The Shipping Bar

by Spirit Guide

Reflections of Friendship

"Your existence. What is it?"

The modified clones stopped in their places. 'Twilight' scrutinized the blue unicorn who had aimed the question at herself and the other new copies. "What do you mean?" she inquired.

Guess she copied at least one of Twilight's attributes right. "Why do you exist?" Spirit pressed. "What are you supposed to with your.... I guess we'll call it life?"

At first, a bleak silence. Then—

"Ha! Ha ha! AHA HA HA HA HA!!!" The purple unicorn began to laugh maniacally. One of the Rainbow Dash clones started laughing too, then a Pinkie clone joined in. All the other new duplicates following suite until the Shipping Bar was filled with the sound of insane mirth.

"You jest!" the Twilight clone insisted. "Our objectives are the same as ever: crush and conquer."

"But why?" Sweet Blasphemy asked. "Why would you want to keep your old macabre motives? Does your pony form not give you another option?"

"No, of course no—

"Surely the Mirror Pool grants you freedom of choice," Dregon said. "All the other clones choose to be with somepony else, even though they can do whatever they want."

"We can?" Pinkie exclaimed in shock, beaming gleefully.

"Of course we can!" Pinkie smiled back. "But why would we look for something else when we're happy where we are?" She turned and snuggled Cotton, who offered her a cupcake in reply.

"We ain't got no reason to get up and leave ourselves," Applejack declared, Rarity happily leaning her head against the earth pony's shoulder. "We're livin' real lives here."

"The fabrication of time and space has never been more stable," one of the Doctor's reported. "After your master was eradicated, the boiling rift it had caused in between the universes suddenly disappeared. Even the time stream is calm. You have no reason to continue whatever it had planned."

"What we're all trying to say is," Spirit continued, "why choose to be evil when there's no one to tell you to be evil? Why act on the path that makes others hate, fear and despise you? Why be shady and untrustworthy when you can become a great friend?"

The Twilight clone's sneer slowly vanished from her face and a thoughtful expression appeared in its place. The ponies all looked on, hopeful looks all around. Even Discord managed to stay silent and look enthusiastic about the possible outcome.

ZAP

A jet of purple magic seared the floor directly in front of Spirit. The Twilight doppelganger blew the smoke from her horn. "Please. Don't try to play your friendship games with us. There's nothing to appeal to. Nothing to befriend. We are darkness, molded into familiar shapes. We were made to be evil. That's all we are."

"Besides," the Pinkie next to her said, "there's no point trying. We'll never be as good as the originals. The ponies we're based off of will always be the alpha, and we will always be the underdogs. We will never amount to anything other than the bad guys."

"That's not true!"

Pinkie Pie stood up, her expression stern. "We may be copies, but we still have our own personalities. Sure, we're based off of somepony else, but the things we do and the choices that we make change us into different ponies completely. We don't have to be limited to who we started as."

"She's right," the Doctor added, standing as well. "When we came into being, all we had were the basic behaviors of the pony we were built in the shape of. After that, anything we did was completely our own. But we made our own choices."

"We acted differently than the original," a Rainbow Dash declared, rising up from among her duplicates. "That shaped who we became. None of us was exactly like the original, but we all turned out awesome."

"It was all up to them," Dregon said, gesturing at the seated clones. "They made decisions that made them who they are, but even thought they all had the same roots, they turned out different. Surely you can do the same."

The threat clones all looked about in confusion, indecision making them wary and shy. The Twilight clone at their head looked down at the floor intensely, trying to gather her thoughts when she caught sight of the daylight reflecting off the surface of the cafe's Mirror Pool. She brought her gaze up until she was looking at Spirit, Sweet Blasphemy and Dregon. Her grim frown split into a wicked grin.

"You poor, simpleminded fools." She spread her legs out and lowered her head. "We're not so easily changed as those worthless good two-horseshoes. We are manifestations of true power, and we have only one goal. Choices are not only not available to us, we wouldn't care for them anyway. It's just not us."

