so confusing."

"Honestly, I'm not so used to it myself," Spirit admitted quietly."

"Use whatever's easier for you, Pinkie," Twilight told her. "After all, you're about as close to another Pinkie as we'll see."

Pinkie beamed. "Great! So where was I? Oh yeah. Didn't I make a big mess when I used the Mirror Pool in the Everfree Forest and accidentally made hundreds of fun-loving clones of myself, each one with the same adorable mane, tail and hooves, who then went out and ruined Ponyville and you had to give us a test to see which one of us could watch paint dry for the longest and sent all the clones back to the pool and sealed it up so nopony would ever use it again?"

"You did make a big mess back then, it's true," Twilight said gently so as not to hurt Pinkie's feelings, "but this spell described the Mirror Pool that could be created with it as highly accurate. Meaning that whoever was cloned through it, the clone would be exactly like them. When you used the Everfree Mirror Pool, you were focused on being able to have fun whenever it was being done anywhere Ponyville, so your clones were only interested in that. If a pony were to enter through the Mirror Pool we created, the clones would be just like them, sharing thoughts, mannerisms, appearances, even feelings."

"Oooooh," Cheese and Pinkie uttered in unison.

A knock at the cafe door attracted their attention. "Twily!" Spirit called from the kitchen. "Can you get that? I've got my horn and hooves full of chocolate hayburgers!"

Somepony actually ordered that? Twilight thought in disbelief. That particular item had originally been placed on the menu as a joke, but grew surprisingly popular for some reason, mainly among foals. Twilight enjoyed seeing young pairs sitting in the cafe. She walked to the door, opened it and found two ponies waiting out front: a green pegasus stallion with a mane colored like a lollipop and.... Pinkie Pie.

"Welcome to the Shipping Bar," Twilight greeted, not batting an eyelid.

The pegasus bit his lip and grinned nervously. "Eh, hi. We um... we would like to...."

"Come on, Cotton Pop," the pink pony next to him said. "Let's grab a bite to eat."

"Whatever you say Pinkie," Cotton said, sounding a bit at ease.

Twilight led the new ship into the bar and seated them at a table near the party planners. The moment she saw herself, Pinkie leaned over the chair for a hug, which Pinkie happily returned. Cheese waved in a friendly manner at Cotton Pop, who's face split into a jolly smile.

Spirit, his hair matted with hay and his face splotched with chocolate, stepped out of the kitchen, bearing a tray of cocoa-brown hayburgers which he placed between Wave Ride and Paint Splash. "And I hope your happy," he grunted sarcastically.

"Yes, we are," Wave said, trying not to laugh.

"Right." Spirit welcomed Cotton and Pinkie. "Might I suggest our morning cupcakes? We have chocolate, strawberry, blueberry, apple, green apple, Zap apple, golden delici-"

"No we don't!" Twilight called from the kitchen.

"-oats, lemon surprise, banana, daisy, sugar, sugarcube, frosting, marzipan, ChimiCherryChanga, sapphire, confetti, rock, Poison Joke, spaghetti, wubs and fire," Spirit finished.

Cotton's mouth fell open like a loose drawer. "You told me they had good stuff but you didn't mention how much of it," he said, staring accusingly across the table at Pinkie.

"You won't like anything unless you try it," Pinkie told him. Then to Spirit, she said, "Three of each so that Cotton can taste everything, please!"

"TRIPLE CUPCAKE SEASON OVERRIDE!" Spirit roared across the bar.

Twilight wheeled an indoor catapult (which is like a normal catapult, except indoors) out of the kitchen and loaded the arm-bowl with variously-colored-and-decorated cupcakes. "ARMED AND READY!" Twilight reported.

"FIRE AT WILL!"

The catapult rolled backwards from the force of its swinging arm as it sent the cupcakes flying through the air towards the table. Cotton shielded his head with his wings, Pinkie leaned back with her mouth open and Spirit pulled out a huge tray, upon which every cupcake (except for one, which Pinkie caught) landed on it in a neat stack.

Spirit placed the towering order gently on the table. "Enjoy," he said politely, and headed back to the kitchen.

Cotton gaped at the mountain of baked goods now separating him and his marefriend. When he finally got over his shock, he waved towards her and Pinkie slid her chair across the floor to join him. "I told you that you'd like this place," she teased.

"And you were right again. Let's eat."

No further invitation was required. The two ponies dug in to their food, equally matched when it came to scarfing.

"New arrivals?" Twilight wondered.

"More like 'new ship'," Spirit corrected. "I've never seen these two around, considering it's the real Pinkie."

