The sun shone brightly through the window, a bright warm blanket of light draped over the table in the kitchen of Carousel Boutique. To one side sat the alabaster unicorn who lived there; on the other side, the buttercream pegasus who was her best friend. As they sat, they sipped from their cups.

“Oh, I do love these little get-togethers we have. We should do this more often,” Rarity said.

“We really should. I know I’m busy with the animals so much of the time, but that’s not a reason not to see you.” Fluttershy smiled.

Rarity let out a little sigh. “Oh, yes, yes. And I with my boutiques. Honestly, some of the time I can hardly remember I’ve got three of them!”

“It’s really quite impressive. I don’t know how you keep up with it all. Even just that one day in the Manehattan boutique was so much work...”

“Say, could you be a dear and get some more tea?” Rarity asked.

“I would happily do that, Rarity.”

Fluttershy scooted her chair out from the table and stood up, trotting over to the kitchen counter. From the stovetop, she picked up a teapot—an ornate, ancient thing—and started to walk back to the table with the thing between her teeth.

Suddenly, there was a very loud noise. BOOM!

Fluttershy jumped, startled, dropping the teapot in the process. Time seemed to slow down as the antique china spiralled towards the ground, and—

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it!” Rarity exclaimed. Fluttershy opened her eyes—which had instinctively snapped shut—to see that, miraculously, the teapot hadn’t fallen to the ground and shattered; it was suspended aloft by a shimmering blue magical aura. Yet even though the teapot was saved, a pool of the liquid had spilled onto the floor, soaking Fluttershy’s hooves.

“Oh well,” Fluttershy said wearily. “At least you saved the teapot.”

“I only wish I could have saved you as well, darling.” Rarity set the teapot down on the table, and then picked up a cloth rag from the counter in her magic. She moved as if to wipe up the liquid, but—

“Never fear, Pinkie’s here!” another voice exclaimed. The cabinet beneath the kitchen counter burst open and a smiling pink pony popped out, her mane floofing up as she stood up. “Hooooooow’s it going?!”

Rarity facehoofed. “How in Celestia’s name did you even get in here?”

“Nice to see you, Pinkie,” Fluttershy remarked.

“Good to see you too, Flutter Butter!” The pink pony leapt over to the puddle on the ground, and started licking. “Mmmm, this is delicious.”

Rarity grimaced; Fluttershy just stared.

“That hardly seems sanitary, dear.”

“Sanitary? I hardly even know ’er!” the pink pony said with a grin. “...Wait, is that how that one goes?”

“I’ve definitely never heard that one before,” Rarity said, skeptical.

The pink one smirked. “Well excuuuuse me if you can’t tea my creative genius.”

A beat. Then, all three of them laughed, uproariously.

“Care to stay? I can make some more tea.”

“That sounds absolutely splendiferously terrificamundo!”

And, much as the sun kept shining on down through the window of the Boutique, life went on.