Carousel Boutique
“Wait, wait! Rarity, right? I really don’t need new clothes…”
Dusk Glow’s protests were completely drowned out inside Carousel Boutique.
Only a few minutes earlier, the white unicorn had practically dragged him into her fashion shop.
Now Rarity was rushing around like a whirlwind, constantly waving different fabrics and accessories around with her magic.
“Don’t be so resistant, darling! I promise these outfits will transform you completely!” Rarity said excitedly, her eyes sparkling with fashion fever.
Before long, Rarity floated an entire pile of clothes over to Dusk Glow.
Without even waiting for him to agree, she pulled him straight into the dressing room.
Inside, Rarity changed his outfit again and again, examining every piece with a critical eye while constantly giving her opinion.
“Too plain.”
“This one is too flashy.”
“Far too blue.”
“And this one is simply dreadful…”
As she spoke, she adjusted the fabric around him with practiced precision.
Dusk Glow stared helplessly at his reflection in the mirror.
He was still a little reluctant about all this, but he had to admit it.
The clothes really were beautiful.
At last, Rarity found an outfit that satisfied her.
She excitedly circled Dusk Glow several times, admiring her work.
“Perfect! This was practically made for you!”
“Wow, Dusk Glow, you look really handsome in that,” Twilight couldn’t help saying.
Rarity really did have incredibly high standards.
“Hey, I can look pretty handsome when I actually put some effort into my appearance,” Spike muttered from the side.
He clearly still hadn’t recovered from the blow to his pride earlier.
Dusk Glow looked at his reflection again.
Seeing himself completely transformed, he couldn’t help feeling a little impressed himself.
Just then, Rarity suddenly stopped circling him and leaned closer with a curious smile.
“By the way, darling, I still don’t know where you and your friend came from. You don’t look like you’re from around here.”
“Ah, thank you. Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Dusk Glow. This is Twilight, and that’s Spike. We’re from Canterlot.”
“Canterlot!”
Rarity immediately grabbed Dusk Glow’s hoof.
“I’m so jealous! Everything there is so fashionable and sophisticated. I’ve dreamed of living there for ages!”
She leaned extremely close to his face.
“You simply must stay and tell me everything about it! I’m sure we’ll become wonderful friends!”
Dusk Glow suddenly felt a strange gaze coming from somewhere.
He turned his head.
Twilight was staring at him with a distinctly unhappy expression.
As for why she looked that way, even Twilight couldn’t quite explain it herself.
She just had a strange feeling that Rarity was being a little too enthusiastic.
Twilight cleared her throat and hurried over.
“Ahem. Dusk Glow, we still have things to do.”
She tugged lightly at his hoof.
Her movements were unusually hurried.
Dusk Glow knew they had already spent enough time here, so he turned apologetically toward Rarity.
“Sorry, Rarity. We really do have something urgent to take care of. But once we have some free time, I’ll be happy to tell you all about Canterlot.”
Rarity looked a little disappointed, but she quickly recovered with her usual graceful smile.
“All right, darling. I’ll look forward to seeing you next time.”
She gestured toward his new outfit.
“And consider the clothes my little gift to welcome you to Ponyville!”
Dusk Glow thanked her sincerely and carefully put the outfit away.
As they left Carousel Boutique, Spike was sitting on Twilight’s back, still completely captivated by Rarity.
“She is absolutely incredible…”
“Focus, Romeo,” Twilight said, snapping him back to reality.
“Where are we now?”
“Uh…”
Spike looked down at the checklist.
“Music. That’s the last one.”
The moment he finished speaking, the three of them heard the cheerful singing of birds.
They followed the sound.
After making their way through a patch of bushes, they spotted a tree covered in little birds singing in perfect formation.
In front of them, a yellow pegasus with a long, flowing pink mane was directing the performance.
“Oh, goodness. Let’s pause for just a moment.”
The yellow pegasus fluttered over beside one of the birds.
“Excuse me, sir. I’m sorry to interrupt, but you’re just a teensy-weensy bit off-key.”
Dusk Glow watched the scene quietly.
A warm feeling spread through his chest.
There was something incredibly cute about the way the yellow pegasus patiently and gently guided the birds.
Twilight was just about to walk over and introduce herself when Dusk Glow gently caught her.
“Wait,” he whispered.
Twilight looked at him in confusion.
“Why? Can’t we just say hello?”
“Look at her. She’s completely focused on directing the birds right now. If we suddenly walk over and interrupt her, we might throw off her rhythm and distract her.”
