> The Dark Truth
>  by David Silver
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1 - Wannabe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Izzy pronked down the city streets of Maretime Bay. It was a lovely day! The sun was shining down on her, practically saying hello. The ponies around her were happily going about their daily tasks. She waved at at least half of them on her way. "Hi! Howdy! How ya doin'?!" she called as she went.

She couldn't let any of them think she wasn't happy to see them. They were all her lovely friends of the city. Most ponies of the city were earth ponies, but that had changed since bringing back magic. More and more unicorns, like Izzy, and pegasi had arrived. Izzy giggled to herself, looking at a pegasus make googly eyes at an earth pony. Yes, the tribes were coming together.

"Oooo." She saw a new face and bounced towards them. A unicorn, just like Izzy! Maybe they could swap unicorn stories and share in unicorn holidays! That'd be nice... "Hello there, friend I haven't met yet."

Most unicorns had livened since the return of magic. That one, though she had her colors, had a flat expression and wore dark clothing. She exuded a down personality and frowned as Izzy approached. "What is it?" she demanded, patience thin at best.

Izzy blinked at the brusque greetings. "Um, hi. I'm Izzy. You are?"

"Orchid." The unicorn continued her walk, as if deciding the conversation was over.

Izzy inclined her head at the new unicorn, studying her. Orchid was dark grey in her pelt. She had a dark blue mane and tail. The hair there was straight and smooth. She had a collar around her neck, showing a few little spikes and some blue makeup on her face. "So... Welcome to Maretime Bay." Izzy bounced alongside the new unicorn. "I know all the best places, so if you need any help, just ask!"

Orchid let out an exasperated sigh as the bubbly pony bounced alongside her, babbling on about the town. She just wanted to be left alone to brood. This "Izzy" character's relentless cheerfulness grated on her last nerve. 

"Enough," Orchid snapped, stopping in her tracks to glare at Izzy. "Please, just leave me be." 

Izzy's smile faltered slightly, but she quickly hitched it back up. "Oh, but Maretime Bay is such a friendly place! I couldn't let a new pony go without a proper welcome."

Orchid narrowed her eyes, seeing through the transparent act. She decided to call Izzy out. "You can cut the fake smile. I'm not buying it." 

Izzy's eyes widened. No one had ever questioned her outward joy before. She laughed nervously. "What do you mean? I'm just being friendly."

"Yes, so very friendly that it's clearly exhausting for you," Orchid said dryly. "Why are you pretending to be happy when you're not?"

Izzy opened her mouth to protest but found no words. She shook her head vigorously. "It's not like that!" But Orchid was already walking away. Izzy didn't have it in her to chase the unicorn further. "Hey..." she weakly called out, but Orchid was gone, off to her business.

She, Izzy, was a magical pony. Sure, she was a unicorn, so that went a bit without saying, but she was magic, even for a unicorn. She didn't understand the hows of it, exactly... But she could see the sparkles of other ponies, and her own. Her sparkle was taking a darker turn. Smiling felt harder by the moment. "No..." She was a cheerful unicorn! She was happy!

But her insistences weren't making her sparkle brighten. And sparkles didn't lie. They never lied. Izzy trembled, seeing it grow gloomier by the moment. But what could she do about it? Nothing jumped to her mind. Wait, no, smile! She forced a great big smile on her face, but it felt like her face was aching. Some part of her just didn't want to smile.

As her sparkles reached an inky blackness, it began to spill over her physical form. Her colors muted and her hair fell around her like a curtain, losing the bouncy nature they held before them. She trembled as her magic conjured clothes for her. Perhaps she took inspiration from Orchid without thought, but she was soon garbed like a true goth, all traces of smile lost. The careful mask of cheerfulness had been broken.

Good mood pierced, Izzy walked along the road, not feeling the energy to bounce. "Look at you." Posey came in from the side, matching Izzy's pace. "Did I miss a notice? This a crazy unicorn holiday?" Her eyes wandered up and down the sullen unicorn. "Crazy." Posey had no idea of unicorn traditions, but tried to guess. "Um, is this.... like... a remembering holiday?"

Izzy raised a brow at Posey. "No. It's not a holiday." Speaking felt like effort she didn't have the energy for.

Posey frowned, not used to this sullen version of her bubbly friend. "Izzy, what's going on? This doesn't seem like you at all."

Izzy sighed, avoiding Posey's concerned gaze. "I don't know...I just woke up feeling so unhappy today. Like all the joy had been drained from my life." 

