The Element of Concord

by Loyal Defender

On The Bright Side

I walked back upstairs, and back into the hall, where giggling and laughter could be heard. I followed the sounds into Flurry's room, where she and Pinkie were having fun, doing whatever, though she seemed to be playing peek-a-boo. "I'm back, after half an hour." I said. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, it's no trouble! How was the story? Was it good?"

"It was very emotional, a bit dark, rather interesting, really, but what really crosses my mind is...Listen, Pinkie, Flurry's little stunt she pulled...we can't let it slide, we need to do something about it. I think we should take her to see Sunburst."

"Hmm.... yeah, I guess maybe you're right..."

"Let's go." I said. "The sooner we get there, the sooner the other tasks will be easier." I said.
So, off we went. I brought the address Cadence wrote for Sunburst, and we went around, spending 10 minutes trying to find it, until finally, we found it. It didn't seem to have changed much, but his house was still looking good.
"I'm gonna go talk to him, don't let Flurry go anywhere."

I knocked on the door, keeping an eye on Flurry. We waited for about two minutes. Just as I was about to think he wasn't home, the door opened, and Sunburst poked his head out. "Uh....yes? What can I do for you?"

"Hey, Sunburst, we're here because Flurry was causing quite a bit of trouble for us. Her magic had gotten a bit out of hoof, and we needed you to try to nullify it a bit."

"Oh, yes, Cadence told me you might be arriving, so I got a few things ready. Please, do come in!" He said, and opened the door.

Pinkie and I walked inside, relieved to know that this problem might be resolved.
"Flurry had caused quite a bit of trouble in the past year, so I'm familiar with what she's been doing to cause trouble. But I have to ask, what exactly did she do?"
"Pinkie, would you mind recapping the lunch incident?"

Pinkie gave a big smile. "Well, we're busy babysitting for Cadence so she and Twilight and Shining Armor can work out some trouble they're having with a visitot! So we had to feed Flurry Heart lunch, but she wouldn't eat so I had to send Loyal off to get Cadence for help, but Flurry and I wound up getting into a big food fight because nothing I tried was working!"

Sunburst's eyes grew wide. "How big a food fight..?"

"It was more of a food war, really but it was big!"

"Hmm....well, the best solution is to get the Fledgeling's Forbearance. Give me a moment." Sunburst said, as he went into the back of his home, rummaging through shelves and drawers.

"Just wait, Pinkie, things'll be so much easier with Flurry being...more chill."

"Oh I hope so. Babysitting can be exhausting! And painful!"

"Painful...?"

"Yeah! A head to a pantry, sitting on jacks, a Pegasus dragging you into furniture because he's much stronger than his stature would suggest..."

"Jesus, what in heck's name did you GO through?!"
"Wait, is this also when you were babysitting Pumpkin and Pound Cake?"

"Yes. Yes it is."

"How is it just those two babies sound mortally terrifying to be around? Especially two innocent ones?"

"It's probably because one's a baby Unicorn and the other is a baby Pegasus."

"Wait, two different babies came from the same pony? Isn't that.....very unlikely?"

"Well yeah, but it works!"

"Found it!" Sunburst came back to the little room we were in, carrying a scroll with illegible writing on it.

"This will take but a moment." He said, lifting Flurry off of Pinkie's back and into the air, and took a few paces back. His horn began to glow, and the room darkened a bit. A few moments after, a beam shot from his horn, enveloping Flurry in a pink-ish color. After about 20 seconds, the beam faded out, leaving the pink-ish aura. Flurry was lowered closer to the ground, onto a chair. "Now, Pinkie, would you mind trying to get Flurry to use magic again? If it doesn't work, I can just teleport her back."

"Oh, sure! Hey, Flurry, loook! It's Suuunbuuurst!"

Seeing the magic Sunburst perfomred, Flurry tried to do it, but only ended up teleporting....onto the table.

"She didn't poof away! It worked!" I said happily.

"Oh thank goodness! Now she won't vanish and be brought home by a little foal again!" Pinkie's eyes went wide. "I, umm, I mean, uh..."

"Wait, what?"

"I... I didn't say anything!"

"Pinkie, what else did Flurry Heart do?" Sunburst asked, head cocked to the side.
"Pinkie, it's best to tell him so that he can feel proud that he stopped another possible incident from happening."

"Pinkie, what else did Flurry Heart do?" Sunburst asked, head cocked to the side.
"Pinkie, it's best to tell him so that he can feel proud that he stopped another possible incident form happening."

"Well, umm, we were playing Pinkie - Boo in the hallway and I guess she got over excited and teleported away. It took us a long time to find her - well I mean technically we didn't, but a little foal did."

"And who was this foal? Somepony you knew?"

"Sorta! Came in the other day for a snack early in the morning. Seemed awfully friendly!"

"Hmm. Well, then it's a good thing that's two things I prevented from happening again. Well, is there anything else you came in for?"

"Not that I can think of no!"

"Well, then if there's anything else you need, you know where to find me!" Sunburst said. With that, we headed outside, and then I remembered.

"Oh, Sunburst, one other thing! Starlight Glimmer says hello!"

"Oh, well tell her I said greetings, how ya doin, that's good, and hope she visits soon! That way I can get a lot in with one sentence."

"Heh, I will."

After that, I ran back, and caught up with Pinkie. On our way back to the Empire, my stomach grumbled. "Boy, I could go for some Fro-Yo right about now..specifically that...you wouldn't happen to have any in your mane or someplace, would ya?"

"Eh... no... Tried it once, wound up with sticky hair for a couple of days because it melted."

"Hmmm...tell ya what, before we leave, we could stop by the cafe and see if they have any! Sound good?"

"Sounds good to me! Should we pick up something for Flurry?"

We headed back into the castle, able to breathe a sigh of relief that the job would be a lot easier. And on our way up into the main hallway, we almost ran into Twilight, who was seemingly organizing a few paper sheets.

"Heyyyy, Twi! Guess who was found and where!"

"No idea on either account."

"Flurry was found near the Crystal Empire Cafe!"

Twilight looked up, slowly. "And exactly what was she doing outside the castle unsupervised...?"
"Actually, Twilight, she wasn't technically unsupervised..."

"A certain stripe-sweatered friend found her."

"I'll give you three guesses as to who it was."

"I... I don't know."

"Frisk. It was Frisk."

"...Right... Who is that, again?"

"The one who I knew was a human?"

"Yeah. Said something about looking for her brother or something still, but she found Flurry near the cafe. If only we'd searched there sooner...anyways, she returned Flurry to us, and then we went to Sunburst to tone down her magic. That Fledgeling Forbearance spell really comes in handy! But, long story short, the job will be much easier. And after this entire mission, we're going out to get Fro-Yo! You want to come afterwards?"

"Oh! Umm, sure, I don't see why not."

"Cool! Anyways, we have a baby to care for! Come along, Pinks!" I said, continuing on down the hall.
"Cooooming!"

