//------------------------------//
// Finals: Mango Leaf vs. Firefly - Winner: Mango Leaf (by Vote) 
// Story: OC SlamJam - Finals 
// by OC Slamjam 
//------------------------------//

Mango vs. Firefly - by Mango Leaf's Author

"Shouldn't you be in Canterlot, Mango?"

Mango Leaf looked from the map to Bon Bon, then back to the map. "Well, you know I needed—"

"I've known your order for three months now," she interrupted. "I got it along with my invitation to the wedding. It's in one month, Mango! You shouldn't be wandering around again, much less going into the Everfree! You're having a kid!"

"I know, I know!" Mango grumbled. "But legend has it that this place has an ingredient that can make just about anything change! Imagine if I could get it and find out how to make it change flavors an—"

"Look, you have everything you need. Go home to Gillette."

"One more ingredient, Bon Bon," Mango muttered. "Just one more and I'm done."

"Sure. Just like the four before this one. How was Vanhoover?"

"I mean it this time!"

"Sure you do, now get out." Bon Bon made shooing noises with her hooves. "Go home, Mango."

"Alright, alright," Mango grumbled, rolling up the map and putting it in his saddlebag. "I guess I'll see you in a month?"

Bon Bon smiled. "You can bet on it!"

Waving a hoof, Mango stepped out of Bonnie's Chocolates and Candies and into Ponyville, letting the door close behind him.He shook his head and started walking to the edge of town, in the direction of the Everfree. 

"Wait!"

Mango stopped and turned around, watching one of the customers from Bonnies—a thin, red-coated, pegasus with some golden bug as a cutie mark—step out and trot towards him. "Um, yeah? Can I help you?"

"Yes... yes, I do apologize for running up to you like this, but I could not help but overhear your conversation with the chocolatier—"

"Bon Bon."

"Yes, her, well I heard what you were discussing. An ingredient that can change anything?" the pegasus asked, then blinked. "Oh, I am so very sorry, Firefly at your service. I'm usually more reserved and the abruptness of our meeting did have quite an effect on my manners."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Mango said, waving it off with a hoof before extending it. "The name's Mango Leaf, and I'm—"

"A frozen yogurt maker and vendor, yes," Firefly interrupted. "I remember you won the competition for best dessert a year ago with your most magnificent magical frozen strawberry creation. Doubtless, it wouldn't have been possible to do without magic, correct?"

Mango rubbed the back of his head. "Possibly... but if Derpy and Bon Bon hadn't helped me, I don't think my magic alone would have managed to—"

"Yes, quite." Firefly interrupted once more. "Unicorn magic allows the most amazing results that would otherwise would be impossible for earth ponies or pegasi to achieve."

"But I was about to say—"

"Now, imagine if a pegasus could cast unicorn spells. Or an earth pony. Wouldn't you say that it would make all our lives easier? Why buck trees when you can cast a spell to remove the apples? Much more effective! Why buck clouds when you can summon the elements to do it for you?"

"Because... it's... how things... work?" Mango said slowly, taking a step back. "Everypony can do what the others can if they put their minds to it. They just do it in different ways. You don't need magic to solve everything."

Firefly gave him a look. "Well, perhaps it's too much to ask for somepony who has always used magic to do things for them just how convenient it would be for others."

"I'll have you know that I don't use magic fo—"

"Which brings me to the reason I'm here right now." Firefly looked around before leaning a bit towards Mango. "If this secret ingredient of you exists... perhaps it is the missing element in a project of mine... I call it, the Thaumalogical Reading and Utilitarian Laum and Yield Sensing Tactical Unified Pendant of Indispensable Dweomers."

"That's long." Mango glanced to the side. Maybe he could run away? "You should work on shortening it."

"Yes, the acronym is on the works," Firefly said, clearing his throat. "As it is, I volunteer to join your expedition to the Everfree to secure this elusive ingredient."

Mango stopped and looked at the pegasus. "And why should I take you instead of somepony else?"

"I have been to the Everfree on several occasions, and my weatherpony job makes me ideal to help you plan in the eventuality of unexpected weather, as well as being able to fly and seek assistance if needed. Why, I even work closely with Rai—"

"Alright, alright, you can come," Mango said, putting his hoof on Firefly's mouth. "I'll be heading there now, though, are you okay with that?"

Firefly looked up and around, satisfied that apparently he hadn't been spotted, he quickly nodded to Mango. "Do we need to do research? The Prince—"

"Nah," Mango levitated a scroll out of his bags. "I got a map! Come on, less showing off you know important ponies and more walking!"





"..and that's how I got my scars. Rainbow Dash forbid me to ever attempt that again."

Mango nodded in understanding. "I assume you decided to give up on your bramble-diving after that third..."

"Fifth."

"Fifth attempt. Yes." Mango shook his head. "Look, I guess I can see you trying to impress your boss by doing something 'daring', but it sounds to me like you just need to, you know, do your job and she'll probably like you better."

Firefly muttered something before glancing at the floating parchment. "Well, whatever. Where are we right now?"

