Ahem. Morning, Sunburst.
What? Oh. Hi!
Heh heh.
You know, no matter how
many times I read it,
Houyhnhnm's Guide to Magical
Arcana never gets boring.
If you say so.
I've got another letter
for you from Sires Hollow.
Mm-hmm. Sure thing.
What's this?
Could I be experiencing the
Cerebration Transmogrification
Effect described in Chapter ?
Oh, my cutie mark is glowing.
My cutie mark is glowing!
I know what this means!
Why am I yelling?
♪ My little pony,
my little pony ♪
♪ Aaaahhh ♪
♪ My little Pony ♪
♪ I used to wonder what
friendship could be. ♪
♪ My Little Pony ♪
♪ Until you all shared
its magic with me. ♪
♪ Big adventure! ♪
♪ Tons of fun ♪
♪ A beautiful heart! ♪ ♪
Faithful and strong! ♪
♪ Sharing kindness ♪
♪ it's an easy feat ♪
♪ And magic makes it
all complete! ♪
♪ To have my little pony ♪
♪ Do you know you're all
my very best friends? ♪
♪ ..friends? ♪
Princess Twilight,
what an honor this is.
I mean, it is, right?
I'm called for a
friendship mission?
You sure are.
And it must be
a special one.
Nopony outside of Ponyville
has ever been called before.
If you need some
pointers, let me know.
I've been on my fair
share of missions.
You've been on
one, Spike.
And that's my
fair share.
Starlight!
You mean we've
both been called?
This is great!
Yeah. Great.
Aren't you excited?
You and me!
On a mission!
Together.
I'm sorry, are you not excited
to go on a mission with me?
No.
No! I mean, yes.
Totally excited about
us going together,
just not so excited
about where.
Sires Hollow?
Yep. Home.
Oh. Great.
You know, I can go if
you two don't want to.
I am kind of an expert.
It's not that I don't
want to go home,
it's just that whenever I do,
my dad treats me like a filly,
like nothing's changed
since I was a foal.
Huh.
I know.
I'm a horrible
daughter.
No, no.
My mom actually does
kind of the same thing.
Really?
I don't even have to go home.
She sends me
letters constantly
asking about my plans
for the future.
"You're a grown-up pony,
Sunburst. You need a plan."
I haven't been home
in a while either.
Hm. We'll just have to
explain to our parents
that we're on an important
friendship mission,
so they can't bother us.
Do you think
that will work?
Nope!
The great
thing about home is
it always stays
just how you left...
OH!
Where did that come from?
Welcome to Sires Hollow.
Essence?
Essence of what?
You tell me.
What is it?
Ah. Chocolate? Maybe?
Not chocolate maybe.
Chocolate definitely.
And all of the benefits
with none of the drawbacks.
Didn't this used to
be a fruit stand?
I don't know what
it used to be.
The Sires Hollow Development
Committee determined what it is.
The Sires Hollow
Development what?
Where do ponies buy fruit?
You can get a fruit
smoothie two doors down.
All the shops are different.
Everything's changed!
Not everything.
That's the same as it ever was.
Sorry, our bookstore's
been declared a
"site of historical
significance"
by the Sires Hollow
Preservation Society.
You'll have to experience
the books from here.
That's why windows
are see-through.
WHAT?
Preservation Society?
What is happening around here?
I'll explain it to
you, Sugar-Plum.
You are just as
cutsie-wootsie as ever!
Dad!
Quit it!
What is going on?
Oh! Just a father wanting to
preserve our town's rich history
for his little
Pumpkie-Wumpkin.
Dad. You promised no
pumpkie-wumpkins in public.
Sorry, Chipmunk Cheeks.
Don't.
You're preserving
the whole town?
That's crazy.
That's exactly
what I told him.
I said, "Firelight,
you're crazy."
Mom?
Our village needs the
same thing you do, Sunburst:
a clear plan
for the future.
That's why I started the Sires
Hollow Development Committee.
And I've got plans
for this little town.
Big plans.
Listen here, Stellar Flare; I'm
not going to let you
turn our historical heritage
into Las Pegasus!
And I'm not going to let
you turn it into a museum!
Wait.
Are you two fighting over this?
Like, having a
friendship problem?
Oh, there's no problem.
Because there is
no friendship.
Well, the good news is
we know why we're here.
Maybe we should have
sent Spike after all.