The next thing on the list would be bathing Flurry. Now, don't ask me why at 4:00 in the afternoon it would sound odd. But it kind of did, but also made a bit of sense. But somehow, I felt as though things would be more difficult.

"Now, it might surprise you, Pinkie, but bathing is gonna be my favorite part of caring for a baby. Can you guess why?"

"Hmm....nope!"

"It's because nothing's more adorable than a shiny, sparkly young baby. Odd reason, but if you were me, you'd understand." I said, as I turned on the faucet, letting warm water slowly heat up and fill the tub. "That, and it really reminds me of my shower day. There's nothing I enjoy more than opening up my pores! It's better than being in a spa!"

Once the water was high enough, I turned the faucet off, then carefully lifted Flurry and placed her into the tub. "Now...with or without bubbles?"

"BUBBLES!" Pinkie shrieked, already grabbing the bubble soap from the shelf.

"Heh, figured you'd say that." I replied, watching as Pinkie overturned the container of bubble soap, and the liquid poured out into the tub. The water slowly began frothing up with tons upon tons of bubbles. It was like a round, soapy mist forming around Flurry...and us. It wasn't until I noticed something a bit off about the bubble soap's lid. It was a bit wobbly and loose. "Uhh, Pinkie, I think that one's--"

Too late. The tub was filled to the brim with bubbles like a cauldron bubbling up. "--loose."

Looking at Pinkie, then back at the tub, seeing Flurry COVERED in bubbles, only her muzzle and eyes showing, I couldn't help but snicker, that eventually turning into laughter.

"I don't see a problem with this," Pinkie said, with a huge grin on her face.

It was hilarious. Flurry was covered up to her muzzle in bubbles, and I had plenty of bubbles on myself. Pinkie had half her body covered in bubbles. "Should we just keep this little incident between us?" I said, trying to breathe from the laughter.

"Yes. Definitely. Secret bubble party bonanza!"

Once I regained control of myself, I grabbed a rag, soaked it with water, and carefully started scrubbing Flurry off. First was the wings, from what the list said. I carefully extended one wing, and began scrubbing between the feathers and such. Surprisingly, Flurry took it well. In fact, she seemed to really be enjoying it.

"This is going rather smoothly, way better than I thought it would. I take it this is going better than your previous attempt at bathing babies?" I said, since I knew for a fact, Pinkie would have had to bathe Pumpkin and Pound Cake.

"Bathtime was chaos with the Cake Twins."

"...It wasn't anything to do with the bubbles, was it?"

"Nnnnnno, it was just... chaos. My nerves were fried from dealing with everything else."

I continued to thoroughly scrub Flurry's wing, and once I finished one wing, I began trying to make a path through the bubble fog to find the other. "Whatever happens, don't let me fall in." I said, leaning forward a bit.

"Ohhh, I woooon't...."

I was really careful and made sure I didn't fall into the tub. I made sure I slowly took my time, which causes it to be about nearly 40 seconds before I actually saw anything. And it was really bubbley and I worried I would take a bit of soap to the eye. But eventually, I managed to find the other wing inside the fog of bubbles. "Oh, hey, I found it!" I said.

"Gooood..." Pinkie began, as she started lightly patting Loyal's back. "...JOB!" ...And then she pushed him in.

"Wh--gahh!"

*SPLOOSH*

Honestly, I probably should have remembered at that moment what a prankster Pinkie was. I should not have even mentioned letting me fall in. I sat up in the tub, dripping wet. Flurry, of course, giggled at my...'misfortune'.
"Did you push me in..?" I said, trying to avoid getting soap in my eye.

"Mmmmaaaaybeeeee...." Pinkie said, with a grin.

"Ehh, I should have seen that coming, knowing you're a prankster and all. Oh, hey, can you look in and see if you can find the drain in the tub? I wanna make sure we don't have too much trouble finding it when the bath is over."

"You're in there, why don't you look?~"

"I'm working on cleaning Flurry. Team effort and all!"

"And so you can pull me in, right?"

"No. I wouldn't do that, Pinkie. I can't even top any of YOUR pranks, why would I try?' I said.

"I dunno, I have a sneaking suspicion that your question is awfully suspicious..."

"It's not. Come on, I wouldn't lie to you!"

"You're gonna pull me in, but fine," Pinkie said, leaning in to check for the plug.

I smirked, and quickly leaned against the opposite side of the tub, shaking it a bit, and knocking Pinkie over, into the water.
*SPLOOSH*
"For a mare who's good with sweets, you're a real sucker." I said, chuckling, and proud of the pun I just made.

"Ha ha, very funny," Pinkie said, smirking.

"Hey, I didn't lie, right? I didn't pull you in."

"Oh, fair enough."

"You know, Pinkie, what makes it funnier is, I actually didn't know where the drain was. Heh."

I continued scrubbing Flurry's other wing, while she placed bubbles across her face. I suddenly had a thought that I had to confirm. "Pinkie, did the bubble soap have any scents in it?"

"I dunno! I didn't check!"

I looked over, and grabbed the bottle from the side of the tub and read the label. "Baby Blast Bubble Soap...

...now SCENTED?!"

"Hah, good one."

"No, really! Look!" I handed Pinkie the bottle, making sure she could see the label. "It says in green text, 'Now scented.'"

"Twilight's sense of smell better not be strong!"
"I don't think her sense of smell is strong..."

"Oh, Celestia, we're so busted...she's gonna know about the bubble bonanza!"
"What do we do?"

"Uh... Uh.... Bubble Popping Party?"

"Will that really remove the scent of it latches onto us?"

"...Tell her Flurry got splashy?"

"That works. Because she is splashing quite a bit."

"So it wouldn't even be a lie!"

"Exactly!"

I proceeded to finish cleaning Flurry's other wing, and worked on her mane, body, and back. Before we knew it, she was sparkly and clean. "Now, how would we get rid of a dozen bubbles in one tub?"

"I think there might be a little bit more than a dozen bubbles here..." Pinkie said, a smile on her face. "...but we could always pop 'em."

'How long would that take...?"

"Depends. We could use water. Soap and water don't exactly mix well, and it wouldn't take long if you unplug the tub."

"Okay. Now...for real, where's the drain..?"

"You know what, I'm going in!" I took a deep breath, and dove my face into the water. It was really blurry, and it stung my eyes, but I had to find that drain. Thankfully, I was close enough to it, a lot closer than I thought. It was on my end of the tub. I pulled my face back up and gasped for air. "Found it!"

"Good! Good, now unplug it!"

I reached down into my side of the tub, and felt the plug. Pulling it, the water began to quickly drain. "Remind me how popping these bubbles is gonna work without water, Pinkie. Will it be more efficient?"

"Oh we can use water if you think that'll work better!"

"Okay. do you have a bucket or something on you? You're like a void, you gotta have something to use!"

