Castle Sweet Castle
Pony's Log Number 503: The dream of owning a castle is SO overrated. Just because you get one doesn't automatically make it your home...
One day, Twilight and Mario were at Fluttershy's cottage helping the yellow Pegasus and her new husband Shenran with bath day at the cottage. Various animals had come to get themselves a five-star cleaning and scrubbing by the newlywed couple. Long story short, the animals had taken to Shenran immediately and they loved and admired him just as much as Fluttershy. Many of the smaller critters looked to him as a father just like they saw Fluttershy as a mother. Shenran certainly was enjoying himself, despite being coated in mud and grime from all the cleaning.
"I'm scrubbing all the animals, all the live long day," Shenran sang as he helped give some brown rabbits a bath, "I'm scrubbing all the animals, just to past the time away!" Fluttershy giggled as she walked by. She was also covered in mud and grime.
"You're so cute, dear," said Fluttershy as she kissed his muddy cheek, "You've got a lovely singing voice."
"Maybe, but you're the true singer of this family, honey," said Shenran to his wife, "but I'm glad my singing makes you happy." Fluttershy giggled again.
"I love being married," said Fluttershy happily as the couple shared a loving nuzzle. Mario chuckled as he and Twilight were busy helping to scrub some other critters. They too were rather dirty and grimy as well from working so hard.
"Marriage is a wonderful thing," said Mario as he finished giving some chickens their bath and even gave them hoof-made bathrobes to wear when they finished, "Right dear?" Twilight just said nothing and continued to do her share of animal cleanings as some other critters waited by her to take their turn. Mario sighed.
"Honey!" Mario called out again.
"Yeah?" Twilight asked as she continued with her work.
"I love being married to you!" Mario told her with a smile.
"Same here," said Twilight said plainly and continued to work. Mario looked hurt. He was hoping for a smile or a small giggle at the very least from his wife.
"Am I getting dull?" Mario asked the critters gathered around him. They all chattered in their own dialect and then pointed something out to him.
"Oh, right," said Mario in realization, "She's in the zone right now. No wonder her answers are so blunt. Okay, let's get you all clean up and then I'll praise my love to Twilight later." The animals all chattered in agreement as Mario got back to work. At that moment, Fluttershy had just filled up another tub with water and bubbles and began scrubbing a goat. Then Shenran started cleaning some pigs so they were squeaky clean. Mario scrubbed Harry's back while Twilight brushed his teeth, which the bear smiled to show his now pearly whites.
"Lookin' good Harry," said Mario as he and the bear shared a high-five/hoof. Then Twilight and Fluttershy worked together to finished cleaning a pig while Shenran and Mario worked together to clean some humming birds, who sang happily. Soon their long job had been complete and all four ponies were looking very dirty and grimy, even their manes and tails were very messy and in need of a good brushing.
"Phew!" said Fluttershy as she wiped her brow. Shenran then grabbed a rag to wipe her brow himself and then kissed her forehead, "Thanks for helping us get them so fresh and clean, Twilight and Mario."
"Yeah, bath day tends to be alot of work, even with two Pegasi doing it," said Shenran, "but my wife and I are very appreciative of your help."
"No problem, happy to do it!" said Twilight.
"Nothing making us happier than when we can help out and spend time with our friends," Mario added as Twilight smiled and nodded in agreement.
"You both probably can't wait to get back to your castle and take your own baths, huh?" Fluttershy remarked, making the royal couple freeze for a moment.
"Shall I prepare you a bubble bath, my princess?" Shenran asked in a chivalrous manner, making Fluttershy smile excitedly.
"Aren't there more animals that need cleaning?" Twilight asked hopefully.
"Are you absolutely sure we got them all?" Mario asked with a hopeful smile of his own.
"I think you two, myself, and my husband are the only ones left," said Fluttershy as she stroked her mane, "and I can't wait to get the mud out of my mane."
"Can I brush your mane after you get it washed, dear?" Shenran asked.
"Of course, honey," said Fluttershy, "It's good to know Mario isn't the only pony who can make a mane shiny and soft." Twilight and Mario just exchanged worried looks. Then Twilight noticed Angel standing behind her hind leg and pushed him into some mud.
"Oh no! Angel got dirty!" said Twilight in an over the top tone.
"My, my! Guess our job isn't finished after all!" said Mario in the same tone.
"We'd better stay longer to help give him a bath too!" said Twilight, "Come on, honey!"
"Yes, dear," said Mario as Twilight put Angel into a bath and they worked together to scrub Angel clean. Angel looked rather indignant. Shenran and Fluttershy exchanged concerned looks with each other.
Shenran had seen Twilight kick Angel into the mud but chose not to say anything...for now.
(Main Theme)
It was already sunset as Twilight and Mario were still trying to clean Angel. The newlyweds had already taken their baths and they were now downstairs with the royal couple.
"Thank you both ever so much for staying to give Angel a bath, too," said Fluttershy as Shenran was busy brushing his wife's mane, "but, um...I think he's dry." Twilight was still using the towel to dry Angel off.
"You never know," said Mario, "one little damp spot could risk Angel catching a cold after all."
"That's only if he's really damp, buddy," Shenran pointed out as he set his wife's hairbrush down, "My wife taught me that."
"I knew that, I knew that," said Mario as a matter of fact as Twilight lifted the towel and Angel just had his grumpy face on. Then his fur poofed out.
"There, extra clean, extra dry, and extra fluffy," said Mario.
"He's so fluffy!" Twilight called out. Mario stared, but then they both laughed. Fluttershy and Shenran just shared funny looks with each other. They didn't think the joke was that funny.
"Goodness! It's gotten late!" said Fluttershy, "You two really didn't have to stay all day. Not that we don't appreciate it. Isn't that right?" Fluttershy then looked at Angel and her husband.
"O-o-of course not, honey," said Shenran, "They're always...welcome to our humble abode. Right, Angel?" Angel just grunted irritably as he glared at the both of them. Fluttershy and Shenran then noticed that Twilight had grabbed a feather duster and was now cleaning the living room.
"Just whistle while you work," Mario sang as he fluffed up the pillow and cushions and whistled the rest of the song. Twilight soon joined him on the whistling.
"I for one am exhausted," said Fluttershy as she gave an overly-dramatic yawn. Then nudged her husband firmly.
"Yeah, I'm feeling very tired too," said Shenran and yawned as well.
"Plus, we really need rest up for that big pancake breakfast tomorrow," Fluttershy added as she noticed the two alicorns were still working and continued, "And I'm sure you have to get the castle ready."
"No!" Twilight interjected, "The castle's...fine! Right dear?"
"Y-y-yeah," Mario stuttered, "The castle is simply divine after all! Nothing else needs to be done...at the castle."
"I see..." said Shenran skeptically, not believing either of them. Mario gave his wife a nervous look as Twilight quickly looked at her husband and then got an idea.
"But maybe we'd better see if Pinkie Pie needs help with the pancakes!" said Twilight.
"Great idea, honey!" said Mario and then said quickly, "Okay, everything is good here. See ya tomorrow then! Bye!" Twilight and Mario then flew out of the cottage and headed to Sugarcube Corner. Fluttershy, Shenran, and Angel stepped outside and watched the royal couple disappear into the sky. Fluttershy and Shenran looked at each other and then at Angel. The bunny just glared at them both before he went inside and slammed the door behind them.
"Um, Angel?" Fluttershy said as she knocked on the door since Angel had locked them both out of the house.
