Twilight lifted her hoof and rapped the door with it three times in a row. "Spike!" she called out. "Are you in there?"
"He's probably gone out" Fluttershy put forth.
"Where would he go?" Twilight answered. "Besides, at this time of day he's usually home, resting or eating".
"You never know" Rainbow Dash said. "Maybe he went out to get something?"
"I doubt it, otherwise we'd have gone together. Or at the very least I would know something was missing for him to get." She knocked on the door again. Where is he? Rarity had gone on ahead to the Carousel Boutique as per their plan (which they concocted on the way without Rena knowing), and Pinkie still wasn't anywhere to be found. So far, it was just her, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rena on the door of the library.
Before anyone could pose the question she thought in her head again, though, the door pulled open and a baby dragon's head popped out. "Hey, Twilight, sorry about-"
At this point, he noticed the stranger behind them, and the words got caught in his throat. Spike stared up at the human with a look of half-terror, half-awe, and full-confusion.
"Hi" Rena said, trying to sound reassuring, even displaying a small smile. It marginally worked.
"Umm" Spike said, who was visibly starting to look nervous "hi".
There was an awkward silence, where pony, dragon, and human looked upon another. Twilight wanted to break it before it got worse when Rena bent down.
"Let me guess, you're scared?"
Spike, who was now starting to look terrified, only nodded.
Rena smiled again, more warmly however "It's okay. I'm a nice person. Don't be afraid".
That had less success than the previous attempt. Spike only nodded and looked at Twilight in confusion.
"Rena, meet Spike" she said, "my personal assistant and close friend. He helps me with all my library work, such as sending messages to the princess and organizing the books". She hoped that would break the ice. But if that was the case, it only seemed to chip at it a little. Spike stared up at Rena with wide, intrigued – and scared – eyes, while Rena looked back with interest.
"What is he?" Rena asked politely. "He doesn't look like a pony."
"That's because he isn't" Twilight explained. "He's a baby dragon."
Now, Rena turned to look at her in awe. "A baby dragon?" She returned to Spike "That's fascinating!"
If Twilight had hoped the compliment would have allowed Spike to warm up a bit, she would have been disappointed. Spike's facial expression did not change.
"Anyhoo" Twilight said, in an offhanded way "wanna step inside? Don't want to be standing all day long outside, do we?"
Everyone murmured their consent and stepped in, Rena having to bend down almost on fours to enter the library. As Twilight entered, Spike opened his mouth, but she put a hoof on his shoulder and said calmly "She isn't dangerous. I'll explain everything later." Spike thought for a moment, and then nodded.
By the time she got back to her guest, Rena was on her knees (the better for her not to hit her head on the ceiling) and was surveying the view with plenty of interest.
"You ponies never cease to amaze me" Rena said, taking in the sight of all the bookcases filled to the brim with books. "You've read all of this?
"Yeah" Rainbow said, with a sly smirk. "Makes her a grade A egghead, dontcha think?" She aimed that tease at Twilight, who merely scowled.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Rainbow" Rena said, to the surprise of both ponies. "If reading books makes me an egghead, then call me an 'egghead and proud'. Speaking of which, can I read one of them, Twilight?"
"Sure, go right ahead" Twilight said, returning the smirk sent at her only moments ago back at Rainbow Dash, who gave her a wry look. Rena crawled to one bookcase and began to look through the many books, while Spike shuffled nervously. Twilight had to remember to talk to him about Rena soon enough.
"My goodness, you have so much…" she said, going through the covers with her fingers skipping over them sideways "This is amazing. So many books, all of them interesting. If only I could read through them all in a day…"
"It is?" Twilight had rarely heard comments about her library collection, so having it come from a stranger was definitely new indeed. "Wow, um…" she tried to think of a response, but Rena had gone back to looking at the titles again, this time reading them out loud.
" The Founding of Ponyville, The Filly: There and Back Again, Everfree: Tales of the Forest, The Elements of Harmony". She paused at the last one, and turned to Twilight. "Elements of Harmony?"