Sunburst and I were
called here to do a job
and it looks like
you two are it.
You mean your success
depends on us?
Uh...
And you have to hang out with
us the whole time you're here?
Um...
Well, I'll hear what
you have to say,
but every plan I've
made for this town
is perfectly reasonable.
Good luck convincing me
my preservations efforts
don't make sense.
Welcome to Sires Hollow.
So we can't hold the books?
Ha ha ha ha ha ha. No.
Can you hold the books?
No.
So nopony can
read the books?
Isn't she adorable?
Welcome to Sires Hollow.
You can call them smells,
but I call them essence!
Fruity.
Too bad there's nowhere
to get actual fruit.
In the future, all ponies
will drink their fruit.
One hundred percent
ancient pony grains.
Just like the town
founders ate.
Hope you like crust!
Welcome to Sires Hollow.
Welcome to Sires Hollow.
Welcome to Sires Hollow.
Welcome to Sires Hollow.
Welcome to...
OK, it's annoying. I get it.
Maybe my preservation efforts
were a little over the top.
Oh no.
And I might have been
trying to turn the town
into a shopping mall.
Well, whatever direction
the town takes, from now on
how about we work
together on it?
Deal!
Sunburst, you should
move closer to Ponyville.
After this success, I'm sure
the Princess of Friendship
will want to send you
on more missions.
That's not really
how it works.
Oh, look at the time.
We should get going,
now that we've solved
the friendship problem!
Right, Starlight?
Yeah. The thing is, I don't
think we did solve it.
When we solve a
friendship problem,
our cutie marks are
supposed to glow.
Aww, don't be
disappointed, Puddin'.
Your papa will work
this out for ya.
My papa wasn't called by the
map in Twilight's castle; I was.
How are you going to explain
this to the princess?
What's your plan if she fires
you from friendship quests?
Mom!
She doesn't...
It's not...
Use your words, Sunburst.
I guess you two
weren't the problem
we were sent to
solve, after all.
So now you don't even
know why you're here?
We have to figure this out
before we run out of time!
Mom. There
isn't a time limit.
So you're here for
an extra-long visit?
You can stay in your
old room, Punkie-Wunk.
It's just like you left it!
We need to find this
friendship problem now.
Now, I know you have
your little job to do,
but Stellar and I know the
town a lot better than you two.
That's right.
Neither of you have
been home in ages.
You're going to need
our help to succeed.
I guess that
makes sense.
I already have
some ideas.
Me too!
I think I liked it better
when they were fighting.
OK.
Now that I've explained how
Sires Hollow was founded,
we can start to explore all the
possible friendship problems
that might have
developed over time.
I appreciate the
history lesson, Dad,
but I need to find
the problem now...
in the present.
Aw, now Hon-Bun, how
are you gonna do that
without all the
backstory, huh?
Oh, of course I know
how hard it is for you
to sit still and focus, so...
Would it help you pay attention
to hold on to your bwankie?
Now you've had a little
setback, but don't worry.
I know exactly what
you need to do.
Make a plan?
Already got one.
Step one: interview
the suspects.
Step two: use your talents
to solve the issue.
Step three: get the
Princess of Friendship
to send you on
more missions!
Mom! IT DOES NOT
WORK LIKE THAT.
Uh-huh!
UHH. AHEM.
Oh, thank goodness you are here.
These two ponies refuse
to use my essences.
Maybe because we don't like
to cover our natural scent.
UGH! AHEM!
And she refuses
to buy our books.
Surely this is a
friendship problem.
It needs to be a real
friendship problem.
You can't just make one up!
URGH!
This is what happens
when we don't rehearse!
UGH.
Starlight?
Sweetie?
I found a really old town
bylaw that nopony agrees on.
Apparently, we're not
supposed to prance
or canter after dinnertime.
Could that be the problem?
Sillyfilly?
Phew.
What are you doing?
Hiding from my mother.
She started making up friendship
problems for me to solve.
My dad won't even let
me talk to anypony,
in case they're "strangers."
I'm A GROWN MARE!
We're never going to find
the friendship problem
with them around,
let alone solve it.
Maybe you two should start
looking for it on your own?
OK, so we wanted to talk to all
of you, you know, in private.
Just to see if there were
issues any of you had
with your friends.
Got it.
Just one question.
Why are we whispering?
They're avoiding their parents.
Ohhh!
