• Published 26th May 2022
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Summer of '11 - moviemaster8510



Following the conclusion of Friendship is Magic's first season, one fan's discovery of a mysterious book will grant him the greatest summer of his life.

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Chapter VII: Material Girl - Madonna, January 1985

Oli was woken up by his phone buzzing on his record player’s table. With the numerous possibilities of who could be contacting him, his eyes shot open and he tiredly stretched his arm back and out to grab it. Holding the screen up over his face, he saw the banner of a text from one Mr. Franklin. It read

I’m so sorry for the lack of notice, but there was a gas leak at the daycare and Jessie needs someone to look after her until I get home from work. No worries if you can’t make it; I can always take a sick day.

Oli smirked. Without a second thought, he began typing in his response, excited to make a little girl’s dreams come true today.

Oli swerved to align his tires with the curb in front of Jessie’s house. After quickly parking and turning his van off, he hooked several Target bags’ straps with his fingers, throwing the car open and hopping out before slamming his door closed. A small drawstring backpack was already strapped over his shoulders as he quickly walked up to the front door, which was already being opened for him by Jessie’s father.

“Sorry,” Oli huffed, “I had to make this stop today. Hope I didn’t keep you too…”

“No, no, it’s alright.” Oli seemed to ignore him as he passed and stepped into the house, Jessie watching him from the middle of the stairs. “I should know better than to give you this short of notice. I’m sure my bosses will be more than understanding. Thank you again, Oli. You’re a lifesaver.”

“No please, I love to do it.” Oli looked back and shrugged his shoulders, Jessie quietly giggling at the book-sized block bouncing in the back. “What time should I expect you back?”

“Usual time, nothing late this time.”

“Alright. Hey, also, I won’t be available Saturday, my friend’s parents are throwing him a grad party and they hired me to play some music.”

“Hired, huh? Glad to see your music business is taking off well.”

“…Thanks.”

“Anways, gotta…” Mr. Franklin was about to head out before he quickly spun around, Oli propping the door back open before he could shut it. “Actually, sorry, I have to ask. What’s with all the…” He noticed the prominence of bright colors stuffed in most of the bags. “…is that women’s clothing?”

“Yeah, this…” Oli rose his arm, lifting the bags up with him. “I wanted to make a donation to Goodwill this afternoon on our way to the park.”

“Those look like new clothes, though.”

Oli shrugged, anticipating this pry as well. “People need affordable new-clothes too.”

Mr. Franklin nodded and smiled sated. “Then business must be really booming to make such a donation. You two have a good day.” He looked backwards and waved as Jessie came downstairs to see him off. “Bye, Sweetie J! See you after work.”

“Buh-bye, daddy!” Oli huffed a chuckle, noting some apparently glee in her cry at his departure.

Turning the corner to the driveway, Oli felt safe to shut the door, heading upstairs with Jessie following him up.

“We’re going to Equestria, right?” Jessie’s cutesy question implied fresh hell for Oli should he answer the wrong way. “You Pinkie promised.”

“And I brought the book,” Oli quipped with another bounce of his backpack, “and I learned how to take you there!”

“REALLY?!” Jessie squeezed between him and the wall to beat him to the top. “We’re really going to Equestria?!”

“Yeah, but actually not for…” Oli checked his watch. “A little over an hour or so.”

“Why so looong though?!” she whined, leading him to her bedroom.

“You want to know the real reason I have a bunch of girl’s clothes with me?”

Jessie’s face quickly shifted into one of serious contemplation, staying still for a moment before– “Nope, I’m stuck. Why?”

“Because…” he teased, getting closer to her, “I’m actually helping Rarity with a fitting today!”

“REALLY!?!” Jessie jumped up and jammed her feet down hard with her landing. “Rarity’s going to make me a dress?”

Oli subtly cocked his head; he actually didn’t consider this. “I’m sure if you ask her nicely, she can whip something up for you real quick.”

Jessie checked into her door, throwing it open as she bounced and spun around the one toy-barren square foot of her room. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!”

“Calm down,” Oli laughed, coming in after. “Anyways, the reason I have these clothes is because I need to turn them into humans for just a bit.”

Jessie froze as she took in the full weight of his explanation. “Wait… you can do that too?”