"Yep" Twilight said, carefully picking her words "They are six relics that date back more than a thousand years, each of which represent a certain aspect of friendship. Loyalty, Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, and Magic" she listed them off as Rena listened closely. "Originally, they were wielded by the princesses in order to maintain order in a chaotic world. Now, they continue to serve that purpose, but instead of being wielded by the princesses, they are utilized by the ponies that embody the Elements themselves."
Rena's eyebrows nearly disappeared into her fiery red hair "Woah, all that? Where did they come from?"
Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but the answer never came. She's right. Where DID they come from? "That's actually a good question, one that I have no answer to. I'll probably know some day, but for now it's a mystery even to me".
"Oh…" Rena appeared crestfallen. "You said there were ponies that embody the Elements. Where are they? Are they with the Elements?"
"Actually, no" Twilight explained. "The ponies may exemplify the traits of the Elements, and the Elements can only be used properly when utilized by their respective ponies, but they aren't always together. Only in times of danger are they used."
"Oh, and also" Rainbow zoomed in above her head "the ponies that she's referring to? We're them" she said, puffing out her chest in pride for added effect.
It took a second for Rena to register this new fact. She was still reading through the book when it hit her. She turned her head to face them, her face blank.
"You ponies represent the Elements?" she asked, apparently not processing the information due to surprise. They all nodded.
For a second, Rena's face remained the same. Then, she looked at Twilight, impressed. "Must be a strain, huh?" Twilight nodded again, and Rena asked "Where are the Elements usually, if they're not with you?"
"The Elements are usually stored safely with the Princesses at Canterlot" Fluttershy explained. Rena nodded, but then frowned and looked back at her "Wait, so, let me understand this fully" she said, shaking her head. "They're a weapon of some kind that work in conjunction with you, or a magical tool that only you can use, or what?"
"Oh, no" Fluttershy said, sounding appalled. "They aren't a weapon at all. They're magical artifacts that represent parts of harmony. We use them to keep the balance in our world, they're not lethal at all" she added, waving her hooves for emphasis.
"Exactly" Twilight elaborated. "The Elements each represent a subjective aspect of harmony. For example, Rainbow here represents loyalty" she pointed to her pegasus friend, who only noticed at the last second that she was being referred to, and puffed up her chest again, although by the time she did that Twilight had already moved on "Fluttershy is the personification of the element of kindness." At that, Fluttershy looked away, to avoid all the looks from everyone, especially Rena. "Applejack exemplifies honesty", to which Applejack immediately snapped to attention and straightened herself, all the better for Rena to see. "Rarity and Pinkie Pie represent generosity and laughter, respectively, and I represent magic, the Element that binds them all together" she pointed at herself, feeling a bit of pride stationed in that part of the chest where her heart was.
Rena made a face of understanding, looked back at the book, then returned her gaze to them with amusement replacing understanding "Wow, so the first ponies I encounter on this world are the ponies that keep the harmony around here. That's the most interesting first meet I've ever had."
They had to laugh at that. Even Rainbow tried – and failed – to stifle a chortle. Spike gave Twilight a confused look, but Twilight waved it off. Eventually, Rena spoke again.
"To be honest, though, I'm not all that surprised. From what I've seen, this world is very peaceful, and so are its inhabitants. I shouldn't have assumed that the Elements were a weapon of sorts, it just doesn't fit with you".
Twilight shook his head "Oh, don't say that. It's very easy to get confused, especially when dealing with such artifacts like these. All you need to do is ask if you don't understand something, rather than staying in the dark about it".
Rena nodded "True, very true..."she trailed off as she scanned the bookshelves again, and her eye rested on another one. "The Filly: There and Back Again? What's this one about?"
Twilight was already hyped up about the fact that this stranger adored books, and she didn't think about what was really happening before her geek mode went into overdrive, and she jumped right towards the books "Oh, this is a classic! It's a novel about an evil demonness who takes control of a mystical castle, and so the ponies of the land, aided by strange adventurers from the outside and a disgraced unicorn who wants to redeem herself for past wrongings, travel to the castle to take it back from her and liberate the castle. I especially consider it a-"
"Twilight!" Applejack said sharply, cutting her off. Before Twilight could respond in indignation, Applejack continued "Shouldn't we be goin' somewhere now? Ye can always show 'er the books later. We got us a tour to finish".
