“Is something wrong, Twilight?” Connor asked.

“Oh! No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just…work. I’ve been swimming in work all day, and I’m just tired,” she smiled as she gently closed the door.

“Oh, okay. It’s just… you look like I’ve…bothered you in some way.”

“Bothered me? Of course not! On the contrary, I’m always glad to have you here! I wouldn’t be much of a hostess, if I was annoyed with you for no reason,” she grinned.

"Thanks," the human smiled. “Well, anyway, I’m gonna go hang with Spike up in your room. Later!"

"Have fun!” she waved as Connor disappeared up the stairs.

Ticks and creaks chirped in the empty room of the library. Seeing she had nothing else to do, Twilight pulled a book out of the shelf. She opened the book and skimmed through the pages until she found the page where she had left off. Her eyes darted left and right over the words, taking in what she was reading at high speed, being the fast reader she was. However, she had trouble soaking in on what she was reading, because something else had flooded her mind.

Her eyes slowly trailed off the through the top of the page as she blankly looked up in pondering.

The way Carrot Top fled after seeing Connor with Scootaloo should not have been much of a surprise to Twilight, but she could not help but think. She always enjoyed watching bookworms and knowledge-hungry ponies come into her library, but since he arrived, not very many ponies came. Usually, about five to ten ponies come, excluding her friends.

Come to think of it, before Connor's sudden arrival on his longboard, she noticed that the ponies that were walking near her library were shooting snobbish, ignorant, cold glances at it. To add onto that, some of those ponies were the ones who were the most likely to visit her. Even Lemon Hearts.

Wait... Lemon Hearts... Twilight stood up and walked over to a podium with a big logbook laid on top of it. She skimmed her eyes over the list of names of ponies and the books they borrowed until she came across Lemon Hearts' name.

Lemon Hearts.

1000 Recipes of Lemon.

Due date was...

"Today," she muttered to herself. "But, Lemon Hearts never misses a due date. She never had. She had a perfect score. Well, maybe she just forgot. It's no big deal. Just a little overdue fee needs to be paid. It's not like she would miss it on purpose, right?"

Then, the image of Lemon Hearts' cold stare breached into her mind along with the image of her turning directly around and walking away.

"What on Earth would drive to her to do something like that? It's not like I'm carrying the Cutie-Pox or anything. It's not like I'm carrying some sort of deadly, foreign disease. Yet, why is...?"

Foreign?

Of course... That was why Lemon Hearts gave her the cold shoulder.

It was because of Connor. Just because he was in her library made everypony that walked by it avoid it.

Twilight stared out into nothing. Her mind was working so much that the rest of her body seemed to focus all their power on her mind, thus making her still deathly still like a statue.

She was holding a big sale for books the next day as part of the Pre-Princess Celestia's Royal Visit Sale and expected a lot of customers to attend. However, if Connor was still hanging around in her library, he would scare them all away. She needed the money for business to run smoothly, but she wouldn’t earn a quarter-bit if he was around. Plus, as it was, despite the satiable amount of customers she gets, she was running low on money and incomes. Plus, she was sure as hell she did not want to close the library. With him around, it would be so. Should she kick him out of the library until the sale ends? Should she kick him out of the library during business hours?

She shook her head violently.

No, Twilight, she thought. Don’t think so selfishly. Connor needs my help. As long as he's here, he needs Ponyville’s friendship, and it is our job to help him. Who knows how long he is going to stay here? It could be for days... Weeks... Months... Years... I don't think I'd want him to feel so alienated here for that long. He has to be friend with them soon. I will have to close the library if I have to! It won’t ever be a problem!

She pushed chest out in confidence. However her chest seemed to shrink back, causing her to slouch.

Close the library?

Lose all her books?

Possibly move out of Ponyville and never see her friends again?

She bit her front leg in worry.

Connor slung Spike’s electric guitar over his shoulder and sat down on Twilight’s bed. He lifted the guitar onto his right thigh. After giving his knuckles a loud cracking, he placed his left fingers on the fret board. He used his other hand to scratch his chin, thinking of what song he was going to practice playing. The young dragon sat on the floor in front of him, staring at him intently and patiently.

“What are you going to play?” asked Spike.

“Not really suuuuure..." the human purred in thought.

He pressed his fingers onto the strings, forming a chord (if it was even a correct one). He grabbed the guitar pick and shifted it between his index finger and thumb for comfort. He firmly strummed all six strings.