"Angel? Angel!" said Shenran gently but then said got more annoyed and stern when it seemed the bunny was tuning him out, "Come on, Angel! Open this door! AAAAAANGEEEELLLL!" Shenran started pounding the door with his fore-hooves as Fluttershy just sighed and rolled her eyes.
"I love being married," Fluttershy remarked to herself.
The next morning, the Mane Eight were at Twilight and Mario's castle enjoying themselves as they ate some tall delicious stacks of pancakes with lots of toppings like fresh berries and chocolate chips, and whipped cream. Everypony didn't resist eating rather noisily, thought Rarity was the only pony using a fork with her magic. Pinkie literally faceplanted her own stack of pancakes.
"Mm, these are delicious, Pinkie Pie!" said Applejack after she swallowed a bite. Pinkie lifted her face, showing her face was completely covered in whipped cream and chocolate chips. She then used her tongue to slurp up the whipped cream and chocolate chips off her face.
"Thanks!" said Pinkie, "Mario and Twilight spent all night helping me pick the flavor! I kept thinking we found the right one, but they insisted I make even more to try. And more. And more and more and more and more!" Pinkie quickly stacked up pancakes until she had a very tall stack on her plate, "It was like they never wanted to-"
"Leave?" Fluttershy and Shenran said together wearily.
"Exactly!" said Pinkie as she took a large bite on the side of her tower of pancakes, "Eventually we ran out of time so we just went with every-berry-any-chip-surprise!" Pinkie then zipped over to Rarity.
"The surprise is I lost a measuring spoon in the batter," Pinkie told Rarity in a hushed tone, "Somepony's gonna get a very special pancake!" Pinkie trotted away as Rarity used her magic to skeptically check her own stack of pancakes for anything unusual.
"Up all night, huh?" said Rainbow, "is that why they're so, uh...out of it?" Rainbow pointed to the royal couple. Each of them were sitting next to each other before their own stack of pancakes, but neither alicorn was eating any of them. Both were snoring loudly, their manes, tails, and coats were very messy and covered in dirt, grime, leaves, and twigs. Twilight then lifted her head back as she kept snoring. Mario then leaned into her shoulder, snoring as well.
"Um, Shenran and I, don't mean to sound unappreciative," said Fluttershy, "but has anypony else noticed that Twilight and Mario have been a little too helpful lately?"
"Now that you mention it," said Applejack, "They seemed really reluctant to leave the farm after we came back from that business trip to Coltifornia. Then just the other day, Twilight was lendin' a hoof at Sweet Apple Acres the other day and stuck around 'til near midnight. Dug up fifty tree-plantin' holes when all I needed was ten." A flashback was seen of the farming grounds filled with holes and Twilight was inside one of the holes digging with her magic. Applejack was standing just outside the area when Twilight peeked out and smiled. Applejack just smiled back sheepishly.
"And what about Mario?" Shenran asked curiously.
"He spent all day shuntin' the freight cars on the farm," said Applejack, "he kept tryin' to rearrange them all at least a dozen times before he ended up just putting 'em back the way he had arranged them the first time around." A flashback was seen of Mario pushing and pulling the same freight cars several times over. Applejack just watched with a worried look on her face until Mario smiled and waved at her. Applejack just waved back with a nervous smile on her face.
"They spent an entire afternoon rearranging a single gem drawer at the boutique," said Rarity, "an entire afternoon!" A flash back was seen of Twilight and Mario, using their own magnifying glass, to examine and arrange a set of gems that "supposedly" looked exactly the same."
"You think that's weird," said Rainbow, "She and Mario raced me, like, a hundred times the other day. And Twilight lost every time!"
"And Mario?" Shenran asked with a smirk.
"I beat him!" Rainbow snapped, "At least once...but anyway, the point is that they both kept goin'! Best out of ten, best out of twenty, best out of a hundred!" A flashback was seen of Rainbow, Twilight, and Mario racing each other. The first race had Mario finishing first, then Rainbow was second, and Twilight was third. A later race showed the same results. Then a later race the same, but a key fact was that Twilight was getting more and more worn out until eventually only Rainbow and Mario were racing against each other. Twilight then collapsed onto a cloud. Then several hours later, Mario was wearing out as well and Rainbow finally able to beat him in a race.
"I mean, I know hanging out with me is awesome," said Rainbow, "but, at least for Twilight, she'd rather keep losing than-"
"Leave?" Fluttershy and Shenran guessed.
"Yeah," Rainbow replied, "Who does that?" The three pegasi looked to see Twilight and Mario, who were still snoring. Then Twilight faceplanted her stack of pancakes and hugged them like a pillow. Mario was now using Twilight's messy mane for his own pillow and snuggled contently into it.
"Someponies who are avoidin' somethin', that's who," said Applejack as Pinkie flipped her plate of pancakes into the air and gobbled them all down at once, "Soon as they wake up, we're gonna find out what." Pinkie then hacked as she spit out...a measuring spoon?! The object went flying at Fluttershy, who was just taking another bite of her pancakes. The yellow Pegasus got bopped in the head as the stick end stuck itself into her stack. The others just stared at the spoon, looking stunned.
"I win!" Pinkie shouted excitedly.
"Huh?!" Twilight yelped as sat up with a pancake stuck on her horn.
"Yah!" Mario yelped as he tumbled off Twilight's mane and onto the floor behind her with a thud.
"I'm pancake!" Twilight said quickly before recovering, "I mean, awake..." Twilight then lifted the pancake to smile at her friends. Mario groaned as he sat up and rubbed the back of his head.
"Sorry, dear," said Twilight as she helped her husband back to his seat beside her. Rarity, Pinkie, and Applejack stared at them for a moment.
"Uh, Twilight? Big brother?" Applejack asked, "Is there something you wanna tell us?" Twilight and Mario said nothing. Twilight just kept staring at the pancake on her face.
"You know how much we appreciate all you do for us," said Rarity as she used her magic to removed the pancake of off Twilight's face, only for the three ponies to finch when Pinkie jumped up, snagged the pancake, and disappeared underneath the table, "and we simply adore having you around...but...we worry you might be...ahem...avoid something else?" Twilight and Mario shared worried looks with each other. Mario let out a long sigh.
"I think we need to tell them, Twilight," said Mario quietly.
"Honey, please..." Twilight protested.
"We've kept this secret for as long as we could," Mario interrupted, "I think it's time we told our friends what's going on. They all can tell something is up. And...maybe they can help..."
"Oh, has it been that obvious?" Twilight asked the others. All but Pinkie, who was eating the pancake she got from Twilight's horn, gave her worried and concerned looks.
"You know Mario, you're always saying that we can come to you about anything," Shenran pointed out, "Doesn't that applying to you and your wife as well? You can tell us anything. What's on your mind?" Mario and Twilight just shared worried looks with each other.
"We've been...the thing is..." Twilight stuttered hesitantly as Mario put a fore-leg around his wife's shoulder, "We know it's silly, but we...we've been avoiding...this place." Twilight pointed to the castle itself as Mario nodded in agreement. Rarity gasped dramatically.
"Why in Equestria would you want to avoid such a gorgeous castle?" Rarity asked as Fluttershy and Shenran stood to the right of the royal couple.
"Yeah," said Pinkie as she popped out between Rarity and Twilight, "this place has everything!"
"Big tall ceilings that make you feel tiny," said Pinkie as she jumped high into the air and then appeared in the background to make herself look small.