Twilight suddenly remembered, and looked at the clock on the wall. Thankfully, they weren't late, but had Twilight kept going, they probably would be. "Goodness, you're right. We really need to get going, Rarity has something for you" she said to Rena.
"Something?" Rena asked, intrigued. "Like what?"
"Oh, you'll see" she said, teasingly. "It's a surprise."
"Wonderful" Rena responded with the same tone "I love surprises".
"Then what are we waiting for?" Rainbow exclaimed. "Let's roll!"
Agreeing in unison, they then set off towards the Carousel Boutique, thankfully on schedule. Even so, it didn't take long before they arrived, as trips by walking seemed to take less time if you were busy conversing with your friends about a particular topic or two. Spike tagged along for the sake of seeing Rarity again, although he would still glance back at Rena from time to time in wonderment, occasionally giving Twilight the same look. I'll explain later, she mouthed at him, so he kept his questions to himself.
Apparently, Twilight wasn't the only pony overly enthusiastic with their new guest and their similar tastes. No sooner had Rena poked her head through the door than the need of Rarity to show off her new surprise went into overdrive and she grabbed Rena by the hand and flew right into the design room before Rena could even say "Dress? What dress?" As much as Twilight wanted to berate Rarity for her excessive excitement, she couldn't fully blame her. Twilight herself had to fight her own impulses to drag Rena through her entire book collection, but she wasn't the only pony in Ponyville.
Together, they walked into the living room, with Opal sitting on the couch snoozing. Twilight decided not to approach the cat or move it in any way: they all knew how cranky Opal could get. Together, the four ponies sat around the living room, listening to the unintelligible speech coming from the next room.
"Okay, so" Spike started, "I get the feeling I'm a bit behind on some stuff. Who – or better yet, what – is she exactly?"
Twilight took a breath. This was going to be hard to explain fully.
"Remember the meteorite, Spike? The one that flew over Ponyville into the Everfree Forest?"
Spike nodded, then stopped.
"Wait, so…"
"Yep."
"You can't mean – "
"I do."
"She's a…"
"She is."
"… a malformed pony?"
"Yes, she – wait, what?"
At this point, Spike already began to freak out. He gasped and leapt up "What if it's contagious? I don't want anyone getting hurt! I don't want ME getting hurt! What if she decides to hurt us at night, or – ".
That was as far as Twilight would allow. She already had to deal with Rainbow Dash's misgivings, and the last thing she needed was more doubts coming from yet another friend who didn't fully grasp the situation. She shoved her hoof into Spike's mouth to shut him up, and it did the trick. Spike stopped flailing and jabbering, and suddenly became silent.
"Calm down, Spike" she said, calmly but firmly. "I know she seems very strange, but she's a very nice pony – er, I mean person" she corrected "and she's an alien from outer space. Specifically, a human".
Spike's eyes grew large as saucers, but Twilight eyed him inflexibly. "Don't go crazy. You'll get to know her soon, and then if you want you can lose it. Just not now".
Spike nodded through Twilight's hoof, and it was then that she felt safe enough to pull it out.
"Well?" Twilight said aloud, after a few moments "What do you think of her so far?" She looked around, waiting for their responses.
"She seems kind of nice" Fluttershy said meekly, "even though from what she's said she's had a hard life. I wonder what happened to her family or friends".
"I guess that's somethin' ta ask her later on" Applejack put forth, "Right now, it's too soon. Not the best time to bring up that stuff again".
"True", Twilight agreed "she also fits in well with us" she added, looking at them all. But then she corrected "Almost all of us".
Instinctively, they all looked at Rainbow Dash, who shook her head "What? What's wrong with being concerned?"
"Nothing" Twilight answered "except being concerned is one thing, and being completely distrustful is another. She hasn't done any harm as far as we can tell".