“I haven’t actually tried it yet, but Twilight showed me how to conjure the spell. Remember when I said she was friends with Lauren Faust?”

“Mmhm mmhm!”

“Yeah, she would take Twilight out into the human world sometimes, and she disguised her has a human so she wouldn’t draw suspicion. However, she said that when they transform, it’s not like they get cool clothes too, so I got these to cover themselves up with while Rarity makes their clothes.”

“You mean…” Jessie giggled, “they’re in their birthday suits?”

Oli looked away, bug-eyed. “…Yeah, exactly, anyway, we have an hour to kill before we can meet her. Twilight should be at the Carousel Boutique around 10:00 our time, and we can go to Equestria then.”

“Wait,” Jessie asked, “you mean none of the other ponies know about us?”

“Well, I mean, Twilight and her friends do, and so do the princesses, but other than them, yeah, no, nopony else knows about this.”

“…But why?”

“I mean, you remember how they treated Zecora, right?”

Jessie nodded. “Good point.”

“Though truth be told, I don’t know how they'd actually act. Hey, get this, apparently Fluttershy? Actually totally cool with dragons.”

“Really? Even that really big red one from that episode?”

“She said she would. But yeah, maybe they’re not as frightened of strangers as the show said they were… but just in case, don’t do anything crazy! They may not let us come back if we cause any chaos.”

“Alright, Oli! You have my word.” She began to run through the motions of the Pinkie promise. “A Pinkie promise for a Pinkie promise.”

Oli smiled as he repeated the motions himself. She was going to do so well. “Anyways, you wanna watch Let’s Make a Deal?”

Jessie hopped up on the edge of her bed as the camera on TV swooped over the uniquely-costumed contestants and toward Wayne Brady standing next to a young man dressed as Jack Sparrow.”

Oli checked his watch, reading 9:52 as Jessie began to talk. “Don’t forget, I called one!”

“Yep, I got two.” Oli looked back up, watching intently.

“You picked door number 3,” Wayne informed his guest. “Now let’s see what’s behind door number two!"

Oli slapped his knee in canned frustration as Jessie bark-laughed directly into his ear. “It’s in one! I’m telling you now!”

Oli was too busy watching as the doors parted open, revealing a decorated display featuring a small set of luggage to dress up a stand with a screen showing a graphic reading “FRANCE.” “You could have one a trip to Paris, France!”

Oli threw his arms up. “You know, I’d be happy with that!”

“What’s so great about France anyway!” Jessie crowed over the announcer’s description. “It’s just cheese, paintings, and smelly people!”

“How many smelly French people do you know?”

Jessie glanced back and forth, trapped. “A couple…”

“Right, maybe you can introduce me to them, I’m all out of cheese and fine art!”

“Alright,” Wayne continued, “you picked door number 3…”

“Hey,” Oli muttered, “we should get going now!”

“Ssh!” Jessie was quick to bat at him with limp hand. “It’s getting good now.”

Having heard over Wayne’s revealing clue, they cut to the shot of door one opening up, revealing a tall metallic bank vault prop. “It’s the ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ vault!”

“No!” Jessie shouted up at the ceiling. “That’s never the good one!”

“Who knows…” Oli and Jessie leaned in, wondering if it might actually be.

The graphic on the screen unveiled the vault’s value: $4,453 dollars. Jessie blew a near-deafening raspberry, puffing her cheeks so hard they looked like they could rip.

“Alright, that sucked.” Jessie swung up off the bed and to the floor. “I want to go to Equestria now. You said.”

“Okay, okay fine, but…” Oli got to one knee and lightly grabbed her by the sides of the shoulders, looking at her dead in the eyes. “The first trip can be a little scary. It’ll feel like you’re falling for a moment. I’ll hold onto you the whole time, as… landing can be tricky the first couple times too. You think you can handle it?”

Jessie pouted. “What do I look like, a big sissy? Get a move on, already!”

“Alright!” Jessie pulled his backpack open and slipped the Dua Harmonium out from it, Jessie watching with sudden awe and wonder as Oli set it on the floor and opened it to its center, the traveling incantation facing him.