"Shiny new floors that are cold to the touch! Brrr!" Pinkie said as she rubbed a fore-hoof on the floor, lay down and shivered before zooming away.
"And it even has loooong empty hallways!" Pinkie opened a door and shouted, making the word "hallways" echo through the castle hallways. She then returned back to Twilight and Mario.
"Okay, I get it," said Pinkie as Mario gave her a funny look.
"The castle is amazing, but it just..." Twilight sighed, "it doesn't feel like home!" She then leaned her head on the table sadly.
"It's just so different from the Golden Oak Library," said Mario sadly as he rubbed his wife's back, "You just felt naturally at home there. This castle...it just feels like...a castle..." Rarity chuckled.
"Oh, is that all?" Rarity replied, "Why, you simply need to decorate, darling. Make this place your own."
"Easier said than done, Rares," said Mario wearily.
"He's right," Twilight added as Mario grabbed a pancake and took a small bite, "It's just so daunting! Look how big it is! We-we don't even know where to start!" Twilight was about to faceplant her plate of pancakes when Rarity pulled the pancakes out of the way as Twilight faceplanted the table.
"I actually tried several times, but I got so overwhelmed that I gave up," said Mario, "I guess there is such a thing as having too big of a creative canvass." Mario then pushed his plate of pancakes away with his magic and rested his head on his forelegs while leaning on the table.
"You can start by letting us do it for you," said Rarity. The royal couple just looked at the marshmallow mare with weary looks on their faces as she walked up to them, "We will make this the castle of your dreams while the both of you go to the Ponyville spa for some much needed rest and relaxation." Rarity then held up a mirror for both Twilight and Mario to see how they looked.
"I'm saying this with love," said Rarity gently, "but...have you two looked in the mirror, lately? I've never seen you both look this...mmmm..."
"Tired?" Shenran proposed.
"Frazzled?" Fluttershy said as well.
"Yes!" said Rarity as she set the mirror down, "This is absolutely the words I was going to use."
"You don't need to sugar coat it, Rares," said Mario in a soft and gloomy tone, "We both look like we got trapped in the Everfree forest all night. At least Twilight still looks beautiful. I, on the other hand, am completely hideous."
"Stop it!" said Twilight as she lightly swatted his head with a fore-hoof, making the alicorn Prince flinch, "You're still handsome to me, Mario Star, and don't you forget it."
"Thanks honey," said Mario, giving her a soft smile and Twilight smiled back. The others chuckled to each other.
"Ooh, I guess we do need a little help," said Twilight, "and so does our castle. And we know you'll do a great job, because nopony knows us better than you."
"We'll make this place feel cozier than hot cider on a rainy day," said Applejack.
"That's definitely the kind of cozy my wife and I could use for this place," Mario replied with a smile. Rainbow then gasped.
"There's gonna be cider?!" Rainbow asked hopefully with glittery eyes as she hovered into the air. Applejack and Mario gave her an annoyed look. Rainbow soon realized the orange pony was just using a metaphor.
"Uh, I mean, let's decorate!" said Rainbow once she recomposed herself.
"Oh, no!" said Spike as he entered the dining room rubbing his eyes while holding a blanket and his Rarity's plush toy, "Did I miss the pancakes?!" Spike then dropped his Rarity plushie and headed over to the table.
"I sleep like a baby under that cold, cavernous ceiling," Spike said as he climbed onto the table and started grabbing a couple of pancakes to eat.
"Spike, I'm so glad you're here!" said Rarity just as Spike was about to start eating.
"Really?" Spike asked, rather surprised.
"Yes!" Rarity replied, "You're taking Twilight and Mario to the spa!"
"Great!" said Spike, "I've been meaning to get my claws done!" Spike then looked at his claws before taking a bite of the pancakes he had collected. He then noticed that everypony else was just staring and smiling at him.
"Oh, you mean now!" Spike said with his mouth full before he swallowed, stuffed the pancakes in his claw into his mouth, grabbed and gobbled up two more pancakes and grabbed one pancake in each claw before guiding Twilight and Mario out of the dining room.
"Honey?" Twilight asked as they walked side by side once they were out of the dinning room.
"Yes, dear?" Mario said.
"Do you really think I'm beautiful looking like this?" Twilight asked him.
"Yes I do," said Mario, "Do you really think I'm handsome?"
"No," said Twilight, making Mario whimper and puppy dog pout, making her chuckle, "I was just kidding ya dork! Ha-ha-ha!" Mario snorted.
"You're gonna pay for that," Mario warned.
"You can't do anything to me," Twilight said smugly. Mario looked at her with a devious grin on his face.
"Tickle-tickle," he said sinisterly. Twilight cringed.
"AAAAHH!" Twilight screamed and ran ahead of Spike.
"I'm gonna get you, Twilight Sparkle!" Mario said playfully as he chased after his wife.
"You keep away from me, Mario Star!" Twilight called back.
"Make me!" Mario challenged with chuckle and soon the two alicorns were chasing each other and laughing. Spike just groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Do I really have to chaperone you two?" Spike said, feeling most annoyed as he picked up his pace to catch up to them. Back in the dining room, Applejack had gathered the rest of the Mane eight around her.
"Come on, y'all!" said Applejack, "We've got work to do!" It wasn't long before the five girls and Shenran exited the dining room and stated walking down one of the hallways. They started looking around as Rainbow began to sing.
[Rainbow Dash]
Let's all work together
To make this castle shi-i-ine
[Rarity - she used her magic to polish one of the crystal columns so she could see her reflection. Then the rest of the group could seen on the other crystal faces around the marshmallow mare.]
Once we add some sparkle
It'll feel, it'll feel, it'll feel...
[All - they smiled to each other before they split apart.]
It'll be divine
[Applejack - She grabbed a wagon and loaded with apples before hooking herself up to the harness and pulling the wagon out of the barn.]
Crates of apples an' bales o' hay
Just makes ya feel at home
[Fluttershy - At the cottage Angel ushered some brown bunnies in front of Fluttershy and Shenran. Then some popinjays flew in the fore-ground. Fluttershy then spoke to a goat that had the popinjays on his horns and followed the yellow Pegasus.]
Furry friends and some popinjays
So they won't be alone
[Shenran - He grabbed a pair of decorative shields and some wall swords and set them into his own personal wagon and hooked himself to it. Fluttershy then walked along side of him as they left the cottage.]
Shiny coat of arms and swords to show
That their home is safe and secure
[All - Fluttershy is shown behind a yellow backdrop along with Shenran at her right behind a green backdrop, followed by Applejack on the left with an orange backdrop, and then Rainbow to the right of Shenran with a light blue backdrop, then Pinkie appeared to the left of Applejack with a pink backdrop, and finally Rarity appeared right of Rainbow with a grayish-white backdrop.]
And we'll make, and we'll make, and we'll make
This castle a home
[Pinkie Pie - She slid down the staircase of what led from her living space. She collected some balloons as she made her way down. Then jumped into another pile of balloons. Then walked out of Sugarcube Corner with the balloon tied around her stomach. Then opened her door as confetti popped out.]
There's nothing like balloons and confetti
To greet you every time you walk through the door
[Rainbow Dash - She gathered her Wonderbolt action figure of Spitfire and then grabbed some trophies along with some posters hanging on the walls. She hovered down with a loaded saddle bag and saluted her stone Wonderbolt statue before flying away from her Cloudominium.]
