> My Little Pony: Sparkling Harmony
>  by Captain_Cosmos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Episode 1: Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Friendship Express skidded to a halt in the train station. Once it stopped moving, it’s passenger car doors opened and let it’s passengers disembark. Among these passengers was a hot pink mare in a gray leather overcoat and carrying saddlebags. She stepped off the train, walked past the ticket booth, and out into town. She looked around, and then summoned a brochure out of her bag with her magic. She gave it a look over, and then looked around again. She smiled. “Well. This is the place. This is Ponyville.” She gave off a content sigh as she continued looking around. Everywhere she looked, she could see Earth Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns going about their business, and living in harmony with each other. The mare smiled. “Looks like mom and dad weren’t kidding when they said this place had all three subspecies of ponies living here in harmony. Although...” She looked off in the distance...to see a massive crystal castle standing over the town. “They never mentioned a giant castle made of crystals being part of town.” She raised an eyebrow as she looked at the brochure again. She didn’t see a giant crystal castle anywhere on the town map. “Hm. Must be a recent addition.” She shrugged and put the brochure back in her saddlebag. “Gotta get an up-to-date town map. In the meantime, I should get to my new house and start unpacking. And make sure nothing got destroyed in shipping...oh dear Celestia...MY INSTRUMENTS!” On that note. The mare took off in a full gallop into town.

A few minutes later, she reached the front door of her new home and stopped. She looked at the number on the door. She smiled. “453 Pony Street. This is it. Oh please don’t let anything be broken.” She reached out with her magic to open the door, but stopped and actually fell back a little ways when a giant monster landed on the roof and let out a loud roar. She looked up to see the monster staring right at her. “WHAT THE?!” The monster roared again, causing all nearby ponies to flee in terror. The Mare just stood up and looked the monster right in the eye. “Oh no you don’t! I didn’t spend hours on a train just to become homeless!” She charged up her horn and with one burst of magic, sent the monster rocketing into the sky, far FAR away from the town. The Mare smiled at her handiwork. “That was close.” She returned to her door and went to open it, before stopping again when she got the feeling she was being watched. She turned around to see seven ponies staring at her, jaws ajar. The Mare looked around nervously. Trying to find words. Finally the words came out. “Uh...that...that wasn’t your guys’ monster...pet, was it?”

The white unicorn shook her head. “No. Not at all darling, we were trying to run it out of town.”

The blue rainbow maned Pegasus nodded. “But then we turn the corner and see you blast it into Tartarus!”

The Mare smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Yeah. Well...I did just move here. I’m not really keen on losing my house on the first—oof!” That was as far as the Mare got before she was tackled to the ground by the pink earth pony, who was beaming at her.

“YOU’RE NEW THIS IS AMAZING WELCOME TO PONYVILLE I’M PINKIE PIE WHAT’S YOUR NAME YOU WANT A TOUR I CAN SHOW YOU AROUND FIRST I GOTTA PLAN A WELCOME PARTY FOR YOU I’LL INVITE EVERYPONY AND YOU’LL MAKE LOTS OF NEW FRIENDS AND THIS IS SO EXCITING I GOTTA GO THANK YOU FOR HELPING RUN THAT MONSTER OUT OF TOWN SEE YA LATER!” Before the Mare knew what was happening, the pink earth pony, who was called pinkie pie? She didn’t quite catch that. The pink earth pony mare bounced off her and disappeared at lightning speed.

The Mare twitched, trying to regain control of her body from the shock. “Uh...Anypony else’s ears ringing after that concert?” She asked dazedly.

She heard chuckling before an orange hoof entered her vision. She took it and was helped back onto her hooves by another Earth Pony. Who gave her a warm smile. “That’s just Pinkie Pie sugarcube. The resident Party Planner AND one mare welcome committee of Ponyville.”

The Mare nodded as she shook off any remaining daze. “So her tackling me to the ground and nearly deafening me was the welcome wagon...okey dokey.”

That got a chuckle out of the group. The white unicorn nodded. “Please forgive her for tackling you. She just gets excited like that.”

The Mare nodded. “Well, she managed to NOT break any bones so...I’ll look past it.”

Everypony chuckled at that. The light pink unicorn smiled. “Good. She doesn’t mean any harm. She just wants to make sure everypony smiles.”

The Mare nodded. “I can tell.”

The lavender unicorn nodded. “Yeah. Anyway. Thank you for helping with the monster. We do appreciate it.”

The Mare nodded. “No problem. Uh...that’s not a common occurrence around here...is it?”

The white unicorn chuckled. “Do not worry darling, the creatures of the Everfree Forest typically stick to the Forest itself.”

The Mare sighed in relief and nodded. “Oh Thank Elysium. I was afraid I just moved into Tartarus’s playground.”

That got a chuckle out of everyone. “You actually just moved into its front yard. Still safer though.” Commented the rainbow maned Pegasus.

The Mare nodded. “Well. We’ll see.” She glanced at her door, which STILL hadn’t been opened yet. “Anywho. I should probably go in and start unpacking. It was really nice to meet you all. I guess I’ll see you all at the party?” She saw everypony nod. She nodded back. “Great. See you then.”

Everypony smiled and waved back. “See you then.” They all recited.

The Mare nodded and turned to finally enter her new home. She took a glance back to see the group of mares leaving, but her eyes widened as she caught sight of the lavender unicorn’s side. The Mare saw that she had WINGS. She let out a quiet gasp. Sweet Honey! She’s got them too! The Mare quickly entered her home and shut the door. She breathed heavily before sighing. “I thought I was the only one.” She shook her head clear. “No. No she can’t possibly have them. It was probably the daze of being tackled unexpectedly. Yeah. It must’ve been that.” She breathed in, and out. “Next time you see her, she’s either going to have wings, or a horn. Not both.”

With that. She nodded and went to open a box, only for the box she was going to open to EXPLODE and the pink earth pony from before landed on her hooves. “Hiya new friend!”

The Mare stumbled back on her rump in shock. “What the?! Why...but you...how...what?!” Her brain struggled to think right as Pinkie chuckled.

“I just came to tell you to get to Sugarcube Corner, go out the front door, turn left and walk til you see the gingerbread looking house. That’s Sugarcube Corner. Anywho. See ya when I come getcha for the party!” With that, Pinkie bounced out the door and closed it behind her.

The Mare stared at the door, not knowing what the hay just happened. “I...I...” She sighed. “I hope there’s someone I can talk to about that Pinkie.” She shook her head as she stood up again. She sighed in relief. “Thank Elysium I hadn’t taken off my coat yet. My secret would’ve been out like that.”

“SECRET? What secret?” The Mare jumped in surprise as Pinkie popped out of a flower pot. She watched as Pinkie landed on the floor.

The Mare’s eye twitched. “But you...I just...HOW DID YOU EVEN FIT IN THERE?!”

Pinkie chuckled. And proceeded to ignore the Mare’s question. “You got a secret? What is it? I can totally keep it for you. What is it?”

The Mare shook her head and smiled nervously. “Secret? What secret? I don’t have a secret. Why are we talking about secrets?”

Pinkie gave the Mare a hard stare. Nopony moved for what seemed like hours, then, Pinkie smiled. “Okey doki Loki. But I got my eye on you. No mystery shall go unsolved with Pinkamena Diane Pie!” With that, Pinkie bounced out the door, again. And closed it behind her. Again.

The Mare immediately used her magic to LOCK the door behind her. And sighed in relief. “Phew. That was way too close.” She walked to inspect the flowerpot that Pinkie had popped out of. She peered in and saw that the pot WASN’T able to fit a pony. “Yep. Definitely asking about that mare. So far she’s fit into a box, and a flowerpot, and I HAVEN’T seen her enter. At all.” She sighed and shook her head. “Just focus on unpacking. You’ll have plenty of time to question that mare now that you’re living in her town.” With that, the Mare started unpacking...trying to decide whether to fear the welcome party or not.

To be continued.
> Episode 2: Apples and Cake
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Mare took the end of a cable in her magic and inserted it into the correct input going into a music mixer. Once she confirmed that it was in and secured. She smiled and stood up, stepping back to admire her handiwork. She looked around. She was currently standing in the basement of her new house. Which she had spent the last hour converting into her home studio. The Mare chuckled to herself when her eyes fell onto the mess of cables that ran from her music mixing equipment to her amps and mics. “After I calibrate everything to the acoustics in here. I’ll fix that cable management mess.” She heard a rumbling sound and realized it was her stomach. She snickered when she glanced at the clock she had hung up by the stairs. It read 1:30PM. “Wow. Didn’t realize it had gotten so late. Hm. Now’s as good a time as any to go grocery shopping.” She nodded and turned to leave. As she passed her drum set, she caught her reflection in the polished frame. She turned her head, and gazed directly at her side. Where a gradient blue tipped wing sat folded at her side. She was reminded of it’s twin on her other side when she consciously felt the feathers resting against either side of her. She sighed. I had way too close a call earlier. If that pink mare can appear out of flower pots too small for her...am I really gonna have to start wearing shirts in my own home too? She shook her head, and after taking a deep breath, proceeded up the stairs to go pick up groceries.

Out in the town plaza. A stallion handed a few bits to the cashier. Who smiled and accepted the bits. “Thank you Thunderlane. Here are ya apples.” The cashier took a bag of apples in her mouth and passed it to Thunderlane, who took the bag with his wing.

He nodded. “Thanks a lot Applejack. It’s so good to have an apple farm in town. That means fresh apples all season.”

Applejack chuckled and nodded. “It right does. Have a good day you hear?”

Thunderlane nodded. “You too. Say hi to Granny Smith for me.” With that, he left. Applejack smiled. “Another satisfied customer. She turned her head to look into the stand. “Hey Applebloom. How many apples do we have left?”

Applebloom smiled. “Don’t worry sis. We ain’t about to run out anytime soon.”

Applejack smiled and nodded. “Good.” She turned back to the Plaza, to see a familiar face walking towards them. She smiled. It was Ponyville’s newest resident, the hot pink mare with the gray overcoat. “Well I’ll be. Ponyville’s newest resident.” She tipped her hat to the Mare. “Fancy seeing you again. What brings you around this plaza?”

The Mare smiled. “I was told this is where I go to get some apples. Something about...all fresh all the time?”

Applejack chuckled and nodded. “Y’all heard right. The Apple Family takes pride in the quality of it’s apples. Each is treated just like a foal. How many will that be fer ya?”

The Mare thought for a second before smiling. “Just a small bag’s worth. If it’s not too much trouble.”

Applejack chuckled and nodded, turning into the stand. “Hey Bloom! Small bag of apples!”

“On it sis!”

Applejack smiled and turned back to the Mare. Who smiled back. “You were one of the mares fighting that monster earlier. Right?”

Applejack nodded. “Yep. Also helped ya back up when Pinkie Pie tackled you. Pardon me. We’ve never actually been properly introduced. My name’s Applejack.”

The Mare smiled and held out a hoof to shake Applejack’s. “Sparkling Medley. Ponies call me Sparkler.”

Applejack nodded and shook Sparkler’s hoof. “It’s right nice to meetcha Sparkler. Welcome to Ponyville. You’ll never find a more friendly town in all of Equestria.”

Sparkler chuckled. “My parents said as much. They said Ponyville was the town where ponies from all three species lived in harmony.” She looked around. “And I can definitely see why they’d say that.”

Applejack chuckled and nodded. “And not just ponies either. We’ve had members of other species make lives here. You could say Ponyville’s the capital of Friendship if ever there was one.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”

They both chuckled. Until a smaller pony came up with a bag of apples. “One small bag of apples as requested!

Applejack nodded and took the bag from her. “Thanks Bloom.” She turned to Sparkler. “Here you go Sparkler. One bag of apples.”

Sparkler nodded and took the bag in her magic. “Thank you. How much?”

“Five bits.”

Sparkler nodded and levitated the bits out of her coat pocket and dropped them into the box that Applejack held out. Applejack nodded and smiled. “Thank you for your patronage Sparkler. Stop by Sweet Apple Acres sometime. You’ll receive the customary Apple welcome.”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “Sure. I’ll swing by some time. Talk to you later Applejack.”

Applejack nodded. “See ya at your party.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Yeah. See ya.”

Sparkler turned to leave when she heard Applejack call out to her. “Hey Sparkler. I wouldn’t plan on sticking around here for much longer! If Rarity sees you in that coat, she’ll drag you to the Carousel Boutique and you won’t see the sun for hours.”

Sparkler, while having no sweet clue in Tartarus who the hay Rarity was, chuckled and nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.” With that, she left.

Sparkler walked through town. Having just gotten all her groceries, and a quick lunch, she was on her way home. She walked past a bush, and the bush ruffled. Sparkler stopped and turned her head to the ruffling bush, only to see a Pink mare spring out of it. “Hiya new friend!”

Sparkler gasped and jumped back in surprise. Not this mare again! “What the?! Pinkie Pie?!”

Pinkie nodded. “You know my name! Awesome! I see you just got some groceries Sparkler.”

Sparkler’s mouth dropped. “How do you know my name?!”

Pinkie chuckled. “I overheard you talking to Applejack silly. Anyway, I was just hiding in that bush for you to pass so I could jump out and ask you what your favorite cake flavor was!”

Sparkler’s eye twitched. “Why?”

Pinkie chuckled. “For your party silly! Can’t have a party without cake!”

Sparkler finally recovered from the surprise of being jumped, and smiled. “True. In that case, I’ve always been partial to chocolate.”

Pinkie smiled. “AWESOME! I love chocolate too it’s my favorite flavor it’s just so yummy anyway I best be off gotta chocolate cake to make see ya later Sparkler I sent invites out to everyone see ya!” With that, Sparkler watched as Pinkie took off at Mach something speed away.

Sparkler shook her head to clear her mind. “Geez. Does that mare run on hyper sugar or something?”

“Yes. Yes I do.”

Sparkler jumped again and turned to see Pinkie standing right behind her! Sparkler looked back and forth. “How did...you just...”

Pinkie chuckled. “I just wanted to remind you that I’m on to you.” She suddenly got close to Sparkler and gave her a hard stare. “My Pinkie Sense is never wrong, and it’s been going off ever since you came to town. There’s a mystery surrounding you and Pinkamena Diane Pie WILL sniff it out!” To emphasize her point, she sniffed Sparkler like a dog. Before racing past her at Mach something speed.

Sparkler stopped spinning and shook her head to stop her head from spinning. She looked at Pinkie's trajectory. Her eye twitched again. “Seriously. That mare needs to calm down. That’s the fourth time she’s surprised me, and I haven’t even been here for a whole day!” She groaned. And that’s the second time she’s told me she was on to me. I’m gonna need to be careful around her. She sighed and slightly sank her head. “Should I even try?” She asked herself as she walked back home. Contemplating what to do.

To be continued.
> Episode 3: Detective Pinkie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle was walking through the hallways of her castle, going through student tests when something caught her eye. She looked up to see her dragon assistant Spike flapping his wings hard and racing to the front door. She chuckled as she called after him. “Hey Spike! Going somewhere?”

Spike stopped in his tracks, turned to face Twilight, and nodded. “Yeah Twilight. I’m meeting up with Gabby and the CMC to hang out at Sweet Apple Acres.”

Twilight nodded. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. And make sure you guys watch the time. According to Pinkie’s invitation everypony’s supposed to be at the Friendship School gym at sundown for the welcome party.”

Spike nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. See ya Twilight.” With that, Spike zoomed away.

Twilight watched him go and giggled to herself. Things with Gabby must be going great. She smiled to herself. She was relieved that Spike had finally moved on from his impossible crush on Rarity. She may not have been an EXPERT on love, but even she could see that there just wasn’t a connection there. Spike and GABBY however...she could genuinely see happening. She chuckled to herself and shook her head. Returning her attention to grading papers and heading to the library.

She turned the corner into another hallway...and almost immediately her ears were assaulted as a familiar voice practically shouted at her. “TWILIGHT!!!”

Twilight jumped and papers scattered all over the floor as her magic involuntarily cut out. She shook her head to see her friend Pinkie poking her head through a door, smiling at her. Twilight sighed. “Pinkie! What have I told you about surprising me like that?”

Pinkie nodded and proceeded to ignore Twilight’s question. “I need your opinion on something.” She threw the doors open and wheeled out a cake. “You think this cake will get the message through to our new friend?”

Twilight looked at the cake, which was chocolate. She saw that there was writing on it.

YOU CAN BE YOURSELF HERE!

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Pinkie? Usually your welcome cakes say welcome. What’s the deal with the sudden change?”

Pinkie chuckled as she reached out of frame and pulled over a chalkboard with a pull down presentation attached. She started pulling down slides as she began speaking. “Because something’s up with our new friend Sparkling Medley. My pinkie sense has been going off ever since she arrived here, and it’s rarely gone off because of a new resident. So I did some sleuthing, compiled all the evidence...and my investigation has led me to the conclusion that our new unicorn friend is in fact NOT a unicorn at all. BUT SHE’S ACTUALLY AN ALICORN PASSING OFF AS A UNICORN!”

Twilight saw the drawing of the new resident with wings...and had a hard time stifling her laughter over Pinkie’s exclamation. “Pinkie. I stopped questioning your antics a long time ago, but...do I even need to explain why THIS isn’t possi—LIKELY?” Twilight corrected herself upon remembering her niece Flurry Heart, who was a natural born Alicorn.

Pinkie shook her head. “Oh yeah. Laugh it up. Play it off like it’s impossible.” She pulled down the next slide. “Whenever she’s outside she’s wearing an overcoat, more than long enough enough to cover the region of the body that would contain the wing joints. There’s no need for an overcoat early Fall Twilight. That’s just weird.”

Twilight sighed. “It could just be that she was cold—“

Pinkie interrupted her. “Perhaps. BUT! Let us go back to today’s monster attack. She summoned enough magic to blast that Bugbear far away from town. IN ONE SHOT!”

Twilight rubbed her chin in thought as she recalled seeing the mare blasting the beast. She nodded. “I admit that is unusual for unicorns.”

Pinkie nodded. “But it should be a piece of cake for Alicorns!” She pulled down the next slide to reveal a graph. Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a pointing stick. “This is a graph projecting the magical prowess of various unicorns in Ponyville. As you can see...” She slid to pointer down to a relatively long lavender line below very noticeably shorter lines. “This was your magical prowess when you were still a unicorn.”

Twilight nodded. “Looks about right.”

Pinkie nodded as she pulled down the next slide to show another graph, this one only had two lines. Both lavender, but one longer then the other. Pinkie continued. “And THIS is your prowess now. Dramatically more powerful.” She pulled down a smaller slide that added a line, a hot pink line. Twilight noticed how it was the second longest line. Pinkie continued. “And THIS is today’s measurements of our new Alicorn’s prowess. Dramatically more powerful than your Unicorn power, but not enough to match your current Prowess.”

Twilight nodded. “And what does this prove?”

Pinkie groaned as she kicked the entire presentation out of frame. The sound of a cat screaming being heard as a result. “It PROVES that she is NOT an ordinary Unicorn. If she’s that at all. I know exactly what’s happening here. She doesn’t want us to know she’s an Alicorn so she’s hiding her wings under clothing not made for wings. Why? I don’t know that yet. But my gut is telling me she’s hiding wings.”

Twilight sighed. She had to admit that Pinkie made a compelling argument, but she still could not see how it was possible. “Pinkie. If, and that’s a GIANT if, if she IS somehow an Alicorn hiding her wings, she must have her reasons for doing so.”

Pinkie nodded. “Of course. But she’ll be so much happier if she knows she doesn’t have to hide from us.”

Twilight shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. But either way. If she decides to tell us what’s up. She will. But until then, she won’t appreciate us pestering her about it.”

Pinkie deflated a little. “But I want her to be comfortable with herself and know that she doesn’t have to hide her true self from us.”

Twilight sighed. “And that’s why we can keep the words on the cake, but for now, lets just leave her be and let her enjoy life in Ponyville.”

Pinkie smiled and nodded. “Okey doki Twily. I best be off. Still several more balloons to blow up and hang up along with streamers!” With that, Pinkie bounced off.

Twilight watched her go and smiled as she rolled her eyes. “Our newest resident is an Alicorn. Yeah. When the princesses retire.” On that note, she used her magic to collect the scattered papers and continued on Grading them as if the last few minutes never happened.

To be continued...
> Episode 4: Parrots, Parties, and Discoveries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sparkler reached out with her magic and pulled out a black sweater from her bedroom closet. She looked in the mirror. She turned to a perch. “Hey Flappy, you think this is less suspicious than my gray overcoat?”

Flappy, Sparkler’s pet bird on his perch, squawked. “Squawk. Definitely. Squawk.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Good. You don’t need an overcoat inside, but a sweater is perfectly acceptable.”

“Squawk! I doubt it’s necessary. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed as she looked out the window into town. “Maybe. But you remember what happened in Saddle Arabia back in school, I was singled out because of my horn and wing combo and was everypony’s favorite punching bag.”

Flappy flew off his perch onto the bed to look Sparkler right in the eye. “Squawk! New town, new life, fresh start. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I know that, but still...what if this just ends up like home? I don’t want to be the resident punching bag.”

Flappy leaned in and nuzzled Sparkler on the cheek. “Squawk! Any pony hurts you deals with me. Squawk!”

That got Sparkler to chuckle as she returned the nuzzle. She sighed in content. “Well, it’s nice to know I at least have ONE friend I can always count on. Thanks Flappy.”

Flappy nodded and started flying. “Squawk! Party Party Party Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and put on her sweater, over her wings. She nodded. “Ok. Ok. We can go.” She summoned the invite with her magic and checked the location. “According to this...the party’s supposed to be at the School of Friendship. Next to...” Sparkler’s eyes widened as she read where the school was. Right next to that giant crystal castle. “Next to that giant crystal castle. Ah huh. At least it’ll be easy to find.”

Flappy nodded and spread his wings. “Squawk! See you there! Squawk!”

Before Flappy could take off however. A giggling Sparkler caught him in her magic. “Hold on there mister. We need to set a few ground rules. One. Don’t go anywhere without telling me. Two, don’t eat or drink anything without checking with me first. Three, you can talk to anypony you want but be nice. First impressions are key. And finally, DO NOT! Under ANY circumstances, mention my condition, to ANY pony. There’s ALREADY somepony on to me and I don’t want anymore of that kind of attention.”

Flappy nodded and saluted with his wing. “Squawk! Aye aye Cap’n, Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded and released Flappy from her magic. “In that case. Wait for me outside the castle. We’ll go in together.”

Flappy nodded, flapped his wings, and zoomed out the bedroom window. Sparkler watched him go and chuckled. “I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t challenge anypony to a race tonight.” She shook her head smiling. Flappy was a speedy bird, and a tad competitive about it. Ever since they had crossed into Equestria from Saddle Arabia, she had to make it a point to defuse any conversation as quickly as possible if it turned to speed and racing. Now that they were settled in Ponyville however, where there was an established veterinarian’s office within running distance, Flappy could knock himself out. And Sparkler did enjoy watching his little races every once and a while. On that note, she proceeded downstairs and out the door to catch up to him.

Several minutes later, Sparkler came to a stop in an open area between Ponyville and the crystal castle. She took a look around, and saw another building next to it. She smiled. “That must be the School of Friendship.” She trotted over to the building and saw a sign.

TWILIGHT SPARKLE’S SCHOOL OF FRIENDSHIP

She nodded. “Yep. This is definitely the place.” She looked up and around to see Flappy flying around at top speed. She could tell the yellow parrot was having an absolute blast zooming around the large castle. She chuckled. “The Yellow Streak is back.” She frowned and sighed. He’s having so much fun up there. I’m sure he’d appreciate some company. She cocked her head to one her sides to stare at the wing blocked by the sweater. Keeping up her Unicorn persona meant that she rarely used her wings since they moved to Equestria, especially for flying, which was basically asking somepony to see her. As a result, Flappy rarely had a friend to fly with. Whatever flying mate he did get was a bird or two. Sparkler sighed. Maybe I can help him find some local bird friends to play with. He’d love that. She sighed again, and decided that that was enough pondering on what ifs and whatnot. So she looked back up into the sky. “HEY FLAPPY! YOU ARE CLEAR FOR FINAL APPROACH!”

Flappy heard her and immediately came soaring down from the sky. He saw Sparkler turn her back to him to give him a place to land. He stretched out his feet and began to flap his wings hard to slow himself down. Within seconds, he gently touched down on Sparklers back. He folded his wings and smiled. “Squawk! And touchdown! Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled as she started walking towards the school. “You looked like you were having fun up there.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! It Would be more fun flying with you, like we used to. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed and nodded. “I know. But while Saddle Arabia provided an open field where we could fly whilst staying out of sight from everypony, we are in barely-charted territory now.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Scouting mission! Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled as she turned the corner of a hallway in the school, to see a giant arrow pointing inside a room. She nodded. “We’ll talk more about that later Flappy. Right now, ready to make some new friends?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Let’s get our party on! Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and entered the room the arrow was pointing into...to find it pitch black. She raised an eyebrow as she entered deeper into the room. “Uh, hello?” She called out. In response, the doors suddenly slammed shut. She and Flappy jumped and turned to see that there was no light whatsoever. Sparkler called out again. “Uh, anypony here?” Nothing. She sighed. “I was told this is where a welcome party was...so I don’t know why you guys are trying to—“ That was as far as she got before a bunch of things happened at once. The lights sprang on, multiple explosions were followed by a vision blotting amount of confetti falling all around her, and the sound of MULTIPLE ponies all happily shouting out in unison.

“SURPRISE! WELCOME TO PONYVILLE SPARKLING MEDLEY!”

Sparkler managed to stop the ringing in her ears relatively quickly as she shook her head to get the confetti off her face. She opened her eyes to see a bunch of ponies smiling at her under a banner that had “WELCOME SPARKLING MEDLEY!” Written on it. She managed to get out of her shock. And a huge smile exploded across her face as she chuckled. “Well...that’s the last time I underestimate you. You still managed to surprise me.”

Pinkie Pie bounced in front of the crowd and smiled at Sparkler. “Of course! Surprise parties are the best kind of party! Because you get to surprise the guest of honor and see them smile and of course there’s the cake and the music and the dancing and the—“ Pinkie was interrupted by a magenta aura that surrounded her and pulled her away from Sparkler.

Sparkler saw the lavender unicorn from earlier today walk up and give Pinkie a look. “Alright Pinkie. Give the mare some space.” The unicorn let go of Pinkie and turned to give a warm smile to Sparkler. “Hello there Sparkling Medley. I’m Twilight Sparkle, as princess of Friendship, let me be the first to officially welcome you to our town.” As she said that last part, Sparkler saw Twilight spread her definitely-there wings to gesture to the rest of the residents of the town.

Sparkler smiled and nodded, immediately bowing her head in respect. “Thank you your majesty, it’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”

Twilight folded her wings back up and chuckled. “And that’s the last time you address me like that. I may be a princess, but just Twilight will do nicely.”

Sparkler was taken back by this, but smiled as she lifted her head again. “Very well...Twilight.”

Pinkie smiled and bounced up and down. “Well what are we waiting for? LET’S PARTY!!!”

Everypony cheered their approval as the music started and ponies started mingling with each other. For Sparkler, she was about to go and start introducing herself properly, when she was stopped by Flappy, who hovered right in front of her. “Squawk! That mare has the combo! Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I can see that.” Deep down, Sparkler was shocked with herself, she managed to not only NOT freeze up, but also somehow managed to not gasp at the fact that Twilight DID have both wings and a horn. HOLY TARTARUS! She DOES HAVE THEM! I’m NOT the only one! Her mind was racing, earlier she had believed herself to be seeing things due to the daze of being tackled, but now, there was no doubt in her mind. She had met somepony else with the wing and horn combo. She WASN’T the only one after all! She actually struggled to contain the swirl of emotions raging inside her, ranging from excitement to relief. Is it actually possible that I don’t have anything to worry about?! I mean, granted she’s a princess, but still...

Flappy saw the slight shock on his owner’s face and smiled. “Squawk! I think at the very least you can trust her to know. Squawk.”

Sparkler’s eyes widened as she suddenly got close to Flappy to whisper/hiss. “What did I tell you before we left?! No talk of that!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Right. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. “We’ll talk later.”

Flappy nodded, and was about to say something else when they heard a squee, followed by a canary pegasus basically rushing up to them and gawking at Flappy. “Sweet Celestia. Your parrot is absolutely adorable!”

Flappy blushed a tad and smiled. “Squawk! Aww. You’re too kind. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “This is Flappy. My pet parrot since I was six.”

The canary mare nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you. Both of you. My name is Fluttershy. We kinda met earlier after that monster attack.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You mean the one where Sparkler absolutely bucked that monster into next week. Squawk! Yeah I saw that. Fortunately my innate trait of being the fastest being alive managed to save me from being squished. Squawk!”

Sparkler gasped. “Wait a minute, you were in the line of fire?!” Flappy nodded. Sparkler gave him an apologetic look. “Oh no. I’m so sorry Flappy. I didn’t realize...”

Flappy cut her off. “Squawk! No harm done. Squawk!”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

Fluttershy giggled. “You know, if Flappy ever needs a checkup, you’re welcome to bring him to me. I can make sure he’s healthy and feeling ok.”

Flappy raised an eyebrow. “Squawk! You’re a vet? Squawk!”

Fluttershy nodded. “In a way. I didn’t go to school for it, but taking care of animals is how I got my cutie mark. I promise you’ll be well cared for.”

Flappy smiled and turned to Sparkler. “Squawk! Can we? Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and after a second, nodded. “That’s very kind of you to offer Fluttershy. Thank you.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Anytime.”

A few hours later, after the party, Sparkler and Flappy entered the bedroom of their house. Sparkler giggled and sighed in content. “Well. That was a good party.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! And we made some new friends. And learned something BIG! Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded, picking up on what he was talking about. “Yeah. Yeah we did.”

Flappy smiled and landed on the bed facing Sparkler. “Squawk! That princess has the combo. And she ISN’T hiding it! Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. But Flappy, she’s also a princess. She may not be ABLE to hide it.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Still. I think she can be trusted. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed and practically flopped onto her bed beside Flappy. “Maybe. But how will she even react? ‘Hey, Princess Twilight. Guess what, I have wings and a horn too.’ That isn’t something you can just drop on somepony and expect only a good result Flappy.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! True. But here’s another reason to talk to her. She just might have more information about the combo. Squawk!”

Sparkler’s ears perked up at that. She raised an eyebrow. “You think so?”

Flappy shrugged. “Squawk! Possibly. But either way. I didn’t hear anypony bad mouthing her behind her back at the party, and you told me that ponies here considered this town the Capital of Friendship. Sounds to me like this won’t be school in Saddle Arabia all over again.”

Sparkler sighed. Flappy was right. From what she saw today, she couldn’t see herself having any problems in this town, but still. “I don’t know Flappy. I just don’t want to feel like the outcast again.”

Flappy scooted closer and leaned in to nuzzle her cheek. “Squawk! As I said, anypony hurts you, in ANY way, deals with me. Squawk!”

Sparkler smiled at her companion. “Thanks Flappy.” She reached out and wrapped her forelegs around him in a gentle embrace. Flappy’s right. This isn’t Saddle Arabia. Maybe I really could be myself around here. Around...her. She shivered at the thought of being friends with another like her. Certainly not what she was expecting, but she didn’t mind all the same.

To be continued...
> Episode 5: Me and You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flappy was happily flapping his wings high in the sky. He had been flying for the past hour for his daily morning flight. He smiled when he thought of the dozens of places he found where Sparkler could join him in the sky. Squawk! It’ll be great to get Sparkler back up here again. Squawk! He noticed Ponyville in between the clouds below him. He smiled and dived down.

In the basement of their house. Sparkler was busy adjusting dials and sliders on her recording equipment, trying to adjust for the acoustics in said basement. She inspected a dial and nodded. “Adjusting for acoustics really doesn’t work when it should be the tonal properties of the instruments, but it’s a good baseline all the same.” She sidestepped over to the mixer to ensure everything was set to zero when she heard flapping getting closer. She smiled and turned to see her feathery companion enter the basement with something in his claws. “Hey there Flappy. Back from your flight eh.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yep. And I found several secluded spots where nopony will see you flying. Squawk!” He dropped the scroll he had in his claws and it fell to the floor, unrolling itself to reveal the current map of Ponyville and the surrounding area that Sparkler managed to get at the tourist shop.

Sparkler noticed that Flappy had several spots circled. She sighed. “Good thing I can easily explain away the circles once we frame this.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Anywho. When I was flying around these spots, no other ponies were there. So they could be prime flying spots. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded as she studied the map. “They look like they’re thoroughly secluded. Away from the prying eye.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Perfect for flying together whilst maintaining your cover. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “We’ll explore these areas in more detail soon. Right now though.” She lit her horn and summoned a stack of flyers from the nearby table. “We need to get the word out that Sparkling Harmony Records is open for business.”

Flappy smiled as he clapped his wings to take to the air. “Squawk! DJ Flappy in the house! Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled as she made her way to the stairs. “Let’s go DJ.”

Soon, Sparkler nailed a flyer to a post in the plaza. The flyer read...


Sparkling
Harmony
Records!

Anypony have a song they want to record? Sparkling Harmony Records now open, we’ll record any song you commission. Visit Sparkling Medley or forward a letter at 453 Pony Street for inquiries, details, and commission negotiations.

Office hours
Weekdays from 9:00AM to 5:00PM.


Sparkler smiled to herself. Hopefully there’s a lot of demand for this. She nodded as she began to walk away, when she heard somepony shout out to her.

“Hey! You putting up these flyers?” Sparkler turned to see a white mare with a blue scruffy mane smiling at her.

Sparkler nodded and walked back over to the post. “Yeah. I’m trying to get the word out that my business is open. I’ll record any song anypony commissions.”

The mare smiled. “Oh thank Celestia you’re offering this! Spinal Record just relocated to Las Pegasus. He was the resident producer.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Well...I wouldn’t call myself a producer. So to speak. I’ll just do business with anyone who wants to make a song. I don’t really “sign” anypony. I’m Sparkling Medley by the way, most ponies call me Sparkler.”

The Mare nodded and held out her hoof. “Vinyl Scratch. Resident DJ known as DJ-Pon3.”

Sparkler smiled and shook hooves. “Nice to meet you Vinyl.”

Vinyl nodded and glanced to the side a tad. “I couldn’t help but notice your cutie mark was a mic over a musical note. By any chance do you have any musical talent yourself? Or are you just good at mixing?”

Sparkler chuckled. “I do sing and play a little. Back home I was known as a one mare band.”

Vinyl beamed. “Ooh. What instruments do you play?”

“Usually bass guitar, drums, or keyboard. But I can play piano and some other instruments like the harp.”

Vinyl nodded. “What genre do you usually play?”

Sparkler thought for a second. “A mix of genres actually, pop-culture, country, a tad bit of rock. And I have mixed a few personal electric tracks on occasion.”

At electric. Vinyl beamed and grinned. “My main genre is Electric. Hey, we should record sometime. I do my own mixes so I don’t need to commission anything, but it would be fun to record with somepony who gets my musical drift.”

Sparkler beamed. “I’d like that.”

Suddenly, a voice off in the distance reached their ears. “Oh Scratchy!”

At that, Vinyl’s face fell and she groaned. “Grah. Coming Tavi!” She shook her head. “Every time I tell her not to call me that in public, in one ear and out the other. Sorry Sparkler, I gotta go. That was my marefriend Octavia and she does NOT want to be kept waiting.”

Sparkler chuckled. “It’s ok. I understand.”

Vinyl giggled and shook her head. “Oh trust me. Ya don’t. Not until you have a marefriend like Tavi. Anyway...” Vinyl lit her horn and a card appeared in front of Sparkler. “I run the local club in town and tonight’s karaoke night. I can play any song you want to sing to, or you can bring an instrument and sing your own song. It’s a great place to hang out with friends, or just listen to what talent our town has to offer.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded as she took the card in her own magic. “Sounds like fun.”

Vinyl nodded. “An absolute blast.”

“SCRATCHY!”

Vinyl groaned. “I’M COMING!” She sighed. “I gotta go. Hope to meet you again tonight if you decide to grace us with your musical talent.” With that, Vinyl trotted off. Leaving Sparkler to look at the card.

Sparkler smiled. “It would be a good opportunity to get some insight on potential clients.”

All of a sudden, Flappy flew into her vision and hovered there. Smiling. “Squawk! I heard that conversation. We’re definitely going are we? Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and tucked the card into her sweater pocket. “Oh yeah. We’re going. Wanna sing our duet?”

Flappy beamed and nodded. “Squawk! Can we can we can we? Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “Sure. Gotta remember to bring the instrumental disc for Vinyl to spin.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Sparkler and Flappy about to drop some beats. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Come on. Let’s finish up here and get home so we can do a practice run as a refresher.”

Later that night. Sparkler and Flappy made their way through the streets of Ponyville, following the directions on Vinyl’s card to a place called ElectroScratch. Sparkler was still eying the name as they went. “ElectroScratch. Hm. Not a bad name for a club.”

Flappy’s eyes widened and he stopped to hover. “Squawk! There she blows matey! Squawk!”

Sparkler looked up and saw a building with a giant neon sign reading ElectroScratch. Sparkler smiled. “Ready to sing Flappy?”

Flappy nodded and sang. 🎵We’re gonna make, make, make them do a double take!🎵

Sparkler chuckled. “You can’t wait can you.”

Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! Nope. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Then come on.” She and Flappy proceeded into the building. Almost immediately, they heard music coming from downstairs.



They made it downstairs and Sparkler’s eyes widened when she saw Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity and Rainbow Dash—whom she met at her welcome party the other day— singing to the beat of the song. Sparkler got a tad nervous when her eyes fell on Twilight, but she also felt intrigue wash over her. Look at her. She’s a princess, has the horn and wing combo...and yet here she is, at a club, singing with her friends, and nopony is giving it a second thought... She gritted her teeth. I really wish I had her confidence.

Flappy noticed his owner’s distraught face and gave her a smile, flapping to centimeters away from her ear. “Squawk! You see that? Singing, dancing, hanging out with her friends, and not one pony giving a second thought to her wings and horn. I’m telling you. You should at least talk to her. Squawk!”

Sparkler facehoofed. “I know. I know! You’re right. At the very least I should talk to her. I just can’t get it out of my mind that it’ll go south faster than Fili-Second from the power ponies.”

“Hey!” Sparkler jumped when somepony suddenly appeared right before her. She turned to see a pink pony with a purple mane with light blue stripes in it. It was Starlight Glimmer, another pony she met at the party. Starlight smiled at Sparkler. “Glad to see you made it. Vinyl told us you might be coming.”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Did she?”

Starlight nodded. “Yeah she said you sang so she reserved a karaoke spot for you. Your next actually.”

Sparkler smiled a little and giggled. “Am I now. Well. Guess I arrived at the right time.” She turned to the current performance and smiled. “They’re good aren’t they Starlight.”

Starlight chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. They’re fantastic singers. Though that’s not a surprise. They sing like, half the musical numbers that go on around here.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Really now. Huh. Good to know.”

Starlight nodded. “Yeah. Anyway, I gotta get back to the castle and get some work done at the School of Friendship. See you around Sparkler. Break a leg.”

Sparkler nodded. “See ya Starlight.”

Starlight trotted up the stairs just as the song ended. There was clapping and cheering as Vinyl hopped off the DJ stand and took the mic from Twilight. Vinyl cleared her throat and smiled. “Let’s hear it for the Elements of Harmony everypony! Seriously. You guys could be the next singing group sensation.” That got some chuckles and cheers from everypony as Vinyl continued. “Alright. Now. You all should remember this next act. Because you’ve met her at the party the other day, but also because she singlehoofedly took care of that bugbear from that last monster attack. Here to grace us with her talent...is there a Sparkler in the house?”

Everypony looked around for Sparkler. Who chuckled, cleared her throat, and started trotting up to the stage with Flappy in tow. “I’m here! I’m here Vinyl!”

Vinyl smiled as the crowd clapped. Sparkler hopped onto the stage and Vinyl held the mic out for her. “Some new blood is always welcome around here. What song are you gonna do?”

Sparkler smiled as she lit her horn and a vinyl record poofed in front of Vinyl. “Flappy and I are gonna do the song in this record. If that’s OK.”

Vinyl smiled and took the record in her magic while Sparkler took the Mic in her own. “A pony and her parrot pet singing a song she brought with her. Ooh we’re in for a treat aren’t we.”

Sparkler and Flappy nodded. “You could say that.”

“Squawk! Flappy and Sparkler are laying down the fast tracks tonight! Squawk!”

Vinyl chuckled and turned to set up the record. “Give me a minute to get it going.” She cocked her head to the crowd. “How about you give us all a little background on this one. It sounds like you two are proud of it.”

Sparkler nodded, and actually blushed a little. “Yeah. We are. Mainly because I think it encapsulates our bond perfectly.”

Flappy nodded and flew closer to the mic. “Squawk. Sparkler actually wrote it for our fifth anniversary of the day we met and I became her pet.”

That got an Aww out of everypony and Sparkler nodded. “It’s called “Me and You” And, I guess it can apply to all true friendships. Not just ours. We hope you all enjoy it.”

Vinyl nodded and set the record up. Hitting the play button immediately.



The song concluded as Sparkler and Flappy bowed for an applauding audience. Vinyl smiled and joined them onstage. Sparkler let Vinyl take the mic. Vinyl turned to the crowd. “Well That was certainly a treat. And I think we all got the message loud and clear am I right guys?” The crowd cheered in response. Vinyl chuckled. “And...this amazing duo actually showed up at the right time. Because they will be taking up Spinal Record’s mantle. Go see them if you lot have a song or two that you’d like to record. Her flyers for Sparkling Harmony Records are all over town with more deats. For now though. Let’s give them a round of applause for that amazing performance. And call in our next performance.”

Sparkler and Flappy stepped off the stage to applause as the next ponies took the stage. They made their way to the bar to order drinks. “Lemonade with two straws please.”

The bartender nodded as Flappy smiled at Sparkler. “Squawk! DJ Flappy and Sparkler rock the house again. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Up top.” She and Flappy high-fived hoof and wing. Just as they heard a shout from behind.

“OH MY GOSH THAT WAS AMAZING YOU GUYS WERE GREAT I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WROTE THAT SPARKLER THAT'S SO NICE OH REMIND ME WHEN YOUR NEXT ANNIVERSARY IS SO I CAN THROW YOU GUYS A PARTY AHHH THIS IS AWESOME!” While Sparkler and Flappy were trying not to go deaf, a pair of forelegs belonging to one Pinkie Pie wrapped them up in a tight hug.

Sparkler recovered from the ringing in her ears and sighed. “Hello Pinkie. Thanks. You guys were good too.”

Pinkie nodded as she let go, Flappy gasping for air. “Not as good as you. That song had a nice message friends should depend on friends. OH! Mind if I use that for my class at the school of Friendship? Anyway. Flappy. I need to talk to you outside for a minute.” Before Flappy could do anything, Pinkie grabbed his wing and pulled him away.

Sparkler shook her head and stared at the staircase where Pinkie and Flappy raced up. Her eye twitched. “How in Tartarus can that mare have so much energy?! And did she just steal my bird?!”

She heard chuckling from behind her. “Your parrot’s fine. Pinkie won’t hurt him. Also, I’d stop questioning Pinkie if I were you. She’s impossible to explain.” Sparkler turned to see Twilight smiling at her.

Sparkler’s breath hitched in her throat before she raised an eyebrow. “You think I should just stop questioning her?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah. Trust me, you’ll sleep better.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Alright. You’ve probably known her longer than me so I’ll follow your command your majesty.”

Twilight chuckled. “Sparkler. Just Twilight will be fine. Please. I usually try to avoid using my position as much as possible.”

Sparkler nodded. “Right. You told me that.” Both mares chuckled before Sparkler spoke again. “I heard you and your friends singing earlier. You were amazing up there.”

Twilight nodded. “So were you and Flappy. I didn’t know you two could make such an amazing duet. Although I noticed your cutie mark is a mic over a musical note so I should’ve seen it coming.”

Sparkler chuckled. “The mic is because I like to sing. The musical note is because I also play quite a few instruments. Put them together, and you get a mare who’s considered a One Mare Band back home.”

Twilight chuckled. “Have you ever thought about doing that for a living? You definitely have the vocal talent.”

Sparkler giggled and shrugged. “Eh, if I get approached by an agent or somepony who wants to make me famous, I may consider it. But for now, I’m just happy recording songs for ponies and recording my own songs for fun. I’m not gonna actively look for a musical career.” At least not until I’m comfortable with everypony seeing me in all my horn/wing combo freakiness.