"We prefer the path of destruction," the Pinkie behind her put in, the other threat clones making violent motions. "Tearing things down, putting an end to peaceful existence. That's what we exist for."

Spirit kept a straight face, but inside his feelings were all in turmoil. It may not have been the real Twilight and Pinkie who were speaking, but just the image of his friends talking like that was painful. He knew he had to end it before his friends got hurt, and end it fast. Looking at the force fields Discord and Shining armor were sustaining, a plan began to form in his head.

"You're making your choice, then. To remain as you are, to never improve, to never change to good from evil." Spirit's words rang out through the Shipping Bar, earning him everyone's attention. "As a resident of Equestria, it is my duty to eliminate threats to the citizens. And you are ALL threats."

The blue unicorn spread his legs and prepared himself. His horn spewed magic, wrapping around it and gathering into a thicker and larger mass. SB and Dregon knowingly stepped back to the safety of the kitchen. The ponies, dragons and gryphons watched in awe as their host increased the strength of his spell with each passing moment. The threat clones watched too, their cocky evil grins one by one disappearing, until only Twilight's teeth showed.

"You FOOL!" She leaped towards Spirit, summoning her own magic, and brought her horn down slashing through the air. A loud crack sounded as the purple unicorn clone was thrown back into the crowd of corrupt duplicates. Looking back, the crowd found a barely-visible aura forming around Spirit, a barrier fueled by the still-charging spell.

"The only fool here," Spirit said, his voice magnified with power, "is the one who can't see the right way. Once you lose sight of it, you feel as though nothing can bring you back. Then again, you can't miss what you never had."

"Got that right," 'Twilight' spat. "We never had compassion, nor the need for it. That is how it is, and that is how it shall be when we're through with you."

NO

A magical twister spun out of Spirit's horn. It whirled around, sending wild winds throughout the Bar. Ponies grabbed their partners and hung on as cutlery and food went everywhere. The clones began to rise off the ground as the tornado grew bigger and bigger, filling the space between the force fields.

I will not allow you to harm any friend of mine. If you're going to try to hurt any of them, then I will stop you.

The tornado increased in size. When it spun against Shining Armor and Discord's force fields, it squashed up against the barriers, offering an amazing spectacle for the visitors. The threat clones were all flung into the air, swirling aorund and around as Spirit walked the twister towards the door, his face a mask of controlled rage.

This is the end of you, he thundered in a voice that was layered with inner might. His eyes blazed with magic. This is the end of the threat.

"AH!"

In a single instant, the light in Spirit's eyes dimmed and his face morphed into concern. He galloped the rest of the way out of the Shipping Bar, the magical tornado-full of evil clones in front of him like a dragon on a leash, and looked around. Standing on the trail was a black-maned brown pegasus stallion and an unusual mare who sported one normal wing, one bat wing and her whole right side was covered with metallic scales complete with a red eye.

But when Spirit's turned to the sound of the noise, his eyes widened in horror. Spinning at the very top of his dust devil, making bigger circuits than any of his victims and screaming like a filly, was Twilight.

Dregon and Sweet Blasphemy appeared in the doorway, while the other couples watched from the safety of the windows. Spirit watched Twilight fly around and around high above him. She must have been about to welcome Stormie Reeds and Caleb Becker, he realized, glimpsing briefly at the pegasus and the half-metal mare. The tornado slunk out the door and picked her up.

Looking up, Spirit locked eyes with Twilight. The stallion realized he would not be able to do away with the threat clones as he originally intended to, not without hurting his marefriend through the Mirror Pool. An old acquaintance's words flashed through his mind: One day, you will be faced with a choice where you will have to choose whether to save your friends or save the world. The question is, Spirit Guide, when the time comes, what will your choice be?

Spirit knew that, in order to save Twilight, he would have to cancel out his magic twister, which would release the threat clones, unleashing them upon Equestria. But if he proceeded with his original plan, Twilight would be—

I guess I have no choice.