"Well sadly, I don't keep things hidden around the Crystal Empire...."

"Please tell me you're joking, Pinkie...you have anything for any situation..'

"Hey now, I don't spend enough time here to start hiding things around in case of emergencies! I only recently started hiding things around Canterlot!"

"Like what?"

"Like the same kinds of things I hide around Ponyville, except in Canterlot, mostly."

I looked around, quickly spotting a small container near the sink. I turned on the faucet and filled up the container. "This'll have to do then! Find a container and try to help me remove these bubbles!"

"Alright!" Pinkie began scanning the room for a container she could use.

I began dumping the water into the tub, and refilling it quickly. "I pray Twilight doesn't come in here while we're doing this!"

"Yeah, that would be really bad!"

*SPLOOSH*

*CHHHHH*

*SPOOSH*

*CHHHHH*

Those were the only sounds filling the room at the moment, besides the frothy sounds of bubbles being pummeled down into nothing. It took about five to 7 minutes, but before we knew it, there were hardly any bubbles in the tub. "Oh, God, that was close!" I said, wiping my forehead.

"Phew! Sure was!"

I grabbed a towel, and began drying Flurry off. 'You're gonna be the sweetest little fluffy pony Cadence will ever lay eyes on!" I said, and Flurry just cooed in response.
"We never speak of this incident again."
"EVER."

"Fair enough."

After Flurry was completely dry (and fluffy as a bathrobe), I picked her up, and carried her out of the bathroom. Of course, we put the towels away, and everything. "If I recall correctly, the last few steps are to optionally change Flurry's diaper if needed, which she hasn't done anything yet, feed her a bottle of milk, and then put her to bed for her evening nap. We're nearly finished, Pinkie! Kind of a relief, isn't it?"

We headed out of the bathroom, and back down the hall. You might think we'd run into Twilight a third time, but no, Cadence was heading back into the meeting room, carrying what looked like either photos or files.

"Oh, hey, Cadence! Is the meeting nearly over? It's almost evening."

"We're not actually sure yet. We're still discussing things," Cadence said, quietly.

"Hmm. Well, we know when our task is gonna be done. We only have, like, three more tasks, and then we'll be finished. Thank Goodness, because you know how much responsibility goes into caring for one baby Alicorn?"

"As her mother, yes, I have an excellent idea of the level of responsibility. Thank you again for taking care of this for us while we're busy, by the way..."

"Oh, sure! But, just so you know, hopefully it won't be AS exhausting if it happens again, because she was a lot of trouble, from the food fight, to a disastrous game of hide and seek. I gotta ask, how do you put up with the mischief she causes?"

"She's usually not that much trouble. Maybe it's because I'm her mother...?"

"That makes sense. Still, goes to show that it was a lot more responsibility than we thought. But thanks to the Fledgeling's Forbearance, things were made a bit easier.'
Flurry's stomach growled, directing my attention towards her. "We'd best get that bottle of milk soon. Good luck with your meeting thingy, Cadence!"

"Right, thank you." She turned to continue onwards, but stopped short. Her nose twitched for a second, and then she turned back. "Do I smell... strawberry...?"

"Uhhh....maybe? There was....a bit of an accident, with....with the soap....and the bubbles...'' I said. "Let's just say Flurry was a bit too splashy..." I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"Oh, of course... She's awfully splashy sometimes," Cadence said with a smile.

"Yeahhhh...but at least it's over with. But ya know, I get the feeling Chrysalis is gonna ask me the same thing about the strawberry scent. She detects everything different about me...even if I fold my shirt collars down."

"Wait, Chrysalis...?"

"Well, of course! She's--wait...why did you say it like that...?" I asked. I could have sworn I recalled something about Cadence and Chrysalis, but I couldn't remember all of it. All I could recall is something about a wedding incident...but not what actually happened in it. My memory comes and goes.

"She, umm, wasn't exactly on the best terms with us last time we met."

"Was there something that happened between you two I should be reminded about?" I asked, still trying to recall what happened between Chryssi and Cadence.

"Well, she kind of almost ruined my wedding. And there was the whole 'kidnapping all the important ponies in Equestria' thing..."

"Oh, yes, the second one, I knew about. But what happened at the wedding, exactly?"

"Well, she kind of kidnapped me and tried to steal my husband to steal his magic and invade Canterlot."

"How'd you stop her?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at that, and soon it grew into a laugh.

"Hmm? Is something funny?"

"You...you haven't a clue ho many times people have used the power of love as an excuse for stuff....it's so cliche, it's just hilarious!" I said.

"I don't see how, we really used the magic of our love to banish Chrysalis and her Changelings from Canterlot."

"What do you mean it's cliche?"

"There has been many levels and movies that feature love overpowering a villain. I can't imagine it happening here. "

"If yu want me to respect that, Cadence, I will. But I hadnt laughed like that since Pinkie replaced half of Twilight's newspaper articles with paper mache."

"Well it is a thing that happened."

"Still, where were you when the invasion happened before you were saved?"

"Underground."

"Canterlot has an underground?"

"It does. Full of crystals and everything."

"OOH! Where do I go for a tourist attraction like that?"
"Is there a way underground?"

"Hehehe....I still find it funny. I'm sorry, but as romantic as that is, it's so cliche!"

'Sounds interesting. You'd have to tell me when I'm not on a job, it sounds like the perfect tourist attraction!"
"Anyways, we got a baby to care for. we're gonna go finish up our job, so...ciao!"
We continued back down the hall to where the kitchen was, and I instantly spotted the fridge on the other side of the room. "Please, Flurry, in the name of Celestia, please don't flood the room with milk.." I said, and went over to the fridge, and opened it. There were some sparkly foods in here that I honestly thought was just it being in reflective containers, including apples, sandwiches, and pies. I pulled out the milk gallon, and saw the small Baby bottle behind where the gallon was. I pulled that out, too, and set both on the table. I pulled the nipple cap off of the bottle, then poured the milk in, trying not to let it spill into the cloth of the table. Thankfully, I was careful enough to avoid that.

After putting the milk back, I carried the bottle over to Flurry, who took it using magic, and started drinking it. "Kind of a relief, isn't it, Pinks? We're finally doing something that doesn't cause chaos for a change."

"It IS a relief! Heck, I almost expect to hear a loud noise that cannot possibly indicate anything good coming from the direction of the meeting chamber any second now, but luckily there's nothing indicating that's going to happen!"

"Indicating? What are you, a mobile alarm?'

"Sooooometimes. I can sense things, remember!"

"Ohhh, right your 'Pinkie Sense'. Come on, that could be chalked up to coincidence, with good timing.'

"You'd think so, but my Pinkie Sense is always right. Everypony in Ponyville knows to watch out when my tail's a-twitchin'."

"And it's been HOW long since Pinkie Sense stopped doing anything?"

"Ehhhh.... haven't had one in a few months at least."