"If your directions earlier were correct, I think we're about a mile or two away from where the entrance to the temple is supposed to be."

The pair walked in silence for a while, keeping eyes open and ears perked. Although the alleged entrance to the temple wasn't too deep into the woods, both were well aware of the several dangerous creatures that inhabited the forest.

They were lucky however, and they finally made it to a small vine-wrapped shrine in the middle of a glade.

"Huh." Mango walked around it, peeking curiously at it. "When I was told 'temple' I imagined something bigger."

Firefly looked from the map to the sky then to the map again. "Unless we missed something somewhere on our we should be in the right location."

Mango nodded and placed a hoof on the shrine. "I wonder if we push it..."

"No! What did you do?" Firefly gasped. "Did you check if it was magical before you did that?"

Mango blinked. "Um. No. Should I?" He took his hoof off the shrine, noticing that it was starting to glow. "Oh. I guess I should've."

The shrine flashed and everything went dark.





Mango shook his head and slowly stood up. He wasn't standing on the soft earth of the Everfree anymore, however. He took in the ornate walls and floors and strange, blue light emanating from crystals on the domed ceiling above.

"It's seems we found it!"

A groan next to him drew his attention down to Firefly, who was slowly regaining consciousness. But that wasn't the only thing that caught his attention. He felt something tug at his shoulders and grimaced, already preparing for the worse. He looked over his shoulders.

"W-what happened?" Firefly asked and began to push up when Mango bowled him over. "What the hay?!" he shouted, pushing Mango away and glaring up at him. "What's your problem?"

"Firefly! Something terrible has happened!" Mango cried, orange wings flaring on his back.

"Mango?" Firefly gasped. "Are you a princess?!"

"What?! NO! I have wings! No horn! You have horn! No wings!"

"I have a horn?" Firefly gasped, touching it with his hoof. "Amazing! This is amazing, Mango! It means that whatever is in the temple can change things!"

"Well, no offense, but I was rather fond of being a unicorn!" Mango grumbled, fluffing his wings. "Hm. At least now I'll be able to join Gillette for flights."

"I'm fairly certain that the effects we are experiencing are temporary," Firefly said calmly, pushing Mango away and standing up. "It stands to reason that if the temple can do this, we can turn back upon leaving. However, this is a great chance for me to prove to a unicorn that using magic is much more effective than doing things by hoof, like pegasi and earth ponies do!"

"Again with this?" Mango huffed. "I keep telling you, we don't do everything with magic!"

"Are you telling me you don't use magic on your froyo?" Firefly smirked.

"To keep it cool, yes, or maybe to play around with temperatures, but I make the froyo by hoof. You can't make yogurt instantly with magic! It tastes horrible!"

"We'll see." Firefly started walking further into the temple. "My studies in magic have taught me the basics of how unicorn magic works. Just wait and see. You'll be wishing for your magic in no time."





The temple wasn't too big, but it was old enough for geography to have changed. As soon as they stepped out of the small hallway where they had appeared, the place opened up into a large cavern containing half the temple on their side, and the other half on the other, separated by a cliff and a waterfall. Several vines and plants grew all over the place, and the remains of a stone bridge were scattered at the bottom of the ravine. Faint clouds of vapor hung relatively close to them, and Mango wondered if he would be able to touch them now that he was a pegasus.

"Well," Firefly smirked. "This should be a problem. I'll just teleport to the other side."

Mango's eyes went wide. "No! Don't!"

But Firefly had already gathered magic and his new horn shone with golden energy. His eyes focused on the other side of the room, and suddenly, with a Bang! he fell to the floor, smoke spiraling off of his coat.

"But—" Firefly coughed a small amount of smoke. "Why?" he wheezed.

Mango checked him over. "Every unicorn knows the theory behind teleportation, but very few have the power to do it! You're lucky you didn't end up worse than this!"

Firefly glared at him from the floor. "Well then, Mr Unicorn, how are we going to cross without magic? You don't know how to fly."

Mango hummed to himself. "Well... we could climb..." He gazed at the walls, before brightening. "I think I have an idea! Can pegasi push clouds so thin together?" he asked Firefly, pointing at the faint vapors he had noticed earlier.

Firefly gave them a disdainful look. "I suppose. But you wouldn't be able to do much, they're not too stable."

"Well, I want to try something, but if you want to help, I could use a vine or two," Mango replied, pointing at the vines growing around them.

Firefly rolled his eyes, but pushed himself up to his hooves and concentrated, using his magic to tug at a bunch of vines. "I can't! It's too hard!"

"Relax!" Mango said, "You're just trying to do too much at once, you're still a beginner. Try with one vine first. It might even be enough."

Firefly released his magical hold and was about to reply, but Mango had already walked up to the edge and found—to his delight—that he could touch the clouds now. With a grin, he started pushing it closer together gathering as much as he could to make a cloud big enough for him to hop on. Then, with a nervous look down, he jumped on top of it.

"Well, congratulations," Firefly muttered. "You made a little cloud cushion. For all the good it will do us."

