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.

“You know, Fluttershy, I’ve always been quite impressed that you just go through your life with a mouthful of marbles all of the time. I know I sure couldn’t do it,” Rarity said.

“Yeah, I mean, not even in the metaphorical sense. I truly am gargling dozens of glass balls at any given moment, though of course they’re not always the same ones. I like to change them up from time to time.” Fluttershy smiled.

Rarity let out a little sigh. “I didn’t know that bit, dear. What do you do with the old ones when you’re done with them? Throw them out?”

“Some girls spit, but I swallow.”

“And it doesn’t hurt or anything?” Rarity asked.

“It gives me some intestinal pain, but it’s pretty much worth it basically all the time.”

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. HARGL-BARGL-GARGLE!!!

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 lose your marbles, it’s alright!” 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, thank the goodness and such,” Fluttershy said wearily. “I would have hated to have spilled any of my marbles, my precious, precious marbles.”

“Nothing to fear, you wild butter-yellow pegasus, you. Your marbles are safe.” 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—

“Safe from all but the one and only world class marble thief!” 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. “Me! And I learned from the best!”

Rarity facehoofed. “Pinkie, your sister doesn’t count as a marble thief.”

“Oh, but she does. That dastardly filly once stole a whole hoofful, straight from between my teeth. It was quite disgusting,” Fluttershy remarked.

“And an inspiration to us all.” The pink pony leapt over to the puddle on the ground, and started licking. “At least the ones of us paying attention, you know?”

Rarity grimaced; Fluttershy just stared.

“So, if you’re going to steal Fluttershy’s marbles, why haven’t you?”

“I’m working on it!” the pink pony said with a grin. “Just gotta do some slurps.”

“Slurps,” Rarity said, skeptical.

The pink one smirked. “Look... if anything, since this is so fucking insane, anyway... haven’t your marbles already been lost?”

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

“No, I still have all of my marbles in my mouth right here, and I’m just sitting here gargling them. It’s pretty dope.”

“You’re pretty dope, you son of a gun.”

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