Chapter 2: The pursuit of happiness
By a stroke of luck, the girls had gotten a train car all for themselves. They were all having a good time, relaxing with the comforting shaking of the train while keeping themselves distracted with their own activities.
Twilight was reading a book, Fluttershy was seemingly having a pleasant discussion with Starlight and Rarity, Rainbow Dash was napping, and Applejack and Pinkie Pie were playing cards.
‘’Haaa! Ah have what ya may call a winning hand. So ya better hold yer hand because, hummm, ya have absolutely confident in mine and stuff.’’
‘’Well played, Applejack. But you can hide nothing from me, Miss honesty. Ha, check this out. One pair and three of a kind. Impressive is it not? Sorry, but when games are involved, I am here to win and eliminate the competition. Without mercy.’’
‘’Wooooo, not so fast partner, hold your horses.’’
The nervous face of Applejack immediately disappeared and was replaced by a cocky smile. She then held her cards on her hoof and spreads them like a fan.
“Sorry Pinkie. Now behold. FLASH ROYAL, no less. Now who says that Miss honesty can’t bluff, hahahaha.’’
Pinkie Pie’s jaw dropped to the floor, literally in her case, hitting the floor with a metallic thud that led to Rainbow awakening in surprise.
‘’Hey, keep down a level; I nearly missed this vacation, so I want to profit it to the max.’’
This got the attention of Twilight.
‘’Eh Rainbow, what are you talking about? I don’t remember you mentioning any issues coming along.”
Dash, seeing little point in going back to sleep, sat up and leaned against a nearby wall for comfort. ‘’Truth is, I was supposed to have Wonderbolt training today. The only reason I’m here is cause an accident had trashed the training halls, they are in need of serious renovations. The academy is nearly impracticable to use so training was canceled.’’
‘’An accident! What accident?’’
‘’Oh, that is a very funny story. You see, Spitfire was training new young cadets on how to properly transport mini thunder clouds safely.” Rainbow seemed to shiver at the mention of the act. “Trust me, it’s a lot harder than it sounds.” Anyway, the objective was to take those clouds to a goal right above the academy, and when they did it, Spitfire ordered them to wrap-up and to make the salute. Turns out, theeey really should have done the wrap-up first and then, the salute. The cadets kicked the clouds they were holding, which resulted in about a hundred lightning bolts hitting the academy.”
Every pony nearby winced at the frankly insane slip up, each getting a clear picture in their head of the damage.
“Well, atleast nopony was hurt thankfully,” Rarity said, hoping to bring a bit of levity to the situation. Rainbow’s sheepish look however shot down that idea.
“Yeah about that. You know how Spitfire has all those medals of honor on her uniform. And did you know that gold ‘does’ attract electricity? I wonder why no pegasi had ever guessed it could happen until now.’’
Though she tried to bring the matter up with some humor, Fluttershy was left horrified at the implication.
‘’Oh my gosh Dash, that’s terrible!’’
‘’Oh no no. Relax Fluttershy, Spitfire’s totally fine…minus the minor burns here and there along with some scorched feathers. Anyway, she’s made of way tougher stuff and she will be on her hooves in a week.”
Fluttershy seemed to relax with this revelation along with some others in the cart, happy things hadn’t been more serious.
“Anyway, the damage was pretty serious. We actually had to hire workers outside of Cloudsdale just to get repairs done. But it means I can go on this trip so no biggie.’’
Lying back down, Dash seemed interested in getting back to sleep for the remainder of the trip, though some of her cabainmates didn’t share such a sentiment. Most notably Rarity.
“Well, perhaps we could discuss something slightly less morbid perhaps. Perhaps our destination by chance.”
Applejack nodded equally. “Yeah, truth be told this is the very first time that I heard of this Happy Town. It sure doesn’t ring any bells I’m aware of.’’
“Maybe it’s just a really obscure village not a lot of ponies go to,” Fluttershy chimed in, joining the group in the center.
Sadly this explanation didn’t do much to curb the group’s curiosity, thus they turned their collective gaze to Twilight, who’d been waiting for such a question.
‘’Sorry everypony, I know about as much as you do. Though I did do a little research before boarding the train. Allow me to tell you what I had found.’’
Of course a little research for Twilight equated to several pages worth of notes that could fill a small book. The sight of said stacks of information earned a loud groan from the group’s resident speedster.
‘’Great. Another Twilight history lecture full of fun trivia and cultural facts,” Dash moan while covering her face with her wing. “I was being sarcastic by the way if you had not guessed.’’
“I did actually,” said Twilight, looking rather proud, having learned Rainbow’s habits over the past two years. “Besides, it's always important to read up on your destination when traveling. Do you want to look like a tourist? So embarrassing.’’
‘’But... but we are tourists!’’
“Yes, but there is tourist and tourist,” Twilight stated matter of factly as though she were giving a lecture. “Anyway, from what I read on it, Happy Town was founded ten years before Ponnyville. Apparently, the settlers were ambitious ponies and wanted to create a place that would be a true paradise on Equestria.’’
Starlight was a little taken aback by the rather unexpected claim.
‘’Paradise? What did they mean by that?’’