Twilight nodded. “Well. I’m sure there are quite a few ponies around here who’ll come to you to record a song or two. We’re a very musical lot.”

That got both Sparkler and Twilight chuckling. Until Flappy suddenly stopped in front of them...with a panicked look on his face. “Squawk! Sparkler we need to go! Squawk!”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Go? What do you mean?”

“Squawk! We got a problem named Pinkie Pie! Let’s go let’s go! Squawk!”

Sparkler was confused, but nodded. “Ok.” She turned back to Twilight. “I better go see what the heck’s got him all spooked. It was nice talking you to Twilight.”

Twilight nodded. “Nice talking to you too Sparkler. Hope to see you around.”

Sparkler nodded. “I’m sure we’ll run into each other again. Have a good night.”

Twilight nodded. “You too.”

Sparkler nodded and finally allowed Flappy to pull her along.

A few minutes later. “Alright Flappy. What’s got you so spooked?”

Flappy looked her in the eye and simply said. “Squawk! Pinkie Pie KNOWS! She KNOWS about your wings! Squawk!”

Sparkler froze at that. “She...does?” Her eyes slowly widened as panic washed over her. Pinkie had taken Flappy to talk in private earlier...and he came back panicky...holy Tartarus. “Oh...no. No no no no no! This is bad, this is very, VERY BAD!”

To be continued...
> Episode 6: Fears and Doubts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sparkler quickly galloped around the house. Locking every door and window and pulling down the blinds so nopony could see inside. She galloped back to the living room and gave Flappy a frantic look. “You’re saying my secret’s out?!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yep. Squawk!”

“How the hay did Pinkie find out?! Is THIS why she talked to you in private?!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Basically, she told me she knew you had wings. I tried to deny it but she knew I was lying. Squawk!”

A frantic Sparkler pulled Flappy in and stared right into his eyes. “HAS SHE TOLD ANYPONY ELSE?!”

Flappy nodded, much to Sparkler’s horror. “Squawk! She told Twilight. Squawk!”

At that, Sparkler let go of Flappy and stood there, absolutely frozen in shock. “Twilight...” She couldn’t believe it. The ONE pony that she was considering to let in on her secret...was told by another who somehow found out. “Flappy. Please tell me you made Pinkie PROMISE not to tell anypony else.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! She gave me her word. And...by the sound of it. It doesn’t seem like Twilight believed her. Squawk!”

Sparkler calmed down a little. “She doesn’t believe her. Ok. Good. Alright. So it’s just Pinkie who really knows the truth...did...did Pinkie say anything else?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! She told me to tell you that you don’t need to hide anything around here. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. She wanted to believe it. She wanted to believe that she didn’t need to hide herself from anypony. But her mind kept going back to school in Saddle Arabia, where she was the outcast.

Flappy saw the distraught look on Sparkler’s face. “Squawk! Sparkler. If I may. I think I’m with Pinkie Pie on this one. I genuinely believe it’s safe for you to be yourself in this town.”

Sparkler nodded. “You keep saying that, but every time, I can’t help but fear that it can turn into Saddle Arabia School all over again. I...I don’t want to be branded as Featherhorn again, it hurts.” She sniffled as her eyes started to water.

Flappy saw and immediately flew in and wrapped his wings around Sparkler best he could. “Squawk! There there. Remember. You always got a friend in me. And I’ll stick by you till the very end. Squawk!”

Flappy’s words sank in and Sparkler smiled and hugged her parrot back. “Thanks Flappy. You always know just what to say.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Oh. And just a reminder. Anypony gives you trouble. Let me at’em and I’ll take them down a peg. Squawk!”

Sparkler giggled. “Ok my knight in shiny armor.” She sighed in content before continuing. “So you think I should talk to Twilight?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yes. You should. She may be able to provide more information on the horn/wing combo. And she just might be able to help you gain confidence in your real self. She is the Princess of Friendship after all.” He waggled his eyebrows, which Sparkler didn’t notice.

Instead she just chuckled. “Now. I just need to figure out how to bring it up.”

Later that night. Flappy was sound asleep on his perch, while Sparkler slept comfortably in her bed. Well...almost.

Sparkler trotted happily to her locker in between classes. Looking to exchange her math book for her music folder. She sighed happily. “Ah, band class. My favorite time of day.” She reached her locker with her magic and began dialing the combination. “A time where I can be in my element. Take another step towards my dream...and—oof!” That was as far as she got before her locker suddenly burst open and she was forced against the wall behind her by an avalanche of feathers. She collapsed on the floor as the feathers completely covered her.

A host of other students watched the scene from afar...and began laughing their flanks off. One of them pointed at the feathery mess. “Is that enough feathers for your chicken wings Featherhorn?

Sparkler poked her head above the feathery mess and rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah. Hahaha. Real funny guys.

Another of the students chuckled as he mockingly directed an ear at her. “What was that? I don’t speak horned chicken.” The laughing continued.

Sparkler let her ears droop as she got herself out of the mess. “Ok. We’ve all had a laugh. We can stop now.”

The laughing didn’t stop. Another student smirked at her. “Would you like some seeds for lunch? I happen to have some just in case I run into a chicken!” The student used his teeth to pull out a bag of seeds, and threw it at her. It smacked her in the face and fell to the ground. Sparkler just stared at it just as the bell rang. The laughing finally ceased as the students all headed to class. Sparkler just sat there, eyes wet. Covered in feathers.

All of a sudden, she heard a voice from behind her. “They were right you know.” Sparkler turned around and suddenly found herself in Ponyville Plaza. Surrounded by the residents of the town. She looked around and saw Twilight step forward, wings spread, and with a disgusted scowl on her face. “You’ll never belong anywhere. You’re nothing but a pointy chicken freak. As Princess. I hereby banish you from Equestria.”

Sparkler gasped. “What? No! Twilight please! I’m sor—“

”SILENCE! You are a disgrace to ponies everywhere.” With that. Twilight turned and walked away.

”Squawk! You heard her. Get out of here you freak. Squawk!” Sparkler saw Flappy give her a disgusted look before flapping away as everypony else started walking away.

Sparkler watched all her new friends go. “Wait, Flappy! Twilight. Anypony. No! NO!!!!

Sparkler’s eyes shot open and she bolted upright. She breathed heavily and looked around. She saw that she was still in her bedroom, in her house in Ponyville. Her eyes began to water as she slowly laid back down. She looked up to see Flappy sound asleep on his perch. She squeezed her eyes shut to prevent tears, which came out anyway as she quietly sniffled. It was just a dream? More like a nightmare... She assumed the fetal position and grasped her tail. Pulling on it to make herself into as small a ball as possible as tears continued to flow down her face. What did I do to deserve this? she asked herself as she cried. Before long, she had cried herself back to sleep.

To be continued...
> Episode 7: Pet Playdate
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a beautiful fall day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, there was a gentle breeze. And Flappy and Sparkler were enjoying a nice stroll through Ponyville Park.

Sparkler breathed in the fresh air and sighed happily. “Ah. Nothing like a nice walk in the park to clear your mind eh Flappy?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You got that right Sparkler. This is peaceful. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded as she looked around. “And the park here is gorgeous. A pond, greenery, we never had this in Saddle Arabia. AKA the desert.” She smiled to herself. “I could get used to this.”

Flappy nodded as he saw something in the distance. “Squawk! Yeah. And we have a good chance of running into other pet owners and their pets too. Like that group over there.”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow and looked ahead, to see a group of familiar ponies. One of them being that pink party pony. Sparkler’s smile faded and her ears drooped. “Uh oh. It’s Pinkie!” She quickly looked around and spotted a tree. In no time, she galloped to the tree and hid out of sight.

Flappy raised an eyebrow and followed his owner to her hiding place, landing in front of her. “Squawk! Why’re we hiding? Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed and leaned in to whisper. “Because you said she knows about my wings. If I go over there and she sees me. There is NO telling what could happen! She could pressure me to reveal myself, to prove that she was right when she told them about me.”

“Squawk! Didn’t I tell you she gave me her word she wouldn’t tell anypony? Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. “Excuse me for not entirely trusting that pony. For all we know she’s over there telling them about my wings right now!”

“No I’m not. I’m actually here seeing what you two are doing.”

Sparkler and Flappy jumped back and gasped when they heard Pinkie, who had snuck up on them. Flappy flapped his wings and began hovering while Sparkler glared at Pinkie. “Gah! Pinkie! You almost gave us a heart attack!”

Pinkie smiled. “Didn’t you two see me coming?”

Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! NO! Squawk!”

Pinkie chuckled. “Anyway. Why’re you guys hiding behind this tree? My friends and I are having a picnic and pet play date over there and we have extra food for another friend.”

Sparkler eyed Pinkie. “I didn’t think anypony saw us?”

Pinkie chuckled. “Pinkie Sense. Anyway. If you're worried I told anypony about your wings, I promised Flappy I wouldn’t. And I don’t break promises.”

Sparkler gave Pinkie a nervous smile. “Wings? What wings? I don’t have wings. I’m just a Uni—“ That was as far as she got before Pinkie shut her up with a hoof to her mouth.

Pinkie smiled. “Sparkler. We all know that’s not true. Stop trying to lie to me. It’s not gonna work.”

Sparkler’s eye twitched as she just decided to ask the obvious question. “How the hay did you even find out?”

Pinkie smiled and bounced in place. “Pinkie Sense. Combined with my stupendous sleuthing powers. I told you no secret stays hidden from me for long.”

Sparkler wanted to ask what the hay Pinkie Sense was, but then she remembered what Twilight said. ”Don’t question Pinkie. Trust me. It’s not gonna work. At all.” Instead. She just sighed. “Just keep it to yourself. Got it?”

Pinkie nodded. “Cross my heart and hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye. That’s a Pinkie Promise. The ultimate friendship promise. If you break it, it’s the fastest way to lose a friend.”

Sparkler nodded. “I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it.”

Pinkie nodded and turned to Flappy. “You can go introduce yourself to our pets over there Flappy. They’re really friendly.”

Flappy turned to Sparkler with a raised eyebrow. Sparkler sighed and nodded. Flappy smiled and zipped over to the picnic. Pinkie turned back to Sparkler. “Wanna come along? I’m sure Twilight would be happy to talk to you about your wings.”

Sparkler glared at Pinkie. “Except for one problem. She isn’t alone! I had PLANNED to tell her first before anypony else but you went ahead and threw a wrench into it with your snooping around!”

Pinkie chuckled. “It’ll be fine. We won’t turn you away just because you have wings. We haven’t turned Twilight away for that.“

Sparkler nodded. “Right. Because she’s a princess. And you don’t turn away a princess.”

Pinkie straight up laughed. “Oh silly. Twilight doesn’t like it when we treat her as a princess. And we knew her LONG before she was a princess. We would never turn her away. And we won’t turn you away either. You can take off that sweater and just be yourself. You’ll be happier that way.”

Sparkler sighed. “Someday I might ditch the sweater. But until then, NOT, A, WORD! And don’t you dare convince Twilight to seek me out. I go to her. Got it?”

Pinkie nodded and grabbed Sparkler’s hoof. “Oki doki Loki. Now come on. I’m sure everypony’s itching to get to know you.” With that, she practically dragged Sparkler over to the picnic.

...

“Rarity I don’t need a new outfit right now!“ Shouted Sparkler as she was being chased by Rarity with a measuring tape.

“It’ll be just a few measurements darling! I insist it’s no trouble!” Rarity shouted back.

The rest of the gang watched Rarity chase Sparkler around for the last ten minutes, failing to contain their laughter. Applejack shook her head. “I knew that was gonna happen eventually.”

Rainbow nodded. “It was only a matter of time. Rarity just can’t resist offering to dazzle up a friend.”

Flappy nodded as he watched the chase. “Squawk! She’s certainly persistent. That’s for sure. Squawk!”

Starlight nodded. “Alright. That’s enough chasing.” She lit her horn at Rarity and effortlessly ripped the measuring tape from Rarity’s magical grip.

Rarity watched her measuring tape leave her and stopped in her tracks. Whipping her head around to Starlight. “Starlight! Give that back!”

Starlight shook her head. “Not until you stop chasing Sparkler around like a dog.”

Sparkler had stopped in her own tracks by then and sighed in relief. “Oh thank Elysium Starlight. Thank you for making her stop!”

Starlight chuckled and Rarity just pouted. “It would’ve only been a few measurements darling. Why must you insist on not needing a new outfit?”

Sparkler sighed as she approached Rarity. “Look, Rarity. If I ever have need for a new outfit, I promise I’ll come right to you. But I just don’t see myself needing one anytime soon. Ok?”

Rarity sighed. “Alright. I just thought you’d look better in something more colorful.”

Sparkler chuckled. “I have plenty of more colorful sweaters. I just decided to wear black today.”

Rarity sighed in defeat and nodded. “Alright. I’ll take your word for it. But do come and see me when you have need for a new outfit. I’ve already thought up some LOVELY designs you might like.”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “With the stories I’ve heard of your expertise. That doesn’t surprise me.” Rarity and Sparkler chuckled as they made their way back to the picnic blanket.

Flappy moved over a bit for Sparkler to take back her seat next to him as Rainbow smiled at Sparkler. “I think you might be the FIRST pony I’ve ever seen refuse Rarity’s offer to make them new clothes Sparkler.“

Sparkler chuckled. “I just don’t need any new clothes at the moment. What’s wrong about that?”

That got a chuckle out of everypony as Spike shook his head. “Nothing. It’s just that we’ve never seen Rarity’s fashion offer rejected. Most ponies would jump at the chance for Rarity to design their new outfit.”

Sparkler chuckled as she shrugged. “Guess I’m not in the majority then.” I wonder if maybe I was TOO quick to refuse.

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yeah. Sparkler here mainly just wears sweaters. So get used to it. Squawk!”

“Hoo hoo.” Hooted owlicious.

Flappy turned to the owl and glared at him. “Squawk! Sparkler is NOT hiding something. She just likes to wear sweaters. That’s all! Squawk!”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “You speak owl Flappy?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! All animals can understand each other. Squawk!”

Fluttershy nodded. “It’s true. Animals have the natural ability to communicate with other animals of differing species.”

“Hoo hoo.” Owlicious hooted again.

Flappy groaned. “Squawk! It’s perfectly normal for Sparkler to wear sweaters! There’s nothing suspicious about it! Squawk!”

Twilight chuckled and gently nudged Owlicious with her wing. “Come on Owlicious. There are ponies that wear clothes. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Hoo hoo.” Owlicious responded before flapping his wings and flapped onto Twilight’s head and promptly settled in and closed his eyes to fall asleep.

Fluttershy smiled warmly. “Aww. Looks like it’s past somepony’s bedtime.”

Twilight nodded. “Looks like it.”

The dog sitting next to Applejack, Winona, laid down and yawned. Applejack chuckled. “Looks like the pets are outta juice.”

Rarity nodded. “Just as well. I should be heading back to the Carousel Boutique to finish up some commissions and orders.”

Everypony nodded as they stood up and packed up what was left of the picnic, or rather watched as Pinkie downed the rest of the food and promptly zipped around and had all the plates and the blanket in the basket in under ten seconds.

Sparkler watched and chuckled. Shaking her head. How is she always so hyper? It’s like she doesn’t have an off switch.

Pinkie tossed the basket onto her own back and smiled at everypony. “It’s been fun girls. See everypony here for next week’s pet play date!” With that, she zipped away at Mach pinkie speed.

Rarity nodded and turned to Sparkler. “Do keep in mind that my offer still stands darling. My mind’s been working overtime with new sweater designs for you.”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “I’ll be sure to stop by the Boutique when I have need for it.”

Rarity nodded and turned to leave, as did most others. Twilight stuck around for a tad and turned to Sparkler and Flappy. “You and Flappy are welcome to join us next week Sparkler.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Sounds like fun. We’ll be there.”

Flappy nodded and flapped his wings. “Squawk! Definitely. This was fun! Squawk!” He flapped off, aimlessly flying around.

Sparkler watched him and smiled. “And check that off the list.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Hm?”

Sparkler chuckled. “I’ve been meaning to find him a group of animal friends since we moved here. Now he has a host of them.”

Sparkler felt her tail being tugged and turned. She looked down to see Fluttershy’s pet, Angel, staring at her with a disapproving face. He pointed his fingers at his eyes, then pointed them towards her, and then proceeded to hop past her and Twilight after Fluttershy.

Twilight lifted an eyebrow towards the rabbit. “What the hay was that all about?”

Sparkler shrugged. “Beats me. I only just met him today.”

Twilight chuckled and nodded. “Anywho. I’m really glad you and Flappy happened to be in the park today. It was nice to get to know you.”

Sparkler nodded. “Same here. Flappy made new friends. I made new friends, you made a new friend. Win-win all around.”

Twilight nodded. “I think you’ll enjoy your life here in Ponyville. See you next week.” With that, Twilight walked off.

Sparkler watched her go and smiled, actually blushing little. She nodded. You know what princess? I think I will enjoy it here. Once I work up the nerve to reveal my wings to you. She sighed and trotted off. Internally thinking up a way to tell Twilight about her wings.

To be continued...
> Chapter 8: Marhabaan bikuli makhluq!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bell rang throughout the School of Friendship. Signifying the end of class, and the end of the day. Twilight smiled as she watched her class pack up. “Don’t forget about tomorrow’s test on the magic of Friendship in Griffonstone!” There was a collective groan from the class. Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes at the predictable reaction. “And the day after will start our Saddle Arabian portion of our International Friendship Unit. So make sure you tune your brains accordingly.” The class left the room and Spike, who had been in the back of the room, walked to the front.

“Well. Tomorrow should be a fun class. I don’t need to be here for it do I?”

Twilight chuckled and shook her head. “You’re excused Spike. But I want you here for the day after tomorrow for the start of Friendship in Saddle Arabia.”

Spike nodded. “Now that one, I’m actually looking forward to. Especially since we now have a friend who grew up in Saddle Arabia.”

Twilight nodded. “Speaking of Sparkler. I’m gonna head over to see her. Ask her if she’d be up for a presentation of her hometown, a firsthoof insight is always a superior teacher to secondhoof information.”

Spike nodded. “That’s a great idea.”

Some time later, over on Pony Street, a door opened and Sparkler let a SHR client out. She smiled at him. “Give us a few days to work our magic and I think you’ll be happy with the result Soarin.”

Soarin smiled and nodded. “Thank you so much Sparkler. I’m looking forward to seeing the final result. Hopefully she’ll love it.”

Sparkler nodded. “So, who’s the lucky mare that gets to hear your talent anyway? A fellow wonderbolt?”

Soarin nodded. “One of the newer ones actually.” He leaned in and whispered something into her ear.

Sparkler’s eyes widened and she smiled. “So YOU’RE the stallion she’s been droning on about. The one who LOVES pie.”

Soarin chuckled. “Yeah. That’s me. I’d really appreciate it if you kept this under wraps. I want this to be a surprise to her.”

Sparkler nodded. “Client Privacy Policy. Anything they confide in us we only disclose with their permission.”

Soarin nodded. “Thanks Sparkler. I really do appreciate this.”

Sparkler nodded. “Just doing my job. See you in a couple days.”

Soarin nodded and spread his wings to fly off. Sparkler watched him go and chuckled to herself. If Rainbow’s gonna be hearing this, then I better make it awesome. She nodded and went to close the door, when she heard somepony call out her name.

“Hey Sparkler!” Sparkler pokes her head outside to see Twilight smiling as she approached.

After taking half a second to compose herself, Sparkler smiled. “Hey Twilight. How’s it going?”

“It’s going fine. Was that Soarin I just saw fly away?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. He was here on official Sparkling Harmony Records business.”

Twilight smiled. “Did he commission a song?”

Sparkler nodded. “He did. Though that’s all I’m allowed to say on the matter.”

Twilight chuckled knowingly. “So long as a certain rainbow maned mare likes it that’s all I need to know.”

Sparkler and Twilight chuckled before Sparkler motioned for Twilight to come inside. “Wanna come inside?”

Twilight nodded. “Sure. I actually have something to talk to you about.”

Sparkler’s breath slightly caught in her throat. Twilight actually had to talk to her about something? If that party mare put her up to this I swear to Celestia... Sparkler let Twilight into her home and they stepped into the living room. Sparkler looked at Twilight. “You want anything to drink? I got some homemade lemonade you might like.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Yes please. If it isn’t too much trouble.”

Sparkler nodded and they proceeded to the kitchen. Sparkler immediately went for the fridge and opened it to pull out two bottles of her homemade lemonade. She used her magic to levitate one over to Twilight. Who smiled and took it in her own magic. She opened the bottle and took a sip. Her eyes widened when it’s sweetness touched her tongue. She set the bottle down and smiled at Sparkler. Swallowing the sip before talking. “Sweet Celestia. This is amazing!”

Sparkler chuckled as she sat down at the table across from Twilight. “Thanks. Just a little experiment in my spare time.”

Twilight nodded. “A successful experiment. Is the recipe top secret?”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “I’d like to be the only pony to know that if you don’t mind.”

Twilight nodded and took another sip. “Alright. Fair enough.”

Sparkler nodded. “So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about? Please don’t say wings. PLEASE don’t say wings!

Twilight smiled. “So, we’re learning about friendship on the international level and the next subject is Saddle Arabia.”

Sparkler had to consciously beat down a sigh of relief as she nodded. “Really. Huh. You guys are in for a treat. That’s for sure.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. And I was wondering...if you’re not too busy. Maybe you could come in and give us some insight on Saddle Arabian culture.”

Sparkler smiled. She only had one client currently so she could take a few hours to give a lesson about her home. She nodded. “Sure. I’d love to come in and get your brains in the Saddle Arabian mood. What day were you thinking?”

Twilight smiled. “Does the day after tomorrow sound good?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. That sounds good. And Flappy can give his own insight. If that’s ok with you.”

Twilight nodded. “The more insight the merrier. Thanks Sparkler.”

Sparkler nodded. “Sure thing Twilight. Oh. One thing. Make sure no creature has any food in the room. Flappy tends to just dive right in for the snacks if he can get at them.”

From elsewhere in the house, they heard Flappy groan in annoyance. “Squawk! Oh Consarnit! Squawk!”

Sparkler and Twilight laughed as Twilight nodded. “Thanks for the tip.” She got up out of her seat. Sparkler followed. “Thanks for the lemonade. It was SO tasty.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Feel free to stop by anytime. My door’s always open.”

Twilight nodded as she and Sparkler walked to the door. “I’ll keep that in mind. Anyway. Have a good evening Sparkler.”

Sparkler nodded. “You too Twilight.” With that, Twilight left. Sparkler closed the door behind her and chuckled to herself. Pinkie Pie, you are one lucky mare. She finally allowed that sigh of relief to escape. “That was a close call.

Flappy entered her view and nodded. “Squawk! If you ask me you should’ve taken this opportunity. You two were in the kitchen, having that sweet sweet Lemonade. How hard could it have possibly been to just say it? Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. “I’m not ready yet. I’m still not entirely sure if I should trust her. What if she immediately makes a royal statement or something? Then everypony would know, they’ll shun me into the outcast role, and then We’ll have to move away! It would be the end of my life in Equestria!”

Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! Sparkler. You can’t just assume it’ll turn out that way. This isn’t Saddle Arabia. And you aren’t in school anymore. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed in frustration. “You keep saying that. But my mind just doesn’t want me to believe that.” She summoned a pillow from the couch over to her, and promptly screamed into it. “Gah! Why is it SO hard to trust anypony in this town?! They’ve given me ZERO reason not to trust them! And Twilight has the same condition! If she can be herself, why can’t I bring myself to do the same!” She buried her head in the pillow and hopped onto the couch, groaning into the pillow.

Flappy sighed as he watched his owner struggle to regain composure. He could tell that she wanted to trust the residents of Ponyville and reveal her true self. But the fear of being shunned and ridiculed like before was holding her back. Eating away at Sparkler. Slowly gnawing away at her sanity. If she doesn’t talk to Twilight soon. We could have another breakdown to deal with. He shivered at that. And then he flapped his wings and flew over to the couch, where he landed on Sparkler and proceeded to wrap his wings around the mare. “Squawk! Hey. Calm down Sparkler. It’s all gonna be ok. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed as she sat up. “Is it though? I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! That may be a sign that you need to talk to Twilight soon. Uncork the bottle and let out it’s contents, before it goes boom. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Maybe you’re right.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You have another opportunity coming up. I REALLY think you should take it. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Maybe if I can get her into an empty room alone. But I’m not so sure—“

Flappy interrupted her. “Squawk! I can make sure nopony disturbs you two. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. “If I can get her into an empty room alone, then yes. I will tell her then.”

Flappy smiled. “Squawk! Trust me Sparks, you’ll feel so much better. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I sure hope so.”

...

Sparkler tried to control her breathing as she and Flappy made their way to the School of Friendship. Today was the day she was gonna accomplish two things. Broaden the horizons of the next generation on Saddle Arabia, and equally as important, tell Twilight about her wings. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. You can do this Sparkler. You're only gonna be revealing your secret to the most politically powerful pony you’ve ever met, a pony that can bani—NO! Don’t go there brain! She doesn’t seem like the kind of pony to do that. In fact, you don’t even need to think about it right now. Instead think of your presentation. “Flappy, what species of parrot are you?”

“Squawk! Saddle Arabian Teal Kiki Parrot. The most common of parrots in Saddle Arabia. Squawk!” Answered Flappy automatically.

“Most important holiday?”

“Squawk! Saddle Founding Day. My turn. Why the sudden quiz? Squawk!”

“To keep my mind off the other thing I’m gonna do today.” Sparkler answered.

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Is it working? Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yep.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Good. Squawk!”

They reached the School of Friendship. Sparkler nodded. “Right. Let’s go in there and lay the groundwork for the magic of Friendship in Saddle Arabia!” She pushed open the door and she and Flappy entered the building. They had barely gone a few steps before they saw Starlight galloping towards them.

Starlight stopped in front of the two and smiled. “Sparkler, Flappy. You made it.”

Sparkler nodded. “Yep. We’re here and ready to fill those young minds with Saddle Arabia fuel.”

Starlight nodded. “Great. Though unfortunately Twilight and the others won’t be able to make it to the assembly.”

Sparkler frowned. “Why not?”

Starlight sighed. “They’ve been called on a Friendship Mission and it’s gonna be a few days before they even make it there.”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “So they aren’t here?”

Starlight shook her head. And both Sparkler and Flappy had to keep a calm face to not give off any revealing signs. OH FOR THE LOVE OF TARTARUS! Are you freaking kidding me?!

Instead, Sparkler just nodded. “Well. That’s a bummer.”

Starlight nodded. “I think Twilight was the most disappointed of all. She was REALLY looking forward to your presentation.”

Sparkler nodded. “Well. I can always have a one on one lesson with her when she gets back.” There goes my plan for today. Grah!

Starlight nodded. “I’m sure she’ll like that. Come on. Every creature’s in the assembly hall already waiting for you.”

Sparkler nodded as Starlight led them to the assembly hall. Along the way. She and Sparkler shared a quick glance. Their eyes doing the talking.

I finally work up the courage to tell Twilight, and she isn’t even here!

I would ask if maybe telling somepony else is an option, but I know it isn’t.

Only Twilight right now. After all, she and I have the same condition, she’s likely to know more about it. I hope.

Soon, they reached the hall and Starlight opened the door. Inside, Sparkler and Flappy saw that it was packed with students. Sparkler suddenly became nervous. Ah Huh. That’s a lot more than I expected.

Starlight smiled at them. “Let me calm them down first. Then you two can start.” She proceeded to the stage and cleared her throat, preparing to address the crowd. “Alright. Every creature calm down!” The crowd didn’t seem to hear her. She sighed and lit her horn. Calling an air horn over to her. She magically squeezed the air bubble and a loud wail assaulted the ears of every creature. The crowd instantly shut up and snapped their eyes to the front. Starlight smiled as she put the air horn away. “Air horn. Never fails. Ahem. Welcome every creature. Yesterday you all had an exam on the magic of Friendship in Griffonstone. And Twilight wanted me to let you all know that you passed.” That was met with cheering from the crowd for a moment. Starlight waited for them to settle down again before continuing. “So, as a last minute reward, after this assembly, all classes are canceled until Twilight and the other teachers get back from their latest mission.” Another round of cheers before Starlight continued. “You can use that time to study because there’s gonna be a quiz on today’s presentation.”

There was a collective groan as one student shouted. “What?! But how?! Miss Twilight isn’t even here for the presentation!”

Starlight chuckled. “But I am, so I will be in the back using a recording spell from which Twilight will draw up the quiz.” She was met with eye rolling, groaning, and sighing. “Hey. Don’t blame me. It was all Twilight’s idea. Just following orders here. Anyway. Here to share with us her insight into Saddle Arabian culture. Ponyville’s newest resident musician/singer/recorder. Sparkler!”

The crowd clapped their upper extremis together as Sparkler exchanged places with Starlight on stage. She shot Starlight a smile. “Thank you, Starlight, for incentivizing them to pay attention. This will serve as the groundwork for their adventure into the magic of Friendship in Saddle Arabia and it’s an interesting culture.” She turned her attention to the crowd and waved. “Hi every creature. My name is Sparkling Medley. Sparkler for short. And Twilight’s asked me to get your brains into the Saddle Arabian groove. To help with that. I brought a very good friend of mine who’s actually a native of Saddle Arabia. Come on up here Flappy.”

Flappy smiled and took a lap around the room. “Squawk! Marhabaan bikuli makhluq! That’s Arabic for Hello every creature! Squawk!” He flew to Sparkler and landed on her waiting outstretched foreleg. He gave a bow before settling down.

Sparkler chuckled. “Show off. She commented.

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! You know me. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the crowd. “Anywho. That’s right Flappy. Marhabaan bikuli makhluq is Arabic for Hello every creature. Now. I mentioned that Flappy here is a native of Saddle Arabia. Just out of curiosity. Does any creature here know what species of parrot Flappy is? Any creature? Just raise an extremis if you know.” She saw one hoof raise. She smiled. “You. The one in the front with the turtle shell. You know what species he is?”

The volunteer nodded. “He’s a Teal Kiki Parrot. The most common species of parrot found in Saddle Arabia.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Yes. That’s right. A Teal Kiki Parrot. Not only the most common parrot species, but actually the most common BIRD species in Saddle Arabia. They’re literally everywhere. They’re about as common as...” She lit her horn and summoned a stringed instrument she had brought. “A chordophone. A Saddle Arabian string instrument played often. Especially on Saddle Arabian holidays such as Founding day—“ She and Flappy went off to tell them all about Saddle Arabia and it’s cultural history, going as far as to utilize the Chordophone to perform a traditional Saddle Arabian Duet. But...even though Sparkler was focused like a laser on the presentation. One thought lingered in the back of her mind. Of all the times for them to go on a mission...who knows if I’ll be able to work up the courage again.

To be continued...
> Episode 9: Chaotic Introduction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

🎵So come on girl, let’s fly together!

Ooh!

Fly together!

Ooh!

Let’s fly together!🎵

Soarin smiled as the song finished. He turned to Sparkler and Flappy. “You two are miracle workers. You know that right?”

Sparkler and Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! We are good aren’t we. Squawk!”

“I take it you like the result?”

Soarin grinned and nodded. “I honestly never expected it to come out this good. Heck, Spinal Record couldn’t do half the things you’ve done with this song.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Well, I was considered a one mare band back in Saddle Arabia so I think that helps.”

Soarin nodded. “I definitely see why.”

Sparkler nodded and lit her horn to summon the record from the player and promptly slid it into a cover. She smiled and held the record out for Soarin. “Here you go Soarin. One side has just the instrumental if you decide to sing live, and the other has the full song with the vocals.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Standard SHR package. An Instrumental and a regular. Squawk!”

Soarin nodded and he took the record in his wing. “Thanks Sparkler. Flappy. I really appreciate this. I just hope Rainbow likes it.”

Sparkler nodded. “I’m sure she’ll LOVE it. By the way. Have you heard anything from her in the last few days?”

Soarin shook his head. “Last I heard from her she said she was going on a Friendship Mission far far away. Haven’t heard anything since.”

Sparkler nodded as she deflated a tad. “Alright.”

Soarin raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

Sparkler sighed. “I was just wondering because I was actually wondering when I would be able to see Twilight again.”

Soarin nodded, then gave a light gasp and smirked. “Oh? Got the hots for the princess?”

Sparkler’s eyes widened as she blushed. She recovered and glared at a chuckling Soarin. “It’s nothing like that! She actually had asked me to give a presentation at her school about Saddle Arabia and Starlight said she was disappointed to have to miss it so I just thought I’d do the presentation one on one with her!”

Soarin chuckled as he nodded. “Sure.”

Sparkler groaned and shook her head. “I do not have ‘the hots’ for Twilight. She and I are just friends! I most certainly am not falling into the love-at-first-sight trope!”

Soarin nodded. “Whatever you say.”

Sparkler rolled her eyes as she led Soarin to the door. “Don’t you need to head back to HQ or something?”

Soarin chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. This was just a pit stop. Anywho. Thanks again Sparkler.”

Sparkler nodded. “Anytime.”

Soarin nodded and walked out the door. Sparkler closed the door behind him and let out a flustered sigh and rolled her eyes. “Me and Twilight. Yeah. When Tartarus freezes over.” She heard snickering and looked up to see Flappy trying, and failing, to keep a straight face. She shook her head. “No. Don’t you dare—“

Too late, Flappy let out loud bouts of laughter. “Squawk! Hahaha! Aww! Does my little Sparky have a crush? Squawk!”

Sparkler shook her head as she went for the kitchen. “Flappy! You know I only wanted to know when Twilight would be back so I can tell her about my wings. Get your mind out of the gutter!”

Flappy continued laughing as he flew into the kitchen and landed on the table. “Squawk! Aww! But you two WOULD make a cute couple. I can totally see it happening. Squawk!”

Sparkler shook her head as she got out a bottle of her homemade lemonade. “No. Flappy. Stop. Twilight and I are just friends. And I DON’T have a crush on her. End of story.”

“I don’t know. I can see you two happening as well.” Sparkler’s eyes widened as a new voice reached her ears.

She glanced down at Flappy. “Flappy was that you?”

Flappy shook his head as the voice returned. “By the way. What’s this I heard about wings?”

Sparkler’s and Flappy’s eyes widened as the oven suddenly opened and milk started flying out. The milk collected into a flying ball that expanded into a snake, and grew arms and legs, and with a poof, the milk turned into a creature that was the weirdest mishmash of animals they’ve ever seen.

The creature smiled and landed on the floor. “Greetings new friends!”

The response was Sparkler and Flappy screaming and assuming attack positions. Sparkler lit her horn and growled at the creature. “Who are you! What are you?! How did you get in here!”

The creature chuckled. “Why, it is I, the Lord of Chaos! The master of mischief! Ponyville’s resident draconnegus, DISCORD!” A huge sign saying Discord suddenly dropped out of nowhere and music and applause filled the room.

Sparkler looked around, trying to find the source. After failing to do so, she groaned and cleared her throat. “TURN THAT OFF!” She shouted.

Discord nodded and with a snap of his fingers, the noise stopped and the sign disappeared. Another snap popped in a chair that Discord sat down in. “Sorry. I overdo it sometimes. Anyway. You two must be the new residents of Ponyville. Yes?”

Flappy cautiously nodded. Discord smiled and extended his hands for shaking. “A pleasure to meet you! Fluttershy told me about you the other day!”

Sparkler and Flappy looked at each other, and then back at their unexpected guest. “Fluttershy?”

Discord nodded. “Oh yes. She told me how you blasted a bugbear out of town. Impressive.”

Sparkler nodded. “I suppose so. It’s Uh, nice to meet you Discord, my name is Sparkling Medley, Sparkler for short.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! And I’m Flappy. Squawk!”

Discord smiled and shook their hoof and wing. “A pleasure!” He snapped his chair away and smiled at Sparkler. “So. What wings are we talking about here?”

Sparkler’s and Flappy’s eyes widened as they instantly shook their heads? “Wings? What wings? I didn’t hear anypony say wings.”

“Squawk! You must’ve misheard. Squawk!”

Discord chuckled. “Oh really?” He snapped his fingers and a recording device dropped into his hand. He pressed the play button. And Sparkler and Flappy heard Sparkler’s voice. “Flappy! You know I only wanted to know when Twilight would be back so I can tell her about my wings. Get your mind out of the gutter!”

Sparkler’s eats drooped and she froze in fear as Discord snapped away the recorder, and her sweater, revealing her wings. Discord smirked. “Must’ve misheard Huh?”

Sparkler instantly lit her horn, grabbed hold of Discord’s beard, and yanked it so Discord’s eyes were brought to her own. She gave him a TERRIFYING stare. “Utter a WORD of this to ANYPONY, and I’ll dismantle you into your separate animal parts! Am I clear!”

Discord nodded without hesitation. “Crystal.”

Sparkler let go of his beard and poofed a sweater back on while Discord straightened himself out. “Just so you know, you don’t need to hide around here. Twilight’s one too.”

Flappy sighed and nodded. “Squawk! That’s what I keep telling her! Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. “Well I WAS going to tell Twilight the other day after our presentation. But then she had to go on that Friendship Mission. I mean, I understand it’s important and that she’s the Princess of Friendship and all that. But still!”

Discord chuckled. “Don’t worry. She’ll be back. Oh! I know!” He snapped his fingers and Sparkler and Flappy saw two plates of food, utensils, a table cloth, and scented CANDLES appeared. Discord smiled. “You can tell her over dinner. Ask her out on a date.”

Sparkler quickly lit her horn again and the romantic scene was turned back to the way it was before Discord. She shook her head. “NO! I’m not gonna ask her out on a date! I don’t like her like that!”

Flappy and Discord snickered. Sparkler eyed them. “What?!”

Discord smirked. “You’re in denial.”

Sparkler gasped and shook her head. “I am not in DENIAL! I’m stating FACT!”

Flappy snickered. “Squawk! You’re getting pretty defensive about it. Squawk!”

Sparkler blushed as she tried to stay calm. “Am NOT!”

Discord and Flappy chuckled as they started singing in unison. “Sparkler and Twilight sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

Sparkler growled as she lit her horn and summoned a frying pan. “Utter another word on this subject and you both get a frying pan to the face!”

Discord and Flappy saw the frying pan and ceased laughing. “Alright alright.”

“Squawk! We’ll stop. Squawk!”

Sparkler smiled and put the frying pan away. “That’s what I thought.”

Discord chuckled. “But you’re still in denial.”

Sparkler summoned the frying pan again and went to whack Discord with it. “GET OUT!”

Discord dodged the frying pan and popped away. “It was nice to meet you. Hope to run into you again soon.” He said.

Sparkler sharply inhaled and exhaled and put the frying pan away again. She turned to a Flappy. “We will never speak of this again.”

Flappy nodded. Sensing that Sparkler was dead serious.

To be continued...
> Episode 10: Friendship's Origin
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sparkler was trotting along the streets of Ponyville, going through a list of things she held in her magic along with a quill. She crossed off a thing on the list. “Get apples from Sweet Apple Acres--note to self Big Mac doesn’t talk much--check. Stop at the build-a-pony store and pick up Flappy’s gift. Check.” She inwardly sighed in relief. Thank the MAKER they didn’t ask why I wanted the plushie to have both wings and a horn. I’m not so sure if they would’ve blindly believed Flappy wanted it that way. she nodded and scanned the next item on the list. “Next up...oh. That’s everything.” She smiled and whisked the paper away. “Now to get back ho—“

“INCOMING!” Sparkler’s ears perked up and she turned just in time to see a Pegasus crash into her. They rolled on the ground to a stop.

Sparkler shook off the pain and turned to find that her sudden ‘attacker’ was none other than Rainbow Dash. She gasped. “Rainbow?! What the hay? A-Are you OK?”

Rainbow chuckled and got up. Nodding as she turned to Sparkler. “Yeah. I’m fine. I just got a little carried away with my speed. How’s it going Sparkler?”

Sparkler smiled. “It’s going good. How about you? That friendship mission of yours turn out OK?”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah. We totally fixed the magic of Friendship there.”

Sparkler nodded. “So if you're here does that mean everypony else is back too?”

Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, they’ll be back tomorrow morning. I just got off a few stops before Ponyville because I could go MUCH faster than that train.”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Any reason?”

Rainbow smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Uh, I may have been a little impatient getting back so I can see Soarin again.”

At that, Sparkler chuckled. “Aww. Did big bad Rainbow Danger Dash miss her coltfriend?”

Rainbow chuckled nervously. “There are other reasons.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Name one not Soarin related.”

She smiled knowingly at Rainbow, who reached behind her head and rubbed the back of her neck. “Er...well...” she sighed. “Ok FINE! You got me. I just wanted to see Soarin again.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Hey, I don’t blame you. Were I into colts I’d be all over him as well.”

Rainbow chuckled and nodded. “Yeah—Wait.” She did a double take as she realized what Sparkler said. “WERE you into colts. You saying you don’t swing towards Colts?”

Sparkler’s eyes widened as she realized what she just said. She blushed and smiled sheepishly. Giving a slight nod. “Ahem. Well. MAYBE I’ve always preferred mares to colts. Just something I’ve always known about myself.”

Rainbow gave her a hard look, before smiling. “Alright. That’s cool I guess. You’re into mares then you’re into mares. I’m not judging.” She nodded and flapped her wings. “Sorry about the crash. And sorry for cutting this short but I gotta go. Soarin’s waiting for me.”

“Rainbow wait, before you go. Do you know if Twilight’s seeing anypony right now?”

Rainbow froze in the air and turned to look down at Sparkler. She shook her head. “I don’t THINK so. I know she had a thing for a Pegasus guard from the Crystal Empire at some point. But I’m pretty sure they’re just friends.”

Sparkler nodded. “Alright. Thanks.”

Rainbow doubled back AGAIN as she realized something. “Hang on a minute. Why did you just ask that?”

Sparkler’s eyes widened as she realized what she just asked. “Oh, did I just ask that? I—I don’t know. I just...asked without even thinking.”

Rainbow smirked as she landed on the ground. “Is somepony crushing on the Princess of Friendship?”

Sparkler immediately shook her head. “Of course not!”

Rainbow snickered. “Then why did you just ask if she was available?”

Sparkler shrugged as she struggled to stop her blush. “I don’t know. I just asked before I even thought about it.”

Rainbow nodded as she flapped her wings again. “Sure you did. Personally I think you might be a good match for her. Anyway. See ya Sparkler. Gotta fly.” With that, Rainbow zipped away.

Sparkler watched her go. Is Twilight seeing anypony?! Are you insane?! Why did I just ask that?! She shook her head clear and began trotting back to her house. Grah! It’s just Discord and Flappy from yesterday getting to me. I don’t have a crush on Twilight. The ONLY interest I have in her other than friendship is that she’s got the same condition as me. That’s all. She nodded. Though she is a sight to behold—STOP IT! No! Bad Sparkler. Bad! She shook her clear again and continued on.

Minutes later, she reached her house and went in. As she closed the door behind her, she smiled and called out. “Flappy! I’m home!”

Flappy flew into the living room and smiled. “Squawk! Hey Sparkler! Back from the errand run? Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yep.” She took one look at Flappy and after a moment of reflection of the last ten minutes, chuckled.

Flappy raised an eyebrow. “Squawk! What’s so funny? Squawk!”

Sparkler smiled at him. “I just had a run in with Rainbow Dash, who came back early to be with Soarin. She crashed into me and when I came back and saw you I was reminded of how we met.”

Flappy’s eyes widened as he smiled and started chuckling with Sparkler. “Squawk! Oh I remember that. That might just be the best day of my life. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. I remember it like it was yesterday.”

...

I was walking back home from school that day, being followed by certain classmates...

Six year old Sparkler was covering her tear soaked face with her wings. Blocking the incoming eggs that were being thrown at her. She felt another egg explode on her wing and she let out another sob. “Come on guys! This isn’t funny!”

One of the assailants just laughed at her. “What’s wrong Featherhorn! Don’t like eggs?”

The other assailants laughed and continued throwing eggs at Sparkler. Who continued to hide behind her wings. After a moment, they all heard an adult shout. “Boys! It’s time to go!”

The assailants chuckled and threw one more round of eggs at Sparkler. “See you tomorrow Featherhorn!” The assailants laughed as they left.