"How do you know?" Rainbow answered, irritant. "She said she came from a place that was full of the opposite of what we live in. Suppose for a second that she was involved in whatever went on. That means she could probably hurt us without us knowing it!"
Twilight was about to retort when she stopped herself. Now, Rainbow's concern made more sense. Rena lived in and came from a different and opposite world; she was different from them in every aspect. Sure, Rena could appear nice and kind, but Twilight had dealt with others well enough to know that sometimes people hid what they really felt. But then Twilight remembered that they thought almost the same thing about Zecora, and that hadn't ended badly. Before Twilight could bring it up, though, Applejack already did.
"We had this whole same issue when Zecora came by, and ya know how it ended," Applejack responded, with the air of speech that implied she was finally reaching her limit involving the topic and was determined to end it there and now. "Right now, we don't know nothin' about Rena, but if we keep tryna shoo her away, it's not like we're gunna learn anythin' ta justify yer scaredyness, now, are we?"
Rainbow blushed furiously, "Oh, now trying to be careful is being scared? What kinda hay is that?"
"Girls" Twilight said, sharply, before matters escalated "Let's not alert our friends next door to our concerns. You're both right: we don't know much about Rena, but all we can do now is wait and learn. Maybe once we understand enough about her, we'll be able to act properly."
"But…" Fluttershy looked around, worried "…is it possible we could tell her to leave us? After all, we did tell her she was welcome to stay with us. How can we turn her away?"
"Don't worry about it" Twilight said reassuringly "as soon as the day is done, I'll send a letter to Princess Celestia about everything, and hopefully she'll be able to help us. It sounds like they're done".
Twilight was correct about the last part. There was a shuffling noise outside the door, the sound of another door slamming, then the doorknob clinked and turned, and the door opened inwards. At that moment, the argument was forgotten temporarily as Rena and Rarity strode into the room.
"What do you think?" Rarity asked them gleefully, her hair jumbled up from what seemed to be a hard hour's work.
Rena's previous clothings were discarded in favor of a new dress that covered Rena from the neckbone to her feet, and was colored a scarlet red that matched her hair color and her pendant around her neck. There was a subtle diamond sewing pattern that covered it all, but it still glittered and shone when the light struck it at different angles. The dress was simple but magnificent, with tiny sapphires sparkling at the cuffs and edges at the bottom of the dress that reflected her eyes. She took a few steps, then spun around, admiring it from all angles.
"Rarity, this is…" she uttered, fumbling to find the words, "this is just…wow" she finally settled, unable to find the best word to express her pleasant surprise. They were all as awestruck as she was.
"Amazing!" Rainbow put in, momentarily forgetting her ire.
"It looks beautiful" Fluttershy commented.
"Awesome!" Spike said.
"Looks darn incredible!" Applejack added.
"'Wow' is the right word for it" Twilight said, looking at Rarity who looked like she was going to drop dead any second now "You really outdid yourself this time, Rarity".
Despite her situation, Rarity shook her hoof and blushed nonetheless "Nonsense, darlings" she said "All in a day's work".
"If this is a day's work, I can only imagine what you can do if you're given more time" Rena commented "How did you know exactly what measurements you needed to make the dress fit?"
"Well, a fashion expert must know such things at a glance, otherwise they wouldn't be experts" she quipped, and Rena chortled.
"Well, I'll give you that" she said, "This is simply astounding. I think I'll wear it the whole day".
Rarity's blush deepened to the point that she was in danger of being mistaken for an overgrown cherry, but Twilight cut in "Perfect idea, but I hope it won't get messy in our last part of the tour".
Rena looked at her curiously "Why messy?"
"Well, our last stop of the evening will be at the Sugarcube Corner, where we got all kinds of sweets and pastries" Twilight explained, "I'm sure you're getting a bit hungry again now".
"I am" Rainbow said, raising her hoof in the air, even though the question wasn't directed at her.
"Me too" Applejack added, apparently not noticing that as well.
"I still have the taste of apples in my mouth" Rena said, "but by the time we get there, I'll definitely be hungry again. I wonder what assortments of desserts you have".
