As Twilight was reaching the end of Chapter 5, a sudden welt of exhaustion struct her. She yawned for a moment before snapping back into her reading mood and continued.

"Ace!" Silver called out from the tavern. "We could use some help here."

Ace and the other mares turned to the giant hole in the wall to see the stallions struggling to lift a beam back to the rafters. Ace rolled her eyes in pity for the duo and went inside, leaving behind Ebony and Eclipse. The two remaining mares waited outside as the day soon grew to a halt. Without Ace around, Ebony had no pony to chat with, except for Eclipse, who seemed to not be the talkative type.

However, that didn't stop her from trying.

“Hey Eclipse, you wanna do something fun?" Ebony asked. "I’m getting bored!”

She then dramatically flopped down onto her side, tongue lolling out and her eyes rolling upwards as if she was dying.

“Depends on what you call ‘fun’," Eclipse replied, looking at her being over dramatic for no reason.

She tucked whatever it was under her cloak closer, prompting more dramatics from Ebony. Eclipse rolled her eyes and sat down next to Ebony.

The way she acts, she needs to loosen up, and I know just the way. Ebony thought to herself. With a smile, she jumped up with a beat of her wings quickly and without warning. She then grabbed Eclipse's hoof, dragging the young mare to the dance hall in the tavern. Luckilly, it was free from any debris.

Ace, Silver, and Huntsmen didn't notice the duo as they continued to work in the attic.

“What are you doing? Do you mind letting me go?” Eclipse asked.

The sudden way Ebony picked her up surprised her, and Eclipse hoped they weren’t going to do what she think we would.

"She wants us to dance," A voice rung in Eclipse's head.

Just great, She replid.

Ebony cheered, “We are gonna have us some fun, trust me, Clipsy. Oh, I like that nickname, Clipsy.”

"Well prepare to lose it, because I'm going to be called-"

Ebony ignored her, and dragged her to her favourite spot of the hall, center stage. With an eager smile, she set "Clipsy" down onto her hooves before landing next to her.

“You know how to dance, right?”

“Of course I can't dance, would be a waste of time learning how to.” Eclipse told her, starting to get annoyed by Ebony.

"Come on Eclipse, could be fun." Another voice in her head suggested.

"You stay out of this..." Eclipse silently hissed, looking at Ebony. "Bah, I might as well get it over with."

Ebony's ears flattened a little after what Eclipse told her about dancing. However, another idea popped into her head, emphasized with a swish of her tail.

“Well, what do you like doing for fun?” She asked.

“Well, for starte-" Eclipse was about to begin,  but then saw how Ebony looked when she told her that she didn’t like dancing. “Honestly, I’m not sure what I like to do for fun.” Eclipse then told her, looking at her solemnly.

Ebony's jaw dropped.

Her mind raced, She… she doesn’t- but she’s so young, how could she not know? That is it, my newest mission, get Clipsy to have fun.

“Okay Clipsy, what do you think fun is?” Ebony then asked.

“Well, fun is a waste of time as it doesn’t help you survive. Fun is something most ponies can do when they want something to do.” Eclipse explained.

“Well, you're wrong, Clipsy. Dead, seriously wrong, like jalapenos in peanut butter wrong.”

"Wha-"

Ebony then grabbed Eclipse by the hoof again before taking in an overly dramatic breath. She was getting ready to burst into song.

“I hope your not going to sing.” Eclipse told her, sighing.  

With a nod, Ebony smiled happily before immediately beginning, her flank swaying in rhythm as she pulled Eclipse close to her.

“C’mon Clipsy, loosen up your body.” She sung.

Ebony gave her a shake in an attempt to get her to loosen.

“Oh, feeling crazy, The moon is up, The night is hazy. Let's get lost in the shadows, Somewhere we can go, And no one else can find!”

While holding the dour unicorn close, Ebony took her on a fast paced tour through the town.

“Please don’t do this Ebony.” Eclipse begged.

“Why not? You need to know the truth of what fun really is, Clipsy.” Ebony pull her into what looked like a conveniently placed fair, bee-lining for the games with the filly still in her grasp. “Fun is a way ponies relieve stress and build bonds with friends. Fun is all about relaxing and not having a care in the world.”

“A way to relieve stress, huh? Well, I guess I could try it, not like it will hurt me.”

Eclipse still was rolling her eyes, but played along.

Ebony squealed, “Yay!”

Excitedly, she give her a quick, yet immensely tight hug before pulling her to a booth. A metre behind the booth counter was a wall of balloons.

“I’ll show you how to play.” Ebony explained, picking up one of the darts. “To win you have to use all three of the darts to puncture a balloon. Try to aim for the smaller ones if you can. And no using magic.”

She stuck her tongue out goofily as she gave a few test throws. Once satisfied, she picked up her first dart for an actual throw. The first dart left her hoof at a high speed and with a satisfying pop, one of the balloons exploded, though it is one of the bigger ones.

“No magic? Fine then.”

Eclipse then picked up the dart, mimicking what Ebony did and aimed for one of the balloons. Right away, her aim was so bad that she nearly hit the pony running the stand. She immediately glanced at the quivering stallion, and enjoyed it.