Sparkler heard the laughing fade and took the opportunity to run. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Tears still falling from her face. Stupid bullies! Why won’t they just leave me alone! She tripped over her hooves and fell to the ground. She grunted in pain before standing back up. That’s when her little pony ears picked up what sounded like a whooshing sound. She turned to its source, and only had two seconds to see a little ball of feathers gliding straight at her before it crashed into her. She toppled back down on the ground and the ball of feathers settled on the ground next to her. Sparkler shook off the pain and turned her head to get a good look at what hit her. She examined it, and saw that it had eyes. She gasped. “A baby Teal Kiki Parrot!” She stood up on her hooves and cautiously approached the bird. As she approached, she heard whimpering. She quietly let out a gasp as she extended her wings and carefully picked the parrot up. “Hey. Hey there little one. Why are you crying?”

The parrot looked up at Sparkler before turning its head to Its wing. It unfolded one of them and Sparkler saw that it was bent in several places it shouldn’t be bending. She gasped. “Oh no. It’s broken.”

The Parrot nodded. “Squeak! Hurts. Squeak!”

Sparkler nodded and gently cradled the parrot in her wings. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you healed up.”

...

Sparkler opened the door to her room and immediately went to her desk. She set the parrot down on the desk with  its broken wing up and she gave it a warm smile. “Sit tight. It’ll be OK.” She lit her horn and summoned the first aid kit her parents had. She opened it up and turned back to the parrot. “Ok. I know it’s gonna hurt, but I have to pop the wing bone back in. It’ll only hurt for a second. Is that ok?”

The parrot looked up into her eyes, and slowly nodded. She nodded and lit her horn. Carefully taking the parrot’s broken wing. She breathed in and out and nodded. “Ok. On the count of three. One...two...three.” She manipulated her magic and popped the wing bones back into their proper place. That elicited a scream from the Parrot, who immediately started squirming around. Sparkler extended her magical hold to the whole animal to hold him still. “Hey! Calm down. It’s ok. Just stay still and I’ll bandage it up.” She extracted a roll of gauze from the medical kit and carefully wrapped it around the parrot’s wing. She finished bandaging it up and smiled warmly at the parrot. Setting it back down on the desk standing up. “There. Does that feel better?”

The parrot glanced at it’s wing before nodding. “Squeak! Thank you. Squeak!

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Your welcome. I can take you home now.”

The parrot shook its head. Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want to go back? What about your family?”

The parrot deflated a little. Sparkler saw this and somehow understood. “Oh. You...you don’t have one.” She saw the parrot nod. Her heart ached as she wrapped her wings carefully around the parrot. “Oh you poor thing. You must be lonely.”

The parrot nodded as it snuggled into Sparkler’s wings. “Squeak! Very lonely. Squeak!”

Sparkler nodded. You poor thing. An infant like you shouldn’t be out there alone. Her eyes widened as she thought of something. “Well. How about you stay here?”

The parrot looked up at Sparkler with a raised eyebrow. Sparkler gave it a reassuring smile. “Think about it. This way you don’t have to be alone and I promise to take good care of you. How about it?”

The parrot smiled and nodded, flapping it’s good wing. “Squeak! Yes! Squeak!”

Sparkler chuckled and hugged her new parrot friend. “We’re gonna be best friends forever. I just know it.”

...

“Squawk! And then you cried your eyes out until your parents said yes to having me around. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled as she lay eyes on the photo taken that day. She and Flappy had moved to the couch and began looking at their photo album. “Yeah. And when they did I realized I didn’t give you a name yet. So after seeing that you liked to flap your wings I came up with Flappy.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Sparkler, I know I’ve said this before, but I can never say this enough. Thank you for everything. I honestly felt my life was over before you came along. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “And I’d do it again and again if it means I get the best friend I’ve ever had.” She lit her horn and summoned her saddle bag. She opened it up and pulled out the plushie she had gotten made. “Here. Got a little something for you.”

Flappy saw the plushie and gasped. It was a near exact replica of Sparkler herself. Wings and all. Wearing a shirt that had a message on it. YOU ALWAYS HAVE A FRIEND IN ME. He smiled. “Squawk! You got me a plushie of you? Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “This way I’ll always be with you even when I’m not there physically. Do you like it?”

Flappy smiled and wrapped his wings around the real Sparkler, and the plushie. “Squawk! I love it! Thanks! Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded and wrapped her legs and wings around her pet companion. “Happy Anniversary Flappy.”

Flappy nodded as he snuggled into the hug. “Squawk! Right back atcha. Squawk!” He and Sparkler stayed in each other’s grasp. Enjoying each other’s company, as they had for so many years prior.

To be continued...
> Episode 11: Ready Now to Touch the Sky
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A small pop and a puff of blue smoke were followed by Sparkler and Flappy clinging to each other as they landed just outside the Everfree Forest. After a few seconds of shaking and heavy breathing, they calmed down and let go of each other. Sparkler nodded as she summoned a copy of the town map and crossed out a circle on it. “Pro tip, NEVER, EVER go into the Everfree Forest. That pack of timberwolves came out of nowhere.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! When I flew overhead the other week, it was clear as the sky. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded and put the map back into her saddlebag. “It may have been empty AT THE TIME. I don’t EVER want you going in or over this Forest again. Got it?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Got it. Ok, so we crossed out more than half the potential secluded flying spots. What’s next on the list? Squawk!”

Sparkler smiled. “The map says it’s the Windy Ring. It looks like a natural circular stadium.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Let’s go there. That sounds like a perfect place. Squawk!”

Sparkler shrugged. “We’ll see.” She grabbed hold of Flappy and lit her horn. It pulsed as they popped away.

Seconds later, they popped in on the top of the mountain surrounding the area. They let go of each other and both got a look at the view in front of them. They could see that indeed it was a crater with a seemingly smooth and flat stone base, surrounded by the mountain they were standing on.

Sparkler let out an impressed whistle. “Whoo. Don’t get a view quite like this in Saddle Arabia Eh Flappy?” She called out to account for the face that the wind was really blowing in the area.

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! And the wind conditions are something too. I actually think this could be a great place for flight training. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “Sure. If you want to increase your strength and stamina. I might even be able to make an obstacle course for you!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Sure thing. But right now. Those wings of yours need a good stretch after being cooped up in your sweaters! Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Alright. Fine.” She lit her horn and a ball shot from it. The hall fell down onto the ground and started expanding into lines that circled the rim of the crater. The lines touched at the other end and the whole line flashed before disappearing. Sparkler nodded. “Tripwire spell. Just in case we get a tad too high and others enter this area!” She lit her horn again and her sweater poofed away. Her wings spread open and she actually shivered, not used to feeling the cold wind blowing through her wings. “Ooh. It’s kinda chilly up here!”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! You had a chance to get a new sweater made. Remember Rarity? Squawk!”

Sparkler gasped as Flappy took off. She laughed and assumed a take off position. “Oh you did NOT go there!” She flapped her wings hard, and took off from the rim after Flappy. She got a few meters forward before stumbling in the air. She quickly regained her balance and control and eased into a hover in front of Flappy. “Whoa! I’m definitely out of practice.” She chuckled.

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Maybe you need a training course. For now... Tag you’re it! Squawk!” Flappy quickly touched Sparkler with his wing before taking off. Sparkler laughed and chased after him.



And so they flew. They chased each other around, they raced, they played games, did tricks. And just had an awesome time in the air. The entire time, Sparkler was in complete bliss. While she always wondered why she needed to be born with wings, she would gladly admit that they had their perks. Being able to fly with her parrot being the prime perk. Back in Saddle Arabia, they would fly on a near daily basis. It always cheered her up no matter how down she was. And that was exactly the case now. Here, flying with Flappy, she could momentarily forget about her secret. Up there in the sky, she just could be Sparkling Medley, a pony who had both wings and a horn.

About an hour into the session. Flappy and Sparkler settled down on a cloud overlooking the Windy Ring. Sparkler set her hooves down on the fluffy cloud and took a deep breath. “Whoo. Wow what a workout. I definitely need to exercise my wings more.”

Flappy chuckled as he set down the cloud next to Sparkler. “Squawk! Well. Now you can. I mean, an hour out here and not ONE pony has come across here. I say that means we found our flight spot. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “It was nice to get up in the air again. Though I feel as though I should preen my wings. Since they’ve been cooped up in sweaters since we moved here.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I’ll help with that. As always.”

Sparkler smiled. “Thanks Flappy.” She sighed as she laid down on her haunches. “You can go ahead and keep flying if you want. I’ll watch from here while I take a break.”

Flappy nodded and took to the skies again. Sparkler watched from the Cloud as he started weaving through the magical obstacle course she had created for him. She smiled. Yeah. This place is perfect for us. Open, secluded, a good view. Like our own little paradise. She continued to watch, until she felt her spine shiver involuntarily. Her eyes widened as she instantly lit her horn. So much for paradise! Somepony had crossed the tripwire spell! She pulsed her horn and the sweater she had been wearing that day popped into place, covering her wings. Once she felt the sweater settle. She peered over the edge of the cloud, curious to see just who had entered the area.

“Hey Sparkler.” Sparkler jumped and whipped around to see Rainbow Dash and Soarin hovering a few meters from her cloud.

Sparkler gasped. “Rainbow! Soarin! Sweet celestia. You scared me!”

Rainbow chuckled. “Sorry.” She and Soarin touched down on the cloud.

Soarin smiled at Sparkler. “Sup Sparkler.”

Sparkler nodded. “Nothing. Sup with you?”

Soarin chuckled. “Nothing much. Just out for a flight with my marefriend.”

Rainbow nodded. “What about you Sparkler? Whatcha doing up here, on a...cloud...” her eyes narrowed on Sparkler, who’s mind was racing with worry and nervousness. “How are you standing on a cloud? You aren’t a Pegasus.”

Sparkler nodded. “But I can teleport and cast a cloud walking spell.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Teleport?”

Sparkler nodded. “What? You’ve never heard of a unicorn teleporting?”

Rainbow continued to give her a hard stare. “But Twilight’s never been able to teleport onto a cloud.”

“Well. I can. Lots of practice and lessons from my dad.”

Rainbow continued to stare at Sparkler, who was trying to keep a calm face. After what felt like hours, Rainbow smiled. “That’s cool. Twilight might want to come to you for pointers.”

Sparkler nodded. “I’ll be happy to help.”

Rainbow nodded as Soarin looked over the edge and saw a yellow streak zipping through a homemade obstacle course. “Hey Sparkler, is that Flappy down there running that course?”

Sparkler smiled as she and Rainbow peered over the edge. Sparkler nodded. “That’s him. We came out here so he can work on his speed, stamina, strength, things like that.”

Rainbow watched Flappy go and gave an approving nod. “Hm. He’s a fast little critter. I’ll give him that.”

Sparkler laughed. “Oh that’s not even his top speed. That’s just his leisurely pace.” She lit her horn and directed her attention to Flappy. “HEY FLAPPY! KICK IT INTO OVERDRIVE!” She shouted over the megaphone spell

Flappy heard her, and Soarin and Rainbow’s eyes widened when he increased his speed at least tenfold. They watched him zip through the course lickity split, and nearly jumped back when he suddenly appeared at their level. Smiling at everypony.

“Squawk! Were you timing that Sparkler? Squawk!” He asked.

Sparkler chuckled and shook her head. “Nope.” She gestured to Rainbow and Soarin. “But these two wanted to see just how fast you are.”

Flappy laughed. “Squawk! Faster then both of them I’ll bet. Squawk!”

Rainbow gave a dramatic gasp and glared her wings as she stared at Flappy. “What?! No way! There’s a reason I can do the Sonic Rainboom! And I wouldn’t even need it to beat you in a race!”

Flappy laughed. “Squawk! Careful Dashie. You talk a good game, but you might not be able to back it up. Squawk!”

That earned a gasp from everypony as Rainbow smirked at him. “Oh you are going DOWN parrot! 10 laps around that obstacle course down there!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Bring it! Squawk!” Flappy descended down to the course. Rainbow followed suit.

Soaring looked at Sparkler. “Your parrot has no idea what can of worms he just opened.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Eh, so long as she actually doesn’t employ the Sonic Rainboom, this should be an interesting race.” She lit her horn again and activated the megaphone spell. She directed her attention to the racers. “I WANT A NICE CLEAN RACE FROM BOTH OF YOU! THAT MEANS NO PUTTING YOUR OPPONENT IN DANGER, AND NO SONIC RAINBOOMS DASH!

Rainbow laughed. “Don’t worry Sparkler! This may be a race, but I play fair!”

Soarin nodded his head when Sparkler glanced at him, vouching for Rainbow’s statement. She nodded and turned back to the race. “IN THAT CASE, ON YOUR MARKS...GET SET...GO!!!”



Rainbow and Flappy took off. Racing through the obstacle course. Soarin and Sparkler looked on, and Soarin was surprised to find Flappy actually managing to keep pace with Rainbow. “Whoo. That parrot of yours has some serious speed.”

Sparkler nodded. “He used to race all the time back home.” She chuckled. “You know what he told me when he first learned of the wonderbolts? He told me he was gonna be the first Parrot wonderbolt ever.”

Soarin laughed. “Well. He definitely looks like he has the speed for it. Unfortunately we don’t take animals as team members.”

Sparkler chuckled. “I figured as much. But that’s not gonna stop him from training.”

Soarin chuckled. “Hey, maybe he can be a wonderbolt for Nightmare Night.”

Sparkler chuckled. “I’ll talk to Rarity.”

At that moment, they saw Rainbow gain distance on Flappy and crossed the finish line first. Flappy followed only seconds later. Rainbow smiled as she crossed her forelegs. “Haha! Sorry Flappy. Maybe next time.”

Flappy laughed. “Squawk! You are a worthy opponent Rainbow Dash. But next time I shall be victorious! Squawk!”

Rainbow giggled. “In your dreams Parrot.”

Soarin smiled before an idea came to him. He turned to Sparkler. “Hey Sparkler, you mind if I race Flappy next?”

Sparkler smiled and activated the megaphone spell. “Let’s ask him.” She turned to Flappy. “HEY FLAPPY! GOT MORE IN THE TANK FOR ANOTHER TEN LAPPER? SOARIN HERE WANTS A RACE!”

Flappy smiled and nodded. “Send him down!”

Soarin smiled as he and Rainbow basically traded places. Once everypony was in position. Sparkler smiled. “ON YOUR MARKS...GET SET...GO!!!” Soarin and Flappy took off around the course.

Rainbow turned to Sparkler. “Gotta admit. That Parrot of yours actually put up a decent race.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Used to race all the time back home.”

Rainbow nodded. “It definitely shows.” She chuckled. After a second, she settled down again. “So. I hear you and Soarin got to know each other a bit while I was away.”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Did we?”

Rainbow chuckled. “Did you or did you not help him with a certain song that he calls Fly Together?”

Sparkler’s eyes widened as she remembered his commission and chuckled. “Oh. Yeah. That. Yeah he came to me two days before you lot were sent on that Friendship mission. He already had the lyrics down, but said he didn’t have any musical talent beyond singing.”

Rainbow laughed. “That’s so true. Did he provide an example?”

Sparkler shuddered as she nodded. Remembering the attack on her ears. “Yeah. I was close to having to wash my ears for that one.”

Rainbow laughed. “That’s why we don’t allow him ANYWHERE near any instrument that isn’t pie.”

Sparkler nodded. “So. Did you like the song?”

Rainbow nodded. “I did. Spinal Record can eat his heart out. Soarin may have sung the song and he has a good voice and all that. But YOU Sparkler, you did things in that song I didn’t even know were possible.”

Sparkler chuckled. “What can I say? I’m just that awesome.”

Rainbow laughed. “I agree. Though nopony’s more awesome than me.”

Sparkler laughed. “Sure. Whatever you say.” They turned back to the race, which was still going on. Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “They don’t look like they’re stopping.”

Rainbow nodded. “They just passed ten laps.”

Sparkler nodded. “Think we should let them know?”

Rainbow laughed. “I say we let the boys duke it out. I kinda want to see if Flappy can pass the finish line before Soarin at all.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Alright then. But I’m not letting this go on forever.”

Rainbow laughed. “Exactly. I don’t want to have to carry Soarin back. Do you know how much pie he eats? Thank CELESTIA he’s a wonderbolt. That’s the only way he could keep in shape.”

Sparkler and Rainbow laughed as they watched the boys race. As they looked on, Sparkler smiled. Despite nearly blowing my cover, today was pretty great. Though Flappy and I MAY need to find a new spot to fly together.

To be continued...
> Episode 12: So Close, And Yet So Far
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a beautiful sunny day in Ponyville. Very few clouds in the sky, birds chirping, and the townsfolk were going about their business. Among these ponies was Sparkling Medley, who was making client rounds to deliver commissions. She was smiling as she levitated the last commission to it’s commissioner. “Here you go Time Turner. One side instrumental, one side with vocals. As requested.”

Time Turner smiled as he took hold of the record. “Thanks so much Sparkler. I’ve been wanting to write a song or two. And I’ve heard amazing things about the Master Mixer from all over town.”

Sparkler chuckled at her new nickname. “I can confirm that it’s all true. And remember. If you find a problem, feel free to stop by and we’ll get it fixed at no extra cost.”

Time Turner nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind. But I already know it’ll be great. You do an amazing job.”

Sparkler, while slightly confused as to how he already knew it was amazing, just put it off and nodded. “Well. Thanks. If you ever need any other commissions. My door’s open.”

Time Turner nodded. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have a record to listen to and an adventure to begin.” He closed the door to his little box, and a few seconds later, Sparkler saw the box fade away. A second later, she was just staring at the wall that was behind the box.

She just shrugged and turned to walk out of the alleyway. “Monster attacks, a crystal castle, a pony that lives in a box that fades away...anything else I should look out for in this town?” She asked nopony in particular.

“Have you met Discord yet?” Sparkler jumped at the sudden reply and turned to see Twilight smiling at her.

After taking a second to compose herself, Sparkler smiled. “Oh, Twilight. Hey. How long have you been there?”

Twilight chuckled. “I was just walking by when I heard you asking if there’s anything else in this town you should look out for. To which I decided to ask if you had met Discord yet.”

Sparkler relaxed a tad and nodded. “He entered my house through the oven and apparently had turned himself into milk before taking his true form, a draconequus. I think.”

Twilight chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. That’s what he is. And he came in as milk from an oven?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yep. Sure gave Flappy and me a good scare. But fortunately he didn’t cause TOO much chaos.” Other than basically SHIPPING you and me together. Sparkler added in her mind. Not that she’d ever tell Twilight that.

Twilight smiled. “That’s good. You just can’t know what to expect with Discord.”

Sparkler nodded. “That's apparent.”

They both chuckled as they subconsciously began walking side by side. After a few seconds, Sparkler calmed down. “So how are you Twilight? Heard that friendship mission of yours went ok.”

Twilight nodded as her smile slowly vanished. “Yeah. It was a mission success. I’m so sorry I had to miss your Saddle Arabian presentation though. Starlight told me you and Flappy were a hit.”

“Squawk! Somepony ring? Squawk!” Right then, Flappy came in and landed on Sparkler’s back. He waved his wing at Twilight. “Squawk! Hey Twilight. Squawk!”

Twilight smiled. “Hey Flappy.”

Sparkler turned to Flappy. “Twilight was just telling me how she’s bummed she had to miss the presentation we did last week.”

Flappy chuckled and nodded. “Squawk! We did amazing. Every creature adored the Yellow Streak. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say.” She turned back to Twilight. “So, how goes your adventure into the magic of friendship in Saddle Arabia?”

Twilight smiled. “Great. The Friendship Mission put us behind schedule but we’re making our way back on track. Every creature passed that quiz on your presentation by the way.”

Sparkler smiled. “That’s good.” She giggled. “They all thought they’d get a break when you left for that mission. It was a tad amusing to see them learn that you made a quiz to keep their brains stimulated.”

Twilight chuckled and nodded. “I mainly just did it to make sure they actually paid attention to you. I didn’t want you to have a bad first impression.”

Sparkler smiled as she blushed a tad. “Aww. That’s sweet that you care.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course I do. We are friends after all.”

While Sparkler and Twilight were talking. Flappy just remained silent and watched. He smiled. This is it Sparkler. No other ponies around, we’re near our house. Just say there’s something you want to talk to her about privately, and go for it. You can do it. He would’ve loved to have reminded her of this out loud, but that would’ve been too revealing right off the bat.

A few minutes later, they had come up to the Sparkling house. Sparkler turned Twilight. “Wanna come in and have some Lemonade? Just made a lot more.”

Flappy took off from his perch on Sparkler’s back and watched in anticipation. That’s it. Get her inside...

Twilight frowned as she gave an apologetic expression. “Oh. I wish I could. That Lemonade’s the best I’ve ever had. But I gotta get back to school. My lunch break’s almost over.”

While Flappy internally cursed that another opportunity was just dashed away, Sparkler nodded. “Alright. I understand. Can’t be late for class.”

Twilight nodded. “Never have been late in the past. Not starting now.”

Sparkler nodded. “In that case. You better get going. See ya Twi

Twilight nodded. “Yeah. See ya.”

Sparkler turned to open the door, when she suddenly turned back to Twilight, who had started to walk away. “Wait, Twilight, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

Twilight stopped and turned back to Sparkler. She smiled. “Sure. What is it Sparkler?”

Flappy smiled as his hope rose again. Come on Sparkler. Say it...just a few words.

“Which way do you swing?”

While Flappy had to beat down a loud groan of annoyance WHILE staying in the air. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?”

Sparkler nodded. “Which way do you swing? Like, do you prefer mares or colts?”

Flappy’s mouth hung open. He couldn’t believe it. Sparkler had chickened out, again. OH COME ON! You were SO close!

Twilight blushed a little as she realized what Sparkler was asking. “Oh. Oh. You mean which way do I swing? Uh. Ahem. Um, I actually swing both ways actually. Mare OR colt. Doesn’t really matter. Uh, any reason?”

Sparkler shook her head as she blushed too. “Nah, it was just something I’d been wondering and I couldn’t really resist asking. I ask weird questions like that sometimes.”

Twilight nodded. Suddenly feeling the awkward pile on. “Oh. Ok. That’s uh, fine I guess. Not really something I’d try to hide.”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. I feel like we live in an accepting enough society that I can safely say that I swing all the way towards mares. I’m not gonna hide that.”

Right. Because you’re too busy using it to DODGE the real issue here! Flappy wanted to shout. But he knew better.

Twilight nodded. “Alright. That’s uh, that’s cool. ahem. Uh, if there’s nothing else I’ll just be on my way.”

There IS something else. Somepony just chickened out YET AGAIN!

Sparkler nodded. “See you later Twi.”

Twilight nodded. “See ya.” With that, she watched as Sparkler and Flappy entered the house. When the door closed. She frowned and raised an eyebrow. “What in Tartarus was that all about?” She asked as she walked off.

Flappy stared at Sparkler in their house, still not entirely believing what had just happened. Sparkler saw the look on his face and raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Flappy landed on the ground. “Squawk! What do you mean WHAT?! Squawk!” He pointed star the door with his wing. “Squawk! What HAPPENED back there?! Squawk!”

Sparkler groaned and she banged her head on the foyer wall. “I DON’T KNOW!” She squeezed her eyes shut to prevent tears from falling, and they fell anyway as she cried. “I was SO close! I was ONE SENTENCE away from getting her alone. And then I said the WRONG ONE! ‘Which gender do you swing towards?!’ Grah! Why did I ask that!” She banged her head on the wall again, and several sparks exploded from her horn. The sudden reaction made Flappy and Sparkler jump back in surprise.

Flappy gasped and immediately flew into Sparkler, wrapping his wings around her neck in a hug. “Squawk! Sparkler! Calm down! Remember your emotional state. Breathe. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded and began breathing in and out rhythmically. After a few breaths, she regained her composure. She sighed. “This isn’t good.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Your magic is reacting to your fear. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I’m losing control.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You know what this means. Squawk!”

Sparkler gulped and nodded. “I’m close to having another incident.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You know what you have to do. Tomorrow is the weekend. That’s the best chance you have to catch Twilight not doing anything. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I know.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Until then, we better get that ring on. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. But not yet. When we go to bed.”

Flappy sighed. “Squawk! If your horn starts going even more rogue, it goes on right then and there. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded.

Later on. Sparkler spat toothpaste into her bathroom sink and rinsed out her mouth after brushing her teeth. Once she finished, she placed everything back in its place and exited every bathroom to find Flappy hovering above the bed with a ring in his claws. She sighed. “Make a note Flappy. Tomorrow is the day. No ifs ands or buts about it, no dodging out, no last second decisions. I am gonna march up to Twilight’s castle, find Twilight, and reveal my wings. And if for whatever reason I chicken out at the last second, AGAIN, you have my permission to tear my sweater off.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Noted. You’ve put this off long enough. One way or another, Twilight’s gonna learn the truth tomorrow. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “And in the meantime. Let’s cork it Flappy.” She lowered her head to allow Flappy better access to her horn.

Flappy nodded and swooped in to slide the ring over Sparkler’s horn. He used one of his claws to swipe one side of the ring and it spun as it screwed down her horn into position at it’s base. Once the ring settled. Sparkler immediately felt her magic thoroughly blocked. She shivered for a second at the feeling before relaxing again. “Hopefully this’ll prevent history from repeating itself.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! At the very LEAST it should reduce the danger significantly. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded and climbed into bed. She used her wing to grab the covers and pull them over her. She settled in. “G’night Flappy.”

Flappy nodded as he settled down on his perch. “Squawk! G’night Sparkler. Squawk!” He extended his wing and flicked the lights off. With that, they both drifted off the sleep.

Sparkler found herself in Ponyville Plaza. Walking around with Twilight. Twilight smiled at Sparkler. “Oh Sparkler. I’m so glad we’re finally together. I love you so much.”

Sparkler nodded. She smiled at Twilight. “Wanna know something about me?” She saw Twilight nod. She lit her horn and her sweater. With the removal of her sweater, her wings spread out. Twilight gasped as Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. I also have wings. Just like you.” Sparkler gave Twilight a nervous glance, waiting for Twilight’s reaction.

Flappy squinted his eyes before slowly opening them. Having been roused awake by the loud squeaking of mattress springs. He sleepily looked to Sparkler, and his eyes instantly snapped open when he saw a blue glow coming from under the covers. Oh NO! He instantly flew off his perch and landed on the bed. He used his beak to grab hold of the covers and threw them back to reveal Sparkler. And just as Flappy feared, she was the source of the glow. He shook his head worriedly. No. no this shouldn’t be happening! He got to work trying to wake Sparkler up. “Squawk! Sparkler, Sparkler wake up! Squawk!”

Sparkler rolled over in her bed, giving Flappy a distraught look as she remained asleep. She shook her head. “No. No no. Stop laughing. Please!”

She started glowing brighter, and much to Flappy’s horror. He noticed cracks starting to form on the ring. HOLY TARTARUS! This is WAY worse than before! He continually tried to wake Sparkler. “Squawk! Sparkler! Wake up! It’s OK! You're ok! Nopony’s laughing at you!”

Sparkler just shook her head. “Please! Twilight let me explain! No!”

The cracks on the ring grew bigger as Sparkler’s horn began letting out sparks. After a few seconds, the ring all but exploded into tiny pieces.

THAT got Sparkler’s eyes to snap open as she finally awoke. She bolted upright, and immediately noticed something wrong. She turned to see Flappy with a panicked look on his face. “Flappy?! What just happened?!”

“Squawk! The ring BURST! Your magic destroyed the ring! Squawk!”

She glanced up and saw that the ring wasn’t on her anymore, and her horn sparking. She looked down and saw that she was glowing. Her eye irises shrank to near invisibility in fear. She shook her head. “No. No no. This can’t be happening!”

Flappy took to the air and immediately launched into a song.

🎵Sometimes love’s a scary place, it’s like standing in the dark...

Flying through the universe trying to fix your broken heart...🎵

Sparkler heard Flappy’s singing, and tried to focus on his calm voice, but her magic only increased it’s uncontrollable sparking. She began hyperventilating. “Flappy, it’s not working!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Stay calm and listen to my voice. Eyes on me Sparkler! Squawk!” He continued singing.

🎵It’s ok to let it go, you don’t have to be so afraid...

Take a chance somepony else is gonna swoop in and save the day...🎵

Sparkler shook her head. “I don’t think that’s gonna help...I...I have to get out of here!” She turned around to her window, and before Flappy could say another word, she rocketed right through the window. Shattering it and zipping away. Flappy instinctively took off after her. He managed to catch up to her a few minutes later.

He glanced down and saw that there were still lights on in the houses below them. It will be a miracle if none of those ponies notice this! He came up beside Sparkler. “Squawk! Sparkler. Just set down. And listen! We can fix this!” He resumed singing again.

🎵You don’t have to face your fears alone...

Cause whenever you're in trouble... I’ll know.🎵

Sparkler shook her head. “No! I can feel it building. I...I can’t control it! I gotta get out of here!” She turned her head around to glance at potential hiding places. She spotted the forest and sighed. Least nopony will be crazy enough to go in there. She changed course to head RIGHT for the forest.

Flappy saw this and gasped when he realized her heading. Horseapples!

To be continued...
> Episode 13: Old Wounds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flappy flew as fast as he could towards Friendship Castle. Determined to get to Twilight. He flapped his wings with all his might. “Squawk! Come on Flappy! Put your back into it! Squawk!” He looked in the distance and saw Friendship castle fast approaching. “Squawk! TWILIGHT! Squawk!”

In the castle, Twilight was fast asleep. Until her ears picked up squawking and she was roused awake. She opened her eyes and listened. “Ugh. Who left a window open?” She listened further. And she started to recognize the squawk. Hang on a second. I...Is that Flappy?! Twilight got out of bed and opened her bedroom door, to see Flappy zip past down the hall. After a couple seconds, Flappy zipped back and smiled when he saw Twilight.

“Squawk! THANK CELESTIA I found you Twilight. We need to go, now! Squawk!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Go? Where?”

“Squawk! It’s Sparkler. She’s in SERIOUS danger. Come on! Squawk!”

Twilight gasped. “Wait, Sparkler? What’s going on Flappy?”

Flappy have her a frantic look as he swooped in and started trying to push her along. “Squawk! I’ll explain on the way. But we need to go NOW! If we don’t hurry, Sparkler goes kaboom! Squawk!”

Twilight gasped. “Kaboom?!”

“Kaboom? Who’s going kaboom?” Flappy and Twilight saw Starlight and Spike rubbing their eyes.

Spike nodded. “Why is Flappy making as much noise as possible?”

Flappy groaned as he resumed pushing twilight along. “Squawk! NO TIME! COME ON LETS GO GO GO! Squawk!”

Twilight nodded. “Alright. Come on Spike—“

Flappy cut her off. “Squawk! JUST TWILIGHT! Squawk!”

Twilight nodded and spread her wings. “Alright, Spike and Starlight you can go back to bed. Let’s go Flappy.” She flapped her wings and Flappy led her out.

Spike watched them race off and raised an eyebrow. “What in Celestia’s name was that all about?”

Starlight shrugged tiredly and yawned. “Beats me. We can wonder tomorrow. I’m going back to bed. Twilight probably has this covered.”

...

“So what’s going on Flappy?” Twilight called out as she and Flappy flew through the sky over the Everfree Forest.

“Squawk! Sparkler’s having a magical breakdown! And you’re the only one who can save her. Squawk!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Magical breakdown? Flappy what EXACTLY is going on here?”

Flappy sighed. “Squawk! Promise me that to you’ll keep what you are about to hear and see to yourself. And understand that this wasn’t how Sparkler wanted you to learn the truth. Squawk!”

Twilight nodded, more confused than ever. “Cross my heart and hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye. What’s going on with Sparkler?”

“Squawk! Sparkler is just like you anatomically speaking. Like you, she has wings AND a horn. Squawk!”

Twilight gasped. “You mean she’s an ALICORN?!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Is that what it’s called? Yes. She’s been hiding it because of her past in Saddle Arabia. In short, she was the outcast, the freak everypony made fun of, she—“

At that moment, they saw a bright blue light begin to REALLY glow. Flappy gasped. “Squawk! We’ll talk later! Squawk!”

Twilight nodded as they rocketed toward the light. They landed on the ground and Twilight saw a sight she never thought she would. She saw Sparkler glowing, clearly visible wings splayed out, and visibly distraught as her horn was sparking like crazy, all signs she recognized. “Sweet Celestia. She‘s holding it in!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I tried to get her to release but she won’t listen to me! Squawk!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What’s causing this?!”

“Squawk! She’s been trying to bring herself to tell you about her wings ever since you two first met. But she never could. And it’s been slowly eating her up until finally, THIS happened! Squawk!”

Twilight nodded. “What’s been stopping her from coming out?”

“Squawk! She’s afraid of what everypony will say! She’s afraid they’ll shun her. Squawk!”

Twilight gasped. “What?! That’s ridiculous!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! TELL HER THAT! Squawk!”

Twilight nodded and started walking towards Sparkler. She cleared her throat. And then shouted. “Sparkler! It’s Twilight! Listen to me. You have to let the magic go! If you don’t, you won’t make it!”

Sparkler seemed to hear her, and shook her head in response. “No! T...too close, gah!” Tears started falling down her face from her eyes.

Twilight turned back to Flappy, who provided context. “Squawk! She’s afraid everypony’ll see and hear the outburst! Squawk!”

Twilight nodded. “I can fix that!” She lit her own horn and sent a small flare into the air. The flare exploded and erected an incredibly tall barrier that reached into the clouds around the area. She turned back to Sparkler. “Sparkler! You can release the outburst now. I just cast a cloaking spell. Nopony will hear or see it! I promise!”

Sparkler shook her head again, refusing to let it out. “Gah! T...too risky!”

Twilight could see Sparkler glowing brighter as the wind picked up speed. Her mind began to race. Sparkler had to release the magic NOW before it was too late. She shook her head and dived in to wrap her forelegs and wings around Sparkler. Pulling her close. “Sparkler! Please! Just let it go! Whatever happened in Saddle Arabia, I PROMISE you it’s different here! You don’t have to hide anything anymore! You can be yourself! Please! Let it go!” She pleaded, a few tears of her own falling down her face.

Sparkler closed her eyes tight and shook her head. “I...I can’t!”

Twilight shook her head. “Yes you can Sparkler! You should never be afraid to be yourself around us! We WANT to know the real you. Please! I’m begging you! Just let the magic go, and show us the real Sparkling Medley!” She pleaded.

At that moment, Sparkler’s horn lit up bright, her eyes turned solid glowy white, and a massive beam shot out from her horn. The beam burst through the clouds and into space, after a second, the beam stopped and Sparkler dimmed and her eyes returned to normal. Once the magic was let out and she stopped glowing, she all but collapsed into Twilight’s grip, unconscious as the wind slowly eased to a stop.

Flappy saw this and immediately flapped his wings and flew over to her side while Twilight gently set her down and lightly pressed her hoof to her neck to check for a pulse. Much to her relief, there still was. She let out a relieved sigh. “She’s alright. Just out like a light.”

Flappy smiled and sighed in relief. “Squawk! Thank the MAKER! For a second there, I thought she was gonna...” He trailed off, not exactly wanting to finish that sentence.

Twilight smiled and nodded. “She let it go just in time. A few more seconds and it may have been too late.” She gazed down at Sparkler and her eyes wandered to where Sparkler’s wings were completely exposed. “Sweet Celestia. She really DOES have wings. Pinkie was right all along.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Twilight. You are now one of the very few in all of Equestria that know the truth. I need you to promise that you will keep it on the down low until Sparkler’s ready. Squawk!”

Twilight nodded. “I promise.” She took another glance at Sparkler before nodding. “We should get her back to your guys’ house to rest. It’s not safe here in the Everfree Forest and she’s gonna be out for a while.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You go on ahead and teleport her back. I’ll see you in a minute. Squawk!” He spread his wings and launched into the air. Zipping away in the direction of Ponyville.

Twilight watched him go and turned back to Sparkler. She sighed and carefully wrapped Sparkler up in her wings. She lit her horn. “Let’s get you home Sparkler. It’s gonna be ok.” With a single pulse of her horn, she and Sparkler popped away to safety.

A few minutes later, after popping into Sparkler’s bedroom with Sparkler in her grasp, Twilight gently pulled the cover over Sparkler, who she managed to get into bed without too much difficulty. She released the covers and started for the door. She turned around again to make sure Sparkler was ok, and found Flappy carefully passing through the broken window. He looked down to see Sparkler in bed, still asleep. He nodded and flew over to Twilight. “Squawk! Let’s go downstairs. I don’t want her to wake up prematurely. Squawk!” He whispered best he could.

Twilight nodded and lit her horn. Flappy turned to see the window glowing in Twilight’s magenta aura. He whipped back around and shook his head. “Squawk! No! Not yet—“ He hissed at her. “—It’ll help her remember when she wakes up. Squawk!”

Twilight nodded and dimmed her horn. She and Flappy exited the room and gently closed the door behind them.

“She’s lucky to have you you know.” Twilight commented when she and Flappy entered the living room. “Had you not been around, or fast enough, we would’ve been scheduling a funeral this week.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I owe her my life. I was a chick when we met. My wing had been broken and she fixed it up. Were it not for her, I may not be here today. You better believe I’ll always look out for her as she has me. Squawk!”

Twilight nodded and sighed as she glanced back at the staircase. “She’s an Alicorn. I can’t believe it.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I don’t know a lot about this Alicorns. All I know is that Sparkler has been an Alicorn Since birth.”

Twilight gasped. “BIRTH?! She’s a natural born Alicorn? Are either of her parents Alicorns?”

Much to Twilight’s surprise, Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! Dad’s a Unicorn and mom’s an Earth Pony. Squawk!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “So neither have wings. Then...how could she have been born an Alicorn?”

Flappy shrugged. “Squawk! Sheer pure dumb luck? Your guess is as good as ours. Squawk!” He sighed. “Squawk! Twilight. Please understand that Sparkler had no intention of hiding her wings forever. She’s been trying to bring herself to tell you the truth for weeks. Ever since she first saw that you two have the same anatomy. She really wants to believe that history won’t repeat itself, but her past left a lasting emotional scar and it’s one wound she NEVER wants to reopen again. Squawk!”

Twilight nodded. “You mentioned that she was the outcast...”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! The resident freak of the school. The one everypony made fun of. It was absolutely disgusting the way those brainless idiots treated her. Squawk!”

Twilight felt her eyes beginning to water again as she imagined little Sparkler being horribly mistreated. “How bad was it?”

Flappy sighed. “Squawk! They pelted eggs at her daily, calling her the Horned Chicken and other things along those lines. I can still remember helping her preen her wings daily just to make sure they stayed fully flight capable. It was rough. Squawk!”

“Did anypony try to stop this?”

Much to Twilight’s horror. Flappy shook his head. “Nothing COULD stop it. No matter what was done, every school day she’d come home covered in egg yolk and broken egg shells. Amazingly she never developed a fear of eggs. But I still get nervous every time I see any kind of egg. Squawk!”

Tears were falling down Twilight’s face by now. The mere image of a little Sparkler being assaulted by eggs for no reason made her heart ache.

Flappy continued. “Squawk! And the sad part is that the egg pelting WASN’T the worst of it. Those monsters actually did something much more horrible. Something that nearly led to her destruction during her FIRST magical breakdown. Squawk!”

Twilight gasped. “You mean tonight’s incident happened before?!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yeah. Once. Apparently an alicorn’s emotions play a larger factor in their level of magical control than the unicorn average. I’ll leave it to Sparkler to tell if she wants to, but she was in so much of an emotional mess that night that it took me singing to get her to let it out, which is what I tried tonight, but it didn’t work. THAT’S why I came to you. Squawk!” He sighed. “Squawk! I still have nightmares on occasion about it. The mere thought of losing her...” He landed on the floor as his eyes began to water. “Squawk! I don’t know if I could go on without her. She practically raised me from birth. I...I don’t want to lose her after everything we’ve been through together. Squawk!”

Twilight got down on her haunches and took Flappy in her hooves, embracing him just as tears started to fall from Flappy’s face. She tried her best to soothe the distraught parrot. “Hey, it’s ok Flappy. It’s gonna be ok. You aren’t going to lose her.”

Flappy nodded slowly. “Squawk! Thank you Twilight. I really do owe you for this. Squawk!”

Twilight smiled. “Of course Flappy. I know quite a few ponies who would’ve been devastated if Sparkler had perished tonight. Myself included.”

Flappy nodded and let go of Twilight. He flapped his wings and began hovering again. He cocked his head towards the door. “Squawk! I’ll find a way to coax Sparkler out of the house in the morning and we’ll swing by tomorrow so you two can finally have a talk. Squawk!”

Twilight bit her lip and glanced at the staircase again. “Actually, I think I’ll stick around and make sure Sparkler’s ok. If that’s alright.”

Flappy smiled and nodded. “Squawk! I think she’ll appreciate that. But what about Starlight and Spike? Squawk!” He asked as he realized that he probably set off a LOT of red flags when he made as much noise as possible.

Twilight giggled. “They know I can take care of myself. And I’ll send a magical pulse to Starlight in the morning telling her that everything’s alright and that I’m with you guys.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Alright. Feel free to crash anywhere you want. I got an Alicorn to watch like a hawk...it actually has a name. Who knew Squawk!” With that, he took off up the stairs.

Twilight watched him go and sighed. Who would’ve thought an Alicorn would be Ponyville’s new resident. I wonder if Celestia is one of those very few who know. So many questions burned through Twilight’s mind as she laid down right where she was and slowly drifted off to sleep, determination to help her friend evermore prevalent within her.

To be continued...
> Episode 14: Acceptance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia’s sun grazed Ponyville with it’s warmth as the town slowly rose to face the day. In one house, with a shattered bedroom window, Sparkler slowly roused awake, tossing and turning in her bed. “No. Stay back. No. No! NO!!!” Sparkler’s eyes snapped open and she bolted upright, breathing heavily. She whipped her head around. Momentarily confused. “What? What happened?” Her eyes fell on the shatter window and she raised an eyebrow. “What happened?” Her eyes slowly widened as the events of the previous night came back to her. I...I remember losing control of my magic...and then when that magic dampening ring burst, I got out of here as fast as I could...and then the next thing I know, I’m here? How did I get back here? She focused on what happened the previous night, trying to remember what happened after she fled. Eventually, she came to remember a voice, and a pair of forelegs wrapped around her...that she couldn’t place with anypony she knew. Somepony was talking last night....no! her irises shrank to near invisibility as she came to the horrifying conclusion. Her secret was out!

At that moment, Sparkler heard her door open. In her shock, she instinctively dived for the covers and pulled them over her head to prevent anypony from seeing her exposed. She soon heard a familiar voice. “Squawk! Sparkler. Relax. It’s just me. Squawk!”

Sparkler peaked her head out and saw Flappy land at the foot of the bed, giving her a reassuring smile. She gave a weak smile back. “Flappy. You scared me.”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! Sorry about that. How’re you feeling? Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. “I feel alright? But Flappy...I think my secret’s out! I remember somepony talking to me last night, and it wasn’t you!”

Flappy sighed and nodded. “Squawk! Yeah. It wasn’t me. When my singing failed to calm you down. I knew there was only one thing left to do. Squawk!”

Sparkler’s irises shrank as she realized what Flappy had done. “W-Who did you get?”

“The only other pony you know that has both wings and a horn.” Sparkler froze as that voice reached her ears. She recognized it as her voice. She slowly turned her head, and her Irises shrank to near invisibility when she saw TWILIGHT SPARKLE standing at the door.

She jumped before yanking the covers over her once again, too scared to face the princess. “Eep! Please don’t shun me! Please! I was gonna tell you eventually! I’m sorry!” She squeaked out shakily.

Twilight and Flappy exchanged looks of concern as Twilight slowly started moving towards the bed. She spoke in a calm non threatening tone. “Sparkler. It’s ok. I’m not gonna hurt you. I promise.”

Flappy nodded as he used his wing to carefully lift the cover so he could see Sparkler’s face. “Squawk! Sparkler, she saw the wings. You can’t hide from her now. It’s ok. She wants to help you. Squawk!”

Twilight nodded as she stopped beside the bed. “I just want to talk Sparkler. You don't have to worry.”

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Nopony said a word, and then...Flappy and Twilight heard quiet sobbing coming from under the covers. Flappy flapped his wings and took hold of the covers. He slowly pulled them back to reveal Sparkler with her eyes covered with her forelegs, sobbing uncontrollably.

Twilight hopped onto the bed in front of the cowering Sparkler, laying down on her haunches to be more at her level. “Hey. You ok?”

