//------------------------------//
// The Laws of Nature vs the Whims of Logic. 
// Story: The Life and Times of a Bit Monger 
// by KarmaSentinal 
//------------------------------//

Mr. Sparkle stood silently looking out from the tinted window of his office, observing the small collective of ponies that had strangely gathered around the company’s main sign. Ironic. He had ended the call with Rainbow Dash on a lie, and now it seemed there will be an afternoon meeting.  

“An odd bunch.” the zebra thought as he watched them, unaware of their motivations for this strange gathering. Maverick Sparkle sighed knowing what needed to be done, and what he was likely to face once outside. 

As Co-CEO and husband to Sparkle Industries’ CEO, Twilight Sparkle, it was his duty to overhead all operations and transactions the company experienced while its official CEO was away. Sadly that also meant he had the troublesome task of being the face to their public relations program and that meant dealing with the strange circle of ponies outside his office.

Luckily, today was considered “non essential to the progress of science” as his wife had stated and thus only a skeleton crew was needed to make sure the fragile components of their work would survive and be available for the next day. It meant fewer ponies would be around to witness this meeting, and less pressure to maintain the constant professionalism required by his office. 

A quick check of the desk confirmed everything was in order, and nothing time sensitive was being left unattended; he peered into the reflective surface of the crystal ball he had used to chat with Dash to gauge his appearance was acceptable before leaving his office. 

Taking a sharp left, Maverick proceeded down the hall that eventually led to the office cubicles, and after another thirty seconds of walking found him approaching a T intersection where he made a right turn. Continuing past the communal water coolers and restrooms at the end of this hall delivered him to the main lobby of this floor, which acted more as a train hub than a fancy waiting room.  

On a normal day, he would use the personal teleporter linked to the broom closet on the first floor, but today he wasn’t trying to hide from anypony and decided to take the elevator down. The ↓ button lit up, and a silent hum as the magical gears hummed to life to summon the slow metallic carriage from the first floor, leaving the stallion waiting for forty two seconds before the doors opened.    

He quickly entered,stealing a glance at the complementary clock just above the numbered buttons before looking back at the closing doors.  

The magic hummed and the metal room jerked once before the weight of gravity firmly grasped his legs as he descended. The music he sometimes heard in other elevators wasn’t present here, but replaced by his wife’s voice reading motivating quotes one might read to little foals.   

That got a laugh from the zebra.This nurturing voice wasn’t the same voice that got all of them kicked out of their foal’s kickball practice for the foreseeable future. 

A chime, and the slowing of gears brought the professional zebra back to reality just as the door parted. Even from here, Maverick could distinguish the shape of several ponies gathered around the fountain through the company’s magically tinted, light reflective windows. 

“What do these ponies want?” he asked himself, as the automatic doors opened. 

There was speculation as to their purpose of course. 

Ponies loved to gather for numerous occasions like parties or special events, but far fewer choose to gather in front of a large corporation without an appointment. He had dealt with fringe groups in the past ( he could count them on his hoof) that have enacted displays of protest against the company for odd little things, but never caused any lasting damage. While not directly in front of the building, the little group of five ponies amassed by the courtyard fountain  behind the “No Loitering” sign. 

It was hard to make it out at first, but as he trotted closer the faintest sounds of whispering became louder.  It wasn’t until he was just on the other side of the fountain, or his anxiety pills finally wore off that it became clear they were talking...

“...And the earth mother will bestow..”


...chanting in some ritualistic tongue. 

Its meaning was lost when tried comparing it to his Equestrian tongue and Zebrican ears, but in spite of this potential handicap he knew there was no turning tail now. As the CEO and head of public relations, it's his sworn duty to handle any and all matters regarding the company’s or his wife’s public image. So, despite his growing trepidation of the chanting ponies before him, Maverick had a job to do.

