Inside Carousel Boutique.
Ye Ziji’s sudden appearance instantly broke the previous atmosphere.
The awkward tension lingering from the “dishrag” incident was immediately replaced by a far more intense mixture of shock and confusion.
After a brief, stunned silence, the first to recover was Twilight Sparkle, who had just been dying of embarrassment.
It seemed Ye Ziji’s arrival had provided her with the perfect outlet for her bottled-up emotions.
Her frustration over failing to sew anything better than a “dishrag,” her mortification at Spike’s rubbing salt in her wounds, her dissatisfaction with being “underutilized” in her current situation, and her shame at failing the grand responsibility entrusted to her by Princess Celestia…
All of it coalesced at this moment into a raging fire, directed straight at the unicorn before her.
“You—!”
She snapped her head up, her cheeks flushing bright red with rage.
Her hoof tapped the floor impatiently, and the tip of her horn crackled with dangerous purple sparks.
Then, she lunged toward Ye Ziji in a few quick strides, completely ignoring the massive disparity in strength between them.
In an accusatory tone, she demanded loudly, “How dare you show your face here!”
“You promised before that you’d give me an answer! A plan! And what happened?!”
Her voice grew louder, thick with the grievance of betrayal.
“You—you actually packed us all up in those damn water spheres!”
“And then you went off to the Everfree Forest all by yourself! What do you take me for? Luggage? A parcel?”
She was venting completely now.
To her, being left behind was more than just a minor slight; it was an absolute humiliation.
She, Princess Celestia’s most prized pupil, the genius unicorn tasked with saving Equestria, had been tossed aside like some worthless cargo.
Logged and “packaged up” so crudely!
Even though her rational mind told her he had saved her and her friends, protected all of Ponyville, and in some sense… actually done it for their own good, that feeling of being looked down upon, of being utterly ignored, was something she absolutely could not accept!
“This is too much, Ye Ziji!”
She concluded her furious tirade with that final cry.
“Oh, darling, calm down!”
Seeing that the situation was about to spiral completely out of control, Rarity leaped forward, using her elegant form to deftly step between Twilight Sparkle and Ye Ziji.
She gently patted Twilight’s trembling shoulder with her front hoof, speaking in a tone both gentle and firm:
“I know you’re upset, darling. But we should at least hear Ye Ziji’s explanation first, shouldn’t we?”
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Fluttershy bypassed the two ponies locked in confrontation.
Her sweet face held no blame, no curiosity—only the purest, most genuine worry and care.
Scampering over with tiny steps, she ran right up to Ye Ziji, tilted her head up, and asked in a soft, quiet voice, her clear eyes reflecting his figure:
“Ye Ziji… how did it go in the Everfree Forest? You aren’t hurt, are you?”
Before Ye Ziji could answer, she began checking him over herself.
Rising slightly on her front hooves and leaning forward, her concerned eyes thoroughly scanned him from head to hoof, “checking” his entire body.
She wanted to make absolutely sure her friend wasn’t injured.
Faced with this somewhat chaotic scene, Ye Ziji merely shrugged indifferently, showing no hint of tension.
Completely ignoring Twilight’s murderous glare, he turned instead to the worried Fluttershy.
Leaning down, he gave her a warm, reassuring smile.
“I’m fine, Fluttershy,” he said softly.
“Don’t worry.”
This simple reply immediately put her anxious heart at ease.
She nodded, and though still a bit uneasy, she obediently took a small step back.
Having addressed this display of pure kindness, Ye Ziji slowly turned around, redirecting his gaze back to the eye of the storm—Twilight Sparkle.
He took a step forward, walking right up to her, and said in a calm, emotionless voice, “Twilight, there’s a reason I didn’t take you with me.”
Hearing this, the raging fire in Twilight’s chest cooled slightly, as if splashed with cold water.
She kept her glare locked onto Ye Ziji, but at least she was no longer just venting pure emotion.
Taking a deep breath, she squeezed a few words out from between her teeth: “Fine! Then let’s hear it. What’s your explanation?”
She was fully prepared.
No matter what excuse he gave—be it “the enemy was too powerful,” “the situation was too dangerous,” or “I needed you to hold the fort”—she had a mental checklist of counterarguments ready to go.
All to prove that she was entirely capable, and indeed should have been, participating on the front lines.