It sounded lovely…if a monkey was playing it.

Spike covered his ears.

"Nope! Nope, strumming chords will just have to wait," Connor stated, twisting his pinky in his ear. "Guess I'll have to play single notes instead."

"Yeah, good idea," replied the purple dragon. "Do our ears a favor."

"Ah-haaaa..." the human laughed awkwardly.

He scratched his chin. What song was simple to play, yet still sounded so epic and enthralling?

His eyebrow crooked up high into his forehead.

He traced his fingers over every string and fret, and picked the string, finding the first note. It took him about a minute to find the correct one. He traced over the entire fret board again for the second note. It did not take him long for that one…

Connor’s eyes were dry and heavy, stinging in little bits. He had been playing that guitar for about three hours. His left fingers were ripe, red, and creased from pressing the strings on the fret board for too long. The fingertips on his right hand were deflated and bloodless from picking the strings. (He didn't necessarily use the guitar pick for what he was playing.) He could have sworn he cut one of them from picking the high string, which was the finest and sharpest of the bunch. His head kept nodding up and down, controlled by his heavy eyelids.

He lifted the guitar off of him, unslinging the shoulder strap from his shoulder. He saw Spike curled up in a ball, sleeping soundly in front of his feet, which looked amusing to the human. The young dragon twisted on the floor, woken up by the hiatus of the music.

“Why’d you stop?” he yawned.

“I gotta get back to Rarity’s. It’s pretty late,” replied the human, yawning as well.

Spike had a hard time looking at his alarm clock through his heavy eyelids. “Jeez, it’s that late already? How long have I been sleeping?”

“About two hours.”

“Really? Wow… It must have been from your guitar playing. Which reminds me, you’re getting better at it. Much faster than I did,” the tired dragon said as he yawned and stretched his tight muscles.

Connor beamed through his tired expression, “Thanks, Spike. I guess I must have lulled you to sleep, huh?”

“You could say that.”

“Guess I'm a satyr,” the human huffed in laughter

“What’s a satyr?”

“A creature that's half man and half goat. They play pipes to mesmerize people into a hypnotizing trance. They’re mythological creatures.”

“You don’t have any goat legs.”

“I know,” the human laughed. "Anyway, I should get going. See you later, Spike.”

“Later,” the dragon yawned again before tipping over back onto the floor.

Connor's knees felt like boiled spaghetti each step he took. He lurched violently forward, but grabbed the guide rail, yanking his body back up for balance. He sighed in relief, thanking God that he spared himself from an embarrassing fall. He found Twilight on the floor of the library, still reading her book. Her eyes were still purple and lively as if she was still in daylight. There were hardly any loose strands of hair protruding from her smooth, bobbing, straight mane. She was hardly slouching at all. Well, she was, but it was in full focus.

“Jeez, Twilight," Connor exclaimed weakly. "Don’t you sleep at all?”

“Once I read a good book, I hardly ever do,” she responded with a smile.

"Eh, if that's okay with you, then... well, it's okay with you. Anyway, uhh... I'll be going now. It's pretty late, and I gotta get to bed."

“Of course,” she nodded. "Good night, Connor."

"'Night," he yawned before shutting the door.

Twilight took a deep breath and resumed to read.

"Shut up and calm down, Twilight. Don't be like them. He's a good guy. So what if the other ponies start to dislike you? At least you have a heart in helping a friend. So what if they don't come to the library anymore? They don't deserve my books, because they are treated with love and loyalty, something which they lack. I don't need their money..."

PLOP! A book fell out of a book shelf and landed rather crudely on its open side. Its pages lay crudely folded against the ground, tainting its once orderly appearance.

Twilight sprung up onto her hooves. "Shoot!" she hissed.

She galloped up to the fallen and lifted it up with her magic. It twisted in the air as it hovered until the front cover was revealed.

"The Dangers of Bankruptcy," it read.

Then, she quickly shoved it back into its rightful place.

Once again, Connor walked the same lonely street, completely empty of what could have been filled with ponies. Then again, why would anypony be out here at this time of night?

A cold feeling reached its foul hand into Connor’s soul.

Loneliness...

He felt that in high school... Now, he was feeling it here in a world of happy-go-lucky, talking, colorful equine beings. What was the world coming to?

He looked around, staring at the tall, silent, buildings, painted blue by the night. It was really peaceful, despite the coldness of ignorance.

