Twilight Sparkle was stroking her hair fervently. She knew that she was going to be a few minutes late with her meeting with Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner. She just had to finish a chapter in a book she was reading, but she knew Pinkie Pie would be sure to forgive her. “Come on, Twilight,” said her purple dragon Spike anxiously. “We’re going to be late again, and I’m getting hungry.” Twilight rushed downstairs to look for a quill and ink. “I know, and I apologize, Spike. But Pinkie Pie said she just came up with a really good batch of cupcakes, but she doesn’t have any ink to write down the recipe, so I need to find a quill and ink so I can write down the recipe for her.” After a few seconds, she had what she needed and they were ready to go.
As Twilight arrived at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie was already at the front entrance bouncing up and down in her usually excited demeanor. “There you are, Twilight!” said Pinkie Pie quickly to her friend. “I’ve been waiting like forever for you to try these. I really think I’ve outdone myself this time, if I DO say so myself.” Pinkie brought out a small plate carrying 3 chocolate cupcakes, one for each pony and Spike. Each cupcake was perfectly iced with a light-red colored frosting, and was delicately dusted with sky blue sprinkles. “I’ll say,” said Spike, liberally licking his moistening lips. “Those look really tasty!” Twilight brought the pastry to her mouth with her magic horn, took a small bite, savored the flavor and took a long pleasured sigh. “I have to say, Pinkie. Those just might be the best cupcakes you’ve ever made.” However, Twilight’s praise fell on deaf ears as Pinkie and Spike we’re loudly chomping on their snacks as if it was their last meal in Equestria. They each took a big swallow at the same time. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” said Pinkie Pie with bits of crumb and frosting still stuck on her lip. She looked at Twilight’s hardly touched cupcake with a small hint of confusion, who then gave a similar glance at Twilight. Twilight got the hint and gingerly put the whole cupcake in her mouth, chewed slowly and then swallowed it whole. Pinkie’s glance didn’t change. Twilight gave Pinkie a large smile with her teeth caked with the brown pastry. Pinkie then gave Twilight a bright smile, again with cupcake smeared on her teeth. Twilight decided to break the awkward silence. “Uhhh, so do you need me to write down that recipe for you?” Just as Pinkie was about to respond, a yellow colored pegasus pony with a long, flowing pink mane flew in next to the trio with a small, odd looking bird flying close with her. “Hi, Fluttershy,” giggled Pinkie Pie at the unintentional rhyme she just made. “What kind of bird is that you have there?” The bird was slightly plump looking with a brown back and tail with a khaki underbelly and wing tips. There were black feathers lining the sides of its eyes and more khaki feathers above each eye resembling bushy eyebrows. “That’s just it,” replied Fluttershy. “I don’t have the faintest idea of what this bird could possibly be. I saw it there eating a spilled bag of chicken feed near my cottage. It seemed to take a liking to me rather quickly, but it has the strangest call I’ve ever heard.” “What do you mean?” asked Twilight. “PIDGEY! PIDGEY!” screamed the bird. “So, it speaks?” asked Spike. “Yes- No, well, um... I’ve tried communicating with it. It seems to take direction rather well, but it doesn’t seem to say anything else other than-” “PIDGEY!” “That,” explained Fluttershy. “So I was just wondering, if you have any time in your day, you could just, um, see if you can find out what kind of bird that is.” Twilight said to her, “I’d love to help, but I was just going to help Pinkie Pie write down her cupcake recipe for her.” Pinkie then cheerfully exclaimed, “Oh, that’s okay, Twilight. I can’t remember it anymore.” “Oooookay,” said Twilight. “Fluttershy. Meet me at the library in 5 minutes with that bird.” Fluttershy responded with a slight nod. Twilight thanked Pinkie for the snack and ran off to home. “Hey! Wait for me!” cried Spike, but she was too far out of earshot to be heard.
5 minutes later, as planned, Fluttershy arrived at Twilight’s house with the bird in tow. However, Twilight was still madly flipping through her A Complete List of Aves book which only proved to Fluttershy that she wasn’t going to get an answer to her question. Twilight put the book back on the shelf and stared at the bird which was roosted on Fluttershy’s back. “I don’t know how to tell you this Fluttershy, but I think you’ve just found a completely new species.” Fluttershy replied in puzzlement, “Well, if this bird doesn’t live anywhere near here, where do you think it came from?” Twilight responded, “I have no idea. I could take the next logical step and say this bird lives in a faraway region in Equestria, but this book has the list of all birds that live over every square inch of Equestria, and your bird is nowhere to be found. Perhaps I could send a letter to Princess Celestia about it, but there’s a good chance she knows as little as me and-” Before Twilight could finish her sentence, a blinding white flash filled the outside of the house. The bird was instantly spooked and started flying and chirping maniacally. After the flash subsided, Twilight and Fluttershy ran to the window to see what happened. They were dumbfounded by what they were seeing. A large aircraft with a long body and huge wings was visible in the sky. It seemed to be circling around Ponyville. Twilight and Fluttershy watched as the once busy streets were now stopped in their tracks looking as the aircraft was slowly descending and spiraling around the town. The aircraft then started to fly northwest of Ponyville and crash landed in a vacant field. A flock of ponies then rushed to the scene of the crash to see what the mysterious vehicle was. Fluttershy and Twilight then ran outside towards the crash with the bird flying behind them, following the crowd that now formed.