He paused.
“And we don’t know what kind of personality she has yet. If she doesn’t like being interrupted, approaching her without warning might make her uncomfortable.”
Twilight thought about it carefully.
Dusk Glow had a point.
So instead of interrupting, they quietly waited nearby.
Dusk Glow watched the yellow pegasus carefully guiding the birds through their performance, and his impression of her only grew more favorable.
Eventually, the birds finished singing.
The pegasus finally relaxed.
Twilight and Dusk Glow walked over with friendly smiles.
“Hi! Your conducting was wonderful!” Twilight said.
The yellow pegasus startled.
She fluttered down, nervously shifted her hooves, and whispered,
“Th-thank you.”
“My name is Dusk Glow, and this is Twilight,” Dusk Glow said with a smile.
“We’re here to check on the preparations for the music.”
He glanced toward the birds.
“Everything seems to be in order here.”
Then he looked back at her.
“Oh, and what’s your name?”
“I… I’m Fluttershy.”
Her voice remained incredibly soft and timid.
Wow.
She really does speak quietly.
Dusk Glow couldn’t help thinking.
“Fluttershy, the way you conducted the birds was amazing!” Twilight said enthusiastically.
“Would you like to be our friend?”
Fluttershy shrank back like a startled fawn.
She hesitated for a moment before giving a tiny nod.
Seeing Fluttershy agree, Twilight felt relieved.
That counts as completing Princess Celestia’s assignment, right?
Finally, we can go back to the library.
“All right, Spike, Dusk Glow. I think we’ve checked everything we need to. Let’s hurry back to the library.”
Spike stepped out of the bushes.
The moment Fluttershy saw him, her eyes widened.
“A baby dragon!”
She shot into the air in excitement, accidentally startling several birds.
She flew straight toward Spike.
Dusk Glow quickly pulled Twilight aside so Fluttershy wouldn’t crash into them.
Fluttershy stared at Spike with pure fascination and delight.
“I’ve never seen a baby dragon before!”
She leaned closer.
“He’s so cute!”
“Yes! Yes, I am!” Spike said proudly, puffing out his chest as he looked at Twilight and Dusk Glow.
Then Fluttershy’s eyes grew even wider.
“Wait… he can talk?!”
She covered her mouth in amazement before fluttering excitedly in a little circle.
“I didn’t know dragons could talk! How is that possible? This is so amazing! I don’t even know what to say!”
“Well, in that case…”
Twilight was already thinking about how to end the conversation.
“We should get going.”
She used her magic to lift Spike onto her back and turned to leave.
“Wait! Wait!”
Fluttershy hurried after them.
“What’s his name?”
“My name is Spike.”
“Spike?”
Fluttershy smiled.
“I’m Fluttershy. A talking dragon! What do you usually talk about?”
“What would you like to know?”
“I want to know everything!”
And that was how the conversation began.
One question became another.
Spike started telling Fluttershy about his life, from the day he hatched all the way to the present.
Twilight’s brow slowly tightened.
She let out a weary sigh.
Why is making friends so exhausting?
Dusk Glow walked beside her and gave her a helpless smile.
He quietly offered a few reassuring words, trying to make the situation a little easier for her.
…
“So that’s where Princess Celestia arranged for us to stay?”
Dusk Glow looked into the distance.
A gigantic tree stood ahead of them, its hollow interior transformed into a towering library.
“A library inside a giant tree?”
“Yep. Golden Oak Library,” Twilight said, quickening her pace.
“We need to hurry. We’ve already wasted enough time today.”
Nightmare Moon is coming.
I have to get to the library as quickly as possible.
When they finally reached the library, Spike and Fluttershy were still chatting.
During the walk, Dusk Glow had already gotten a clear sense of how much Fluttershy loved animals and how curious she was about them.
But right now, there was no time for more chatting.
“So that was basically my whole life story,” Spike said proudly.
“Although, that doesn’t include today. Would you like to hear what happened today?”
“Oh, yes! Please tell me!” Fluttershy said curiously.
“Sorry, Fluttershy.”
Dusk Glow suddenly stepped between them.
“It’s already getting late. You can hear the rest of Spike’s story another time.”
He smiled gently.
“Next time, we can also talk more about the animals in Canterlot.”
Fluttershy blinked.
Then she gave a disappointed little nod.
“Okay… next time.”
Twilight quickly opened the library door and ushered Dusk Glow and Spike inside.
“Hey, Dusk Glow! I wasn’t finished!”