Spirit closed his eyes and reared up, the tornado rising with his movement and panicking the clones trapped inside it. Twilight just watched him as she swirled around endlessly, her eyes sad as she tried to figure out his plan.

Then, with a full-body flourish, Spirit brought his horn crashing against the earth.

Like a felled tree, the twister slammed down onto the soil, spraying dirt and sod everywhere. The magical column of wind dispersed in seconds, leaving a long pile of dazed, groaning clones. At the tip of the heap, Twilight sat up and shook her head, surveying the general chaos. She turned towards the Shipping Bar, where tens of pairs of eyes watched her hopefully.

"Spirit?"

Her coltfriend leapt on her and embraced Twilight in a fierce hug. Spirit gripped the lavender mare as the couples began to stir inside the restaurant. Shining and Discord lowered their barriers and the ships streamed out of the establishment. Twilight was silent for a moment. "Spirit," she whispered.

"I know I may have doomed Equestria to the evil clones, but even if I hadn't, I couldn't go on without you, Twilight. Your presence in the room allows me to study at ease, the experience becoming more than research whenever you partake in it. If I had to fend off another attack, I would not be able to knowing that I had willingly chosen to take you out just to defeat a foe."

Spirit poured out in front of the crowd, his eyes becoming wet as his words washed over them all. A sense of faith spread throughout the mass and each individual turned to their partner, silently strengthening their own bonds just as Spirit declared his own devotion to Twilight.

"I know you'd make the right decision, Spirit," Twilight said, gently squeezing his hooves. "Whatever it would be."

The blue unicorn relaxed at her words. "Your trust in me is comforting," he said with a wry smile. "Just try not to get into situations that would lead to me having to make a world-ending choice."

Twilight giggled. "I'll try." The she hugged him.

"D'aaaaaw!" the couples cheered again, never tiring of a loving sight.

The newcomers, Stormie and Caleb, trotted over to the owners of the bar. "It really was our fault," Stormie said, blinking her mismatched eyes. "If we hadn't come so late, none of this would have happened."

Caleb nodded in agreement. "Mm hmm. We absolutely should have come earlier like everypony else."

"But," Stormie added quickly, "I'm sure you'll be happy to hear the reason for our lateness."

"I hope we will be, too," Twilight said.

"Hey!"

A shout issued from the heap of messed-up Mirror Pool clones. The leading Twilight poked out from beneath her sore herdmates and stood atop them all. "You think.... you can just.... suck us all up and... get away with it?" she demanded, in a bossy but exhausted voice, the kind the real Twilight would speak in after a full night of studying.

Spirit and Twilight looked up at their worn-out foe as she stumbled and slipped to the bottom of the pile. The other threat clones started to untangle themselves until they were all upstanding, some facing the visitors and some facing the owners. "No matter," 'Twilight' conditioned, swaying a bit. "We'll... take you out.... now."

She almost collapsed right there, but the evil core of her existence kept her upright. The real Twilight looked over at the Shipping Bar and the crowd assembled before it, and then turned to Spirit. "What was that about not going into battle without me?" she asked.

The stallion grinned. "You know what I'm like when it comes to promises, Twi."

"Mmhmm."

The two friends turned to face the threat, swung their lit horns through the air and, with a loud cry, leapt at them. The clones were so taken aback by the retaliation, they all stumbled over each other. When the couples saw what their hosts were up to, they caught on immediately.

And from there, it was chaos.

The ships with the most area-effect were possibly Cotton Pop, Cheese and the two Pinkies, who loaded up their party cannons with cake, confetti and Cotton's homemade color bombs, the resulting explosions spraying over the fray. Vapour was hovering in a misty cocoon, more-than gaseous clouds forming around her, which Bulletproof would send sailing through the air to take out their foes. Stormie captured the clones' attention with a show of rapid shape-shifting, while Caleb disappeared and snuck around back to clop them over the head. Galileo and Auxesia tore through the enemy with wing and talon, leaving any attacker bruised and out for the count. Crimson and Luna made a terrifying alicorn duo, the latter taking on the form of Nightmare Moon, paralyzing the clones with absolute terror, leaving them incapable of preventing Crimson from quickly slamming them with his sword.