‘’That’s the problem, it’s pretty ambiguous, I’m actually quoting them directly. Beyond that, among the first buildings constructed was a clock tower that they use as a symbol for the town. Size wise it’s proportional to Ponyville, though remains fairly isolated with it’s citizens almost never leaving its borders.’’
Fluttershy, who was prone to an anxious imagination, answered:
‘’Oh my! Does... does that mean that... that they don’t like strangers?’’
Rainbow met her oldest friend with a look that screamed are you kidding me. “Pretty sure with a name like Happy Town they don’t have an issue with strangers.”
‘’You’re right, Rainbow. Happy Town’s citizens are known for being quite welcoming. In fact, the reason for the towns’ name is that it apparently, venerates the concept of happiness in some sort. All the tourists that come to visit always have nothing but positive things to say about it and there’s always something new to try.’’
‘’Oh, sounds like my kind of place,” Pinkie said, suddenly appearing out of frame below everypony. “This place sounds like it’ll be super-duper fun.’’
Hearing that, Starlight smiled.
‘’That’s good to hear. You know, you were right. It does sound a lot like Ponyville.’’
Twilight nodded, taking another glance at her notes. “Princess Celestia actually said the same thing and while my research isn’t 100% conclusive, nothing suggests Happy Town is anything but pleasant.”
Feeling any prior concerns put at ease, the last bit of tension in Starlight seemed to melt away. ‘’Perfect, it’ll be nice to have a relaxing vacation for a change.” Deciding to do a little reading, Starlight levitated over one of Twilight’s books. During the reading, she took a glance out a nearby window, and something caught her eye.
“Say Twilight, that mountain out there, is it Mount Heaven ?”
Everypony went to look through the window Starlight was pointing and saw at the horizon, coming ever closer, the huge rock spire that was Mount Heaven.
According to prior history, the mountain was a long dormant volcano that was quite the sight to behold under the vivid blue sky. Its height was rather modest and only with a quick look you could see that it was easy to climb, but still, it was like this gray formation was giving a kind of majestic air. That was at least what was the thinking of the ponies staring at it in awe from their cabin.
‘’There is no doubt. So, that Mount Heaven. And in its deep are hiding the remains of the ancient civilization. Ooooh I can barely contain myself, my hooves are shaking, look, look how much they are shaking.” Twilight was saying while practically vibrating with excitement, while her friends were feeling slightly awkward.
“Alright girls, we are nearly at our destination. The station is a bit of a distance from the town so we will have to walk for a little while, though no longer than a half hour.’’
At the mention of more walking, Starlight immediately groaned as her eyes drifted to the mini library in the car.
‘’Great, so I take back my job as a heavy lifter of books. Geez that was not really what I had in mind when I took the post of your personal student. Sometimes I think I am just a Spike number two….Oh, please don’t tell him I said that.’’
The other ponies paid her little mind and simply continued to stare at the destination with anticipation.
After another fifteen minutes on the train the group finally disembarked at the station, only to find there was nothing, save for the mountain, than a vast expanse of green at perpetuity and the wind softly blowing on the grass.
Seeing there was no pony else around to talk to, the group immediately went walking on the gravel road that will bring them to civilization.
Sadly, while the scenery was beautiful that was about all it offered to the group.
A few minutes were spent in relative silence, and still the only thing they could see was grass and a few trees and hills. But it was mostly because they were trotting at a relaxing pace to enjoy the peace and the perfect weather. And then, a butterfly went flying before the eyes of Fluttershy. Its wings seem to shine and its color to change between blue and pink. The pegasus positively gushed at that little creature.
‘’A rosea hyacinthum kaleido! Here! But this is far from the region where they live!’’
Fluttershy was known for being a known diehard enthusiast of butterflies and her knowledge on them was nearly encyclopedic.
Thus it came as no surprise that And naturally, seeing this rare sight was tickling her interest, leading her to quietly chase after the beautiful insect so as not to spook it. and forgetting about her friends, she went to follow it, flying softly and slowly to make sure to not scare the beautiful insect.
“Ugh, again with the butterflies?” Rainbow groaned, fighting off the urge to pull out her mane as she recalled the last time Fluttershy got involved with butterflies.
Her friends, although annoyed a little, couldn’t help but to find that endearing and stop waiting for her. The yellow pegasus went so far as to go flying up a hill, looking to head towards the rather high summit.
However, to the surprise of all those present, she stopped right on her tracks and let herself land delicately on the ground. She then stood there to just look at the horizon, making back to her friends. Slightly worried, they went running to see her.
‘’Fluttershy? Fluttershy, is it something wrong? Did you see something?’’
‘’Yes. A piece of heaven.’’
Not understanding what she meant, Twilight went to see what Fluttershy was looking at and once she did, she was aghast and could not say a word. The others followed suit.
At the foot of the hill was one of the most beautiful ponds they had seen. Its size was quite impressive. The sun was at its zenith and so it gave its light directly from above, the reflection in turn was making several shimmering many shining spots on the spring, as if pure light was floating on the calm but still moving water. Like if the water was a diamond. It was a beautiful sight straight from a fairy tale. Water Lilies were floating and on some of them were growing flowers shining with a fluorescent magenta color. Twilight recognized them immediately.