Posey's eyes filled with worry. She stepped in front of Izzy, halting her slow walk. "Oh Izzy, why didn't you tell any of us you were feeling this way? We want to help."

Izzy shook her head uncertainly. "It just hit me all of a sudden. One minute I was fine, the next...this." She gestured at her gloomy appearance.  

Posey gave her friend a comforting hug. "You don't have to go through this alone. We're all here for you. Let us cheer you up and try to figure this out together."

Izzy pushed Posey back. "Thanks, but no." She didn't feel cuddly at that moment. "And why do you care? You're angry half the time anyway. Shouldn't you be happy I'm not feeling good?"

Posey took a step back with a wince. "H-hey! I get angry because ponies are not being reasonable. I don't want you to be sad. That isn't..." she trailed off, seeing Izzy already walking off. "What I get trying to help." Posey huffed, trotting along with a frown.

Izzy headed for home with a faint grumbling. Ponies were just too loud and annoying. Home felt like a good place to go. She pushed open the door to reveal a grinning pony face.

"Izzy," greeted Sunny. "Welcome home." She noticed then with an incline of her head. "Nice... outfit?" She stepped out of the way as Izzy came inside. "It's not your usual... What inspired it? Did you make it yourself? I know you love working with your hooves."

Izzy got an almost smile. "Yeah... I made it myself." Technically correct! Her magic had formed it. That counted, right? "You hate it." It wasn't a question, just a blunt fact.

"What?!" Sunny recoiled. "No!"

"What's with the gloomy clothes?" Zipp landed with a flap of her wings. "Was somepony having a clothing sale and you grabbed the first thing you saw?"

Sunny tried to elbow Zipp to be quiet, but the words has already been said. Izzy managed to frown more than her sullen expression already was. "No." She walked past her two 'friends'. "I'll be on my bed." She stormed past them without further words.

Sunny and Zipp shared a concerned glance as Izzy disappeared into her room. 

"What's gotten into her?" Zipp whispered. "It's like she's a whole different pony today."

"I don't know," Sunny replied worriedly. "But something is clearly very wrong. We need to help her, not make it worse with careless comments." 

The two slowly approached Izzy's closed door. Sunny knocked gently. "Izzy? Can we come in?"

"Go away!" came the muffled, bitter reply. 

"We just want to understand what's going on and be here for you," Sunny said earnestly through the door.

"Please, talk to us Izzy," Zipp added. "We care about you."

There was a long pause and then finally the door cracked open. Izzy stood there, eyes downcast and misty. She closed the door without a word.

"Oh Izzy..." Sunny murmured, heart aching for her friend.

"Let's figure this out together," Zipp said. She pulled down her investigator goggles she pulled out for such emergencies. "I'll hunt for clues!"

Sunny smiled, hope lighting. "Yeah, good idea.. I'll try to... get through to her." Even if she wasn't sure how she'd do it.

Zipp took off, scanning the town through her high-tech goggles. Birds - normal. Pony prints - standard. Thermal readings all within expected ranges. She wasn't picking up any obvious clues, but she was determined to keep searching, leaving no stone unturned. Anything to help lift Izzy's spirits back up.

Meanwhile, Sunny cautiously knocked on Izzy's door once more. "Izzy, I know you want to be alone right now. But I'm here for you, whenever you're ready."

No response came. With a worried sigh, Sunny made her way outside, hoping Zipp was having more success finding answers. She knew they had to keep trying to reach Izzy, no matter how long it took. Giving up on a friend was not an option.

In the room, Izzy beat on her pillow. "It's not fair!" Why didn't her friends see the way things were? She was the happy unicorn. She was the cheerful unicorn. Had she ever been either? They never noticed. It had taken some strange new unicorn to see any of it, and she'd done it with scarcely a glance.

Did her friends really just not care about her?

But she had been happy... right? She trembled, wrestling with her self-image and doubts. "Right?" she asked out loud, but the universe didn't deign to offer a reply. She rolled onto her back and sprawled her limbs out with a sigh. "Why does life have to be so complicated..."

She thought back to Bridlewood, her home. Home of most unicorns. All of them that she knew of? Well, at least most of them. The unicorns had been acting much like she felt that moment. Sullen, withdrawn, slow... But that was before magic was back. She had been all bouncy and smiling even during those dark times. She had always been smiling...