They'll need this and those
Posters of all my heroes
How could anypony awesome ever ask for more?
[All - Rarity was walking down a road with her saddle bag, Applejack then appeared with her wagon, then Pinkie with her balloons, Fluttershy with Angel and her popinjays, Shenran with his wagon, and Rainbow hovered above with her own saddle bag. They all looked at the castle in the background.]
And we'll make, and we'll make, and we'll make
A home they'll adore
[Rarity - She used her magic to open some new curtains, tying them with ribbons to keep them open, and hung up some drapes.]
Bring curtains of flowing silk and lace
[Rainbow Dash - She fixed a crooked picture of herself.]
This picture of me winning a race
[Pinkie Pie - She was by a table with presents and cupcakes with balloons behind her. She picked up all the cupcakes at once and set them down. Then opened the present at the right and got blasted with confetti.]
Party cannons to give her a surprise
[Applejack - She had some haystacks on the floor with some gardening tools, a bucket of apples, and another barrel. She walked by to the left dumping soil all over the floor, which flowers grew and blossomed instantly from it.]
Hoes and rakes and some more garden supplies
[Fluttershy - Harry was seen hugging several small animals in one arm. He then pulled Fluttershy into his other arm and hugged her along with the smaller creatures.]
Getting hugs from this nice, big, friendly bear
[Shenran - He sang softly as set up a large pillow in a corner. Then he sat down on his hind knees and closed his eyes to look like he was meditating.]
Nice large pillow for focus and quiet time
[Rarity - She added some gems stones along an arc.]
Decorate with some gemstones bright and rare
[Rainbow Dash - She zoomed about as she put up some more posters.]
More of this and that
[Pinkie Pie - She bounced about wearing lots of party hats on her head and tail. She was also being followed by a line of animals also wearing party hats.]
Don't forget the party hats
[Rainbow Dash - She then set up her Spitfire action figure on top of a pedestal and then twirled gracefully in the air.]
How could anypony awesome ask for more than that?
[Shenran - He then caught Rainbow as she twirled into him from behind. Rainbow smiled bashfully over being seen twirling, but Shenran gave her a hug to help her feel better.]
It's all they could ask for!
[Applejack - She then rolled a barrel over and jumped off of it. Behind her was a white picket fence and some small coops behind the fence. Some of the contents spilled out as a nearby pig started eating some of the spilt contents inside of the barrel.]
Let's all work together
[Fluttershy - She hovered above Applejack and hung a birdhouse above her.]
To show that we have shown
[Rarity - She walked into the foreground carrying a lilac colored drape with her magic.]
Princess Twilight Sparkle and Prince Mario Star
[All - Rainbow adjusted a trophy she had set up. Rarity put up another set of drapes on a window. Applejack pushed some haystacks about with her head. Pinkie jumped up and hung some party streamers. Applejack then opened up a barrel loaded with apples. Rainbow then dusted a column with her tail. Shenran then adjusted and wiped a suit of armor he had set up. Then Rarity held a plate of cupcakes with her magic as she, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Shenran sang together around it. Then all six ponies gathered around in front of the table in the throne room as the view zoomed out to show off their handiwork.]
How we make, how we make, how we make
This castle a home
How we make, how we make
This castle a home
How we make, how we make
This castle a home!
The six ponies then looked around the room. But it didn't take a genius to see that their efforts had only produced a rather cluttered room of various objects. Then some birds were startled when they flew into some of Pinkie's balloons and continued to chatter about.
"Wow, guys!" said Applejack in an unconvincing tone, "We did a...great job...together..." She then laughed nervously as sweat a little.
"We sure did something..." said Rainbow.
"Something...different..." Shenran added slowly.
"Together," said Pinkie.
"All together," said Rarity at the same time as the pink pony. It was then some bird flew low by Rainbow's head. She ducked to avoid one bird while another bird landed on her head.
"Fluttershy," said Rainbow in an unconvincing tone as some critters gathered around her, "I love that you brought so many animals." Rarity smiled sheepishly in agreement.
"Are these your trophies?" Fluttershy asked as she hovered before the said objects.
"Interesting choice to have Mario and Twilight admire your accomplishments," said Shenran in tone that failed to hide his annoyance as he hovered beside his wife.
"I prefer to think of them as everypony's trophies with my name permanently etched into them," said Rainbow, slightly boasting at the end. Fluttershy looked away to hide the skeptical look on her face.
"How generous of you, Rainbow," Shenran remarked under his breath.
"My-my Applejack," said Rarity with a light laugh as she looked at the haystacks, a single wooden barrel, and quilts on the floor, "bringing the outdoors inside. It's...earthy...What a lovely touch!" She then used her magic to pick up a corner of the quilt, gave it a sniff, and made a face of disgust before quickly recomposing herself.
"Are these quilts vintage?" Rarity asked as politely as she could.
"Nope, just old!" said Applejack and then shielded her eyes when a bright light flashed toward her, "Unlike your sparkly window doohickey which are..." She looked at the white gems encrusted on some curtains that were reflecting the sunlight on them, "why, they're just swell!" Applejack shared another laugh when Pinkie appeared between the orange pony and Rarity.
"No one said anything about my hidden confetti cannons!" said Pinkie with a squee, "Oh, right! They're hidden!" Pinkie giggled to herself.
"You can't be serious!" Shenran exclaimed, "Wasn't Mario knocked out the last time he got accidentally blasted with one of those?"
"Not our fault Mario can't take a blast!" Fluttershy remarked.
"You passed out when it happened to you on our wedding day as I recall," Shenran said as a matter of fact. Fluttershy humped and gave her husband a raspberry. Shenran blew a raspberry right back at her. As much as they tried to act like the perfect cute couple, they still had their differences from time to time.
"Hey guys, how do my claws look" Spike asked as he walked into the room and saw the mess the rest of the Mane eight had created.
"Sweet Celestia!" Spike exclaimed in shock as he pulled the bottom of his eyelids down.
"Oh, Spike!" said Rarity, "Are you, Twilight, and Mario done already?"
"Don't worry," said Spike, "I ordered Twilight the super-deluxe mane blow-out! She'll be while."
"And Mario?" Applejack asked as Spike snickered.
"Twilight tricked him into getting a full hooficure treatment after he lost to her in a one-on-one tickle war!" Spike said with a giggle, "He'll be awhile, especially if he doesn't want to be seen in public with super shiny hooves, but you didn't hear it from me! Getting back to the castle...Man, this place looks terrible!"
"Phew!" said the six ponies together.
"Thank goodness somepony said something!" said Fluttershy with relief.
"Yeah...I was afraid to speak up since Flutters is already upset with me," Shenran said insecurely as he rubbed a fore-hoof against the carpet.
"Oh, I'm over that already, dear," said Fluttershy, "I was just being a little sassy. So don't be afraid to speak up and be honest with me or my friends okay? You're family now." Shenran smiled as the two shared a loving nuzzle together.
"It's pretty bad, right?" Rainbow asked.
"This place looks like a mishmash of knickknacks," Applejack answered.
"I suppose it is a little cluttered," said Rarity.
"What are you guys talking about?" Pinkie remarked, "I think it looks super fun!"
POP WHISTLE!
Suddenly one of Pinkie's hidden confetti cannons went off, several of the animals and critters ran amok, crashing and knocking down various items as they rampaged.
"Weee!" said Pinkie as she ran about with the animals with a party hat on her head.