Jessie looked away and grabbled the plastic bags with his fingers, taking the strap of the backpack with him too. Oli opened his free arm up, inviting Jessie to come into it. Right as she took her first step, Oli put a finger up to stop her.

“Hold on,” he said, “turn the TV off.”

“Okay!” Jessie reached up at the small tv perched on the edge of her dresser closest to the foot of her bed, tapping the button and shutting the device off.

She then walked calmly around the book and allowed Oli to hold her in close.

Oli took a deep breath, working out the last doubts. “Alright, last chance to back out.”

“Denied,” she said flatly, looking down at the text as if trying to translate it herself.

“Okay… I’m going to say the spell aloud, alright? That will give you enough warning. You’re going to feel a small pop in your head, kind of like when you yawn when your ears get clogged.”

“Ew, I don’t like that!”

Oli sighed. “Excited for freefall, scared of a pop… Anyways, yeah, when you feel that, it means we’re going. We’re going to get sucked up into the book and then we fall. We only do it for a minute, and then we get flipped around and fall through the other side of the portal feet first. Just stay still, and I’ll cushion your landing. If all goes well, at least Twilight and Rarity will be there to greet us.”

“Sounds like a plan. Okay, read.”

“Alrighty.” Oli stared up at the top-left corner of the first word, wanting to do this right. “Two books bridge two destinationsDestinations that lead to the company of good friends…”

Oli felt the butterflies rise as he felt his grip on Jessie’s shoulder get tighter.

Friends to inspire, learn from, and laugh with, for which one would travel to the worlds’ ends.

Oli took one deep breath, wanting to get it don with this one lungful.

“Whether separated by inches, miles, or galaxies, I shall cross over onto the other side, for nothing is more valuable than this desire I feel inside.”

Oli felt the snap, and judging from Jessie’s yelp, she felt it too. “Ow, that… Oli? Why does everything–”

“It’s alright, that’s normal,” he whispered, easing her as the point of no return was already passed. “Alright, let’s meet some ponies!”

Oli and Jessie were suddenly pulled head first over and down towards the book, which began to engulf them until they fit through the gap between the crease of the paper. Now falling straight down, Jessie began shrieking, throwing her head around in any direction as she struggled to break free of Oli’s grasp, which he refused to relinquish.

With a flip of their legs, Jessie whooped out a “whoa” before the portal of the other Harmonium came in hot. Once Oli felt their legs shoot out back into the open air, he immediately let go of his bags and clutched Jessie tight in both arms, kicking his legs out to stay upright in the restored gravity.

With the bags shooting out of the book in rapid succession, falling all over the floor of Rarity’s shop, both Oli and Jessie heard Rarity’s trademark yelp ring out as clothes spilled out everywhere upon landing.

Oli landed on his feet and rolled back, careful to protect his knees and keep Jessie from slipping out. Landing on his back and sliding to a stop a few feet away, he immediately let Jessie go to let her push off of him, letting him see if she was hurt.

“You okay?” he gasped.

“Am…” She patted her chest. “…am I dead?”

Oli chuckled, not sensing any physical pain in her voice. “Nope, though you may as well have, because look… behind you.”

Following where Oli’s finger was pointing, Jessie turned back to see Twilight, Spike, and Rarity standing away on the opposite side of the book, the latter frantically looking at the mess that had now been made. Twilight nudged Rarity as she looked into Jessie’s eyes, which began to sparkle and moisten as her mouth wobbled open wide.

Rarity finally took notice of the second human guest standing petrified on all fours as she attempted to process what she was looking at. “Oh, my… is this…?”

Oli sat up as tall as Jessie’s position over him would allow. “Girls, this is Jessie. I’m sorry I’m so bad at giving you all no notice on these meetups but… the opportunity just happened to come up, and I promised her. Go on Jessie, go say hello.”

Jessie kept her eyes trained on all three Equestrians as she spun up to her feet as if lifted by the power of her own happiness. With the mounting realization of her reality taking hold of her now, her face melted into one of inconsolable joy as she weakly held her arms up, jogging up to them as she sobbed.

Coming between them, Spike was quick enough to take a couple of steps back to allow her to let Jessie throw her arms wide open and catch herself on both of their necks, hugging them as tightly as her six year-old arms could, providing little discomfort for either unicorn.