‘’These are Midnight Lotus! They are rare flowers that are said to shine beautifully under the night sky.’’
The display of natural beauty didn’t stop with the flowers. Butterflies of all colors were flying in all directions and birds were nesting on a nearby tree, chirping harmoniously as if on command. However, what truly brought the entire scene together in breathtaking harmony was a voice.
In this case, it was a singing voice that seemed to come right from an angel.
Intrigued, the ponies looked around for it’s source. And they found it. Something was resting on the trunk of a twisted tree overlooking the water. It was a young mare. She was looking intensely at the spring and reciting a simple melody.
The smiles into your heart
seem now so far apart
The colors that used to stay
change into a sad gray
But true beauty is never took
if you know how to look
Your treasure
you never should misspend
Always there
with you as a friend
The ponies, who had walked to the bottom of the hill, felt the notes going directly at their hearts, almost overwhelming them with a sense of serenity filling them with peace. The sensation was so strong Rarity and Fluttershy even shed a few tears.
Once the young mare had stopped her singing, the ponies couldn’t resist and clapped their hooves to congratulate her.
‘’Who's there!?’’
Surprised that she was not alone, the young mare had lost her footing and nearly fell on the water but at the last second, Twilight grabbed her with her magic and levitated her to the ground.
‘’Oh I am so sorry, we didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Twilight almost belted out a rapid fire apology. t want to scare you nor eavesdropped. “We were just so impressed by your beautiful voice we couldn’t just help it.’’
Despite the initial shock and almost fall, the unknown mare seemed to take the apology in stride.
‘’Oh no, it’s alright, it's quite alright. I am the one that shouldn’t have reacted like... that… ...!!!” The mare’s eyes suddenly grew wide. “Is that you!’’
‘’What?’’
Twilight, along with the others, were left more or less confused. Unsure of what she meant, Twilight gave her a closer look.
The mare was younger than everypony else, though seemed to be a bit older than the CMC. Her fur had the color of wheat and her mane, which was as red as a sunset, was arranged in a braid hanging to the right of her face. The cutie mark on her flank was of a sunflower and the color of her eyes was of a vivid green emerald, which were currently staring at the purple princes with clear admiration.
‘’It’s you it’s you it’s you it’s you, it is really you!’’
‘’Um yes, yes it’s me… … who I am supposed to be?’’
‘’You are Twilight Sparkle, the one and only. I can believe that you are here right in front of me. It is like a dream come true.’’
Twilight’s sense of dread grew slightly more as her mind again flashbacked to her experiences with past admirers. “Yup that’s me, funny even after all this time I still forget about the whole Princess of Friendship thing.”
‘’No no, you don’t understand,” the strange filly said in a trance-like daze. But it vanished and she comically slapped her check to straighten her thoughts. “Oh! Sorry, I was really out of there. I hope I did not freak you out.”
‘No, that’s… alright. I know meeting somepony you admire can make that effet. Believe me. I know from… personal experience.”
‘Thanks. But what I meant back then is I was a fan of you way back before you became a princess and…” Her voice seemed to dry up as she finally noticed the rest of the group. “And how could I miss all of your friends? Applejack. Pinkie Pie. Rarity. Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash. And even Starlight! You're all here! All of you.’’
Our heroines were perplexed and were throwing looks at each other in confusion. Even Pinkie seemed to be left stunned.
‘’Is anypony else lost right about now,” Pinkie pondered, “Cause I don’t remember throwing any pony a Congrats We’re Famous party recently. Do ponies talk about us?”
“Of course they should talk about us.’’ Rainbow seemed to puff up a bit at the mention of fame. “We saved Equestria countless times, duhh. Yet, I find it weird that nopony seems to know who we are. Well of course, I am already famous for being the best flier but still.’’
‘’Well, there is that but the true reason I see you as inspiration is…” the little mare, seeing she was once again drifting in the conversation. She coughed a little and took a deep inspiration. “I really need to stay more focused. Sorry about that, just a little overwhelmed here. I mean I knew you guys were coming but running into you out of the blue like this without some prep, well it’s, just, I mean….and I’m rambling again. Let’s start at the beginning. First allow me to introduce myself. My name is Floral. But everypony calls me Flo. I am a pony living in Happy Town and my job is… a little special. It is nice to meet you.’’
Twilight now clued in on the situation, found her attention focused on a particular thing Flo had mentioned.
‘’Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you Flo, though you said you knew we were coming?”
‘’Oh yeah, the entire town knows you’re coming. They can’t wait to all see you. I just didn’t expect to meet you personally on your way.’’
Fluttershy immediately looked ready to swallow her own tongue. “Did you say…the entire town?!” Her voice seemed to shrink gradually with each letter, though Floral didn’t seem to notice.
‘’More or less. I could explain it more to you but I think it’d be easier just to show you. You don’t mind having me as a guide do you?’’
The group shared a glance, with Twilight taking the lead and receiving a few nods from the others. “Sure, we’d love that. Alright Flo, we’re in your care.”
Floral smiled and was practically beaming like a spotlight. ‘’Thanks. Then follow my lead. … … But before, I… I must warn you. The ponies of Happy Town are very friendly, but they have a tendency to be a little…too welcoming.’’