"I don't see the vine."

Firefly grunted and after some tugging managed to loosen up an end with his magic. "I... I can't." He gasped, sweat rolling down his forehead. "It's only one vine!"

"Hey, calm down, you just tried to teleport, for Celestia's sake!" Mango replied, bending down to pick up the loose end of the vine. Holding it with his mouth, he pulled and pulled again until the vine finally ripped off of the wall.

"Wishing you had you magic back there?" Firefly asked.

"Nah, that vine was stuck there. If I had tried ripping it out with magic I would be exhausted by now!"

He proceeded to tie the vine around himself, then the other end around Firefly.

"What are you trying to do?" Firefly asked warily.

"This!" Mango laughed, jumping onto his cloud and then, holding it tight with all four of his legs and hooves, like a giant pillow, he started beating his wings as fast as he could.

"H-hold on!" Firefly shouted, but it was too late. The pair shot from the edge, and he found himself holding on to dear life to the vine wrapped around him. He watched in half-terrified, half-frustrated stupor as they slowly made their way over the cliff, until they were close enough to the other side for Mango to swing him onto the road.

Grinning, Mango stood up on his cloud and jumped onto the floor.

"How did you even think that would work?!" Firefly shouted, frantically trying to undo the knot with magic before giving up and using his hooves and teeth. "For all you knew we could have died!"

Mango untied himself as well and grinned. "Nah, my fiancée told me about this trick when we met in Haywaii. She offered to do it, but I was too much of a wimp to try then."

"It's not fair! Why is it that you can just do what you want even when you're not using your magic and I can't do anything?" Firefly snapped, pushing Mango against the wall and glaring at him. "I studied this for years! I know the inside out of how magic works! Why can't I use it to do what I need to do?!"

Mango rubbed his shoulder. "I don't know, okay? I'm doing things as I usually do anyway! That's probably why. I'm not trying to be a pegasus!"

"But that's just it! Why don't you use your magic for it! It makes everything easier!" Firefly cried, getting uncomfortably close to Mango once more.

Mango slammed his hoof down and smacked him away with a wing. "Because that's not how things are! Just because unicorns can use magic doesn't mean we do everything with it! We're taught not to rely completely on it! What did you think it was like? We just want stuff to happen and it happens?"

"There's no point in doing things with your hooves or brute strength if you can do it with magic! That's why I'm inventing something to be able to use magic even if I'm not a unicorn!"

"Well, I hate to break it to you but there's no point in doing things with magic that you can do with your hooves just fine!" Mango snapped. "I make my froyo by hoof, and it's the best froyo in the market! Why should I start doing it with magic just to make it simpler? It's what I love to do!"

"Magic will help you do it better!"

"Really?" Mango asked, venom dripping from his voice. "So far you've proven that your studies in magic amount to theory. And you've been wasting so much time on this, that your actual skills—the ones that you use for your job—are not to par with anypony else! You even admitted that you're the worst flyer out there! You're so convinced that magic will save your sorry life that you've ignored every other advantage that you had!"

Firefly recoiled as if slapped.

"You whined all the way from Ponyville to the temple about how "Rainbow Dash said I couldn't do this right. Or that. Or that I was wasting everypony's time on work hours." Rainbow this. Rainbow that. For what? Just so you can make something that helps you pretend to be a unicorn? Where's your pride at being a pegasus? How many earth ponies and unicorns do you think wish they could have wings like yours? Huh? How many times do you think I've looked at my fiancée flying into the air and wished I could be there with her on the same level?"

"But Princess Twi—"

"No unicorn out there is Princess Twilight Sparkle! Get over it! She's basically made of magic! It doesn't work for everypony the same way! You don't love magic, you want to turn it into a commodity!"

"I do not! I just think that magic will do things easier for everypony!"

"Magic is not about making things easier!" Mango retorted. "Magic helps on certain things, but it's no replacement to an earth pony for their strength or ability to grow things. A dear friend of mine uses her magic while growing plants. You know why? To create beautiful things that couldn't be created otherwise!" He poked Firefly in the chest. "But she doesn't use magic to grow all of them. She doesn't use magic to make sure they're strong and healthy. She uses her hooves and her understanding of plants to achieve that. She would never go for the easy way and if you took her magic away, she would still do what she loves!"

"That's just one unicorn! You can—"

"My fiancée's best friend, Rachis, created spells to help preen pegasi wings! He didn't do it for himself, or because he's too lazy to do it by hoof! I've seen him do it, it takes hours of careful casting and hoofwork to do what he does."

"Well! What about earth ponies?" Firefly countered.

"Ever met the Apples?" Mango muttered. "Or I could introduce you to my army buddy Haystacks. Tell him that you want to use magic to do his job so that he can lazy about his farm. He won't be very loud, but he will be laughing while he escorts you out, and so will any self-respecting farmer! In fact," Mango growled, "why don't you ask your boss, Rainbow Dash, if she thinks it's fair for anypony to store a spell in that machine of yours and make them as fast or faster as she is without any effort or training?" 