"Hearts and Hooves Day must have guided them to the Bar." Twilight tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Do you think he's from the-"

"Without a doubt. His mannerisms are different, enough so that you could judge by them."

Before Twilight could further address the briefly-mentioned topic, two very familiar ponies stepped into the cafe: Applejack and Rainbow Dash, walking so close to one another that they were like one pony. The two unicorns saw that both mares were clones of their friends.

"Hey guys!" Rainbow called across the room.

"Welcome girls," Spirit replied. A strange side effect to the new Mirror Pool clones was the unearthing of new feelings. Some clones would gravitate towards ponies in a way that the originals normally wouldn't. The results were often surprising but, just like the others, perfectly respectable and oddly satisfying. "Come on in and get a snack."

Applejack and Rainbow Dash took a seat next to Spike and Rarity's table, enabling them to exchange words without shouting. While Twilight went to take their order, Spirit went outside again. The Shipping Bar was already buzzing with activity and it had barely been open for half an hour. As he glanced up and down the street for more visitors, the sky grew dark as clouds rolled in front of the sun and blocked out the previously bright light. The shadows grew thicker further down the road and two ponies stepped out of the darkness. One was clearly Luna, the alicorn Princess of the Night, but the other pony was a bit surprising. And not just because he was an alicorn stallion.

Spirit watched the godlike couple canter down the road towards the cafe. They stopped in front of him and Luna said, "Greetings, Spirit Guide."

Seeing right through the clone's accurateness, Spirit bowed his head as he did when meeting friends. "Welcome, Princess Luna." He looked over at the alicorn beside her. He was quite the sight indeed. His coat was a fierce red and his mane was yellow streaked with dark stripes. His tail was a rare red-and-black and his right eye was nothing but brilliant amaranth. His regalia included a dark-blue chest plate with a blood-red moon on it and sinisterly-designed iron shoes. His appearance, while frightening, gave off a sense of slight confusion but also great talent that was missed by most, but not by Spirit's eyes. "Who's your friend?" he asked curiously.

The alicorn stallion lifted a hoof from its shoe and held it out. "I'm Crimson Shadow," he said in a surprisingly young voice. "Nice to meet you, Spirit."

Spirit accepted Crimson's hoof. "And you. I've never seen you around before, Crimson," Spirit went on. "I guess that means you're-"

"It certainly does." Crimson cut him off. "But enough about that. I heard you were one of the owners of a certain restaurant we've been hearing so much about. We came to see it for ourselves on this splendid day. Have you got reservations that would prevent that?"

"Pfft, reservations," Spirit scoffed. "Believe me, if we took reservations, we'd need a bigger cafe."

"Yes, I suppose that sounds right." Shadow looked up at the bright cafe and smiled. "So have you got room for a modest pair of alicorns?"

Spirit turned. "Yep. Come right on in. You made it in good time."

Crimson and Luna followed Spirit into the cafe and, after getting absolutely no strange looks from the other ships who were keeping to themselves, sat down at a table. Twilight came out with two menus. "You just choose what you like and we'll do our best," she told the alicorns.

Leaving them to decide on their meal, Spirit and Twilight returned to the door. "Well, that was unexpected," Spirit said casually, leaning against the door frame.

"What?" Twilight inquired. "A male alicorn with the most abnormal color scheme you ever saw?"

Spirit smiled. "No color scheme is too crazy," he replied. "Although I have yet to see another male alicorn in order to be as surprised as you."

A tremor shook the ground beneath them as a loud whirring sound filled their ears. Across the road a blue phone booth appeared out of thin air. The door opened and an earth pony stepped out of the booth, sporting a red fez on his head and a red bow-tie around his neck. "Eh nope, this is the right place," he said in a British accent. "I told you we'd be back in time for Hearts and Hooves Day."

Spirit and Twilight both knew this one. It was one of the Doctor Whooves Mirror Pool clones. Each one had appeared with their own TARDIS, the strange phone booth they used to travel through time with, and tended to have a different dressing style.

A pegasus poked her head out beside the Doctor. Her coat was a moderate gold and her mane was two-toned with blue and strong gold. She wore a watch on her left front hoof and a red fez of her own on her head, with two small antlers poking out of her mane on either side. Her cutie mark was three gears colored grey, green and pink.

"Yeah right," the pegasus scoffed, grinning while looking about. "You probably made the TARDIE so tired, she took us right to the place."

"Oh, ponyfeathers," the Doctor exclaimed. He climbed out of the TARDIE and gently patted the blue metal. "She doesn't mean that, sweetheart," he crooned to the machine. "She's just a little haywire from the trip."