“It… it’s really you!” she blubbered, drying her eyes on their fur. “You’re actually re-heal!”

Rarity and Twilight both rubbed her back with their arms, hoping to calm her down and make her feel accepted. Oli sat straight with his legs out, blowing a tearful sigh at a sight he was truly happy to make come true.

“So you’re the one Oli has been telling us about.” Rarity scooted back, allowing her to look more fully at Jessie’s face and the design on the t-shirt she wore. “Oh, and I’m sure a certain pegasus will be absolutely chuffed to meet another fan of hers.”

“Omygosh Rainbow…” Jessie began to hyperventilate and fan her face with her hands, the overstimulation making her dizzy. “I get to meet…”

“Deep breaths, Jessie,” Twilight instructed. “It’s alright, you’re here now. As I’m sure you know, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m sure you… ‘know’ Rarity and Spike here.”

Jessie was still too overwhelmed to think of a straight answer. “Yeah I guess…”

Rarity took another look at her store, finding shirts, sweatpants, and the once-full plastic bags they were in all over the floor. “Oh, and now look at this! These clothes are soiled now!”

As Rarity began picking up each dumped article of clothing and forming it into a ball with her magic, Jessie sunk to her knees, witness to real life magic that she was told about in the fairytales that were read to her each night.

Oli went beside her and knelt down, staying at her level. “Pretty cool, huh?”

With a weak breath in, Jessie flung himself into Oli, hugging him as tight as she had groped the unicorns’ necks. “Thank you… thank you…”

“Of course, kiddo.” Oli hugged her back, patting her shoulders to console her further. “And thank you too…”

Oli continued to watch Rarity and Twilight pick up his mess, Jessie right now only concentrating on giving her sitter all the gratitude that even she felt he rightfully deserved.

With all six ponies now present in the Carousel Boutique, the others watched as Jessie clung to Rainbow Dash, the pegasus’s wing draped over her back.

“I never thought your wings would be so soft!” Jessie croaked, her voice too tired to cry anymore.

“Soft?” Rainbow Dash flared her wings out. “Go ahead, put ‘er there.”

With the bar of the wing clearly visible, Jessie reached out and put her hand on it, admiring the plush texture of the downy fur that grew there. With a gentle flap, Jessie gasped to feel the contraction of the muscles there, feeling as dense as rock before they went limp upon her folding it back to her side. Jessie pulled her hand out, looking at it as though she contemplated the idea of never washing it again.

“Now those are the wings of the fastest flyer in Equestria,” Rainbow Dash bragged. “Nothing soft about them.”

“Listen,” Applejack said, coming forward, “as much as I want to give Oli’s guest here the hospitality she deserves, I also want to get a move on this fitting, especially if it means having to be one of you guys for a spell.” She turned to both Oli and Jessie. “No offence, y’all.”

“None taken,” Oli spoke on their behalf.

“Well then,” Rarity began. “Now that Twilight was able to clean the clothes that Oli has provided, we should be able to begin the fitting. Now, how do we wish to approach this? Would you like to go one at a time until it’s your time to be measured, or should we get transformed all at once so we can get used to our bodies.”

“That sounds fine with me,” Twilight answered. “Girls, I should remind you I’ve been a human before, so if you need any help, just let me know.”

“Wait,” Fluttershy muttered, “are you suggesting the all-at-once idea, because I’m not sure I’m still ready to just become a… human… for that long.”

“Just a warning,” Oli said, “you’ll be a human longer at this party and maybe afterwards than you’ll be one here today.”

“I like all at once!” Pinkie Pie bounded up. “I want to see what you all look like!”

Applejack nodded. “I do suppose that the longer we’re human, the less weird it will be at the actual party.”

“So is it agreed, then?” Rarity called. “All at once then?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah fine! This is going to be weird…”

“I’m sure it will.” Oli held the book up, the center pages still containing the traveling incantation. “Now, Twilight, I just…”

“Mmhm. Just think of that spell, and it should come to you.”

Oli blew a sigh and concentrated as he stared intently down. “Okay, now then.”

Like Twilight promised, the each line, dash, an column of each character in each word began to rearrange themselves, shifting over the page until new, equally readable new “words” came to be. Within a few seconds more, the new phrase was up and ready to be recited.