Mango shouldered past the cringing pegasus-turned-unicorn. "What you want to do is spit in the face of everypony that has put effort into what they love to do with that philosophy of yours."

Mango saw a large, double door at the end of the hallway, and headed straight there. He had almost made it to the door that must likely contained the magical ingredient when he heard the Firefly's voice behind him. "Well, what about you, Mr. high and mighty Mango Leaf?"

"What about me? I told you I don't use magic for making froyo."

"I mean your philosophy of running away," Firefly whispered bitterly. "Here you are, ranting at my dreams while you waste the dreams and time of others as well."

Mango's hoof hovered on the surface of the door, but he didn't touch it. "What do you mean?"

"The fact that you're here instead of back home, like Bon Bon told you?" Firefly asked. "I heard your conversation. This is not the time to be around treasure-hunting. And it's not the first time you've done this. From what I heard you spend as much time away from your fiancée as you can!"

"Shut up, I love Gillette!" Mango snarled, whirling around. "I just want this wedding to be the best! I need the best ingredients to do so!"

"So you risk life and limb for it?" Firefly snorted. "What's missing for your wedding? Flowers? Venue? Catering? Or the groom?"

Mango ground his teeth, glaring at Firefly. "I'm not running away!"

"Then why are you here?" Firefly asked, looking up at Mango straight in the eye. "Look at me and tell me with a straight face that the need for some stupid dessert is more valuable than you being with your fiancée. Or that she would understand you dying in the Everfree Forest for a spice for your wedding. Come on. Tell me!"

Mango opened his mouth and closed it several times, but didn't speak up. Finally he turned around to face the door. "I don't need to explain myself to you."

"Oh no," Firefly galloped up and elbowed Mango away from the door. "You don't get to stomp on me and walk away when I throw truth right back at you!"

"Step away from the door." Mango hissed.

"Say it to my face," Firefly said, standing in place. "Tell me that you running around is more important than your fiancée and your foal."

Mango Leaf seemed like he was about to tackle Firefly but after a moment of looking straight into the eyes of the other pony, he looked away. "She's more important." He sighed and rubbed his face with a hoof. "I just don't want my free life to... change," his eyes widened and he looked up at the door. He swayed in place before falling down on his haunches. "Oh Celestia," he looked up at Firefly. "I'm just like you. I'm in denial."

"I'm not in denial!"

Mango shook his head and stood up, stumbling away from Firefly. "Whatever. You know what, you can have it."

Firefly shuffled closer to the door, almost protectively. "Why? Where are you going?"

Mango hesitated. "Home. You're right. I shouldn't be here. I'm done."

He walked away from Firefly, his last glance at the other pony revealing that he had sat down and was simply staring at the door, deciding what to do. 

Just as Mango left the room, the world seemed to brighten around him, and Mango found himself standing on the edge of the Everfree. Looking over his shoulders, he realized his wings were gone. He touched his hoof to his horn and sighed. He looked around but there was no sign of Firefly.

Shaking his head, Mango started walking down to Ponyville. He needed to get his wagon and get going.





Gillette frowned as she compared one decoration to another, then another. Although she had taken it upon herself to decide the color scheme for the reception, it was still a lot of things to take into account.

Her ears twitched when she heard the front door open. "Mango?" she asked in surprise when he walked in. "What are you doing here? I thought you had important business in Ponyville?"

Mango sat next to her and leaned on her shoulder, nuzzling her neck and making her giggle. "I'm all done. I think I'll be staying here with you for the rest of the month, so we can finish all the last details in time." He looked over at the table. "What are you working on?"

"The decorations," Gillette replied. "And seating arrangements." She smiled and nuzzled him. "I'm glad you're back, I don't know where to seat all of your friends! And we need to make sure our parents are in the main table with us..."

Mango chuckled. "Well, to begin with, we should make sure Lilligold and Haystacks seat next to each other..."

Gillette smiled and brushed his mane with her hoof. "Mango?"

"Mhm?"

"What happened in Ponyville? Why are you really back?"

Mango sighed and looked out the window. "Somepony finally made me realize that there were some things I needed to change to make sure we were happy."

Gillette raised an eyebrow. "So this pony is seating at the main table?"

Mango chuckled. "I'm not sure if I would count him as a friend but... he has a lot to think about before deciding if he should go to a wedding."

"Think about what?"

"Whether to open that door or not."


The End










A Contest of Wills - by Firefly's Author

Mango Leaf trotted into Stinking Rich Memorial Park, pushing his cart ahead of him with magic. He paused and chuckled. Every time he passed under the commemorative gate, the same thought came to mind: Anypony who names their kid Stinking needs to have their head examined!

He had arrived just yesterday in the Friendship Rainbow Kingdom – another moniker for the ages! – and immediately experienced great satisfaction selling Fro-yo in the very same park. As in previous visits to Ponyville – a thoroughly sensible name for a hamlet full of ponies – he had parked his wagon near where the library tree used to be, before the scuffle with Tirek had destroyed it. This time, however, he had expanded his sales options: he had purchased a new magically insulated push cart that allowed him to sell Fro-yo where his wagon couldn’t go, such as within the confines of many parks and even indoors. It had turned out to be a great investment, demonstrated by the day’s excellent sales!