Yet, not a single one of the “reasonable” explanations she anticipated came out of his mouth.
Seeing her try to compose herself for a debate, Ye Ziji’s lips suddenly curled into a playful, almost mischievous smirk.
He paused on purpose, as if savoring her anticipation, before delivering the explanation that would instantly obliterate whatever sanity Twilight had left in a light, incredibly clear voice:
“Because you…”
“…are a total noob.”
Dead silence.
This highly modern and insulting term was like a psychic bomb, detonating wildly different reactions in the hearts of every pony in the room.
Fluttershy gasped, covering her mouth with her front hooves, her cyan eyes filled with shock and dismay that said, *How could you say such a thing?*
Rarity reacted as if she had just heard the most vulgar, unrefined words in the world.
She recoiled dramatically, her face a mask of appalled disbelief.
Meanwhile, Spike stood to the side, blinking in a daze.
Then, thinking back to the “dishrag” Twilight had sewn earlier, he couldn’t help but snort, letting out a sudden “pfft!” He quickly clamped his claws over his mouth, but his shoulders shook uncontrollably.
As the target of this insult, Twilight’s reaction was by far the most spectacular.
At first, she just stood frozen, her brain seemingly unable to process the sheer volume of information packed into those words.
A second later, when the realization finally sank in, a volcano of shame and absolute fury—hundreds of times more violent than before—erupted from the depths of her soul!
“Aaaaaah—Ye Ziji!!!”
She let out a shriek so sharp it nearly pierced their eardrums.
All her reason, knowledge, and pride were ground into dust at that very moment.
Like a thoroughly enraged beast, her hooves scraped the floor as she lunged recklessly toward Ye Ziji’s infuriatingly smug face!
“Darling, don’t!”
“Twilight, calm down!”
Rarity and Fluttershy reacted instantly, throwing themselves from left and right to firmly hold back the completely unhinged Twilight Sparkle.
Even with two ponies holding her back, Twilight thrashed wildly, her hooves flailing in the air as she hissed like an infuriated kitten.
Her eyes turned blood-red, locked onto the culprit who had instigated all of this.
Yes, Haji-Twilight.
***
After a long while, under the combined weight of Rarity and Fluttershy, Twilight’s violent struggles finally began to subside.
Her chest was still heaving, her heavy panting sounding exceptionally loud in the quiet boutique.
Her eyes, bloodshot with anger, resentment, and frustration, gave one final, venomous glare at the still-nonchalant Ye Ziji standing before her.
Then, she said nothing.
She simply pulled away from her friends’ hooves, turned her head, and trudged back to the corner piled high with yarn and fabric.
She sat down in absolute silence.
She began sorting through the cluttered knickknacks as if she were serving a prison sentence, seemingly venting all her anger and humiliation onto the innocent objects.
With her silence and ignoring of his presence, she built a cold, invisible wall between herself and Ye Ziji.
Fluttershy looked at her lonely, stubborn back and sighed with worry.
Trotting over with tiny steps, she snuggled her small body against Twilight, gently draping a wing over her to offer silent comfort and companionship.
Seeing that the farce had finally come to an end, the playful smirk on Ye Ziji’s face faded as well.
He knew that now that he was done teasing Twilight Sparkle, it was time to get down to business.
His gaze swept over the mess in the shop and finally landed on Rarity.
“Miss Rarity,” he began, his tone returning to its original calm and polite state.
“I need to purchase some things.”
Rarity, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, was caught slightly off-guard.
However, she immediately regained her professional poise as a shopkeeper.
Gracefully smoothing down her slightly messy mane, she smiled and replied, “Of course, Mr. Ye Ziji. What is it you require? Though my boutique is a bit untidy at the moment, I’m sure I can satisfy your needs.”
“I need some decorations.”
“Such as tapestries, curtains, and large carpets. Additionally, I’ll need some daily essentials—mattresses, pillows, blankets, and the like. Only the highest quality.”
Hearing this list, Rarity’s face once again registered surprise.
She had thought he might need magic materials or some other exotic items, but she never expected him to request such domestic, everyday goods.
This formed a massive contrast with the powerful, mysterious, and somewhat cold image he had previously projected.
Nevertheless, she quickly suppressed her surprise, masking it with her flawless business smile.
