Episode 1: Friendship is Magic (Part 1)
POV: Shining Armor

“My dear Twilight,” Shining read, as they flew by carriage to their destination. “There is more to a pony’s life than studying, so I’m sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year’s location: Ponyville. And I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends.”

Twilight groaned. “Shining, do I really have to do this?”

“The Princess practically ordered it, Twiley. No sense in trying to fight against it.”

“Shining! I know that something bad will happen and I need to focus on getting the preparations done and then find evidence of Nightmare Moon’s return!”

Shining sighed and placed his head in his hand. “You know, I know where the Ponyville library is, but if you don’t actually make an effort in making friends, I’ll do what I can to prevent any access to it.” Twilight straightened up.

“Really?”

“Really,” Shining confirmed. The carriage then landed, allowing the occupants to get off.

“Thank you, sirs.” The stallions nickered at Twilight’s thanks.

“Remember Twiley, actual effort,” Shining reminded. He then gestured towards an earth pony couple. “Just try, okay?” Twilight gulped before timidly approaching the couple.

“Umm...hello?” No sooner had the words left her mouth, the pink mare of the couple suddenly jumped up with a borderline scream sounding gasp and then sped off in a blur of pink.

“Umm...okay?” Shining muttered before turning to the red and rotund stallion. “What happened?”

The stallion chuckled. “My marefriend is what happened, sir. She’s about as crazy as a cherry enchilada. But despite that, I love her all the same.” He then held out his hand. “Name’s Macintosh, but most folks around here call me Mac, Big Mac, or Big Macintosh.” Shining took his hand and shook it.

“Pleased to meet you, Mac. I’m Shining Armor, and this is my LSBFF, Twilight Sparkle.”

“LSBFF?” Mac asked, obviously confused.

“It means, Little Sister Best Friends Forever,” Twilight told him. “And Shining is my BBBBFF, or Big Bellied Brother Best Friend Forever.”

“An obvious joke about my gut,” Shining sighed. Mac just chuckled.

“Sibling jokes. Gotta love them,” Mac laughed. “So, what brings you to Ponyville?”

“Two reasons,” Twilight answered. “One, I was assigned to oversee the preparations for the celebration. Two, however, I don’t want to talk about.”

“It’s okay, I ain’t prying.” Mac put his hands up in surrender. “Although, I should report in that the food is well under control. My sis and I just delivered the cider and food should be finished by this evening.” Mac put a hand to his chin. “Come to think of it, when me and my sis get back to the farm, the whole family’s gonna have some brunch. Maybe you could join us? The food we serve at home is the same that will be served at the celebration.”

“Its okay,” Twilight quickly said. “We don't-” A slight tap on her head and a questioning glance from Shining got her to pause. “-want to refuse your offer.” She gave an annoyed glare at him before turning back to Mac.

“That's wonderful,” Mac said. “We'll go grab my sister, and head to the farm.”

The brunch was a fun time, depending on who was asked. Shining enjoyed himself, eating a fairly large amount of good food and having pleasant conversations with the Apples, local and otherwise. Twilight, on the other hand, simply tried to eat in peace. Emphasis on tried, since Applejack and Apple Bloom, Mac's younger sisters, tried talking with her, causing her to unconsciously eat more than she intended in her attempt to ignore them.

“Urgh, I had too much pie,” she groaned sometime after leaving.

“Yeah, I was worried there for a moment,” Shining said. “I thought you were going to out-eat me.”

“Oh, ha ha. Very funny,” she snarked back.

“I'm just saying, leave the gorging to me. Now, what's next on the list?” Twilight pulled out a scroll with said list on it.

“Weather: Rainbow Dash,” she read then looked around. “Wherever that pegasus is, she isn’t doing her job.” Before she could rant further, a blue and rainbow blur sped past her, impacted Shining’s rotund gut, rebounded off into her. Both Twilight and the one responsible were sent sprawling into the mud.

The pegasus pushed herself to her knees and gave Twilight a sheepish grin and a slight giggle. “Uh, excuse me?” Twilight simply groaned in annoyance. The pegasus giggled again and said, “Uh, here, let me help you.” She flew off and returned with a raincloud. She jumped on it a few times, causing it to rain on Twilight. Shining had to hold back a laugh at seeing his sister drenched, but free of mud.