Rarity tilted her head in incomprehension. “Too welcoming? Dear, forgive me for saying, but I don’t see how that would be perceived as a bad thing.”
“Let’s just say you’ll see for yourselves and I figured a warning…(for how little good it will do), was needed.”
That last portion muttered under Floral’s breath as she led the group towards the town.
It did not take a long time for them to reach Happy Town. They were now walking on one of its busy streets and like she had said, Flo was in front, guiding them.
‘’Since this is your first time, l will bring you up to speed on my little town.”
On cue Twilight immediately pulled out a notepad and pen, earning chuckles and groans from the others. They were walking
“First, the layout is built as a circle that continues to grow year after year. It has seven main streets that go from the border to meet at the center of the city called Plaza Central. What is particular is that it is at the sides of the main roads that you can find the majority of shops, service establishments and attractions. The rest of the angles between those rows are generally houses and habitations. Plaza Central conversely is where all the administrative buildings like the town hall, the courthouse, the bank and so forth are located, being the original builders our founders put up. Guess in a way you could call our city an ever expanding star at seven branches. At least, that how I like imagine it.’’
As expected Twilight had not only jotted down everything Floral had said, but even managed to make a few diagrams of the city based on Floral’s input.
‘’I see. But I find that it is a rather unusual way for a town to grow. I mean yes it gives the advantages that all the shops and commerce are in easy access roads for receiving delivery and being in plain sight, it makes them difficult to be ignored. But... I don't know, it's like your shops and service your first objective and your housing the secondary one. Usually, it’s the reverse.’’
‘’You have to understand that entertainment and distraction is the heart of this town. The plaza was always intended to house the essential locations, so once that was settled After they immediately started building the shops and the roads with the houses following suit. It was a little inconvenient at that time, but they established plenty of temporary houses prior to house construction to make up for it.”
Applejack, having taken a look at the Twilight’s diagram, couldn’t help but chuckle at the rather odd arrangement.
‘’Really! And I thought that mah family was dedicated but that is a whole new level. Focusing on your vision of yer town before being comfortable! Ah agree, it’s quite unusual. ’’
“‘Yeah, ’I understand that we are kind of unique compared to the rest of Equestria,” Floral seemed to struggle a little to get the words out, almost too embarrassed to speak. “But I personally do think it is our charm. Ah, and now it's time that I show you the very symbol of Happy Town. The clock tower.”
Pointing her hoof out straight ahead, all ponies present looked in it’s direction. “As you can see it’s quite a sight to behold.”
Our heroines were, at present, in the place called Plaza Central and before them was the famous clock tower. And if nothing else it was certainly eye catching, though not for all the right reasons.
The walls were old and have seen better days and the red roof was missing a few tiles. In truth, about the only thing that seemed to be pristine was the clock face itself, looking as polished as the day it was made.
All in all it was frankly more impressive the tower was still standing than anything else. A sentiment Rainbow certainly seemed to share.
‘’No offense, but I’ve seen better, heck the one we have in Ponyville is way taller.”
And Flo made a cocky smile at the pegasus.
‘’But wait, you haven't yet seen what makes it the pride of our town. It won’t be long.’’
All eyes turned back to the clock, which was only a few seconds before the big and the small hand reunited themselves to announce noon. And when the twelfth hour came, bells were ringing from inside the tower. And it was in that moment those present finally understood.
If there was a single word to describe the sound produced by the bells it was….pure.
The sound they made was plain and simple perfection. Neither so loud as to be irritating, yet not so quiet as to be unheard. Instead the sensation it sent through the ears was soft, like a gentle breeze gracefully flowing through a field of grass. And the sound itself was beyond description, a sweet, harmonious melody. It was as if a choir was singing.
Amongst the group Rarity found her eyes glistening with tears, yet made no attempt to wipe them away, too distracted by the sound.
‘’Beautiful! It’s… like the notes go directly into me, wrapping my heart in a warm embrace I’d never wish to leave.’’
Fluttershy conversely, was less dramatic, closing her eyes to listen calmly to the music while her pink mane floated on the wind.
‘’I feel so serene just by listening to it. You were right, it is really a wonder.’’
Floral, just smiling, nodded along not nearly as mesmerized as the rest. ‘’I know. This town was built on the concept of happiness. The settlers had hired the best mechanics of their time to build what would be the very symbol of our philosophy that would last for generation and generation. They wanted something that will remind us to always find joy in the simplest things in life.”
Floral’s eyes drifted up to the clock, clear fondness and admiration evident in her eyes, though something seemed to catch the corner of her eye and pull her gaze away. “Oh look at that, I see Mayor Paternal. I know he’ll be overjoyed to see you’ve arrived.’’
The clock tower happened to also be Town Hall. That two floored house was fixed to the right of the tower, making them one single building.
From a window, they could see a grown stallion drinking coffee at his table with a relaxed air. His fur was brown and he had a short red beard who was beginning to have gray hair. Despite the distance, they could see that his cutie mark appeared to be an open book with writing quill on it. Even though he was a fairly elderly stallion, one look and you could immediately see that he still had the spring of youth in him.