“Of course, of course I have those!” she said warmly.
“To make more workspace down here, I’ve stored most of my finished goods in the second-floor storeroom. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I shall bring them down for you.”
With that, she trotted elegantly up the stairs leading to the second floor.
As Rarity disappeared around the corner of the stairs, a temporary peace returned to the boutique.
Ye Ziji stood where he was, watching Twilight and Fluttershy whispering in the corner, and hearing Spike still snickering nearby.
He began calculating how he would pay.
Pay…
Wait… pay—!!!
A realization struck his mind like a sudden bolt of lightning.
He instinctively raised a front hoof to pat… well, he didn’t have pockets.
He merely patted his side coat in a symbolic gesture.
Only then did he belatedly, but with absolute clarity, realize a disastrous fact he had completely overlooked! no money.
Not a single cent.
In Equestria, he was a completely penniless, undocumented resident.
Just moments ago, he had been perfectly at ease, controlling the room.
Now, he was entirely defeated by the most basic, mundane, and helpless of real-world problems.
A trace of stiff, awkward helplessness appeared on his face.
He had no money.
Or to be more precise, he didn’t have Equestria’s currency—no official Canterlot-issued bits.
The word “broke,” like a curse, looped relentlessly in Ye Ziji’s mind.
His long-standing, casual expression finally cracked.
Even a grand stallion could be brought to his knees by a single penny.
He couldn’t exactly go back to Mayor Mare and ask for a handout, could he?
That would be far too embarrassing for a stallion.
He took a deep breath, forcing down the embarrassment churning inside him, and slowly regained his composure.
Things being as they were, he couldn’t just conjure money out of thin air.
He had to face reality.
His gaze involuntarily drifted toward the corner of the boutique.
There, Twilight Sparkle was being quietly comforted by Fluttershy.
Though she was still sulking, at least she wasn’t looking at him anymore.
That place seemed to be his only… hope?
Having made his decision, Ye Ziji’s mind underwent a fierce internal battle.
He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gritted his teeth.
Forcing an awkward yet polite smile onto his face, he slowly walked toward that corner with somewhat stiff steps.
His approach immediately shattered the fragile peace of the corner.
“What do you want?!”
Twilight bristled instantly, like a cat that had its tail stepped on.
She sprang up from the floor, her coat standing on end as she glared at Ye Ziji, her eyes filled with vigilance.
As far as she was concerned, this jerk was definitely coming over to tease her again, or to humiliate her with even harsher words!
“Twilight, please… don’t be like that.”
Seeing this, Fluttershy immediately stepped nervously between them, trying once more to defuse the tense atmosphere.
She quietly soothed Twilight while looking at Ye Ziji with a puzzled and worried gaze, wondering what he wanted to do this time.
She hoped he wouldn’t make Twilight blow her top again.
Under the scrutiny of two completely different yet equally intense gazes, Ye Ziji felt his cheeks burning.
Clearing his throat, he avoided Twilight’s murderous glare and spoke in a rather awkward, embarrassed tone:
“Um… well, I wanted to ask…”
He took a deep breath, as if summoning every ounce of his strength just to squeeze the words out:
“Do you… happen to have any money on you?”
He explained at a rapid-fire pace, as if trying to run away from his own words:
“It’s just, I only arrived in Equestria two days ago, and I wasn’t really paying attention. I just realized that I seem to have… no money on me.”
By the end of his sentence, his voice was barely a whisper.
He bowed his head slightly, adopting a humble posture as he pressed his front hooves together.
In a thoroughly pleading tone, he uttered the words that would completely shatter his proud, composed image:
“So—please!”
???
The entire world seemed to have been put on mute.
Fluttershy blinked in confusion, seemingly failing to comprehend the meaning of this request.
As for Twilight.
The expression on her face underwent a marvelous, theatrical transformation.
First came vigilance, followed by bewilderment upon hearing the question, then unbelievable shock, and finally, an extremely absurd, suppressed-giggle sort of expression.
Her rage and frustration seemed to have been completely washed away by this sudden splash of cold water.
This jerk who, just moments ago, had stood so high and mighty, trampling her self-esteem into dust with the words “too weak.”
Now, he was bowing his head, begging in a near-supplicant posture… to borrow money from her?
What was this?
Slapping her face, and then asking if she had a Band-Aid?