“Spike, save the tall tales for later,” Dusk Glow said as he stepped into the dark library.
“We have something much more important to deal with.”
He looked around.
Why is it so dark in here?
“I need to check the books and find the Elements of Harmony as soon as possible,” Twilight said anxiously.
“I don’t want to spend another minute dealing with ponies who keep insisting on becoming your friend.”
She stopped.
“Wait. Where are the lights? Why is it so dark?”
“Surprise!”
A deafening cheer suddenly exploded through the library.
The lights flicked on all at once.
Twilight, Dusk Glow, and Spike froze.
The library was packed with ponies from all over Ponyville!
Streamers hung from the ceiling.
Balloons floated everywhere.
Tables were covered with snacks and sweets.
The quiet library had been transformed into a huge party.
“What in the world…”
Dusk Glow looked around helplessly.
The ponies surrounding them were staring with excitement and curiosity.
Wait a second.
Isn’t that Lyra, Colgate, and Twinkleshine over there?
Weren’t they in Canterlot?
What they didn’t know was that the pink pony they had encountered earlier that morning had dashed away because she was busy organizing this very party.
She had invited nearly everypony in Ponyville.
The pink pony suddenly bounced right in front of them.
“Surprise!”
They immediately recognized her.
It was the same pink pony they had encountered when they first arrived in Ponyville.
“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! I threw this party for you!”
She bounced excitedly.
“So? Were you surprised?”
“Well…”
Dusk Glow glanced around at the chaotic celebration.
“It certainly is lively.”
“I knew it!”
Pinkie Pie suddenly leaned right into his face with a huge grin.
“I knew you!”
Dusk Glow froze.
“Should I say ‘nice to meet you,’ or ‘long time no see’?”
She gasped dramatically.
“Actually, I think I’ve known you for a really long time!”
“But we’ve never met before, and we don’t even know each other!”
Pinkie Pie’s grin somehow became even wider.
“But my Pinkie Sense told me you were coming!”
“So I started planning this party ages ago!”
She bounced around Dusk Glow.
“Do you like parties? I LOVE parties!”
“I’m Ponyville’s number one party planner!”
“And you’re absolutely going to love my cupcakes!”
“What flavor do you like? Vanilla? Avocado? Strawberry? I’ve got tons and tons and tons!”
Pinkie Pie rattled off one sentence after another like a pony-shaped machine gun.
Dusk Glow’s mind completely short-circuited.
What does she mean by knowing me even though we’ve never met?
And what in Equestria is this hyperactive mare talking about?
“Oh, dear…”
Twilight looked utterly exhausted.
She glanced around the library.
The strange pink pony called Pinkie Pie had somehow filled a place that was supposed to be silent with a massive party.
Twilight’s temple was already beginning to throb.
“So I gave you a huge, gigantic, super-duper, unbelievably enormous welcome party!”
Pinkie Pie bounced up and down.
“I invited everypony in Ponyville!”
“Look!”
“There are so many new friends here!”
Four familiar ponies stood behind her.
Applejack.
Rainbow Dash.
Rarity.
And Fluttershy.
“Ah, good to see you again,” Dusk Glow said politely, raising a hoof.
The four ponies each greeted him in their own way.
Applejack, however, stared at Dusk Glow’s wings for a moment.
Hold on.
Didn’t Ah remember him being a unicorn?
Nearby, Twilight was already feeling parched.
She walked over to one of the tables and picked up what appeared to be a glass of fruit juice.
She poured herself a large cup and took several big sips through a straw.
And then…
“WHOO!”
A fiery sensation exploded down her throat and straight into her stomach!
Her entire face turned bright red.
Tears sprang into her eyes.
Her whole body tensed like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
“Twilight?”
Dusk Glow immediately noticed something was wrong and rushed over.
Twilight was practically hopping in place from the heat.
Then, somehow, she evolved into what looked like a walking ball of flames and raced upstairs.
“Twilight?”
Dusk Glow stared after her in confusion.
He picked up the drink she had been drinking.
He examined the ingredients.
His eyes widened.
Several times the heat of ordinary chili sauce?!
Dusk Glow slowly turned toward Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie cheerfully grabbed another cupcake, poured hot sauce all over it, stuffed the whole thing into her mouth, and swallowed.
She didn’t even blink.
“What? It’s delicious!”
Dusk Glow’s mouth twitched.
Is she really a pony?
The other members of the Mane Six looked toward him with slightly apologetic expressions.
Dusk Glow could only stand there in silence.