His courage left when the chanting stopped and the small, but masked pony in the center finally noticed their visitor. Maverick’s mind began racing as he remembered the stories his grandparents often told him and his cousins when they were small foals of the masked mares of the Barren Lands. How these strange mares would use magic of eerie origins to lure foals off to who knew where. 

“ONE OF THEM IS COMING THIS WAY!” He screamed internally as the stories and reality blended together. 

The pony that had broken away with the obvious intent to use its voodoo magic on him was small, even by pony standards. When side by side, he was just a few inches taller than his wife but the green mare( obvious by her slender frame) stood just a head shorter which from a distance one could mistaken her for an older foal just entering adulthood. Her wings were smaller than most pegasi wings, but actually frail looking; almost as if they were rarely used for anything more than gliding from place to place. 

Said wings fluttered briskly in the mild, and stale breeze but as quickly as they caught it, her wings fell limply to the sides under the strain of their own mass. The most obvious advantage to living with such an intellectual unicorn would be her vast knowledge of a variety of subjects, with anatomy being the favorite. It’s from this constant exposure Maverick became familiar with what made and didn’t make a healthy pony, and the mare’s wings.. well he retracted his earlier guess. 

They hadn’t been used at all.This statement was only reinforced when he noticed the mare actually using her hooves to set the wings in place!

“Oh Celestia, they’re going to drain my life force to restore her youth!” silence followed. “Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, you did Maverick and..uh.. I’m not really here for..your..uhm..youth. I’m not that old.” the mare quietly stated as she looked down at her forehoof making circles on the pavement. 

The zebra stumbled backward, nearly tripping over his own hooves in freight. The creature pony had heard him and responded accordingly, or as one would guess a pony would act. But for supposedly being an enchantress of the dark arts, she seemed very polite and soft spoken, then again it could be a part of the act.

But that voice.. it seemed just too familiar to completely ignore. Maverick studied the strange and green pony standing just a pony length away as he pondered why the sound of her entranced his mind so terribly. There was only one that ever spoke like this strange enchantress, but he hadn’t seen her in years, but her size, mannerisms, and voice sounded so much like her to the zebra consider the impossible. 

 He studied her to the point she began fidgeting at the uncomfortably of his studious nature overruled his sense of self preservation for the small hope of rediscovering a long lost friend. The more Maverick’s eyes scanned the mare standing before him when he finally noticed the one thing he was looking for.    

No..

No, it couldn’t be her could it?
 
“Fluttershy?” He asked and to his great surprise the mare nodded  excitedly with the grace of a flying butterfly.

“Hel..hello, Maverick.”
 
He took a step back as the greeting hit him. It really is her.

“Oh my sparkling wife’s flank it has been too long since we’ve last seen each other! How long has it been since your denouncing of all things magical and your return to the unrestricted life of nature? Also you missed the last reunion and while we were sad about that we also understood it's a part of your new lifestyle and we accepted that.”

“Oh my. That is certainly..uhm.. very nice to hear, but I honestly didn’t return to any “unrestricted nature.”

The confused zebra gave way as his brain grasped what had been said and desperately tried to figure out a way he could copyright that phrase for later use, but ceased the notion when the green pegasus before him politely coughed.  

He would have to ponder the phrase for some other time. 

“Then where have you been all of this time?” Mr. Sparkle asked. Surely she had become a recluse and through her years of isolation managed to achieve some unseen link that allowed her to call these ponies before him?


“ I uh.. actually have been living in the same cottage since I can remember. You and everypony just sorta..moved.. and forgot me.” 

“Forgot you? No, no, no. There is no way we would have forgotten a pony of your caliber and loving personality; who else but the caring and selfless pony of nature could have cured all of Ponyville when that Everfree flu went contagious?”

“That was Zecora.”

“When the parasprites...”

“Pinkie Pie.” 

“ Stampeding cattle?”

“Applejack.”