Izzy laid sprawled on her bed, lost in thought. She reflected on her time growing up in Bridlewood as a young unicorn. She had always been smiling, bubbly and bright, even when her fellow unicorns had been sullen and gloomy before magic returned. 

She thought back to specific memories - trying to cheer up other unicorn foals with a song and dance, but only getting weird looks in return. Putting on puppet shows, full of energy, while the crowd watched silently. Their moods never seemed to rub off on her. 

Or did they? Izzy pondered. Had part of her felt just as sad inside? Is that why today it finally spilled to the surface? She wasn't sure anymore. 

Izzy wished she could talk to Sunny and Zipp openly, but felt closed off, worried they wouldn't understand. She needed somepony who knew what this felt like. 

Then she gasped, sitting up with realization. Orchid! The strange new unicorn had seen through her cheerful act immediately. She clearly understood this bleak feeling. 

Izzy knew she needed to find Orchid again. Hopefully opening up to somepony who had been through similar struggles would help her begin to make sense of the confusion inside. She got up, renewed determination to seek out the one pony who might truly empathize.

With a little spark of energy, she rolled onto her hooves and started for the door. It was a shame the moment she opened it, it was like a summoning bell for Sunny. Sunny hopped off the couch she had been on and hurried over. "Izzy! Feeling better?" She smiled so hopefully.

Izzy tensed, her brief spark fading back to gloom. She wasn't ready to confess her true feelings to Sunny yet.

"I'm fine," Izzy muttered, avoiding Sunny's caring gaze. She started moving past her friend toward the exit.

"Where are you going?" Sunny asked.

"Just...going for a walk," Izzy replied evasively. She felt bad not confiding in her friend, but simply couldn't handle it right now.

"Oh, well let me join you!" Sunny offered. "We can talk, get ice cream..."

"Alone," Izzy interjected brusquely, making Sunny's smile fade.

With that, Izzy stepped outside, leaving a worried Sunny behind. She felt that pang of guilt, but knew she wasn't ready to open up to her friends. Not until she found the one pony who just might truly understand.
> 2 - Tryhard
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Izzy wandered through the city. She has no specific goal, and her leaden hooves didn't feel like moving quickly. There were no energetic hops or gallops in her, not that day. The ponies she saw had a different feel to them. They were doing the same thing they always did, but she could see the edges and frayed wires. She could feel the tensions and friction that came between ponies. A lot of them were hiding their darker feelings.

But Izzy was not, not anymore. No, she wore dark clothing, a dark collar, and even dark makeup. All her darkness was out there for the world to say. There was nothing to hide. Even her mane and tail was dark. Was that dyed? She couldn't tell and didn't think of a way to check, so it just was what it was.

"Far out." Izzy glanced to the side at a lightly nodding pony looking out into the middle distance. "Second goth I've seen today."

That almost got a smile out of Izzy. She swerved towards that new stallion. "You saw another pony like me?"

The stallion nodded slowly, his gaze remaining fixed on some far off point only he could see. "Oh yeah, another pony going for the dark look. Had some wild mane styles too."

Izzy perked up a bit, a glimmer of curiosity in her dull eyes. "Can you tell me about them? Were they a unicorn like me?"

"Sure thing. Yeah, had a horn and all that. Gray coat, blue and black mane. Stood out from the crowd, you know?" The stallion gestured vaguely down the street. "Wandered that way if you're looking for them."

"Thank you!" Izzy felt the faintest hint of a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. She trotted off with renewed purpose, following the vague direction indicated. As she scanned the crowds of ponies, she spotted a familiar moody face. Orchid! The fellow gothic unicorn was vanishing into a building. The sign on it read, 'The Ruby Room.'

Izzy inclined her head at the curious place. It looked like... a bar? There was no thumping music. It had a far more sedate feeling around it. The ponies that orbited it were quiet, many of them sporting more muted colors. None of them matched the exact style of Orchid or herself. They wouldn't help, no. Izzy strode past them all, heading--

"ID." A pony thrust a hoof in front of her. "I need to see ID." He raised a brow. "They serve drinks, you know."

Izzy blinked in surprise, but that faded quickly. It was a bar. Of course they sold those! She curled on herself and pulled out her identification. Her changed magic had even warped it. It showed a picture of herself as a goth. "Here. Can I go in?"

The bouncer peered at Izzy's altered ID card and then back at her changed appearance. After a moment, he nodded and stepped aside, letting her pass through the doors into the bar.