This afternoon, he wandered in a different direction than on the previous day, looking for new souls to bless with his frozen good humor. A turn around some tall hedges brought him to a small lake lined with willow trees. They provided welcome shade for several stone benches from which ponies could observe as ducks, geese, and swans engaged in their own culinary pursuits.

At the shallow edge of the lake, two small foals played with toy boats under the kindly supervision of a frizzy red-maned filly in her early teens. A lone orange-coated pegasus with a fiery-red mane sat on the middle bench, head down, as if completely oblivious to the picture-postcard prettiness around him.

Ah-hah! A pony in dire need of Fro-yo if I ever saw one!

Mango approached, already smiling in anticipation of that wonderful moment when the stallion’s eyes would light up with that first magical taste.

“Hello sir!” he called out, “You look like a pony in need of an epicurean epiphany!”

The stallion looked up at him in confusion then concern. “What? Cure? An epipen?” He rose up from the bench and stood teetering on his hind legs, his right hoof touching a large amulet hung from a silver cord around his neck, his left clutching a rolled-up scroll. “Are you having an allergic reaction?”

“No! No! Certainly not!” Mango laughed and waved a hoof in a pacifying gesture. “I meant, you look like you could stand some Fro-yo felicity!”

The stallion looked at him as if he was from another planet.

“Fro-yo!” Mango repeated. “It’s a dessert made from –”

“– frozen yoghurt. I know.” The pegasus slowly sat down. His cutie mark seemed to be some insect with a glowing posterior. A firefly. “No thanks,” said the pony. His head dropped down as he resumed the same introspective posture as when Mango had first arrived.

Mango's lips compressed. Oh-ho! A challenge! His smile came back even wider.

“Fro-yo is not just frozen yogurt! It’s a delightful concoction that can also include fruit, chocolate, candies, special essences, spices, even certain vegetables. Why, the possibilities are endless! Now, I’m sure I could prepare a Fro-yo cup that would simply change your life for the better. I guarantee it!”

The pegasus flicked an ear. “No, thanks.”

“Sir? Have you ever tried Fro-yo before?”

The pegasus chewed his lip for a moment.

“Nope! And I don't intend to.”

Mango felt one of his ears fold back. “As I take your reticence for a challenge, I offer you, sir, your very first Fro-yo cup absolutely free!”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Really, I insist!”

“Really, you shouldn’t.”

“And why shouldn’t I?”

“Because I still won’t eat it, even if it’s free!”

Both of Mango’s ears fell flat against the back of his neck. Despite his words, the stallion’s expression had hardly changed during the entire exchange. Mango prided himself on being able to handle even the most skeptical of Fro-yo deniers, but the fact that the orange pony couldn’t care enough to even look annoyed was beginning to annoy him tremendously.

Time for a change of tack.

Mango took a deep breath to calm himself.

“Look, maybe we started on the wrong hoof. My name is–”

“–Mango Leaf and you pass through Ponyville selling frozen yoghurt once or twice per year. I’ve heard your name from the other townsponies, and my former boss won’t shut up about you and your Fro-yo whenever you’re in town!” He finally looked up again, sighed, and extended a hoof. “The name’s Firefly.”

Mango Leaf’s eyes widened. Firefly – the inventor of that personal magic thingy! His smile restored, Mango shook his hoof.

“I’d be honored to serve my signature dish gratis to such a distinguished pony!”

Firefly sat back and crossed his forelegs over his chest. “Like I said, no thanks.”

Mango stared at him, nonplussed. “And why in Celestia’s name not!?”

The pegasus glared up at him. “Because, I hate eating anything frozen!”

Mango stood, dumfounded. His ears twitched, his fur itched, and all four legs trembled as the bitter words echoed through the farthest recesses of his mind: ... hates eating anything frozen... It was impossible to unhear what the stallion had said. It took him several heartbeats to recover his customary aplomb.

“Hate is such a strong word, Mister Firefly. How did a respectable stallion such as yourself come into possession of such a calamitous culinary handicap?”

“Handicap?” Firefly’s ears rose up. “I’ve never seen it that way!” He shook his head. Then his eyes narrowed and his wings sprung partly open. “Wait a minute! I’m an adult, and I’m free to like or dislike whatever foods I choose, especially the ones that give me brain freeze!” As if only now noticing his outburst, the pegasus blushed. Looking sheepish, he folded his wings back into place.

“Brain freeze,” remarked Mango. “You know that only happens if you eat frozen foods too quickly.”

Firefly’s blush deepened. “Well, for me it happens every time!” The pegasus seemed to shrink-in on himself.

Mango felt his heart melt. The poor pony looked so miserable!

“Besides...” said Firefly in a small voice.

“Besides what, my good pony?” ask Mango leaning closer.