That really is a low blow for anypony, let alone a stallion that prided himself on family and friends. Maverick rubbed a hoof over his gelled mane as he pondered how in the actual Tartarus did a group of friends end up moving and in the process left one behind. He remembered that night very clearly since it was a closed party thrown by none other than Pinkie Pie.

Everypony and their partners were invited, including Fluttershy. Drinks and finely crafted dishes of the purest sugars were present and consumed with gratitude fit for corporate brown noser, and one simply couldn’t forget the singing and dancing! His wife to be and him dancing their patented crowd dispersing style with Pinkie teaching the Crusaders the finer arts of culinary mechanical maintenance: Applejack, bless her soul trying her hardest to woo that oblivious unicorn, Rainbow Dash recounting her acceptance into the “more dangerous than and now“ stunt routine and Fluttershy... 

“Fluttershy, what were you doing at the party?”

“The party? Oh! I was helping Pinkie with the Crusaders for a moment until they  started using black powder as a pepper substitute. Well after that I went and washed up and.. It's embarrassing to say but I must have lost track of time for everypony had left by the time I was finished.” 

“Wait, you mean you were washing up for basically the rest of the party? OH SWEET CELESTIA, THAT’S IT!”

“HEY! You can’t use that tone of voice on Flowers & Petals. She is, like the original..”

Maverick didn’t let the stallion finish before reaching for the one pen he kept in his pocket and tossed it at the offending stallion. The trick worked for a moment but in the end he was forced to tune out the rest of the fellow naturalist’s complaints as he redirected his attention to his yellow now green coated friend. He thought about explaining his actions to Fluttershy but decided it wasn’t really worth the energy, and so went on like nothing had happened.

“Fluttershy, we thought you were there when the idea was put forth and when there weren't any objections figured everypony was ok with it. But to fill you in Rarity was the one to suggest a change of pace, you know, a change of scenery to allow each pony a chance to flex their abilities.’ he looked over her shoulder to watch the hippies trying to organize themselves for something before continuing. 

“Well.. when we finally noticed you weren’t with us, we figured you wanted to drop off the map and live in tune with nature. Actually, Dash thought that. The rest of us guessed somewhere along the line you went feral and became Queen of the Everfree Forest!” 

“Oh! That is..ah...something.” The revelation caught the mare off guard, fighting the urge to retreat to the group of hippies that worshiped her rather than stand in the open.

Maverick thought she would seek comfort among the hippies, but instead Fluttershy lost that timidest and looked him straight in the eye. 

 “As you can see, that’s simply not what happened.” Her firm tone and quiet voice left the zebra feeling confused. The face mask and green, painted strips didn’t help to clear things up either.

“I see that now.” he told her, fighting the urge to flee from the ‘feral’ creature’ before him.

“Good.” Fluttershy nodded only once since she had to stop and readjust her mask. 

They fell into a mild silence unsure what to say or do as they continued staring at each other, waiting for the other to pick the conversation. Maverick would do just that, ignoring his strips telling him to run from the masked spirit by asking the question both had on their mind. 

“So..what’s next?”

“Oh, uh… I’m not sure. I..er we.. stopped eating in protest to...’ She paused to look at a spot on her left foreleg ”...bring attention to the matter.” 

Her words stung the zebra knowing that their forgetfulness of their friend led her down this path of extreme activism. To see his soft spoken, and recluse friend that ate a bit too well, reduced to throwing hunger strikes to seek attention really tug at the heartstrings. 

Movement on the edge of his vision reminded him they weren’t alone, and to his astonishment found the group of four sitting down to partake in a lunch of spinach leaf sandwiches, and water. He was about to ask Fluttershy about this when he noticed she had joined them eating a sandwich of her very own.

He tried understanding how eating during a hunger strike would solve anything, but shook his head off the line of thought. His dealings with Pinkie had taught him some things in life are best left alone. Still, the zebra found himself moving toward the group to confront his friend. 

“What are you doing? Fluttershy looked up from her meal with wide eyes, rushing to finish chewing before using a wing to wipe the crumbs from her mouth.