Dropping any kind of pretense, Flo leaned on the open window to make her voice easier to hear.
‘’Hello Mayor Paternal, it's good to see you.’’
At that voice, he turned his attention to Floral, and gave her such a warm smile.
‘’Ah, is not our little angel. It is always a pleasure to see you Floral. Did you have a pleasant trip to the spring?’’
‘’Yes, but there is something more important than my usual trip. I am here because I brought some visitors that–
‘’Visitors! Could it be they have arrived?’’
‘’Yes, yes they have more than arrived, they are right here behind me. Look.’’
‘’Greeting mayor and thank you for your hospitality. I am Twilight Sparkle, the–
She never finished her sentence as the sound of the coffee cup falling on the floor with half of its contents interrupted her.
The mayor was currently staring wide eyed, open mouthed at the princess in front of him. He stayed there still for a few seconds but then, went running with energy through the hall. The noise of galloping was soon followed by those of broken ceramic and falling furniture.
Twilight was hit out of nowhere by a dreadful feeling.
‘’I don't know why but I feel something bad will happen.’’
As if to counter this, Flo responded to the noise with mild annoyance. A subtle hint that this was a common occurrence.
‘’Forgive him, he tends to let his enthusiasm override his reason, but he isreally nice guy, I assure you. Though, probably should’ve warned you in advance…also he might not be the only–”
Flo’s words were cut off when Mayor Paternal opened the door in a state of near hysteria, nearly tripping on the stairs as he exited.
‘’It’s you, it’s you, it’s really you, all of you. YOU HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED!’’
While the Mane 6 plus Starlight, all took a tentative step back from the sudden and loud greeting, everypony that was going to their occupations, stopped dead in their tracks by hearing this. And suddenly Twilight felt her prior unease return, with Pinkie also going into a full body twitch.
“Uh guys, don’t want to freak you out but….”
And as if to answer amidst the rows of houses, doors and window shutters were simultaneously opened by curious residents. Upon spotting our heroines, it was like a switch had flipped in them and they all came rushing to the plaza. So many ponies were coming that the ground was shaking.
‘’Whoa whoa, what in tarnation is happening, an earthquake?’’ AJ shouted as she tried her best to steady herself while many of the others started to panic somewhat.
‘’Suddenly I don’t like where this is going.” Twilight was now practically vibrating like Pinkie and desperately looking for a solution. “Flo, can you explain what HEY WHERE ARE YOU GOING!!?’’
The group’s self-titled tour guide was no longer among them. She was currently running miles away, discreetly on her tip-hooves, only slowing to turn her head. And from the distance, she apologetic whispered to them:
‘’Sorry to abandon you guys, but I don’t want to be crushed by them. Catch you guys later.’’
‘’YOU SAY SOMETHING?! HOW CAN I HEAR YOU FROM SO FAR?’’
But she ignored her and went on galloping in a back-alley, leaving them all alone in the middle of a plaza. In mere moments they were encircled by an incalculable number of ponies.
As expected, Rarity was overcome with panic AND she started to hyperventilate.
‘’Oooh oooh. I do love a little attention but this is making me feel claustrophobic.’’
All the ponies were now coming closer to our mares, slowly, so slowly, fixating on them with strange looks, all without even blinking. Fluttershy was utterly terrified and went to hide behind Applejack and Rainbow Dash who were looking ready to fight if needed. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were holding each other in fear, while Starlight Glimmer used the mountain of books as a makeshift barricade. As for Twilight, well she did what she always did when under extreme stress… she exploded.
‘’ENOUGH! Now, can somepony please explain to me what is going on here? Because I’m starting to be scared to death.’’
Despite the rather bombastic call, the silence it brought was only temporary as the crowds started to become active again.
‘’… It’s them… it is really them… OURS IDOLS ARE HERE IN OUR TOWN!’’
And all the plaza was filled with cries of joy and they all rushed to grab them. Except Starlight who was well protected in her barricade. Luckily she was ignored while the others were hoisted and thrown high into the air as the crowd shouted, ‘’Hip Hip Hooray.’’ Leaving the now dazed brain mares to simply fly up and down until the Mayor finally saw fit to step in.
‘’My citizens! My citizens, please. I understand your joy but those poor girls must be confused. Please, give me at least the time to explain to them.’’
Thankfully for the group, the Happy Townians listened to their mayor and dropped them on the ground. Okay, it was more like letting them fall flat on the concrete. Which did not please Rainbow.
‘’Ouuuch! Right on my muzzle. All right, so what the heck was up with all the mobbing and cheering now? What is that circus!’’
‘’Yes yes, of course,” The mayor said, looking much calmer than previously.. “First as mayor, let me formally apologize for the actions of our citizens. We were just so excited, myself included, to see in person the six mares that we admire so much.’’
‘’Again with that.” While Twilight could somewhat understand the admiration, she’d experienced it quite a few times, this seemed beyond excessive. She was starting to be really, really puzzled.
‘’Admire? I don’t understand?’’
‘’It’s quite simple. As the name of our home suggests, we citizens of Happy Town have venerated the concept of happiness in all its forms for generations. We are always on the lookout for new ways to bring joys and beauty to our lives. But then long ago, we learned about six special ponies representing friendship. And they quickly became such an inspiration for us.”