Deep inside, Joshua was tugging at the back of his mind.

“I think the better decision is to PROVE to them that you are a great person,” his voice resounded in his mind.

Connor scratched his scalp. What could he do? Should he paint a picture that would touch their hearts? He shook his head. It would be impossible to get paint, especially with all of the shops locked up by fearful ponies.

Should he play a song for them? Spike said he was getting better at guitar after all. The indecisive human rubbed his neck with uneasiness. He hoped these ponies like metal.

Should he do something courteous for a pony in need of help? Yes, it was highly possible to accomplish, that was, if the pony would not run away just when he or she laid eyes on him. That was what happened the first time.

...

Ah, the hell with it. He did not want to do anything. With friends like Twilight and the others, why would he have to work to earn Ponyville's friendship? They would do that for him. That was what friends were for, right? To devote his or her soul to help his or her friend?

He nodded, content with his theory.

However, somewhere deep into his conscience, he could have sworn he sensed Joshua sighing in disappointment and shaking his head deeply.

"What?" he turned to his side.

Who the hell was he talking to? Joshua? He was not even there.

Blushing in embarrassment, Connor shoved his hands back into his pockets and resumed walking back to Rarity's boutique.

“Rarity? It’s me, Connor,” he said behind the door.

He opened it to find a tired white unicorn with her face plastered on the side of her nearly complete dress. She snored soundly. Her red-rimmed glasses were teetering to one side, making her face look a tad askew. Her perfectly groomed mane had a few strands of hair sticking out freely. Her legs feebly held up her slender, white, body, causing them to buckle slightly together.

"Uhhh, Rarity?" he repeated louder.

"No! No, Sapphire Shores! Don't fire me!" she squealed as she flinched awake.

“Sapphire Shores?" he asked with a tilt of the head. "Who the hell is that?"

"AHH! BURGLAR! BUR--Oh, it's you, Connor! Whew! Puh-LEEZE, darling, do not scare me like that!"

“What were you doing at this time of night?”

Rarity readjusted her red glasses, chuckling sheepishly. “I was working on this dress for an important client. Dearie me, I must have slept on the job. Whoopsie! (Ew! And I drooled on the skirt. Oh, silly, silly, Rarity...)”

“Just how many important clients do you have?”

“Oh, quite a lot, darling. You wouldn’t believe how much skill will grant you in return. However,” she said softly, looking down at the ground. “I am quite surprised by the number of customers I had today.”

“How many?”

"Well... None," she said, looking confused as she lifted her head.

“Whoa... I’m sorry about that.”

“Oh, darling, don’t be sorry for something that you did not do. It’s just one of those days. I’m sure you have nothing…” she suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened in shock and her cheeks flushed in sudden realization.

"Uhhh..." the human muttered, feeling uncomfortable by her sudden hiatus. “Rarity? Are you okay?”

She shook herself out of her pensive trance. “Oh! Sorry, darling. I just feel dreadfully tired right now. I was going to say that you had nothing to do with this,” she smiled hugely.

Almost too hugely.

“Oh! Well, okay,” the human responded. “Anyway, I gotta get to bed. You better get some sleep, too. We've got a lot of work to do if I'm going to be friends with everyo--I mean, everypony here.”

“Of course. Thank you for your concern,” she nodded in appreciation.

“Don't mention it," he replied wearily as he pulled his curtains around his bed shut, enveloping him in a soft, silky, red fabric.

Breaking out of her smile, Rarity turned and clenched her jaw around her foreleg, though not too hard so she would injure herself.

So, it was his fault that there were no customers coming to her boutique. That was why she was getting all of these cold stares from passing ponies. They were avoiding her because of him.

However there was something that she did not understand. Connor was gone most of the day. They should have come while he was gone. However, why were they still treating it like he was still in there? It was so rude and thoughtless.

Why, the nerve! How dare they do such a thing! Well, fine! Don't bother coming in and treating yourself to my talent. You do not deserve it! Your filthy arrog--... Her mind stopped her directly in the middle of her sentence, after realizing what tomorrow was.

Tomorrow was the Pre-Princess Celestia's Royal Visit Sale. Like Twilight, she needed the money to keep her business flowing. The ironic thing was, she was getting a good amount of money for filling in orders for very important ponies and celebrities. However, unlike Twilight, she desired fame, popularity, and having herself shine all over Equestria. To her, it was more important than money. However, then again, she believed she could not have one without the other. If fewer ponies visit her boutique, the less money and popularity she earns. The less she earns, the less likely she would shine like a star. The less she shined like star, then...