“I’m sorry! I was just… would you like a bite Maverick?” She offered him the half eaten sandwich but was quickly turned down. 

“No. no. But thank you, Fluttershy.” She nodded and quickly went back to eating. 

With a couple free minutes, Maverick found himself trying to pass the time and decided to see just who Fluttershy's companions were. 

They had backed off to let Fluttershy and him have some privacy, but kept close enough to maybe react if something was to happen. The four of them, three stallions and one mare, varied in size and race but not in the color department leaving him to question if they had dyed their fur. 

Two of the stallions were tall and lanky while the third was in surprisingly good health, average height with muscles designed for labor leaving Maverick to speculate he was a recent addition. Their manes were a faded red with streaks of another color slipping through, increasing his suspicion they had been dyed; he noted how similar it looked to Fluttershy’s unkempt mane.  

The mare of the group was the exact opposite- long legged, thin in the mid section while her mane was pampered. Add some wings and she could be Princess Celestia if she was doing a poor job at ‘blending in.’

The four chattered in hushed whispers amongst themselves, leaving the zebra to continue his observations. 

The signs they had brought looked worn and used, keeping with the theme of old and reuse but the words they bore proudly left his brain hurting. The biggest, and clearest to read said “Save the trees.” while the other two said “ No Food, No Gain.”  and “Eight Mow Cabbage.”

“Fluttershy, what exactly are you doing here.” Maverick asked, wanting an exact answer to a question he might already know. 

Fluttershy finished her sandwich quickly, wiping the crumbs from her mouth with a wing as she straightened out her posture to address her friend. The display resembled a pony about to give a sell’s pitch than two friends talking, and while curious left the zebra feeling a little hurt by how far their relationship had deteriorated.      

His own upbringing and corporate side prevented him from openingly showing this, and so adopted a similar posture. 

“We…” She turned slightly so her right wing could point at the other four ponies, who reminded oblivious “...of the Wild World Force, or WWF, is a group dedicated to the protection and maintenance of all places deemed ‘wild or untamed’.”

Her deliverance was impressive. He could scarcely recall a time he ever heard her speak in such a tone, let alone say it with such conviction the zebra might question if this really was the mare he knew years ago. 

“Wow…” 

“Did you really think so?” She asked, trying to hold back her excitement behind the growing smile, and when Maverick nodded eagerly she relaxed. “Oh thank goodness. I, uh..practiced for several days…” 

“It shows, Fluttershy. It really does.” 

“That’s good, I was..well..worried it wouldn’t be very good.”    

“Well, you had me convinced not to take you seriously…” He started but quickly retracted when his friend’s ears fell flat. 

“We try really hard, when no pony takes us seriously I feel a little sad.” She took another step closer to whisper the next part, fearful the wind would carry it. “ Sometimes, I feel they don’t really mean it. That its expected of them, and that’s why they pursue this life.”

That reveal did cast the situation in a new light, and as Maverick looked over Fluttershy toward the ‘strikers’ he wondered if they truly hated the company or thought they did. Perhaps he could remedy this in a way both parties would benefit from it without having to get a spray bottle  to chase them away. 

In accordance with his position as Head of Public Relations, the zebra already had many ideas whispering against his ear for a chance at the opportunity to prove themselves the perfect choice. He felt his tongue escape his mouth by using the corner of his lips as he stood deep in thought on the idea that would be the most beneficial to him… to everypony, of course. 

It was only when he caught movement nearby those life instincts kicked in causing him to flinch. 

“OH! I’m sorry for moving, but you went still, I got tired of standing still and... are you alright Maverick?” 

“YES! I mean, yes.” He lowered his voice when he noticed he had garnered the protesters’ attention. “ I might have an idea to rid yourself of these ponies in a way that would help us both.” 