"Oh! Oh no!" said Fluttershy worriedly as she saw the animals scurrying about, "Please don't do that! If you all just take a deep breath and calm down-"
"YIKES!" Shenran yelped as he hovered out of the way as a white column nearly crashed on top of him. It was then some squirrels climbed into Rarity's drapes and started clawing them.
"No!" Rarity scolded firmly, "That bunting is embroidered by hoof! Don't you move one more paw!" The two squirrels said nothing and let themselves slide off of the curtains, while clawing them at the same time.
"EVERYPONY STOP!" Rarity shouted loudly. All the animals skidded to a halt and froze, including Pinkie. The animal rampage might have been stopped, but the damage was done.
"Okay, now it's a mess," Pinkie admitted.
POP WHISTLE!
Another confetti blast fired just above Pinkie, covering the room in confetti.
"What are we gonna do?!" Rainbow asked as she hovered above the mess.
"I dunno," said Spike worriedly, "But Twilight's blow-out and Mario's complete hooficure won't take that long. If they were avoiding the castle before, they'll never set hoof in here now!"
"Come on, guys, we've gotta do something!" Rainbow called out, "Twilight and Mario are counting on us!"
"Spike," said Rarity as she got into the little dragon's face, "You've got to get back to that spa and stall them! Whatever you do, don't let them come home!"
"Like, forever?" Spike asked, "But we live here."
"Uh, yes, well, uh, maybe you could manage it 'til...sunset-ish?" Rarity asked and battled her eyelashes at him. Spike was instantly lovesick as he floated into the air and hearts radiated from underneath him. Shenran covered his mouth to avoid snickering, but then Fluttershy gazed into his eyes and she batted her own eyelashes at him. Shenran was instantly smitten as a dazed smile appeared on his face and hearts floated around his head. Fluttershy giggled to herself.
"Anything for you, Rarity..." said Spike in a dazed tone as he literally floated out of the room.
"Okay, we all agree the castle is too cluttered, right?" Applejack said once Spike had left, "So why doesn't everypony take one of their own decorations out and we'll see how it looks?" Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rainbow agreed to the idea. Then Rarity noticed Shenran's lovesick condition and walked up the yellow Pegasus.
"Fluttershy," Rarity cooed, "I didn't know you had it in you to do that!" Fluttershy blushed shyly.
"I...um...learned from the best," she replied timidly. Rainbow then bopped Shenran's head with a fore-hoof.
"Ow! Hey!" Shenran complained as he rubbed his sore head.
"Can you get lovesick over your wife later?" Rainbow said sternly, "We've got work to do!"
"Don't hit me!" Shenran said sternly, getting into Rainbow's face before flying off. Rainbow just rolled her eyes as everypony got back to work.
Back at the spa, Twilight had her head under a hair-dryer dome and looking at herself a mirror when she saw Mario enter the room from the mirror's reflection.
"Hey honey," said Twilight and then noticed the extra-large frown on his face, "Now don't be like that. You had to get the complete hooficure after you lost that tickle war with me! Now show me your hooves!"
"Do I have to?" Mario groaned as his cheeks turned pink. Twilight gave him a puppy dog pout. Mario rolled his eyes and lifted one of his fore-hooves, which was now clean and very shiny and sparkly.
"Oooh, pretty!" said Twilight as she saw her reflection in his fore-hoof, "Now you have the cleanest and shiniest hooves in all of Equestria!" Twilight clapped giddily as Mario blushed deep red and looked away.
"Mario, there's no need to feel so embarassed," said Twilight, "Alot of stallions get their hooves cleaned after all."
"Yeah, well, all the nearby customers were snickering at me the entire time I was getting my hooves filed," Mario remarked, "they were really giving me a hard time when Lotus Blossom asked me if I wanted them painted! Ugh..."
"Never mind them," said Twilight simply, "though the complete hooficure does include getting your fore-hooves painted...maybe you should do a nice yellow or a soft pink..."
"Twilight!?" Mario whined, covering his face with his fore-hooves as his entire face went deep red, "Please..."
"Relax, I'm just kidding," said Twilight, "Just know that it means alot to me that you owned up to losing that tickle war and got the hooficure. Thank you, Mario." Mario felt better, but still felt a little embarassed as he gave her a shy smile. Twilight giggled since she found the smile cute when she noticed Spike enter from the mirror.
"Spike, you're back!" Twilight said as the hair dome was lifted off her head, "How do I look?" She showed both the dragon and her husband the top of her mane, which was now done in a bushy, slightly street punk style look.
"Twilight Sparkle, rebel without a cause," said Mario impressively, "I like it!" Twilight gave a light squee of happiness.
"What about you, Spike?" Twilight asked the little dragon. Spike cringed for a moment.
"Great!" Spike said quickly.
"And more importantly, how does the castle look?" Twilight asked as her bushy bangs fell over her eyes a bit.
"Great?" said Spike with a nervous look on his face, which neither alicorn noticed.
"I can't wait to go home and see it!" said Twilight eagerly as she got up from the salon chair, "what about you, sweetie?"
"I'm curious to see what our friends have came up with," said Mario as he got up as well.
"Great! I mean, no!" said Spike but then panicked as he grabbed Twilight's tail.
"What's up little buddy?" Mario asked as he and Twilight looked at him curiously.
"I mean, uh, I'm not...quite ready to go yet," Spike stuttered as he reached out and pulled one of the spa brochures, "Uh, why don't we have a message? I was really hoping to get, uh...this thingy!"
"The "Extra-strength-hot-stone-deep-tissue message?" Twilight read on the brochure.
"That sounds rather...intense..." Mario said slowly. Spike gulped.
"Yep!" said Spike bravely.
"I think I'll just have a traditional message," said Twilight as Lotus Blossom stood beside her, "Wanna join me honey? We can do a message together as a couple."
"Sounds good to me," said Mario, "I was feeling a little lonely getting that hooficure all by myself."
"But if you want that massage, Spike," said Twilight, "You go for it."
"Did somepony order massages?" Aloe asked when there was a loud crash from the wall next to her. Apparently Bulk Biceps was the masseur for the message Spike wanted.
"Yeah! Let's do this, little dragon!" Bulk told Spike. The little dragon cowered fearfully as the muscular Pegasus picked Spike up between his shoulder muscles and then smashed through the wall again to exit the room.
"Oh, I hate it when he does that," said Aloe wearily, "Come with me, princess and prince." Twilight and Mario sighed as they headed to the room for their couple's message.
Back at the Castle, Rarity was looking about the room nervously.
"Come on, Rarity," said Applejack, feeling slightly annoyed, "Everypony has taken somethin' out except for you." It was then Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Shenran appeared behind the marshmallow mare.
"Ooh, I know! I simply can't decide," said Rarity as Pinkie stood behind Applejack.
"How about this?" said Rainbow as she hovered before a gold-gem studded picture frame of the Mane seven with Spike peeking out from the corner.
"No! Not that! Anything but that!" Rarity pleaded in desperation.
"How about these?" said Rainbow as she hovered over to hanging potted pink flowers.
"Oh, but those brighten up the whole room!" Rarity protested, "They're my favorite accent!"
"Then let's lose the curtains!" said Rainbow, "The room wouldn't need brightening if they weren't making it so dark!"
"Not them!" Rarity cried out, "They're my favorite too!"
"Oh for goodness sake, Rarity!" Shenran snapped, "You have to get rid of something!" Rainbow growled impatiently as Rarity's indecisiveness.