Rather quickly, Flurry let out a burp after drinking half the bottle, and let out a little yawn. "Am I the only one who thinks these steps are somehow connected, because she got tired after drinking her milk...and bedtime is the last step."

"Oooh, bedtime stories!"

"Bedtime stories....I never really was read to bed, though I could try to recall 'The Giving Tree'... Do you know any? I'll try to think of one, but..." I said, and started to head towards the kitchen's exit to put Flurry to bed.

"Let me think... I might know a couple..."

"Just try not to put ME to sleep, either...if being around Sweet Apple Acres mellows me out, so can a well-told story.'

"Come to think...I'd never heard you tell a story before. Did you do it with the twins?"

"Nope!"

"Well, then, we best hurry then, before she manages to avoid falling asleep." With that, we made our way back into the hall with Flurry's room. I approached her little bed-crib, placed her down into it, and tucked her in. She grabbed a little teddy she had in the crib with her, and yawned again. I sat down beside the crib, allowing Pinkie to attempt her storytelling abilities.

Pinkie thought for a minute. "Hmm... let me seeee...."

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She ruled over her kingdom with fairness and love, and she was beloved by all her subjects. But one day, a mighty dragon swooped down, looking for treasure! Seeing the Tiara on her head, he decided that the gold and jewels would make a perfect addition to his horde, and kidnapped her along with her tiara! Luckily for her, her royal knights wouldn't stand for this, and immediately set out to save her! After forging their way through forests, swamplands, and up a steep mountain, they finally reached the dragon's lair. Not wanting to anger him, the Knights sneaked their way through the lair to the dragon's treasure horde, where the princess sat atop a pile of treasure! They tried to get her down, but that's kinda hard to do with all the gold rustling, and soon, the dragon had them cornered! But the princess thought on her hooves, and was able to persuade the dragon to let them go in exchange for some treasure of hers. The Knights brought the princess, who honored her word, home, and they all lived happily ever after with no romantic sub plot whatsoever!"

Thankfully, that didn't exactly mellow me out, but it was still nice to hear a fantasy tale. I looked up at Flurry's crib. She was weakly applauding, and eventually, the clapping slowed, and she pretty much passed out into slumber. "Wow, Pinkie...that...that actually worked. Did you improvise on all that?"

"I improvised all of it actually! Hang on, you got a pen and paper?"

"I got a notepad and pen if that works!" I said, taking it out of my back pocket handing it to Pinkie. 'You never know when you'll need one!"

"Thanks!" Pinkie said, as she set the pad down and began scribbling something down in it.

"If you're gonna write your entire story on that, I'd love to see you break the laws of physics and somehow write it all down on one sheet of paper."

"Still, you could consider having Twilight turn that into a minibook." I said, still impressed that she even came up with what. The Giving Tree instantly sounded less impressive to tell, now that she told that. "You know what, you can keep the pen and papers..I hardly ever use them. Might be useful for learning new recipes and writing them down."

"Ooh, thanks!"

I looked back at Flurry, and smiled a bit. She seemed so adorable when she was asleep.
Breathing a sigh of relief, happy our duties were done, I went out into the hall, and rolled up the scroll on the ground. Thank God this task was over, I felt like falling asleep on the spot. But I figured that could wait until I was in comfortable seating or bedding, depending. So, proud our work was done, Pinkie and I headed towards the meeting chamber, ready to report our finished business. I realized then that Flurry would have to be given her frozen yogurt by Cadence, because she was already asleep. Or maybe if she woke up in time, we could get it to her.
"Should we wait until they're done, or try and slip in to let Cadence know we've finished?"

"We should probably wait. Unless something explodes in there."

"I...doubt that'll happen. Believe me, I know you can make things explode...I'd seen it happen. And all it took was sugar." I said, referencing the EQG universe Pinkie Pie. "Oh, God, how dangerous you were..."

"Hmm? Well, if you say so."

So, we sat there and waited. We just listened to the muffled voices come from inside the meeting chamber.
15 minutes passed....
30 minutes....
45....
Eventually, we began playing a bit of a game. I would reach into Pinkie's mane void, and try to feel an object to try to guess what it was. Yes, the void existed inside her hair. It was a known fact.

I felt something small and round and rubbery. "Is it a rubber ball?"

"I dunno! Is it a rubber ball?"

I pulled it out, and it was a small, shiny rubber ball. "Yup, it is! How many things do you have in here, this has been going on for five minutes, and I'd felt, like 10 things now."

"I lost count actually. My hair's like a portal to another dimension or something!"

"Well, I know of a good hiding spot during hide and seek, then."

We continued playing our little game, which included me pulling out a box of party decorations, a cake still in its container, a small lightbulb, and even a box of rocks. Whatever that last one was.
After about 12 minutes, Cadence, Twilight, and Shining all finally came out of the room. "Oh, you all came out! Are you finally finished with the meeting? How'd it go?"

"Well..."
"Well, it went pretty good, I think. Pretty sure we managed to work everything out."

"Heh, I don't doubt it. With you around, nothing can't fail to work out. That's a Princess of Friendship for ya!" I said, giving a friendly wink. Sometimes I just loved my complimenting skills.

Twilight gave a giggle. "Still, we should probably stay a while, just in case."

"You know, it is getting late, and trying to get tickets to Ponyville *tonight* might be a bit of a hassle." Shining said. "So, you might be right about that, sis. Besides, it's the least we could do for Loyal and Pinkie keeping Flurry out of causing trouble for the meeting. What do you say?"

"Well, I suppose..."

"I knew bringing those suitcases wouldn't be a bad idea!" I said. "My instincts are never wrong....75% of the time." I kept the suitcases in another hallway in the entrance area, just in case.
"I'll show them to their rooms." Shining said, gesturing for us to follow them. 'Thanks again for all the help!"

Shining led us down a few twisting halls and corridors, eventually stopping in front of a door, with the number 375 on it. 'This is where you two will be staying for a while. If there's anything else you need, just ask, okay? We're always willing to assist! And I'm impressed you two managed to avoid too much chaos with Flurry. Believe me, Cadence and I know how difficult it is caring for her."
Inside the room, there was a small bathroom with two sinks, a crystal shower (not AS impressive as it sounds, but it's still cool), a hamper filled with fluffy towels and rags....it was a great room. We thanked Shining for his assistance, and he nodded respectively. "You two get some rest now...I'm sure that was a very tiring task."

"Thanks again, Shining! You have a goodnight, too!"
Afterwards, I opened up one suitcase and got out a comfortable pair of pajamas, the same pair Rarity made that I mentioned before. "You know, I dunno about you, but I'm goin' to sleep instantly. I'm dead beat!" I said, heading over to one bed, and flopping onto it.
"But at least it's over now. And tomorrow we might be able to get that fro-yo, too..I can almost taste the sweet, refreshing reward of our hard work. Anyways, you have a goodnight, Pinkie!"