“Now, Mav. I don’t want to rid myself of them…” She looked back at the group to see if they were still paying attention, and only continued when she knew they weren’t. “... but encouraging them to move on would be very nice.”

With her approval, Maverick excused himself to pitch the proposal that could very well not only save his friend, but provide the company their biggest tax write off and public image campaign in years! His mind was running full of similar thoughts on what possibilities this could lead to, what deals could be struck because of this? 

The group became more alert with each step he took until the understanding he wouldn’t stop forced them to herd closer in the effort to create an uneven wall of shrubbery. The sight alone had the zebra becoming paler looking at the formidable defense presented, but he couldn’t stand by and allow these protesters to eat in the middle of a hunger strike- hypocrisy!

The very idea a pony could do something so unprofound in broad daylight, let alone in front of a center or innovation riled him up.

‘The media will have a field day!’ he thought, already imagining the implications if he didn’t get this sorted out. 

How could Sparkle Industries defend their reputation when they couldn’t even draw in professional protesters to protest? This matter was about helping his friend Fluttershy, but he would be lying if he wasn’t worried about the company’s future. 

He stopped four hooves away, and sized each of them as he recalled the mental exercises his wife had shown him, and expanded his lungs with one last gulp of air before doing the one the second thing he was good at. 

The art of dealing. 

“Hello everypony! My my what a lovely looking crowd we have today, most excellent!” 

Unbeknownst to him, the protesters had never actually protested before and only went on the words of others or their own perceived belief on how, what, and would happen during one. This wasn’t the reaction they had thought would be provoked, and the friendliness of his tone had them eternally wondering if they were protesting wrong. Maybe it had worked? Their clan mother had exchanged words with him for a length of time, and maybe convinced him to join them in their protest?

“Let me start off with a question for you, yes, all of you.” the nerdy zebra pointed at each of them as he spoke. “ How goes the protest, oh avid influencers of change?”

“A…” 

“Most excellent!” he cut them off, leaving the group feeling more confused. He was in his element and continued pressing his advantage by switching to the pitch. 

“But what if, hear me out. What if you expanded your protest to other companies than this one? What if I told you that you could?” 

They listened intently, not really sure what they were supposed to be doing. Maybe this was part where the protestee defended himself before being subjected to more acts of protest?

“All you have to do is go the Crystal Empire.” 

“Wha...”

“The Crystal Empire.’ he repeated, pointing at each of them while whispering it. “Crystal Empire.”

Maverick watched as the thought wormed its way into their psyche as the four mentally sampled the suggestion. They stood unmoving trying to process the idea and the benefits it would bring to their message if they took it to another city instead of keeping it local. But keeping it local was a proper and almost civic duty of a pony to support their community, and yet, the idea of reaching a broader audience sounded very appealing - too appealing. 

“Why should we believe the mouthpiece of disorder?” The tall mare asked, the second oldest of the group behind Fluttershy asked. 

“Because…” he started as he hastily tried to come up with an excuse, caught off guard by their willingness to question his proposal, but recovered quickly to address their concerns. You don’t make as head of public relations being slow. “...I’ve seen Celestia’s glorious light! Oh!”

The protesters reared back at his performance, not sure what was going on anymore. 

“I feel so ashamed at what I’ve become and want to make amends…” Maverick threw his head back so his foreleg could rest against it for dramatic fashion like he’d seen Rarity do several times. “... this soul of mine is stained black. Black I say! But..” 
He rushed forward to grab the shortest one by the withers to literally shake the point into him. 

“... what I’ve done is nothing when compared to her.” Maverick only let go when one of the others, a short stallion with a small branch woven into his unkempt mane spoke up. 

“Her?” the stallion asked while seeking the support of his fellow protesters who crowded closer to him, not because they were becoming concerned by the zebra’s antics, but because they were interested in his tale. 

As he leaned closer, they retreated back to keep some semblance of distance between them. His muzzle didn’t change as he looked each of them in the eyes, leaving the group wondering if he even noticed or just didn’t care. They held their tongues as he revealed the mysterious mare…

“Princess Cadance.”   