“Oh, oops. I think I overdid it. Uh, how about this?” She then took flight and formed a chromatic cyclone around Twilight. “My very own, patent pending, Rain-Blow Dry!” She gently landed and went to self-congratulate herself, but Shining’s falling down, gut-busting laughter stopped her before she started. She was about to give him a glare, but noticed that her Rain-Blow Dry caused Twilight's mane and tail to poof up.

She couldn’t hold back, and was bawling with laughter, sitting on Shining’s rotund gut as she did. Twilight looked at the two with a deadpan expression. “Let me guess, you’re Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash bounced off of Shining and struck a pose, mid air. “The One and Only! Why, you heard of me?”

“I heard you were supposed to keep the sky clear,” Twilight corrected. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and that overstuffed, body pillow you were sitting on is my brother, Shining Armor.”

“Hey!” Shining shouted. “You’re one to talk, after how much you ate at brunch!”

She ignored him and kept talking. “I was sent by the Princess to check on the Celebration preparations, one of which is the weather. Why isn’t the sky clear?”

Rainbow gave Twilight a deadpan stare of her own. “You really don’t know?”

“Don’t know what?” Rainbow pointed to a large and ominous tree line. “What are you getting at?” Twilight asked.

“That’s the Everfree forest!”

“So?” She asked with a shrug.

Rainbow facepalmed. “You are a slowpoke! The Everfree forest is one of a few places where the weather isn’t controlled by us pegasi!” She was practically nose to nose with Twilight at this point. “So to put it in terms your slow mind can understand: Rainbow clears clouds; clouds from Everfree flows in, causing Rainbow to clear the sky more times than needed; Rainbow then gets tired from work, causing her to sleep when she should stay awake for the Celebration.”

“Kind of like how I feel when it comes to keeping the family library clean,” Shining commented. “Honestly, I feel like a maid.” His face then took on a form of mock anger. “I just cleaned up this mess! Can it be kept clean!? For TEN MINUTES!”

Rainbow laughed at his joke. “You know, you both aren't that bad even if you don't understand wild weather. I can't wait to hang out with you guys later. See ya both later.” Rainbow then took flight in a blur of blue and rainbow.

Twilight stared at Rainbow's flight away, her mouth open in shock. Shining walked up to her. “Wow, never thought I'd see you get outsmarted by another pony in my lifetime.” He then began examining her mane and tail. “You know, your new hairstyle seems more ‘you’,” he complimented with a chuckle. She simply huffed and walked on to town hall. “Yeesh, I thought all mares liked compliments on their manes,” he said, following her.

As they entered, Twilight read, “Decorations: Rarity.” She then looked around the area, seeing the decorations. “It seems that Rarity did a good job.”

“If her looks are anything to go by, she doesn't do a good job,” Shining said, gesturing towards a marshmallow white unicorn with curly purple mane and tail. She had an elegant skirt/blouse combo on, as well as almost more makeup than was probably necessary.

“Ahem.” Twilight tried getting the mare's attention as she was working.

“Just a moment, Darling,” Rarity said. “I'm in the zone, as it were.” She finished up tying a bow to a portion of a pillar. “There we go. Now, you werAAHH!” Rarity almost shrieked, seeing Twilight's mane and Shining's 'obesity.’

“Oh my goodness, Darling!” She fretted, rushing to Twilight. “What ever happened?”

“Huh?” Rarity then gestured to her mane. “You mean my mane? Well, I don't want to bother you with it, so I'll just get out of your hair.”

“Out of my hair? What about yours?” Rarity then grabbed Twilight's arms and started to drag her off. “Come along, Darlings. I'll get you cleaned up and slimmed up in no time.”

“Hold it,” Shining said. “When you said, ‘slimmed up,’ are you referring to Twilight or me? Because if it is me, I have to tell you that I’ve tried every diet and exercise program imaginable short of starvation and no sleep and nothing worked.” Rarity seemed surprised, but then looked at him with suspicion. “Believe me or not, but you can leave me out of your makeover.”

“Hey! What about me?” Twilight asked in a panic.

“Nothing wrong with two mares getting a makeover, right?” Rarity’s look changed when Shining said that.