"They can't all be your favorite!" Rainbow retorted as she hovered into Rarity's face, "Okay, I'm taking down the portrait. We all know what we look like." Rainbow then grabbed the portrait and carried it out of the room. Rarity huffed irritably.
"Well, the room still looks a little bit cluttered, doesn't it?" Rarity pointed out as she walked up to a wall filled with Rainbow's posters, "Perhaps, I'll take down a poster or two. Only to be helpful, of course!" Rarity did just that and used her magic to remove two posters and toss them out. Rainbow saw the posters being tossed and gave Rarity a death glare.
"Okay, everypony calm down," said Applejack as she got between the two ponies, "I'm sure we can find a way to remove the clutter together." Applejack gave the group a hopeful smile.
"You're absolutely right, dear," said Rarity with a mischievous smirk on her face as she used her magic to grab something that belonged to Applejack.
"Hey, those are my warmin' quilts!"Applejack protested as Rarity hovered them over to Rainbow and the blue Pegasus bucked them out of the room.
"Together!" said Rainbow and Rarity as the former landed beside the latter and they high-hoofed each other. It was then the three ponies heard the sound of popping balloons. Apparently the birds were the ones popping them.
"Fluttershy, Shenran, tell your birds to stop pecking at my balloons!" Pinkie complained.
"I guess they must not like being scared out of their wits by exploding cannons or something," said Fluttershy in a sarcastic and annoyed tone.
"Or loud pink ponies," Shenran added in the same tone. Pinkie gave Shenran a dirty look.
"But we can't get rid of the cannons!" Pinkie protested, "I don't remember where I'd hid them!"
POP WHISTLE!
Another confetti cannon went off somewhere in the foreground. It was then Shenran noticed Rainbow carrying off a familiar large circular cushion.
"Hey, my meditation pillow!" Shenran cried out.
"Oh please, Shenny," said Rainbow as she tossed it out of the room and landed before him, "If I want a place to sit down and sleep, I'll pick a nice fluffy cloud thank you!"
"First of all, don't call me Shenny!" Shenran protested angrily, "Second, meditation and napping are not the same thing! Meditation is about calming the mind and focusing on your breathing to find inner peace and tranquility!"
"Oh give me a break!" said Rainbow as she went back to standing next to Rarity, "All that "ohm" sounds those ponies make when they do that is so annoying!"
"Shenran doesn't "ohm" when he mediates!" Fluttershy said irritably as she hovered beside her husband.
"Plus if you want the definition of annoying, Rainbow," said Shenran, "Just look in the mirror and you'll find your answer!" Rainbow glared.
"Allow me to help you," Rarity proposed to Pinkie.
"Oh, no," Applejack protested, "I'll help you."
"Allow me to do the honors!" Shenran protested as he hovered over to pick something to toss.
"Don't you dare touch any of my stuff, Shenran!" Rarity threatened.
"Don't you threaten my husband!" Fluttershy retorted and hovered to her husband, "Let me help you out, dear."
"Not if I help you first!" Rainbow shouted and their arguing continued.
Back in town, Twilight and Mario were just sighing and stretching contently.
"Great suggestion, Spike," said Twilight, "I feel totally relaxed."
"Same here, honey," said Mario, "My muscles feel nice and loosened up." He then did a good spin jump into the air and landed perfectly on his hind legs as Twilight watched. Poor Spike was behind them and bent out of shape from his deep tissue message treatment.
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow..." Spike yelped as he tried to keep pace behind the two alicorns and his joints cracking as he moved about.
"You want to hop on?" Twilight offered, "Maybe I can get us to the castle faster." Spike froze and winced as he saw that the sun was still fairly high in the sky as some birds flew across the yellowish orb.
"Ow!" said Spike when he straightened up a little too fast, "I mean...how...nice is this day? I was hoping we could take a scenic way back."
"I don't know," said Twilight.
"As nice as a scenic walk wouldn't be a bag thing I suppose," said Mario, "Would you mind if Twilight and I held hooves while we do?" Twilight wasn't feeling too sure about it.
"Come on," Spike pushed, "Walking is good for the post-massage circulation. And the hoof-holding is cool. You two can kiss each other for if it means you'll do the walk with me."
"Really?" said Twilight, "I've never heard that theory. but if you're okay with us hoof-holding, then let's go."
"Same here," said Mario as he offered a fore-hoof and Twilight put hers on top so it looked like they were holding each other's hooves. Along the way, they came to a very familiar place. Mario and Twilight both shared sad looks with each other as the latter sighed.
"I really miss this place, Spike," said Twilight since she and Mario had already shared a moment beforehand, "We had so many wonderful memories here." Mario nodded in agreement as Spike looked at the ruins quietly.
"We did, didn't we..." said Spike sadly as a small tear came out of his eyes.
"Oh, Spike, I'm so sorry," said Twilight sadly, "Of course losing the Golden Oak Library was hard for you too." Twilight then pulled Spike in for a hug as Mario hugged Spike from behind as the little dragon shed a tear.
"I've got an idea," said Twilight, "Why don't we have the girls and Shenran add some things to make the castle feel more like your home as well?"
"Really?" said Spike.
"That's a great idea honey," said Mario, "Why didn't I think of that?"
"'Cause you're an airhead," Spike suggested.
"Have you been hanging around Fluttershy lately?" Mario said annoyed as Twilight and Spike chuckled.
"Hop on!" said Twilight as Spike climbed onto her back. Spike looked back to see the sun was still out. He winced as he saw Twilight open her wings to take off. Spike grabbed the edges as she tried to take off, making the purple alicorn land on her stomach.
"Ow! What are you doing?" Twilight asked Spike.
"Why'd you make my girl do a false take off?" Mario asked as the little dragon hopped off Twilight's back.
"I, um...I just thought of what I want!" said Spike.
"Oh, okay," said Twilight, "What is it?"
"We're listening," Mario added.
"It's a...well, I want a...it's...I kind of need a...a bed!" Spike stuttered with an over the top smile on his face. Twilight and Mario were stunned.
"I thought you said you sleep like a baby in the castle," Twilight said skeptically.
"Yeah, you slept so soundly that you missed the pancake breakfast if you recall," Mario reminded him. Spike scoffed.
"Everypony knows babies are terrible sleepers," said Spike.
"Really?" said Mario, raising his eyebrow at him suspiciously.
"Let's go!" said Spike, wanting to reduce the risk of Mario making eye contact with him. Twilight and Mario shared skeptical looks with each other before reluctantly headed off to find the local shop that sold beds.
Back in the castle, Rarity finished removing the last item from the castle.
"There!" Rarity said contently, "Now nothing is cluttering the castle!"
"You're right," said Rainbow as the six ponies all noticed that they had removed everything they had brought to decorate the castle, "There is literally nothing cluttering this castle."
"What do we do now?" Fluttershy asked.
"I wish I knew," said Shenran sadly, "But interior decorating is not really a talent of mine."
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," said Rarity as she walked up to the others and pointed towards a window of the sun lowering into the sky, "but it's almost sunset. If we don't figure this out soon, it's going to look like we didn't lift a hoof to help them!"
"Why is this so hard?!" Rainbow bellowed in frustration, "We're Twilight and Mario's best friends! This should be easy for us!"
"She said it herself, so did big brother," said Applejack, "if anypony should be able to make Twilight and Mario feel comfortable in her new home, it's us. If we can't do it..." Applejack held her stenson hat sadly.