"G'night then!" Pinkie said, cheerfully.

I climbed under the covers, and covered my face with one pillow, to ensure I was in as much darkness as possible.
The next morning, I woke up early, despite that I was exhausted the night before. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes. The start of another fresh, exciting, adventure-filled day. Except this time, I would just try to relax most of the day.
I looked over at Pinkie, who was seemingly sleeping with the covers entangled around her, and was hugging her pillow.
I got out of bed, and went over into the bathroom, getting a rag out of the hamper. I turned on the hot water, soaking the rag. I was used to hot, steamy levels of water, so it was no biggie for me. When it was hot enough, I wiped my face off with the rag, and my pores felt so clean. It was just like being in a shower, only better.

Afterwards, I dried my face off with a towel, and headed back into the room. I was considering waking Pinkie up, but she looked so cute, the way she was sleeping. I decided I'd leave her be. I was gonna wake her up to go buy breakfast, but I figured it'd be nice to get it for her. I figured Pinkie would eat anything, but I had a bit of an idea I could use instead of waking her.
I walked over to Pinkie, and I leaned in, close to one ear. "Pinkieee...this is your dream subconscious....what is your favorite breakfast foooood....? Tell meeee..."

Okay, as stupid as this sounded and/or looked, it was worth a shot.

"Tell me your favorite..and your wish may come trueeeee...."

"Ohhhh, you know it's chocolate chip pancakes and whipped cream with strawberries on the side, silly subconscious dream Pinkie.... So silly...." Pinkie let out a yawn and rolled over.

"Thank you.....your wish will be granteeeeeed.....' With that, I quickly went back to my suitcase, and got out a turquoise shirt with a duo of crystals on it (because CRYSTAL Empire), and got out a nice pair of plaid navy-blue shorts. After getting dressed, I went and got my toothbrush and paste, and went to the bathroom. Thankfully, the brush I had wasn't electric, so it wasn't loud. But I made sure to brush extra well, because hey, hygiene is a must.
Afterwards, after finishing all that, I left the room and went out into the hall. I made my way (After getting a bit lost) to the main hallway, and made my way downstairs. Once I made it outside the castle, I began looking for a map to tell me where the cafe was. I walked around for a bit, trying to find billboards or even walls with maps on them.
As I was reconsidering doing this, I noticed Frisk among the small crowds of ponies. I couldn't blame her for still being here, the empire was a big place, since she was still looking for Flowey.
"Oh, good morning to you, Frisk!"
"Are you *still* looking for Flowey? Even after all this time in the empire?"

"I've actually only looked through about half the city, to be honest...."

"You don't intend to do the...other half, right?"

"I was... why?"

"That'll take half a day, if it's thorough."

"Hmm....buuuuut, best of luck with that. Though, I do need a favor from you. You wouldn't happen to recall where the Crystal Empire cafe is, would you? I'm buying breakfast for Pinkie and I. She's still asleep, so she doesn't know. I'm making it a bit of a surprise.'
"Turn of events, me surprising her. It'll be worth it.'

"Anyways, do you still recall where the cafe is? Or at least point me in the general direction, if you don't have time to show me? I know how important your search for Flowey is."

"I think it's over that way," Frisk said, pointing over to their right. "I'm not sure though, it's such a big city."

"Okay, thank you!" I said. "Good luck with your search." With that, I headed in the direction Frisk pointed me in, and after a few minutes of walking, I found a cafe with multiple tables, and a few ponies sitting at it. As I approached the cafe, some ponies looked up at me, while others continued eating or drinking their breakfast. I approached the counter, and looked up at the menu. Surprisingly, chocolate chip pancakes and whipped cream with strawberries on the side was actually on the menu. 'Strange option for a cafe...but eh, iHOP is like a cafe, too, so whatever'.
I rang the small silver bell on the counter twice, and an employee came out of a small room in the back. It was a female, light-pink pony with a dark-brown mane and tail, with crystal yellow pupils, a dark blue apron, and a cup of coffee as her cutie mark.

"Yes? What can I get you?"

"Uhh, yes, I would like the chocolate chip pancake order, with whipped cream and strawberries on the side, and your best cup of coffee. Uh, to go."

"That'll be 10 bits, please." She said. I took out my bit pouch and places 10 bits on the counter. The mare nodded and headed back into the room. I won't bore you with the details, because really, every to-go or to eat place has you wait, like 10 minutes before your food's ready, so I'll just cut to when I actually got my food.
The mare came back with our food in a paper container. I took it from her, thanked her, and headed back to the castle.
When I made it back (I didn't see Frisk on my way back), I went into the kitchen, opened up the box, and placed it on the table. I got my cup of coffee and placed it down next to the pancakes. I headed back into our room, found my paper and notepad on the floor next to where Pinkie was sleeping, wrote 'Come to kitchen for a surprise! :)' next to it, and placed it on her face (so she'd see it).

I then went out of the room, waited a few moments, then knocked loudly on the door, before dashing into the kitchen.

"Hnn...." Pinkie let out a loud yawn. "Who's there?"

I went back up to the door, knocked loudly again, and said, "Piiiinkiiieee....open your eyyyes....." I was really hoping that she would actually get up this time, because I was gonna surprise her by granting her breakfast wish. But this time, I hid next to the doorway, and waited. "A special surprise awaits you in the kitcheeeeeennnn...!"

Pinkie let out a groan. "Surprise in the kitchen...?"

I could smell the delicious scent of the pancakes eventually trailing down the hall. I smiled a bit, and opened the door a crack to let the scent into our room. I was just improvising on this part now. "Let the delicious scent lead you to your deeeeeeestiny....." I said. I was enjoying this.

"My deeeeeeestinnyyyyyyy...." Pinkie whispered, standing up and walking out of the room, barely awake.

I can not tell you how hard it was to avoid laughing. This was both cute and hilarious. I silently followed her until she went into the kitchen. I peeked into the doorway, seeing her approach the table. "Now.....look what lies on the tableee...." I said, smirking.
"Your destiny lies aheeeeeeead..." I added, watching as Pinkie neared the table. I felt so good, surprising her with her favorite treat like this. She was gonna be so happy, I could just tell.

Pinkie slowly blinked her eyes open, and gasped at the sight before her. "But how?! How did subconscious dream Pinkie...?!"

"Grant your wish?" I finished, stepping from behind the doorway and into the kitchen. "She and I planned this for this morning. Figured for all the hard work you accomplished yesterday, she'd reward you with something nice; Your favorite breakfast food. Pretty sweet, eh?"

"THIS IS THE BEST SURPRISE EVER!"

"Heh, I knew you would be surprised. And you have no idea how easy it was for Dream Pinkie to get the info on your favorite food. She told me what it was, and I went out and bought the breakfast from the same cafe Flurry was found in.
Do you like it?"