Wave Ride was a big battlefield nuisance, zipping around the enemy and muttering about various attack strategies, while Paint Splash flew to his captured audience and knocked them out. Dregon, Sweet Blasphemy, Cutie Control and Soarin managed to work out a game of Hot Potato between earth and sky: Dregon with musical shockwaves, Cutie with her Big Honking Sword of Clone Whupping, and, in the air, SB and Soarin with a turn system of slaps that, in no time at all, knocked the clones unconscious. Muse zoomed to and for, sucker-punching every foe she came near, causing the clones to scatter, and all those who drew near Riff were beaten over the head with his guitar.

The coupled clones were everywhere. The Rainbow Dashes moved like a flock of giant technicolor birds, swarming foes and leaving them frozen in shock. TARDISes appeared at random, slamming into the evil duplicates while the Doctor inside shouted out his catchphrase. As each enemy clone dropped, Black Canvas and Sunset Love would strut over and drag the prone pony back into the Shipping Bar, where Sweet Treat and Leaf Turner would heave them back into the Mirror Pool, where they would disappear and not resurface. Thus the battle raged on, ships protecting each other's backs so as not to gain a single casualty on the Hearts and Hooves side.

At last, the only remaining threat clone was the fake Twilight. She stood her ground, completely surrounded by cocky couples and primed pairs. Together, they made a circle of affection and commitment around the clone.

'Twilight' clopped the ground and snarled. "This is not the end!"

"It certainly is." Spirit and the real Twilight walked into the circle and began to pace around the tarnished clone. "We have thrown each of your hateful duplicates into the Pool," Spirit went on. "Their essence shall disperse and the evil infusing them will vanish. The threat shall be removed entirely."

"You hope too much!" the clone cackled in an unsettling manner. "You assume too much."

"Hearts and Hooves Day is as much about hope as it is of about finding a match and bonding," Twilight declared, glaring at her evil copy. "We assume because we trust each other's judgements and thoughts. Otherwise, being an item would be meaningless."

The Twilight clone's face fell. "What's the point, though," she shouted desperately, "if the monsters and problems just keep coming back?"

"I'll tell you the point," Sweet Blasphemy announced, striding forwards and towering over most of the crowd. "One of the joys of having somepony close to your heart is knowing that said pony—or dragon or griffon—will stay by your side whatever you may face."

"That's right." Dregon stood by his mare's side. "The problems keep coming, but so do the loving ponies who vow to counter the threat to their homes."

"But right now," Spirit said, he and Twilight standing together before the clone, "the only loving ponies you should focus on are the ones present."

'Twilight' snarled and slashed her horn through the air. Some of the couples stepped back, but the clone's horn merely produced a pale glow and a dull whine. She looked up and her expression transformed into disbelief. "No. No, this is impossible."

The real Twilight leisurely drew nearer. "It would appear you need greater numbers to work your magic," she exclaimed, regarding her evil duplicate studiously. "Even the darkest of creatures require friendship."

"That seems to be the case," Spirit agreed.

The Twilight clone whipped her head back and forth, finding herself flanked. Spirit and Twilight lifted her into the air in their levitation auras and carried her kicking and screaming back to the Shipping Bar, the crowd of couples following behind in a huge procession of devotion. The caretakers of the Bar walked to the front and stood at the edge of their Mirror Pool, the cause of that day's monthly threat to Equestria, the last of the evil clones hovering above their heads.

"You are not going to -"

Ker-SPLASH

Spirit and Twilight dropped the purple copy mare into the Mirror Pool. The duplicate disappeared into the water with a final cry, fading from sight as she slipped beneath the surface. A cheer went through the two-storey establishment, the ponies, dragons and gryphons all shouting with joy. At last, the threat had been abolished.

