The Alpha Sunny Daze stood staring out the tower window, pondering her dilemma. Outside the weather was perfect, as it had been for days: warm sunshine, harmless fluffy clouds, light breeze. Below her rested the quaint sloping roofs of Ponyville, in candy pinks and lemon yellows, robin's egg blues and minty greens, with narrow cobblestone streets wending throughout in a haphazard fashion. Beyond the city, where the streets petered out into rambling dirt trails, stretched the idyllic countryside of Ponyland, the thick forests and the hills of green and gold, whose gentle rises gave them their old name, Great Peachy's Back. The peaceful scene belied the frenzy of rumors stirring in her populace. Ponyville was abuzz with news of the Self-Amplifier, and Sunny, with no new information on the mysterious device, found herself confined to the castle simply to escape the small but fervent hordes of ponies demanding to know the full story of the light-picture machine. Over the last week while she hid in this claustrophobic study and other rooms of the castle, Sunny had been able to say only that she was looking into the matter and that more news would be forthcoming. She fervently hoped Wishawhirl would finish his modifications quickly, so she could make some decision concerning the machine. Nearly a week was an eternity to be cooped up. She wanted to go outside. Without being swarmed.
Not that the decision would be made without some gravity. She was concerned that Wishawhirl would be devastated were she forced to revoke his tinkering privileges permanently. However, it was increasingly difficult to manage his blind obsession, although Kimono had reported that he seemed genuinely contrite this time, and even cooperative. He had reported that it would take some time to grow new crystals for the machine, but who knew what he might be doing in his cottage these few days, his windows shuttered, his doors locked? Sunny grew more uneasy with each day that passed, anxious for word on this machine she had yet to see demonstrated. She had offered to simply visit the cottage to see the workings of the original, but Wishawhirl had been distressed by this idea, and Kimono, for unclear reasons, seemed to feel it would be better if she didn't go to his home or view the original recorded light picture.
The clacking of hooves on the stone floor behind her broke her reverie. Turning from the window, she was delighted to find her fast friend and trusted advisor standing respectfully behind her. Kimono inclined her head in greeting. Sunny Daze tackled her with a pony hug.
"Kimono! Are you here to rescue me from the tower?" she cried hopefully. "Can I go outside?"
Kimono grunted from the impact of her sporty friend's lunge and craned her head away, trying to breathe. "Afraid not, Sunny," she grunted
Sunny released her grip in disappointment. "Really? Still nothing? I'm going to be a pile of flab if I don't get out soon."
"I doubt that," Kimono replied dryly, her eyes flickering over the lean muscles of the Alpha. What Sunny lacked in size, she made up for in strength and energy. In fact, it was her physical stamina, along with her naturally effusive but also down-to earth and level-headed personality that had made her a shoo-in for Alpha when the succession had changed only a few years ago. Everyone loved and admired the natural leader, and Sunny genuinely loved and admired them right back. For the most part she had adapted well to her new role, although the young pony was often dismayed at how little time she was left for the sports and socializing she squeezed between official duties. She was a good decision-maker, a just moderator, and a pony of the people, a ray of light and warmth wherever she went, as her name suggested.
Nonetheless, Sunny knew she might be more Daze and less Sun without Kimono's keen perception, deliberate wisdom, and encyclopedic knowledge behind the Alpha's Seat. If Sunny was a shifting ray of light, her twilight advisor was an unfathomable pool of still water, a surface that allowed the light to sparkle. However, even though they had been close friends since childhood, lately Sunny felt she couldn't penetrate that surface at all. She would never question Kimono's loyalty; indeed, even as Sunny sensed her becoming more distant and formal, the twilight advisor seemed to focus on her official work with increasing intensity. The harder Sunny tried to revive their former closeness, the less she saw of Kimono. Recently, she had only appeared to deliver news or advice as Primary Advisor or Record-Keeper. Sunny noticed with some dismay that her old friend had not even returned her hug.
"Actually, I do have news," continued Kimono. "I went to Wishawhirls' cottage this morning, but he was missing. So were key parts of the machine in question."
Sunny groaned, hiding her head down between her front legs. "Missing? Are you serious? Do you think he's dangerous?"
"I don't think so," Kimono replied levelly. "And nothing else in the house was missing, as far as I was able to tell, so I don't think he's fled. In fact, I suspect he's out testing the modified machine before he brings it here, and I wanted to give you prior warning."
Hope leapt in Sunny's breast. She might get outside after all. She lifted her head to reply, but the door burst open without warning, revealing an irate looking white pony with shocking pink hair and lively tinsel.
"Starswirl, what—" began Kimono angrily, but the intruder disregarded her entirely, speaking directly to the Alpha.
"I tried to stop him, Sunny, but there's this stallion," she spit the word out with contempt, as if she wouldn't know the name of one of the handful of males in Ponyville, or exactly why he had come to see the Alpha, "this orange stallion downstairs, and he won't go away. He's got some crazy machine with him, and he's demanding to see you."
"We know—" Kimono began.
"I tried to explain that the Alpha is very busy with important, official duties, and isn't seeing anyone, but he seems to think his special machine can't wait another second."
"Actually—" Kimono tried.
"Stallions!" fumed Starswirl. "Think they can see the Alpha anytime they want just because they have a—"
"Thank you, Starswirl," interrupted Sunny Daze hastily. She could hear Kimono grinding her teeth beside her. "Please ask him to wait in the ballroom downstairs. We'll be down shortly."
"Exactly," affirmed Starswirl. "He has to wait for you to come down. I'll let him know."
Nose and tail held high, she strode from the room.
Sunny Daze giggled, but Kimono obviously didn't share her amusement.
"I still fail to see the reason you retain her as an assistant," she snipped.
"Oh, Kimono, she's just a little—overzealous. She's really fun, mostly."
Kimono snorted. "Exactly. I'm surprised she's awake."
This was a valid point. Starswirl was something of a night-mare, but even the Alpha occasionally needed a party to stay up for. She was also the only pony Sunny could convince to go rock-climbing in the dark with her. Adventuresome, Sunny thought. Reckless, Kimono had said. Those two had never gotten along well, with one or two exceptions facilitated by Sweetberry's somewhat illicit concoctions. Sunny grinned, remembering, and nudged Kimono playfully.
"Besides," she continued. "She looks so much like me, she could be useful if we ever need to fool someone. From a distance, anyway. That could be useful, right?"
When Kimono met her eyes, her face was composed into the impassive mask she now wore so often. However, she seemed momentarily unable to speak as she studied the Alpha, whose build, if slightly more toned, was similar to Starswirls'; whose coat, if a little warmer in color, was white like Starswirl's; and whose hair, if streaked with bits of goldenrod and violet, was predominantly the same hot pink as Starswirl's. The loud, smiling sun on her rump was quite different from the intricate spiral of tiny silver stars on Starswirl's, but one could hardly call it a major difference. After just slightly too long a pause, she replied, "I'm surprised I haven't noticed it before. Yes, you two do resemble each other somewhat. That could be useful at some point."
It seemed impossible for Sunny to ask what had just happened in Kimono's mind. She didn't want to make Kimono uncomfortable, nor did she wish to apply pressure to the rift between her Advisor and Assistant. Anyway, Wishawhirl would be waiting, and the sooner she could make a decision about the machine, the sooner she could go outside again. She mustered up a smile.
"Let's go see what our kooky local inventor has dreamed up this time."