"Oh, and I meant to ask: Are you into coffee? I bought the coffee, too, along with the pancakes, but I wasn't too sure."

"Twilight says I'm not allowed to have coffee in the Friendship Castle. I assume the rules apply here too."

"What? What's wrong with you havin' coffee? It's not like it gives you ridiculous amounts of energy, right? That's what the sweets you bake do, I assume."

"Well it's not so much that I'm not allowed to as much as it is that she believes I don't need it."

"Hmm. Well...huh. Well, it seemed nice at the time." I said, and went over, picking up the coffee, and took a sip. "Pumpkin-spice. Ehh, not as bad as ponies made it sound..still not too tasty though."
"Still, wanna know the crazy part? My favorite breakfast also just so happens to be chocolate chip pancakes, with whipped cream on it! I'm not making this up. Was my favorite breakfast in the International House of Pancakes."

"House of pancakes? Who would make a house out of pancakes? Wouldn't bugs just eat it? Well, I mean, Sugarcube Corner looks like it's made of gingerbread.... I don't think I've ever checked if it IS made of gingerbread, so I mean I guess that-"

"Pinkie, Pinkie, it's not literally made of pancakes. It's just the name. Though....it'd be out of business if it was literally made of pancakes. Wait...have you never actually checked to see if Sugarcube Corner was indeed edible?"

"No, I never have! Why would I eat the place I live and work? Or anyone's house for that matter?"

"Ehh....good point. Still, I hope you like the pancakes! Go ahead and dig in! Meanwhile, I'm gonna finish the pumpkin spice." I said, taking another sip. It wasn't too great, but eh, was still better than nothing for breakfast.

Pinkie gave a big smile and moved to dig into the pancakes. "MMMM! Ooooh, they smell so goooood....."

Eventually, I managed to finish my latte, and as I threw it out, in came Twilight. She was rubbing her eyes, meaning she probably just woke up. "Oh, good morning Twilight! How'd you sleep?"

"Not well. I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about how our Cutie Marks didn't glow again like they do when our job is done.... something's not right. I just know it."

"Well...maybe we just have to confirm everything's gone well before our marks glow...?"

"Well, let's consider: Perhaps we're not 100% done with our task for caring for Flurry, by chance, and we missed something. Or maybe the 'friend' of yours still has to consider whether or not he'll give things another chance, because normally after get-togethers, some people consider what they discussed, and decide whether or not to accept the point of the topic they talked about. In this case, it's accepting their friendship. Maybe he just needs a bit of time to consider it.
That could be it, couldn't it?"

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling. It seems like things always get worse on these friendship missions before they get better..."

"Well, nothing bad has happened so far. Maybe we'll get lucky! I mean, besides Flurry causing a bit of trouble for us during our task of caring for her, things went well for us and for you! You've got nothing to worry about!" I said, reassuringly patting Twilight's shoulder.
"Besides, do you really think the map would make a mission as annoying as any other, Twilight? I mean, remember our mission in Manehattan? Aside from the Mad Dummy and also, me getting separated from you and Starlight, nothing too terrible happened to us, right?"

"I would believe the map would give us a mission as annoying as other ones, to be honest. They're always tough to figure out."

"Well, we haven't had any issues being related or not related to the mission. So it's no sweat....so far, you'd probably be thinking. In fact, do you want to make a small bet that this mission, nothing too terrible will happen?"
"Considering this is really betting on chance, if you win, I have to eat a plate of spicy chili peppers. If I win....hmmm....you have to eat a spicy chili pepper. I...don't really have any other stakes to place down. All I could come up with.

Wanna take that bet?"

Twilight thought for a moment before nodding her head. "Sure, I guess I'll take that bet."

"Great! If nothing bad happens or something bad happens by the time we get back to the castle, one of us either wins or loses!" I said. "And no, karma or bad luck doesn't count."
"Anyways, do you, uhh, want me to buy you something from the cafe? They have plenty of drinks and breakfast foods."

"Well.... if you want, I guess. I could go for some breakfast."

"Okay. What do you want me to get you? A drink or a coffee, or...what? Or shall I take you there myself?

"I... don't know, actually..."

"Hmmm....okay, let's make it simple: What's your favorite drink? Whatever it is, I'll see if the cafe has it. And if it doesn't...I might get the thing closely related to it."

"Well, I guess I could go for a strawberry smoothie...."

"Strawberry smoothie. Noted." I said, and ran out of the kitchen. I quickly headed downstairs and into the main room, and outside. You all know the drill, I head to the street, down to the cafe, yadda yadda.
When I got to the cafe, I noticed a few more ponies were at the tables now. I went up to the counter, and rang the little bell. The same mare from before appeared. "Oh, back for more, hmm?"
"Yes, do you have a strawberry smoothie?"

"We do. Bit classic, if you ask me. Wait right here."

Another few minutes timeskip, and...

The mare came back, strawberry smoothie in hoof. "Here or to go?"

"To go."

I took out some more bits, but the mare stopped me. "No need. This one's on the house. You seem like a nice enough person. I can tell you bought these for some friends."

"Oh, really? Well, thank you!" I said, nodding gratefully. I took the smoothie from her, and started walking away. "Thanks again!"
I cheerfully headed back to the castle, feeling good about what just happened.
I made my way up the stairs, making sure not to spill the smoothie. Stairs and I had times of not getting along. Thankfully, I didn't spill it on the stairs.
Safely making it back to the kitchen, I first approached Twilight. "I have returned. And get this - The cafe pony somehow knew I was buying this for my friends, so she gave it to me absolutely free."

"Hmm! Well, that was nice of her!"

"Yup. Well, here's your smoothie, as requested." I said, handing it to her.

"Ohh, thanks!" Twilight said, smiling, as she took the smoothie with her magic.

"Is anyone else up yet? I was gone for about 10-15 minutes."
At that moment, Shining walked in, along with Cadence (I swear those two never go anywhere without one another), with Flurry on his back. "Ah, speak of the devil. Good morning, you two! How'd you sleep?"

"Decently." Shining said, in a slightly tired tone, looking at his wife. "How about you, honey?"

"Oh, I slept fine, thank you. How about you, Twilight?"
"Not well... I can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen that's going to make our trip here a lot worse. The map doesn't seem to think our mission is done yet...."

"Twilight and I made a bet that if nothing bad happens on our mission by the time we get back to Ponyville, she has to eat a hot chili pepper." I explained. "And if something bad does happen...I eat a plate of them."
There was silence for a moment.
"Comment on how foolish the idea is, I know you want to." I said.

"Anyways, the train to Ponyville leaves at 8:42, and right now it's.....7:31." Shining said.
"Alright, Twilight, let's see how much can happen in just an hour and eleven minutes." I commented. Hopefully, this wouldn't go wrong...otherwise, I'd be showing Starlight and Chrysalis that I practically became part dragon.