With a sweep of his horn, Spirit closed the stone floor over the Mirror Pool. He then turned to the assembled lovers. "I'm sorry, everyone, that this day of bonding was tarnished by the outbreak of evil clones. Instead of spending Hearts and Hooves in peace, we had to take up arms and fight off danger."

"Pffft, oh, who are you kidding?" Cotton scoffed. "The original Hearts and Hooves day was way messier than today's."

Black Canvas nodded. "Yeah. Think of it as 'reliving history'."

"It wasn't that bad," Wave Ride remarked. "Like SB said, we got to face the threat with the ones we love." He nuzzled Paint Splash.

The others all began to exclaim in agreement. Hearts and Hooves day this year may not have been what they'd all expected, but they were unanimous on one thing: it was not spent in vain.

Princess Luna stepped forward. "I, for one, am proud to be who I am. I may not be the original Princess Luna, yet it is that very feature that makes me special. I am able to travel the land, make friends-" She looked at Crimson Shadow and smiled "-even love."

"We're not two-dimensional!" Pinkie shouted, gleefully, leaping onto Pinkie's back to tower over everyone except Discord. "We know what's worth it in life and what isn't. Being with the one who loves us, cares about us, our special somepony: we could go through anything with them!"

Hooves and claws were thrust into the air as more cheers rang out. The sound-grenade-balloon Discord had tied to Galileo's tail popped suddenly, along with whatever control the ships were exerting over themselves. Earth ponies ran towards and headbutted one another. Pegasi pirouetted around each other in mid-air. Unicorns fired colorful sparks from their horns. The whole Shipping Bar descended into a chaotic joy, all of them partying in agreement over the simple fact of their being together.

It wasn't until the chairs were being raised that Twilight and Spirit decided things were getting out of hoof. "All right, everyone. Please calm down," Twilight requested. Needless to say, she wasn't heard over the noise.

Spirit pulled Discord to the front, interrupting the draconequues' careful stacking of cider mugs on Riff and Soarin's heads. "Think you can weave a little magic for us?" he asked, ducking as a mashed cupcake sailed overhead.

The Lord of Chaos cracked his lion fingers on his eagle claw. "With pleasure."

Discord reached around, over and under the kitchen counter, where Dregon and Sweet Blasphemy were staying away from the madness. He reeled himself back, his arms loaded with the stickiest of spreads and syrup. Twisting his body, Discord spun himself into a whirlwind and tumbled around the bar, sending ponies, dragons and gryphons alike into their seats while slapping them silly with sticky foodstuff.

"There we go!" Discord announced, gesturing to the general chaos. "One silent Shipping Bar, just as you ordered."

Twilight made a lopsided face as she looked around the restaurant. "Discord, that was really unnecessary," she told him. "Could you please clean up the mess you made?"

"Moi?" Discord grinned at the mucked-up ships, most of which were giving the draconequus dirty glares. "Oh, all right." With a snap of his rooster claw, the sticky flood disappeared. A couple of the males started staring daggers at Discord.

Spirit quickly jumped in. "Now that we have your attention, it's time we brought something to it. While we were having a grand old time repelling the forces of evil and reminding ourselves of the joy love brings, we got some last-minute visitors."

He stepped aside, clearing the view of the back door. Standing in the hallway was a grey pegasus mare with black spangled highlights on her wings and hooves, and a stallion with a coat like a space nebula. Between them sat a pile of crates with fuses, rockets fins and multicolored flower-looking objects poking out.

"Somepony here order the Flameless Fireworks of Friendship, Holiday Fun-For-All Pack?" the stallion asked, tapping one of the crates.

Twilight grinned and turned back to the crowd. "Fillies and gentlcolts, friends and families, the fireworks have arrived!"

The couples once more burst into applause. Twilight and Spirit lead the new arrivals, Astral Dusk and Midnight Flight, around the bar, where they got hugs and hoofbumps from the ship partners. At a signal from Spirit, the crowd got up and began to empty out of the Shipping Bar, assembling on the grass across the path where just moments ago broke out a battle between love and hate.