“Of course! This should be about you. Not that slob of stallion,” she said to her.

“Ye...wait, WHAT?!” Shining exclaimed. He was about to go on, but the two mares left before he could. “Okay then. I’ll just explore town then.”

Some time and a giant meal at Sugarcube Corner later, Shining was on his way to the Golden Oaks Library to wait for his sister. As the library was in sight, somepony called to him.

“Hey there, Shining!” He turned to see Mac approaching. “My marefriend said to not go in their until your sister arrives.”

Shining walked to Mac and gave him a handshake. “Thanks for telling me, but I must ask, why?”

“Eh, she said it’s a secret.”

“A super secret,” said mare said from behind him before rushing out of sight. Both of them were silent for a moment.

“I’m not going to ask how she did that.”

“A good plan for anypony visiting,” Mac agreed.

“Well, from what I’ve seen so far, this place seems better for more than just visiting,” Shining said. “This place looks like a good place to go after I retire.”

Mac scratched his head in confusion. “Don’t take offense to this, but aren’t you a bit young to think about that?”

“Not if you are one of very few heavyweight unicorn wrestlers,” Shining said. Mac’s jaw dropped in shock. “Yup, I’m the Royal Knight. However, the fame is not to brag about.”

“Why so? Wouldn’t you like fame?”

“It depends on what type of fame. All the fan mares, and the constant claims of cheating started wearing on my nerves over time. So by the end of the Summer Sun Celebration, I’ll be done.”

“Done with what?” Twilight said from behind Shining, scaring him a bit. Shining jumped a bit and turned around a sheepish grin on his face.

“Oh, you done?” Shining asked, attempting to dodge the question.

Twilight sighed, deciding to follow along. “Yes. And my efforts with the pony in charge of music was...disappointing.”

“She must have met Fluttershy,” Mac said.

“You know her?” Shining asked.

“Yeah. When she first moved into town, she was so scared of everypony that when I was simply walking to a restaurant, she was across the street and promptly jumped into a garbage can.”

“That pretty much sums up my encounter with her,” Twilight said. “I accidentally scared her birds and when she was saying her name, I couldn’t hear it at all.” She sighed in frustration. “Anyway, can we get inside and get some rest?”

“Alright, you did enough effort on your own,” he said, before opening the door to the library. Shining turned to Mac, as his sister entered the building. “I’ll see you tonight at the Celebration.”

“Actually, you’ll be seeing me in…” Before Mac could finish, the inside of the library lit up and a loud “SURPRISE!” came out. The sheer volume of the shout sent Twilight flying out and into Shining’s back. The combination of her collision and the sheer surprise factor of the shout caused Shining to get knocked over into Mac. No more details were needed to see that the three were tangled up until somehow Twilight was sandwiched between the guts of the two muscleguts.

“I’m gonna have to have a chat with Pinkie about this,” Mac said in frustration as Twilight’s feet flailed into his face.

After getting Twilight out from between the two and was placed in the library’s bedroom to recover from the odd ordeal, the party was on...a bit more mildly than Pinkie originally had planned. Despite such “limitations,” the party was a blast. Shining himself enjoyed it almost more than most ponies. Unsurprising, considering how much food was at the party.

However, the party had to end, so that the actual Celebration could start. By that time, Twilight had recovered enough for it. While she was standing next to Pinkie and was part of a one sided conversation, Shining was standing next to Mac having their own conversation.

“-and that is one of the few ideas I’ve had for after my retirement,” Shining told Mac, not paying attention to the procession of the Celebration.

“Where do you plan to do this?” Mac asked.

“I’ve contemplated staying in Canterlot, but then I’d have to deal with the remaining fans.” Shining said. “Come to think of it, most major cities would recognise me as soon as I made mention of my name. However, Ponyville hardly seemed to recognise me, or if they did, they didn’t seem to care. So I’m thinking-” A shriek in fear was heard from Pinkie, causing the two stallions to look to her and follow her gaze. Looking upon the stage where Princess Celestia was supposed to be, they saw somepony they were never expecting.

“Nightmare Moon!” Twilight said.

Author's Notes:

Well, here you go.

BTW: If any of you know of any artists that are bronies, see if they can help provide illustrations for the story.