"You'll be wired with hay when I'm through with you," the pegasus laughed. Then she saw Twilight and Spirit. "Well, what do you know? Hey Doctor, I think we're in the right place and the right time."

"Oh good, I'm looking forward to some buttered muffins." The Doctor stepped away from the TARDIE and trotted up alongside the pegasus. "Hallo!"

"Good morning, Doctor," Twilight said. "Had a nice flight?"

"Oh, well, flying through the dimensions is quite all right. Of course, it would be a lot easier to fly the TARDIS if Broken Gears here could control that stomach of hers."

"Hey!" Broken Gears yelled. "Yours wasn't exactly quiet as a mouse either!" As they spoke, both their stomachs growled.

"Okay you two, get inside," Spirit told them. Broken Gears and the Doctor exchanged grins and zoomed inside.

“Well, that was a nice twist on the last entrance,” he commented. But when Spirit turned to await Twilight’s response, he found her smiling gleefully. “What?”

Twilight waved a hoof at Broken Gears, who had seated herself with the Doctor next to Luna and Crimson. "Broke Gears," Twilight said quietly. "Wings, antlers, exceptional coloration, interesting taste in accessories..."

"She's not an alicorn!" Spirit objected. "And besides, we..." He stopped arguing when he saw the hopeful look on Twilight's face. "Horseshoes," he swore, giving in. "What do I owe you this time?"

Twilight wrapped her hooves around his neck. "A nice long cuddle when the day is over," she told him sweetly. The frown melted off Spirit's muzzle like chocolate on a fresh pie. "So that it's not a bad thing for you."

"Hmm, thank you." Spirit hugged Twilight back. When they separated, Spirit said, "I'll go park their TARDIS round the back. You'd better go take their order, and expect a cup of tea."

Twilight giggled. "Don't worry. I haven't forgotten the last time." Spirit went to take care of the large blue box and Twilight reentered the Bar. She took an order of tea, butter, eggs, hayfries and English muffins from the Doctor and Broken Gears, and went to the kitchen. While preparing the order, she looked out at the ponies(and the dragon) sitting in pairs, enjoying the food and each others company. It warmed her heart to see them all happy, just taking pleasure from being with the one they loved most. She and Spirit had worked together to make the Shipping Bar the perfect place for couples and they had done just that. Twilight wondered what other things they could do together.

BAM! The back door burst open, revealing Spirit levitating several crates precariously balanced one on top of the other. "Hey Twi," he called across the kitchen. "Could do with a little extra magic here."

Smiling, Twilight walked over to her coltfriend's side and added her own lavender magic aura under the crates. "What would you do without me, Spirit?" she asked.

"Locked up in my room with all my books, writing love letters to nopony," he replied promptly, gently dropping the crates on the floor. "And that's the last thing either of us wants to end up doing." He leaned in and stuck his head into the top crate, calling out as he tossed things out onto the counter. "More flour, more sweets, more eggs, more apples and, oh look, more everything else." He pulled his head out and smiled awkwardly. "Well, what a surprise. Exactly what we ordered."

"And it was a pleasure to bring it to you," came a voice from the doorway. Twilight and Spirit spun around to find two ponies framed in the back entrance: a light-grey pegasus mare with flowing dark hair and a grey unicorn stallion with a black mane.

"Sweet Blasphemy!" Twilight cried out happily, throwing herself at the pegasus.

Spirit greeted the stallion with a friendly hoof-bump and a quick hug. "Great to see you again, Dregon."

"Likewise," Dregon said.

Sweet Blasphemy and Twilight got up from their embrace. "Me and Dregon were wandering around town, browsing," Sweet Blasphemy informed. "You know, what with Hearts and Hooves Day happening and all, and we saw several ponies in the marketplace loading up some crates. Curious as we are, we asked them who it was for. When we heard it was due for the Shipping Bar, we offered to bring it over and drop in at the same time."

"Better than dropping in," Twilight said, "why don't you come sit down and have some food? Our menu has grown since the last time you came by."

Dregon and Sweet Blasphemy smiled warmly, as they always did when their thoughts were in sync. "You know what?" Dregon declared. "Why not?"

Spirit directed the lively pair into the dining room, where they were greeted by all the other couples. Once they'd sat down, Spirit returned to the kitchen. "That was nice of SB and Dregon," he said to Twilight. "Having friends is a blessing to us all."

Twilight laughed and nuzzled him. "Come on. Let's get this stuff organized. We've got a whole day of treating to do and I don't want to fall behind on orders anymore than I'd want to fall behind on my studies."

"Same here," Spirit agreed. "Let's tidy up."