“So once I see the spell’s beginning to work,” OIi explained, “Jessie and I will turn around and give you two some privacy so you can put those shirts and pants on you while Rarity does her thing. Just please don’t take too long, I’m sure this is awkward enough for all of us.”

“Fair enough, darling.” Rarity flipped her mane wanting to be sure it was in her best condition before whatever could happen to it could happen. “We’re ready when you are.”

Once all eyes were on Oli, he looked at the full passage and began to read.

“Ah… I stand before my companions without horn, wing, nor tail; plain it is for all to see. Though we share much to admire about each other, our bodies could not appear more differently.” Deep breath. “Whether covered in fur, scales, or skin, you shall match what I look on the outside, for nothing is more valuable than this desire I feel inside.”

All six ponies groaned as the click in their heads popped, several of them getting woozy with a sudden feeling of imbalance.

“Huh… my hoof is…” Applejack moved her hoof over the floor, finding its once hard exterior turning soft as it squashed and stretched like actual flesh.

“Whoa, check it out!” Pinkie Pie, already coming up on her two back hooves, held her right hoof out as four small fingers and a thumb expanded and grew out of her equally pliable hoof.

“Guys!” Fluttershy curled up into a fetal position as she watched toes sprout out from the fronts of her back hooves and felt her wings shrink and recede into her shoulders. “I’m not sure I like this very much!”

“Jessie…” Oli put his hand on her back to instruct her to turn around, forcing themselves to listen as the ponies each reacted to their transformations.

Spike himself saw as their once colorful fur began to fade away like dust, unveiling smooth peach-colored skin everywhere. With each of their metamorphoses getting closer to completion, Spike turned away himself, put his hands over his eyes for good measure. After a few moments of confused moans and uncertain breathing, it began to die down, their conversion seemingly complete.

“I’m pretty sure it’s over now.” Twilight’s voice was followed by a rustling of thin plastic and the unfolding of clothes. “Is everypony okay?”

“I think so?” Rainbow Dash answered back. “I was expecting a lot worse, honestly.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy whimpered. “At least my mane is still there.”

“Oh, thank heavens, mine too!” Rarity responded.

“Alright girls,” Twilight instructed please find a shirt and pair of pants and put them on so Oli and Jessie can look again.”

“Boy the things you humans consider taboo…” Applejack muttered.

Even more rustling and unfolding commenced as the others began picking out their temporary clothing. Though Oli and Jessie still couldn’t see what was happening behind them, it seemed as though they were getting the hang of their new bodies.

“Man…” Rainbow Dash audibly slipped her pair of sweatpants over her legs. “Who knew walking on two hooves would be so easy?”

“I think the spell makes it so our bipedal forms feel natural to us,” Twilight answered.

“Can you translate that from egghead to Ponish?”

Twilight groaned. “It means you can walk and run as easily as you could on all fours as ponies. Is everyone dressed?” A moment of silence as Twilight observed them. “Alright. Oli? Jessie? …Spike, you can look now.”

Oli and Jessie spun around and saw the former ponies standing there on two human feet supporting light-skinned, teenaged human bodies covered by a variety of colorful, but mismatching t-shirts and sweatpants. As implied by Fluttershy and Rarity, their hairstyles and colors perfectly resembled their manes. While they seemed to be the most uncomfortable about their new appearances, Pinkie was frantically and excitedly sizing up every part of herself that her body’s flexibility would allow.

“It feels so smooth!” She rapidly rubbed up and down her arm before fondling her face. “Wow, and it feels so flat! Where’s the mirror?!”

Rarity herself couldn’t help but continue looking at her dissonant combination of clothes, a pink shirt with yellow flowers and black Adidas sweatpants. “Well, the sooner I can whip us up something a bit more… stylish, the better.”

Spike approached her, keeping his gaze up at her head. “You look amazing in any form and in any clothes, Rarity.”

She giggled. “Why thank you, darling. Now, where’s my tape…”

Glancing around the room, she saw her tape measure coiled up at her workstation, and with a scowl of concentration, she tried to will the tape to her as if she still had a horn with which to do so. After a few moments of failing to move it at all, Rarity sighed ruefully as she walked over to pick it up.