Firefly smiled shyly up at him. “Besides, everything tastes better warmed up, anyway!”

Mango felt his heartbeat stop. Or at least he thought it stopped. How could it go on beating after hearing such heresy? He slammed a hoof against his chest to make sure the poor thing awoke from its stupor. He was relieved to hear its beat resume, although the episode left the taste of bile in his mouth.

On a sudden inspiration, he floated a frozen strawberry from his cart. “I am going to prove scientifically the error in your assertions! See if you can resist this fabulous frosty fruit!”

Firefly rubbed his amulet. The unicorn-head shaped gem at its center glowed and a gold-colored magic field retrieved the fruit from his own. Mango had seen many ponies wearing such amulets recently.

“Wow! So that’s how those Personal Spell Casters work! You know, I’d never thought to check them out –” he tapped the tip of his horn with a hoof “– seeing as I’m a natural spell caster myself.”

The strawberry spun in the air as Firefly examined it from all sides. “You’d be surprised how many unicorns use PSCs these days. They’re very convenient for storing long spells, or bundling a bunch of smaller ones together into a magical toolbox for doing more complex incantations. Some ponies have even begun selling packaged spells to automate tasks.” He nibbled the berry delicately, and after a moment made a face. “Frozen strawberries are really very bland.” He rubbed his amulet again. The fruit’s color deepened as he flash-defrosted it, then popped it into his mouth. He chewed contentedly for a moment. “Told you, warmer is much better!”

“But, but...” Mango stuttered. He toasted my frozen strawberry!

Mango engaged in a breathing exercise he’d learned from a wise old stallion during his travels in the Haymalayas. All the while, Firefly licked his lips appreciatively.

Time to up the ante! Mango’s horn glowed once more. This time he selected some nuts and chocolate bits. “This is one of my most popular garnishes for Fro-yo! Nopony who’s ever tasted it has walked away dissatisfied!

Again, Firefly took the chilly treats from Mango and floated them over to his mouth. He nibbled some chocolate, and then crunched a nut in his mouth pensively. “Better, but...”

This time Mango noticed that Firefly’s eyes glowed as he rubbed the PSC amulet. The nuts and chocolate began to swirl around each-other. Soon they were moving so fast all he could see was a blur. There was a flash and the movement slowed to a stop. A slightly elongated lumpy brown mass levitated in front of Firefly. He took a bite and chewed contentedly.

“Mmm–mmm! Not as good as one of Bon-Bon’s chocolate-nut bars, but I don’t exactly have a kitchen here!” He winked at Mango Leaf. “Want some?”

The unicorn repressed a shudder as Firefly took another bite and chewed. His muzzle sported a big smile flecked with bits of melted chocolate.

Mango glared at him and flipped open the cart’s cover. A quick scan inside provoked a feral grin. Perfect! He floated out a frozen pineapple spear. “This is one of my greatest discoveries from my wonderful years in Haywaii. Let’s see what you think of frozen pineapple!”

Again, Firefly took the piece in his own magic field. He gnawed one end carefully. “Definitely better. Not bad, even! Say is that cinnamon, and this salt?” Two small shakers rose from Mango’s cart.

He nodded. Firefly floated them over and dusted the pineapple spear liberally with both. His magic field then flared white hot, wrapping the spear in an intense flame that lasted several seconds. The fruit had been seared golden-brown. He took a bite, and raising one eyebrow offered it to Mango.

The unicorn tasted it. Memories of Luaus came back in a rush. Faces of friends, cousins, aunties and uncles played in his mind’s eye, his first sight of Gillette, astonishingly beautiful as she hovered over the beach in Hoofalulu. The images brought a sudden longing for that happy time in Haywaii. It was a moment before he noticed that he’d eaten the entire spear.

“Told you,” Firefly said with a smile.

Mango wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “I’m willing to concede that you may have a point with the pineapple.” He looked again at the smirking pegasus and his magical amulet. His melancholy hardened into resolve.

No more foaling around! It’s time to call out the A-team!

“Hey, kids!” he shouted out loud. “Anypony want some free frozen yogurt?”

Three heads locked onto his faster than he could have thought possible. Then the two foals turned towards the filly, as if waiting for a signal. She trotted at a dignified pace to the center bench.

“Mithter Firefly,” she lisped, “do you know that thtallion?”

“Yeah, Twist. He’s Mango Leaf, the Fro-yo guy. I’ve only heard nice things about him.”

She leaned closer and whispered into Firefly’s ear. “Tho it’th okay to thay yeth?”

He smiled. “Sure. Go ahead. Tell your parents and Mister and Missus Cake I said so, if they ask.”

“Gee! Thankth!” She turned to the lake where the two foals waited still as statues in the inch-deep water. “Pound and Pumpkin, you want thome ithe-cream?”

The youngsters barreled out of the water and screeched to a halt next to the filly. They nodded vigorously as they shook the water off of their fetlocks one leg at a time.

What a sweet bunch! If this sight doesn’t get him to try Fro-yo, nothing will! thought Mango with glee.