"So, Cadance, are you and Shining actually finished with the meeting by now, or is there a second half you have to do, still?" I asked. "Or, do you just need to hear if he's taking things well? Hopefully, it's the latter."

"Well, I think we're just waiting to see if he's taking things well, but..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll have positive results! He couldn't say no after a meeting like yours, right?" I said, hoping that whatever happened, this friendship problem would go without a hitch.
Flurry peered from behind Cadence's back and got a good glimpse of me. Cooing playfully, she got up and soared right over to me. Seeing her wanting to use me as a landing pad, I moved forward, where she landed in my arms. "Well, well, someone's certainly happy to see me this morning, aren't they?"
I was suddenly reminded about what else about Flurry I planned to ask. "Oh, Cadence. Is Flurry old enough to eat frozen yogurt yet? Figured before we left, I'd buy her one."

"Oh, yeah, she's old enough. She likes strawberry."

"Oh, nice! You'll love that, won't you, Flurry?" I said, tickling her stomach, causing her to let out a cheerful giggle. "And what do you know, strawberries are my favorite, too!"

"Is there anything you and Shining want from the cafe? I don't mind going back a third time, really." I said. "I already got Twilight and Pinkie something."

"Oh, no thank you, I'm good. What about you, Shining?"

"A bagel would be preferrable. Everything-type."

"Noted." I said, and left the room. As I left, though, Flurry latched on, as if hitchhiking. Same process of going out to the cafe, yadda yadda, basic stuff. The pony at the cafe gave me a teasing 'you *again*?' smile.

"I know, I know...I'm too generous, really. But this time, I'd rather pay for something again."

"Alright. What'll it be?"

"One everything bagel, please."

"One everything bagel, coming right up! You're picking it up for Shining, aren't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"Stallion loves his everybagel. Never starts his morning without it."

The pony went into the back to prepare the bagel. As I sat down, I felt something on my back. Reaching behind me, I felt something small and moved it into my vision. I was a little surprised to see Flurry. "Well...seems you wanted to come along, huh? Well, I can't argue with that."
The pony soon came back with the bagel in a bag. I paid her six bits and thanked her, heading back. "Flurry kind of likes me." I thought. "It's nice to be admired or liked...especially by young ones."

Making it back into the castle, I headed into the kitchen, and gave Shining his bagel.
"Sweet! I never begin a day without one of these!" He said. "Thanks!"

"I think Flurry's attached to me a bit." I said to Cadence. "Literally and figuratively."

"I think she's just happy she has someone cool to play with...I can't imagine what she does all day when I'm not here. But still, if she's happy, I'm happy."

I honestly wouldn't want to bore you with everything that happened in the Empire before we left..we did have to prepare to go back, anyway, and we had to get tickets back to Ponyville..basically, we just played with Flurry (thankfully, she didn't vanish again), explored a bit more of the empire, and we just discussed the meeting until it was time to go. One of the guards came into the castle, and told us he had a message from the pony, saying he thought about it, and luckily accepted the offer to make amends.

"Well, isn't that fantastic news! Seems you three are gonna be able to get along after all!" I said. I then remembered the promise I made Flurry. "Oh, before I forget! Here, Flurry. As promised." I took out the strawberry frozen yogurt, and she took it with her magic.
"Make sure she doesn't repaint the room with that, alright?" I joked.

"No problem!" Cadance let out a chuckle. "She hardly ever repaints the room with frozen yogurt!"

"Aaaaaaaand...three...two....one...*now*." At that moment, our Cutie Marks glowed, signifying a job well done. "Mission accomplished." I then remembered the details of the bet I made. "We still have to get back to the Castle of Friendship before one of us wins or loses the bet. It's kind of intense, really...wonder which one of us is gonna win?"

"Wait, how'd you know our Cutie Marks would start glowing right then..?"

"Instinct, Twilight. Instinct."
As I started to board the train, I felt the same weight on my back as before. I grabbed whatever was on my back, and moved it in front of me. "Flurry? Heh, sorry, you can't come. You need to stay here with your mom and dad." I said, and went over, placing her on Cadence's back. "She's kind of clingy...can't blame her, I am kind of fun."
I started to head back, and again, I felt her on my back. Seems the yogurt wasn't convincing enough. And I forgot she could even teleport..if that's what she did. "Flurry...I promise I'll visit again soon."

I repeated the process again, but in an even shorter time, she was on my back. This pony was *relentless*.

A pink mitosis-like bubble formed around me and Flurry, and I looked over, seeing Cadence almost perform the same mitosis spell she performed at the Crystalling. She began separating us, but I quickly remembered the results of her doing so before.

"I wouldn't, Cadence." I said. "Remember what happened the LAST time we separated Flurry from somepony she wanted to continue playing with?"
*cue flashback*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCxs0-iLbzQ

"Ohhh...that's one memory we'll never forget." I said, shuddering a bit.

"Just put me down, and I'll try to....reason with her."

"Well... alright...." Cadance nodded, doing as instructed.

I turned to Flurry, and hoped this would work. "Flurry, I know you want to continue playing, but I need to get home. I promise you I'll visit you soon...maybe next week, and we could continue playing..but for now, I have some stuff to do, and you need to stay with your mom and dad. Okay?"
Flurry stared at me blankly, and eventually seemed to nod. She flew back onto Cadence's back, letting out a small yawn shortly afterwards.
"Oop, sounds like it's someone's bedtime!....10 minutes early, apparently. Well, we best get going! You all take care! Especially you, sis!" Shining said.

"Can do, Shining Armor! We'll see you both soon!"

There was about another 5 minute delay to make sure everything was fine, but afterwards, the train soon chugged into motion, and we were off.
The train ride back to Ponyville was just fine. Nothing bad even happened. As we got off the train, I noticed my suitcase felt a little heavier, but it was likely the slightly exhaustion of all the stuff we did at the Empire. On my way back into my room in the castle, I passed by Starlight, carrying....either books or folders. They were probably books, but I couldn't be too sure. "Hey, Starlight! How were things while we were gone?" I asked, lugging the suitcase into my room and onto the bed.

"Hmm? Oh, things were pretty quiet actually... not much has happened."

"That's....good, I suppose. At least nothing blew up, then. Also, Sunburst says greetings, how ya doin, that's good, and hope you visit soon! His exact words."

"Oh! Well, it has been a while since I went up to visit him... Maybe I should take a trip up there sometime..."

"I'm sure he'd like that. After all, you and him *are* close companions. I don't know if it's because you're both Unicorns, or if you two seem perfect together, but whatever. And the friendship mission was exhausting, honestly. I had never known taking care of a baby was so much work. Apparently, Flurry was a bit of a troublemaker, but we managed to do our job well. And we had fun....and a bet was made."

As I leaned against my suitcase, I said, "Wanna know what Twilight and I bet on? It has interesting stakes." I wasn't sure if she'd get a kick out of this or not, but it would still be well worth telling Starlight. Mostly because I was curious to see how she'd react.