The Mayor seemed to speak those words as if reciting a gospel of sorts, something cemented by the other citizens listening with rapt attention.
“Naturally, I’m speaking abouts you. Applejack, the Element of Honesty. Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter. Rarity, the Element of Generosity. Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness. Rainbow Dash,the Element of Loyalty. And Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic who then became Princess of Friendship. By simply being you, you constantly give valuable lessons about forming valuable bonds and well nurturing it. How can we not admire you? In fact, you have enriched our lives so much that you have become the biggest celebrities of all the entire town.’’
‘’Whaaaaaaaaat!’’ Was all the group could get out, seemingly left stunned by such an idea. True they’d had their fans over the years thanks to their exploits, but an entire town treating them as if they were royalty….outside of Twilight. It was simply difficult to process and it didn’t seem like the mayor was giving them much time.
‘’Come on everypony, they need to have a proper greeting. Let us all give our best salutations to these wonderful mares…”
Two pegasus went flying above them, each carrying the end of a large rolled banner, then went and stuck it to the wall of the clock tower to unroll it, revealing the image of our six mares.
“and our greatest idols, THE MANE 6.’’
And every single ponies stumps their hooves on the ground again and again as cheer clapping, filling the entirety of Happy Town with this sound of adulation for our dumbfound Mane 6.
In the quiet of his house, one pony was walking-up the stairs at a relaxed pace. Each time his hooves were hitting the wooden steps, they were making creaking noises. Once at the submit, he went to the door of his bedchamber and turned the knob.
From the inside of his chamber, that one pony could clearly hear the clapping and cheering that was only slightly muffled by the wood walls. He slowly came closer to the window covered by a white curtain. With his gray hoof, he softly pushes away the ivory silk to see outside and look at the plaza with our heroines at the center encircled by admirers. A soft and enigmatic smile formed on his lips
‘’They’re here. At last… they’re here.’’
Amidst the many cheers, claps and general noise Applejack suddenly got the strange impression they were being observed. She turned her head to look at a building with blue walls and saw at the window of the second floor, a pair of eyes fixate on her. It was too dark to see to whom they belong and anyways, he promptly covers the window with the curtain.
‘’What was that?’’
As Applejack was left to ponder, Twilight, still confused, wanted answers..
‘’Wo wo wo, please stop. Just... stop.” Her voice thankfully was much quieter this time. ‘’Right now, I have so many questions. Mister Mayor, what is this story of admiration or whatever you call it? How did it even start?’’
“Sorry, you're right. I should have explained first. It all begins during the summer sun celebration when Nightmare Moon was freed from her thousand years of imprisonment. One of our citizens was visiting Ponyville at the time and when he came back, he told us an amazing story. About six amazing mares who went on a heroic adventure and managed to free princess Luna from the darkness with a mystic and divine power called the Elements of Harmony, reuniting two long-lost sisters. Naturally, we were all intrigued by this. You may have guessed it but we all are admirers of stories with happy endings, especially if it is about real events. But then, it is about you that we became intrigued. Who were those six ponies who became heroes and why do they represent friendship? We were just overwhelmed with an urge to know more about you. So we would regularly send some scouts to observe you discretely.’’
That little revelation earned looks of shock from some, a soft gasp from Fluttershy and a rather loud response from Rarity.
‘’You… YOU WERE STALKING US FOR ALL THESE YEARS!!!’’
The mayor immediately waved his hoof at the accusation. ‘’Oh no no, I assure you that anything we did was perfectly legal. They were always at a safe distance and respected your privacy. We would never dare to do that to our idols. And thankfully we were never disappointed. Honestly, you girls have a penchant for rather unusual adventures and somehow always manage to end it with a valuable moral lesson But we were not disappointed. Hell, ever since the incident with the tickets for the Gala, we quickly wanted more and more. And more, you're always provided for. Then, even before we became aware of it, it was like you became a part of our town and of our lives. We all became diehard fan of the legendary Mane 6.’’
‘’The… Mane 6! … That's a little… I mean… is it really what everypony calls us?’’
Twilight was looking at her friends for possible answers, yet each one of them had different reactions.
‘’Don’t look at me like that Twilight, that’s the first time ah hear that,’’ Applejack stated.
‘’Eh, can’t say I like the nickname.’’ Say Rainbow Dash. ‘’It’s a little cheesy. Sounds like a superhero team.’’
‘’Personally, I kinda like that name. Go go go Mane 6!’’ Pinkie cheered, suddenly in a pink spandex outfit and helmet.
As for Fluttershy, she was more conflicted by something else.
‘’Wait, sorry but I find hard to believe that you could learn so much about us just by observing us from afar?’’
‘’Oh, you’re absolutely right,” the mayor once again spoke about the matter so casually. “We actually had to interview quite a few witnesses, do few background checks and even read all the friendship reports Twilight send to the princess.’’
‘’What! ... ...WHAT!” Twilight again shouted, now looking more than a little offended at the idea. “My reports! How did you get them? Every single one of them should be in Canterlot with Princess Celestia.’’