“Now if only that spell let me keep my magic.” Scooping it up in her hand, she unrolled it out, waggling her fingers and letting out a huff of a chuckle at how well they responded to her. “Though I suppose if these… claws can be just as serviceable. Now ladies, who wants to go first?”

Fluttershy hugged her arms around herself as Rarity reached under her shirt and wrapped the tape around her waist. Seeing the fear and discomfort in her face and body language, Jessie walked up to her and reached a hand out. Fluttershy, sensing the benevolence of the girl’s act, unfolded her right arm out and let Jessie take it, smiling as Jesse clutched on and stayed by her side.

“It’s okay, girl, you got this.” Jessie gave her a thumb up with her free right hand to encourage her further, and Fluttershy managed to slowly mimic the gesture with her other hand, Jessie giggling madly. “See, told you!”

As Rarity ran a length of tape down her leg and then around and over the leg of her sweatpants, she backed away and sighed with contentment over another job well done. “I’m all done now. Thank you very much, Fluttershy.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy seemed disappointed as Jessie walked her back to her friends. “And I was doing so well just now.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Oli said, “I’m sure you’ll do great at the party this Saturday.”

“Yeah, about that,” Applejack butted in, “I’m starting to get the feeling that Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and yes, Applejack too aren’t exactly… human names. Kinda’ makes it hard to blend in with a crowd.”

“Well,” Twilight replied, “when I was with Lauren, I had a human name: Tiffany. We should spend some time coming up with our own.”

“Okay!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “I’ll be Tiffany 2!”

“Pinkie Pie,” Oli objected, “you can’t both be named Tiffany.”

“No, you see? I’m Tiffany Two!” She held up her index and middle fingers to further make her point. “Get it?”

Oli grimaced, not sure how he would put this lightly. “I got it, but if I have to be honest, that’s… probably even worse than keeping your actual name. How about this? This may sound a little weird, but on the show, your full name was Pinkamena Diane Pie.”

“What?! That’s actually my name! Did Lauren know that too?”

Oli could no longer keep track of the carryover between the show and real life. “Maybe it was in your bio or something. Anyways, would Diane be an alright name with–”

“Diane sounds great! It’s like I don’t have to change my name at all!”

“I was also thinking about that,” Applejack blurted in. “Are there any names that sound close to Apple, or Jack?”

“What about Jackie?” Oli suggested. “That’s a pretty common girl name in my parts.”

“Well then that does it.” Apple-Jackie put her fists to her sides proudly. “While I’m on two hooves, you can call me Jackie.”

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. “Well, if I’m going to have to change my name, it better be an awesome one. How about…” Rainbow Dash stayed silent. “Okay wow, I’m stumped. Oli, Jessie, what’s an awesome name for an awesome human like me?”

“How about Serena?” Jessie suddenly blurted.

“Serena?”

“You mean like the tennis player?” Oli asked.

“Why not? She’s, like, the most awesomenest athlete ever!”

“Athlete, huh?” Rainbow Dash stroked her chin, the name suddenly fitting her like a glove. “Alright then, Serena it is.” She then walked up to Jessie, knelt down, and held her fist out for her to pound. “Thanks a lot, kid.”

Jessie pressed her knuckles into Rainbow Dash’s, and though it didn’t have the same feel or appeal as getting to pound her hoof, it was still Rainbow Dash’s fist, and that was good enough for her.

“Oh my god!” Jessie became a bouncing mess once again. “I fistbumped Rainbow Dash! I mean Serena! Oh my god, I got to give Rainbow Dash her new name!”

“Oli, darling,” Rarity called, “I was reading through those magazines you let me have earlier this morning, and there were a few names that popped out at me as I was reading them, and I can’t make up my mind on which I fancy more.”

“Alright, shoot.”

“There was Rebecca, there was Amy, there was also this one whose style I really admire, but she seems to be named… Lady Gaga?”

Oli chuckled, imagining a scenario of those two minds meeting. “Yeah, her real name’s actually Stefani, but I actually really like Rebecca.”

“No, you should totally name yourself Lady Gaga!” Jessie shouted.

“That’s quite encouraging, Jessie dear, but I do believe she’s made quite a name for herself with it already. Alright, Rebecca it is then! Not too difficult to remember when they start with the same letter!”