Luna and Crimson walked to the hilltop as the couples spread out over the expanse of soft grass. The sun lowered in the sky, responding to Celestia's magic and sinking behind the hill. The two alicorns raised their horns to the sky and crossed them, infusing their magic together. The moon rose and took its place in the sky, glowing with a soft mixed aura of blue and and red that somehow fit perfectly together in the night sky.

"Thank you, Luna and Crimson," Twilight said gratefully.

Crimson inclined his head. "Always welcome."

As the alicorns stepped down onto the field, Spirit and Twilight took the hill. Astral and Midnight flew their cargo to the hilltop and set it down between the two unicorns. "There we are," Midnight said as she removed the harness. "You know what to do, I take it?"

"Fireworks as special as these?" Spirit chuckled. "One would have to be a fool to use them irresponsibly."

"They really are something special," Twilight breathed, holding up one rocket and examining it in the moonlight. "A perfect piece of magical pyrotechnic engineering, complete with an assigning mechanism."

Astral rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. How does that work again exactly?"

"Magic."

"Science."

"Magiscience," the Doctor declared, popping out of the crate of fireworks. "Lovely box, by the way. Reminds me a lot of the old girl."

Midnight smiled. "Right answer is best answer."

The five ponies each grabbed a load of fireworks, then hiked down to the field and started handing them out to the couples. As soon as an individual got hold of a skyrocket, the foot-long flower-capped rainbow-colored cylinder glowed as it registered the pony, dragon, draconequus or gryphon's touch. Everyone felt a strange vibration running along the length of their rockets.

"Each of you have a firm mental control over your firework," Spirit explained, having finished giving out the skyrockets. "This way, you can will it to shoot through the air, leaving a trail of sparks in its wake so you can practically draw in the sky." Paint, Leaf and Canvas squeed with joy at this.

"They won't burn out for a whole hour and if you choose to rest, it will remain hovering in the sky until you reinstate control," Twilight continued. "Just a few things we ask f you: don't try to crash into other rockets, don't bring them low down and don't cross the streams."

"Cross the streams?" Sweetie Belle repeated from beside Spike.

"What do you mean by that?" Sweetie Belle continued, Button Mash poking his firework at her side.

"Probably some grownup magic thing," Scootaloo remarked, looking back and forth between Rainbow Dash and her own rocket. "Nothing we need to worry about."

Spirit chuckled to himself. The innocence of youth. Still, she is right. He and Twilight walked past the couples and stood at the entrance to the Shipping Bar. They signaled to their friends, each one lowering their firework to the ground and tightened their grip on it. All at once, the fuses began to spit sparks and the brightly colored flowers above began to vibrate.

"The ignition key has been inserted," Twilight whispered to Spirit. They looked out onto the field. Each and every pony, dragon, gryphon and draconequus was sitting beside their partner, watching the fireworks' display before it had even started. Even though not a soul among them could see it, an invisible force was at work, originating right in between the happy couples and slipping into the flamesless fireworks, giving it the final touch.

The Time Lords couldn't resist, and the look they shared sealed their unanimous thoughts. "Love is in the air!"

That was the last part needed. As one, the Flameless Fireworks of Friendship shot into the air like a prismatic updraft. The sight was so shocking that most of the ships forgot the controlling power they had over their rockets. But the moment they imposed their will, the most amazing sight ever began to literally flash above them.

Sparks in every color and hue, from red to violet, erupted in the wake of the ever-spiraling rockets. Even more closely-bonded couples had their fireworks weave and arc across the sky side-by-side, creating a beautiful dual image. Black Canvas, Paint Splash, Leaf Turner and the other more artistically-inclined had their rockets trace a mental course above their heads, creating glittery sketches and glowing drawings.

The fireworks were a huge and captivating success. So much in fact that Twilight and Spirit found it to be the perfect moment to take a break from their duties as Shipping Bar owners. The two unicorns crept back into the now-empty restaurant, closed the doors and went upstairs to the second floor. Twilight opened a hatch on the ceiling and she and Spirit climbed out onto the roof. From there, they had a grand view of Ponyville, their coupled friends and the rocket-filled sky.