Izzy stepped uncertainly into the dim interior. A few ponies occupied tables scattered around the room, most keeping to themselves and conversing in low tones, if at all. The lighting seemed designed to keep things shadowy.

Izzy didn't spot Orchid immediately. She carefully wove between tables, earning some sideways glances from patrons. A few gazes lingered on her with smoldering interest, but none called out to her, and she had a target already in mind. As she reached the back corner of the establishment, she finally saw Orchid sitting alone at a small table, slowly sipping a vividly colored drink.

Unsure how to approach, Izzy simply stood awkwardly for a minute, shifting her hooves. The smell of exotic drinks, sweat, and a whiff of something else teased at Izzy's nose. Orchid seemed lost in thought. Just as Izzy gathered her nerve to say something, Orchid happened to look up, noticing her.

Orchid raised an eyebrow. "Oh. It's you." She gestured at the empty seat across from her. "Have a seat if you want, I guess."

Izzy sat down hesitantly. An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Izzy opened her mouth, then closed it, uncertain where to begin. Finally she managed to mumble "Hi."

"Hey." Orchid looked over Izzy slowly. "Are you trying a new act." She waved at Izzy. "Pretending to be like me, instead of faking a smile?"

Izzy felt her fur prickle up in irritation. "No!" she blurted much louder than she intended. "No," she repeated, much more quietly. "It's, um... I just... felt it..." She rubbed her hooves together nervously. "It's not an act," Izzy insisted, frowning. "I just...started feeling this way. Like the cheerfulness faded away and this came out instead."

Orchid narrowed her eyes, looking unconvinced. "Uh huh. So the perfect smiley pony suddenly became all doom and gloom for real. Do you expect me to buy that?"

Izzy huffed, feeling frustration simmering inside. "It's the truth! I don't know why..." She trailed off, gaze lowering. Then, softly, "You saw through my smile before. Saw it was fake. Maybe you just...saw the real me before anypony else did."

Orchid considered this, taking a thoughtful sip of her drink. As annoying as this pony had been before, there was real pain in her eyes now. She sighed. "Yeah...I know what it's like to hide hurt behind a mask. To pretend everything is fine." Orchid twirled her glass, ice clinking. "It's exhausting. Eventually the facade shatters."

Izzy met Orchid's gaze. She saw understanding there. The faintest of smiles curled the corners of her mouth. Somepony got it. That alone seemed to lift an invisible weight.

Orchid snorted softly. "But here you are." She plunked the glass down and shoved it at Izzy. "Have you even tried one of these?"

Izzy performed a vanishing act. She slammed the drink down with barely a gulp, leaving the glass empty of even its ice cubes. "Once or twice."

Orchid blinked with obvious surprise. "Hot damn..." She smirked with sudden amusement. "Is that how you kept your smile? A little grease on those wheels... Look. Do you even know what you are right now?"

"Depressed?" Funked out nor not, being straight forward about things was still Izzy's way, even if who she could express herself to had narrowed sharply. "Sad, confused... Can you help? I..." She tapped her hooves. "I don't even know. Do I even want to be happy again?"

"It's not about that."

Izzy recoiled, looking over her darkly-garbed tablemate. "It's not?"

"Nope." Orchid raised a hoof, getting a nod from a pony working the bar. "It's about fitting in. It's about your place. It's about not having one. It's about a lot of things, but it's rarely about being happy. So long as the other stuff's true, you're not that. But that's alright..."

Izzy's eyes widened with surprise. "Not about being happy?" That didn't line up with what she knew at all. Wasn't the goal always happiness? What else could there be?

Orchid nodded sagely, swirling the new vivid drink delivered to their table. "You got it. Ponies think if they're just happy enough, everything else will fall into place. It doesn't work like that."

She took a long sip, then continued, "All the smiling in Equestria won't fix not belonging anywhere. Not connecting with anypony. Not knowing who you are or what you want. Those are the real problems."

Izzy sat quietly as Orchid's words sunk in. She thought of trying so hard to keep a smile during her hopeless years in Bridlewood. Of constantly putting on an act for her Maritime Bay friends. She hadn't felt a real connection or sense of self in so long.

"So..." Izzy began slowly. "Even if I'm happy again, it won't fix everything?"

"Nope," Orchid confirmed. "But self-discovery might. Figuring out where you fit. Who you are under those masks. It's a start." She gave a faint, sympathetic smile. The first Izzy had seen from her.