It took a second, but Sparkler responded in between sobs. “This isn’t how I wanted you to find out. I...I’ve been trying to bring myself to tell you for weeks now. But I was always too scared. P-Please don’t stop being my friend!” Her sobbing increased as she buried her head in her legs and refused to look up.

Seeing Sparkler like this was like a dagger piercing Twilight’s heart. She never would’ve guessed that Sparkler, a pony who she had known as confident, positive, and happy, had been hiding her true self out of fear of being shunned. And to know that her past had driven her to do so didn’t help. Without knowing what else to do, Twilight reached out with her hooves and wrapped them around Sparkler. Pulling her close.

Sparkler felt hooves wrap around her and pull her against Twilight’s body and tensed up. Confusion plagued her mind. W-what’s she doing? Why hasn’t she laughed at me yet? Sparkler unexpectedly got her answer when Twilight broke the silence. “Sparkler, I’ll never stop being your friend. It doesn’t matter if you have wings or a horn. You’re still my friend and that won’t change just because you’re an Alicorn.”

Sparkler let out a quiet gasp as she gazed up at Twilight in astonishment. She had long feared that were anypony to discover her true identity, they would shun her and she would’ve been branded the outcast again with Flappy remaining as her only friend, and here was a pony, a PRINCESS at that, saying that she didn’t CARE that she was...wait, did she just call her an...Alicorn? Sparkler momentarily forgot about everything as the inquiry left her mouth. “W-What did you just call me?”

Twilight gave off a warm smile as Sparkler slowly sat up out of her grip. “Having both wings and a horn. That’s called being an Alicorn Sparkler.”

Flappy nodded as he giggled. “Squawk! The horn and wing combo actually has an official name. Heh. Who knew. Squawk!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You never knew that?”

Sparkler shook her head. “Nopony could figure out what I was. I had the horn of a Unicorn, the wings of a Pegasus, and apparently the strength of an Earth Pony, but none of the medical experts we talked to could figure out what I was. So I just started dubbing it the Horn and Wing Combo. I don’t even know where the wings could’ve come from, there aren’t any Pegasi in my family tree.” She sighed. “That...that really doesn’t bother you?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not so much bothers me as it does intrigues me.” She giggled before continuing. “Sparkler, I know you had a rough time growing up. But you don’t need to worry. It’s different here.”

Sparkler flinched a tad. “You know about that?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I told her about everything, the egg pelting, the name calling, all except that which shan’t ever be brought up. Squawk!”

Twilight nodded, and pulled Sparkler in for another hug. “Sparkler. What your schoolmates did to you was downright horrible. And you have every right to be hesitant to show the real you. But I promise, Ponyville’s welcoming to all creatures. You can be yourself here.”

Sparkler felt tears coming again. “I...I just don’t want to be branded as the outcast again. It hurts.”

Twilight tightened her grip on Sparkler. “You won’t. I know for a fact that at the very least our friends won’t turn you away. They’ll accept you.”

For the first time since waking up, Sparkler put on a genuine smile as she returned the hug. “Thank you Twilight. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you for being able to show this side of you.” They fell into silence as they just stayed like that.

Flappy smiled as he sighed in content. At last. He was glad that Sparkler was finally beginning to open up about her true nature. And we finally have a NAME for what she is. Hehe. he snickered at that thought. He suspected Twilight knew more about the horn and wing combo, and a name was definitely a start.

After a few minutes, the sound of grumbling broke the silence. Everypony frowned and Twilight and Sparkler broke the hug. They raised eyebrows when the grumbling was heard again. Flappy’s eyes widened as he realized it was him. He chuckled as he flapped his wings and launched into the air. “Squawk! Hehe. That was my stomach. Time for breakfast! Squawk!” He rocketed out the door.

Twilight and Sparkler watched him go and chuckled, hopping off the bed. “Is it still morning? Doesn’t feel like it.”

Sparkler chuckled. “You can join us for breakfast. Or do you have stuff to do today?”

Twilight chuckled. “I can stay for breakfast.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Alright. I’m glad actually. Because now my mind’s burning with questions about Alicorns.”

Twilight chuckled. “I just can’t believe you didn’t at least know what it is you were.”

Sparkler giggled and shrugged. “After a few years I just accepted calling it the Horn and Wing combo. Though Alicorn rolls off the tongue easier.” That got both alicorns giggling. After a second, Sparkler sighed. “Hey Twi? You think maybe we could keep this between us? I...I’m not quite ready to come out to everypony yet...”

Twilight nodded. “Your secret’s safe with me Sparkler. And when you are ready, I’ll be right there with you. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded, and then frowned when a high pitched voice echoed through the room. ”FOREVER!”

Sparkler and Twilight looked around the room. Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”

“That was Pinkie Pie. One of her many unexplainable antics. Also, I am getting SUCH an I-told-you-so from her.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Today you join Pinkie and Discord in the very few that know my true identity.”

Twilight gasped as they started for the door. “Discord?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. Apparently he was eavesdropping on me and Flappy one day. As if Pinkie’s antics weren’t enough of a secret security risk.” They chuckled as they made their way down the stairs. Sparkler let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding all morning. Finally, Twilight knows, and we’re still friends... With that in mind, her confidence gained a massive boost. If Twilight accepted her, that meant that she could rationally believe that so would Ponyville. This won’t be school in Saddle Arabia all over again. I CAN be myself. She managed to tell herself, for the first time since she moved to Ponyville.

To be continued...
> Episode 15: Emergency at Tea Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Sparkler and Fluttershy were galloping frantically through the streets, escorting a flock of birds carrying an injured Flappy along. Wait...what?!

Fluttershy turned her head to give Sparkler a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry Sparkler. The Animal Sanctuary isn’t too far from here. We’ll take care of Flappy.”

Sparkler nodded as she glanced worriedly at Flappy, who was laying on a makeshift stretcher being carried by Fluttershy’s bird friends. “Just hang on Flappy. We’ll getcha all fixed.”

Flappy groaned in pain. “Squeak. It hurts. Squeak.”

Sparkler nodded. “Just a little further Flappy, it’ll all be ok.”

Mere minutes later, they came up to a building Fluttershy had led them to. She all but bucked the doors open and rushed in. Startling the only pony in the room. The mare jumped when she saw the door swing open. Fluttershy paid it no mind as she gave the mare a frantic look. “Cherry Blossom! We got a code red. Parrot down, he needs medical treatment now!”

Cherry glanced behind Fluttershy and saw the flock of birds holding a makeshift stretcher. She saw the stretcher carried a parrot, and it was clear it was in pain. She nodded. “Let’s get him to the ER.”

Fluttershy nodded and turned to her bird friends. “Follow Cherry Blossom. Get Flappy to the ER.”

The birds nodded and followed Cherry. Fluttershy then turned to a panicky Sparkler and gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry Sparkler. Flappy’s gonna be just fine.”

Sparkler nodded. “Can you really help him?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Of course. Helping animals is how I got my Cutie Mark. I’ll bring him out when we’re done.”

Sparkler nodded. “Anything you can tell me now?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Even with healing elixirs, he’s gonna need to stay on the ground for at least two weeks.”

Sparkler nodded. “That I can ensure.”

Fluttershy nodded and gave Sparkler a quick hug. “I’ll be back with Flappy soon.” With that, Fluttershy rushed out of the waiting room.

Sparkler watched her go and sighed. “Please bring Flappy back to me.” She whispered to nopony in particular. With nothing else to do, she walked over to one of the chairs and hopped onto it. Thinking back to earlier.

FLASHBACK...

Flappy did a loop and landed on the branch, where his new bird friends were using their wings to clap. Flappy smiled and took a bow. “Squawk! Thank you. Thank you. You’ve been an amazing audience. Squawk!”

One of the birds chirped something. Flappy smiled and nodded. “Squawk! I have saved the best for last. My greatest trick of the lot. A little something I like to call, the Air Blaster! Squawk!” He spread his wings.

“Hey Flappy!” Flappy turned to see Sparkler sitting at an outdoor table with Fluttershy and Discord. She shouted to him. “If you’re doing THAT maneuver, be careful!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Always careful Sparkler! Squawk!” With that, he took off.

Fluttershy, Discord, and Sparkler watched him take off. Fluttershy smiled as she noticed the other birds watching him in anticipation and excitement. She giggled and turned to Sparkler. “Flappy’s quite the celebrity. I think all my current bird tenants are gathered to watch him do his little stunt show.”

Sparkler chuckled as she set her teacup down. “Anything relating to flight, he loves to do. Racing, stunts, anything that uses his wings as they were intended.”

Discord nodded as he took a sip of his own tea. “Has he raced Rainbow Dash yet?”

Sparkler nodded. “He lost. Both against her AND her coltfriend Soarin. Fun fact, Flappy now is aspiring to be a wonderbolt.”

Discord and Fluttershy chuckled. “Do they even allow animals?”

Sparkler shook her head. “Soarin told me no. So while he may become the fastest thing alive, unless they change their rules, he can’t ever be a wonderbolt.”

Discord literally deflated. “Aw. I kinda wanna see Flappy in a wonderbolt suit now. I bet he’d look adorable.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Well. Good thing Rarity is a fashion designer. I just need to get Flappy in for a measuring, wait a few days for Rarity to make the suit, make sure it fits, and Badda bing badda boom, he’s a wonderbolt for Nightmare Night.”

Fluttershy nodded. “You won’t have to wait a few days. Rarity’ll be able to have the entire process done in a day at most.”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Really? That quickly?”

Fluttershy nodded. “She’s really passionate about her work. And has become rather good at being fast and thorough.”

Sparkler let out an impressed whistle. “Whoo. That’s impressive.”

Discord nodded. “Which will leave you plenty of time for you two to chit-chat about things.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Sparkler RAISED her eyebrow at him. “Things?”

Discord nodded. “She’s a perfect source if you need assistance with more...personal endeavors.”

Sparkler gave him a confused look. “Meaning?”

Discord groaned. “Romance! I mean romance!”

Sparkler and Fluttershy slightly leaned back involuntarily at his sudden outburst. Sparkler still wasn’t getting it. “Why would we chat about romance?”

Discord smirked. “Because you and Twilight are a thing now. Of course.”

Sparkler, who had taken a sip of tea, spat it out, and her eyes widened. “EXCUSE ME?!”

Discord chuckled. “Oh come on Sparkler, don’t think we didn’t notice you two started spending more time together.”

Sparkler blushed like mad. Think Sparkler, THINK! “How in Equestria would that correlate to us being an item?”

Fluttershy shrank a tad as she spoke up. “Um, well, it’s just that Spike and Starlight told us how you two now practically barricade yourselves in the castle library, always requesting to be left alone and undisturbed...”

Sparkler cursed herself internally. OF COURSE they would notice that! Sparkler shook her head. “That doesn’t mean we’re together. I mean, I’ve barely known her for a month, and I am NOT the kind of mare to fall into the love-at-first-sight trope.”

Discord smirked at her. “Then you wouldn’t mind sharing why it is you two have taken to having private study sessions regularly now?”

Because she’s been teaching me about my own kind. Again, Sparkler shook her head. “I don’t believe that’s anypony’s business. What we do behind closed doors is between us until either of us decide to disclose to everypony.” Or in this case, until I decide to disclose. “But we ARE NOT together, I don’t like her like that.”

Discord shot her a knowing smile. “So there’s NOTHING you like about her?”

Sparkler was about to respond...when she suddenly heard a crashing sound, followed by a loud squeal of pain. She whipped her head around to see a bunch of Fluttershy’s bird tenants hover over to them and squeak frantically.

Fluttershy listened. And gasped a few seconds later. “What?!”

Sparkler lifted an eyebrow. “What did they say?”

Fluttershy hopped out of her chair. “They say Flappy CRASHED!”

Sparkler’s eyes widened. “He WHAT?!” She hopped out of her chair as she followed Fluttershy and the birds over to the tree. They reached behind the tree, and both Fluttershy and Sparkler gasped at the sight of Flappy laying on the ground, wings splayed out, bent in ways they shouldn’t be, feathers a mess. Sparkler took a step towards him and lay down on her haunches. “Flappy?! Are you alright?!”

There was no response for a good minute, and then they heard a faint groan. “Squeak. Ow. Squeak.”

Fluttershy turned to her bird friends. “Get the stretcher, we need to get him to the Animal Sanctuary.” The birds nodded and rushed towards the cottage.

Sparkler lit her horn and carefully lifted Flappy off the ground and into her hooves. “Oh Flappy. What happened?”

Flappy groaned. “Squeak. Crashed into the tree. What do ya think? Squeak.”

Fluttershy got down on her own haunches and gave Flappy a reassuring smile. “It’s gonna be Ok Flappy. We’ll get you fixed up.” She turned to Sparkler. “I got an Animal Sanctuary not too far from here. It’s fully equipped to treat injuries this severe.”

Sparkler nodded. “Please? I don’t want to lose him.”

Fluttershy nodded as she noticed the birds return carrying a small stretcher. “You won’t. I’ll make sure of it.”

At that moment, Discord popped in and got a good look at Flappy. “Yikes. That’s pretty bad.”

Fluttershy nodded as Sparkler carefully set Flappy on the stretcher. “Discord, can you look after the animals here?”

Discord snapped his fingers and turned into an exact copy of Fluttershy, and nodded. “Fluttershy mode engaged. Don’t worry. I’ll handle things here.”

The real Fluttershy nodded and got up on her hooves along with Sparkler. “Thanks Discord.” She turned to Sparkler and the birds, who were carrying Flappy in the stretcher. “Let’s move it!”

PRESENT...

Sparkler paced back and forth in the waiting room of the Sanctuary. It had been a half hour since Fluttershy had taken Flappy back to the ER and she hadn’t heard anything. She continued pacing as her mind raced. Grah! I knew that Air Blaster maneuver was dangerous. Why didn’t I stop him?!

He’s successfully performed it before, several times. There just weren’t any trees in the way.

And now he’s in the ER, with who KNOWS how many injuries beyond the wing damage.

Will he be able to fly again?

I hope so. He always enjoys flying, it would DEVASTATE him if that was taken away.

At that moment, Sparkler heard the door open and she snapped her head to the door to see Fluttershy pushing a mobile table with a sight that made her worries wash away. There, standing on the table, was Flappy, both wings were bandaged, and held to his sides by a bandage that wrapped all around his barrel, but still, he was alive.

Sparkler grinned as she ran over to them. “Flappy. You’re ok!”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Fluttershy’s a freaking miracle worker. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded towards Fluttershy. “That she is. What’s the damage?”

Fluttershy launched into explanation. “Both his wing bones popped out of place, we had to pop them back in and bandage them.”

Sparkler nodded. “And what does he need to do to let his wings heal completely?”

Fluttershy reached under to the under compartment of the table and pulled out a bottle. She held it out for Sparkler. “He should get a sip of this every morning and every night before he goes to bed, it’s a healing elixir that’ll expedite the healing process. And he can’t be flapping his wings at all. Which is why we wrapped a bandage around his midsection, to keep them in place.”

Sparkler nodded and glanced at Flappy. “Hear that Flappy?”

Flappy sighed and nodded. “Squawk! Yes Sparkler. I heard. Squawk!”

Fluttershy nodded. “All goes well and you should be back in the air in as little as two weeks. Just don’t go doing that...Air Blaster? Is that the move you were trying to do?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yeah. And I CAN do it successfully. Just...apparently can’t when trees are around. Squawk!”

Fluttershy nodded. “Well don’t go doing that again any time soon. We honestly don’t need another Rainbow Dash around here.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Meaning?”

“She crashes more often than you’d think. The Hospital is probably “sick” of dealing with her by now.” Fluttershy responded, giggling to herself.

Sparkler giggled too. “Ah. I see. You don’t want Flappy to start a habit of needing to be fixed up regularly too.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Um, I know you can’t fly, but...it would be good if maybe you could watch him while he does his trick shows from now on. Just as a safety precaution?”

Sparkler chuckled as she lit her horn and moved flappy from the table to her back, and took the elixir and settled it in her saddle bag. She nodded at Fluttershy. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you SO much Fluttershy. We owe you big time.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yeah. Thanks a lot. Squawk!”

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh. It was no trouble at all. I would hate for Flappy to lose his flight. After all, what’s a bird without flight?”

Sparkler and Flappy nodded. “A bird without flight is no bird at all.”

Fluttershy nodded and gestured to the door. “Flappy should get some rest. I can walk you two home if you want.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “An extra pair of eyes wouldn’t hurt.” She glanced at Flappy. “He can get fidgety sometimes.”

Flappy rolled his eyes as Fluttershy giggled. “We have to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself again.” Sparkler, Flappy on Sparkler’s back, and Fluttershy started walking, they exited the Sanctuary and made their way towards Ponyville. A few minutes into the journey, Fluttershy spoke up again. “So, um. Sparkler?”

Sparkler turned to Fluttershy. “Yes Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy shrank a little again as she bit her lip. “Um. I know you already said no. But, um. Maybe you just didn’t want Discord to know...are you and Twilight...?”

Sparkler groaned and shook her head. “No Fluttershy. We aren’t together. I meant it when I said you girls would’ve found out by now if we were.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Oh. Um, ok.”

Flappy laughed. “Squawk! Did I miss something at Fluttershy’s? Squawk!”

Sparkler shook her head. “Nope. Nothing at all.”

Flappy laughed. “Squawk! Sounds like I did. Squawk!” He turned to Fluttershy. “Squawk! I can confirm that they indeed aren’t together. Although they’d make the PERFECT couple. Squawk!”

Sparkler blushed. “Flappy! Will you stop? Please? I don’t like her like that.”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! Oh come on Sparkler. Don’t think I don’t notice whenever you look at her these days. Squawk!”

Sparkler groaned. “Grah! Why does everypony ship me and Twilight?! First Soarin, then Discord, then Rainbow, followed by Flappy, I swear to Celestia if I get bombarded by Rarity with Twilight related questions when I take you to go get your Nightmare Night costume...”

“Um, if I may say something. I really do think you two would make a good couple. Not trying to match make, just an observation...” Fluttershy commented.

Sparkler sighed. “Well, least I know I have support IF we ever get there.”

Flappy giggled. “Squawk! When. Not if. Squawk!”

Sparkler turned her head and shot a glare at Flappy. “You are really lucky you’re hurt. I still got that frying pan.”

That shut Flappy right up. Sparkler sighed and shook her head. “Look, it’s not that I DON’T like her. I do, but I just don't LIKE like her. We’re just friends.” She nodded and turned back to watching where she was going. Just friends. Just friends.

To be continued...
> Episode 16: Raps and Visits
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Friendship Express skidded to a halt at Ponyville Station, as it did every day. It’s doors opened and allowed its passengers to either board or disembark. Among those who disembarked, an Earth Pony mare and a Unicorn stallion stepped off the train onto the platform. The stallion smiled. “At last. We made it.”

The mare nodded. “We did.” She looked around. Seeing that the reason for them being there wasn’t around. “We did remember the map she sent, right?”

The stallion chuckled. “Yeah. We did.” He lit his horn and summoned a map from his saddlebag. The map had a note attached to it.

Mom and Dad,

If Flappy and I are not at the platform to greet you, then we are most likely with a client working on some sick beats. If this is the case, I laid out the most direct route to my house on this map. When you are at the front door, send a signal through Horn Pulse to let me know you’re there, that way we don’t hear a knock in the recording.

The stallion opened the map and found a red line connecting Ponyville Station to a house. The mare looked on and smiled. “I can’t wait to see her again Thundercracker. Maybe we’ll even meet some of her new friends.”

Thundercracker chuckled. “I hope so, Aurora.”

Aurora smiled. “Then let us follow this map to our treasure. Yar!”

Thundercracker and Aurora chuckled as they walked off the platform and into town.

Meanwhile, in the headquarters of Sparkling Harmony Records, Sparkler was not in fact with a client, but instead laying down some sick beats with Vinyl Scratch. AKA DJ-Pon3. Sparkler in particular was rapping.

🎵Hey hey, check it here.

Vinyl and Sparkler are in the house.

Laying down some fast tracks turning up the heat.🎵

Vinyl took over

🎵A pair of music Unicorns mixing up the beat!🎵

Back to Sparkler as they alternated.

🎵Vinyl is the mixer sitting at the helm.🎵

🎵Sparkler is the band that the fans overwhelm!🎵

🎵Put them both together and what do you get?🎵

They rapped in unison.

🎵DJ Unicorns laying down the rap! Backed by a parrot we’re a triple threat!

BOOM!🎵

Flappy extended his wing to stop the recording, and the music, as Vinyl and Sparkler burst into giggling messes. He giggled himself. “Squawk! Aaaand THAT one goes right into the favorites drawer of the archive. That was AWESOME Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded and turned to Vinyl. “The great DJ-Pon3 CAN rap after all.”

Vinyl chuckled and nodded. “Apparently I can.”

Sparkler nodded. “You want a copy to take with you?”

Vinyl straight up laughed. “And risk Tavi burning it on the spot if she hears it?” She shook her head. “Nah. While I can say now that I can rap anytime I want. There’s only one Octavia Melody and I’d just as soon give up music than lose her.”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “Alright. But if you ever wish to own a copy of your first ever rap, SHR keeps everything on file.”

Vinyl nodded, but raised an eyebrow. “Won’t that be problematic space wise?”

Sparkler giggled. “One of the good things about being a unicorn is that you learn certain spells that deal with that problem.”

Vinyl chuckled and nodded. “You may have to impart some of those spells on me sometime. I’m something of a record hoarder myself.”

Sparkler nodded. “Just stop by when you need the spells and I’ll be happy to teach them.”

Vinyl nodded. “I’ll be sure to do that.”

Sparkler nodded. “So. Wanna head upstairs and have some lemonade? I’m a bit parched.”

Vinyl nodded. “I’ve been DYING to try some of that famous homemade lemonade I keep hearing about at the club...” She then sighed. “But I can’t. Tavi’s coming home tonight and I’m making a special welcome home dinner for her.”

Sparkler smiled as she started for the stairs. “Aww. That’s so nice.” She nodded. “In that case I can give you a bottle for the road.”

Vinyl’s ears perked up as she smiled. “Really?” She trotted after Sparkler as the two proceeded upstairs. “Thanks a bunch! I’ve heard that it tasted great and I’ve been wanting to treat my tastebuds to that goodness ya know?”

Sparkler nodded as they entered the kitchen on the ground level of the house. “Hey, I don’t blame you. Some ponies have commented that I could make a fortune selling it.”

Vinyl raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t you?”

Sparkler smiled as she went to grab Vinyl a bottle of lemonade. “Eh, not looking to make big bits or anything. Already have a decent income with the commissions I do that’s more than enough to support me and Flappy so there’s no need to go overboard right?” She levitated a bottle of lemonade to Vinyl. Who nodded as she took the bottle in her magic.

“That makes sense I guess. No use having bits if they’re just gonna pile up.” Vinyl unscrewed the cap and took a sip of her lemonade, suffice to say, it’s reputation preceded it. She swallowed before her face lit up. “Wow! This is amazing!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Thanks. Just a little something I came up with in my spare time.”

Vinyl nodded. “Little? This is the best lemonade I’ve ever tasted. What’s the secret ingredient?”

Sparkler chuckled. “I will leave it up to speculation for as long as I can.”

Vinyl chuckled. “Fair enough. We all have our secrets right?”

Sparkler nodded. “Indeed.” You have no idea.

Vinyl nodded as she started for the front door. “Anyway, I better get going...oh!” She turned back around to Sparkler. “Um, mind if I steal an extra bottle? I’m sure Tavi would LOVE to have some of your lemonade.”

Sparkler smiled and lit her horn. A second bottle of lemonade floated to Vinyl. She smiled. “You’re awesome Sparkler. Thanks!”

Sparkler nodded. “No problem. Say hi to Octavia for me.”

Vinyl nodded. “Will do. Later Sparkler.” With that, Vinyl turned and left.

Sparkler chuckled as she heard the front door open and close. “We all have our secrets indeed.” She sighed. “I just wish I had the courage to come out with mine.”

At that moment, Flappy entered the kitchen with a raised eyebrow. “Squawk! You say something Sparkler? Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “You think I’ll ever be able to come out with my secret to everypony Flappy?”

Flappy landed on the table and nodded. “Squawk! Of course. I mean, ever since you came out to Twilight...albeit with some...persuasion...I can tell your confidence bar raised significantly. I’d say you’re just shy of the confidence needed to finally beat that fear into submission. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. It was true that she had gained a confidence boost since Twilight learned the truth. And that confidence somehow only grew when they had started delving into Alicorns and their history. “Yeah. Though I can’t—“

Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! No! Don’t start thinking like that! The time to come out is coming up. I can feel it. Squawk!”

Sparkler was about to say something, when suddenly, her horn flashed twice then dimmed. Sparkler beamed and shot to the front door. “Oh! They’re here!” She reached the door and practically threw it open. Revealing two ponies smiling at her. She beamed. “Mom! Dad!” She wrapped her forelegs around her parents.

Thundercracker and Aurora smiled and returned the hug. “Sparkler It’s so good to see you!”

“We missed you around the house.”

Sparkler chuckled as they let go. “I thought you were glad to finally have some peace and quiet.”

All three of them laughed as Sparkler let them into the house. They walked into the living room where Flappy flew in. He smiled at the newcomers. “Squawk! If it isn’t Thundercracker and Aurora. Weren’t you supposed to be here hours ago? Squawk!”

Aurora laughed. “Thundercracker here INSISTED on a snack stop before we left Saddle Arabia. We missed our original train.”

Thundercracker chuckled and waved at Flappy. “Hey Flappy. How’re you doing?”

Flappy smiled. “Squawk! Never better. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Ponyville’s been great.”

Aurora nodded. “I’m sure.”

Sparkler nodded. “So, you two want something to drink? Got some lemonade in the fridge.”

Thundercracker grinned and nodded. “We missed your famous lemonade.”

Aurora nodded. “But first. Let us see’em.”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “See what?”

Thundercracker chuckled. “Your wings of course.”

Sparkler’s eyes widened in realization and chuckled. “Oh. Right.” A pulse of her horn removed the sweater and let her wings spread out before folding back up again, or tried to. Because Aurora stopped them as she immediately began looking them over.

Aurora smiled after a minute. “They’re in good shape for being cooped up in sweaters all day. Not a single spec of lint.”

Sparkler and Flappy chuckled. “I do preen them regularly.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! And I make sure she gets every spot. Wing maintenance is important. Squawk!”

Aurora and Thundercracker chuckled and nodded. “Yes it is.”

“Glad to see you’re keeping up with it.”

Sparkler nodded as her mom finally let her wings fold up. “So, about that lemonade.” She led her parents to the kitchen and went to the fridge as they sat down. She got out 4 bottles of her lemonade and levitated three of them to her parents and Flappy. She closed the fridge door and took a seat at the table. “So, how’s life back in Saddle Arabia? Did Kilihima Village suddenly grow in our absence?”

Thundercracker laughed and shook his head. “Nah. Still the same rundown boring remote village it’s always been.”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! How about the Parrot population? Squawk!”

Aurora nodded. “Common and active. As always.”

Thundercracker nodded. “So, you said you were most likely with a client if you weren’t at the Station to greet us Sparkler. Were you working on a commission?”

Sparkler smiled sheepishly and shook her head. “Um, yeah. Most likely didn’t mean definitely. I was actually laying down some sick beats with one of my new friends, for fun.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! They were laying down some sick beats. AND lighting the room on FIRE with their on-the-fly rap. Squawk!”

Aurora smiled. “Well I’m glad to hear you’re getting along with the local townsponies. It was SUCH a relief to hear that you finally had a group of friends after all these years.”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah...finally.”

Thundercracker shifted his weight around in the chair before looking at Sparkler. “So, have you told anypony about your wings?”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “One of them. And...you guys aren’t going to believe this...” she lit her horn and summoned a photo that had been hanging on the fridge and showed it to her parents. “But I’m NOT the only Alicorn after all! I found another like me!”

Thundercracker and Aurora’s jaws dropped as they lay eyes on the photo of Sparkler, her wings exposed, with a lavender pony that also had wings and a horn.

Thundercracker was the first to come out of his shock. “W-What did you just call yourself sweetie?”

Sparkler smiled excitedly. “An Alicorn. That’s what Twilight’s said we were. Heh. Can you believe the Horn and Wing Combo ACTUALLY has an official name?”

Aurora nodded. “That’s...pretty surprising.”

Thundercracker raised an eyebrow as he studied the picture. “Is this you and...you said her name was Twilight?”

Sparkler nodded. “Twilight Sparkle. One of my new friends. And now my tutor in all things Alicorn.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Sparkler also has a crush on her. Squawk!”

Sparkler blushed like mad as she shot a laughing Flappy a death glare. “I do NOT!”

Aurora raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Oh? Does our Sparky finally have her eye on somepony?”

Sparkler shook her head. “Nope. I DO NOT have a crush on Twilight, or ANYPONY. End of story.”

Thundercracker chuckled as he examined the photo still in front of them. “I will say she’s quite the looker.”

Sparkler’s blush remained as she took the photo in her magic and yanked it out of her parents’ view. She shook her head. “Don’t you two start too. I’m pretty sure half of Ponyville ships me and Twilight already. I REALLY don’t need my own PARENTS trying to matchmake us too.”

Aurora chuckled. “Oh relax Sparkler. We’re just teasing you.”

Thundercracker nodded. “We think it’s great you finally have somepony you can talk to about your...is it considered a condition?”

Sparkler shook her head as she placed the photo back on the fridge. “Nope. It’s a race. And I WILL say that I’ve been enjoying the time Twilight and I spend together. As FRIENDS. Nothing more.”

Flappy snickered. “Squawk! Sure. Just keep telling yourself that. Remind me to bring a camera next time we go for an Alicorn Lesson and I’ll show you the looks you’ve been giving Twilight. Squawk!”

Sparkler rolled her eyes. “Hey. How about we STOP teasing the Alicorn in hiding, and instead head down to the basement where I can show you the kind of talent I’m working with here.”

Thundercracker and Aurora nodded. “Can we hear that rap you did today?”

Sparkler nodded. “Sure thing. Come along.” She and her parents, with Flappy following, proceeded to the basement. Sparkler let her parents go first, but stopped Flappy before he could follow them. She gave him a VERY unamused look. “Are you going to take EVERY opportunity to take potshots at my NONEXISTENT crush on Twilight?”

Flappy snickered. “Squawk! Nonexistent wouldn’t be the word I’d use. But come on Sparkler. You know I’m only playing around. I think it’s great you finally have more friends. Even more so that one of them is just like you.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I’m happy to call Twilight a friend.”

“Squawk! For now. Squawk!”

Sparkler groaned. “Just get down there.” Flappy nodded and descended the stairs. Sparkler shook her head and glanced back at the kitchen, specifically at the picture of her and Twilight. She smiled warmly. Here’s hoping I can gather enough courage to come out to everypony else. On that thought, she closed the door to the basement and descended the stairs.

To be continued...
> Episode 17: Surfacing Feelings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sparkler was trotting along Ponyville’s streets with Flappy on her back. She smiled and glanced back at her parrot friend. “So, you ready to become a wonderbolt Flappy?”

Flappy smiled and shivered with excitement. “Squawk! Even if it’s just a Nightmare Night costume. I’m so EXCITED! Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Shame they don’t allow birds in the wonderbolts. You definitely have the speed to keep up with them.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! We have GOT to ask WHY birds aren’t allowed. Squawk!”

Sparkler giggled and nodded. “Next time we see Soarin we can ask.” She turned back to the road and saw their destination up ahead. “There’s the Carousel Boutique...” She slowed her pace as her smile faded. She took a deep breath. “Hopefully I don’t get pulled into the fray. I REALLY do not need Rarity the Gossiper finding out about my wings yet.”

In the Carousel Boutique, Rarity was hard at work on a new dress commission. She smiled as she placed diamonds on the trim. “Diamonds. They look simply DIVINE on any dress.” She placed another diamond in its place in the line when she heard the boutique door open and the bell ring. She beamed and trotted out of her workshop into the main store, launching into her usual greeting. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique.” She looked to the door, and her smile grew when she realized who it was. “Oh! Sparkler! How delightful to see you!”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Nice to see you too Rarity.”

Rarity nodded as Sparkler walked further into the store. “So, are you here for a new outfit? PLEASE tell me you’re here for a new outfit!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Kinda. But not for me.”

Rarity’s smile faltered. “Oh? Then who?”

Flappy chuckled and hopped off Sparkler’s back. “Squawk! I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt! Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “Flappy wants to be a wonderbolt for Nightmare Night. You think you can make a wonderbolts outfit that will fit him?”

Rarity chuckled and nodded. “Foals play.” She lit her horn and summoned her measuring tape. She gestured over to the elevated stage. “Come up onto the stage and we’ll get you all measured up Flappy.”

Flappy nodded and flew over to the stage. Rarity and Sparkler giggled at his giddy mood and trotted over to the stage. Rarity hopped on and began measuring Flappy. “If you can spread your wings Flappy, this will be just a moment.”

While Flappy spread his wings, Rarity took measurement after measurement. While she worked, she chatted with Sparkler. “So, how’re you Sparkle? Enjoying life in Ponyville?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. It’s been great. Definitely made the right choice moving here.” Now if only I could work up the courage to reveal my wings, it would be PERFECT!

Rarity nodded. “I’d say you did darling. And I’m sure Twilight would agree with you.” She shot Sparkler a wink.

Sparkler caught on immediately to Rarity’s meaning and her smile faded as she groaned. “Ugh! Rarity, exactly WHAT have Starlight and Spike been spreading around?”

Rarity chuckled. “They say you and Twilight practically barricade yourselves in the castle library regularly for hours at a time. Never allowing anypony else to join you. Well, except Flappy, from what Starlight and Spike say.”

Sparkler shook her head. “That doesn’t mean we’re together. I mean, libraries aren’t even all that romantic compared to other things.”

Rarity nodded. “Sometimes the most romantic moments come from the most unlikely of places darling.”

Sparkler nodded. “Maybe, but to set the record straight, Twilight and I are NOT together. As I told Fluttershy, if we were, there wouldn’t be ANY doubt as we wouldn’t keep it a secret.”

Rarity giggled. “Are you certain? Your secretive study sessions suggest otherwise.”

Sparkler shook her head. “They’re just that. Study sessions. What we study isn’t anything of any importance so we do not feel the need to spread it about.” Not until I’m ready at least.

Rarity nodded dismissively. “So there isn’t ANYTHING you like about Twilight?”

Sparkler groaned. “Look, it’s not that I DON’T like Twilight. I do, just not in that way.”

Rarity nodded and she stood at her full height while writing something on her notepad. “If you say so darling.” She nodded. “Alright. Got the measurements. You two just wait out here and I’ll be back in a few with Flappy’s new wonderbolts uniform.” With that, she trotted into her workshop.

Sparkler and Flappy watched her go. Once she disappeared. Flappy turned to Sparkler. “Squawk! I see you’re still in denial. Squawk!”

Sparkler groaned. “There is nothing to be in denial about. My feelings towards Twilight do not go beyond friendship. End of story.”

Flappy smirked. “Squawk! Then how about you be a tad more open about WHAT goes on in the library? I mean, Alicorns aren’t the ONLY thing you two study. Need I bring up music? Astronomy? Magic? Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. “My mind just won’t allow me to say that. It’s on full lockdown to make sure nopony discovers my secret until I’m ready.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Alright, so you have a valid reason for keeping our study contents a secret. That doesn’t erase the fact that you’re in denial. Squawk!”

Sparkler banged her head on the stage floor in frustration. “WHY are you SO insistent that I have a crush on Twilight? What gives you that impression?”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! I’ve seen the way you look at Twilight Sparkler. Friends do not give those kinds of looks to their friends unless they have a crush on them. There’s also you talking in your sleep. Lately I’ve been hearing Twilight’s name more frequently at night.”

Sparkler blushed. “T-That can mean anything.”

Flappy nodded, an idea coming to him. “Squawk! Alright. Then how about we try this. Describe Twilight. Squawk!”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Squawk! Describe Twilight. What do you see when you look at her, what do you feel when you think of her. And be honest. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. “Well. Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way. She’s smart, friendly, she’s trustworthy. She likes teaching.” She giggled at that one.

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Go on. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I also won’t deny that she is very beautiful. Any pony with two brain cells can see that. She’s kind, caring, understanding, honestly the list can go on.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Alright. What about how she makes you feel? Dig deep here. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed as she continued pacing, which she had begun doing. “Well, whenever I think of her, I feel...happy? Relieved that I’m not the only one with wings and a horn after all.” Sparkler started thinking back to all the times she and Twilight got together. Carefully analyzing her feelings during those times. “Whenever we get together, I feel like I can truly be myself around her. She makes me feel safe, wanted. In a way that I’ve never experienced before. Whenever I see her smile, I quickly start to smile too, no matter how down I am, her smile is just too contagious...and when she talks on and on about, anything, I feel like I can listen to her voice for eternity, like a beautiful melody playing on re...peat...” Sparkler trailed off as she realized something. She had been thinking back to all the times she and Twilight were near each other. Be it with friends or one on one. She had carefully examined each memory and took note of her feelings and emotions, and while her earliest memories didn’t correlate to the feelings she found NOW, it was clear at least HALF of her memories of Twilight DID. Her eyes widened as she concluded something...she DID have a crush!

Flappy saw the spaced out look on Sparkler’s face and smiled, sensing that she finally got the message. “Squawk! What was that about being in denial? Squawk!”

Sparkler just stood there in total shock. She couldn’t believe it. Now that she stopped and thought about it, ever since she came out to Twilight about her wings and they started their study sessions, she had been increasingly comfortable around the princess. She didn’t deny that she had always been drawn to Twilight, mainly because she was a fellow Alicorn, but now that she was looking at her feelings more closely, she realized that as they spent more time together, hanging out and studying their favorite topics in the library on top of Alicorns, Sparkler had gradually begun to develop feelings for her fellow Alicorn, feelings that went beyond friendship! She was in love with TWILIGHT SPARKLE! The PRINCESS OF FRIENDSHIP!

At that moment, Rarity returned carrying a small blue jumpsuit with yellow streaks. She was absolutely beaming. “Oh Flappy. Ready to try on your new wonderbolts—Sparkler?” She frowned when she saw Sparkler standing there. Eyes widened, mouth agape, and frozen in shock. Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Sparkler? Everything alright?” She glanced at Flappy.

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! It would seem our favorite hot pink Unicorn has had an epiphany and has discovered previously unknown feelings towards our mutual lavender Alicorn friend. Squawk!”

Rarity beamed and squealed in delight. “That’s wonderful!”

That snapped Sparkler out of it as she blinked and saw Rarity standing there. She raised an eyebrow. “Rarity? How long have you been standing there?”

Rarity chuckled. “Only a moment. But it would seem you’ve done a lot of thinking whilst I was making Flappy’s costume.”

Sparkler sheepishly nodded and blushed. “Yeah. Remember when I said I DIDN’T have a crush on Twilight? That may have been...incorrect.”

Flappy straight up laughed while Rarity gently set the costume down and rushed Sparkler, capturing her in a tight embrace. All while squealing like a filly. “That’s great Sparkler!”

Sparkler nodded as she pried Rarity off. “Not so much. Twilight probably just thinks of me as a friend, nothing more.”

Rarity chuckled. “Well, that shouldn’t stop you from telling her. The greatest of romances can come from the most unlikely of places, as well as the worst of friendships.”

Sparkler sighed. “But there’s another factor here. She’s a PRINCESS! Why would she ever date a nopony from one of the most remote backwater villages on the planet?”

Rarity gave off a dramatic gasp. “Sparkler! Do not think so lowly of yourself! You are NOT a nopony. And Twilight won’t care where you came from. You two are best friends and she values that above all else.”

Sparkler sighed as her ears flopped down. “She does?”

Rarity nodded. “Without a doubt. She is the princess of FRIENDSHIP for a reason.”

Sparkler nodded. “That makes sense.”

Rarity nodded. “Though she would prefer if you DIDN’T treat her like a princess. She hates that.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Took a few times but I shook the habit of addressing her as princess Twilight.”

Rarity nodded. “Good. She just wants to be treated as a regular pony.”

Sparkler nodded. “Still, the princess thing is still very much a factor to my mind. An intimidating factor.”

Rarity chuckled as she glanced at a clock, she frowned. “As much as I want to keep talking about this. I’m afraid I must get back to work.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! It’s fine Rarity. Squawk!” Sparkler and Rarity turned to see Flappy decked out in his new wonderbolts outfit. He gave Rarity a huge smile. “Squawk! You are amazing Rarity! It fits beautifully! Squawk!”

Rarity chuckled and nodded. “Anytime Flappy.”

Sparkler smiled. “Looking good Yellow Streak.” She turned to Rarity. “How much for the commission Rares?”

Rarity chuckled and shook her head. “Think nothing of it darling. On the house.”

Sparkler smiled and shook her head. “You don’t need to do that—“

“I insist darling. This entire process barely took me ten minutes. Not enough to justify asking for payment. Consider it a gift.”

Sparkler hesitated for a second before nodding. “Thank you Rarity. That’s very generous of you.”

Rarity nodded. “Anytime darling. Oh, and do come back tomorrow around lunch, I simply MUST have the details on how this little crush of yours came to be.”

Sparkler laughed and nodded. “Sure Rarity, I’ll be back.”

Rarity nodded. “Then I shall see you tomorrow darling. Do have a pleasant day.” With that, Rarity reentered her workshop.

Sparkler chuckled and Flappy landed on her back and shot her a smirk. “Squawk! So, who was right about you in denial? Squawk!”

Sparkler laughed as she headed for the exit. “I wouldn’t call it denial. I genuinely didn’t REALIZE I had feelings for Twilight until you made me describe her. Thanks Flappy.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! That’s what a wing parrot is for. Also, sorry but I just can’t resist. I told you so. Squawk!”

Sparkler laughed as she opened the door to step out into Ponyville. “Yeah yeah. Let’s just go home my little wonderbolt. Then you can tell me exactly what I’ve been saying in my sleep concerning Twilight.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Aye aye Cap’n. Squawk!”

To be continued...
> Episode 18: Clients and Stars Pt 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“GOOD MORNING PONYVILLE! It's a beautiful fall day, partly cloudy, a gentle breeze, and here to get us going today, here’s musical sensation Airwave with his new song, The Way That You Do!”

Sparkler beamed as the song started playing over the radio. “Airwave has a new song. Awesome!”

Flappy chuckled as he ate his breakfast. “Squawk! And now you can hear them over the radio, juxtaposed to just getting the albums when they come out. Squawk!”

Sparkler giggled and listened to more of the song, dancing in her seat. “Ooh. This one’s got a good beat.”

Flappy nodded half heartedly. “Squawk! Eh, not the best song in my opinion. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Oh come on Flappy. Don’t you remember growing up listening to his songs? Dancing like nopony’s watching? Singing along. We had an absolute blast listening to his catchy songs.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Those were good times. And I guess I can’t complain about the influence he had on you. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I guess you can say I owe my cutie mark to him. Were it not for him, I may not have discovered my true musical talent.”

Flappy chuckled and nodded. “Squawk! Hey, wouldn’t it be crazy if he were to knock on our door and commission a song or two mixed by us? Squawk!”

Sparkler laughed. “Ha! Yeah. Like that’ll ever happen. Although the chance to assist in creating his next big hit would be a dream come true.”

Right then, they both heard a knock on the door. They both jumped in surprise. Sparkler turned her head and looked at the front door. “Please tell me we didn’t just summon a Saddle Arabian Jinn to mess with us. We already got Discord for that.”

Flappy shivered. “Squawk! Could just be a coincidence. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded as she got up out of her seat. “Yeah. I mean. It’s not like Airwave just knocked on our door. Now. Could you go see who it is please? I gotta get my cover on.”

Flappy nodded and while Sparkler rushed upstairs to put on a sweater, Flappy took off for the door and opened it. “Squawk! Welcome to Sparkling Harmony Records, what musical talent shall grace our walls...” Flappy stopped dead in his tracks when he got a good look at the pony standing in front of him. A tan Pegasus stallion with a blond, well kept mane, hazel eyes, and a charming smile. All VERY familiar to Flappy.

The stallion smiled at him. “Hello there little dude. I’m Airwave. Is there a Sparkling Medley here?”

Meanwhile, upstairs, Sparkler lit her horn and pulled on a sweater. She felt her wings get pushed against her sides as the sweater covered them. While she was getting dressed, her eyes fell on the poster she had of Airwave. She smiled. “Love your new song Airwave. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll get to one of your concerts...hm. I wonder what kind of music Twilight’s into...” She stopped and shook her head. “No. Not right now, brain. One thing at a time. First, come out with my wings, SECOND, think up ways to win Twilight’s heart.” She giggled to herself. The idea that she had fallen for Twilight was still a shock to her...but she had come to accept it. “Although...if I can’t come out soon then I may have to shift priorities to something that isn’t being blocked by emotional baggage.”