"Then Twilight and Mario will be stuck living in a castle that makes them feel...sad!" Fluttershy remarked as she said "sad" loud enough for it to echo throughout the castle.
"Wow, Fluttershy!" said Pinkie, "I didn't know you could be loud enough to echo!" Shenran just rolled his eyes as the rest of the girls didn't bother to make a comment. Thought Shenran would brag that his wife could make herself heard when she felt it necessary.
A few minutes later, Applejack was just sitting on the floor staring at her stenson hat. Rainbow was just flying in circles. Rarity was nervously pacing back and forth. Fluttershy just sat on the floor with a very sad look on her face as Shenran sat beside his wife and had a fore-leg around her shoulder to hold her supportively.
"Can't believe I let go of the portrait..." Rarity muttered to herself, "If it had just been me..."
"What do we do? What do we do?" Pinkie asked frantically as she stuck her face into the fore-ground, "If Twilight and Mario come home now, they'll be like..." Pinkie got into Fluttershy's and Shenran's faces, "..."What did you guys do?" and we'll have to be..." Pinkie then jumped up to Rainbow, "..."Nothing!" And then..." She got into Rarity's face from above and upside down, "...they'll be like..." She then peeked out from behind Applejack, "..."We were counting you! Some friends you are!"..." She finally appeared alone, "And we'll be like...AAAAAAAAH!" Pinkie then cried tearlessly before plopping to the floor on her stomach. Shenran walked over and pulled Pinkie into a gentle hug. Pinkie whimpered.
"Sorry," said Pinkie, "I know I'm not helping, but the idea of letting Twilight and Mario down really makes me feel...sad..." Pinkie sniffled as a pair of tears left her eyes. Shenran gently wiped them away.
"We're not giving up yet," said Shenran, "I might be not Mario, but I can assure you everything is going to be alright. Can you trust me this time around Pinkie?"
"I need to," said Pinkie before shouting, "'cause I'm freaking out right now!"
"Calm down, Pinkie," said Applejack, "We just need to figure out what we did wrong so we can make it right."
"Well, I didn't do anything wrong!" Rarity protested huffily, "I did exactly what I would do if this were my home!"
"But it's not your home," said Rainbow as she hovered behind the marshmallow mare, "It's Twilight's and Mario's home!"
"Where they keep all their Rainbow Dash trophies?" Rarity shot back and glared at the blue Pegasus.
"Touche," Rainbow replied.
"Maybe we're all a little guilty of making ourselves feel at home instead of Twilight and Mario," said Fluttershy.
"You're right dear," said Shenran sadly, "I mean...mediation cushions, suits of armor, and shields on the walls. That's not Twilight and Mario at all! But you do have to admit meditation might help those two with their anxiety problems."
"Later dear," Fluttershy remarked.
"Sorry," Shenran said quietly.
"Come on, y'all," said Applejack as she approached the group, "We just need to think about Twilight and Mario. What was it they'd loved about livin' in the Golden Oak Library?"
"Oh, everything!" said Fluttershy, "Twilight loved the books, the smell of books, the joy she felt from organizing books."
"I heard Mario loved the books too," said Shenran, "But he also loved his little work desk where he wrote all his talking train stories. Plus he did always like having a place to play with his trains, even if the space was a little too small for his big collection."
"Don't forget the love shrine he had of Twilight hidden in the basement," said Applejack and chuckled, "I remember when I stumbled upon it. His face was as red as a tomato when I discovered it."
"Remember that time I crashed into all those books attempting my sonic rainboom after you guys after you guys just cleaned up?" Rainbow remarked and a chuckle and a sigh, "That was good times."
"Yeah, for you, maybe," said Applejack annoyingly.
"Okay, how about the time, Twilight, Mario and Shenran crash landed into a pile of books when those vines were growing out of control," said Rainbow, "Shenran first words when he recovered were: "I'm okay! I'm fluffy!""
"Oh, you had to bring that up!" Shenran remarked as Fluttershy giggled.
"Well, you are my fluffy-wuffy cuddle-bunny," Fluttershy said sweetly as Shenran blushed in embarrassment as the others snickered.
"Oh, and Applejack, remember when we were stuck having a sleepover there?" Rarity said, "That turned out to be so much fun!"
"Remember the time it got blown up to smithereens?!" said Pinkie, making everypony wince and looked very sad. Pinkie soon realized my mistake, "Wait, no, that was the worst...stupid Pinkie..."
"Don't Pinkie," said Shenran gently, "Even I knew that was an accident." Pinkie just sighed, but still felt bad for her mistake.
"We had a lot of good memories there, though," said Applejack to lighten the mood, "that's what made the Golden Oak Library home..."
"Yeah," said all the girls sadly.
"Makes me wish I had moved to Ponyville sooner," said Shenran sadly, "I never knew it was such a fun place to be..."
"Oh honey," said Fluttershy sadly as she nuzzled his chin. Applejack then gasped excitedly.
"That's it!" said Applejack as she got an idea.
Back at the bed shop, Spike was testing a bed. Mario and Twilight looked very drained. Spike had literally been testing every nook and cranny of every bed in the shop.
"How's that one?" Twilight asked, "Too soft? Too hard? Too lumpy?"
"Can you pick something already?!" Mario said through his teeth despite the smile on his face.
"Um..." Spike pondered as he sat up and looked out the window to see the sun was setting, "Just right! I'll take it!"
"Oh, thank goodness," said Twilight as she and Mario sighed with relief, "I thought you'd never find one you liked! Let's find a sales pony and get out of here!" It was then a sales pony appeared with a large smile on his face, ready to help.
"Look there's one," said Mario as he looked behind himself, "I'll go make the purchase and find out how soon they can deliver the bed to the castle!"
"Sounds good to meee-" Spike then noticed six familiar ponies walk past the shop window and Rainbow, carrying some shovels, gestured for Spike to stall longer before zipping away, "I...nn, um, uh, heh...did you hear that?" Spike then pressed down on it and faked squeaking sounds, "Too squeaky! Better keep looking!" Twilight, Mario and the sales pony gave him unamused looks as the little dragon walked past them. Twilight and Mario groaned in irritation.
"How about we just pick a bed for him and be done with this?" Mario proposed to his wife.
"And hear him complain about it or never use it cause it isn't perfect," Twilight retorted, "Forget it! Let's just tough it out a little longer, dear. Hopefully Spike will make a choice soon enough and we can finally go home."
"You mean the castle right?" Mario reminded her.
"Of course," said Twilight as she walked off. Mario just looked out the window where he could see the castle in the distance. He was hoping their friends had found a way to make the castle feel like home.
Back with the rest of the Mane eight, they had all gone to the remains of the Library. They were all feeling rather excited once Applejack had explained her plan, but when they arrived. The orange pony wasn't feeling as confident about her idea.
"Maybe my plan won't work after all," Applejack sighed as the rest of the group looked just as sad and worried. Then Rarity perked up.
"Of course it will, darling," said Rarity, "I can see it! You, Fluttershy, and Shenran stay here. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, you come with me. We're going shopping! We'll meet back at the castle." The two group quickly split up and got to work.
[Applejack - she began digging outside the remains with a shovel.]
It's not the things that ya gather 'round
[Fluttershy - she instructed some critters to dig for her.]
It's not how much you own
[Shenran - He began digging with his own fore-hooves as he sang. Applejack and Fluttershy smiled in agreement.]