The four ponies continued waiting for the rest the zebra had to say, but as he held his breath it became clear there was nothing else. Their heads turned left and right to wordless address each other as they tried to figure out why the small princess would cause him so much grief, or how she could be worse than him?

“She exploits the good nature of her own ponies…”

“Her highness gives them three breaks! All in one day!” one of the other stallions pointed out, slightly impressing and aggravating the zebra at how informed they were. 

“She harvests the offerings of the planet for her own gain!” 

“Farmers do as well, thus providing for us all.” The tall mare retorted. 

“She doesn’t say thank you!” Maverick at this point was becoming desperate at how difficult this was becoming. 

“She compensates them with pay for their labor and additional benefits such as pay bonuses or other services they might like.”  The short stallion from earlier added his own two bits.  

Maverick was starting to mentally sweat as his plan was being picked apart by their unassuming, and vast knowledge of corporate operation. Every point he brought up was skillfully debunked with sound reasoning that shouldn’t  have existed! 

“Fine!” He yelled, causing everypony, including Fluttershy, to jump back from his sudden outburst. He threw his hooves up in the air from frustration before turning around to make his way back to his lost friend, stomping  irritably away as he did so.

“Continue your protest of my company, and see if I care. Hey! Why you’re at it...“the angry zebra turned around “...why not go buy some of Cadence's overpriced crystals, and show her some love uh?” 

“They’re not over priced.” 


“That’s right, they’re like.. fairly priced given their demand.”  The mare of the group added to her friend’s own statement, feeling the need to support her fellow companion. Maverick scoffed at their claims already knowing his sister-in-law’s business practices, and how she sets the prices of her products at a loss to drive out the competition. After all, it's easy to set the price once you’re the only one on the market. 

This bickering between the two groups would have continued well into the night if it weren’t for one mare taking charge.

“Pl..please everypony, listen.” The dirty, dyed green mare asked as she appeared between them, causing them to question if she was there the whole time. 

“Fluttershy!” 

“All Mother.” 

They tried to object, but were silenced by a simple feather placed on her lips. 

“I stood by and listened to the argument long enough, and will not allow it to continue anymore. Maverick. Weathervane.” 

The zebra and tall mare gave each other one more glance before responding to her as a scolded foal, leaving their respective spots to move next to the waiting pegasus. Only when they were next to her did Fluttershy’s smile return as she tried to wrap a wing around each of them. 

“Thank you both for being respectful.” She gave them each a quick glance when she felt their muscles tensing for a possible rebuttal. 

“Maverick. You are older, and likely wiser than them…” 

“Likely?” She nodded

“Yes, maybe. Possibly. What matters is you need to be more respectful, when it comes to others with less knowledge of the real world.”

Her wing released the zebra so she could give the long legged mare a proper hug, which the unicorn returned after a moment.

“You’ve grown up..all of you.” She added as she broke the hug and gestured toward the other ponies listening in. “When you first came to me seven months ago….”

“Seven?” Maverick asked himself, confused because he had assumed the hippies had been with Fluttershy for years.

“... despite making some mistakes, we learned from them. You four are so very passionate in your beliefs , but how sure are you they’re right? How do you know what Maverick said about Mrs. Cadence wasn’t true?”

Fluttershy’s words rang louder with them than any pony’s (except their parent’s) and got them to huddle once more to discuss this; if their All Mother was asking them these questions then there had to be some truth or purpose didn’t there?

The pegasus retreated until she was standing beside the confused zebra, he was trying his best to not harass her with enough questions to warrant a court order when the group dissolved. They watched as the smaller ponies stayed behind while Weathervane approached them.

“We have reached an agreement, and find your questions both conflicting and worrying. How can we correct this?” Without missing a beat, Fluttershy answered. 

“A baby has to leave the nest sometime if they ever want to see the world.” 