“Squawk! Sparkler! Get your flanks down here! You won’t believe who’s here! Squawk!”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow and trotted out of her room and down the stairs. “Who’s here Fla-aaah...” She turned the corner, walked into the living room, and froze. There, standing in her living room, was a VERY familiar tan Pegasus stallion with a blond, well kept mane, hazel eyes, and a charming smile. Sparkler’s jaw dropped. It was AIRWAVE!

Airwave shot his charming smile at him and walked up and held his hoof out to shake. “You must be Sparkling Medley. My name is Airwave. It’s nice to meet you.”

Sparkler somehow found it in herself to shake his hoof. But her brain was still trying to process the fact that her idol, the very one that inspired her to go into the music industry as a career, WAS STANDING IN HER HOUSE!! AIRWAVE IS IN MY HOUSE! SAY SOMETHING! After a few seconds, she finally said something. “Airwave...I-It’s nice to meet you. I’m a HUGE fan of your work.”

Airwave smiled and nodded. “It’s always nice to meet a fan.”

Sparkler nodded. And then realized something. “Oh, where are my manners. Would you like something to drink Mr. Airwave?”

Airwave chuckled. “Just Airwave, please. And I was told to ask for some lemonade?”

Sparkler nodded. “Homemade lemonade it is. Right this way.” She led Airwave to the kitchen, where Flappy was waiting on the table. “Have a seat and I’ll be just a sec.” While Airwave nodded and took a seat, Sparkler opened the fridge and pulled out three bottles of Lemonade. She levitated two to Airwave and Flappy and took her seat across from Airwave.

Airwave smiled as the bottle set down in front of him. “Thanks Sparkling Medley.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Just Sparkler will do fine.”

Airwave nodded and went to take a sip of his lemonade. He swallowed and set the bottle back down and beamed at Sparkler. “Wow. No wonder everypony recommended I try your lemonade Sparkler. It’s the best lemonade I’ve ever tasted!”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “I get that a lot.” She took a sip of her own lemonade and smiled at Airwave. “So, Airwave, what brings you here, to my house...” If this is about SHR, I’m gonna burst with excitement.

Airwave smiled and unfurled his wing to place a parchment down on the table. “This is the place to go in this town if you want to commission songs right?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Sparkling Harmony Records. We work with any talent. Whether it’s musical or vocal. Squawk!”

Airwave smiled and nodded. “Great. I’m currently trying to work on my new album, but my Record Label just went up in flames.”

Sparkler gasped. “Oh no. Nopony was hurt I hope.”

Airwave nodded. “Yeah. Everypony’s fine, but in short, Star Records is no more.”

Sparkler sighed. “That’s too bad. Star Records was the top Record Label in Equestria. Hay, they fathered the modern era of the music industry in Equestria.”

Airwave nodded. “I’m gonna miss them. But what happened happened and we need to move on.”

Sparkler nodded. “So, what does this have to do with SHR?”

“Last we met, my producer, Star Sound, suggested I move here and get in contact with Sparkling Harmony Records.”

Sparkler spit out her Lemonade and stared at Airwave. “STAR SOUND suggested that?!” Was she dreaming?! Her little operation reached the ears of THE top music producer in the industry?!

Airwave chuckled. “Yeah. And I have to say I agreed with him. My ears managed to pick up some music that was sourced right here, and I can see why he’d recommend you.”

Sparkler was just about ready to faint. Her idol, musical sensation AIRWAVE, was sitting at her kitchen table, telling her that he was sent right to her by the top of the music industry! Was this really happening?!

Flappy noticed Sparkler’s brain about to explode, and decided to take over and turned to Airwave. “Squawk! So you’re saying that you’d like to go into business with us. Squawk!”

Airwave nodded. “If you’re interested.”

Sparkler felt like she was going to scream with excitement, her dream was RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER! After a second, she finally made a noise. “Ahem. Uh, could you excuse me for just a second Airwave?”

Airwave chuckled. “Go ahead. I get it.”

Sparkler nodded and left the kitchen. Flappy laughed. “Squawk! Cover your ears in three...two...one...Squawk!”

At that moment, a very audible high pitched shriek bounced off the walls of the house. Airwave and Flappy covered their ears to protect them from going deaf. After a second, it got quiet. Flappy smiled at Airwave. “Squawk! I think you just made her entire year. Squawk!”

Airwave chuckled. “How long will she be?”

To answer his question, Sparkler walked back into the kitchen, acting as she didn’t just scream in excitement like a filly. She sat back down in her seat and cleared her throat. “I do believe we can hammer out a deal. Sparkling Harmony Records is honored, and excited to work with you Airwave.”

Airwave chuckled. “The feeling is mutual Sparkler. I’m looking forward to seeing you in action.”

Sparkler nodded. “Now, just out of curiosity, how DID Star Sound head about Sparkling Harmony Records?”

To be continued...
> Episode 19: Clients and Stars Pt 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

An earth pony mare pushed a small cart along the streets of Ponyville, as well as reading a lost she had taped to the back of it where she could see it at all. “Right, got groceries, Booked Airwave’s appearance in the upcoming music festival, ensured stuff gets mailed to our new address from now on...now once I get these groceries home I can pop on over to Sparkling Harmony Records to see if this Master Mixer lives up to her—“

“HIYA NEW FRIEND!” The mare jumped and whipped her head around to see a pink earth pony spring into her field of view. The pink mare smiled widely at her. “HI MY NAME IS PINKIE PIE WHAT’S YOURS I’VE NEVER SEEN YOU AROUND HERE BEFORE YOU MUST BE NEW WELCOME TO PONYVILLE OOH I SHOULD THROW A WELCOME PARTY FOR YOU AND AIRWAVE ANYWAY I GOTTA GO SEE YA LATER NEW FRIEND!” Before the first mare even blinked ONCE, Pinkie was gone.

The mare stood there, absolutely flabbergasted at what just happened. “Did...why...just...wha...?” The mare shook her head. “Wait, why am I questioning it? That was the Element of Laughter. Are you really that surprised at how unpredictable she just was Lyrica?” She asked herself. Lyrica chuckled and went back to pushing her cart. “I wonder if she’s found Airwave yet.”

Meanwhile, the door to the basement opened and Flappy flew down into the studio. Sparkler and Airwave close behind him. Airwave got a look at the set up as he followed Sparkler down and let out an impressed whistle. “Whoo. So this is where the magic happens.”

Sparkler nodded. “Little more rundown and slapped together than Star Records’s studios, but where it lacks looks, it makes up for in the acoustics. Everything in here is precisely calibrated for the ability to capture the highest quality of audio possible.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Couple that with two mixers who know their equipment down to the tiniest bolt, and you certainly get what you pay for. Squawk!”

Airwave nodded. “I look forward to seeing you work.”

Sparkler nodded as she took a seat in her chair and gestured for Airwave to sit on the couch. “So Airwave. You say you’re currently working on your new album. How much of it was done before Star Records went kaput?”

“Well. I would say about a quarter of the songs were finished in their entirety, but unfortunately all the files were lost in the fire. So now we’ll need to start near completely from scratch.” Airwave replied.

“Squawk! Ouch. That stings. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Near completely from scratch?”

Airwave nodded. “Lyrica, the pony who helps me write the songs, saves the original note sheets in her music journals, so those survived the fire.”

Sparkler smiled. “That’s good.”

Airwave nodded. “She’s a life-saver. She should be on her way now. She had some stuff to take care of at our new house before coming here.”

Sparkler nodded. “So when she gets here we can get started.”

Airwave nodded. “So while we wait...” He glanced into the main studio and then back at Sparkler. “You have a lot of instruments in here. You play any of them by chance?”

Sparkler nodded. “I can play every single one of them, as a matter of fact. Though some more than others, my main drivers are the bass guitar, drums, and keyboard.”

Airwave smiled. “Sweet. You play often?”

“Eh...” Sparkler shifted her weight in her chair. “Kinda, in my spare time I like to record songs for fun.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! It’s how she got her cutie mark. She can play like it’s nothing. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Oh, I wouldn’t say I’m THAT good.”

Airwave chuckled as an idea came to him. He got up off the couch and started for the main studio. He smiled at Sparkler. “Wanna play something?”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?”

Airwave gestured to the drums. I got the beat while you shred the bass?”

Sparkler’s eyes widened. “You mean...you and ME, play together...”

Airwave nodded. “Why not?”

To her credit, Sparkler didn’t faint at the prospect of playing with Airwave, her idol...She whipped her head around to look at Flappy. “Flappy, please poke me with one of your claws, hard.”

Flappy raised an eyebrow. “Squawk! Why? Squawk!”

“Because today is just too good to be real and I’m afraid I’ll wake up at any moment.”

Flappy and Airwave chuckled. Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! You ain’t dreaming Sparkler. You met your idol, are gonna work with him on his new album, and have the chance to play music with him right now. In short, it’s the best day of your life. Squawk!” Plus, if you were dreaming, you wouldn’t be wearing a sweater right now. Flappy dared not say that last thought out loud. He and Sparkler weren’t alone, or with Twilight.

Sparkler nodded. “Yer darn tootin’ it is!” She grinned and shot out of her seat. “Flappy don’t miss a SINGLE note of this—er...” She frowned and turned to Airwave. “If that’s ok with you of course.”

Airwave chuckled and nodded. “Go ahead and hit record. Let’s see what you got.”

Sparkler nodded and summoned her bass. “I am crossing a LOT of things off my bucket list today.” She giggled.

Airwave nodded and got set up on the drums. “Let’s rock this house!”

Soon, Lyrica was walking down the street towards Sparkling Harmony Records, having dropped off groceries at hers and Airwave’s new place. She smiled as she quickly scanned the house numbers, looking for 453. “451, 452...ah! 453. Just like on the flyer.” She smiled and walked up to 453’s front door and knocked on it. She waited a few seconds, a few more seconds, and frowned. “Hm...” she knocked again, and got nothing as a response. Lyrica raised an eyebrow. “It shouldn’t take so long to get to the door—what’s that?” Her pony ears picked up a muffled sound, almost like...Lyrica’s eyes widened, and smiled. She giggled. “Airwave you goofball.” She chuckled to herself. Airwave was jamming out inside the house. Presumably with whoever Sparkling Medley was. “I’ll just wait for them to sto—“ She was interrupted by the door opening and was greeted with a parrot smiling at her.

“Squawk! Welcome to Sparkling Harmony Records. Are you here to commission a song or two? Squawk!”

Lyrica chuckled and shook her head. “Nah, I’m not here to commission a song myself. I’m Lyrica, Airwave’s manager/songwriter, he told you I was coming late right?”

The parrot smiled and nodded. “Squawk! Perfect! He did say you’d be coming along. Come right in. Squawk!” The parrot let Lyrica in. It closed the door and flew into the house. “Squawk! If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you down to the studio. My name is Flappy by the way. Nice to meet you Lyrica. Squawk!”

Lyrica nodded. “Nice to meet you too Flappy.”

Flappy led Lyrica down into the basement, where the music was definitely coming from. Lyrica descended the steps and saw something that made her snicker. Airwave, banging the drums, providing a beat for a unicorn mare that was shredding the bass.

Flappy smiled as he landed on the table. “Squawk! Just give me a sec to get their attention. Squawk!” He turned to the two musicians, and started squawking at the top of his lungs.

Near immediately, Sparkler heard the sound of squawking over her bass and stopped playing, Airwave following suit. Sparkler turned to Flappy, who had stopped squawking. “Everything ok Flappy?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yeah. I just needed to get your guys’s attention because we got a visitor. Squawk!” He gestured to Lyrica.

Sparkler and Airwave turned to see another pony standing there. Airwave smiled as he walked out from behind the drums. “Lyrica. You made it.”

Lyrica nodded. “I said I would.” She turned her attention to Sparkler. “And you must be Sparkling Medley. The rising star in the music industry.”

Sparkler nodded as she held out a hoof to shake. “Sparkler will be fine. And your Lyrica?”

Lyrica nodded as she shook Sparkler’s hoof. “Lyrica Harp. Airwave’s manager, songwriter, roommate, and marefriend.”

Airwave blushed as he smiled sheepishly as Sparkler giggled. “Lyrica, did you have to say that last part.”

Lyrica giggled. “Hey, had to make sure Sparkler here knew you were taken.” She turned back to Sparkler. “If you try something, it won’t end well.”

Sparkler laughed. “Oh don’t worry Lyrica. I swing towards mares anyway. If anything, Airwave should be worried I might try and steal YOU from HIM.” She cleared her throat. “Ahem, not that I would ever do that. I don’t get in the way of a relationship. No matter my own feelings.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yeah. Besides, she has her own crush on—“ He was cut off when his mouth was magically jammed closed. He looked at Sparkler, who’s eyes were clearly telling him, Finish that sentence and I will burn your wonderbolts costume. I DO NOT need anymore teasing.

After letting go of Flappy’s mouth, Sparkler cleared her throat. “Moving on. Now that Lyrica’s here. Let’s start making some music. What song do you want to work on first?”

Lyrica nodded as Sparkler took her seat at the mixer. “Before we get into that. There is one thing that we need to be clear on. Non-Disclosure.”

Sparkler nodded. “Standard SHR privacy guarantee, neither I nor Flappy will breathe a word of content creation to anypony until release, or however long is specified. Though we do however reserve the right to client identity disclosure unless expressly requested by said client.”

Airwave chuckled. “Nah, you don’t need to hide who you’re working with.”

Lyrica nodded. “Just everything relating to the songs.”

Sparkler let out a sigh of relief before she could stop it. “Oh thank Celestia. I honestly wasn’t sure how long I could go without telling somepony that one of my biggest dreams came true today.”

Lyrica and Airwave chuckled. “Let me guess, number one fan?”

Flappy laughed. “Squawk! Lyrica, she had to excuse herself to let out a VERY audible squeal of delight when Airwave first arrived. Squawk!”

Sparkler smiled sheepishly. “Ahem. I hope you can forgive that. I’m usually more professional.”

Airwave chuckled and nodded. “I understand. Not every day you get a chance like this.”

Sparkler smiled and shook her head. “No. This is honestly once in a lifetime.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! So, we gonna lay down some sick beats or what? Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “Shortly.” She turned to Airwave and Lyrica. “So, which song do you want to work on first?”

To be continued...
> Episode 19: Clients and Stars Pt 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Airwave and Lyrica turned back around to give Sparkler one last wave. “I can totally see why Star Sound recommended you Sparkler. You really are the Master Mixer in this town.”

Sparkler blushed a little, but nodded. “Thanks Lyrica. You two have a good evening you hear?”

Airwave nodded. “You too. See you tomorrow Sparkler.”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. See you tomorrow.” After one last wave, Sparkler closed the door and headed back into her home. She smiled when she reached the kitchen. “Hey Flappy! What do you want for dinner?”

“Squawk! Salad, with a side order of cherries. Squawk!” Flappy replied as he flew in and settled on the kitchen table.

Sparkler nodded. “Salad it is then.” She lit her horn and summoned ingredients from the cabinets to make salad. As she was working, she started humming. After a few seconds, words started coming out.

🎵Somewhere in our dreams

We’ll meet again my baby

And I promise that

I won’t let you fear🎵

Flappy chuckled and started singing along.

🎵I’ll be right here...🎵

They started singing in unison.

🎵And I won’t be

Won’t be won’t be

Just an illusion!🎵

They both chuckled. Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Ok. I’ll concede. That song is DEFINITELY catchy. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “And what’s even better? WE helped to make it. I swear to Celestia the ONLY thing that can possibly top this feeling is if I can muster the courage to come out, and Ponyville DOESN’T form an angry mob.”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! Well. There’s a music festival coming up. That might be a good opportunity. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “You mean come out through singing.”

Flappy nodded as they heard a knock on the door. “Flappy can you go see who that is?”

Flappy nodded and took off. “Squawk! It’s not a bad idea Sparkler. You always said you felt most comfortable in music class. Being in your element might be the final piece. Squawk!” He reached the door and opened it. Revealing a certain smiling lavender Alicorn. Flappy beamed. “Squawk! It’s Twilight! Squawk!” He moved out of the way and gestured for Twilight to come in.

Sparkler, after hearing Twilight’s name, stumbled and the spoons she was using to mix up the salad clinked together and fell onto the counter. “Twilight!” She turned around to see Twilight smiling at her.

“Hey Sparkler. How’s it going?” Twilight asked.

After taking a second to compose herself in front of her crush, Sparkler smiled. “It’s going good Twi. You?”

“I’m doing alright.” Twilight replied.

Sparkler nodded. “That’s good. What brings you here?”

“I just came by because you never showed up for our planned study session today.”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Today’s study session?” She looked over at the calendar on the wall, looked at the day’s date, and her eyes widened and her ears dropped when she saw that they DID have a study session planned, and she totally forgot. “Oh Tartarus you’re right! Oh I’m so sorry Twi. I was so wrapped up in a client that it slipped my mind! I should’ve sent Flappy to let you know. I’m so sorry!”

Twilight giggled. “It’s ok Sparkler, I was just a tad worried something happened is all. I’m not mad.”

Sparkler sighed in relief. “Thank Celestia.” She glanced at the salad she had been making, before an idea came to her. She smiled. “You know Twilight, you’re welcome to join me and Flappy for dinner. Since you already made the trek here.”

Twilight smiled. “I’d love to. What’s on the menu?”

“I can make you a salad, or do you want something else?”

Twilight chuckled and shook her head. “A salad sounds nice.”

Sparkler nodded. “Salad for three then.” She lit her horn again and summoned even more ingredients and started mixing them together while Twilight took a seat at the table.

She smiled at Sparkler. “So, who’s the client you were working with today?”

Sparkler giggled. “Oh, have I got a story for you Twi. It all began this morning...”

Meanwhile, Airwave and Lyrica entered their new home. Airwave closed the door and giggled. “Well. That was a productive day.”

Lyrica nodded. “Yeah. We essentially got an entire song all redone in one day. Sparkler’s more efficient than I ever realized.”

Airwave nodded. “We should send a thank you to Star Sound for suggesting we move here. I can tell we’ll be back on track in no—woah!” All of a sudden, Airwave stumbled on his hooves and fell.

Lyrica gasped and rushed to his side to keep him from hitting the ground. She looked at Airwave with concern. “Wavy? You alright?”

Airwave nodded. “Yeah. Just a bit spent.”

Lyrica sighed. “You’ve been in this form all day. You need to recharge. Revert to your natural form and let’s get you fed.”

Airwave sighed, and suddenly, a green flame erupted around him. Lyrica didn’t flinch, or move from her spot as she knew this flame wouldn’t harm her. The flame engulfed Airwave for a second, before dying down to reveal Airwave for what he truly was, the handsome stallion Pegasus was replaced by an all black creature with hazel eyes, a small horn, and small silk wings.

Lyrica smiled as she took Airwave’s hoof and led him over to the couch, which they sat down in each other’s forelegs. “Alright. Feed off as much as you need.”

Airwave sighed, then smiled. “How’d a monster like me end up with such an amazing, understanding mare like you?”

Lyrica giggled. “Hey, you aren’t a monster. The changelings aren’t monsters anymore. They’ve reformed.”

Airwave nodded. “But I still look like a rotten bug rather than the colorful insects the changelings became. I just don’t get it.”

Lyrica nodded. “Well...you may still LOOK like a rotten bug, but it’s not WHO you are. And I don’t care if you ever permanently change with the hive, you’ll always be the Airwave I’ve always known. Now. Before we do anything else, eat. Please. You need it.”

Airwave nodded and opened his mouth. Lyrica started to glow pink and a steady stream of pink energy snaked its way from her into his mouth. In response, Lyrica relaxed into Airwave’s embrace and closed her eyes, sighing in content. She was used to this feeling, and was comfortable with it. Sure, she was giving up a little of her strength, but that was a small price to pay so long as she could keep the love of her life from starving.

After a minute or so, Lyrica felt the drain end and she opened her eyes to see herself stop glowing. She smiled as she looked up into Airwave’s eyes. “Have a good meal?”

Airwave nodded. “The love you give me is the best I’ll ever feed off of.”

Lyrica smiled and pecked him on the cheek with her lips. “I’m glad.”

Airwave smiled, and then sigh. “Hey Lyrica, I...I’ve been thinking.”

Lyrica raised an eyebrow. “Hm?”

“I think, I think it’s time to come out with who I truly am.”

Lyrica looked at Airwave concerned. “You mean reveal that you’re really a changeling?”

Airwave nodded. “I’ve been doing some thinking, and the changelings are now Equestria’s allies and friends, rather than enemies. I think it’s safe for me to come out now.”

Lyrica gave Airwave a loving smile. “Well...if you're sure. I mean, Ponyville is the unofficial capital of Friendship so...it’s likely that you won’t get TOO much backlash.”

Airwave nodded. “Though I don’t think we’ll tell all of them at once...maybe start with one, see how that goes, and then come out to everyoony else.”

Lyrica nodded. “Well. There are at least two choices that come to mind, princess Twilight Sparkle, and...maybe Sparkler?”

Airwave raised an eyebrow. “Sparkler?”

Lyrica nodded. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you were acting around her today. I’ve never seen you that lax with anypony.”

Airwave nodded. “I don’t know, I just, felt more comfortable around her for some reason. Maybe it’s because she’s a fellow musician, a good one too, did you see the way she was shredding that bass?”

Lyrica chuckled. “We’ll be working with her for a while now. So if you feel like she can be trusted, we can tell her, or we can set up an appointment with the princess. Your choice.”

Airwave nodded. “Let’s just hope this isn’t a mistake.”

To be continued...
> Episode 20: Clients and Stars Pt 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

🎵I’m breaking down

So you can hide me

No matter what what you do

I’m gonna steal your heart!🎵

The music stopped and Sparkler stopped the recording as she, Flappy, and Lyrica gave Airwave a round of applause. Lyrica smiled and picked up her pen to check something off in her journal. She smiled as she set the pen down. “And that puts us back to where we started before Star Records went up. And thanks to SHR’s efficiency, we’re back on schedule for the next album release.”

Flappy smiled. “Squawk! This is LITERALLY Sparkler’s talent. She just has that magical ear for music. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “It also helped that you guys already had an idea of the last few songs, and could help us get them to where they should be.”

Airwave nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah...sorry you haven’t really gotten to show off what you were really made of yet.”

Sparkler smiled and giggled. “Oh, it’s perfectly fine. You guys already had an idea of what you wanted and obviously you’ll want to stick to that idea if it’s already been completed. And besides, why WOULD I want to ruin what’s already pure perfection?”

All of them chuckled. Lyrica nodded. “Well. Now that we’re all caught up we can see what you can really do.”

Sparkler nodded as she glanced at the clock. “Before we start on the next song, how about we take a lunch break? Hm? Give Airwave a break from singing?”

As if on cue, there were four grumbling stomachs making their presence known. That elicited another round of giggles. “Lunch sounds like a good idea actually.”

Sparkler nodded. “Can’t sing on an empty stomach. Well...sing very well on an empty stomach. Anypony for sandwiches?”

Airwave and Lyrica nodded. “Those sound good.”

Sparkler nodded and glanced at Flappy. “And watermelon for you Flappy?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You know me Sparkler. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded as she started up the stairs. “Yeah I do.” She giggled. She noticed that Lyrica and Airwave had not followed her. She raised an eyebrow. “Airwave? Lyrica? You two coming?”

Airwave nodded. “In a second, I’d just like to talk to Lyrica about something.”

Sparkler nodded after a second as she resumed her way up. “Alright. Just come to the kitchen, I’ll be making lunch if you need me.”

Airwave and Lyrica nodded as Sparkler and Flappy ascended the stairs. Once they were out of sight, Lyrica turned to Airwave, who had stopped her from following. “What’s up Wave?”

Airwave sighed. “I think now’s the time.”

Lyrica glanced at the stairs and back to Airwave. “You absolutely SURE? Once she knows there’s no going back.”

Airwave nodded. “I don’t think we’ll regret it. I mean, I still don’t know what it is, but I feel like I can tell her anything, even though we’ve only known each other for a week.”

Lyrica nodded. “That’s true, she is easy to get along with.” In the week that they had known her, Sparkler had been nothing but friendly to them, and after fan-maring the first day, predictable given Airwave’s popularity, Sparkler had treated them as if they weren’t anypony special. All parties could confidently say that they were good friends. Still, one thing lingered on Lyrica’s mind. “And Flappy?”

Airwave nodded. “It’ll be quite impossible to get Flappy out of the room I’m betting, so worst case we use their privacy policy.”

Lyrica nodded. “Let’s hope it doesn’t need to come to that.”

Airwave nodded. “So, after we get back down here. That way it’ll be as private as possible.”

Lyrica nodded.

In the kitchen, Sparkler was expertly and effortlessly preparing three sandwiches at the same time. While she worked, Flappy pecked away at the slice of watermelon Sparkler had given him. He looked up from his meal to see the impressive display of magic on Sparkler’s part. He giggled. “Squawk! To this day I remain in awe of your magical prowess Sparkler. Making multiple sandwiches at once? I didn’t believe that possible at first. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled as she smeared three slices of bread with Peanut Butter and the other three with Jelly. “All it takes is a little concentration. Though I suppose being a special Unicorn helps.” She added as she slapped the sandwiches together. Summoning three plates, she slid the sandwiches onto them, and then placed the plates on the table, just as Lyrica and Airwave entered the kitchen. Sparkler smiled. “Good timing you two. Lunch is ready.”

Lyrica nodded as they all took their seats. “Looks amazing Sparkler. Thanks.”

Sparkler nodded. “Anytime. Gotta make sure my clients and friends are well fed.” She shot them a wink. Making them all chuckle as they began eating. Airwave took a single bite and smiled, his taste buds agreeing with what they were getting.

“Mm. This is good. This another Sparkler recipe?” Airwave asked

Sparkler chuckled and shook her head. “Nah, just a regular Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. Nothing special.”

At the word Jelly, Lyrica’s and Airwave’s eyes widened while Airwave coughed up what he had already eaten. “JELLY?!”

Sparkler recoiled a little at the outburst before nodding. “Yeah?”

Before anypony could say anything, Airwave stumbled out of his seat and was visibly struggling to stay on his hooves. Lyrica immediately rushed to his side. “Airwave. Are you ok?!”

Airwave shook his head. “...Can’t...” He groaned.

Sparkler shook herself out of the shock at last and got out of her seat. “Is Airwave alright?! What’s going on!” She asked as she rushed to Airwave’s other side.

Lyrica shook her head. “He’s allergic to Jelly! Extremely allergic!”

Sparkler gasped. “ALLERGIC?!” Airwave was ALLERGIC to jelly?!

Lyrica nodded. “Yeah.” She stood up. “Get Airwave to the living room. I’ll go get his elixir.” Before Sparkler could question it further. Without knowing what else to do, Sparkler helped Airwave to the living room and gently eased him down on the floor.

Sparkler knelt down on her haunches and gave Airwave a concerned/apologetic looked. “Airwave, I-I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t know...”

Airwave nodded and offered a weak smile. “Hey, not your fault...we should’ve checked before I ate.” He let out a cough before speaking again. “Whatever happens next Sparkler, please understand this isn’t how it was supposed to happen, and, please know I mean no harm.”

Flappy flapped in and landed in front of Airwave, having heard what he said. “Squawk! What wasn’t supposed to happen like this? Mean no harm? What’s going on? Squawk!”

“You’ll see in a few seconds.” Sparkler and Flappy turned to see Lyrica had returned with a bottle in her mouth. She rushed to Airwave and practically jammed the opened bottle into Airwave’s mouth. “Here Airwave, drink.”

Airwave nodded and took a few gulps before Lyrica took the bottle away. She recorked the bottle and then took Sparkler’s tail in her mouth, pulling her away from Airwave. “Get clear! This next part’s gonna get bright hot!”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow as She was pulled away, with Flappy getting away from Airwave as well. “What’s going—EEP!” Sparkler stood up, and was met with Airwave being engulfed in a big bright green flame.

Sparkler had to shield her eyes from the bright light. “AIRWAVE!” She shrieked in horror.

Lyrica turned to Sparkler whilst also shielding her eyes. “Don’t worry! This is supposed to happen!”

Flappy shot Lyrica a look. “Squawk! SUPPOSED TO?! He’s on FIRE! Squawk!”

Lyrica nodded. “Just give it a second and it’ll all make sense, I hope!”

Sparkler and Flappy watched as the flame died down, and then vanished completely, leaving behind what they first thought was Airwave all charred, until they noticed the small horn and silky wings. They gasped in absolute shock. “What, happened.” Sparkler whispered.

Lyrica sighed. “His Jelly allergy forced him to revert back to his natural form.”

Flappy shook his head clear. “Squawk! Natural form? Just what is he? He’s clearly not a Pegasus. Squawk!”

Airwave nodded as Lyrica slowly approached and helped him up to a sitting position. “Yeah. I’m not a Pegasus. I’m really a changeling.”

Sparkler gasped. “A CHANGELING?!” She had met a changeling before, at the school of friendship. “But...Changelings don’t...” She didn’t want to finish her sentence because she didn’t want to be rude, but still.

Airwave nodded. “Yeah. I know what the changelings look like now. I’ve yet to undergo the transformation.”

“Squawk! Ok, just, what is going on around here? Airwave’s really a changeling, just...what’s the deal here? Squawk!”

Airwave sighed. “I’ll explain the deception, though, can we take this to the basement?”

Sparkler and Flappy glanced at each other, before turning back to Airwave and nodding.

...

“Ok, so, you are really a changeling. I think I got that part.”

“Squawk! But everything else is gonna need some explaining. Squawk!”

Airwave nodded. They were all seated in the lounge area of the basement studio. “First, how much do you two know about changelings?”

“Not all that much.” Sparkler replied. “Just that they tried to take over a while back, something happened and they reformed, and now changelings are Equestria’s friends.”

Airwave nodded. “That’s the gist, but my story goes even further back.”

Sparkler nodded. Prompting Airwave to continue. “Before the invasion, Queen Chrysalis sent scout agents ahead searching for plentiful food sources. I was sent in the direction of Equestria.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Of course you were. Squawk!” Be murmured to himself.

Sparkler nudged him in the wing as Airwave continued. “The changeling’s main source of food is love. Any kind of love. And at the time we couldn’t find any. That is, until I stumbled into Equestria around...I’d say ten years ago.”

Sparkler’s eyes widened. “That’s right around the time Airwave became an almost overnight sensation. Wait, is your name really Airwave?”

Airwave chuckled. “Yes. Before you ask, the only thing I was faking was my appearance. Everything else is true.”

Sparkler nodded. Airwave continued. “Anyway, at the time I was sent away, I was actually one of the older drones. The rest were still just coming out of their eggs. So while our army matured, Chrysalis instructed me to hide and gain ponies' trust. Maybe as some sort of backup plan or something. Which led to my career in music.”

Sparkler nodded. “Your very successful career. So what happened? Because you said you meant us no harm.”

Airwave nodded. “That’s true. I don’t mean any harm. I actually NEVER meant any harm. I just wanted to find food”

Flappy raised an eyebrow. “Squawk! So you were never really on Chrysalis’s side? Squawk!”

Airwave nodded. “What cinched it for me was her plan. She finally told me of it 4 years ago. When I heard what she was planning to do, I renounced her and cut myself off from the hive mind.”

Sparkler gasped. “You can do that?”

Airwave nodded. “I didn’t want her evil thoughts corrupting me.”

Sparkler nodded, and turned to Lyrica. “So where do you fit into all this?”

“I met Airwave almost immediately after he arrived in Equestria. Like him, I was trying to make my way into the music business as a songwriter. Suffice to say, we got along pretty quick.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! And Sparkler is sure glad you did. Especially since you’re the reason she has her cutie mark. Squawk!”

Sparkler blushed and shot Flappy a look. “Flappy!”

Lyrica and Airwave smiled. “Aww, we helped you find your true talent?”

Sparkler smiled sheepishly and nodded. “Ahem. Yes. Without even knowing. Uh, I’ll tell you my cutie mark story later. Right now let’s get back on track, Lyrica you obviously knew Airwave was a changeling, how did you find out?”

Lyrica giggled. “I actually made the same mistake as today. I fed him some jelly.”

Airwave nodded. “By that time, I wasn’t hiding because Chrysalis wanted me to. By then I was hiding because I was scared of what Ponies would say. It’s why I STILL hide. Even though the changelings are Equestria’s allies now.”

Sparkler smiled. “But Lyrica wasn’t scared, was she.”

Lyrica nodded. “It wasn’t his changeling nature that scared me, I was scared I had killed him. Thankfully the allergy just zaps his energy and forced him to revert back to his natural form.”

Airwave nodded. “Once we both got over the adrenaline and I had recovered from the allergic reaction, I told her everything. And she did the last thing I expected her to do.”

Flappy raised an eyebrow. “Squawk! What? Squawk!”

Lyrica chuckled. “I confessed my feelings for him.”

Sparkler’s jaw dropped. “No way.”

Airwave chuckled. “I couldn’t believe it either. I had just revealed myself as a monster and she acts like it’s nothing.”

Lyrica chuckled. “Because it IS nothing. And stop saying you’re a monster. Because you aren’t.”

Sparkler nodded. “I agree. And Airwave. I totally get it. I totally, honestly get how you feel. I know what it’s like to hide your true self from your friends.”

Airwave raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

Sparkler simply nodded, got up out of her chair, pulsed her horn, and Lyrica and Airwave saw her sweater vanish and hot pink, gradient blue tipped wings spread out from her sides. Sparkler smiled at them. “Yeah. I do. Because I’m more or less in the same boat. I just have something very different to hide.”

Lyrica and Airwave nearly scrambled to their hooves and hit the deck in respectful bows. “Our apologies your majesty—“

“No.” Sparkler cut them off and shook her head. “No, please, get up, and NEVER do that again. I may be an Alicorn. But I am NOT a princess.”

Airwave raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yes. I don’t know WHY I have wings, or HOW I could have them seeing as how I don’t have any Pegasi in my family tree, but I do know that I am NOT a princess. Never have been, never will be.” She sighed before giving Airwave a reassuring smile. “Back on track. Airwave, you aren’t a monster. It’s just your outward appearance. And that doesn’t make you you. What matters is who you are inside.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yeah. And if the changelings are Equestria’s friends now. Then you shouldn’t have any problems now. Squawk!”

Airwave nodded. “That’s why I think it’s time to come out to everypony. I just figured I’d test the waters with you first though. Hehe.”

Sparkler chuckled. “I’m honored. And until you come out. Your secret is safe with us.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! And can we trust you with Sparkler’s secret? Squawk!”

Lyrica nodded. “Consider it our way of saying thanks for everything.”

Sparkler nodded. “You don’t have to thank me. But I do appreciate that you’ll keep this quiet.”

Airwave nodded. “Anytime.”

Sparkler nodded. “So. How about we get back to making music? Now we’re getting into more uncharted territory.”

To be continued...
> Episode 21: Clients and Stars Pt 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie placed a pair of milkshakes on the tray and slid it over to Sparkler. “Here ya are Sparkler. A pair of vanilla shakes for two very special friends. Perfect for a snack date.”

Sparkler stiffened at the word date, but quickly relaxed and chuckled. “Not that kind of date Pinkie.” Though I will now GLADLY admit I wish it WAS that kind of date.

Pinkie chuckled. “Sure it isn’t. Anywho. You're coming to Airwave’s and Lyrica’s welcome party tonight right?”

Sparkler nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Especially now that I get to be on the giving end.”

Pinkie laughed. “It’s more fun that way. Anywho. See ya later Sparky!” With that, Pinkie raced off.

Sparkler just chuckled and rolled her eyes and took the two shakes in her magic. Carrying them over to a booth where Twilight sat waiting. They had had a morning Study Session and had decided to get some shakes before Sparkler was due to report to SHR for work. Which of course led them to Sugarcube Corner and of course Pinkie immediately started teasing Sparkler about her crush on Twilight. Fortunately Pinkie had the good sense to only do it when Twilight was out of earshot.

Sparkler smiled as she reached the booth and guided one of the shakes to Twilight. “Here we go. A pair of vanilla milkshakes fit for a princess and her ever chivalrous friend.”

Twilight laughed as she took the shake in her own magic. “Hey, I thought we got rid of that habit.”

Sparkler chuckled as she sat down next to Twilight. “What? You’re telling me the girls don’t tease you about being a princess on occasion? Now what’s a friendship without a little playful teasing?” She asked.

Twilight giggled. “You got me there. Also, what did Pinkie say about a date?”

I never said Pinkie used her good sense ALL the time. Sparkler chuckled. “Eh, Just Pinkie being Pinkie. You know how she is.”

Twilight nodded. “Do I ever.” She took a sip of her shake. “So. How’s working with Airwave Sparkler? You said it was a dream come true right?”

Sparkler nodded. “Is there a single word I can use to describe happy, overjoyed, honored, unstoppable, and every other good feeling out there at the same time? Because THAT is how working with Airwave is like. I spent ten years listening to his songs, I probably drove my parents and Flappy mad in the process. And now, to actually be a part of making his next biggest hits. The only thing that would make this any better is if I had the courage to do you-know-what.”

Twilight nodded. “Don’t worry Sparkler. You’ll get there. Just know that nopony here will stop being your friend.”

Sparkler sighed. “I wish that was enough to ease my mind. But every time I think about it...” she trailed off.

Twilight patted Sparkler on the back. “You’ll get there someday Sparkler. I just know it.”

Sparkler nodded. “Thanks Twilight.”

Twilight nodded. “Anytime.”

Sparkler nodded, and then she spoke without thinking. “Hey Twi? Where does one sign up to be an act at the Ponyville Music Festival?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “The sign up sheet is at town hall. Why?” She asked. She couldn’t place it, but something about the way Sparkler asked that sounded off.

“Because I’ve actually been toying with the idea of doing you-know-what through song.” Sparkler replied.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Sparkler nodded. “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but whenever I’m singing, playing an instrument, or really doing anything music related. I feel like I can do anything, I don’t have a care in the world what others think. Flappy calls it being in my element.”

Twilight nodded. “That makes sense. Your special talent is music. You think that could enable you to overcome your fears and doubts?”

Sparkler nodded and sighed. “I just...I’m tired of hiding Twilight. I’m tired of always being held back by fear. I want it to be out there, I want ponies to know the real me, but every single time my gut tells me to do it, my mind is right there to remind me of my past experience.” She took a deep breath, before giving a determined nod. “But not this time. No. This time, I won’t let fear hold me back. This time—“

Before Sparkler could go on, there was a flash and Discord appeared before Twilight and Sparkler. He smiled and quickly grabbed Sparkler’s hoof. “Sparkler! Perfect. Listen. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about, in private.” Before Sparkler could even process what was happening, Discord snapped his fingers and both he and Sparkler flashed away.

Twilight shook herself out of her shock and stared at the very empty seat next to her, and the abandoned vanilla shake. She sighed and shook her head. “I hate it when he does that.”

...

Sparkler quickly found herself standing in her living room, with Discord standing in front of her smiling. She shook her head to reconnect her brain, and exploded. “Discord! I was talking to Twilight. Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt?!”

Discord chuckled. “Oh you can go see your marefriend any time.”

Sparkler blushed and groaned. “She’s NOT my marefriend...yet.” She grumbled. Discord laughed while she shook her head. “So, what was so important that you had to interrupt my time with Twilight?”

Discord nodded. “I wanted to talk to you about a song I’d like to commission. And I would appreciate it if it was kept to as few ponies as possible.”

Sparkler arched an eyebrow. “You couldn’t have waited like, ten more minutes?” She deadpanned.

Discord chuckled. “I guess I’m just too excited. And we don’t have much time.”

Sparkler rolled her eyes. “Fine. When do you want to have it done?”

“The Ponyville Music Festival.” Discord replied.

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “You’re planning on performing?”

Discord nodded. “I already have the lyrics all written up. I just cannot play an instrument to save my life.”

Sparkler giggled. “The god of chaos CAN’T do something?” She gave him a sly smirk.

Discord chuckled. “I can to, just not to the level this song needs.”

Sparkler nodded before hearing a knock on the door, she smiled. “Alright. I’ll help you with this. Come back tomorrow morning and we can hammer out the details. Right now I’ve got an appointment with another client.”

Discord smiled and sprang into the air. “Oh joy. Sparkler you are a lifesaver. Have fun with Airwave!” With that, Discord flashed away.

Sparkler sighed and rolled her eyes. “Sparkler’s list of things to do for life to be perfect.” She started for the door. “Step one, reveal that I’m an Alicorn to everypony. Step two, confesss to Twilight and HOPE she’ll give me a chance.” With a deep breath. She smiled and opened the door, revealing Airwave and Lyrica. Sparkler grinned. “Hey guys. How’s it going?” She asked as she let them in.

“Nervous.” Airwave admitted as he and Lyrica entered the living room.

Sparkler arched an eyebrow. “Nervous? What for?”

Lyrica took a deep breath. “You know that welcome party pinkie pie’s planning for us?”

Sparkler nodded. “The one that’s tonight? Yes.”

Airwave nodded. “I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna reveal I’m a changeling at that party.”

Sparkler’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Airwave nodded. “Yes. Yeah. I am aware I look like what the changelings once did, but you know what? The changelings are Equestria’s allies and friends so I shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Well. I think that’s great. If nopony can see that you’re still you even if you look scary, the no they aren’t worth...the time.” Sparkler slowly started giggling.

Lyrica and Airwave raised an eyebrow. “Sparkler?”

“Something funny?”

Sparkler stopped giggling. “Nothing bad. Just had a thought. Here I am saying you shouldn’t worry about what others say when I have no ground to talk since I’m still in the closet myself because of the fear of what others will say.”

Airwave and Lyrica got what she was saying and chuckled. “It’s alright Sparks, you have more of a reason to hide. Considering what those brainless idiots did to you in school.”

Sparkler shuddered and nodded. “Ahem. Moving on. So, Wanna listen to the finished Who I Am? I’m sure it’ll meet your expectations.”

Airwave and Lyrica nodded. “Let’s hear it. Then maybe we can preview it tonight.”

Sparkler smiled. “You mean sing Who I Am at the welcome party? Well then we better make sure it’s perfect.”

...

Twilight was walking the streets of Ponyville back to her castle still groveling over Discord stealing her date...Twilight stopped and raised an eyebrow. Date? Where in Equestria did that come from? She shook her head. Eh, probably just a fluke. Sparkler and I are just friends. Nothing more. She nodded and resumed walking. After a few minutes, her thoughts wandered back to Sparkler. She does have beautiful wings though— She stopped and shook her head again. Where were these thoughts coming from? She certainly wasn’t having them before. What in Equestria is going on here?

At that moment, Pinkie bounced into her view, at close range. “Hiya Twilight!”

Twilight jumped back in shock. “Gah! Pinkie!”

Pinkie nodded. “That’s me! Anywho, what’s up Twi?”

“Nothing much. Just going back to the castle to get some reshelving done before the party.”

Pinkie beamed as she began bouncing next to Twilight. “That’s cool! I’m on my way to the school to get last minute preparations done before the welcome party for our newest friends! Are you going to ask Sparkler to the party?”

Twilight froze. “Pardon?”

Pinkie chuckled. “You know. Our very special “Unicorn” friend that you’ve developed a crush on?”

Twilight registered what Pinkie said, before laughing. “Pinkie. Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t have a crush on Sparkler. What gave you that idea?”

Pinkie laughed. “A slew of things. A, my pinkie sense, which is NEVER wrong. B, the fact that you two spend hours together in the castle library on a regular basis, and C, if you didn’t have a crush on Sparkler, you wouldn’t have been so disappointed when Discord stole her away.”

Twilight groaned. “Pinkie, our get togethers in the castle library are strictly friendly hangouts. Nothing more. And of course I was disappointed. Discord rudely cut into our conversation and took Sparkler to who knows where and left me alone. With two shakes.

Pinkie nodded. “Alright, then how do you explain—“ She was interrupted by her tail wagging and her left hind leg fidgeting. She smiled. “How do you explain that? That’s the pinkie sense for somepony crushing on another.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “That could be anypony. Not me. I don’t have any crushes. Plain and simple.”