“Pound’ll have the lemon-mango-orange with thprinkleth, and Pumpkin the blueberry-cranberry-banana with thocolate,” said the filly.

Mango raised an eyebrow. He scooped ingredients with a bar of Fro-yo into a mixing press. He extruded the result into a cup and hoofed it over to the little orange-maned foal.

“You certainly know your charges very well, Miss Twist!” She blushed under the praise as he started making the second foal’s cup.

“Mith Pie ith teaching me how to babythit. Thee knowth everything about everypony! It’th a lot to remember!”

The moment he gave the little colt his Fro-yo he dug in with gusto.

“I’m sure it is. And what about you, miss? What flavor of Fro-yo do you want?”

The filly pulled some peppermint sticks from a small purse she kept around her waist. “Can you make one with thith?”

He examined the candy carefully. “Sure!” He put one of the sticks aside, and with his horn field snapped the others into pieces, which he then put into a mixing press. Finally, he extruded all but a spoonful into a cup which he gave the filly. He then squirted the last spoonful into his own mouth. His taste buds exploded with the spicy dual zing of peppermint and cinnamon.

“Wow! This is really good!” he said. “Is that cinnamon with the peppermint?”

“Un-huhn! It’th my own thecret rethipe!” said the filly, smacking her lips. She gave him a brilliant smile. “Thankth, Mithter Leaf!” she turned to Firefly. “And you too, Mithter Firefly!”

With squeals of excitement the kids retreated excitedly back to one of the other benches, laughing as they ate and sampled each-others’ Fro-yo.

Mango sighed. “Isn’t that a sight!”

Firefly looked on the happy trio with affection. “They’ll remember this for a long time, Mister Leaf. It’s memories like these that lift a pony up when life throws them a real zinger.”

Mango felt that something was off. He took another look at the stallion sitting on the bench. His posture didn’t match his words... There’s more than Fro-yo aversion going-on here! he thought. His instincts bade him to sit down next to pegasus.

The only sounds were the day’s light breeze wafting through the willows, and the contented sounds of the children eating and whispering secrets to each other. Mango let the summer’s gentle serenade of sunshine and crickets sing sweetly to them for a while before he spoke.

“You can call me Mango. Tell me, are zingers why you’re navel gazing on a park bench on a beautiful day like today?” he asked.

Firefly’s eyebrows flicked upwards briefly before coming back down slowly. He took a slow breath. The corners of his lips curled up. “There are zingers, Mango, and then there are zingers.”

He nodded, letting the pony take the conversation where he would.

Firefly looked at him sideways. “Do you know what cutie marks really represent?” he asked gently.

Mango raised a single eyebrow. The question surprised him, but having an unshakable faith in his own cutie mark, Mango didn’t hesitate to answer. “They represent a pony’s special talent, the thing they can do better than anything else. Sometimes the meaning of the cutie mark isn’t that obvious to others, but to the ponies themselves there isn’t any doubt!”

Firefly gazed out over the lake. “I guess that’s true for most ponies, but somehow, not for me.” He crossed his forelegs again, the scroll crumpling slightly where it was crushed against his chest. “I’ve always known I wanted to do magic, but unlike all my friends, I never could connect what my heart told me with my cutie mark. It’s been a major point of argument between me and my parents my entire life. Even after I started the whole Personal Spell Caster thing, I still couldn’t figure it out.”

Mango scratched his head. “Come to think of it, I don’t see what a firefly has to do with spell casting, either.” He shrugged. “But then frozen food’s my specialty, not metaphysics.”

Firefly chuckled. “It isn’t mine either, so I decided to consult an authority: I asked Princess Twilight about it. At first she was surprised I would ask and then she told me pretty much the same thing you just did. When I continued pestering her she admitted that she’d never really given it much thought! She got this funny look on her face and then spent nearly a week obsessively trying to find the rationale behind it.” He laughed. “That’s when her assistant Spike forced her to send a letter to Princess Celestia asking for her advice on the matter.”

“Wow. Your question made it all the way to the biggest kahuna of them all! So did our Lady of the Sun shed any light on the issue?”

Firefly nodded. “Yes, but it didn’t make much sense to me at the time.”

Mango waited. The pegasus looked at him out of the corners of his eyes.

“She said that cutie marks are in actuality a reflection of a pony’s destiny. That’s why in the majority of cases it naturally reflects their talent, but sometimes a pony’s particular talent isn’t the defining aspect of their life.”

“I can buy that,” said Mango. “But it sure doesn’t help me figure out the meaning of your cutie mark. How about you?”

“Oh, it didn’t help me either. And that’s the way things stood until yesterday.”

Mango felt uneasy. The stallion had left the door open for him, so probably he wanted him to ask the question, so he did.

“What happened yesterday?”

He smiled. “I found out that I’m a firefly.”

Mango leaned back. His gaze fell on Firefly’s amulet and he pointed to it with a hoof. “Well, you certainly glow when you use that thing!” he laughed. “But I don’t think that’s what you meant!”