Eclipse said, “Your right Ebony, this is fun. Also, sorry sir.”

Ebony was frozen in horror after the dart narrowly missed the stallion, only letting a soft sigh escape her lips.

“Please be more careful, Clipsy." Ebony advised, "And I am glad to hear you are having fun, but you want to know what the true signs of fun are?”

“I’m sorry Ebony, I will.”

Eclipse tried once more, this time making sure to aim like she would with magic. This time, popping one of  the smaller balloons.

Ebony clapped her hooves together in joy. She then proceeded to pick up two darts in one hoof. She threw them at the same time, with one hitting the wall itself but the other hitting one of the medium-sized balloons.

She's trying to show off huh? Eclipse thought.

She then picked up four darts, one in each of her front hooves, and closed her eyes.  She threw all four darts randomly, and heard at least 1 loud pop. When she opened my eyes, Eclipse saw that two darts hit one balloon, the other two hit each other on the wall.

She turned to Ebony and asked, “I still don’t get it, what are the signs of having fun?”

Ebony's wing fell across her back as she smile at her. “Smiling and laughter are the surest signs of having fun.”

She then threw my last dart over her shoulder and turn around, another popping sound reaching their ears.

Even after their impressive work, they walked away without any prizes as Ebony dragged her over to what looked like a puppet show surrounded by foals.

“Let’s get ourselves a front row seat.” Ebony proclaimed, still dragging the unicorn around.

The two plopped next to a pair of Earth Pony foals, who started to complain. But, they eventually settled down as Ebony allow them to sit on her back, after a bit of roughhousing from them.

“You just let foals, random foals, sit on you?” Eclipse asked her, confused.

At the same time, she grabbed the unseen object out of her cloak and held it close to her side, outside of Ebony's sight.

A puppet show? let’s see what it's about. A voice whispered in Eclipse's head.

Ebony replied, “Why not? They deserve to have a better seat for the show, and there isn’t room for both of us, them, and the other foals to sit in the front."

Her tail swished lazily but happily as they waited for the show to start. She couldn't help but giggle as the pair continued their wrestling match, rolling all along her back, even bumping into her neck and head. At one point, a sharp, stabbing pain pierced her back.

“Okay you two, settle down. The show is going to start.” Ebony called out.

Sure enough, the curtains begun to rise and four puppets on sticks showed up. One was dressed as a king while the other three were knights. Ebony joined the foals in letting out a loud cheer.

Eclipse, meanwhile, just stared in amazement at this fully grown mare acting like a child. The puppets on the stage didn’t seem like anything special. It seemed to be a tale about knights and kings, like from the books her friends had read to her when she was younger, brought back fond memories.

A small smiled grew on her muzzle, and Eclipse thought Ebony noticed this.

Ebony give Eclipse a light nudge and widened her grin before returning to the show. Despite the seriousness of how it started, it quickly turned to a comedy, starting with one of the knights throwing a pie at an enemy, but missing and hitting the ‘king’ instead. Laughter rung throughout the air, which Ebony join in with the chorus of youngsters.

This got less dark rather quickly, which did upset me a bit. Nonetheless, every pony else seemed to be enjoying this comedy, hence all the laughter around me. Eclipse thought.

"Gods, this is so sappy..." A third voice moaned in Eclipse's head.

It is just a bit  sappy. But something about this show made me feel weird. It wasn’t happiness, no I can’t feel that. Maybe just, giving me something I missed all my life. A way to be a normal filly.  Eclipse mentally replied.

Throughout the entire show, Ebony couldn't help but give the small filly next to her a few cursory glances. Once it ended and the two foals climbed off, Ebony got up with a shake, still emitting a couple chuckles.

“Is everything okay, Clipsy?” She asked.

“What? Yea. It’s just, I have never had a normal life. I hear demons in my head, I had to raise myself alone, and I can’t feel emotions. Just doing something, normal, were not sure what to think of it.” Eclipse explained. "We went on for awhile in my head during the show, and having a normal life is, different. Not sure if I hate it or like it."

Ebony's wing grip changed, trying to comfort Eclipse as they make their way to the nearest food stand. Ebony didn’t know if Eclipse was lying about the demon-things or not, but she did seem to need help.

“Here is a trade-secret, Clipsy. Everypony is normal in their own way. There is no universal normal we all have to live by.”

Without warning, Ebony gave Eclipse a quick boop on the nose.

“As for not being able to feel emotions," Ebony continued, "that is hogwash. We all feel emotions, even if we don’t want to.”

“Thanks for that, but you don’t seem to understand. I am mentally unable to feel emotions, I was born that way. That is why I always seem cold. I do thank you for trying to help. This really has been...” Eclipse struggled on the last word. “Fuuun.”

That word was hard for her to say.

“You did help me." Eclipse moved on. "I haven’t told many ponies about my life either, so you're one of the first ponies who isn’t creeped out enough to be near me. Anyway, what’s next?”

“Hmm, that smile I saw earlier would beg to differ, Clipsy, but I am glad to hear you are slowly starting to open up. As for what is next, I’m getting hungry, how about you?”