Pinkie nodded. “Sure you don’t. Anywho. If you need date ideas or if you want me to plan a party to tell her how you feel, I’ll be at the School of Friendship gym getting tonight’s party all settled.” With that, Pinkie galloped off at Mach Pinkie Pie speed

Twilight watched her go and shook her head. “I don’t...ugh.” She just resumed walking. Not even bothering. I don’t have a crush. It’s all purely a platonic friendship. Besides. She’d never consider somepony like me. With a nod, she continued on.

...

Several hours later, Airwave, Sparkler and Lyrica were all walking the streets of Ponyville, headed to the School of friendship. Sparkler wore a saddlebag, in it held a record of the song the three had been working on all day. Along the way, Flappy joined them. “Squawk! Hey guys. What’s shaking? Squawk!”

Lyrica smiled. “Sup Flappy. Missed you during recording today where’d you go?”

“Squawk! I was at Fluttershy’s hanging with my animal friends there. What did I miss? Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Nothing much. Just that Discord wants to commission a song, Airwave here is gonna reveal that he’s a changeling tonight, and he’s gonna perform a preview of his next album.”

Flappy smiled and landed on Sparkler’s back. “Squawk! Nice. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Oh, and also, I’ve decided that I’m DEFINITELY going to do it. I’m entering the music festival, and coming out with my wings.”

Flappy smiled. “Squawk! About time. Fortunately you’re already working on a song that’s PERFECT. Squawk!”

Airwave nodded. “Good for you Sparkler. Don’t let fear drive you.”

Sparkler nodded. “Not this time. Come the music festival, fear can take my past and shove it up it’s flank. It’s never stopping me again.”

Flappy gave an encouraging woot woot while Lyrica and Airwave nodded in approval. “That’s the spirit.”

Sparkler nodded. “But before that. Let’s get to the school and officially welcome you to town...though you’ve been in town all week...Nope. Not gonna question Pinkie. I’m just gonna go along with it.”

...

Minutes later, in the School of Friendship, Twilight exited her office, just getting done with some last minute paperwork. She looked down the hall and noticed Sparkler coming up with Airwave and Lyrica, whom she met the other day when they all had lunch together. She smiled. “Sparkler, Airwave, Lyrica. Heading to the gym?”

Lyrica nodded. “Yep.”

“For our quote unquote surprise party.” Airwave added.

Twilight chuckled. “Yeah. If nopony’s told you already, don’t question Pinkie Pie and her antics...it won’t end well for your sanity.”

Airwave and Lyrica nodded. “Duly noted.”

Twilight nodded. “Shall we?”

Everypony nodded and they all proceeded down the hall. After a minute, Twilight glanced at Sparkler. “So, Sparkler, what did Discord want with you?”

Sparkler chuckled. “He was asking about a commission he wanted to do. That’s all SHR’s privacy policy allows me to say.”

Twilight chuckled. “Discord? Keeping secrets? That's a new one.”

Sparkler nodded. “He is keeping my wings a secret so we can give him that.”

Twilight froze, did Sparkler just casually reveal her secret? “Wings? What wings are you talking about?”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “The wings on my sides? Twilight you know the wings I’m talking about?”

Twilight said nothing as she cocked her head towards Airwave and Lyrica. Sparkler finally understood what was happening and laughed. “Oh. Oh Lyrica and Airwave know. They know all about my wings.”

Twilight relaxed. So Sparkler didn’t just slip up. “Oh. Really?”

Airwave nodded. “Yeah. We do.”

Twilight shot a smile at Sparkler. “Good for you slowly coming out Sparks.”

Sparkler nodded. “And the whole town will know soon, come the Ponyville Music Festival.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! And it’s about time. Sparkler’s let this fear of hers control her long enough. Squawk!”

Airwave nodded. “I just hope it won’t be too soon after my big coming out.”

Twilight glanced at Airwave. “You have something to get off your chest too Airwave?”

The four all stopped and looked at Airwave. Airwave sighed. “Ahem. Uh, Twilight. Before we go, there’s something I think you should know first, I’m...not a Pegasus, like you think I am?”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Airwave sighed. “I mean...” At that moment, Twilight watched as Airwave was engulfed in a flame, a familiar green flame. She gasped as the flame died down and the handsome Pegasus stallion was replaced by an all black creature with hazel eyes, a small horn, and small silk wings.

“You...you’re a changeling?!” She asked in surprise.

Airwave nodded. “A changeling who still hasn’t transformed like the rest of his kind.”

Twilight nodded. “This is certainly...something...”

Airwave nodded. “I know I don’t look friendly, I look like the changelings once did before they reformed, but I promise I mean no harm. Just...I hope you can forgive my deception your highness.”

Twilight winced slightly at being called a princess, but nevertheless smiled at Airwave. “Let me guess. You hid because you were afraid of what others would say about your real appearance. Same as Sparkler.”

Airwave nodded. “I’m gonna reveal myself at the party. I...I just thought that you deserved to know first. Considering...”

Twilight smiled. “The changelings are our friends now. And you’ve been nothing but kind and friendly since you arrived. So you don’t need to hide anymore.”

Airwave smiled. “Thank you. Your majest—“

Twilight cut him off. “Don’t. It’s still just Twilight.”

Everypony chuckled. “Fair enough.”

Twilight nodded. “So, shall we head in?”

And so, they all headed into the gym. Where everypony in the room was certainly shocked that Airwave the pegasus was actually Airwave the changeling, but after an explanation, the crowd quickly came around and welcomed Airwave to Ponyville with open hooves. An act which enabled Airwave to transform into a colorful bug like the rest of his people.

A bit into the party, Sparkler watched as Airwave put on an impromptu concert, performing Who I Am, along with other released songs. She smiled as she watched from the refreshments table. Flappy, who was also sipping some juice, smiled at her. “Squawk! They accepted him, and his race was once their enemy. Need I mention what that means? Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “If they can accept a creature like Airwave, it’s reasonable to assume they’ll accept me.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I don’t think you even need the Music Festival now. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed. “The Music Festival is probably the best chance I have of not freezing up Flappy. And I want to give them time to adjust to Airwave before piling on.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Well. Just know that I got your back all the way. Squawk!”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Thanks Flappy.”

To be continued...
> Episode 22: Night of Frights
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a dark and spooky night in the town of Ponyville, Jack-o-lanterns were lit, spiders and webs hung from the buildings, and the town was crawling with tiny monsters and creatures. One group of animals walked up to a house and knocked on the door. After a second, the door creaked open, and they saw nopony there. Confused, they peeked inside, before a blueish mist started coming out of the house, followed by a creepy voice. ”Who dares to disturb the house of the night!”

The foals jumped as the voice continued. "If you desire sweet treats of goodness, then you should not have come. For I am the darkness that will swallow all treats in this world. I am..." there was a sudden puff of blue smoke, and the foals saw a menacing shape in the cloud. After a second, the cloud was blown away to reveal...”NIGHTMARE MOON!”

The foals screamed in terror, before chuckling, which got Nightmare Moon laughing. “Wow! That’s a sick Nightmare Moon costume Miss Sparkler!” One of the foals commented.

Another nodded. “Yeah! You look JUST like her, except for the height.”

Nightmare Sparkler smiled and nodded as she folded up her “wings”. “Thanks. Aren’t you lot just an adorable pack of farm animals.” She lit her horn and floated over a few pieces of candy from the bowl and dropped one into each of the foal’s candy bags. “There you go.”

The foals smiled and nodded. “Thank you!” They all chanted.

Sparkler nodded as they scurried off. “Your welcome. Have a good night. Oh, and remember, Nightmare Moon is watching!” She chuckled as she closed the door. She turned around and walked back to the living room, where Flappy was dressed in his wonderbolts outfit. Sparkler smiled. “Another successful performance. The foals are loving it.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I can tell. Their screams of terror are like music to my ears this time of year. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I just need to make sure not to do it TOO well.” At that moment, she heard another knock on the door. She smiled wickedly. “Ah, some more victims.”

Flappy flew to the door and peered out the peephole. “Squawk! Argh, Captain Twilight has arrived me hardies! Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded, and smirked. “Then it’s time to pull out the haunted house protocol, Flappy?” She asked as she pulsed her horn and blew out all the candles. Flappy nodded and flew off while Sparkler disappeared.

Outside, Twilight was dressed up as a pirate captain, she was smiling as she patiently waited. I wonder what Sparkler’s doing for Nightmare Night. She hasn’t said anything about her— At that moment, the door in front of her creaked open, and Twilight was met with a dark house, with no Sparkler. She raised an eyebrow as she peered in. “Uh, hello?” She received no answer. Her confusion doubled. Sparkler always answered the door personally, or Flappy for that matter. After a second, she suddenly heard a faint crowing, coming from inside the house. “Flappy? That you?” She asked as she entered the house, the faint crowing continued. She walked further into the house, and all of a sudden, the door slammed shut behind her. She jumped as she suddenly found herself in pitch black. “S-Sparkler? F-Flappy? What’s going on? Anypony here?”

That got a reply. ”Ahoy there, Captain Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight froze as that creepy voice. “W-Who’s there?”

The voice laughed as a blueish mist slowly surrounded her. “You are a brave pony for disturbing the house of the Night.”

Twilight was getting antsy. “Uh, o-ok Sparkler. Whatever games you're playing...y-you can stop now.”

”I don’t know.” At that moment, Twilight heard a pop and blueish smoke enter her view from behind her. ”I like this game of cat and mouse.”

Twilight slowly turned her head, and at first saw nothing behind her, and then a bright glow lit and illuminated the face of... “NIGHTMARE MOON!” Twilight shrieked. She curled up into a ball and squeezed her eyes shut. “Somepony help me!”

For the moment, nopony said a word, and then Twilight heard the familiar sound of Sparkler’s laughter as candles lit all around the room. She opened her eyes and peaked out from behind her wings to see Nightmare Moon, or rather, Nightmare SPARKLER, on the floor, laughing hysterically. Twilight realized what had happened, and sighed in relief. “Sparkler? That was you?!”

Sparkler nodded as she got into her hooves. “Yeah. It was. Oh you should’ve seen your face. Oh it was so worth it.” She continued to chuckle.

Twilight frowned, before a smile broke out and she started giggling too. “Sweet Celestia Sparkler. You had me going there. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

Sparkler nodded. “And the best part? Flappy is a master at crowing.”

Twilight chuckled. “So that WAS Flappy.”

“Squawk! Yes ma’am. Squawk!” Twilight turned to see Flappy fly into the living room in a wonderbolt’s outfit.

Twilight nodded. “Well. You two did a fantastic job.”

Sparkler and Flappy nodded. “Thanks. The foals are loving my Nightmare Moon charade.”

Twilight nodded, and then her eyes widened when she got a good look at Sparkler, she looked exactly like Nightmare Moon, save for the height, but more importantly... “Uh, Sparkler?”

“Yeah?”

“You realize your wings are exposed, right?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yes they are.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Did you change your plan on coming out?”

Sparkler chuckled and shook her head. “Nope. Still coming out at the Music Festival.”

“But your wings are exposed NOW.”

Sparkler chuckled. “That’s my costume. Twilight, Nightmare Night is the time where you can don a disguise and go out as a completely different pony. Nightmare Moon has wings. So, by donning the appearance of Nightmare Moon, I can be out and about with my wings exposed, and all I have to say is that I used a wing spell combined with an illusion spell. That’s my cover maintained, and I can be myself for one night, well, more myself than Sparkler the Unicorn.”

Twilight processed what Sparkler said, before smiling. “That’s ingenious. Nopony’ll suspect a thing.”

Sparkler nodded. “Exactly!” She pranced around like a filly. “Ooh. I can’t wait til later when we go to that Nightmare Night party. It’ll be SO nice to just pretend like I’m not hiding anything. Even if it’s just for one night.” At that moment, they heard knocking on the door. Sparkler smiled. “Oh, more “victims”. BRB.” Sparkler trotted over to the front door and did her little skit for the foals.

Whilst Sparkler was scaring them. Twilight watched with a smile on her face. “She looks so happy.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I kid you not, the only other time I’ve ever seen her this happy was when you first accepted her for who she really was. Sure she always wears a smile, but this level of happiness is rare for her. Squawk!”

Twilight’s smile faded as she bit her lip, getting where Flappy was coming from. “I never would’ve guessed a pony like Sparkler could have such a troubled past.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You have no idea how many times I wanted to suggest homeschooling for Sparkler. To get her away from the torturous environment that the school was proving to be. Squawk!”

At that moment, Sparkler came back from the door. “Why can’t Nightmare Night be every night? This is so much fun.”

Twilight chuckled. “I’m glad you’re having fun tonight Sparkler.”

Sparkler nodded. “This has to be the best night ever. Back in Saddle Arabia we didn’t really celebrate Nightmare Night. Sure most of the residents were Equestrian, but nopony really got in the mood. I never imagined this would be so much fun!”

Twilight and Flappy chuckled. “Careful Sparkler. Your Pinkie Pie is showing.”

Sparkler laughed. “Oh yeah. Pinkie was one of the first to knock on that door. Oh man her reaction. I am way too proud of myself for that one.” She finally came down from her giggling fit. “So, how’s your night been Twilight? That’s a nice pirate costume by the way.”

Twilight nodded. “Thanks, and my night’s been good. A couple foal groups came by the castle, after which I came here. Now I wish I had thought to do a skit. I never saw it coming.”

Sparkler nodded. “That was the point. Nopony suspects Nightmare Moon in a simple house like this.” She giggled. “Now. How about we go out and see the town? You said there were a variety of things to do in the plaza right Twi?”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah. Ponyville really kicks it up a notch this time of year.”

...

Out in Ponyville Plaza, there were a bunch of costumed ponies out and about playing games that were set up, mingling and trading candy, and just enjoying the festivities. Over at one of the games. A cow threw a fake spider at a web, and the spider hit close to the center of the web. The cow smiled and nodded. “Bullseye.” The cow turned to her warrior companion. “Beat that Dash.”

Rainbow chuckled and picked up a fake spider. “Watch and learn AJ. I’m gonna land this snot dead center.” She aimed at the web, and threw the spider. The spider struck the web not QUITE dead center, but closer than Applejack’s throw. Rainbow smiled. “Aha! Closer than yours. Booyah!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “It ain’t over yet Dash.”

”It just might be. For the night is very displeased that her little ponies have not acknowledged her presence.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Where in tarnation did that come from?” She and Rainbow looked around, and saw nopony with them.

”Try looking above you. Featherbrains.”

Rainbow and Applejack looked up, and saw a familiar monster flying right above them. “NIGHTMARE MOON?!” They jumped back in shock and clung to each other in fear. After a second, they heard laughing. They looked ahead to see Nightmare Moon land and laugh at them. They got a better look at the pony and realized who it REALLY was.

“Ha ha. I gotcha.” Nightmare SPARKLER said while chuckling.

Rainbow and Applejack let go of each other and glared at Sparkler. “Sparkler?!”

“That’s you?!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yep. This is my costume for the night.” She flared her “fake” batwings out. “The terror of dreams, the bringer of eternal night, I am...NIGHTMARE SPARKLER!”

Applejack and Rainbow recoiled at the heightened volume, but quickly recovered and beamed at their friend. “Shoowee sugarcube. You certainly had us going there.”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah Sparks, you nail her look...minus the height. Nightmare Moon’s taller. But the armor, fur coat, the wings...wait a second.” Rainbow did a double take and swiftly moved closer to get a better look. “I don’t see any harness for those wings. How did you do these?”

Sparkler giggled. “A wing spell. That combined with an illusion spell is what I used to don the appearance you see tonight.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “A wing spell? I heard of a wing spell before, but I didn’t think you could give yourself specific wings.”

“You can.” Commented Twilight, who came up to the group. “I did some reading on that wing spell from awhile back, you can give yourself specific wings if you focus your mind to picture them.”

Rainbow looked between Twilight and Sparkler for a second, before smiling. “Awesome!”

Applejack nodded. “That’s right impressive Sparkler.”

Rainbow nodded. “You can teleport onto a cloud after casting a cloudwalking spell, and now this, I think studying with Twilight got to you.”

That got everypony chuckling. Sparkler nodded. “I guess so.” She giggled before remembering something. “Oh, I nearly forgot.” She cleared her throat, lit her horn, and spoke in an elevated voice. “Fillies and gentlecolts. Tonight we are graced with a pleasant surprise. You know him as the Yellow Streak, the one, the only, the wonderbolts’ guest flyer...Flappy!”

All four of them looked around for their parrot friend, but saw nothing. Sparkler raised an eyebrow. That was supposed to be Flappy’s cue. “Ahem. I said, give it up for...Flappy!” Still nothing. “Flappy?!” Sparkler groaned. “Flappy! That’s your cue!”

“Squawk! Sorry! Sorry! Squawk!” They all saw Flappy zip in and land on the ground. “Squawk! Sorry I’m late, I was just talking to somepony. Squawk!”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Who?”

”Good evening My Little Ponies. I see we have an impostor among us.“ Everypony jumped at that voice and whipped around to see the REAL Nightmare Moon standing there.

Twilight smiled after she came down from her moment of panic. “Princess Luna. You made it.”

Luna nodded. “I would not miss this celebration for the world Twilight Sparkle.” She said as she changed back into her regular form, a chambray Alicorn standing not much talk than the average pony. Luna turned her attention to Nightmare Sparkler. “And just who has the courage to don the face of my alter-ego on this night.”

Sparkler, who had been frozen in shock the whole time, hit the deck hard as she bowed to Luna. “P-Princess Luna! Ahem. Uh, I meant no offense! I swear!” Sparkler was shaking a little. Horseapples! This wasn’t a good idea after all!

Applejack and Rainbow held their hooves to their mouths to hide their amusement while Luna looked down at Sparkler, before giving off a chuckle. “Do not fear My Little Pony. I am not offended by your costume choice. I am actually impressed at the level of craftsmanship on display.”

Sparkler, after recoiling at Luna’s compliment, rather than disapproval, slowly rose to her hooves and nodded. “Ahem, it’s actually a combination of spells your majesty. Uh, illusion spell on top of a wing spell.”

Luna nodded. “Impressive.”

Twilight giggled and walked over to stand beside Sparkler. “Luna, this is Sparkling Medley, the new resident of Ponyville with a talent for music.”

Luna nodded. “Ah yes. We have heard of her and her musical prowess. It is a pleasure to meet you Sparkling Medley.”

For her part, Sparkler managed to not faint, whether the princess had heard about her through Twilight or by talk reaching Canterlot, she couldn’t say. After a second, she nodded. “I-It’s an honor to be in your presence, your majesty.”

Luna nodded, before walking over to where Applejack and Rainbow were trying not to laugh. “Hello Applejack and Rainbow Dash, I trust you have been well.”

While Luna talked with Rainbow and Applejack, Sparkler, Flappy and Twilight watched. “P-Princess Luna bought it.” Sparkler whispered, feeling her trembling legs on the edge of giving out.

Twilight giggled. “Didn’t I let you know there’s no need for you to worry?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah, but Twilight, SHE’S the OG Nightmare Moon, she could cancel my spell on the spot if she disapproved! That would’ve been my cover as a Unicorn blown!” She whispered. “Did you know she was coming?”

“I...suspected she would.” Twilight admitted.

Sparkler sighed. “That’s what I get for keeping my costume plans a secret.”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! She’s actually really nice once you get past her intimidating appearance. She thinks I look cute in my wonderbolts outfit. Squawk!”

Sparkler giggled. “Of course you do.” She sighed. “Well. She bought that my wings are just my costume. I just hope she doesn’t throttle me when she inevitably finds out that my wings are real the whole time.”

Twilight giggled. “She’s not like that. I’m sure she’ll understand when you explain it to her.”

Sparkler nodded as she saw Luna throw a spider at the web. “I hope so, I happen to like my life here.”

To be continued...
> Episode 23: Savior of the Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

🎵Now I found

who I am

there’s no way to hold it in

No more hiding who I want to be...

This is me.🎵

Sparkler stopped playing her piano as she smiled and wrote the notes on her music sheet. She sighed. “I’m really going to do this am I.”

“Squawk! Yes you are. Squawk!”

Sparkler jumped as she whipped her head around to see Flappy sitting on the table in the studio, smiling at her. She relaxed and smiled. “Celestia Flappy, you startled me.”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! Sorry pal. Working on your act for the Ponyville Music Festival? Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yes. I am.” She took hold of the music sheets on the piano music stand and brought them over to the filing cabinet. “Just finished figuring out the lyrics and the tempo. I just need to add the drums and guitar...should I play the guitar or should I just focus on singing?”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! Do whatever you think will help you through this. Playing your guitar might help. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Let’s hope so. I’m tired of pretending to be somepony I’m not. Of this fear forcing this Unicorn persona on me.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I will admit I kinda miss the wings. Since you keep your sweaters on all day. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Well, come the Music Festival that all changes. No more hiding my wings under sweaters. After the Music Festival I’m gonna get some clothes made that have wing holes.” Sparkler stopped, before chuckling. “I’ve actually gotten so used to wearing sweaters that I don’t want to stop.”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! Welp, fortunately we both know a very gifted fashionista that’ll probably explode with joy when you finally allow her to get her hooves on you. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I should probably just not open up Sparkling Harmony Records that day. Because chances are I’m not gonna be allowed out of that boutique until I have a new wardrobe.” She chuckled as she glanced at the clock and saw that it was getting late. “I’ve been down here THAT long? Huh, time flies when you’re having fun.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yeah. That’s actually why I came down here. To tell you we should get to bed. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Then let’s hit the hay.” With that, Flappy and Sparkler headed upstairs for the night.

...

Soon after, Sparkler was fast asleep, almost. She was tossing and turning in her bed in all reality.

Sparkler lit her horn, and made her sweater vanish. Her wings flared open, for all the audience to see. They all gasp in shock. Sparkler smiled sheepishly. “Yeah. You guys aren’t seeing anything, I’m an Alicorn.”

For the moment, nothing happened, and then the crowd erupted in boos and started throwing EGGS at her. Sparkler immediately moved her wings to shield herself from the onslaught as she started tearing up. “No! Please...stop! I’m sorry!”

This continued on for a while, with tears falling from Sparkler’s face as she begged for it to stop. Soon, she was surprised when she felt the assault stop completely. Sparkler hesitated, before slowly opening her eyes again and peaking out from behind her wings to see that her surroundings had changed. Instead of being onstage in front of the whole town that was throwing eggs at her, she saw that she was in some kind of starry field. She looked around, to see the same starry field. She regained regularity in her breathing as she looked around. “H-Hello?”

“Hello young Sparkling Medley.” Sparkler jumped at that voice and whipped around to see Princess Luna standing right in front of her.

“Princess Luna!” Sparkler exclaimed as she automatically hit the deck...or whatever solid force her hooves were standing on...in a respectful bow.

“Rise My Little Pony. There is no need for that here.” Luna replied with a warm smile.

Sparkler nodded shakily and rose to her hooves again. “Ahem, uh, where are we? Am I still asleep?”

Luna nodded. “Indeed Sparkler. You are still asleep, but we are in what is a manifestation of the Dream Realm, where I keep watch over pony’s dreams and save them from nightmares.”

Sparkler nodded. “So you made my nightmare go away? And replaced it with...this?”

Luna nodded. “That is correct. And I am glad that I was finally able to come to your rescue after months of being unable to do such a thing”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Huh? What do you mean?”

Luna sighed. “I normally do not have trouble entering ponies’ nightmares, but for unknown reasons, something has prevented me from entering yours until tonight. Like a magical barrier that has only now collapsed.”

Sparkler bit her lip as she looked down in defeat. “I wasn’t trying to stop you Princess.”

Luna nodded. “Perhaps not intentionally. However, magic sometimes works in mysterious ways. It can be influenced by our emotions to do things we may not otherwise do. And in some cases, magic can react to our greatest desires.” She cocked her head to the side to get a better look at Sparkler’s wings. “Like hiding that you are really an Alicorn for instance.”

Sparkler’s eyes widened and she immediately whipped her head around and craned her neck to see, much to her shock, that her wings were EXPOSED! She quickly lit her horn and pulsed it, intending to cover up the wings, but to her horror, not nothing happened. She tried again, still nothing. Her breathing quickened as she tried again and again, getting the same result.

Luna patiently watched as this went on for several pulses, being met with failure each time. After the last pulse, Sparkler’s horn dimmed and Sparkler slowly turned her head back to glance at the princess of the night, who saw tears forming in the Alicorn’s eyes. “Uh...” The smaller Alicorn let out, her mind struggling to work again as she gulped.

Luna smirked. “So no such wing spells were used on Nightmare Night.”

Nopony moved for several long seconds, before Sparkler just broke down and hit the deck, covering her face with her hooves. “I’m sorry!” She blurted out as tears finally fell from her face. “You’re right! I didn’t use a wing spell. I really do have wings. Please your majesty, I mean no harm! I swear!” She trembled in fear of what the princess would do to her for trying to deceive her.

Luna stared down at the cowering pony for a second, before getting down on her haunches and reaching out to pull Sparkler in for an embrace. Sparkler winced at first, before recognizing it as a...hug? She sniffled, and looked up at the night princess in confusion. “P-Princess?” She squeaked out in between whimpers.

”It is ok Sparkling Medley. You do not have anything to worry about.” Luna soothed the distraught Alicorn.

Sparkler sniffled as she raised an eyebrow. “I-I don’t understand, you aren’t mad at me?”

Luna nodded. “I am not mad at you. I understand why you have opted to hide your true self, given your past in Saddle Arabia.”

Sparkler let out a gasp. Princess Luna knew her past in Saddle Arabia?! “You know about my past?!”

Luna nodded. “While I have not been able to enter your nightmares until tonight, I have been able to scry every single one of them.”

Sparkler’s jaw dropped as she pulled out of Luna’s embrace. If what the princess was saying was true, then that meant... “So, you’ve known all along that I was an Alicorn.”

Luna nodded. “It was a shock to me at first, but you are not the first pony to be a natural born Alicorn.”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah, Twilight told me about Flurry Heart. But while she has an Alicorn for a mother, my parents are a Unicorn and an Earth Pony. So logically, I SHOULDN’T be an Alicorn.”

Luna nodded. “It is a mystery to be sure. But that is a discussion for another night.

Sparkler nodded, and sighed. “Your majesty? I...I’m planning on revealing my true self the night of the Ponyville Music Festival, do I have anything to worry about?”

Luna bit her lip before replying. “If you are looking for a town that will welcome anypony with open forelegs, no matter their physiology, Ponyville is high on the list of candidates. However I cannot gauge for certain the outcome of you coming out.”

Sparkler nodded. “I just...once I come out there’s no going back. I’m just worried I’m making a HUGE mistake.”

Luna reached out and pulled Sparkler in for another hug. “It is horrible what your fellow schoolmates in Saddle Arabia did to you. I know you are hesitant, but know this Sparkling Medley, you have friends. Friends who will always be there for you. Never forget that.”

Sparkler pondered over Luna’s words, before a smile creeped its way onto her face as she nodded. “I won’t. Thank you, your majesty.” She said as she and Luna parted.

Luna nodded. “I need to return to my night patrol, but before I do.” She pulsed her horn, and the scene around them changed from the starry field to Ponyville Park. Sparkler looked around, and saw Twilight sitting alone under a tree with a picnic all set up. She turned her head back to Luna to find the princess smirking. “I believe that a date with Twilight Sparkle is more to your liking, no?”

Sparkler blushed like mad as she smiled sheepishly. “Ahem, uh, you aren’t going to tell anypony...are you?”

Luna giggled and nodded. “I shan’t breath a word of your crush on Twilight Sparkle to anypony. And, you can trust that I will keep your wings a secret until you come out.”

“You won’t tell princess Celestia?” Sparkler asked.

Luna nodded. “I have not told her thus far, a bit of advice though, if you do see her before the Music Festival, pull her aside and come out to her about your wings. She would appreciate it if you told her personally.”

Sparkler nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She gave a polite bow, though this time out of respect and not fear. “Thank you your majesty. I am in your debt.” With that, she trotted over to Twilight.

Luna nodded. “We shall meet again Sparkling Medley. Of that I am certain.” She pulsed her horn and disappeared in a flash.

To be continued...
> Episode 24: This Is Me: Pt 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia’s sun grazed the town of Ponyville with it’s warmth as the dawn of a new day came. Blazing alarm clocks roused the slumbering residents and alerted them to the start of a new day. In one house, that alarm came in the form of a single parrot that was squawking like mad. “Squawk! Today’s the day! Today’s the day! It’s finally that day! Squawk!”

The pony in the bed groaned as she was awoken by her parrot. She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Grah! Flappy! What’s got you going Mach 10 this early?”

Flappy landed on her bed with an excited expression. “Squawk! The Ponyville Music Festival is today! It’s finally here! Squawk!”

Sparkler was about to ask why that was cause for acting like a mad parrot, when it hit her. She let out a small smile. “Oh yeah. It’s TIME.”

Flappy nodded as he flapped his wings and launched into the air. “Squawk! I’ll head down and get breakfast started. Squawk!” He was grinning like a goofball as he headed out the door. “Squawk! No more excuses. You’re FINALLY going to come out about your wings. Hehe. WOO...” His voice trailed off as he descended the stairs.

Sparkler couldn’t help but chuckle at her parrot friend’s excitement as she looked out the window into Ponyville. Her smile faded as she got out of bed. She sighed.

🎵My whole life I’ve wondered

Why I have my wings

What could’ve possessed the heavens

To grant me the power of flight

For these wings have been an obstacle

A barrier against friends

And I’m afraid tonight’s events

Could raise that wall again🎵

Sparkler opened the door to her closet to pick out a sweater, and spotted the picture of her and Twilight she had tucked in there.

🎵But when I think of her

The one who shares my wings

I feel as though this fear

I shouldn’t let win

Years of torture and ridicule

Have covered up these wings

Can I find the strength inside me

To Rise above the pain?🎵

Sparkler lit her horn and a sweater floated from it’s hanger onto her body. Covering up her wings...again.

🎵Maybe it’ll be ok

Maybe I can be myself

But whenever I look down that path

My past comes back to bite

I wish not to hide anymore

I wish to spread my wings

But whenever I try to do so

My past tethers me in place.

But maybe...

But maybe...🎵

She stepped through the door into the upper hallway and descended down the stairs, looking at the multiple pictures that had been taken in recent months of her and her friends.

🎵In the months I’ve been here

In this friendship paradise

I’ve found what I’ve always desired

The magic of friendship

But if I reveal my wings tonight

Will the magic still be there?

Will they stick around

Or will I be shunned again

I don’t think I can do it again

But Maybe it’ll be ok

Maybe I can be myself

But whenever I look down that path

My past comes back to bite

I wish not to hide anymore

I wish to spread my wings

But whenever I try to do so

My past tethers me in place.

But maybe...

But maybe...🎵

Sparkler entered the kitchen just in time to see Flappy catapult a pancake from a pan onto a plate. Flappy turned his head to see that he hit his target. “Squawk! Bullseye! Hehe. There’s your breakfast Sparkler. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and you can’t sing on an empty stomach. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded and sighed. “I can do this right Flappy? I can overcome fear tonight?”

Flappy nodded without hesitation. “Squawk! You kidding Sparkler? I’ve seen you master a cloning spell just to meet the requirements for a group project those brainless monkeys effectively excluded you from. If you can do that, this should be nothing. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. Right.”

Flappy smiled as he landed on the table with a small piece of watermelon. “Squawk! Seriously Sparkler, you got this. And remember that you have half of the Equestrian royalty on your side. Because didn’t you say that Princess Luna visited you in your dreams last week? Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. She was finally able to after my magic apparently kept her out. She told me that she had known all along. And that she’d keep it from her sister until I told her myself.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! And since we haven’t seen any guards yet. Along with Twilight that’s two princesses on your side. And there’s ample reason to believe Celestia and Cadance will come around after they get over the shock. Seriously Sparkler. Equestria could be a literal PARADISE for you compared to Saddle Arabia. Squawk!”

Sparkler sighed and nodded. “Let’s hope so. I don’t think I can handle being the outcast again.”

“Oh, I have a feeling you won’t have to.” At that moment, the oven door swung open and Discord slivered out of it. He slivered around the table a few times before settling in an empty chair.

Sparkler, after calming down from her moment of shock, groaned. “Grah! Discord! Why don’t you use the door like a normal creature?”

Discord chuckled. “They don’t call me the God of Chaos for nothing. How are you two today?”

Flappy rolled his eyes. “Squawk! We’re good. Just hyping up for the music festival today. Squawk!”

Discord grinned. “Yes! You have told me you were going to come out with your wings tonight. Oh! I have an idea to make it more of a—“

“No!” Sparkler shouted, cutting him off. “No! Nothing fancy. It’s just going to be me, my guitar, and a few lights so everypony can clearly see my wings. Nothing else!”

Discord deflated a tad. “Oh alright. Just thought I’d try and help.”

Sparkler sighed. “I’m sorry Discord. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It’s just that I’m already nervous about tonight and I want to keep it as simple as possible.”

Discord smiled again as he inflated back to his normal...density I guess. “Roger that Sparkler. I promise no chaos for your performance.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Good. Besides, you’ll probably be spent after your performance. Squawk!”

Discord beamed. “Hahaha! I’m pulling out all the stops so that with any luck, Fluttershy will fall for me and we’ll live happily ever after. Hey! I got an idea. Me and Fluttershy and you and Twilight going on a double date Sparkler. Should be fun!”

Sparkler laughed. “Discord, I still got a ways to go before I work up the courage to ask her out. I’m focusing on coming out before any romantic ventures.”

Discord laughed. “Oh alright. But you need ideas...”

Sparkler smirked. “I’ll be sure to hit you up. Now.” She got out of her seat and headed out of the kitchen. “I suppose you’re here for your commission.”

Discord nodded. “Yes. Yes I am.”

Sparkler nodded as she lit her horn and a record popped into the scene. “One side complete, one side instrumental. Standard SHR package.”

Discord nodded and accepted the record. “Oh joy! Thank you Sparkling Medley! I shall be sure to invite you to the wedding, ta ta. I got a song to practice.” With that, Discord snapped away.

Sparkler chuckled and shook her head. “Well. If any mare can handle Discord, it would be Fluttershy.”

Flappy nodded as he came into the living room. “Squawk! She’s the main reason he reformed right? Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yep. Now, come on. We said we’d help set up for the festival.”

To be continued...
> Episode 25: This Is Me: Pt 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright Airwave, sound check is a go. Just keep talking until I stop you.”

Airwave nodded. “You got it Sparkler! Ahem. Testing testing, sound check is a go. I had a thought but the thought I had was not the thought I thought I thought.”

Sparkler chuckled as she fiddled with the knobs on the audio control system, adjusting the levels to the correct gain. She was backstage at the venue that the Ponyville Music Festival was set to take place, helping with whatever needed helping with. Now she was making sure pony’s eardrums wouldn’t burst when somepony talked into the mic. Within a moment, the channels were all staying in the green. She smiled. “And we’re good! Thanks Airwave.”

Airwave smiled as he stepped away from the mic. “No problem Sparkler, can’t have eardrums blowing up tonight.”

Sparkler chuckled as she lit her horn and activated a megaphone spell. “Alright everypony listen up! The Audio Control System is set up, so nopony touch it until tonight!” She chuckled as she deactivated the spell. “Celestia I love that megaphone spell.”

“It certainly has its uses.” Sparkler turned to the source of that voice and saw Vinyl smiling as she approached her. “I’m telling you Sparkler, you came at just the right time. Who knows what we would’ve done if somepony hadn’t taken Spinal Record’s place.”

Sparkler laughed. “I thought you knew how to work this kind of equipment?”

Vinyl chuckled and nodded. “And what time would I have found to do a soundcheck? Usually Twilight organizes events like this but since she got her wings she’s been a whole lot busier, and it only got worse when she opened that school of hers.”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “So basically that leaves Ponyville in more or less the in the coordination state it was in before Twilight showed up.”

Vinyl nodded. “Pretty much.” Both mares chuckled for a moment before Vinyl spoke again. “So, Sparkler, how is hanging out with Twilight? You two going steady?” She gave Sparkler a knowing look.

Sparkler groaned and rolled her eyes. “We are NOT together, Vinyl. We are just friends. Though I will now gladly admit to everypony except Twilight that I wish we could be more.”

Vinyl chuckled. “So what’s stopping you?”

Sparkler sighed. “The fact that she’s a princess who was raised in the capital of Equestria and I’m just a unicorn from the most remote, rundown place on the planet. I know she wouldn’t want her crown to get in the way but it’s still intimidating, and an apparently good deterrent.”

At that, Vinyl laughed, earning a confused look from Sparkler. “What’s so funny?”

Vinyl chuckled. “Dude, you just basically described me when I was pining for Tavi. She’s an Earth Pony noble from Canterlot and my roots are right here in Ponyville. Believe me when I say I get it.”

Sparkler sighed. “How did you do it? Get the courage to ask Octavia out?”

Vinyl chuckled. “Actually, I never did. It was OCTAVIA who made the first move. Though to my credit I WAS going to ask her out. I was gonna walk up to her, get a conversation going, ask her out, and the rest would’ve been up to Tavi. Who beat me to the punch.”

“Weren’t you worried she’d say no?”

Vinyl smiled and nodded. “Terrified. But I was even more terrified of waiting too long and then losing the chance entirely. So with that in mind, I just went for it. Or would’ve, had she not done it first.” Vinyl chuckled.

Sparkler couldn’t help but chuckle too. “So, you’re saying I should just go for it?”

Vinyl nodded. “What I’m saying is, don’t wait too long. Because if you do, somepony else will come along and steal her from you.”

“Oh Scratchy!”

Vinyl groaned. “Oh for the love of, every time. I swear it’s in one ear and out the other!” She shook her head. “Coming Tavi!” She turned back to Sparkler. “I better go see what Tavi wants. Need anymore advice, just hit me up.”

Sparkler nodded. “I’ll do that.”

Vinyl nodded and ran off, while Sparkler turned her head to see the School of Friendship off in the distance. Don’t wait too long...alright. If Ponyville doesn’t run me out in the next few days...I’ll start working on a plan. I wonder if there are any events in the near future I could ask her to. With that in mind, Sparkler trotted off to offer help with anything that needed doing.

...

The bell rang all through the School of Friendship, signifying the end of class. In one room, Twilight smiled as she closed a textbook. “That concludes today’s class. Remember everycreature, I’ll be giving extra credit to any creature I see at the Ponyville Music Festival tonight. Class dismissed.” The class was quick to vacate the room. Twilight followed suit shortly after and started for her office. “Now. To get through 4 classes worth of exams in a few hours. No problem Twilight. At worst you’ll only miss one or two performances.”

“So long as you don’t miss Sparkler’s performance I imagine.” Twilight turned to the source of that voice and saw Rarity catch up to her.

Twilight smiled. “Hey Rarity. How was class?”

Rarity smiled and giggled. “You should see the fashion designs my students are creating. Oh that Smolder is a NATURAL fashionista.”

Twilight chuckled. “I’m sure.”

Rarity nodded. “But enough about me and the future of the Fashion Industry. Let’s talk YOU darling. What’s the latest? Have you made any headway concerning your crush on Sparkler?”

Twilight did a double take at Rarity’s question before chuckling. “Me? A crush on Sparkler? That’s a good one Rarity.”

Rarity shook her head. “I’m being serious. Pinkie said she got a Pinkie Sense shortly after your guys’ little milkshake “date” a bit ago. If I remember right she said you were disappointed that Discord cut it short.”

Twilight nodded. “Wouldn’t you be if somepony came in, cut into your conversation, and stole your milkshake friend away for something he coulda waited ten more minutes for?”

Rarity nodded after a moment’s thought. “Admittedly yes. But there’s still the matter of Pinkie Sense, which has thus far had a perfect record of being correct.”

Twilight chuckled. “Maybe Pinkie’s losing her touch because I DO NOT have a crush on Sparkler. We are just friends. Nothing more.”

Rarity nodded, and smirked. “Looks like somepony’s in denial.”

Twilight shook her head. “Am not. There’s nothing to be in denial about. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have exams to grade in a timely fashion so that I don’t miss Sparkler’s performance.” With that, Twilight lit her horn and popped away.

Rarity stared at the puff of smoke her friend had left behind before giggling. “That mare is SO in denial.”

...

Sparkler and Flappy stood on the platform of Ponyville Station, awaiting the arrival of the next train. Flappy looked along the train tracks, trying to see the train. “Squawk! The train should be here any minute now right? Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah, should be...unless dad insisted on another snack stop.” She giggled. “Although, if they insisted on making a trip all the way here just for tonight...I would imagine they won’t miss a train lest they risk missing the show.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! They would not want to miss such an important moment in their daughter’s life. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. To say this was an important moment in her life would be an understatement. What happened here tonight would either change her life for the better, or repeat what she went through in Saddle Arabia. I hope it changes for the better, but if not... She shook her head. No, she wouldn’t think about that. All her brain power was gonna be focused on getting herself through coming out. She’d deal with the consequences later. At that moment, she and Flappy heard a horn sound from the distance and turned to see the Friendship Express incoming.

Sparkler smiled. “There she blows.” She felt her horn tingle, her smile widened. “And Mom and Dad didn’t miss the train this time. Dad just sent a horn pulse saying they’re coming in.”

Flappy smiled. “Squawk! Great! Squawk!”

They watched as the train came screeching to a halt. The train stopped and its passenger doors opened to let ponies out and in. Among these disembarking ponies were a Unicorn and an Earth Pony. Sparkler smiled and waved at the pair. “Mom! Dad!”

Aurora and Thundercracker turned to the source of that voice and grinned when they saw Sparkler. “Sparkler!” They trotted over to her and pulled her into a group hug. “We missed you sweetie!”

Sparkler chuckled as she returned the hug in kind. “Missed you guys too. Glad you were able to make it.”

Aurora chuckled. “You kidding? We wouldn’t miss this performance for the world!”

Thundercracker nodded. “And we ain’t gonna say no to spending time with our favorite spark.”

Flappy cleared his throat. “Squawk! What am I? Chopped liver? Squawk!”

Everypony chuckled as Aurora turned her attention to Flappy. “Sorry Flappy. How are you?”

“Squawk! More excited than I’ve ever been in my whole life. Hehe. Squawk!”

Sparkler giggled. “Of course you are. I couldn’t hear my alarm clock over you’re squawking this morning.”

Off to the side, away from the family, a cloaked figure stepped off the train’s cargo car. The figure turned it’s head to see ponies bustling about the platform. After a few short seconds, the figure vanished into the crowd.

To be continued...
> Episode 26: This Is Me: Pt 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Here you go Sparkler, some muffins to enjoy the Festival with!”

Sparkler smiled as she took the three muffins. “Thanks Derpy. You did a good job with these.”

Derpy nodded. “Looking forward to your performance tonight. Break a leg...not literally though, that wouldn’t be good.”

Sparkler just chuckled and shook her head. The sign up sheet was in Town Hall, of COURSE word would spread. She giggled as she gave two of the three muffins to her parents and they continued down the path lined with tents set up for the Music Festival.

Aurora noticed her daughter’s amused look and chuckled. “Something get to you dear?”

Sparkler shook her head. “Nah, just wondering if there was a way I could’ve contained the knowledge that I was gonna be performing in the Music Festival.”

Flappy laughed from his perch on Sparkler’s back. “Squawk! It’s one of the biggest events of the year in this town Sparkler. According to Spike that is. Any sense of limited disclosure doesn’t exist. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I know, but everypony wishing me luck and saying they can’t wait for my performance...it’s not helping my nerves.”

Thundercracker chuckled as he playfully nudged Sparkler. “Ah you’ll be fine kiddo. From what you’ve droned on and on about, Ponyville will have a VERY different reaction than the Kilihima Central School District’s student body.”

Aurora nodded. “Though it’ll be their loss if they can’t look past your...”extra” bits.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Exactly. And she knows there are ponies in this town that don’t give two bits about it. Squawk!” He snickered. “Squawk! One of which she’s fallen head over hooves for. Squawk!” He gestured to the clearly visible castle of friendship as he said that.

Sparkler immediately caught on to Flappy’s meaning and blushed like mad as he Thundercracker and Aurora chuckled. “It’s not like THAT. I just...want us to be more than friends...”

Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! You talk about her in your sleep, you make doodles of yours and hers cutie marks inside a heart in your diary, how is that not head over hooves? Squawk!”

Sparkler’s eyes widened as the head built up in her cheeks. She was blushing in embarrassment now. “H—how do you know about that?!”

“Squawk! You aren’t exactly trying to hide it. Squawk!”

Thundercracker chuckled as he saw Sparkler’s face. “Ok ok. Let’s ease up on the poor filly. She looks ready to burst.”