Izzy smiled tentatively back, feeling the faintest spark of hope. Just knowing somepony understood lit a small but real light inside. "One thing... One thing!" She raised a hoof at Orchid. "One thing... I do have some real friends. For real real... Even when I was super sad and... Not very nice... They kept trying to help... They kept... Being my friend. They didn't care how dark I felt, or looked, or spoke... They just...."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Izzy bounced, her first bounce since her fall. "Yeah..." The energy faded just as quickly. "I felt super bad... I still do. I wanted to hug them, but I couldn't. I felt so bad..."

Orchid leaned in a little. "Well... If they're that good, you should be thankful."

Izzy inclined her head sharply like a curious or lost bird. "That isn't what I expected you to say."

"You don't expect me to have any friends." Orchid took a sip of her drink. "That checks out. Look, just because we're willing to be sad, doesn't mean we have no friends. It doesn't mean we don't value those friends." She thrust the glass, firmly attached to her hoof. "If you have some, and they're willing to be your friends when you aren't smiling..."

Izzy tapped her hooves. That thought felt half baked, like there was another part to it, but asking felt awkward, and she didn't have her usual mask of chipperness to just go ahead and ask anyway. She waved at that bar maid.

The bar maid came over instead of making something. "What do you have in mind?"

Izzy sat up at that. That day was full of surprises. "Um..."

"New?"

Izzy smiled nervously. "Is it that obvious?"

"A little." The bar maid winked at Izzy. She didn't have a horn, or wings. "That's alright. You look like you fit in around here. So just tell me what kind of drink you want, and I'll figure it out."

Orchid snorted softly. "Just get her my usual. She seemed to like it... if she even tasted it?"

The bar maid returned with the vividly-hued drink and placed it before Izzy with a smile. "Let me know what you think - it's one of our more popular options."

Izzy carefully lifted the glass in her magic grasp. She watched the colors swirl and inhaled the strange, fruity aroma before taking an experimental sip. The flavors exploded on her tongue - sweet yet tart, with an undercurrent of something deeper.

"It's really good!" Izzy said with genuine enthusiasm, taking another, deeper drink. The buzz was pleasant, comforting.

"Told you so," Orchid said, a hint of smugness in her tone. But her expression was soft, clearly glad Izzy found a drink suited to her emerging tastes.

The two fell into comfortable silence for a minute, Izzy sipping while Orchid subtly studied her. This pony who had grated her nerves before now stirred empathy in Orchid. She saw a kindred spirit who knew the struggles she faced.

"You don't have to stay lost, you know," Orchid finally said. "It's scary not knowing who you are or where you fit, but you can figure it out."

Izzy nodded slowly, gazing into the shifting colors of her drink. "I hope so. And...I hope I can really connect with my friends again soon. It's so hard when you feel this way."

Orchid gave a somber smile. "I get it. But it sounds like you've got good friends. Don't give up on them. And..." She hesitated, then put a hoof atop Izzy's. "Don't give up on yourself either."

Izzy returned Orchid's comforting smile with one of gratitude. However long her road, at least she didn't walk it alone.

"One thing..."

"You keep saying that." Orchid rolled her eyes. "What's this 'one thing' that's for sure the last thing, really, we promise."

Izzy chuckled nervously. "Sorry..." She took a moment, brushing the fine dark clothing that covered her. "How do I know?"

"How do you know... what?" Orchid swirled her drink with that final part.

"If they aren't friends with the not always-smiling me?"

"You already said that. But... You still have a point." She gave an aborted half-chuckle. "You went black, and they still cared, but you have a point. They may just be trying to 'fix' you. So... Your homework until next time we meet. You're going home. You're going to talk to your friends. Introduce them to you when you're not forcing a smile. If they're alright with that... Great."

Orchid made it sound so simple...
> 3 - Echo
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Izzy wandered. She had no destination, but her steps were taking her closer towards the Brighthouse with every waving circle. She just had to talk to them.

It was so simple.

It felt impossible.

She was darkened. She wasn't smiling or feeling cheerful. She was not the Izzy they had fallen in love with.

They'd hate her, or they'd want to fix her. Either way was about as bad.

She kicked a stone that was on the side of the road. "It's not fair..."

Izzy scuffed her hooves, anxiety swirling within her. Did her friends actually know the real her at all? She thought back to all the times they'd praised her upbeat songs or giggled at her cheeriest jokes.