"Oh, uh, sure, I don't see why not. What'd you bet?"

"Okay, so...
Twilight was nervous this morning that our Cutie Marks hadn't glowed yet, to signify our mission was done. She claimed that she had a feeling something bad was going to happen. So I made a bet with her that if nothing bad happened by the time we got back to the Castle of Friendship and settled back in, she'd have to eat a hot chili pepper. If I lost the bet, I'd have to eat a *plate* of them. And I couldn't think of any other stakes, so peppers it was."

"Wow. That's certainly interesting! So, where are you planning on getting the chili pepper from? I'd love to see this."

"From what I know, Sweet Apple Acres has more than just apples on the farms. They should have chili peppers there. I don't recall what kind, but I think they're either ghost or regular chili peppers. If they're ghost, I'll be one step closer to becoming a dragon."

Starlight chuckled. "Joking aside, I can go check with Applejack for you if you want."

"That works. That way, we know if she has any or not. Thanks! And...honestly, Flurry's kind of sweet. I am gonna miss her cute little face, though, as I'm sure she's gonna miss me. But....there are times when jobs must be done...and we've done ours. That's all that matters."
I stopped for a moment to contemplate what I just said. "That...that last part doesn't make me sound like I'm only focusing on the mission and not at all on the fun, does it?"

"Maybe a little bit. But sometimes you have to remember that there's things that need to get done, y'know?"

"Yeah, that's true. Anyways, just make sure AJ has either ghost or normal chili peppers." I said. Seeing Starlight begin to head down the hall, I turned to the first suitcase, and unlocked the locks on the side. The lid suddenly popped open, and....believe it or not...as crazy as it sounds...
*Flurry Heart was in there*.

My eyes widened to the size of pie plates, and my jaw dropped wide open.

"***UHM...***" Was my only comment. "***UHH....***"

I could hear Starlight's hoofsteps growing closer, possibly hearing my surprised reaction. Yeah...this was gonna shock the hell out of her. More than me, anyway.

"Is everything okay? You seem.... surprised about... something...."

"Remember how I said Flurry was likely gonna miss me?" I said, lifting up the case (somehow, Flurry made it heavier). "Well..." I carried it over, showing it to Starlight. "She doesn't anymore."

Starlight's eyes widened as well. Saw this reaction coming. "Uh, you think maybe we should write to the princess...?"

"Y-Yeah, I plan to...she's probably freaking out...meanwhile, I think you should tell Twilight about this..."

She nodded. "Good idea, I'll get on that. Make sure she doesn't go anywhere."

How in Equestria did she get in there?! I thought for a moment...how did this happen? She was with Cadence before we left! I suddenly remembered that Sunburst nullified her magic, so she couldn't distantly teleport. But she could still use magic. It must have worn off a little bit overnight, and she managed to teleport inside of my suitcase. But how did she survive three hours in there?!

As I paced back and forth, wondering what to do about this, I decided to get a little fresh air. So, I went over to the window and opened it up, only for something to fly in half a second after I opened it, and slammed into me. Falling to the floor, I sat up, trying to re-focus my vision, when I saw Derpy in front of me. Typical. She would be one to slam into me.
"Oh, sorry, Loyal! Didn't see you there!" She said.

"Ehh, no problem. I'm used to getting knocked around like that. What's up?"

"I finally got the armor you ordered...took me a few days, what with a slow schedule, but I finally got it. Thank goodness, too, it was *really* weighing down my bag." She said, emptying the armor out of her bag.

"Well...thank goodness it made it in one piece." I said.

Derpy tilted her head. "What do you mean? There's four pieces."

"Nothing..nevermind. Say, I need you to deliver a letter for me." I said, whipping out a piece of paper. "It's to Cadence and Shining Armor." Quickly writing down a short note, I wrote down the address and everything, before putting it in an envelope Derpy offered me (she's a mailpony, what do you expect?).

"Deliver this to them pronto, if you can. It's kind of important.."

"No problem!" Derpy said, putting the letter in her bag. "I don't know how long it'll take me to get to the Empire, though."

"Try the train...this is kind of urgent."

Derpy just nodded, and turned around, but before flying off, she said, "Oh, right, I almost forgot! There's another piece to go with the armor!" She took out a small, green marble handle, which had nothing more than a darker marble green button on it. "I'm not sure what it does, but Celestia said it's recommended to use it with the armor if needed!" She took off flying out of the room, without another word. Hopefully, they'd get that letter soon, because I was sure they were worried about Flurry going 'missing'.

*****
Eventually, Twilight was led back into my room, and I showed Flurry to her. "I think she was wanting to spend more time with me....and she went as far as *hitchhiking*."

Twilight took a deep breath, but it was pretty obvious she was panicking. "No worries, no worries... I'm sure Cadance will completely understand..."

"Still, I gotta ask....*why?!* Why in the world would she do this? I mean I get I'm her favorite, apparently, but she didn't have to try to PROVE it! We...we gotta send her back! Please tell me you have more than enough magic to send her back to the Empire in an instant..."

"I've... never tried teleporting that far. ...Not on purpose anyway.... And... not with my level of magic power...."

---------------
"Well....come to think, I have one solution."

****
"*What do you mean, you don't mail foals? This one spent three hours in a suitcase!*"
****

"Well, that was a bust. Only other solution is to take her back ourselves."

And let me tell you...it was kind of an intense trip. I was worried a few ponies would assume we stole Flurry. But nopony did...likely because Twilight accompanied us, and everyone knows when you have a Princess in custody, nothing bad can be thought of you. But I had to explain what happened to Cadance, while trying to calm her down.

"So you see....Flurry decided to hitchhike to try to spend more time with me...somehow, she got into my suitcase. So...we're returning her, I recommend you make sure she doesn't teleport away again, because that gave most of us a bit of a scare. Again, sorry about all this..."

"Oh, thank GOODNESS.... You have NO idea how worried we were when she just up and disappeared! Thank you for bringing her back..."

"God, now I know how Pinkie feels about being popular, with no one getting of your back...literally, apparently......yeesh...well, I'm just glad I have that off my back. Was a bit of a disaster, and..." I stopped myself there when the realization hit me. "No...Oh, no..."

"Hmm? What? What's wrong?"

With a sharp inhale, I said, "Well...I just lost the bet. Congrats, Twi. Heh....I'll make it fair by saying Flurry's disappearance counts as something bad happening. And I barely even settled back in at the castle. So, by fair means, you win."

"Oh, I almost forgot all about that! What was it you had to do again? Eat a bunch of hot peppers?"

"Yup. An entire plate of them. And Celestia knows how much that'll be. Starlight said she'd check in with AJ to see if she had any peppers."

Soon enough, we were back on the train, and another three hours was to go by...we spent almost half the day, and hardly did anything..it was kind of surprising.
"Next stop, Ponyville....with a detour to Spice Town..."