"Another Hearts and Hooves day came and went," Twilight said, her eyes reflecting the colorful explosions.

Spirit nodded. "And quite the large part we had in it this year too."

"Hey, don't leave us out!"

The unicorn pair turned to see Dregon helping Sweet Blasphemy onto the roof. "We love-labored just as much as you two did today," Dregon reminded.

"As such," SB continued for him, "we thought it would only be fair to join you in your reprieve."

Twilight sighed, but smiled all the same. "I guess it would be okay."

The four ponies shifted on the roof, admiring the artwork in the sky and enjoying their sweetheart's company. They descended into appreciative silence, watching the fireworks even as some of the ponies orchestrating them began to tire and take their leave. The rooftop couples continued watching the spectacle quietly until somepony decided to break the spell.

"What are your resolutions for the rest and start of this and next year until next Hearts and Hooves day?"

The others groaned quietly. Trust Spirit Guide to construct an unnecessary and unnecessarily long question. But, as friends, they found themselves obliged to answer.

Sweet Blasphemy shrugged her silvery shoulders. "Not much new. What about you, Dregon?"

"To be there and to love my mare till the end of time," declared he, brushing aside a lock of her dark shimmering mane, "for she is my one true love."

Twilight simpered, shuffling right up against Spirit. "For me, it's the mysteries in life that make living so worth it. And solving those mysteries as well."

"Tonight's mystery: diving deeper into love with your special somepony."

"That would be nice," Twilight agreed. She turned and gave a humored stink eye at their roofmates. "If two certain someponies weren't nearby."

"Not our fault you kids don't know sharing."

"Hush, Dregon. You're killing the moment," Sweet Blasphemy insisted, turning his head toward her. "Come, give me some."

No more words came from the older couple, just floating mumbles and a lot of fur ruffling. Twilight rolled her eyes. "Loveducks."

"Shall we?"

Twilight leaned closer in reply and the two unicorns connected. Magical sparks, the likes of which only come from those in the deepest and strongest of intimacy, shot off the roof and into the sky, where they mingled almost lovingly with the still-crackling fireworks. Along with the heart sparks came an aura of assurance, assurance that another year of love and friendship lay ahead, another year to be with the ones we all care for.

And thus ended the tale of the Shipping Bar. Until next year, that is.

Author's Note:

This was a collaboration project with members of the fandom I met through Facebook. Their OCs are theirs, mine are mine, and the canon belong to Hasbro.
The content of the fic may not be as absorbing or attention-drawing as some, but it's the unity that came with it that gives the Shipping Bar value to me.

Big thanks to everyone.

OC ships used (with names of owner and/or link):
Wave Ride and Paint Splash - Sina Neu
Cotton Pop and Pinkie Pie - LightningFlare
Crimson Shadow and Princess Luna - Harley Cook
Doctor Whooves and Broken Gears - thefillypainter2458
Sweet Blasphemy and Dregon - Kyliandra and Joey DeJonge
Sweet Treat and Leaf Turner - fralaowolf and AthenatheWitch
Sunset Love and Black Canvas - KeSoMa6
Muse and Riff - Mythologynerd101
Bulletproof Love and Vapour Wisp - Kyliandra
Galileo and Auxesia - Kiara Kitty
Cutie Control and Soarin - Jonathan Terzeu
Stormie Reeds and Caleb Becker - Stormie Reeds - Marsha Farnsworth
Astral Dusk and Midnight Flight - irishbird208 and ElectroZePony

Comments

[Thunder-Bolt]

5624941 Are you still accepting people's oc's?

[Spirit Guide]

7443965 'fraid not
The story's over and the chosen ones were picked at least a year ago

[Thunder-Bolt]

7444051 oh, jeez, didn't even see the 'complete' tag. My bad!

[Spirit Guide]

7444153 Nope, my fault. I put it in late