Sparkler nodded. “L-Let’s just get on with the day.” Cool your wings girl! Remember, today, it’s coming out. TOMORROW-assuming Ponyville doesn’t run you out-you can focus on TwiSpark...NO! No ship names yet! Coming out first, romancing a princess second! She shook her head to get her crush out of her mind. She couldn’t afford such thoughts today. Though it would be awesome to—NO! Don’t push it. She shook her head again. Pushing her crush on Twilight into the FAR back of her mind.

...

“Airwave. What made you decide to perform at Ponyville’s Music Festival?” Asked a journalist.

Airwave flashed his signature smile. “It’s an open mic event, Ponyville is my new town of residence. I like to sing. Put all of them together and it’s a no brainer I’d want to participate in town events.”

The journalist nodded. “Any insider knowledge as to which song you’ll be singing tonight?”

Airwave chuckled. “You’ll just have to stick around for the show. I ain’t saying anything.”

“Will you say whether it’s a new song created in collaboration with the so-called “Master Mixer” Sparkling Medley? Or a classic like...Who U R?”

Airwave chuckled. “All I will say is that it will start off the Festival with a bang.”

The journalist nodded. “One more question if you don’t mind, rumor has it princess Celestia will be making a trip down from Canterlot for tonight’s show. Do you have any concerns?”

Airwave shrugged. “She’s the princess. She’s allowed to go anywhere she wants.”

The journalist nodded. “But considering your past as a former forward scout drone for known public enemy #1 Chrysalis, do you have any concerns about encountering the princess?”

That clicked it for Airwave what the journalist was getting at. He chuckled. “Oh, that’s what you’re getting at. I met with the princess near immediately after I came out. She wanted to hear my story for herself. She was understandably concerned, but I made it clear that while I was sent to find food for the hive, I never wanted to hurt anypony. As it stands now, we’re cool.”

The journalist smiled and finished writing notes on his notepad. “Thank you for your time Airwave. I look forward to seeing you on stage tonight.”

Airwave nodded. “See you in the crowd.”

The journalist nodded and scurried off. Airwave nodded. I wonder if I should tell Sparkler about that Celestia rumor?

“Hey Airwave!” Airwave’s ears perked up at the mention of his name and turned to see Sparkler waving at him, next to a couple older ponies.

He smiled and trotted over to them. “Yo Sparkler. What up?”

Sparkler shook her head. “Nothing much. Was that a reporter interviewing you just now?”

Airwave nodded. “Yes ma’am. First of several I imagine.” He glanced at the two ponies next to Sparkler. “And who do we have here?”

Sparkler smiled and turned to her parents. “My parents. Thundercracker and Aurora. Mom, dad, this is Airwave. THE Airwave.”

Airwave nodded as he shook hooves with Thundercracker and Aurora. “It’s very nice to meet you. I can see where Sparkler gets her looks from.”

Sparkler blushed while Thundercracker chuckled. “Aurora’s responsible for her looks. No, my claim to fame is her magical ability. Everything magic she learned from me.”

Sparkler smiled sheepishly as she cleared her throat. “Well...not EVERYTHING. Twilight has taught me a few new tricks recently.”

Aurora’s eyes lit up at her daughter. “Really? What tricks?”

“Tricks that I’d rather not show due to certain...requirements.”

Thundercracker, Aurora, and Airwave got her meaning and nodded. “Alright. But maybe a demonstration later at your house?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. Though certain tricks are more easily demonstrable if I had a partner. So depending on if we see Flappy again today you may not get the whole package.”

...

Flappy soared through the sky above Ponyville, looking around for the Phoenix he had seen soaring through the sky. He noted how fast the Phoenix was and decided to pursue them. So he launched into the air after a quick announcement of his departure. He weaved in and out of clouds, trying to find the Phoenix. He smiled. Whoever this Phoenix is, they’re fast. I turn my head for two seconds and there’s no sign of—

“Hi there!”

That voice came so suddenly from seemingly out of nowhere that Flappy stumbled off course. “Squawk! Sweet mother of Elysium! You nearly—“He quickly regained control and whipped around to see his target, the mysterious Phoenix, and his eyes widened when he realized that the Phoenix was a vibrant red, with that red blending into a flaming orange along its wings and tail. Suffice to say, SHE was the most beautiful creature he ever lay his eyes on. “Squawk! Whoa. Squawk!”

The Phoenix chuckled as she settled into a hover next to him. “Hi there. I’ve never seen you around these parts before. What’s your name?”

Flappy blinked twice before shaking himself out of it and smiling. “Squawk! Flappy. Flappy Medley. What’s your name? Squawk!”

“My full name is Philomena.” The Phoenix replied. “But you can just call me Mina if you want.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Philomena. That’s a beautiful name. Squawk!”

Mina blushed a little as she smiled. “Thanks. I like your name too.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You’re a pretty fast Phoenix. I was lucky to spot you at all. Squawk!”

Mina chuckled and nodded. “Yeah. I like to get out and fly fast whenever Tia brings me along with her. How about you? You look pretty fast.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I’m known as the Yellow Streak around here and back home. Squawk!”

Mina smiled “Ooh. The Yellow Streak. I like it. Oh, maybe I should come up with a race name of my own...OH! I got it! The Blazing Phoenix! Eh? Pretty cool right?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Very cool. So very very cool! Squawk!”

Mina smiled and nodded, before glancing around. An idea came to her as she smirked. “Say, you wouldn’t be opposed to a little race would you Flappy?”

Flappy grinned and nodded. “Squawk! A race? Sign me up! Squawk!”

Mina chuckled and nodded. “Oh yeah. I can tell we’re going to be fast friends Flappy. Both figuratively and literally.” They both turned to face the same direction. Mina put on her game face. “On your marks...get set...GO!” Mina and Flappy took off. Cutting through the clouds like a hot knife through butter. As they flew, Flappy couldn’t help but find himself immediately drawn to Mina. He chuckled to himself. We’re gonna be fast friends indeed Mina. Fast friends indeed.

To be continued...
> Episode 27: This Is Me: Pt 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike scurried through the streets of Ponyville, heading to the post office. “Getting those library loans sorted out took longer than I thought. Hopefully Gabby’ll understand.” He quickened his pace, determined to be there when his griffon finished her mail route. Along the way. He rushed past a trio of ponies.

He heard one of them shout out to him. “Hey Spike! What’s the rush?”

Spike stopped in his tracks and whipped around to see Sparkler waving at him. He smiled. “Oh. Hey Sparkler. I had to help in the SOF library which took longer than I thought so I have to scurry along to meet Gabby after her mail route.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Alright. Then don’t let me keep you from your date. You guys coming to the Music Festival later?”

Spike nodded. “That’s the plan. OH!! Speaking of. Sparkler can you send a quick horn pulse to Twilight with when you’ll be going on? Like who you go on after? She wants to make absolutely sure she doesn’t miss your performance.”

Sparkler chuckled and nodded. “Sure thing. I’ll let her know.”

Spike nodded. “Great. Now sorry to wave and run, but my griffon gal awaits.” With that, he turned around and scurried away.

Sparkler watched him go and chuckled. “A dragon and a griffon. It’s true what they say. Love can form anywhere.” She suddenly got a strange feeling. She turned, and saw her parents giving her knowing looks. “...What?”

“Somepony has a dedicated fan.” Aurora commented with a smirk.

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Twilight just wants to make sure she doesn’t miss the show.” She said as she sent a pulse to Twilight as requested. “Wouldn’t you want to be there to support your friends in this situation?”

Thundercracker chuckled. “But to send a message along when she just as easily could’ve sent a pulse herself. That sounds like she’s trying to hide something.”

Sparkler laughed. “Or it could just be that her horn is busy for something else. Dad you know Horn Pulses aren’t multitaskable spells. You need to drop everything to do it.”

Aurora chuckled. “It could also be because she’s too embarrassed to ask you herself because she’s attracted to you.”

Sparkler laughed. “Ha! Her? Attracted to me? I haven’t even told her my own feelings for her yet. Hehe. No, her horn is most likely busy with other things. She just thinks of me as a friend.”

...

Meanwhile, at the School of Friendship, Twilight scanned over a piece of paper at high speed, quickly spotting the errors and marking them accordingly. Within a minute, she smiled at the graded paper and moved it to a growing pile of papers on her desk. She grabbed another paper off the other pile. “Two classes down, two to go. So long as I don’t stop for anything, I should be able to finish before six.” At that moment, she heard a knock on the door. She continued to grade exams as she responded. “Whatever it is go see Counselor Starlight. I’m busy right now!”

“Starlight is out with the great and powerful Trrrrixie at the moment. So I cannot see her.” Twilight stopped dead in her tracks and glanced up to see the door open to reveal...

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed as she scrambled out from behind her desk to greet her mentor. “This is a surprise I thought you weren’t coming until later?”

Celestia nodded. “Luna is still on that plan, however my work for the day was completed earlier than I anticipated so I was able to get away much quicker.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Not often that happens huh.”

Celestia nodded. “Indeed.” She glanced at the stacks of papers on Twilight’s desk. “Might I ask what it is that you were doing Twilight?”

Twilight glanced at the papers on her desk. “A bunch of exams that need grading...” She glanced at the clock, as well as the calendar hanging next to it. She didn’t want to leave her mentor hanging, but she also wanted to get those exams graded...she noticed that she didn’t have anything scheduled for the weekend. “But the grading can wait til tomorrow.” She nodded and turned back to Celestia. “So, do you want to head out to the Festival or was there something you wanted to do first?”

Celestia shook her head. “We can head out to the Festival now if you want.”

Twilight grinned and nodded. “Alright. Then let’s go—“ Right then, Twilight felt her horn tingle, and she suddenly had the knowledge that Sparkler was going to be the third act of the night after Airwave and Discord. She smiled and nodded. “Third act. Alright.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Third act Twilight?”

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Uh, yeah. My new friend Sparkler just sent a horn pulse saying she’ll be the third act of the show.”

Celestia smiled and nodded. “Ah yes. The so-called Master Mixer.”

Twilight chuckled and nodded. “You better believe she lives up to that moniker. The way she makes music...I can’t do it justice with just a verbal description. You need to hear it for yourself.”

Celestia giggled and nodded. “I can’t wait. You’re quite fond of her aren’t you.”

Twilight smiled sheepishly. “Well, it is nice to have somepony who shares my love of learning. We started having regular study sessions about a little over a month ago.”

Celestia giggled. “What do you study? If you don’t mind me asking?”

Twilight bit her lip as her mind raced. She didn’t want to lie to her mentor, but at the same time, she pinkie promised Sparkler that she’d never reveal Sparkler’s wings until she did. Why are you hesitating?! Alicorns aren’t the ONLY thing you study. Music, astronomy, there are literally a thousand things you can say! Celestia doesn’t need to know EVERYTHING.

But she always seems to know there’s more going on than meets the eye! “Uhm, we study Music, Astronomy, Magic, really we study anything we’re in the mood for that day.” Relax, Sparkler’s done a good job hiding her secret, and YOU certainly didn’t say anything. There’s no way in Tartarus Celestia knows Sparkler’s an Alicorn. She’ll find out along with everypony else tonight.

Celestia smiled. “Sounds like you two have a lot of fun together.”

Twilight nodded. “You have no idea.” She said dreamily.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Something the matter Twilight?”

Twilight shook herself out of her dreamy state and shook her head. “No. Nothing’s the matter, everything’s fine and dandy.” Did I really just enter a dreamy state thinking of Sparkler?! she shook her head. No. no it couldn’t have been because of her. After all, I’m not attracted to her...Am I? She shook her head. Nah, probably just my mind relaxing after panicking just a few seconds ago. Yeah. That. With that, she continued to walk alongside Celestia out of the school towards the Music Festival.

To be continued...
> Episode 28: This Is Me: Pt 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

🎵Now I found Who I am

There’s no way to hold it in

No more hiding who

I want to be

This is me!🎵

Sparkler strummed the last note on her guitar as the song came to an end. She opened her eyes and turned her attention to her two pony audience, who were clapping.

Thundercracker smiled. “Another masterpiece of a song, Sparkler.”

Aurora nodded. “Can we get a record of it to frame right next to Play It Loud? Just as that song got you your cutie mark, this one marks another important step for you.”

Sparkler blushed a little and nodded. “I’ll make up a record after the show...that is, if Ponyville reacts the way I HOPE it does.”

Aurora smiled at Sparkler. “Hey, don’t sweat it Sparky. You’re going to do great.”

Thundercracker nodded. “Yeah. And hey, once you get going I think you’ll get lost in the music that you won’t even notice the crowd.”

Sparkler nodded and sighed. “I just...tonight is probably the most important night of my life. What happens tonight will change everything, and I’m worried it won’t be for the better.”

Aurora pulled her daughter in for a hug. “Hey, it’ll be alright honey. You’ll get through this.”

“Squawk! I cannot wait for you to meet Sparkler! I sure do hope she is down in the living room! Squawk!”

Sparkler automatically pulsed her horn and her sweater appeared on her, covering her wings again. She smiled. Flappy was back and by the sound of it, he brought a friend over. Good job remembering to warn me Flappy.

A second later, Sparkler and her parents saw Flappy fly into the living room, followed by a vibrant red bird who’s coat blended into orange at the tips of its wings and tail. A creature they all recognized as a Phoenix.

Sparkler smiled at Flappy. “Hey Flappy. Who’s your friend?”

Flappy smiled. “Squawk! Her name is Philomena. She’s that fast bird I saw earlier. Squawk!”

Sparkler smiled and turned to Philomena. “It’s nice to meet you Philomena.”

Philomena made a slight crowing noise. Flappy nodded. “Squawk! She says it’s nice to meet you too. Squawk!”

Aurora smiled as she got a good look at Philomena. “Aww! Aren’t you just the cutest thing!”

Thundercracker nodded. “Does she have an owner or is she a free bird?”

Philomena made another slight crowing noise. Flappy listened, and his smile slowly faded as he took in what Mina just said. “Squawk! SHE’S your owner?! Squawk!”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Who’s her owner Flappy?”

Flappy gulped before answering. “Squawk! Her owner is...Princess Celestia, and she’s coming here for the Music Festival. Squawk!”

Sparkler and her parents’ smiles faded quickly as they all gasped. “PRINCESS CELESTIA?!”

Philomena and Flappy started making animal sounds. Mina looked around at all the shocked faces. She raised an eyebrow as she turned back to Flappy. “Is there something wrong Flappy?”

Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! Nothing’s wrong...necessarily. It’s just that Sparkler’s been nervous about tonight and the fact that the highest authority in Equestria is going to be in the audience isn’t helping. Squawk!”

While Mina and Flappy were talking. Sparkler was trying to control her breathing. The Princess of the freaking Sun is going to be in the audience tonight. She...she’s going to find out about my wings...tonight. Sparkler tried her best not to panic. Princess Celestia’s Phoenix pet was in her house, and there was no telling WHAT that Phoenix could understand. Sparkler shook her head. No, Don’t think THAT! Celestia doesn’t seem the kind of pony to use her pet to spy on her subjects...right?

“Squawk! Sparkler? Squawk!”

Sparkler blinked out of her thoughts to see Flappy staring right at her. Flappy spoke again. “Squawk! Basement, you, me, talk, now. Squawk!” Flappy flew off towards the basement.

Sparkler nodded towards Philomena and her parents. “Excuse us for a moment.”

...

“Princess Celestia is coming here for the Ponyville Music Festival.” Sparkler stated as she paced back and forth

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yep. Squawk!”

Sparkler stopped pacing and nodded through her hyperventilations. “Ok, ok. Not the TOTAL end of the world. It’s entirely possible I’m getting all worked up for nothing...WHAT AM I GOING TO DO FLAPPY?!” Sparkler just burst out panicking as she quickly materialized a paper bag and started breathing heavily into it.

Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! Sparkler! Calm down. Just breathe in, and out. In...and out. Squawk!”

Sparkler did as she was told and took deep breaths and exhaled to calm down. After a few minutes, her breathing had steadied. Flappy smiled when Sparkler put down the bag. “Squawk! Now. Let’s remain calm. We knew this was coming. You and Celestia crossing paths. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. Sooner or later I was gonna have to interact with princess Celestia. Luna even told me I should pull her aside if I see her before the show.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! So it’s just one more pony that’s gonna be in the audience. Isn’t that a good thing? The more ponies that find out tonight the better? Squawk!”

Sparkler thought about that for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah. I guess.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! You have your routine down. You know the song by heart. All you need to do is focus on the routine, and you’ll make it through. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “You really think I can do this?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! I know you can. You’ve prepared too much to back out now. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Right. There’s no turning back now. The song’s been recorded, I’ve put in the practice hours. I can’t let it go to waste, I can’t screw this up now.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! That’s the spirit. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “And besides, it’s like Luna said, I’m not going in alone. My friends...those who know the truth anyway...will be there to support me.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk, you can say the rest of your friends will be there to support you too. To some degree. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yes...but for how much longer can I call them my friends...”

Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! No! Whatever you do. Don’t think like that. The key is to stay positive and optimistic. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Your right. As long as I stay positive and optimistic, and focus on the routine. I can make it through tonight.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Yes you can. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded as she looked at the clock. It was quarter after five. Sparkler frowned. “Tartarus. We need to get to the festival!”

Flappy glanced at the clock and saw the time. He gasped as he flapped his wings and launched from the table. “Then let’s go!”

...

“Here we go everypony, a round of cider straight from Sweet Apple Acres.” Applejack called out as she slid a mug to each of her friends.

Everypony smiled as their mug slid to them. “Thanks Applejack.” They all said in unison.

Rainbow took a sip of her Cider and smiled. “Ahh. AJ, your Cider is the BEST!”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I have to agree Rainbow Dash. I do not drink often, but an occasion such as this is cause to indulge in sweetness.”

Applejack chuckled and tipped her hat. “Thanks Celestia. Me and mah family worked extra hard to make this year’s Cider exceptional.”

Rarity nodded. “Well it definitely shows darling.”

Twilight nodded. “Agreed. Hey, has Sparkler tried any Cider yet Applejack?”

Applejack shook her head. “If she did I certainly didn’t hear anything about it.”

Rainbow nodded, before something caught her eye. She turned to the point of interest and smiled when she saw a pony slated to walk past them. “Well. We can just ask her.”

Over to Sparkler, she had long since noticed her friends sitting at one of the tables. She also noticed the tall white Alicorn that was princess Celestia sitting with them. Were she not RIGHT THERE, I might have gone over there to say hi, but I really don’t need Ice Breaker questions right—

“Hey Sparkler!” Crap! They noticed me! Sparkler turned her head to see Rainbow and Twilight waving her over. She gulped. Ok Sparkler...you don’t have time to pull her aside anyway, just a quick hello, a little small talk, and politely excuse yourself. And once the show is over, I’ll seek her out, answer any question she may have, and pray that she understands my dilemma.

With that in mind, she changed course and joined the mane 6 at the table. “Hey guys.”

Rainbow smiled. “What up Sparkler? How’s it going?”

“It’s going good.” Sparkler replied. “Can’t wait for the show.”

Celestia nodded. “Are you the Sparkling Medley I’ve heard so much about?”

She means my music. She doesn’t mean the wings. Sparkler nodded and gave a respectful bow. “Yes. It’s an honor to meet you, your majesty.”

Celestia nodded. “The honor is mine. There is no need for formalities here.”

Sparkler nodded and stood up as Pinkie bounced around the table and settled next to Sparkler. “So, you ready for your performance tonight Sparkler?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. It’s gonna be great.”

Celestia nodded. “I look forward to seeing you in action Sparkling Medley. Twilight says your music is the best she’s ever heard.”

Twilight blushed like mad while Sparkler’s eyes widened. Best she’s ever heard? She really thinks that? “You really think that Twi?”

Twilight hesitated, before smiling sheepishly and nodding. “What else was I supposed to say? It’s true.”

Sparkler momentarily forgot about everything as she smiled warmly. Twilight Sparkle you are a freaking MIRACLE worker! “Awww. Thanks Twi. That’s sweet of you to say.”

“Awww!” Twilight and Sparkler raised eyebrows as they turned to see their friends staring at them.

“What?” They both asked in unison?

Rarity beamed at them. “You two are just so cute together!”

Twilight and Sparkler recoiled from that comment and blushed like mad. “We are not together!” They both shouted in unison...before realizing that they spoke in unison twice now. They glanced at each other, and then Sparkler glanced at a conveniently placed clock hanging from a nearby pole. “And on that comment. If you’ll all excuse me, I need to head to the stage where the acts are gathering. See y'all later, and enjoy the show.” Sparkler pulsed her horn and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Twilight shook herself out of her own shock and embarrassment and turned to see her friends all giving her knowing looks. She shook her head. “No. No don’t you all start with this. Sparkler and I are just friends. Nothing more!”

Celestia giggled. “You sure made it sound like you had a crush.”

Twilight shook her head. “I do not!”

...

Backstage, Sparkler popped into reality and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. “That was NOT how I expected that to go.” She shook her head to clear her mind. “Focus Sparkler. You still have one giant obstacle before you can confidently pursue your crush. And you are about to overcome it. Just get on that stage...and sing.”

To be continued...
> Episode 29: This Is Me: Pt 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ponies were collecting around the stage. Getting ready to be soothed with music. On one of the many strings webbing in the sky, Flappy and Mina sat, having chosen that spot to watch the show. Mina smiled. “Ooh, this is gonna be exciting.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! This is actually my first Ponyville Music Festival so this should be extra good. Squawk!”

Mina giggled. “Feel like letting me in on what Sparkler’s going to do for her performance?”

Flappy chuckled and shook his head. “Squawk! She’s the third act of the show so it won’t be long until you get to find out. But until then, my beak is sealed. Squawk!”

Mina chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Alright. Fine. But it better be worth it.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! It will be. Squawk!” And hopefully this doesn’t end with Sparkler being pelted with food. He casually glanced down at the crowd below them, checking to see if anypony had food with them. He did notice a few ponies with bags of popcorn in their grasp. He gulped. Least popcorn doesn’t leave a mess like eggs do.

Down in the crowd. Twilight, her friends, and Celestia all took their seats. At that moment, they all heard a familiar voice. “Greetings my little ponies, and my dear sister. Are thou ready for the show?” They all turned to see Luna land on the seat next to her sister.

Celestia smiled. “You actually made it. I was half afraid you would oversleep.”

Luna chuckled. “And miss an event such as this? Never Tia.”

Fluttershy nodded. “It’s good of you to sacrifice sleep to support the musical acts tonight your majesty.”

Luna smiled and nodded. “Of course Fluttershy.”

At that moment, they all notice the lights dim as a spotlight shined center stage. Everypony in the crowd settled down as Vinyl stepped into the spotlight with a head mounted microphone. “Hello everypony! Welcome to the annual Ponyville Music Festival! Who’s ready to shake their tails!” The crowd responded by going wild. Vinyl chuckled as she waited for the crowd to settle. Which it did after a few seconds. “As always I’m your host. Vinyl Scratch, AKA DJ-Pon3 and we got a lot of amazing acts tonight. The musical stylings of Airwave, the more musically gifted of our very own townsponies, even the God of Chaos himself is getting into the fray. I don’t know about you, but I’m pumped. Now, before we get into the action. For those of you who are just joining us this year. The Ponyville Music Festival started as a collection of musicians gathering every so often to share their creations with their peers...”

Backstage, while Vinyl was giving a history lesson, Sparkler was pacing back and forth. Trying to remain calm. Remain calm, Remain calm, REMAIN CALM! You can do this. You can SO do this. She continually told herself.

Airwave watched her from afar with a concerned look. After a moment, he walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. “Sparkler?”

Sparkler jumped at the voice and contact and whirled around to see Airwave giving her a concerned look. She took a deep breath. “Airwave, it’s just you.”

Airwave nodded. “Everything alright? You look tense?”

Sparkler sighed and nodded. “I am about to walk out there and come out to everypony, including PRINCESS FREAKING CELESTIA, with my wings. My insecurity is yelling at me to run while I can, my heart and gut are telling me to stay and go through with it. I’m at a crossroads here and I have NO idea where to go!”

“Hey!” Airwave grabbed Sparkler’s shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “Sparkler, calm down. It’s going to be ok.”

Sparkler’s eyes glistened as she let out a sniffle. “Is it?”

Airwave nodded. “Yes. Look, forget about your wings, forget about the crowd, your past, forget all of it. Just focus on your routine. And once you get going I promise you won’t be thinking of stopping.”

Sparkler closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She exhaled and opened her eyes again, letting a smile appear on her face. “Thanks Airwave, I needed that.”

Airwave nodded as he pulled her in for a quick hug. “Anytime pal.”

“Now. Let’s get on to the music! Our first act is a doozy indeed. You all know him as one of Ponyville’s newest residents. The local changeling not enrolled in the school of friendship. Here to kick off our show. The one, the only, AIRWAVE!” The crowd cheered wildly.

Airwave shot Sparkler one last smile before starting for the stage. “You got this Sparkler. And remember. Just take a deep breath, and sing.”

Sparkler nodded as Airwave stepped onto the stage level and trotted into the open, and into the cheering of the crowd. He smiled as he reached center stage. He cleared his throat to calm the crowd. “What up Ponyville!”

The crowd cheered in reply and Airwave chuckled. “I just want to say it’s a real honor to be up here tonight. You’ve all been so welcoming and I’m proud to say I live in this town. This one’s from my latest album. And it definitely won't be an Illusion. Hit it!”



While Airwave was rocking the song. Sparkler momentarily forgot about her own panic as she moved to the beat, the beat she helped create for the song. Ok, Not to toot my own horn, but maybe I do deserve the title of Master Mixer.

“You did a good job mixing this one Sparkler.” Sparkler heard Lyrica say. She turned to find Lyrica dancing right next to her. “You really are a master mixer.”

Sparkler chuckled. “Thanks. It’s what I do.”

After a moment, the song hit its last note and the song came to an end. The result was the crowd going wild and Airwave waving to the audience. “Thank you Ponyville! You’ve been a terrific audience! Enjoy the rest of the show, and stay cool!”

The crowd continued to cheer as Airwave trotted off the stage. Lyrica immediately moved to his side and pecked him on the cheek. “Another flawless performance Wavy.”

Airwave chuckled. “Let’s not forget the mare behind the music.” He turned to Sparkler. “That song came out beautifully Sparkler, thank you so much for your help.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “It should be me thanking you for giving me the chance of a lifetime.”

The three of them chuckled as Vinyl trotted passed them and back onto the stage. “Let’s hear it for Airwave everypony!” The crowd cheered and Vinyl continued. “Right. Let’s bring out our next act. This one I was a little shocked to see on the sign up sheet, but he says he’s worthy of being in the line up so we’ll just have to see. Hailing from whatever chaotic dimension he lives in, give it up for the Lord of Chaos himself, DISCORD!”

The crowd clapped...cautiously as Discord slivered past an exiting Vinyl and onto the stage. He sprang up and smiled at the crowd. “Hello everypony! It is I, the Lord of Chaos himself! Now, I know what you’re all wondering. ‘Why is Discord up here? Can he really sing?’ The answer is, yes. Yes I can. And tonight. I’m here to serenade a very special somepony who I’ve grown to care for more than a friend.” He snapped his fingers and a guitar appeared in front of him, as well as a floating arrow sign, the sign flew into the crowd, and stopped when it reached... “Fluttershy! This one’s for you. Straight from my heart!” He strummed the first notes and started playing. As did Discord on the keyboard and Discord on the drums.



Fluttershy’s eyes widened when the arrow pointed towards her. “Discord has feelings for me?!”

Rainbow chuckled beside her and nodded. “Sure sounds like it. Way to go ‘Shy.”

Fluttershy blushed like mad as she continued to listen to Discord’s song.

Backstage, Sparkler had been listening for a few verses, but then she stopped as her mind began to spiral. This is it. It’s time.

Run! Run while you can! You really think they’ll accept you? They won’t!

They accepted Twilight.

Because she’s a princess. She could have them all executed if she really wanted to.

Sparkler’s breathing quickened as the voice in her head continued. They’ll just laugh at you. All of them. Just like they did in Saddle Arabia. You walk out on that stage and you will have ruined your life.

Sparkler shook her head. “No. They won’t. I have to believe they won’t.”

The voice in her head didn’t respond, instead, she just heard taunting laughter. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to tune it out, but it was loud and clear.

Hahaha. Does the horned chicken want some seeds?

Here’re you eggs back you overgrown chicken. They’re stale anyway. Images of being pelted with eggs played in Sparkler’s mind. Taunting her.

Go back to the farm. That is, if you can even fit in the coup.

Sparkler shook her head as her closed eyes began to glisten as the laughter continued, Sparkler started backing up. “Stop it.”

The other performers had heard that and turned to see the state Sparkler was in. Airwave raised an eyebrow as he started to approach Sparkler. “Sparkler? You ok?”

Sparkler shook her head, but made no indication that she heard him over the taunting laughter in her head. “No. Stop it. Please.”

At that moment, the song came to an end, and a minute later, Discord had apparently flown off to sit with Fluttershy. Vinyl stepped out on stage. “Wow. Let’s hear it for discord everypony, and let’s also give a round of applause for the new couple.” The crowd cheered and applauded towards Discord and Fluttershy. Vinyl nodded and continued. “Now. This next performer is a first-timer here at the Festival...”

While Vinyl talked, Sparkler had backed against the wall and to the outside observer, she looked like she was taking cover from something. “No. Stop laughing.”

Airwave looked to his friend with concern and got on his haunches next to her. “Sparkler, nopony is laughing.

Sparkler didn’t seem to hear him. Hearing instead the laughter, and the sound of egg shells. She shook her head. “No! Not the eggs! Anything but the eggs!” That was it. She couldn’t take it anymore. With a quick flash of her horn, Sparkler vanished. Leaving Airwave to cough out the smoke she left behind.

Airwave looked to where Sparkler had been, and sighed. “Consarn it.”

Lyrica approached him. “What happened to Sparkler?”

Airwave stood up. “She had a panic attack and bailed.” He turned to walk out to let Vinyl know.

On stage. “So, let’s give a warm Ponyville Welcome to our Resident Bugbear exterminator, the queen behind the beats. Sparkle—“ That was as far as she got before she saw Airwave rush to her and whisper something in her ear. She listened, and her eyes widened in absolute shock. “She bailed?!” She exclaimed. She heard her voice boom over the speakers and turned to see the crowd staring at her in confusion. She smiled nervously and cleared her throat. “Uhm. Intermission!” She quickly grabbed Airwave and hurried off the stage with him.

From their position on the light strings. Flappy sat there with his beak open and eyes widened. “Squawk! No. Not again! Squawk!”

Mina raised an eyebrow. “Again Flappy?”

Flappy realized he said that out loud and shook his head. “Squawk! I’ll be back. Squawk!” With that, he launched into the air and turned for town. Leaving behind a very confused Mina.

To be continued...
> Episode 30: This Is Me: Pt 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Airwave and Vinyl hurried backstage. Vinyl glanced around for Sparkler, and true to Airwave’s claims, she was nowhere to be found. She turned back to Airwave. “What do you mean she bailed? What happened that made her leave?”

Airwave shrugged. “I’m not sure exactly. As far as I could tell she had a panic attack.”

Vinyl groaned and turned to the other ponies in the area. “Anypony know what happened to Sparkler?”

“Well...she started backing up against the wall a few minutes ago...” One pony said.

Another nodded. “And started telling somepony to stop, even though nopony was doing anything to her...”

“And she said something about eggs.”

Vinyl sighed. “Something got to her and made her bail. We need to get Twilight on the case. As for the show...” She glanced around until she found Octavia. “Tavi! You're up!”

Octavia raised an eyebrow. “What about Sparkler?”

Vinyl sighed. “I’ll move her to the last spot and if she’s not back by then, oh well.” She lit her horn and magically flipped down the mic to address the crowd.

Meanwhile, within the crowd itself, Twilight and her friends were confused. “Sparkler bailed? Seriously?”

“Now why in tarnation would she do that?”

“She acted like she was looking forward to this.”

Twilight’s mind raced. Sparkler had bailed on them at the last minute, what could’ve caused her to do that? She looked up and saw Flappy fly off towards town, and it came to her. Sparkler’s fear of the past got to her. Sparkler...

Right then, everypony heard the mic boom and Vinyl’s voice came through. “Ahem. Attention everypony. We’re experiencing some...technical difficulties concerning our third act of the night. We’re going to try to resolve it. In the meantime. Please welcome the musical stylings of the fabulous Octavia Melody! Also, can Princess Twilight please proceed backstage? Thanks.” As Octavia walked out on stage and started playing her violin, Twilight nodded and spread her wings.

She turned to her friends. “I’m gonna go see what happened to Sparkler. I’ll be back in a few.”

...

Vinyl paced back and forth backstage. After a moment, she heard a door open and saw Twilight enter. She smiled. “Twilight. Thank Celestia.”

Twilight got right to the point. “Vinyl, what happened to Sparkler?”

Vinyl shrugged. “I don’t know. Airwave says she was having a panic attack, but that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense because she was saying some crazy things.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “What crazy things?”

“She kept telling somepony to stop laughing, even though nopony was.” Vinyl replied. “And she said something about eggs. I don’t know man it was weird.”

Twilight nodded. Her past came back to bite her. She sighed. “Look, Vinyl, is there any way you could—“

Vinyl cut her off. “I already moved her to the last spot in the roster. But she has until I call her name next to get back here.”

Twilight nodded. “Thanks Vinyl.”

Vinyl nodded. “Hey, things happen. Thank Faust shows like this are flexible and changes can be made on the spot.”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah.”

Vinyl nodded and walked off. Twilight glanced over to Airwave, who had walked over to her. “Twilight, it wasn’t stage fright. It was something much worse.”

Twilight nodded. “I know.” She sighed before nodding. “We need to find her. We can’t let her miss her chance.”

Airwave nodded. “We don’t even know where she went.”

Twilight nodded. “But we can make a good guess. I’ll stop by her house and check there after I get my friends in on the search. You can Horn Pulse correct?”

Airwave nodded. “Yes.”

Twilight nodded. “Update me on the show status periodically. Like I said. We can’t let Sparkler miss this chance.”

..

Twilight landed near her friends a moment later. She walked over to them, to see a pair of ponies talking to them. She cleared her throat to get their attention. “Guys, we need to split up and find Sparkler.”

Rarity glanced over to Twilight and smiled. “Twilight. Your back. Good.” She gestured towards the two new ponies. “This is Thundercracker and Aurora, Sparkler’s parents.”

Aurora nodded as she studied Twilight. “Are you Twilight?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. I am. Nice to meet you two.”

Thundercracker nodded. “Have you heard anything from Sparkler?”

Twilight shook her head. “No I haven’t. I’m gonna go pay a visit to her house and see if she’s there.”

Aurora nodded. “We’ll head there too.”

Twilight nodded. “Right.” She turned to her other friends. “The rest of you comb Ponyville for her. Anypony finds her, tell her to send out a wide band Pulse with her location—“ Twilight stopped when she realized something. She glanced around, and noticed a severe lack of Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. “Where did the princesses go?”

...

Flappy soared through the sky above Ponyville, heading straight for the house. I can’t believe it. She chickened out again. Will this nightmare ever end for her? He spotted the house and dived down. He slowed down to a hover when he reached the second level’s altitude. Please let Sparkler be here. He dove further and flew through the little access hole Sparkler made for him in the front door. He stopped in the living room. “Squawk! Sparkler? You here? Squawk!” He glanced around the living room until he found what he was looking for. Sparkler was laying on the couch, crying. “Squawk! Sparkler! Squawk!” Flappy quickly flew to the couch and landed in front of her head, which was buried in her forelegs. Flappy watched for a second as Sparkler continued to sob before speaking up. “Squawk! Hey, Sparkler. Please don’t cry. It’s gonna be ok. Squawk!”

Sparkler’s sobbing eased away as she slowly lifted her head to look at Flappy. “I blew it. I blew it Flappy. Again.” She cried.

Flappy shook her head. “Squawk! Hey, come on. There’s still time. I’m sure if you just go back now and explain it to Vinyl—“

“No!” Sparkler suddenly exploded. “Don’t you get it Flappy? No matter how hard I try, I’m never going to be able to come out with my wings. Doomed to always chicken out at the last minute. Asking Twilight which way she swings, this. I’ll forever be trapped in this woolly closet of my own making. And there’s nothing I can do about it!” She went back to sobbing. “Maybe everypony was right back in Saddle Arabia. I’m nothing but a horned chicken.”

Flappy gasped. Sparkler did NOT just say what he thought she just said. “Squawk! Sparkler! Don’t you dare agree with those brainless idiots! You aren’t a horned chicken! Squawk!”

Sparkler’s sobbing slowed down as she looked Flappy right in the eye. “I’m not? Then why am I here vs out there singing Flappy? Why am I hiding like a coward instead of coming out like I was supposed to? HUH FLAPPY? WHY—“ Sparkler immediately covered her mouth as both her’s and Flappy’s eyes widened in shock. Sparkler did not mean to be that loud.

Flappy raised an eyebrow. “Squawk! Sparkler? You ok? Squawk!”

“I DON’T—“ Sparkler covered her mouth back up as tears resumed coming out. What the Tartarus was happening to her? She DEFINITELY didn’t mean to shout that time. She glanced around and saw a pad of paper and a pen. She quickly summoned them to her and began writing.

“Flappy, what’s happening to me?”

Flappy shrugged. “Squawk! I don’t know. You’ve never reached that volume before. And you’ve certainly never been STUCK on it before. Squawk!” His mind raced with ideas in what to do. He nodded at one of them. “Squawk! We need to find Twilight. Maybe she has an answer. Squawk!”

Sparkler shook her head and wrote.

“No! If I’m stuck on this loud volume than I can’t risk going back out there. If on the off chance that this is an Alicorn thing...I can’t risk ponies finding out like this.”

Flappy sighed. “Squawk! How about Horn Pulsing her to come here? Squawk!”

Sparkler shook her head and wrote.

“I’ve tried to do that to apologize to her, but I can’t seem to get a confirmation that it was sent, like my magic won’t work.”

Flappy sighed. “Squawk! Well we need to try SOMETHING. Squawk!”

“Perhaps I can be of assistance?” Flappy and Sparkler jumped at the new voice, and noticed a bright light appear beside them. They turned as the light dimmed, and their fur and feathers stood on ends when they saw not only princess Luna standing there, but also.

“PRINCESS CELESTIA!” Sparkler accidentally shouted. She covered her mouth again, and without even thinking, pulled the blanket that was on the couch over her and curled up in a ball, visibly trembling in fear.

Flappy and the princesses looked at the cowering pony under the blanket and then glanced at each other before Flappy spoke up. “Squawk! Please excuse Sparkler your majesties, tonight just isn’t her night. Squawk!”

Celestia nodded. “It would seem so.”

Luna approached the couch and got down on her haunches to get down to Sparkler’s level. “Sparkler.” She cooed as she leaned in and gently nuzzled the ball that was Sparkler under the blanket. Making the trembling mare freeze solid. “I have a solution to your Royal Canterlot Voice going AWOL.”

Flappy raised an eyebrow. “Squawk! Her royal what now? Squawk!”

“Her Royal Canterlot Voice.” Celestia explained. “It is an ability exclusive to Alicorns. It enables the user to project their voice far beyond the level of an average pony.”

The minute her ears picked up the word Alicorn, Sparkler became even more terrified. If Celestia knew what that increased shouting was, and if she heard her...

Luna nodded. “I can temporarily disable the RCV so that Sparkler will be back to her usual volume.” She turned her attention back to Sparkler under the blanket. “All I need is to touch my horn to yours Sparkler.”

For a moment, nothing happened, and then Luna noticed a paper float up to her with words on it.

“You can really disable it?”

Luna smiled and nodded. “Yes. And I can keep it disabled until you’ve learned to control it on your own.”

The paper flipped over and a new message was written.

“Will it hurt?”

Luna giggled and shook her head. “All you will feel is the tingle of a Horn Pulse. You can trust me Sparkler.”

For a moment, nothing happened, nopony moved or made a sound, then, Sparkler slowly rose to a sitting position and let the blanket slide off her. Luna gave her a reassuring smile and lit her horn. Sparkler nodded and lowered her head to give Luna access to her horn. Luna leaned in and touched their horns together. A spark erupted from the contact, and Sparkler indeed felt the familiar tingle of a Horn Pulse. After a second, Luna backed away and smiled. “There we go. You can talk normally again.”

Sparkler nodded, but hesitated to test it. Considering she was probably already in hot water with Celestia, she REALLY didn’t want to yell at her on accident, again.

Flappy studied Sparkler. “Squawk! Did it work Sparkler? Squawk!”

Sparkler gulped, opened her mouth, and said the first thing that came to mind. “I’m sorry.” She winced, expecting a loud voice to come out, but instead it was the barely-above-a-whisper that she intended.

Flappy smiled and sighed in relief. “Squawk! It worked! Squawk!” He turned to Luna. “Squawk! Thanks princess. Squawk!”

Luna nodded as she got back on her hooves. “Any time.”

Sparkler nodded as she quietly began sobbing again, without her even thinking, she lit her horn and in a quick pulse, her sweater disappeared and her wings spread out before folding back up again along her sides. “I’m sorry.” She said between sobs. This was it, Celestia knew she was an Alicorn, and it was yet another case of her being too scared to say it up front, the pony had to discover the truth through a mishap. “I’m sorry.” Was all she could manage as Sparkler continued to cry, and wait for the berating that she knew was coming.

Luna bit her lip and glanced over to her sister, who didn’t have any signs of anger in her expression. Celestia looked at the distraught mare with concern. She’s expecting me to berate her, or worse. For a moment, nopony made a move, then, Celestia approached the couch, sat down on her rump, and reached out to wrap her forelegs around Sparkler.

Sparkler felt the forelegs wrap around her and pull her into an embrace, but she was shocked when that embrace wasn’t out of anything but...concern?! Sparkler opened her eyes and glanced at the pony hugging her. “P-princess?”

“Shhh.” Celestia soothed her, trying to calm her down. “It’ll be ok Sparkler. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Sparkler was shocked. Here she was expecting Celestia to berate her for knowingly deceiving her, and instead Celestia was COMFORTING her?! “You...you aren’t furious with me?!”

Celestia shook her head as Sparkler backed out of the hug, and wiped the tears off her face. “No Sparkler. I am not.”

“Bu-but.” Sparkler stammered. “But, why? I’ve been hiding the fact that I’m an Alicorn from everypony for months. The only reason you found out was because of my RCV going AWOL on me...how are you not MAD at me right now for hiding something like this?!”

“Because I have known all along what you really are Sparkler.” Celestia replied simply.

Celestia’s reply sank in and Sparkler’s and Luna’s jaws dropped while Flappy gasped in surprise. “Squawk! You WHAT NOW?! Squawk!”

Celestia nodded. “Yes. It is true. I have known from the moment Sparkler set hoof in Equestria that she was an Alicorn.”

Sparkler’s brain was firing on all cylinders, and even then, it was barely managing to keep from shutting down completely, rendering Sparkler completely frozen in absolute shock. Celestia knew ALL ALONG?! What the actual hay!

Nopony moved or made a sound for a good moment, at that moment, there was a knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice. “Sparkler? You in there? It’s Twilight. Please open up.”

Flappy shook himself out of his shock and flew to the door and opened it, he narrowly avoided being squished by the door as Twilight pushed her way through and rushed into the house. Frantically looking for Sparkler. “Sparkler, you in here?” She turned her head and saw Sparkler on the couch. “Sparkler!” She rushed over to the couch, hopped onto it, and immediately pulled Sparkler in for a hug. “Sparkler, are you OK? What happened back there?” When Sparkler didn’t respond, or make any indication that she had heard Twilight, Twilight got really worried as she let go of Sparkler. “Sparkler?” She tried to get a response, but nothing.

Luna cleared her throat. “I believe Celestia broke Sparkler Twilight.”

Twilight jumped at that voice, and turned to FINALLY notice that princesses Celestia and Luna were there. “Luna, Celestia!” She exclaimed. “This is where you two went off...hang on a second, CELESTIA broke Sparkler Luna?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Celestia’s known all along that Sparkler is an Alicorn. From the day Sparkler crossed into Equestria from Saddle Arabia. Squawk!”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “What?! Seriously?!”

Celestia nodded. “Yes Twilight. I have known the truth all along.”

Twilight stammered as she looked between Sparkler and the princesses. Trying to make some sense of it. “How?! You’ve never met Sparkler before tonight...have you?”

Celestia nodded. “Yes. Today marks the first time Sparkler and I have crossed paths. Once our friend awakens from her shock, I shall explain how.”