The two then found themselves in front of rows upon rows of food stands, Ebony's stomach letting out a loud rumble.

“What, me smiling means that I am happy?" Eclipse asked. "Anyway, yes, I am hungry.”

She went ahead and tucked her plush object back into her cloak.

I wish I didn’t say anything about my demons, but it’s too late now. We are in front of the food stands, and now I feel like my usual self once more.

“Yep, smiling is an external sign of happiness in most cases.” Ebony answered Eclipse's question.

After taking a few whiffs and measuring the lines, they make way to the shortest line that was serving Ebony's favorite food, tacos.

“Hmm, what do I want?" The bat-pony asked herself. "Ever had Caballican before?”

Eclipse wasn't picky when it came to food.

“Well, you can say what you want." Eclipse replied. "Anyway, I can’t say that I have tried it before.”

She then looked over to the food stand she had been previously looking at, and saw what she believed was a "taco".

“Well, if you like spicy foods, you’ll love Caballican.”

As they waited, Ebony looked to the hanging menu, studying it as the duo slowly drew to the front of the line.

Ebony added, “And trust me on what I said about smiling and being happy.”

Her attention turned to the unicorn who was standing at the window, awaiting our orders.

“Yes, I’ll have the… potato burrito and… two taco supremes with a large pop. Go ahead and order, Clipsy, my treat.”

“I’ll have a bee-I mean veggie burrito with a to-sta-da please.” Eclipse told the unicorn, leaving off the part about wanting meat.

As they waited, Ebony noticed an older mare who seemed to be frustrated. The reason behind it soon became clear as a pair of colts came up to her, crying. With a sympathetic smile, she approached the foals and with her wings I managed, pull off some very goofy faces. As they begin to lighten up and giggle they both booped her on the nose, to which Ebony instantly got rigid after standing up on her hind hooves.

“Ooh, the cuteness…" Ebony proclaimed with gratuitous drama, "They got me. Run… Cli...psy…”

She pretended to force the words out as if she were dying before toppling onto her back, wings flared out and her head rolled to the side. Eclipse just stared at her and the way she was acting, and something felt, off. She acted like such a child, and it was a big surprise. The older mare came up to Eclipse.

“Thank your friend for me. She saved me.” She said, smiling.

“I will.” Eclipse nodded as she turned over to look at the food stand and saw their food ready.

She went over to grab the food while Ebony was busy with the kids.

“You know, I think i'm starting to understand fun. You act stupid.” Eclipse noted, walking back over to Ebony.

At the sound of Eclipse’s voice and the sight of our food in her magical grasp, it signaled that playtime was over. With a hard push of her wings, Ebony went from laying on her back to standing on all fours, shaking herself off before joining the young mare.

“That could be a part of having fun, is acting silly." Ebony replied. "But it doesn’t work for everypony.”

Eagerly, she then dug into her food as she watched Eclipse.

She continued, “There are many ways a pony can have fun, you just have to find the outlet that works for you.”

“Just like with anything else,” Eclipse said, taking a bite out of her food.

She wasn’t sure what to talk about next, or even what to say at that point. She and Ebony just sat upon a bench, eating, taking a look around. Ponies of all ages were running around, having a good time despite the rather shabby appearance of the town at first sight. They seemed to be happy, and enjoying themselves.

“I wish I could feel joy.” Ebony said quietly under her breathe so Ebony wouldn’t hear.

“Yes, Clipsy, you can feel joy. Just think back at when you were smiling, how did that make you feel?”

Ebony study Eclipse closely, noting how down she seemed.

“Just because you haven’t been able to in the past doesn’t mean you can’t feel it either now or in the future.” She noted.

“Silly bat-pony, forgot. Anyway, I'm not worried or upset about it, it's no big deal.” Eclipse said, looking at how she looked at her. “Besides, I've enjoyed myself, I think.”

Eclipse then stood up with food now gone.

Ebony countered, “Yes, it is a big deal, but at least you think you are enjoying yourself so far. One step at a time though.”

After they threw their trash away, Ebony again wrapped her wing around Eclipse back while giving her a smile.

She asked, “You want to have some more fun, or you wanna get out of here?”

“I think it's fine for us to leave now, I understand what you were trying to say. Unless you had anything else planned?” Eclipse asked her, her body easing as Ebony's wing wrapped around.

"There you two idiots are." Huntsmen's voice boomed across the yard.

The mares looked over and saw Ace, Huntsmen, and Silver walking towards them. They were covered in web and dust.

"It's about time we head off." Silver Chord explained to them. "Huntsmen says that it'll take a good week or two to reach Mt. Gné, so sooner is better than later."

"Go on ahead," Ebony replied. "We'll catch up."

The three looked to each other for a moment before slowly turning around and heading away.

"I really don't trust that mare." Silver whispered to Huntsmen as they left.

Ebony and Eclipse turned to each other once more.

"Perhaps we can continue this after this adventure Clipsy." Ebony suggested.

"Yeah." Eclipse replied. "Also... can you not call me Clipsy anymore. At least, not in public."

"Alright."

With a firm hug, the two mares ended their moment and joined up with the three others, and made their way to the Olc Sword.