They loved when she played the smiling entertainer...but what about the pony underneath? The one who felt weighed down by sadness so often?

Izzy shook her head, mane swaying limply. No, she couldn't hide these feelings forever. Continuing that exhausting facade would only breed more loneliness and despair.

As terrifying as opening up felt, things had to change. Living a lie would erode her soul until nothing remained. She had to know if unconditional love and comfort awaited on the other side of truth.

Drawing a shaky breath, Izzy lifted her gaze towards the fading sunset. Long shadows stretched before her. Tomorrow she'd share her authentic self, however difficult. If her friends rejected the pony within...she would finally know where she stood.

Trembling, Izzy turned towards home as the first stars peeked out overhead. It was time to end the masks once and for all.

She took a firm step towards the glittering light of the brighthouse. Was she welcome in such a bright place, so dark? She was ready to find out.

"Izzy!" Zipp landed in front of her, coming in for a sharp landing. "We've been looking for you all day! Are you alright?"

There it was, a chance... "No."

Zipp perked an ear. "Um... You said... no, but you sound... okay?"

Izzy smiled a little. "That sounds right. I'm not alright, but I'm okay."

"Huh..." Zipp turned towards their home. "Well, come on. They're all worried about you!"

Izzy followed Zipp on leaden hooves up to the shining doors of the lighthouse. Its bright glow almost made Izzy shrivel back into the shadows. Was there still a place here for one so dimmed?

As they entered, the others swarmed around in a blur of fluttering wings and rapid questions.

"Where have you been all day?"

"Why didn't you tell anypony?"

"What's WRONG, Izzy?" Sunny asked, face etched with worry. "Please, talk to us!"

Izzy's throat tightened, words trapped within. She desperately wanted to confess it all - the fakeness, the isolation, the despair throttling her true self! But under their blaze of concern, her courage faltered.

"I...I talked to Orchid more today," Izzy finally managed. "We talked about...not fitting in. Not mattering."

Her friends went still, faces now dripping with dismay.

"Oh Izzy," Sunny whispered, stepping forward to hug her. "Of course you matter..."

The dam broke then, Izzy sobbing into Sunny's shoulder.

Pipp tucked her phone away. It hardly felt like the right time to take a few shots. "Who's this Orchid pony you mentioned?"

Izzy sniffled loudly, rubbing her messy snout. "She's a really sweet unicorn I ran into... A little... rough... But so nice, inside..." She snorted all the louder. "We talked..."

Sunny squeezed her distressed friend. "What did you talk about? You can tell us. We want to help."

A keyword. Izzy tensed. "I... Look..." She pulled away from Sunny, shivering. "I've been lying."

Hitch waved a hoof dismissively. "You, lie? I have a hard time imagining that."

"Because I've been lying the whole time." Izzy sank onto a couch, as if she could sink into its softness and be lost from sight. "I'm not happy! I'm kinda... Look... All the unicorns were super... super sad... I'm a unicorn. What... did you think I was? Did you think I was just... that special?"

Izzy's words hung over the group like a storm cloud, her friends stunned into silence. As the truth sank in, they lowered their heads shamefully. Had they truly not seen past that vibrant facade?

Sunny stepped towards Izzy hesitantly. "We're so sorry...we should have realized you were struggling too." She blinked back tears. "But that doesn't mean we don't know the real you!"

Izzy pulled her knees in tighter, shrinking away. "Yes it does...You only know the bouncing, smiling pony I pretended to be. Not this." She gestured at her dimmed self in disdain.

"The jokes, the songs...that was never ME. Just a clown to entertain you all..." Izzy's face crumbled as she confessed the painful truth out loud at last.

Sunny shook her head fiercely. "No Izzy! We care about more than that..." She took a deep, steadying breath. "We love YOU. Not just what you do for us. Please, let us truly know you. The real you."

Sunny extended a hoof, eyes shimmering with empathy and affection. The others nodded behind her supportively.

Izzy hesitated...could she trust them with her authentic, flawed self?

Pipp laughed awkwardly. "If we're being, like, honest right now? The constant chipper thing can get a little trying at times. If you want to tone that down, I'm alright with that."

Zipp clopped a hoof against her head. "Bluntly said... Look, Izzy. We like you for you. If that you is changing, then we get to know the new you. As if none of us ever changed before. Friends don't abandon friends like that."