“Wait, wait! I have a great name for Fluttershy! How about… Shi-loh?”

Fluttershy perked up, not expecting to be put on a spot so quickly. “Shiloh?”

“Isn’t that a boy name?” Oli wondered aloud. “And also the name of a dog?”

“What are you, dumb? I have a girl named Shiloh at school!”

“Well…” Fluttershy began to creep a smile, her first since turning human. “I do love dogs, and Shiloh sounds like a wonderful name.”

“Yes! Jessie 2, Oli 2. It’s a tie, and tie goes to the cutest, so I win!”

“Wait, hold on!” Oli laughed. “Did me naming Pinkie Diane not count?”

“Uh, that’s already her name?”

“…Well, can’t argue with that.”

“Excellent!” Rarity cried in delight. “Now as soon as we get out of these clothes and… *ahem* skin, perhaps we can have some lunch before I begin making things?”

“Where should we go?” Jessie asked.

Oli turned to her. “You have bread at home, don’t you?”

“I… think so?”

“At least…” Oli tapped his finger at the air toward each pony and dragon. “…18 slices?”

Jessie’s eyes bugged, having a hard time contemplating such a number.

“Once we turn back,” Applejack mentioned, “I wouldn’t mind running out for a jiffy and ranglin’ a loaf. What’chy’all had in mind, Oli?”

Oli smiled, his minor crisis swiftly averted.

With Jessie and the re-transformed ponies gathered around the dining room table in her house, Oli and Applejack were at the kitchen counter, where Oli spread a thin and even layer of peanut butter on two slices of bread before passing them to Applejack. The jar of peanut butter and two jars of jelly on the counter were labeled mostly plainly, a telltale sign of its Equestrian origins. With her teeth on a large spoon, she scooped a dollop of grape jelly out and spread it along one of the slices before Oli took both back, stacked them together, and cut the constructed sandwich diagonally into triangles.

“Who wanted grape?” Applejack hollered.

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof up, prompting Oli to slide the finished peanut-butter-and-jelly onto a paper plate and walk it over to Rainbow Dash, setting it down in front of her. Before she could finish, she looked at Jessie who was shoving her last quarter-sandwich into her mouth, slowly grinning.

“Going to town on that, aren’t you?” Rainbow Dash egged.

“Rainbow, please!” Rarity mildly glared at both of them. “Don’t encourage her to eat so… messily.”

“Uh cuh huhf eh…” Jessie got her massive bite down in two equally massive swallows. “Literally the best bread ever!”

Applejack chuckled from the kitchen after finishing another sandwich. “They don’t fool around at Sugarcube Corner. Now, who wanted strawberry?”

“Me, me!” Pinkie Pie whipped her arm about, making it impossible for her not to be noticed.

“Hold on!” Jessie shouted. “This bread is from Sugarcube Corner?!”

“Of course, silly!” As Oli set Pinkie’s sandwich down, Pinkie Pie almost promptly scooped both halves with her tongue before swallowing them in one gulp. “We do bake more than just cakes, and cookies, and pies, and strudels, and–”

“I think she got the gist.” Oli handed a completed sandwich to Applejack, allowing her to take the plate by the edge so she could accompany her other friends. “Now I just need to make mine so I can see what all the hubbub is about.”

Applejack seated herself down next to Jessie in the only available chair left. “So, Jessie, you into athletics and the like?”

Jessie looked up to her, equally starstruck and a bit confused over the word “athletics.” “Uh…”

“Sports!” Rainbow Dash blurted. “You like sports?”

“Oh! Oh yeah, I want to be a tennis player when I grow up!”

“Oh come on, tennis is boring! Wouldn’t you rather be–”

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity scolded, “there’s nothing wrong with tennis, and you should stoop so low as to tell your number one fan that her interests are boring!”

All eyes were on Rainbow Dash now, even Oli as he glided toward the table, sandwich on plate in hand.

“What?” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I was just going to ask if she’d rather be a galloper, or, eh… runner.”

“There’s running in tennis.” Oli barely held back his snicker of pride over the matter-of-factness of her delivery.

“No, I mean running-running! Like miles-long running! Marathons! Races!”