They mare didn’t say anything as she pondered these words for a good minute before nodding, her compatriots behind her matching the action as well. 

“Your words hurt, but are very true. Perhaps, we should leave the nest as well?” 

“You don’t have to if you’re not ready…” 

“No. Our time with you has shown us much, made us aware there is more than a scary forest and a haunted town. We should see these places for ourselves.”

“Oh. Well, uh..the Everfree isn’t that scary.” Fluttershy added, feeling a bit attacked by the comment when Maverick chimed in.

“Ponyville isn’t haunted.”  

“It’s weird.” the tall mare countered which her mentor nodded in agreement, before resuming the motivational speech.

“If this is your choice then I won’t stop you, you may always come back and visit.” Fluttershy went in for another hug, when the other three ponies rushed forward to join in. 

Maverick watched unsure what was happening when the five ponies ended their hug, the four hippies and Fluttershy saying goodbyes before the group began walking away toward the town. His eyes followed them as the distance continued to grow until he couldn’t distinguish the four ponies from the other, before turning to his friend. 

“What was that?” 

“Nature. Isn’t it wonderful?” she replied.

“Thank Celestia that’s settled.” Maverick grumbled between his teeth as he looked back to further watch the group, but couldn’t find them anymore. 

“It could have been a lot worse. I’m proud of them for taking that first step all on their own.” he turned to Fluttershy, noting she had taken the strange mask off and was holding it with wings. 

“The first step to growing up and becoming productive members of a company?”

“The first step out of my mane.” She said so casually Maverick decided not to jump down that rabbit hole and change the subject. 

“So, what now Flower & Petals?” Fluttershy giggled, happy to finally move on and talk to a friend once more. 

“With them striking out on their own and the Crusaders watching the animals for now? I don’t know.” 

The more she talked, Maverick finally noticed the stuttering was absent. He couldn’t place when the flip happened, but quickly eyeing her revealed a very not timid looking pegasus; Fluttershy stood a little straighter adding another inch to her height, while her body seemed, well relaxed and not ready to flinch at every noise. 

She was a pony with a weight removed and finally free to move on. 

“A pet shop.” 

“Pardon?” 

“I will own a pet shop in the city, exotics preferably. What?” She asked after noticing him staring. 

“Nothing, just that… a pet shop?”

“They need love too, and to see the happiness on their faces when finding their forever home..” She nodded twice, more for herself than Maverick’s self. “ ...that’s good enough for me.” 

The zebra kept quite trying to process this information of owning a business to not make a profit? It left him conflicted and he didn’t know why. His thoughts turned to his wife and her love of research, but there was always a drive to market something to make a profit...to fund more research. 

He’ll have to devote more time to this revelation another day, but for now he needs to help his friend. 

“Friends!” the suddenness startled Fluttershy, causing her to jump away from him and dropping the mask. 

“We have to let them know about you! I’ll contact Twilight..no Dash first since she has a crystal and then...” He was silenced but a hoof over his mouth. 

Fluttershy had tied the mask so it would hang over her shoulders to silence Maverick with her hoof, keeping it there until he settled before removing it. He tried to speak but she stopped it with one word.

“Shower.” He looked over her once more and realized his ignorance of her possible position.  

“My stars, yes! You can use our personal shower on the top floor.” He turned to start back for the building, forcing Fluttershy to trot to keep up. 

“Oh! Thank you, but uh… why do you have one up there?” 

“It used to be for Twilight when she stayed late to ‘finish this one last thing’. But after having the twins, she rarely ever leaves home anymore.” 

“TWINS!” He looked down into Fluttershy’s sparkling eyes, begging for details. 

“YES!” barely able to contain his own excitement to talk about his foals “We have twin colts barely two years old…” 

Maverick began telling Fluttershy all about the colts, and their own friends happenings as they entered the building. The zebra and pegasus falling back into their old roles as if the party had only happened last week.