"Hoo, boy" Applejack said enthusiastically "Yer gonna love 'em. Ain't gonna spoil the surprises, but you'll find out when ya arrive".
"No spoiling!" Rena said, with mock desperation, and they all laughed. Twilight looked at the clock and noticed that it was getting time. "All right, everypony – and everyhuman," she added, with a sideward glance at Rena who smiled in return, "Let's go".
They all nodded their agreement, but before they set out, Rarity begged to have a few minutes to fix her hair and face, which were messed up due to the hectic procedure of making Rena's dress, and a few minutes turned into twenty before Rarity bolted down the stairs. "Quickly, now!" she exclaimed, galloping out the door "We're late already as we are!"
Together, they trotted/jogged their way towards Sugarcube Corner, but when they arrived Rena appeared crestfallen.
"They closed?" she asked.
Twilight didn't get it either. The windows were black and empty, and nothing stirred nearby, but it nearly wasn't time for closing. But then it hit Twilight.
"They didn't close yet" she said, wondering if she was right, "Let's go in anyway, there's bound to be someone inside".
The others nodded their consent and walked with her. She put her hoof on the door, and pushed. The clanging of the bell shivered their spines in the backdrop of silence and darkness inside.
"Come on in" Twilight said, and they all went in. She followed the last one in (Fluttershy) and then closed the door. As soon as she did so, she did a mental countdown.
Three.
Two.
One.
Right on cue, the lights flickered on, there was a shower of confetti, and a loud horn blasted in the room, making everyone (except Twilight) jump, most of all Rena.
"SURPRISE!"
The room was packed with ponies, and before any of the newcomers could make sense of what was going on, a pink blob appeared in front of them and began to jabber excitedly.
"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOHMYGOSH FINALLYYY YOU MADE IT!" Pinkie screamed and jumped with delight as Rena sat sprawled against the door, a look of abject shock on her face. "I WAS TOTALLY AFRAID YOU WOULDN'T BE COMING BECAUSE I SPENT AN ENTIRE DAY AND AN ENTIRE NIGHT GETTING THIS WHOLE "ALIEN WELCOMING PARTY" TOGETHER BUT I THOUGHT IF YOU DIDN'T SHOW UP THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY PARTY AND THAT WOULD BE HORRIBLE AND – " she stopped for a quarter of a second to suck in some air for her empty lungs, only to resume her chatter immediately afterwards " – I THOUGHT YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THE BEST FIRST DAY IN EQUESTRIA EVER IF YOU DIDN'T COME TO THE PARTY AND – "
At this point, Twilight couldn't stand it anymore. She used her magic to levitate a caramel apple from the nearby stand and fired it at Pinkie's mouth at full speed. It lodged itself in her mouth, and while she kept blabbing even while the apple was stuck obstructing her voice, the room had quieted considerably in order for Twilight to proceed.
"Rena, this is Pinkie Pie" Twilight introduced to a flabbergasted Rena, who only sat there against the door staring at the pink pony in wonderment. "She's quite excitable, and really REALLY good at making parties and other ponies laugh".
Pinkie opened her mouth extra, took the caramel apple in, and swallowed it whole "HI" she said brightly to Rena, who, mouth still hanging open, raised her own hand.
"Hello" she said, sounding almost like Fluttershy. Pinkie didn't notice, though. She zoomed up right to Rena's face and started shooting her mouth off again, much to the discomfort of Rena and the irritation of the other five ponies (she didn't notice that, either).
"You're funny for an alien!" she commented nonchalantly "You're very tall and fleshy and have weird hooves" (she grabbed one of Rena's hands for emphasis) "and your mane is all over the place JUST LIKE MINE" her voice rose up at the last half of her speech, making Rena flinch again. Once again, this flew right over Pinkie's head as she turned to everyone "WHATDYA ALL SAY? SHALL WE GET THIS PARTY STARTED?!" she howled jubilantly, and all the other ponies in the room (except for the rest of the Mane 6, who were at a loss of what to do) cheered their loudest.