Flappy sighed. “Squawk! Then let’s get her back. This will be but a moment.” He got right in front of Sparkler and started singing.

🎵You always got a friend

Always got a friend

Always got a friend in me

I always got a friend

Always got a friend

Always got a friend in you too🎵

Almost immediately, Sparkler responded by continuing the song.

🎵 You always got a friend

Always got a friend

Always got a friend in me

I always got a friend

Always got a friend🎵

Sparkler and Flappy sang the last bit together.

🎵That’s the way it’s gonna be🎵

Sparkler shook her head, as if coming out of a trance, and blinked. She raised an eyebrow. “What? What happened? What did I miss?” She turned to see Twilight sitting next to her. “Twilight? When did you get here?”

“Squawk! Celestia knew all along that you’re an Alicorn. Squawk!” Flappy replied.

Sparkler gasped. “She WHAT?!”

Luna nodded. “Yes Sparkler. Apparently your secret has not been a secret to Celestia.”

Sparkler stammered. “B-b-but how?!”

“It is a trick I learned around the time Cadance ascended to Alicornhood. It enables me to pinpoint any Alicorn within Equestria’s borders by sensing the unique properties only found in Alicorn magical signatures. An Alicorn Sense if you will.”

Sparkler’s and Twilight’s jaws dropped. Sparkler triggered a SENSE?! Sparkler shook her head. “So not only did you know I was an Alicorn this entire time, but you knew EXACTLY where I was at all times?!”

Celestia nodded. “That is partially true. I did know where you were at all times, however, I only learned of your exact identity when stories of your abilities reached Canterlot, through talk and through Twilight’s letters. First of which, the Bugbear incident.”

Sparkler’s eye twitched as she instinctively turned to glare at Twilight, who raised her hooves in defense. “Hey, don’t give me that look, I only mentioned that I made a new friend who helped defeat a Bugbear. Celestia never questioned it.”

Flappy shook his head before glaring up at Celestia. “Squawk! So you knew this whole time there was an Alicorn roaming Equestria, knew her exact location, and yet when you noticed her signature stop at Ponyville, you didn’t send any guards after her? Squawk!”

Sparkler and Twilight gasped. Flappy had a point. Celestia chuckled. “Don’t misunderstand. An Alicorn can do a lot of damage if left unchecked. I did initially send an agent to keep an eye on things, with orders to report any incidents involving any unknown Alicorns.” She turned her attention back to Sparkler. “But as I learned more about you through rumors of your musical talent, and through Twilight’s tales. I determined that you do not pose a threat Sparkler.”

Sparkler nodded. “I’d never turn my magic on anypony your majesty.”

Celestia nodded. “Although...one thing is still unclear to me. Why HAVE you opted to hide your wings Sparkler?”

Sparkler sighed. “The same reason I bailed out of the Music Festival tonight. Because I was afraid my past would repeat itself. Growing up in Saddle Arabia, I was constantly singled out and picked on by my peers in school.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! They constantly pelted eggs at her, and called her chicken related names. It was absolutely disgusting. Squawk!”

Celestia’s eyes widened. “Why did they pick on you?”

Sparkler shrugged. “I don’t know.” Sparkler sniffled as her eyes began to glisten. “All I would ever do is be nice to everypony and try to offer my hoof in friendship. Only Flappy ever actually accepted it.”

All eyes turned to Flappy, who shook his head. “Squawk! It’s true. Everypony else just treated her like trash. And to this day we STILL don’t know why. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “So when I moved here, I opted to just hide my wings under sweaters thinking that if I just pretended like they didn’t exist, I might finally make friends.”

Twilight noticed her friend on the verge of crying and pulled her into an embrace. “It’s OK Sparkler.” She cooed. “It won’t happen again.”

Celestia nodded. “Indeed Sparkler. I am confident that you can be yourself here.”

Sparkler shook her head as she backed away from Twilight’s embrace. “Everypony that knows the truth has been saying that since Twilight found out about my wings, your majesty. And it’s not enough. I’m too paranoid that any acceptance on the mass could just be a ruse.” Her ears fell as she lowered her voice. “Just like before.”

Twilight, being the only pony who heard that, raised an eyebrow. “Just like before?”

Sparkler shook her head. “I don’t want to go into that right now. Please, don’t make me.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright. You don’t have to say anything. But I stand by my claim that you don’t have anything to worry about. Ponyville isn’t Saddle Arabia.”

Sparkler nodded. Twilight gave her a reassuring smile. “Hey, have I ever steered you wrong before?”

Sparkler quickly scanned through her memory before shaking her head, turning to look at Twilight. “No. You haven’t.”

Twilight nodded. “Then why not trust me now? When you think about it, two Alicorns living here is mute compared to the other things Ponyville’s seen in recent years.”

Celestia nodded. “She does have a point.”

Sparkler thought back to the stories she had been told about the consequences of Ponyville being in close proximity to the Everfree Forest. Twilight had a point. One more Alicorn in town didn’t sound like a big deal compared to some of the monsters that came through. After a moment, she smiled...for the first time since she had a panic attack at the Music Festival. “I guess you’re right. One more Alicorn doesn’t seem that big a deal around here.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! And if they can live with Twilight living here. You should have no problems. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “You’re right.” She hopped off the couch. “I’ve been cowering behind this sweater for long enough. It’s time to finally shed this Unicorn fur, and start embracing my Alicorn wings.”

Flappy let out a woot woot, Celestia and Luna nodded in approval, and Sparkler turned back to Twilight and gave her a big smile. “Thank you Twilight. I really needed to hear that.”

Twilight nodded as she hopped off the couch and let Sparkler pull her into an embrace. “I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t help you face your fears now would I.”

At that moment, there was a knocking on the door. Followed by a very concerned voice. “Sparkler? It’s mommy and daddy! You in there Sparky?”

Sparkler blushed like mad when her mother used that nickname. Twilight snickered. “Sparky?”

Sparkler shook her head as she glared at Twilight. “You heard nothing.”

Twilight smiled and sighed. “I heard nothing.”

Sparkler nodded, trotted up to the door, and opened it. Only to be immediately rushed as her parents pulled her into an embrace. “Sparkler! Are you ok?”

Sparkler winced as her mother tightened her grip on her, making it hard to breath. “Yes mom. I’m fine. But...loosen your grip! Gah!”

Aurora immediately backed off. “Oh, sorry.”

Sparkler nodded. “It’s fine.”

“You gave us a scare back at the Festival kiddo. What happened?” Thundercracker asked as Sparkler let them in.

“I had a panic attack backstage. The past paid me a visit and...taunted me.”

Aurora sighed. “And you worked so hard to prepare for tonight.”

Twilight cleared her throat. “There IS still time. Airwave’s been Horn Pulsing me with updates on show progress and Vinyl has Sparkler going last now.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Good. Then I didn’t blow it yet.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded. “Ok. I’m ready.”

Twilight smiled. “You sure Sparkler?”

Sparkler nodded. “Like I said. It’s time to shed this Unicorn fur—“ She lit her horn and her sweater popped back on her. Covering her wings. Hopefully for the second to last time. “—and embrace my Alicorn wings.”

Celestia and Luna nodded. “Then we shall see you at the Festival.”

“Break a leg, as they say Sparkling Medley.”

With that, there was a bright flash and Celestia and Luna vanished. Sparkler nodded. “Right.” She turned to Twilight. “Are our friends out looking for me?”

Twilight shook her head. “I Horn Pulsed Rarity to tell her that I found you. So assuming she’s found everypony by now, they’re all waiting in the plaza for us.”

Sparkler nodded and turned to her parents and Flappy. “You all go ahead back to the Festival. Twilight and I’ll meet up with the gang.”

Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! I’m staying with you if you don’t mind. Squawk!”

Sparkler giggled. “Flappy, you can go on back to Philomena. I’ll be fine.”

Flappy blushed a little, then shook his head as he took off. “Squawk! Fine. But if you bail on us again. I’ll find you. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “I’ll be counting on it.”

Flappy nodded as he and Aurora and Thundercracker left. Sparkler turned to Twilight. “Hey Twi. If you had to gauge the reaction of our friends...”

Twilight chuckled. “They’ll probably think you’re a princess at first. After that...my hope is that they’ll accept you.”

Sparkler nodded. “I hope so. I’ll tell them when we get to the plaza.”

Twilight bit her lip. “You sure?”

Sparkler nodded. “I once lied to Rainbow explaining how I got onto a cloud, I denied Rarity the chance to make me a new outfit, Pinkie I know is itching to throw me a party for coming out, Fluttershy and Applejack...admittedly it wasn’t anything specific, but still, there shouldn’t be any secrets between friends, especially secrets like this.”

Twilight nodded after a moment. “Well then let’s go. Like I said, you still have time but that won’t last forever.”

Sparkler nodded as they headed out the door. “Right.”

...

In the plaza, the Mane 6 had regrouped after Rainbow and Rarity had told them that Sparkler had been found. Rainbow and Fluttershy landed. “Any sign of them?”

Rarity shook her head. “Nope. Hopefully they’ll be here soon.”

Pinkie nodded. “Yeah! Especially since Sparkler needs to get back to the Music Festival so she can do something really really important and finally be happy!”

Her four friends all stared at her in confusion. Applejack scratched her head. “Pinkie Pie, what in tarnation are you talking about? Sparkler’s always happy.”

Pinkie shook her head. “Sure she LOOKS happy whenever we see her, but under that smile is a wounded soul that will be healed tonight!”

Her friends continued to stare at her. “Pinkie, darling, are you feeling ok? Because you don’t seem like yourself?”

Pinkie nodded. “I’m fine and dandy Rarity.” She turned her head to see Twilight and Sparkler walking towards them. She beamed. “Look! It’s them!”

Everypony turned to see their two friends and smiled. “Twilight! Sparkler!” They all exclaimed as they ran up to meet them.

“Sparkler. Thank Celestia Twilight found you!”

“What happened back there darling?”

“Why’d you go and bail on us like that sugarcube?”

“You looked like you were really looking forward to your performance.”

“What happened Sparks?”

Sparkler sighed. “What happened was I had a panic attack and bailed because I couldn’t face my fears.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Couldn’t face your fears? You ain’t talking about stage fright because you’ve been on stage before.”

Sparkler nodded. “Yes. It wasn’t stage fright. It was something else.”

Applejack saw the worried look on Sparkler’s face and offered her an encouraging smile. “Sugarcube, if something’s wrong you can tell us. We’ll listen.”

The others nodded and voiced their agreement. Sparkler sighed. This was it. “Girls. I have a confession to make...i haven’t been honest with you about myself. I’m NOT a Unicorn like you think I am.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean darling?”

Sparkler lit her horn. “I mean I’m more than a Unicorn.” She squeezed her eyes shut and pulsed her horn, and her sweater disappeared. Allowing her wings to spread out in all their glory.

Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow gasped at the sight before them, while Pinkie just beamed and started planning a party in her head.

Sparkler opened her eyes again to see the shocked expressions of most of her friends that had remained in the dark until now. She nodded. “Yeah. You all aren’t seeing things. I’m really an Alicorn.”

For a good moment, nopony moved, nopony said a word, it was total silence. This silence, Sparkler was growing to hate, because it likely meant that history was about to repeat itself. By Celestia PLEASE let this just be because they’re speechless!

At that moment, the silence was finally broken as Applejack smiled warmly at Sparkler. “Is that all sugarcube?”

Sparkler’s eyes widened as the others also began smiling warmly at her. Not knowing what else to do, she nodded. Rainbow smiled. “That is...”

Sparkler’s breath hitched in her throat as her mind raced on what Rainbow was about to say. This is it, here comes the ridicule...

“SO AWESOME!” Sparkler’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Did Rainbow just say the word awesome?!

Rarity giggled. “Now it makes sense why you keep refusing my offer to design you a new outfit darling. You were trying to hide your wings this whole time.”

Sparkler finally found it in herself to close her mouth as she nodded. “Next time you ask...You’ll get a different answer.”

Applejack chuckled. “Well I’ll be. You’re really an Alicorn. Heh, sure had me going. I never got the sense you weren’t being honest.”

Pinkie smiled and bounced around Sparkler. “Not me! I knew all along that you were an Alicorn. I told you so Twilight. I told you she was an Alicorn.”

Twilight chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Yes Pinkie. You were right all along.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Now it makes sense how you got on that cloud that one day Soarin and I caught you. You didn’t teleport and use a cloud walking spell, you flew.”

Sparkler, still not entirely at ease with all this positivity, nodded. “I actually CAN teleport onto a cloud when I need to...flying’s just easier.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Well now I just HAVE to see how you handle the air. How good of a flyer are you?”

Sparkler chuckled. “I’d say I’m a decent flyer, we’ll go flying sometime.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Uhm, excuse me Sparkler, but, Uhm, if you don’t mind me asking...why would you try to hide your wings? You know we’d never make fun of you right?”

Sparkler’s smile faded as her ears drooped. “Actually ‘shy, I didn’t trust that you wouldn’t make fun of me.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t trust us? What’s that supposed to mean Sparkler?”

Sparkler was about to answer, but then Pinkie Pie spoke up. “Well duh! Sparkler hid her wings because back in Saddle Arabia everypony made fun of her and was really really mean to her and the only friend she ever made before coming here was Flappy and she was afraid we’d make fun of her and be really really mean to her too so she decided to pass for a Unicorn to avoid being hurt like that again.”

Sparkler’s jaw dropped as Pinkie finished her 100% accurate explanation, the others just stared at Pinkie in disbelief. What the hay?!

Twilight was the first to come back from her shock. “How the hay do you KNOW that Pinkie?!”

Pinkie laughed. “Pinkie sense!”

Rarity shook herself out of her own shock and looked at Sparkler. “Darling, surely what pinkie just said isn’t true.”

Much to everypony’s surprise, Sparkler nodded. “I-it’s true. All of what pinkie just said. I was picked on all throughout school and couldn’t handle that again.” Pinkie Sense my flanks! She HAD to have been listening in on me whenever I would talk about it. That’s literally the ONLY possible explanation!

Fluttershy just burst out crying and rushed Sparkler in a tight embrace. Surprising the Alicorn. “Oh Sparkler! That’s just awful!”

Applejack nodded as she took off her hat and held it to her chest. “Golly Sugarcube. No wonder you deflected whenever we asked you about your Saddle Arabian friends. You didn’t have any. Save for Flappy.”

Sparkler nodded. “I don’t even have a concrete answer as to why. They were more interested in pelting me with eggs and calling me chicken related names than answering my questions.”

Rainbow grumbled and shook her head. “Now that’s just not cool. Do you know what egg yolk does to wings?”

Sparkler nodded. “I had to preen my wings every day after school just to make sure they still worked.”

Rarity scoffed. “Why I never. That is no way to treat a princess—“

“No!” Sparkler shook her head. “No, please, don’t anypony start with the whole princess thing. I’m not a princess.” And I’m going to have a chat with Celestia about that later.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Darling? I don’t understand, why are you an Alicorn if you aren’t a princess?”

Sparkler shrugged. “I was born like this. I don’t know HOW since I don’t have any Pegasi in my family gene pool, but for one reason or another...here we are.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Really now. Huh. That’s a new one for me.”

Twilight nodded. “We’ve actually started looking into possible explanations in the library.”

Rarity gasped and her eyes widened. “THAT’S the super secretive Study Sessions you two wouldn’t tell us anything about! You two were researching Alicorns!”

Sparkler and Twilight nodded. “Yes. That’s exactly what we were doing.”

Pinkie chuckled. “So does that mean you two really aren’t together?”

Sparkler and Twilight blushed like mad. “No we aren’t!” They both shouted in unison. They realized what they just did and blushed even more. “We’ve got to stop—“ they immediately covered their mouths to stop that.

Everypony around them just flat out laughed while Sparkler shook her head. “We have GOT to stop doing that.”

Twilight nodded. “Yes.”

Pinkie chuckled. “Aww aren’t you two just adorable together.”

“Pinkie!” Twilight and Sparkler both shouted in unison, before realizing what had happened.

Twilight groaned. “Ok, everypony drop this right—“ She stopped when she felt a tingle in her horn.

Airwave: two performers left. Sparkler needs to get back here now!

Twilight nodded. “Sparkler, just got word from Airwave, they’re down to two performers. You still planning on going up there?”

Sparkler bit her lip, turning to her friends(?) “Me being an Alicorn isn’t gonna be a problem is it?”

Applejack chuckled. “Of course not sugarcube. We ain’t gonna turn you away just for having extra bits that you didn’t ask for.”

The others nodded and voiced their agreement. Sparkler slowly smiled. She couldn’t believe it, she was really being accepted for who she was! “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

Twilight nodded. “Now let’s get back to that Festival.”

Sparkler nodded as she lit her horn and popped her sweater over her wings...hopefully for the last time. “Right.”

...

Airwave paced back and forth, the second to last performer was going and Sparkler still wasn’t back yet. Lyrica watched him and raised an eyebrow. “Something on your mind Wavy?”

Airwave nodded. “There’s only one performer left, then Vinyl calls Sparkler up, and there’s still no sign of Sparkler.”

Lyrica bit her lip. “I’m sure she’ll be here any moment now.”

Airwave nodded. “I hope so, I don’t want her to miss this opportunity.”

“And I won’t. Not this time.” Airwave and Lyrica turned their heads to that new voice and smiled when they saw Sparkler walk through the door.

“Sparkler!” They both exclaimed as they ran up to her and pulled her into a group hug.

“You Ok Sparks?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Lyrica nodded as they parted. “You really broke down earlier, you sure you're ok?”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. I had a panic attack earlier, but I think I got it all out of me now.”

“Sparkler!” Sparkler Airwave and Lyrica turned to see Vinyl rush up to them. “Sparkler! Thank Celestia you’re back! Is everything ok? It sounded like you had a panic attack earlier.”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah. I did. But I’m good now Vinyl.”

Vinyl nodded. “Good. You’re after Mr. Cake up there. Please. Don’t make me look bad again.”

Sparkler nodded. “I’m sorry about that Vinyl. I promise I won’t bail this time.”

Vinyl nodded. “I hope not. I legit want to see what you had planned for tonight.”

Sparkler nodded nervously. It’ll be something alright.

What the Tartarus are you doing?! RUN! This will not end well!

Sparkler shook her head. “No. Not this time.” She whispered to herself as she resisted the taunting. At that moment, she felt her horn tingle.

Twilight: Break a leg Sparkler. We’re all behind you all the way.”

Sparkler smiled warmly at Twilight’s message. Sweet Celestia I love that mare. She wasn’t used to ponies actually sticking around after they found out about her wings...and the apparent fact that her new friends were doing just that gave her confidence. This is it. I’m not going to run away anymore. I can do this!

There was an applause coming from the crowd as she heard the performance end. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Let’s hear it for Mr. Cake everypony! Now. Onto our final act of the night, the act that was SUPPOSED to go third...”

Sparkler’s heart was pounding in her chest. Any second now.

“You all know her as the Master Mixer, the Bugbear exterminator, a first timer at this event, let’s FINALLY give a warm Ponyville welcome to the one, the only, The Queen of the Beat, SPARKLER!”

The crowd went wild. Up on the light string, Flappy and Mina smiled. “Finally. I’ve been wanting to hear Sparkler’s work firstwing since I first learned of her.”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Prepare to be amazed. Squawk!” He gazed down at Sparkler, who had walked out on stage. You got this pal. You can do this.

Sparkler walked out onto the stage. Her past screaming for her to turn back, but she ignored it. She was past the point of no return now. The only way she could go was forward.

She reached center stage and the crowd settled down. She cleared her throat. “Thank you Vinyl for that hyped up introduction. And thank you all for coming out. I’m thrilled to be up here tonight.” She took a deep breath. This was it. “Before I begin...I have a confession to make. I’m not who you all think I am. I’m not a Unicorn.”

The response was the crowd all murmuring in confusion, as expected. Sparkler continued. “I know how it sounds but it’ll make sense in a moment. Just...whatever happens. Please understand I’m not a princess.” That earned another bout of confusion she readied her guitar. After one more deep breath, she started playing.



At the tail end of the first verse, Sparkler lit her horn. At the drop, she pulsed it and her sweater disappeared. Allowing her wings to spread, before taking over for her hooves on the guitar as she continued to sing.

Mina gasped when she saw the wings. “She’s really an Alicorn?!”

Flappy nodded as he bobbed his head to the beat of the song. “Squawk! Yes. Yes she is! Squawk!” Ata girl Sparkler! Buck that fear right outta town!

While she was singing, the voice inside Sparkler’s head at long last ceased telling her to run and flee. Instead, all she was hearing was the sound of her own voice and the strumming of her guitar. She was well aware of the shocked faces in the crowd, and she couldn’t care less. To her, music was more than just harmonic sounds, it was an escape. An escape from the harsh world that she had learned existed back in Saddle Arabia. The song reached a guitar solo and Sparkler felt that familiar tingle throughout her body, the same tingle she always got during a performance.

Out in the crowd. Twilight and her friends were all smiling and bobbing to the beat. Rainbow pumped her hooves into the air. “Ata girl Sparkler! Show that fear who’s boss!”

Aurora, who was sitting with them along with Thundercracker, nodded. “Oh yeah. We’re definitely framing a record of this.”

Thundercracker nodded. “Totally.”

Twilight continued to listen to Sparkler sing and smiled warmly. She couldn’t feel prouder of Sparkler even if she wanted to. She was powering through thirteen years of ridicule and pain and facing her fears head on. It took a special kind of pony to do that. You go Sparkler. Don’t give in to fe—What’s going on? She frowned as Sparkler’s cutie mark started glowing. Was that supposed to happen?

Soon, the song reached its final notes and eased out. Sparkler sang the last word and stopped playing. Once the music stopped, and her cutie mark stopped glowing, she immediately set the guitar down, and kept her wings spread out...just to let everypony know they weren’t seeing things. After a moment of silence, she gulped and chuckled nervously. “Yeah...you guys aren’t seeing things...I’m really an Alicorn. Hehe.”

Nopony moved, said a word, or even blinked as the crowd stared at Sparkler. Sparkler gulped. Here it comes...here comes the pain and ridicule train. Any—

The crowd suddenly erupted and Sparkler winced, but almost immediately noticed something. She wasn’t being pelted with any food, and even more shocking, she wasn’t even hearing any negativity at all! Quite the opposite, it was CHEERING! Cheering?! They’re actually CHEERING?! Sparkler somehow found it in herself to fold her wings to her sides, but she continued to stand there, absolutely frozen in shock. And they’re STILL cheering?! Was she dreaming?!

The cheering continued for a moment before Vinyl rushed out on stage with a huge smile on her face. She stood next to Sparkler and addressed the crowd. “Well. Talk about going out with a bang. Let’s hear it for Sparkler everypony!” She turned to Sparkler as the cheering continued. She noticed that Sparkler was unmoving. She raised an eyebrow. “Sparkler?” She waved her hoof in front of Sparkler, and got nothing as a response. She cleared her throat. “Anyway. Thank you for coming out tonight everypony! Another Music Festival in the books. See you all next year!” She nodded and nudged Sparkler. “Sparkler. Time to get off the stage.” Sparkler made no move, still completely frozen. Vinyl shook her head and lit her horn. Lifting both Sparkler and the guitar.

...

Airwave smiled as Sparkler was set down by Vinyl. “Hehe. Way to go Sparkler.”

Lyrica nodded. “That was amazing!”

Sparkler didn’t move a muscle, but finally said something. “They...cheered.”

Vinyl chuckled and nodded. “Of course they cheered. That was amazing!”

“They...cheered.”

Vinyl raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. We’ve already established that?”

Airwave chuckled. “I think I know what happened here. We broke Sparkler. She was expecting a very different reaction.”

Vinyl raised an eyebrow. “Because of her being an Alicorn? Pfft. Yeah like that was gonna change anything.”

Sparkler blinked. She had heard Vinyl. She...she still wants to be my friend?! Sparkler’s mind was simply out of whack. This entire time, she was preparing to be ridiculed, to be pelted with food. She didn’t allow herself to think that it was going to turn out the way she wanted...and lo and behold...it did!” Holy mother of Tartarus. Is this really happening?!

At that moment, pink hooves reached into backstage, grabbed hold of Sparkler, and pulled her outside. Outside, Sparkler was immediately pulled into a hug by Pinkie, who was wearing a HUGE smile on her face. “Aaah! That was amazing Sparkler! You did it!”

Sparkler started coming back to reality. “I...I did it.”

She was alerted to everypony else’s presence through the sound of laughter. She looked around and noticed that the Mane 6, the princesses, her parents, and Flappy and Philomena were there.

Applejack beamed at Sparkler as she patted her on the back. “That was one heck of a performance sugarcube.”

Rainbow nodded. “You were completely awesome out there!”

Sparkler’s breathing quickened as her eyes began to glisten while praises were still being thrown at her. “Congratulations darling.”

“I knew you could do it.”

“We’re all proud of you.”

“Squawk! Mina says that was the best performance she’s ever seen. Squawk!”

The praising continued...until everypony noticed that tears started to fall from Sparkler’s face.

Twilight’s smile faded as her joy turned into concern for her friend. “Sparkler? What’s wrong?”

Sparkler shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong Twi...tonight just turned out a million times better than I ever hoped it would.” Indeed, the amount of positivity she was receiving was overwhelming for her. She had been feeling all the nervous feelings all day. And now that her fears had been quelled and she knew she could finally be herself...she just couldn’t hold it in anymore. So the tears were all those feelings washing away and being replaced by relief.

Twilight realized what she was getting at and smiled as she pulled Sparkler into a comforting embrace. “I really am proud of you Sparkler. Not everypony can face their fears.”

Sparkler nodded and returned the hug. “Thank you Twilight. I honestly couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Congratulations Sparkler. That was an amazing performance.” Sparkler turned her head to see Celestia and Luna smiling at her.

“Indeed. It is always a joy to see a pony have the courage to face her fears.”

Sparkler nodded as she and Twilight parted. “Thank you, your majesties.” She bit her lip. “Uhm, Princess Celestia?”

“Something wrong Sparkler?” Asked Celestia.

Sparkler gulped before speaking. “Uhm, about my statement about not being a princess...am I gonna need to retract that?”

Celestia realized what Sparkler was getting at and smiled. “Do you wish to be a princess Sparkler?”

Sparkler was taken aback by that. She hadn’t expected to be given a choice, though she already had her answer. “I-if it’s all the same to you...I think I’ll pass on being a princess. It’s just...it’s not who I am, I haven’t done anything to earn it other than be born with these wings...that I shouldn’t even have anyway.”

Celestia nodded. “Sparkler, you are an Alicorn. That is a fact that nopony can deny. But it’s not your anatomy that makes you a princess. It is your heart, and you’re willingness to rise up to face any challenge that may befall you. After today I dare say you are worthy of your wings, but if you do not wish to be a princess, then I shall not force it upon you.”

Sparkler smiled and nodded. “Thank you your majesty.”

Rarity smiled before lighting her horn and summoning her measuring tape from her saddlebag. “Now. Sparkler, about your wardrobe...”

Sparkler saw the measuring tape and laughed. “Go ahead Rarity.” She spread her wings out. “I’m all yours.”

Rarity squealed in delight, causing everypony to chuckle as Sparkler was wrapped up with the measuring tape.

...

Off in the distance, a creature lurked in the shadows. Watching the group of ponies from afar. After a minute. The creature’s eyes glowed. After a second, they dimmed again. “At last.”

The creature felt a tingle in their spine, and they smiled and nodded. “Yes. I have successfully located her.”

The creature felt another tingle. They nodded. “Observe from afar. Understood.” Quietly the creature moved back under the cover of darkness.

To be continued...
> Episode 31: Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sparkler tossed and turned in her bed, attempting, and failing, to fall asleep. Finally, she sat up. She looked out her window and sighed. Grah! Stupid paranoia. Why can’t you let me fall asleep!

She looked from the window around her room. It was usually dark, with a faint glow coming from the side of her bed. She turned to see Flappy and his new friend Philomena asleep, Flappy was on his perch, set further from the bed than normal, and Philomena, the source of the faint glow, was perched on one of the balls topping Sparkler’s bed posts. She quietly giggled to herself. Still can’t believe Celestia was ok with Mina staying the night here. She sighed again. Alright. Time to pull out the oldest trick in the book. Warm milk. As carefully and as quietly as possible. Sparkler flapped out of bed and softly landed on the floor in front of the door. She gently opened the door, stepped through, and gently closed the door. She nodded and turned to start tiphoofing down the stairs. She sighed. Seriously though, the fact that they DIDN’T throw things at me or laugh is a good sign...but I still can’t shake that feeling that... She shook her head. Her coming out performance had been about seven hours ago, but even with the overwhelming positivity, Sparkler still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up, as if the town was just trying to make her lower her guard, this paranoia was what kept her up. She shook her head. Grah! Come on Sparkler. Vinyl basically said that she didn’t care if I was an Alicorn or not. And the positive reaction implies Ponyville feels the same... She sighed as she reached the kitchen, lamenting the fact that she just couldn’t trust Ponyville yet. She reached for the refrigerator door, but stopped when she felt her horn tingle. She raised an eyebrow. “Somepony’s at the door? At this hour?” She felt her horn tingle again. Her confusion increased. “And it’s not an ambush...why do I get the feeling it IS?” Cautiously, she walked to the front door and peered through the peephole, and her eyes widened at the sight before her. Standing outside her door was.

“Princess Luna?!” Sparkler exclaimed in a hushed whisper as she flung the door open.

Luna smiled. “Greetings Sparkling Medley. Tis a fine night for a flight yes?”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Princess, what are you doing here? In the middle of the night?”

“I had actually intended to speak with you in your dream, but I could not find your dream bubble.” Luna replied, a little embarrassed.

Sparkler nodded. “Of course you couldn’t find my dream bubble. I can’t fall asleep.”

Luna nodded. “Perhaps a late night flight would tire you out?”

Sparkler glanced back into the house. Pondering what to do. After a minute, she nodded. “Eh, why not. Milk won’t work anymore because I’m too wide awake. Maybe some flying would help.”

Luna nodded and spread her wings. “Then shall we?”

Sparkler nodded, stepped through the door, and gently closed it. With a deep breath, she too spread her wings, and she and Luna took off. For the next little bit, they just flew. Above the town, through the clouds in the sky, and the entire time, Sparkler was looking down at the town below them. The town that seemingly had accepted her. After thirteen years of being ridiculed and shunned...I finally found the place where I can be me.

Do you really believe that?

Sparkler frowned. The voice was back. It could all be a trap. They could be leading you to lower your guard. Before betraying you just like that one stallion back in Saddle Arabia.

Sparkler shook her head. No, I have to believe that if they didn’t accept me...they would be upfront about it.

HA! You said the same thing about that stallion.

Sparkler shook her head. And thanks to that incident I’m terrified to ask Twilight on a date.

On that note, for all you know Luna could be leading you into a trap right now!

Sparkler gasped. “No. No Luna wouldn’t do that!”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “What would I not do Sparkler?”

Sparkler’s eyes widened when she realized she said that out loud. She blushed before clearing her throat. “Oh, um, you weren’t supposed to hear that...”

Luna nodded. “Supposedly.”

Sparkler nodded, and then sighed. “Princess. You aren’t leading me into some kind of trap are you?”

Luna shook her head. “Of course not young Sparkler.” She raised an eyebrow. “Why would you think that?”

Sparkler sighed. “I don’t want to think that, but my paranoia forced me to.”

Luna’s eyes widened. Paranoia...now it was starting to make sense. She nodded. “Let’s set down on that cloud over there.” She gestured to a cloud.

Sparkler nodded and they landed on the cloud. Luna nodded. “Now. What’s on your mind My Little Pony?”

Sparkler sighed. “The Music Festival turned out better than I ever hoped. I couldn’t detect an ounce of negativity in the crowd.”

Luna nodded. “However...”

Sparkler’s ears dropped as she sighed. “Back in school I was the outcast, the resident freak. Nopony wanted to be my friend. But there was one time where I was led to believe that somepony within the student body might’ve actually liked me...the result was a trap that left a lasting case of paranoia.”

Luna nodded. “I see. So you are afraid that the same thing is happening now.”

Sparkler nodded. “I want to believe that isn’t the case. I want to trust that the reactions a few hours ago were genuine, but I don’t want to be hurt like that again.” Sparkler’s eyes glistened as she sniffled. “Am I a bad pony for it?”

Luna immediately shook her head. “Absolutely not.” She reached out and pulled Sparkler into a comforting embrace. “You have a valid reason for being cautious. It is absolutely appalling what your school mates put you through. Nopony will think any less of you for not wanting to go through that again.”

Sparkler nodded as tears started falling from her face. “It’s not fair though. Ponyville’s been nothing but friendly to me, they’ve shown me kindness on a level I’ve never experienced before. They don’t deserve the distrust I’m harboring for them.”

Luna rubbed Sparkler’s back with her wings in an attempt to soothe her. “But they do not know of your past. They likely assume that you just have always hidden your wings. Whether you tell them your past or not is up to you. But they will not blame you for being on guard.”

Sparkler nodded as she backed out of Luna’s grip and reached up to wipe the tears from her eye. She sniffled. “Thanks Luna, I needed to hear that.”

Luna nodded. “Anytime Sparkler.” She looked out into the sky. “Do you wish to return home or would you like to stay up here for a little longer?”

Sparkler nodded her head. “I may not be able to sleep but I should probably get back. I got the royal Phoenix in my house, along with a parrot who I can clearly see is falling for said royal Phoenix. Somepony needs to make sure there won’t be any chicks anytime soon.”

Luna laughed. “Speaking of falling for...” She started as she and Sparkler took off. now that you are out of the closet as they say, will you finally be pursuing your crush on Twilight?”

Sparkler giggled and nodded. “You could say that. Now that I’m out of the closet and Ponyville...at least for the moment, accepts me. I can finally set my sights on a possible future with my favorite princess.” She jumped a little when she realized she just said that. “Ahem. No offense your majesty, I like you too.”

Luna laughed. “Don’t worry Sparkler. If you ask me. I believe you and Twilight would be great for each other.”

Sparkler chuckled. “You and everypony else I’ve talked to about this.”

Luna nodded. “If you would like any ideas, all you need to do is call out for me in your dreams.”

Sparkler nodded. “I’ll be sure to do that. Thank you princess.” She added Luna to the list of ponies she could go to for romantic advice.

Luna nodded. “Of course Sparkler.”

...

Turns out the warm milk did work. After Sparkler had returned from her late night flight with Luna, She immediately microwaved a glass of warm milk, she barely made it back to her bed before she was out like a light. When Celestia’s sun arose, Sparkler, as well as the rest of the house, was awakened by Flappy’s squawking. “Squawk! Wake up! Wake up! Rise and shine! Squawk!”

Sparkler groaned as she sat up. “Grah! Flappy! What’s got you going Mach 10 this early? Again.”

Flappy had a huge grin on his face as he landed on the bed. “Squawk! Today’s the first day of you being able to go out without needing to cover your wings. You think I wouldn’t be stoked about that? Squawk!”

Mina stretched her wings and gave off a light crow. Flappy chuckled. “Squawk! Sorry Mina, but I’m just too excited about this. Do you realize the extent of Sparkler coming out last night? No more will she be held back by her fear of getting shunned. She can finally be herself! Yahoo! Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah. We get it Flappy. You’re excited I finally came out.” She rolled out of bed stretched wings. “Whether it completely and utterly backfires on me or not...I guess we’ll find out today.”

Mina lightly crowed. Flappy nodded. “Squawk! Right Mina, there wasn’t an ounce of negativity last night. Everypony cheered. I highly doubt Ponyville would’ve cheered if they thought you were a freak. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Yeah...”

Flappy nodded and launched into the air. “Come on. Let’s get breakfast.”

Sparkler nodded and she Flappy and Mina headed downstairs. They turned into the kitchen to see Aurora and Thundercracker already down there making breakfast. Aurora turned to see them enter and smiled. “Ah! Sparkler Flappy and Philomena. Good. You're up. Breakfast is almost ready.”

Sparkler nodded. “Morning mom, dad. Hey Mina, what do you want for breakfast?”

Mina lightly crowed. Flappy nodded. “Squawk! She said she’ll just have some watermelon. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded and lit her horn. A slice of watermelon and a knife were summoned. She sliced the piece of watermelon in half and floated the pieces over to the birds. “There you two go. Bona-petite.”

Flappy and Mina smiled and nodded as Thundercracker, Aurora, and Sparkler took their seats for breakfast. Aurora smiled at Sparkler. “So how’d you sleep honey?”

Sparkler smiled. “I slept ok, after my late night flight with Luna.”

Thundercracker raised an eyebrow. “Late night flight with Luna?”

Sparkler nodded. “I couldn’t get to sleep because of stupid paranoia, she asked if I wanted to go flying, we flew for a bit, talked some, and once I got back warm milk knocked me out like a light.”

Flappy’s eyes widened. “Squawk! So I could’ve moved my perch back to where it should’ve been last night? Squawk!”

Sparkler straight up laughed and shook her head. “Oh no. I moved your perch for a reason. There aren’t going to be any chicks anytime soon on my watch.”

Mina and Flappy blushed. “Squawk! Hey! We’ve only known each other for ONE DAY, so you really think we’d rush things like that? Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Call it more of an assurance. I dodged a magic bolt when Celestia didn’t get mad at me and I am NOT looking to get on her bad side because my parrot got a little lovey.”

Flappy shook his head. “Squawk! Whatever. I am not like that. Squawk!”

Sparkler nodded. “Good.”

At that moment, there was a pounding on the front door, followed by a familiar high pitched voice. “Sparkler!”

Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Pinkie?” She rushed to the door and swung it open to find Pinkie with a panicked look. Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Pinkie? What’s going—“

“You need to get to the plaza! Something’s going on and we need you!” Pinkie frantically interrupted her.

Sparkler’s eyes widened. “What’s going on?”

“You’ll see when you come. Come on!” With that, pinkie raced off.

Sparkler raised an eyebrow as she closed the door. “What in Equestria.” She walked back into the kitchen. “I’ll be right back. Apparently there’s something going down in the Plaza and they need me.”

Aurora nodded. “If you need to go dear we understand.”

Sparkler nodded. “I’ll be right back.” With that, Sparkler left.

Once they all heard the door close. Flappy smirked. “Squawk! Right. Thundercracker, Aurora, you to teleport there, Mina and I will meet you there. Squawk!”

Aurora nodded. “Make sure Sparkler doesn’t see you.”

Flappy nodded as he and Mina spread their wings. “Squawk! She’ll never see us coming. Squawk!”

...

Sparkler ran through the streets of Ponyville, heading for the Plaza. The whole way her mind was racing. Is there a problem in the Plaza? Do they need another Alicorn? Her eyes widened. No. no please don’t let it be that now that they know I’m the second most powerful pony in town they’ll call on me for the littlest things. I really don’t want that.

A few minutes later, she reached the plaza...to find it completely and totally empty, save for a few tables. Sparkler raised an eyebrow. “Uh, hello?” She got nothing in response. Sparkler gulped. This was looking all too familiar. “Uh, Pinkie? Twilight? Anypony?” Still nothing.

Sparkler’s mind was racing. No. no this isn’t what I think it is... “Uh, I was told I was needed in the Plaza...is there a problem? Whatever it is I’ll do what I—“ That was as far as she got before there was a loud pop, streamers and confetti started raining down from above. And there was a collective “SURPRISE!” Coming from all sides.

Now, any other pony would’ve immediately recognized this as a party, but Sparkler, having been on edge since she got to the plaza, immediately panicked, cast a shield around her, and curled up in a ball with her eyes squeezed shut. “No! Not the eggs. Anything but that! I’m sorry!”

“Sparkler. Calm down. It’s OK.” Sparkler heard the familiar voice of Twilight tell her. Slowly she opened her eyes, and saw that it was actually a party and NOT an ambush.

Sparkler, having come to her senses, stood back on her hooves, canceled her shield spell, and looked around. “Wha—what is all this?”

She was instantly tackled to the ground by the pink blur that was Pinkie. “A party silly! Your party!”

Sparkler’s eyes widened. “My party?”

Pinkie nodded. “Yes! It’s your coming out party/congratulations on facing your fears/we accept you/you can finally be happy party!” Pinkie pulled Sparkler to her hooves and bounced around like a maniac around the plaza.

Sparkler, having caught none of that, shook her head. “Can somepony translate that? Because all I heard was a bunch of shrieking.”

There was a collective laughter as Twilight nodded. “It’s a party to celebrate you coming out, facing your fears, and a party to let you know that everypony here doesn’t care if you’re an Alicorn or not. They won’t turn you away.”

Sparkler’s eyes widened while Flappy and her parents came out of nowhere with party hats on. “Isn’t this amazing Sparkler?”

“They all came together this morning to celebrate you!”

“Squawk! If that doesn’t prove they don’t give two bits about your wings I don’t know what does. Squawk!”

Sparkler was speechless. They all came together, to throw this party for me?! She couldn’t believe the sight before her, even with the overwhelmingly positive response to her performance the previous night, Sparkler was still paranoid that it was all a ruse...that was looking a whole lot less likely now.

Applejack saw the look of disbelief on Sparkler’s face and chuckled. “Hey, you alright there Sparkler?”

Sparkler found it in herself to speak. “You—you all really don’t care that I’m an Alicorn?”

The response was a collective chuckling. “You aren’t the first Alicorn to come through here.” One pony said.”

“And we’ve seen stranger things. An Alicorn that isn’t a princess is nothing compared to say, anything coming out of the Everfree Forest.” Another commented.

As more ponies voiced their confirmation. Sparkler felt her eyes glisten and her breathing quicken. I—I don’t believe, they really mean it! That was it, there was no longer any doubt in her mind. For months she had been cowering in fear of what could happen if anypony found out about her wings, with the support of her new friends she was able to face that fear and come out of the closet. And the response and reaction was everything she was hoping for, but dared not believe it would actually happen. She was accepted! She couldn’t hold it in anymore as tears started flowing down her face.

Twilight was the first to notice and looked at Sparkler with concern. “Hey, you OK Sparkler?”

Sparkler nodded as she sniffled and wiped the tears from her face. “Yeah. It’s just...this is the positive response I’ve been hoping for. Thank you! Thank you all!”

Twilight and her friends, Flappy, and her parents smiled and moved in for a group hug while everypony else cheered and applauded. After a second, the group hug broke up and Pinkie quickly jammed a party hat onto Sparkler’s head. “Now come on everypony! Let’s get this party started!” She turned directly to the town hall. “Hit it Airwave!”

“Aye aye Pinkie Pie! One two three four!” Airwave began singing.



Sparkler danced with her friends, and in this moment, she couldn’t remember a time where she had been happier than now. For years, she was shunned, ridiculed, made to think she was a freak for having both wings and a horn. For years she was convinced that the only true friend she would ever have was Flappy. Little did she know moving to Ponyville would change all that. Here, she wasn’t a freak. Here, she had friends who accepted her for her. Here, she could be herself.

“So, are you feeling any better now that you’re free from the sweater?” Sparkler came out of her acceptance induced bliss and noticed Twilight smiling at her.

Sparkler nodded. “After all this time, I never thought that I would find a place I could be myself, I never thought I’d find a place like Ponyville. I never thought that I would find...home.” She stopped, and smiled at that. Now that she thought about it, she felt more at home in Ponyville than she ever did in Saddle Arabia. “I’m...home.”

Twilight smiled. “I’m glad you were able to come out of the closet Sparkler. I know I’ve said this before. But I really am proud of you.” She reached out and pulled Sparkler into an embrace, which Sparkler gladly returned.

“Thank you Twilight. For everything.”

“Squawk! Hey Sparkler! Squawk!”

Sparkler begrudgingly backed out of Twilight’s grasp and turned to see Flappy and Mina fly up to her. “Squawk! Would it be alright if Mina stays with us for a few more days? Squawk!”

Sparkler’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! She and I want to hang out for a few more days but Celestia was leaving after this party. So we asked if Mina could stay here. She said it was alright as long as you were ok with it. Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled and motioned for Flappy to come closer. “You really like her don’t you.” She whispered.

Flappy nodded. “Squawk! She and I have a lot in common. Seriously Sparkler. Help a parrot out here? Squawk!”

Sparkler chuckled. “Let’s go find Celestia. I’ll allow it so long as I know what taking care of Mina entails.”

Mina and Flappy smiled and flew off to find Celestia. Sparkler chuckled. Great. Now I need to give him the “talk”. She shook her head. “Well. Love is love.”

To be continued next time...