She would slowly descend into nothing.

She pressed a shocked hoof onto her smooth chest, gasping lightly, so she would not wake up Connor.

Should she kick him out of the boutique until business hours end? Should she kick him out for good and have him live in a different house? If so, then she would not have to endure this solitude.

Then, Rarity shook her head furiously.

No, Rarity. That is selfish and cruel thinking. Like I said before, if they do not wish to set hoof into your boutique because you're currently housing a friend in need, then they do not deserve to purchase your dresses, built out of selflessness and generosity! It is their undoing, not mine. I will have to close the boutique if I have to. It is worth the sacrifice... For a friend!

...

Her eyebrows bunched together.

Close the boutique?? she thought.

She nervously nibbled on the tip of her hoof.

The rooster’s call echoed throughout the clean, country air, past the trees and wooden fences that belongs to Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight’s eyes slowly opened, mucky and slimy from sleep. She sat up in her bed, nearly toppling herself over to land on her face. She did not blink in their usual pattern. Her left eye opened itself much earlier than her right eye did. Twilight gave both of them a thorough rub with her hooves. She swung her heavy head towards the alarm clock.

Eight o’ clock. She felt more tired this morning than the others. She really should not have stayed up so late reading.

However, that scenario did not stop Twilight from realizing what day it was. She pushed herself out of the bed and trotted to her vanity. Her face wrinkled in disgust after catching a glance of her mane. It looked like a vulture had nested in it. After a few strokes of her hairbrush, gripped by her magic, her mane looked perfect again: cute, purple, straight, level bangs.

SNRRRKXXXXXZZZ... snorted a smaller voice coming from the foot of her bed. She turned to a snoring Spike, who was peacefully sleeping in his little basket bed. She had to get him moving, for it was time for the sale. She nudged him in the stomach with her snout. A smooth, sleepy moan vibrated in his throat as he felt something press against his round, scaly belly.

“Why, yes, Rarity... I would love to have some sapphire pie!” he slurred, still asleep. "Heh, heh... It tickles when you kiss my belly like that... I didn't say to stop, though... Hee, hee..."

“C’mon, Spike! Today’s the Pre-Royal Visit Sale! We've got a lot of work to do!”

Spike's quarter-open eyes gazed slepily at the nagging unicorn, whose nose was directly in front of his. He stared idly at her for a good four seconds before he pointed an accusing claw at her, not realizing his little claw went directly up her nostril.

“You’re not Rarity…” He fell silent for another four seconds, not taking his dreary eyes off of her. “Washclothes give me allergies...” he slurred again,, before flopping back onto his bed.

After wiping at her nose furiously, Twilight used her magic to lift him up out of his bed and set him on the floor. Spike was standing straight up, still sleeping.

"SPIKE!" she barked, put off by the little dragon's persistence.

“MONKIES ATTACKING!! TO CANADA!!” Spike shrieked as he finally snapped awake.

“Stop uttering nonsense, Spike! We've got a lot of work to do!” Her growling stomach interrupted her. “But, first…breakfast!”

Grabbing Spike with her magic, she glided down the stairs and ran into the kitchen. She placed the young dragon quite roughly on a tall stool, and zipped up to her cupboards, opening them.

“Uh, Twilight...” Spike tried to say.

“Horseapples!" she exclaimed in frustration. "How did I run out of ingredients for breakfast so quickly? I guess we’ll just have to have oatmeal bars.”

“Twilight…”

“Pony feathers! There’s only one left! I guess we’ll have to split it, then. You can take the one with fewer raisins, since you don’t like them so much. In fact, why don’t you like them? They’re really good for you. Plus, they really help with your digesti—“

“TWILIGHT!”

Twilight rolled her eyes impatiently. “What, Spike?”

Pulling out a small alarm clock, the dragon lifted it to the unicorn’s face.

“The sale doesn't start until ten. It’s eight! We have plenty of time. Once again, Twilight, you wake us up too early for something that doesn’t occur until a couple of hours.”

Twilight blushed in embarrassment. Even though it was not the first time she had done that, she still felt sheepish.

"Wellllll... It's good to wake up early..." she said, rubbing her foreleg with the other.