‘’Oh I reassure you we didn't steal them. The ones we have are only copies of the originals. We simply paid somepony to make copies of the one in Celestia office.’’
Twilight could just not believe what she had heard. They will really go as far as to ransack the belongings of their ruler! It was so unthinkable that she had difficulty at forming coherent sentences.
‘’Her off... off, off, office... Cecececelestia quarter... you you... the princess... ... ... well... come to think of it, I suuuupose these reports are not really secrets of state.’’
Rarity was of a similar mindset, though she could at least form actual sentences.
‘’I find more and more that it really looks like stalking.’’ Her words were so quiet it was a miracle any pony heard then, and as before the Mayor again tried to play damage control.
“Of course we can’t forget the journal that you had given to the public. It was a true gold mine and nearly every citizen has one. Like this one I have in my hoof.’’
Mayor Paternal took out from his jacket a purple cover book with a horseshoe and the Elements of Friendship on it. The sight of said book managed to snap Twilight back to coherency, only to shift her back into panic mode, the only time any book could ever do so.
‘’No no no no, not this again. Now I see where this is going. I thought we’d resolved that whole mistake ages ago.’’
“Nice one Twilight,” Rainbow practically sneered at the cover of the book that had brought her and her friends so much misery.
‘’Oh I can assure you that we are not at all like those… ‘superficial fans’. We admire you because of what you represent and how you enrich our lives. All my citizens will agree. Is it not?’’
As if to answer, two ponies from the crowd then came forward.
‘’Yeah, thanks to you, my friendship has become stronger and intense than ever.’’
‘’You give us hope that everyone have the potential to get along with everyone.’’
Other members of the crowd seemed to follow suit, making mention of how the lessons taught by the girls had enriched their lives. Honestly, it was the first time the girls felt genuinely flattered as opposed to terrified since they entered the town.
‘’You see. When Princess Celestia said that she would send you to investigate those ruins in Mount Heaven, you cannot imagine how overjoyed we were. Also, I am sorry to say but I couldn’t have resisted and asked her that Twilight would bring all her friends so that all the Mane 6 could be here. Please understand, it was the chance of a lifetime.‘’
It was then that something clicked in Twilight head.
‘’Oooh so that's why she made that suggestion! But wait! At that time...’’
She remembered her exact words.
[Oh it's alright. You will know soon enough.]
‘’So she knew it would happen! And she didn’t tell me because…!!! Oh Princess, you may be the mentor that I admire and respect above all but sometimes, I hate your damn humor. Well, in her defense, I doubt even she could have guessed that they beso… fanatical. Look Mister Mayor, I don’t mind indulging your… you know. But I am here for an important job to do. Will you still help me explore those ruins? You do know it’s the main reason I’m here?’’
‘’Of course. We have already prepared a housing house for all your friends and luggage. You'll have the whole building to yourselves.’’
‘’Great, but Twilight may have forgotten to say that another was added on the list of guests.’’
Starlight finally decided to come out of the barricade of books when she heard that although strange, these ponies were harmless. But as soon as she opened her mouth, every single face turned their sight to her, giving her a massive dose of anxiety.
‘’Hum did, did I… say some, something wrong?’’
‘’IT’S STA STA STA STA STA STARLIGHT GLIMMER! THE SEVENTH MEMBERS OF THE MANE 6!’’
A bunch of ponies went running to her to the pink unicorn who was now like a statue and showered with praises and compliments.
‘’I can’t believe that you came too. It is like a dream come true.’’
‘’When you rejoin the group, you immediately became my favorite.’’
‘’You are a true symbol of hope, showing that no matter how far we fall, we can always redeem ourselves and find happiness. Can I have your autograph?’’
That was so confusing for her and she was not sure how… well, how to think.
‘’… … Hum, sure.’’
She grabs the pen and paper with her magic and signs her name on it, not knowing if she should feel warmth for being accepted or feel uncomfortable. Though that thought was immediately forgotten when she realized something else.
‘’Wait! I am the seventh member and we’re still call the MANE 6?’’
‘’What's wrong with that? Evereypony know that there are four musketeers in the Three Musketeers.’’
‘’There are so many things wrong with that!’’
As for the mayor, he seemed to be even more overjoyed than usual.
‘’You have brought Starlight Glimmer too! We felt that it was already a huge favor to ask for all six of you that we did not dare ask for more. This is really the happiest day in our lives. Miss Sparkle, tell me you didn’t also bring Spike?’’
Many ponies immediately looked at Twilight with baited anticipation, though by now Twilight was somewhat used to the sight.
‘’No. He had no choice but to stay behind.’’
A collective groan of disappointment could be heard throughout the town, with more than a few ponies looking quite a bit downtrodden.
‘’What a shame. Many fans of this little dragon will be upset.’’
‘’First the Crystal Empire, now this town. How does he get so popular?’’
If there was any positive to that reveal was that it finally seemed to calm the crowd down. Which in turn made it possible for a familiar young voice to be heard amongst the others.
‘’*Sigh* I knew this would have happened. You really need to know how to control your enthusiasm everypony.’’