No. Not avoiding.
Just taking a break.
Yeah.
We needed to focus, but we're
definitely not avoiding them.
So you're whispering
with all of us
in the darkest corner
of the shop,
where nopony can
possibly see
because you're
not avoiding them?
Mm-hmm!
But they definitely can't
hear us in here, right?
No way!
This is the
antiquities section.
Nopony ever comes
back here.
There you are!
But what are you doing in here?
Is the
friendship problem
in my favorite section
of the book store?
And then I
thought the best way
to look for a friendship
problem in the present...
Dad!
Was to look back in our
town history even farther!
Sunburst!
Finally.
Now, I know you don't want
me to "make up" a problem,
but what if I START one?
That's not how this...
I mean, no pony ever became
a success by following
all the rules, right?
How are things
on your end?
Couldn't be better.
New leads and such!
Guys?
We really are providing
excellent assistance, aren't we?
Guys!
I dare say our children should
be grateful for our help.
GUYS!
- We don't want your help!
- We don't want your help!
I'm sorry, you
don't want our help?
That's... that's
ridiculous.
What reason could you
possibly have for that?
BECAUSE YOU'RE DRIVING US CRAZY!
Oh, really?
And just how am I
driving you crazy?
By always coming up with plans!
I don't need a plan!
I mean, maybe I do, but
it'll be mine, not yours.
Well, I'm sorry
for trying to help!
And you're not any better.
I'm not a filly.
I'm a grown pony with a job to
do and I'll do it on my own.
Well, I'll let you
get to it, then.
Great.
Now we have to smooth things
over with our parents
on top of finding and solving
a friendship problem.
It's almost like our
relationship with our parents
is the friendship problem.
You don't think
that's it, do you?
Ahem.
That's what all
of us think.
Agh!
Why couldn't we have been sent
to stop a w*r or something?
Dad?
Hello, Ms. Glimmer.
How is your friendship
problem search going?
I only ask as an
interested observer,
since I know you are an
adult who's capable
of doing things without
help from anypony else.
Actually, I think Sunburst
and I figured out what it is.
So, Stellar and I weren't
really helpful after all.
Well, we haven't
actually solved it.
And I don't think we can.
Not without you.
Pungent!
Oh, did you come by
to be driven crazy
by more of your mother's plans?
No, I came to apologize.
Well, it's going to take
more than an apology
to make up for telling me
you don't want my help
finding your friendship problem.
Oh, I'm not sorry for that.
Starlight and I already figured
out what the problem is.
This is a terrible apology.
Well, if you come with
me and help fix it,
I'll give you a better one.
Usually, Twilight or one of
our other friends gets called
to a place with a
friendship problem to fix.
But Starlight and I
realized we came here
to fix a friendship
problem we already had.
I'm sorry I've been
avoiding coming home, Dad,
but you can't keep
treating me like a foal.
I'm sorry, Sugarbun!
I just know how hard things
were for you when you left home.
I guess I wanted you to feel
safe, like when you were young.
Dad, I know I've
made some mistakes,
and I'll probably
make a bunch more,
but I learn from them.
I think that's
what growing up is.
I'm sorry I never told you how
much your plans bothered me,
and I know you just
want me to succeed,
but I need to do
that on my own.
I remember how
lost you were
when you flunked out
of magic school.
I thought as long
as you had a plan,
you'd never feel
that way again.
You don't have to worry, Mom.
I need to find my own way,
but I definitely don't
feel lost anymore.
It's so beautiful!
The glowing cutie mark is such
a symbol of accomplishment.
I don't suppose
there's a way for you
to get it to glow all the time.
Heh heh. Pretty sure it
doesn't work that way.
Not unless we solved a
friendship problem every few
seconds, and I kinda hope this
one will be it for a while.
You know, it seems to me your
map is saying we're not just
your parents; we're
your friends too.
I guess so.
So, if I promise to treat you
less like a little filly
and more like a friend,
will you visit more?
Absolutely.
And if you start to
drive me crazy again,
I'll tell you instead
of never coming home.
That's lovely of you to
say, dear, but you know,
I can always visit you.
Stellar, you're a genius!
Ha ha ha!
How do you feel
about a road trip?
I might have a few
plans for that.
♪ My Little Pony ♪
♪♪
♪ My Little Pony ♪
♪♪
♪ My Little Pony ♪
♪ Friends ♪