It's something that's far more valuable
Then any item's worth
[Rarity - Pinkie and Rarity came out with lots of shopping bags. Rainbow had so many that she struggled to get them out of the front door. Then they headed back to the castle.]
The things that hold the meaning in your life
Are the memories you've sown
[All - Pinkie then dumped the contents of her shopping bags. Rarity, wearing her work glasses, picked up some gems and started sewing them together. Applejack then brushed and blew on what looked like some sort of wooden sculpture. Rainbow then pulled a rope through a pulley hanging from above. Rarity monitored the object's position while Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Shenran pulled on the ropes to lift the object to the ceiling. Then the six ponies admired their completed project and then exchanged smiles with each other.]
So we make, so we make, so we make
This castle a home
So we make, so we make
This castle a home
So we make, so we make
This castle a home!
A few minutes later, Twilight and Mario arrived.
"Hello? We're home!" Twilight announced as she opened a door as Mario and Spike walked in as well. Spike was carrying various items in his claws.
"Welcome home!" said the six ponies as they walked up to the royal couple and Spike. Twilight and Mario began to walk about the castle. They found that the group had supposedly done...very little changes to the decor.
"Oh, I uh...love what you've done with the place," said Twilight in a polite tone, "You did such a good job of...preserving the integrity of the original design."
"Aw come on!" Spike retorted, especially to Rarity, "It looks exactly the same. Do you know how hard it was to keep them from coming back here?! I never want to see another dust ruffle as long as I live!"
"Easy there Spike," said Mario, "Obviously the old saying goes that when something ain't broke, don't fix..." Mario blinked, "Did you just say...?"
"Wait," Twilight interrupted, "Keep us from coming back here?"
"Is there something we need to know?" Mario asked suspiciously. Rarity laughed nervously.
"It took a teensy bit longer than we thought," Rarity admitted honestly.
"What really makes a home feel like a home isn't what it looks like," said Applejack as she removed and held her stenson hat, "It's the memories you make when you're there." Applejack then looked at the others.
"So we've made something that celebrates the memories we've made since you both first moved to Ponyville," said Rarity. Fluttershy and Rainbow then opened the doors to the throne room. Twilight and Mario gasped. There hanging above was the roots of a giant tree and along its roots were various strings of sparkly gemstones hanging from them.
"The ornaments on the chandelier are reminders of all the fun we've had together," said Fluttershy as she, Shenran, and Rainbow hovered before it.
"That one shows your party at the Golden Oak Library welcoming you both to Ponyville!" said Pinkie as she showed the gem with a picture of Pinkie, Twilight, and Mario.
"The time we shared donuts after the Grand Galloping Gala!" said Fluttershy a she showed them a gem with all seven of them sharing a table. Mario chuckled sheepishly since that memories wasn't exactly a happy one for him, even Twilight gave him a nervous smile.
"Easy bro," said Shenran, using his new nickname for the Prince, as he hovered over to one particular string of gems, "These gems contain you and Twilight's most valuable memories! Here is when you two had your first real date on Twilight's birthday! This is one when Twilight was your special somepony on Hearts and Hooves day! Here's when you two shared your first kiss as an official couple at Shining Armor and Princess Cadance's wedding. And of course who wouldn't want a picture of when you proposed Twilight, and of your wedding and coronation day!" Shenran showed Mario and Twilight all the gems that showed these various memories. Twilight and Mario were in awe as their mouths hung open.
"We were hoping that being able to look at your beautiful old memories would inspire you to make new ones," said Rarity from behind the royal couple.
"And the best part is," said Applejack as the royal couple stepped toward the new chandelier, "it's made from the roots of the Golden Oak Library, so you two will never forget where you came from." Twilight and Mario examined it quietly for a moment as Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Shenran landed behind the two alicorns. The silence left the group feeling a little worried, until Twilight and Mario turned around. She had a warm smile on her face and her eyes brimming with tears. Mario had lost his grip on his own tears and was crying openly with a smile on his own face.
"It's exactly what the castle needed," said Twilight happily.
"We couldn't have asked for anything more perfect," Mario added in a cracked but happy tone as the two ponies rushed toward the others for a big group hug.
"And we both ready to make new memories here," said Twilight.
"We can finally call this castle home," said Mario.
"Then let's start right now with a new memory cake!" said Pinkie as they pulled away. The pink pony came back with a giant cake on her back with each layer a different color, "Seven layer what's-that-flavor mystery surprise! These might be chocolate chips or they might be super-spicy black beans!" Pinkie pointed at the brown dots along one of the layers of the cake.
"Let's go the dining room," Twilight suggested as she used her magic to open the doors, "It's a little sparse, but at least there's a table there." Mario and Twilight then froze in place when they looked inside to see the dining room had been given some fancy decor upgrades and decorations. Even the dining table had a beautiful cloth on top, plates of treats, and a unicorn table topper on it.
"Whoa! What happened in here?" said Twilight in surprise, "Last time I checked, this place was empty!"
"But you gotta admit the improvements are tres-chic!" Mario replied before looking at a certain marshmallow mare, "Like a certain Twinsie I know..."
"I couldn't help myself!" Rarity confessed, "It was just begging for the personal touch!"
"Truth be told..." Applejack added, "I couldn't either. Your kitchen might have rustic farm decor, Twilight and Mario."
"Does that include some old fashion baking pans for pies and cakes?" Mario asked.
"Of course, Big brother!" said Applejack as Mario clapped excitedly. His baked goods always tasted better when he used the old rustic tins.
"And there may or may not be some Daring Do posters up in your library," said Rainbow.
"And some stuffed animals in your bedroom," Fluttershy said discreetly to the royal couple, "which does include life-sized plushies of each other." Mario and Twilight smiled.
"And I did turn one of the empty rooms into a medication chamber," said Shenran, "Give it try when you're feeling stressed out. I'm sure it will prove useful!"
"And?" Fluttershy said in a teasing tone.
"And I found a large room for where Mario can play with his trains to his heart's content," said Shenran, "The room is four times bigger than your old train room. You could probably build the entire island your talking trains live on!"
"TRAINS!" Mario said excitedly. Twilight giggled since she tended to find Mario's love for trains rather cute.
POP WHISTLE!
"What was that?" Twilight asked as she and her husband flinched.
"One of Pinkie Pie's confetti cannons," said Applejack with a sigh as everypony looked to see Pinkie how covered in cake that had splattered all over the wall due to the blast startling her.
"What? It's not my fault I hid them so well," said Pinkie.
"You hid them," said Mario as he face-hoofed himself, "Ugh! Now I'm gonna have to keep some green and white mushroom on me in my own home! My own home!" Mario walked off to go get his saddle bag when...
POP WHISTLE!
"I'M HIT!" Mario cried out as they rushed to see Mario was now laying on his back looking very dazed, "Momma...mia..." Then Mario passed out.
(Lose a life fanfare)
"Oopsies?" Pinkie said sheepishly.
"Oh, Pinkie..." said Applejack as the rest of the group laughed. This was definitely going to be a new memory they would always cherish.
Including Mario...once somepony remembered to revive him!
And that concludes Shenran's first chapter as an official, and regular, member of the group. You also learned a little something about him too. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope I did alright with including him in the song. As I said before, lyrics are not my specialty.
Next time, some Mario and Apple Bloom bonding, both in the real world...and the dream world!
Peace Pony Fans!