Floral forced her way between passersby with everypony happily letting her through. Though her presence was exactly as welcomed as before, if the visible steam coming from Twilight’s ears was any indication.
“Oh, there you are Flo. Thanks for abandoned us like that.’’
Flo at least had the decency to look embarrassed. ‘’Sorry, very sorry about that. But I know them. I had to go hide to safety. Still, I admit it was a little lame of me. Please forgive me.”
Her apology was met with either half hearted looks, a smile and wave from Pinkie, and in the case of Twilight exhausted indifference. “It’s fine, just….warn us in the future of something like that.”
“It’s a deal. Now then.”
Flo then turned toward the Happy Townians and looked at them with severity.’’
‘’As for all of you, you shall be ashamed of yourselves. You think they will want to stay if you scare them like that? I mean I understand your feelings, I am myself the number one fan of the Mane 6. But this is exactly why we should treat them with restraint. Don’t you think that as fans, you should make sure to deserve their thankfulness?’’
For all her speech, she did not raise a single time her voice and she kept a kind but firm look. Everyponies smiled and nodded affirmatively at each other. Twilight was finding it strange that such a young filly could have so much authority. Flo faced her again, clearly stroked by an idea.
‘’I know! Since our tour was cut a little short and since the Princess didn't give you a time limit to do your job, why don’t you take advantage of it and wander into our town at your own leisure. Believe me, having fun is kinda the specialty of Happy Town. And it will give us the chance to show you that we can be a proper host. ” Flo then looked at the mayor. ‘’What do you think mayor Paternal?’’
‘’That sounds like a wonderful idea. Please, we will make sure your luggage is brought to your lodgings while you explore our home. I am sure you will love it. And nothing will please more my citizens than giving them the chance to bring you joy.’’
All assembled ponies nodded their heads eagerly, faces practically begging for a yes.
Twilight found herself hovering in place, mind somewhat racking to figure out a solution. It was then that Pinkie Pie came closer and put her hoof on the shoulder of Twilight in a reassuring manner.
‘’Come on Twilight, we did came here to have fun. I admit they can be a little weird but, just take a look at them. They are nothing more than a bunch of nice and innocent ponies. Nothing to be scared off.’’
‘’... Maybe she’s right. And come to think of it, this is a lot like my first time in Ponnyvile. At that time too I was finding the ponies there overwhelming. But I should have given them a chance. I won’t make the same mistake again.’’ The purple alicorn decided that it was time to relax and to accept their offer. “Oh what the hay. Why be so reserved? So girls, what do you say that all of the Mane 6, *pfftt*, go see if the hospitality of Happy Town is really top notch.’’
‘’Woohoo, now you’re talking,”.Pinkie cheered, confetti flying randomly from her mane.
Even Fluttershy and Starlight became more relaxed, though Rainbow and AJ still seemed a bit on edge. .
‘’I’m game. They surprised me a little but now I am sure that they all very nice,’’ Said Fluttershy.
‘’That sounds nice,” Starlight muttered out.” “Though maybe we should avoid being seen all together. The whole group might be too much for those ponies.’’
‘’Are you saying we shall all go our separate ways!”
‘’Well, this place is huge. If we want to make sure to see the most of it, then maybe it would be best that we all go on our own and then after, share what we experienced. That way, we will be better informed for another day.”
‘’Hum. You might be right. What do you say, girls? Are you alright with that?”
All Twilight friends were agreeing with this idea. Seeing that all were in accord, Flo and the mayor could not be happier.
‘’I see that it is decided then. I guarantee that you will not be disappointed princess.’’
‘’I’m sure we won’t, mayor,” Twilight said with a genuine smile before looking at the clock tower. “So, let’s all meet back here in about two hours. But for the moment, let’s all have a fun day.”
The girls were now feeling enthusiastic. Save for Pinkie who was more than enthusiastic but all too eager to get started. “Come on everypony, let’s cheer up and have a fun, happy adventure. We’re in the perfect place after all.”
That Central Plaza had re-became busy. The ponies returned to their daily activity, filling the air with the sound of life. In its heart, the Princess was watching her friends going away. They had already decided that each would explore one the main roads of Happy Town and each of her friends were already far into the distance on their respective roads. Leaving the alicorn alone.
But then, Twilight realized she was not quite alone. Starlight was still there by her side.
‘’Starlight! You’re still here!”
‘’Yeah… say Twi. Do you mind if I tag along with you?”
‘’Ohh. Even if it’s you who propose we separate.”
‘’Yes, I know I’d say that but I would prefer being in your company than by my lonesome.”
‘’That’s fine with me. I’m always glad to have you with me. Now, what should we do first? Oh! Look. There’s a map of the town. I’m going to look at it and planify the best itinerary.”
‘’Sounds like a plan.”
Twilight went toward the billboard with the map but Starlight… stayed where she was. She had not told Twilight but the true reason she had proposed to the others to separate was because she wanted to be alone with her mentor. As for the reason why… that was the problem. She had no idea why she was feeling that insecurity.
She turned her head toward the Happy Townians. They were all smiling and they were all nice to each other. She could tell, nothing was fake about it. Starlight genuinely thought that it was an idyllic sight. And yet…
‘’This is strange. Why can't I relax?”