“Ugh. Say, as long as you’re up, Twilight, can you go to Sugarcube Corner and get some breakfast pastries for you and me?" he asked, feeling the positive warmth of having fresh baked goods for a meal. "I feel like having an egg soufflé today. You up for it?”

“Sure. Why not?” she smiled as she slung her saddlebag onto her back. She was definitely in the mood for a good breakfast pastry in the morning. “I’ll be back soon.”

She left.

Twilight smelled the morning air. As always, it was refreshing. It was rank with the smell of freshly cut grass, damp dirt, and baking pastries. It was a scent she had never gotten tired of. What made a morning more complete was the sight of happy ponies trotting to and fro, saying “Good morning!”, “How do you do?”, or “Such a beautiful day, don’t you think?”.

As soon as she entered the town square, everypony was silent. Twilight’s eye brows bunched in concern. These ponies never acted like this before. She always expected happy, carefree faces and attitudes out of every single one. Could they be…? No, they were probably still pretty tired because they had to wake up early to prepare. She continued her way to Sugarcube Corner. She saw a cream-colored pony with a bobbing navy-blue and pink mane trotting towards her.

Twilight waved, “Good morning, Bon-Bon!”

The pony’s eyes shot open in fear, and then she brushed by, not responding. Twilight looked at her as she walked away, confused and appalled by her rudeness. Bon-Bon always responded to her. What caused her to act so rude all of a sudden?

She shook it off. Maybe she would respond to her next time. She resumed her way to Sugarcube Corner. On the way, she saw ponies left and right looking at her. Some looks were worried, some were snobbish, some were afraid, and some were mad. Twilight even saw some ponies whispering to each other as they were eyeing her critically. A spectral beast of insecurity dug its fierce claws into Twilight’s head and ribs. What in Celestia’s name was causing these ponies to act so…unfriendly?

Seeing Sugarcube Corner had put Twilight’s mind at ease. Her stomach growled. A nice egg soufflé would cheer her up.

"Hi, Twilight!" a pink pony said as she suddenly appeared in front of her.

The bookworm jumped at the party pony’s sudden appearance. It took her a couple of seconds for her to breath normally.

“What’s up?” smiled the pink pony.

“Oh, hello, Pinkie! I was just about to purchase an egg soufflé for breakfast. You have some, right?”

“Yuppers! We also have blueberry, cherry, cheese, strawberry, kiwi, chocolate, va-va-vanilla-nilla, and…”

“Just egg will do,” Twilight chuckled.

“Okey-dokey-lokey!” She pulled up a tray of small, bite sized, red pastries. “Hey, would you like to try a sample of our new chim-cherry-chonga? It’s super-duper good, as it’s super-duper fun to say!
Chimcherrychongachimcherrychongachimcherrychongachimcherry…”

“Okay, Pinkie! Okay!” Twilight giggled at her bubbly personality. She always counted on Pinkie Pie to make her feel better. She was the Element of Laughter, after all.

She lifted a sample to her mouth with her magic. She took a bite.

Her face bunched up, after seeing how unusually hard and bland it tasted. On top of that, it was very cold. She nearly spit it out, but swallowed it instead. It had a rough trip down her throat.

“So? Whaddaya think?” grinned Pinkie Pie, eager for an answer.

“To be honest, Pinkie, it’s pretty hard…and it tastes kinda bland.”

“Really? Huh! I guess you’re right. It has been an hour since these babies have been out of the oven.”

“An hour?? You should serve them while they’re fresh. It's common sense for business.”

“I did, but nopony came to try a sample. I mean, they were there, but they wouldn’t even come near me. It’s like they think I have a disease or something.” She placed a hoof on her forehead and waited. “Nope! No fever...”

Twilight looked around. Indeed, ponies were taking a few steps away from Sugarcube Corner. It was so strange.

“Well, Pinkie, I better get those pastries. I have a hard day of work coming. It was nice seeing you!”

“Bye-bye, Twilight!”

Twilight pushed the door open and walked inside Sugarcube Corner. It smelled divine, as always. The air smelled of cookies, cakes, pies, and a bunch of other tasty pastries. At the counter, she saw a blue, husky mare with a pink mane and tail, which swirled like frozen, raspberry yogurt. She wore a pink apron.

“Hello, Mrs. Cake!” Twilight greeted her.

The baker mare only yelped in fear and immediately looked to the ground, avoiding Twilight’s gaze.