Hitch threw an arm around Izzy, drawing her into a hug from the side. "We've all had bad days before. Um, shoot, look at me any time I lose track of Sparky." He laughed nervously. "I break down into a mess... Um, where is Sparky?" He looked around furtively, only relaxing when he spotted the baby dragon playing. "There you are..."

Sunny dared a gentle smile. "Exactly. Izzy, you are our friend. We love you. We'll keep on doing that..." She raised a hoof, bouncing some of Izzy's limp mane gently. "And if you feel down today, well, so what? Tell us about it. We'll gladly chat about it... Want to do something? Want to just relax with us? Let us know."

Izzy felt herself thawing slightly in her friends' encircling warmth. They seemed genuinely unfazed by the dropping of her upbeat pretense. She dared allow a tiny sprout of hope.

Yet doubt still gnawed within. Would this acceptance last if she exposed the full extent of her inner turmoil? Or would they flinch away, longing for the ever-positive pony they expected?

Izzy worried her lip. "You...you say that now. But what if tomorrow I'm feeling too low to get out of bed? What if I snap and get angry sometimes? What if I'm just...not fun anymore?" Her breaths hastened, baring her deepest insecurities.

"Will you still want me around then? The real me who isn't always cheerful or nice to be around?" Izzy stared at the floor as she voiced her greatest fear - that her friends required her smiles as a condition of their affection.

Sunny embraced Izzy once more. "Of course, sweetie...moods and all. You never, ever have to pretend or earn your place here." She stroked Izzy's mane soothingly. "We love you, not your smile...though we certainly love that too," she added with a playful nudge.

Hitch squeezed Izzy firmly from the side. "Yeah! If you don't want to get out of bed, then I'm going to bring you breakfast while you're in it!"

Izzy smiled awkwardly. "Probably better than what I make half the time..."

Pipp waved that away. "Girl, like I'm good at that? Please. If Hitch is making you breakfast, I want some too, please?"

Hitch burst into laughter at that. "Alright, alright. Breakfast for everypony tomorrow!"

Izzy felt the burning embers within her. But her mane was still dark and gloomy. She gently brushed at it. "Thanks... everypony. I appreciate it, really, I do... But I still feel..."

Sunny leaned in, touching nose to nose. "This isn't a race. You can't win it, and you can't lose it. You feel what you're feeling, and we'll be right here, as your friends."

Later, Izzy wandered up to the other big part of her journey.

Izzy took a deep, centering breath before pushing open the doors to the Ruby Room. Familiar shadows and muted voices washed over her. She strode with purpose towards the back corner table, where Orchid was unwinding after a long day over a colorful drink.

"Hey stranger," Izzy greeted warmly.

Orchid glanced up, the hints of a smile playing at her lips. "Well, well...look who's back. How'd things go with the smile squad?"

Izzy chuckled softly, taking a seat across from her new friend. "It was...difficult honestly sharing everything I felt inside. But they listened and supported me."

She went on to fill Orchid in on her friends' reactions, the comfort they'd offered. She confessed there were still challenging days where the gloom persisted.

Yet as Izzy spoke, holding Orchid's gently understanding gaze, her own small smile grew. However long the road, she didn't walk it alone anymore. And that made all the difference.

"Huh, you did better than I would have guessed." Orchid pushed her colorful drink towards Izzy. "Want a sip? You could use it."

Izzy snorted, but didn't turn it away, or leave any behind after an impressive gulp. "Mmm, still good."

"I don't know how you could tell." Orchid leaned foward on the table. "The way you drink that, how do you taste it?" The two shared a soft bit of laughter. "You're looking a bit up from the last time I saw you."

"I feel it..." She brushed at her mane. "I understand this now, a bit... but when does it go away? Will I ever get my bouncy mane back?"

Orchid rolled her eyes. "I thought you were digging our style... Whatever. It'll come when it comes." She brushed a hoof through her own straight mane. "I have to work to get this right. You're lucky, getting it naturally. Show off... Get to know yourself and then you can look however you want."

She leaned back as a fresh glass arrived filled with her bright drink. "In the end... Look, gonna admit, I think you look just fine this way."

Izzy dared a smile. "Really?"

"I don't usually BS people." Orchid sipped from her drink, savoring each pull. "So keep it, or don't. Your friends are already okay with it. It's your choice."

It was her choice. Such a simple statement, but it filled her with a power she didn't even know what to do with.

She just had to figure out what it is she wanted.