“Alright,” Twilight bumped in, “I think that this conversation has gone on long enough. Jessie, you keep doing what you like. In fact, I’m sure Rainbow Dash would love to help train you…” She then glared at the blue pegasus. “…wouldn’t you, Rainbow Dash.”

“Or should we say, ‘Serena?’” Pinkie Pie’s sly asking of her question betrayed her lack understanding any seriousness of the situation.

“Oh my gosh, would you?!” Jessie gripped Rainbow Dash’s arms, making her tense up in realization that she was trapped. “That would literally make my whole wide… life! Pleeeease?!”

Whether it be being in the hands of one of her biggest fans or the fear instilled by Twilight’s expectant stare, Rainbow Dash quickly blew a sigh, resigning herself to her fate before calmly smiling back. “Yeah yeah, sure thing, Jessie. Who knows, you might even be better than me!”

Rainbow Dash gently nuggied Jessie’s scalp with her hoof, making her giggle as she tried to straighten it back out.

“So what’s on the agenda for tomorrow?” Spike asked to no one in particular. “Anything cool anyone wants to do?”

Oli chuckled, bracing himself for the awkwardness of his response. “Listen, guys, as much as I love hanging out with all of you, I’ve actually really need to do some prep work for the party.”

“What kind of prep work?” Twilight replied. “Anything any of us can help with?”

“It’s mostly just brainstorming mashup ideas. Trust me when I say it’s a lot less exciting than it sounds.”

“What time?” Rainbow Dash asked, genuinely curious?”

“I… don’t know, I was planning on making it an all day thing.”

“Oh, cool! I have the early morning weather shift tomorrow, so maybe when I’m done, you can swing by and take me to your place? Plus, you still haven’t let me listen to… uh, AC/AC?”

“AC/DC…” Oli took a moment to pause before coming up with his decision. “Alright, deal. What time are you done?”

“Before lunch?”

“Sounds great. I’ll order pizza.”

“Yum! Looking forward to it!”

“Actually, me too.”

“Hey!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “Let me come too!”

“I’ll probably have to sit this one out,” Applejack said, “going to need to do some work myself at Sweet Apple Acres if I want to make the party on Saturday.”

“And I’ll be rather busy working on our outfits,” Rarity added, “so I’ll have to take a rain check on that, dear.”

“I don’t mind waiting until the party to hear it…” Fluttershy whispered.

“As much as I'd love to come,” Twilight said, “I've actually learned so much about friendship from these past few days that I might need tonight and tomorrow to write to Princess Celestia about it. And I have you, Art, and Jessie to help thank for that.”

Oli shuddered out a dry wheeze as he and Jessie looked to each other, humbled beyond measure to be contributing to the Twilight Sparkle's friendship journey. She then noticed Spike hang his head low, his own decision seemingly made up for him.

Twilight smiled, knowing her next words would lift him. “Spike, you’re more than welcome to go with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash if you like. Just don’t have him out too late, Oli?”

He nodded, smirking to see the baby dragon looking excited over Twilight’s approval. “You got it.”

“Woohoo!” Spike ran over and hugged Oli’s leg. “Thanks so much, Oli! I can’t wait to see you in action!”

Oli giggled again. “We’ll see.”

“So what time are you parents getting home, Jessie?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m sure they’d appreciate their house and kitchen clean and pony free.”

“They won’t be home until a little after four,” Oli answered on Jessie’s behalf, “so we still have a few hours. Probably best we take the bread, peanut butter, and jelly so they don’t get too suspicious.”

“Aw, no fair!” Jessie whined. “Those were the best PB&Js I’ve ever had!”

“I can keep them at my house until I have to sit for you again. Probably won’t be too long; they should stay fresh by then.”

Jessie’s pout softened. “Okay, Oli. Can’t wait. And… I can… hang out with them again, right Oli?”

“Well, duh!” Rainbow Dash put her arm around Jessie’s back. “Kind of hard to play you in tennis if we can’t hang anymore, right?”

Jessie giggled, melting in Rainbow Dash’s one-arm embrace. “Yeah…”

The ponies and Spike laughed, and Oli couldn’t help but keep his eyes on Jessie, who’s day, summer, and quite possibly life was made today.