Firefly laughed with him. “No, unfortunately for me it isn’t.” He took a deep breath.

Mango scratched an ear. “Okay. Let’s see. What else are fireflies known for...” he gulped as the realization hit him. Their gazes met, and the pegasus nodded.

Mango felt his chest constrict.

“How... how long?” he asked in a low voice.

“Two weeks. Maybe three.” replied Firefly.

“There’s nothing that can be done? The hospital? The Princesses?”

“Nothing... but wait for my destiny to be fulfilled.”

They sat in silence for a while. Mango was dumbstruck. The whole idea made him feel a bit angry, and helpless at the same time. “But you don’t look like somepony who’s... you know! How is this possible?”

Firefly shrugged. “I’ve had a few close calls already, mostly of my own doing.” He touched his amulet. “There were a few bumps along the road getting to this, and I’ve accumulated a lot of damage along the way.” He grinned. “Run-ins with manticores and timberwolves didn’t help. So the doctors tell me my body has run out of resources and things are... coming to a head just now.”

Mango’s throat felt swollen. He swallowed, but it didn’t make him feel any better.

“So why aren’t you travelling? If I were in your horseshoes I’d be... I dunno, trying to fill out my bucket list, see everything I can, before... well.”

Firefly held up the scroll. “Busted!” His hoof dropped down to the bench. “Or at least, I tried to write a list, but when it came right down to it, the few years I’ve spent here in Ponyville have been by far the happiest of my life. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”

“What about your family, your friends? Do they know?”

Firefly lifted a hoof to his lips, and flicked his gaze briefly towards the foals. “I’m being very discreet about this. Other than the doctors and Princess Twilight you’re the first pony who’s heard about it, and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell anypony else.”

Mango’s anger deepened a bit. “That’s a pretty selfish point-of-view! Don’t you think they deserve to know?”

Firefly’s eyes widened. “Well, when you put that way... but, I guess I just don’t want them making a big fuss about it and moping around for weeks on my account.”

“Firefly!” Mango started loudly, but then glancing at the youngsters, he moderated his tone. “Tell me, which do you think will be worse for your friends, a few weeks of sharing the end, or a lifetime of regret at not having spent some of those precious last days together? Sure, this is a crappy thing to have happen, but you’ve got what most other ponies will never have: a chance to tie up loose ends and make proper goodbyes.”

Firefly hid his face in his hooves. It was a while before he lowered them again. Turning moist eyes away from the foals, he wiped the fur on his face with a hoof and rose.

“Thanks, Mango. You’re right. They’ll feel even worse later if I don’t tell them, and I don’t want to do that to them.” He looked towards Ponyville. “I think now I can scrape up the courage to let a few special ponies know. I owe it to them.” He rose from the bench. “Well, there’s no time like the present. Besides, it’s too beautiful a day to waste feeling sorry for myself, don’t you think?”

Mango glanced around. The brightly shining lake. The breeze in the willows. The laughing children. “Yeah. On that count you’ll get no argument from me!”

Mango stood up and Firefly offered his hoof again. They shook and with a nod Firefly turned towards the direction from which Mango had arrived. He’d barely taken a step when tiny Pumpkin Cake galloped up, her little horn sparking as she floated her Fro-yo cup over her head. She screeched to a halt in front of the pegasus and a spoonful of Fro-yo rose out of the cup. It was an amazing feat of levitation for such a young unicorn.The spoon wobbled precariously as it floated in front of Firefly’s muzzle.

“Try?” she said in a sweet pre-schooler’s voice.

Uh-oh! Thought Mango. He moved to intervene, when without objection Firefly opened his mouth and floated in the spoonful. He made a big deal of chewing and then smacked his lips loudly.

“Like?” asked Pumpkin.

He knelt down and gave the filly a hug. “I sure did! Thank you, Pumpkin! That was the best Fro-yo I’ve ever had!” With a final pat on the filly’s head and a wink to Mango, he rose to all fours and waved goodbye to the youngsters. Then he made his way along the curving path between the willows until he was lost from sight.





Mango sat down on the bench. He rubbed a fetlock across his eyes.

Time.

He’d always thought of time as an infinite resource, that the days stretched before him without end, and if today didn’t fulfill his ambitions, well then, there was always tomorrow. It’s strange how something that’s infinite has no value!

But then, for Firefly tomorrow wasn’t infinite at all. Tomorrow had, through scarcity, assumed almost limitless value. The thought made him shiver!

Mango thought of all the ponies he loved and who loved him, ponies he had left behind in his wanderings through Equestria. The sweet face of Gillette swam to the fore in his mind’s eye. The way she looked and how she’d hid her tears when, again, the urge to travel had led him to leave Canterlot. A mare like that wouldn’t wait forever.

And she shouldn’t have to!

Again, resolve firmed within his breast.

Firefly’s right. The day is too beautiful to waste! All the days are too beautiful to waste!

He stood up and grabbed hold of his cart. It was time he got back to Canterlot and gave Gillette the answer she had been patiently waiting for all this time.

It was, finally, time to go home.