After leaving the bathroom, the first thing Butterscotch always did in the morning was go back to her room and put on her cap. It was mostly a somewhat light grey, but depicted Big Mac on the front, accompanied by the words “BIG MACINTOSH™”. As even caps needed washing occasionally, she had two, which unlike many of her possessions were always in the same place on the same shelf when not in use.

She left the house and couldn’t help but notice the television camera. She suddenly became a lot more nervous and conscious of everything she did, going down the two steps that led to the front door very slowly. By the time she arrived at Sugarcube Corner—just in front of the building, not inside of it—it was better, but she was still not exactly calm. Apple Bloom, Lyra, and Octavia were present, being the ones who needed to be given more screen time.

“Hey,” Apple Bloom said.

“Hi,” Lyra said.

“Hello,” Octavia said.

“Hi. So what are we doing?”

“We’re savin’ the neighbourhood in a bit, but there’s one more pony comin’,” Apple Bloom said.

“Who?”

“Big Mac. He’s ge—”

“Big Mac?!”

“Y—”

“I’m going to see him?”

“Yeah.”

“And talk to him?”

“Probably.”

Butterscotch began to jitter like she was severely overcaffeinated, to the point of unsettling the gravel below her. Lyra put a hoof on her back, which stopped her, held it for a few seconds, and then let go.

“You good?” Lyra said.

“I think so.”

When Big Mac came into view, Butterscotch began to jitter again. Lyra held her again, but it didn’t work.

“Hi,” Lyra said.

“Hi. Is she okay?”

No one answered, as no one knew. Her vibrations were steadily getting larger.

He looked at Butterscotch. “The name was Butterscotch, right?”

“Yes,” she said with a very nervous voice to match her facial expression.

“Sorry, I know it’s only been a day. It’s ni—”

She fainted.

“Ah know if she’s okay,” Apple Bloom said.

Lyra felt one of Butterscotch’s legs for a moment, then her neck. “She doesn’t have a pulse.”

“We gotta get ‘er to a hospital or Zecora or whatever’s closer,” Apple Bloom said.

“Do we know who’s closer?” Lyra said. No one answered her. “Well, do we know where either place is?”

“We know where Zecora is.”

“What if we get killed?”

“We can also get killed goin’ to the hospital.”

“Um... right. Maybe we should go to Twilight and just have her teleport us.”

“Ah guess that’d work.”

“Actually, I’ll just go, then she can teleport here and take Butterscotch.”

“You know what would be even more convenient?”

“Yeah?”

“If you knew this place.”

“I know.”

Spike answered the door.

“I need to see Twilight.”

He sighed. “She’s where she usually is.” Lyra came in and ran upstairs. “Nopony ever needs to see Spike....”

Lyra came running into the bedroom. “Twilight!”

The world-saviour looked up from writing something on her desk. “What?”

“We need you to take Butterscotch to Zecora!”

“Where is she? Where you’re doing the—”

“Yeah, where it starts.”

She took them to Sugarcube Corner, none of them aware that they were being watched by Pinkie Pie. “So what’s—”

“Take her! Quick!”

She teleported herself and what may have been a body to Zecora and knocked the door. Zecora promptly answered it, and she was annoyed to see Twilight but interested to see a new pony.

“What’s with all the ponies... coming to... my abode? There’s a really nice hospital right down the road.” She facehoofed. “I’m sorry, that was awful.”

“She’s unconscious or something.”

“Let me see.”

Twilight moved her through the doorway. Zecora took a glass bottle with a clear liquid that she clarified after the main filming “wasn’t just water”, dumped the liquid out on Butterscotch’s face, and got a stethoscope for her.

“She’ll wake up in a minute, she’s not injured or sick. Now just go away, I want to write my cl....”

Twilight didn’t respond.

“She’s fine, as far as I can know. Now leave my place, away you go.”

She teleported back. “I know, she’s still unconscious, but she said she’ll wake up in a minute.” Without waiting for a response, she left.

“So what’s ‘a minute’?” Lyra said. “Like, literally a minute or....”

“Don’t ask me,” Apple Bloom said.

“So I guess we just... wait.”

As they silently waited, Golden Harvest came up to them. “Hi,” she said.

“Hi,” Lyra said. “What brings you here?”

“I heard a yellow-furred, orange-maned pony was supposed to be here. I figure it’s me?”

“No, it’s this OC. Her mane is more of a... generic orange, like the kind you’d see on a colour wheel. And the style’s totally different.”

“Oh. I thought I was finally in.”

“Sorry....”