Ugh, not you, too. Twilight groaned in her head. “I would like one—no, two egg soufflés, please!”

“Um…well…yes.” Mrs. Cake trotted up the tray of egg soufflés behind the glass case and hastily put two in a small bag. She placed them at the counter.

“Th-that’ll be eight bits…” she said as she still avoided the bookworm’s gaze.

Twilight gingerly grabbed eight bits and placed them on the counter. What in the blue sky was her problem? Twilight thought she should start a nice conversation.

“So, Mrs. Cake, how are the twins? Are they doing fine?”

“They’re, um…doing fine,” the blue pony mumbled, looking away still.

“That’s good! That’s good,” she repeated, sounding as friendly as she could. “Are you excited for the sale today?”

The baker nodded, still not looking at her.

“What about Mr. Cake? How’s he doing?”

“Fine…”

Twilight gave up. She took the bag and placed it in her saddlebag. “Well uhhhh, have a nice day!”

She turned to leave before she heard Mrs. Cake mumble, “Sure... if that’s how you put it...”

The purple unicorn pretended she had not heard that. She pushed past the door and trotted outside. As she was walking, she ran into Rarity, who had a worried look on her face.

“Hello, Rarity!” The bookworm waved at the fashion queen. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, hello, Twilight, dearie! I was just about to go to the market to find some extra needles. I might need them for all of the dress-making today for the sale…that is…”

“That is what?”

“…If…If anypony shows up,” Rarity rubbed her foreleg meekly. “It just seems like…everypony is trying to avoid me and my boutique…because of Connor.”

Twilight gasped silently.

“Oh my gosh! I know what you mean. Fewer ponies were coming to the library. I was even getting some dirty looks from everypony. In fact, I was just at Sugarcube Corner, and Mrs. Cake acted very strangely around me. It’s like she’s treating me like I have an hairy mole on my face. Not only that, but it seems that everypony was avoiding Sugarcube Corner because Pinkie Pie knows him.”

“But he hardly visits there at all! He seems to hang out at my boutique and your library more than he does there. So, there should be no reason that they should avoid Sugarcube Corner at all.”

“Unless they consider that every place he sets his foot into is contraband. Maybe every pony he meets is considered contraband, too. That’s so prejudicial and unfair of them! Why would they do that?”

“Ugh, as much as I love this town, I am quite appalled by how they behave around him."

“But the sale is today! We need all the money we can get, in order to keep our businesses running smoothly. But... He needs our help.”

“I know, darling! I know. We will help him. If everypony is going to act so immature and prejudicial around him and us, then shame on them! They do not deserve to get any service from us.”

“Not that they will ask for our service anyway…” Twilight added glumly.

Rarity sat back on her haunches, depressed. She knew it was true. Nopony would ever come to their shops when a human has stepped into them. Unless…

“Unless, we send him out during business hours.”

Twilight snapped to attention, surprised. “You mean you thought of that, too?”

“Well, yes, darling! But, at the same time, I feel so cruel and self-centered whenever I think of it. It’s like…” she sighed.

“We’re pushing him away from us. I know.” Twilight hung her head.

“But, if he send him back when business hours are over, I’m sure it will be fine, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“I mean, this sale…this sale… is one of most important sales we’ve had all year! We need the money, dear! And if we keep our business running smoothly, so can we when we help Connor.

“You’re right. However, you know what I think? Maybe if he actually tried to befriend Ponyville on his own, then we wouldn't have to worry to much about helping him, thus, we could keep our businesses flowing smoothly."

Rarity placed the tip of her hoof on her chin, pondering. "Well, I suppose that could work. I mean, he is a nice pon--I mean, person, after all. Well, surely he has many friends back at his world, so he should have some experience in making friendships. With a little push, it would be easy for him to befriend everypony with that kind of stature."

"True... But, then again," Twilight resumed. "Seeing how hostile and rude everypony is acting toward him, I think the chances of them actually stopping to notice him would be very slim... It would take forever for them to accept him... And this sale is one day only..."

Her eyebrows bunched together as she further pondered about it.

"Well, it's worth a shot. Right, darling?" the white unicorn gingerly asked.

The purple unicorn sighed. "We'll have to try... But, if it doesn't work..."

...

"Rarity, how will we keep our businesses running if ponies don't show up?"

"I... I don't know, darling... I just don't know..." she replied sadly, falling back onto her haunches.

To be continued…