"Party?" sputtered Rena, "What do you –".
As any Ponyville veteran was like to tell you, not having the knowledge of parties in the presence of Pinkie Pie was like to warrant you quite the reaction from her. Pinkie spun to her and gasped her loudest gasp.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Pinkie said shrilly. "Have you never ever been in a super duper funtastic party before?"
"Is funtastic even a word?" Rainbow whispered to Twilight, to which she responded with a shake of her head. Rena also shook her head, but to a different question.
Pinkie gasped again. "I do not BELIEVE this! Everypony!" she wheeled to the occupants of the room and opened her mouth, but then she (oddly) calmly turned and asked Rena "By the way, what was your name again?"
"Umm..Rena." Rena answered. "Rena Loor."
"Oh. Okay" Pinkie turned to the other ponies again. "OUR GUEST RENA HAS NEVER EVER GONE TO A SUPER DUPER FUNTASTIC PARTY" she shouted out, causing the newcomers to jump again. "It's now up to us to give her that super duper fantastic party! WHO'S WITH ME?"
Everypony cheered, and Pinkie grabbed an alarmed Rena and dragged her to the table in the middle of the room before Twilight could figure out what was going on. All the while, Pinkie was raptly speaking to her poor guest.
"I am SO excited to find a new visitor in Ponyville, and even more excited that you're an alien and you're friends with my friends, because any friend of my friends is a friend of me as well! It's gonna be super awesome, we're gonna party and run around and pull pranks and have fun, it's gonna be SO MUCH FUN! Here, try some of this!" she grabbed a chunk of cake and pushed it into Rena's mouth, which was hanging half open from bewilderment.
"Pinkie!" Twilight yelled. "What are you doing?!"
"Giving her some cake, silly!" Pinkie replied. "What else would I be doing?"
Before Twilight could answer, Rena stood up straight, and chewed the mouthful of sweets inside her mouth. She then swallowed, and her face split into a grin. "This is delicious! What is it?"
"Strawberry vanilla cake!" Pinkie said, her happiness pushed on by Rena's compliance. "Want more?"
"Oh, do I ever!" Rena said, her bliss reflecting that of Pinkie's. "Lets' dig in!"
At this, everypony loudly agreed and cheered, and dove into the pastries and dishes that surrounded them. Twilight wiped her forehead with her hoof, and turned to the others. "So, ready to eat?"
"Of course! Let's chow down!" Rainbow said enthusiastically. "Race ya to the pastry section!" she said down to Applejack as she zoomed off.
"Hey, no fair, head start!" Applejack called out angrily but playfully, and she followed suit.
Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy trotted over to Pinkie and Rena, who were devouring the pie section with the other attendees "Goodness, Pinkie, how did you ever convince the Cakes to make so much food?" Rarity asked, "Isn't this a lot?"
"A lot?" Pinkie waved her hoof at them. "Don't be silly! You can never have too much cake! HEY, VINYL!" she called out to the DJ pony at the other end of the room. "PARTY ON, LET'S GET THE MUSIC UP!"
"I gotcha, Pinkie!" Vinyl said, and sent her hoof smashing at the DJ set in front of her. With the music up and the food everywhere, Pinkie declared "PARTY ON", much to the approval of everypony there.
"I'd agree to disagree on that one" Rarity commented, referring to Pinkie's cake comment.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous" Rena said as she helped herself to pecan pie. "You definitely should not deny food, especially when it tastes this good!"
"Now THAT'S somepony I can agree with!" Pinkie said overenthusiastically, and wheeled Rena into a hug around her neck that, had there been pie going down at the moment, would surely have choked her. Thankfully, Twilight was too quick for that, and her magic froze Pinkie at the last second and set her on the ground, where she glanced at Twilight reproachfully for ruining her hug. Twilight ignored her.
"Well, Rena?" Twilight asked, levitating a caramel apple to her mouth. "What do you think? Do you like Ponyville?"
"Like it?" Rena looked at her as if she was mad. "I LOVE it!" she exclaimed. "It's amazing! You're all so kind and wonderful and generous. I was so afraid that you'd all be so scared of me because I was so different, but I never expected you all to be so gracious to me! I think I should stay here!".