“No, no, I don’t want you to feel bad, it’s nothing to do with you. I’ll just go.”

Golden Harvest went back the way she came. After a couple more minutes of silence, Butterscotch got up.

“I think I feel a bit better now.”

“I’ll believe it when you don’t faint at Big Mac’s voice again,” Lyra said.

“So how are we going to ‘save the neighbourhood’?”

“Oh. Twilight said that she would commit a massacre here if she didn’t get elected to the Ponyville Zoning Board, so we’re all going to vote for her today.”

“We’re not fighting monsters or anything?”

“We’re supporting the monster.”

“I see.”

After they left the city hall, Butterscotch had a question.

“So why did they—”

“Shh,” Big Mac said.

Hearing Big Mac breathe at her made her close her eyes and shake her head, but she got through it. They went away from downtown to a more residential and less dense street, then Lyra suddenly stopped, with the others following.

“So what was it you wanted to ask?” Lyra said.

“Why did they let me vote? I’m not a resident of Ponyville.”

“That’s what I thought you would say. There’s this pony who looks a lot like you, but she never goes to anything like that. I won’t give you any more details.”

“Also, where are we going?”

“I don’t know. I was following Big Mac.”

“I was following you,” Big Mac said.

“Oh. Well, I guess that’s it. I hope you had fun.”

“Can’t I have one last... anything before I leave, Big Mac?”

“Hmm....” He shook her hoof. “There, I touched you.”

“Yaaawauiiiieeee!”

“Are you—”

“I need to put all this energy somewhere. Bye.” She ran off, faster than Rainbow Dash.

“So I have things to do,” Lyra said.

“As do I,” Octavia said.

“Ah...” Apple Bloom said, “Actually, no.”

One pair went one way and one went the other.

After running a 10K, Butterscotch arrived at Vitany Temple of Big Macintosh. She went between the statues of Big Mac where lions or such would normally be, burst through the doors depicting Big Mac in the pose of a supporter on a coat of arms, and met a dozen other fangirls wearing caps similar or identical to hers. The building was much longer than it was wide, with benches on either side, a raised part with a desk on the end, and a stained glass window also on the back wall, altogether a very typical church-like layout.

“You won’t believe what happened!”

One of the ponies had a burgundy cap instead of a grey one. “Did you meet him in your—”

“Yes! And he touched me! He touched me without being coerced at all!”

“What?!”

“I know!”

“Did he like you?”

“Well.” She calmed down just a bit. “Honestly, I think he thought I was annoying. He really only touched me so that I would go away.”

“Ah. Did he say anything to you?”

“He said hi when we met, he told me to shut up once... a couple other things, but we never actually talked.”

“I see. Still, he touched you for his sake, that’s amazing. You do know what I have to do now, yes?”

“You don’t have to. He didn’t even like me.”

“Yes, I do. You’ve met him. He touched you.”

“So I would go away.”

“Butterscotch, you know this has been coming for some time now. It isn’t just this. I’m not here as often as I’d like to be, and, well, you are. And everypony likes you.”

“You shouldn’t, I wouldn’t be very good at it. Do you really want to trust me with the responsibility?”

“Don’t be so modest, you know that you could handle it. It’ll be better to have somepony in charge than nopony, and you know we all want you. Including you.”

They went behind the desk, and the burgundy cap pony opened a drawer. Inside were some papers and a pair of caps like she was wearing. She took one of them out.

“Really, I wouldn’t know what I was doing.”

“You know how these places run. Everypony likes your opinions. This has been coming for quite a while now.”

“Well... if I can’t convince you, I’ll take it.”

“Do you refuse or not?”

“I mean, I do want it, but....”

“Exactly. Everypony wants you to have this, including you. Think of it this way, you’re just giving yourself a chance.”

“But if I suck and I need to give it up in a week....”

“We’ll forget this ever happened.”

“Well... all right. I’ll take it.”

“Very well.” She put the cap she had been holding on the desk, then took Butterscotch’s off and also put it there. “Ball Lightning permitting, I make you a burgundy cap.” To the cheers of the congregation, she took the burgundy cap again and put it on Butterscotch.

“I... other than earlier today, this is the greatest moment of my life.”

“I’m so happy for you.”

“Can I have a hug?”

After a firm but quick hug, the exchange continued. “So do you have to leave?”

“I said I would be back after I did my thing.”

“All right. Have fun explaining your cap.”

“I’ll try.” Next Chapter: Chapter 72: Somehow Platonic Spa Time Estimated time remaining: 12 Hours, 2 Minutes