The last sentence caught Twilight offguard. "Stay? I mean, forever?"
"Yes!" Rena answered happily.
Pinkie cheered the loudest. "YIPPEE!"
"Wonderful!" Fluttershy said cheerfully.
"All right!" Applejack called out buoyantly.
"Excellent!" Twilight said merrily.
At this point, a blue pegasus hovered up to Rena. "Hey, Rena" Rainbow said, scratching the back of her head. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for yelling at you and mistrusting you. I guess I acted like a heel back then, but I just want to make amends." She held out her hoof. "We all right?"
Rena looked at the hoof, then reached out and held it. "We are." She then pulled the pegasus into a surprise hug that made Rainbow blush a deep color. "Don't worry about it."
Spike also jogged forward. "Hey, I just wanted to apologize for just staring at you and stuff when we first met. I hope I didn't put you off".
"Oh, not at all." Rena reached down and patted Spike on the head lightly "You're quite cute for a baby dragon, actually" she added teasingly.
They all laughed heartily, Applejack the loudest. When they broke off, Rainbow smiled a bit sheepishly too.
"What are we gonna do tomorrow?" Rena asked inquisitively, while the party continued all around them. "You told me there was more to Equestria than just Ponyville, and now I'm really interested to discover more."
"Hmm..." Twilight thought. "We could go over to Appaloosa and visit the apple orchards there. We could head to Cloudsdale, and show you how we make our weather. We could even go to Canterlot or the Crystal Empire, and I'd get to introduce you to the princesses and – ".
She stopped with realization.
The princesses! I forgot!
Rena noticed. "Is everything okay?"
Twilight shook out of her trance. "Yeah, I just forgot I had to tell the princesses about you coming and all." When she saw Rena's concerned look, she quickly added "Don't worry, though! I'm sure they'll like you!"
"But, right now?" Rena asked, looking out the window. "It's getting late, don't you think?"
"Princess Luna is usually still awake, and in all cases, they'll read it in the morning if they don't now. I just have to send it before I forget." She turned to the others. "I'll be right back".
"Don't worry 'bout a thing, Twi" Applejack winked. "We're havin' fun here".
Reassured, Twilight sneaked out the back door and galloped back to her library. It was nighttime, and most of the ponies were either sleeping or at the party at Pinkie's place, so she ran into no one until she arrived home. She barged through the door and ran up to her study. She hastily assembled her pencil and paper, and sat on the desk, thinking.
What should I say? She didn't want to scare them, but her enthusiasm for Rena's presence was almost palpable. She had to pick the perfect words for the princesses to understand the need both to see the new visitor to their land, and not to be concerned about the potential for any danger surrounding her. After a few minutes, it came to her, and she began to write.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I hope all is well with you at Canterlot, and that Cadence and Shining Armor are doing fine. I wanted to inform you on some news that have occurred here in Ponyville.
I'm sure you remember the giant meteorite that struck the Everfree Forest yesterday. My friends and I went to investigate, and we found what we believe to be an alien from outer space. Although she was quite scared of us, and us of her, we quickly warmed up to each other and are on the fast tracks of being very good friends. She's very kind, gentle, and intelligent, and also very curious as to this world of Equestria.
Considering what I have said, I would like to ask if we could pay a visit to Canterlot sometime soon, if you are not too busy. I'm sure you have many questions and interests regarding our visitor, and, rest assured, she harbors the same feelings as well.
Hope you respond soon. Lots of love.
Twilight Sparkle
She was only barely about to put the pencil on the paper to draw out the period when the door crashed open and a pink blur appeared.
"What in – ouf!"
Pinkie's face was glued to her own as she grabbed Twilight's head.
"Why'd you leave the party? We haven't even finished yet! You left everyone back there!"
"But Pinkie, wait! My letter – "
"Letter schmetter! You can write it later! Letter later, party now!"
And with that, she dragged Twilight out of the room, leaving the letter unfinished on her desk.