Princess Twinkle Star was awakened by Princesses Ivy and Morning Glory talking
in the room next door.
"Anyway, I started laughing because it reminded me of that pig the other day, and
he starts looking at me like I'm crazy..."
"Oh, Morning Glory, why did you start laughing? Now he'll never ask you
out!"
"But, listen. I told him why I was laughing, and it turns out he saw that pig too!
And..."
Twinkle Star looked at the clock, saw that it was time to be waking up, and
dragged herself out of bed. After a quick tooth-brushing, she trotted out of the room.
"Hey, Twinkle Star!" called Ivy. "Did you hear about that gorgeous guy Morning
Glory met yesterday? He--"
"Sorry, I gotta go. I'm visiting the Bushwoolies today. See you later!" Twinkle
Star spread her sparkling wings and flew through the doors of Friendship Castle.
Twinkle Star had devised a method of getting places more efficiently. She would
fly for five minutes, then walk for five minutes, and so on. It saved wear-and-tear on her legs and
wings. While she traveled the fairly long distance, she sang her current favorite songs, which
would change about once a month. Traveling provided a good opportunity to sing without
annoying the ponies around her.
After passing the Royal Paradise ("Hmm, it looks a lot like Friendship Castle."),
the Pokemon Center ("Oh, I have to go there sometime and find out if I can get one of those cute
Flareons!"), and the Satin Slipper Sweet Shop ("That's so funny, the way it's shaped like a shoe."),
Twinkle Star reached the Bushwoolie holes. She trotted eagerly toward the home of the
charming creatures. The area was unusually quiet; most of the time it was bustling with busy
Bushwoolies. In fact, the only area with any sound seemed to be one large Bushwoolie
hole.
Princess Twinkle Star stepped into the hole. Inside, Jolly the Bushwoolie was
surrounded by young Bushwoolies. For the first time Twinkle Star had ever seen, Jolly did not
look jolly at all.
"What's the matter, Jolly?" she asked with a concerned frown. An unhappy
Bushwoolie was very unusual.
"Everybody else is at the fair," the glum creature explained. "I can't go because
it's my turn to baby-sit. And I was looking forward to the fair so much!"
"Oh, that's too bad," sympathized the princess. "Hey, maybe I could watch them
for a few hours while you go and enjoy yourself."
"You'd do that for me?" Jolly asked, brightening already.
"Sure," answered Twinkle Star. "I love baby Bushwoolies."
Jolly set off looking much more like himself. Twinkle Star grinned at the little
Bushwoolies. "Would anyone like a ride?' she queried.
"Yes, yes, ride, yeah, ride!" came the chorus of answers. Twinkle Star was
immediately surrounded by clamoring furry shapes.
"Wait a minute!" Twinkle Star protested. "I can only take three at a time! Get in
a line, please!"
After ten minutes, she created a somewhat organized line of jostling youngsters.
"Okay, now I'll give rides."
The first five times it was fun carrying the tiny Bushwoolies up into the air and
hearing their shouts of excitement. After fifteen times, it began to get a little bit boring. By the
time each Bushwoolie had gotten two rides, Twinkle Star was exhausted.
"You know, I think we should do something else now," she suggested. Being
Bushwoolies, the little ones agreed readily. "What would you like to do now?"
A few Bushwoolies mentioned being hungry, and soon the whole crowd began to
chant their request for food. "All right, all right! We'll bake some cookies," Twinkle Star
decided. The Bushwoolies streamed into the kitchen, along with their frazzled baby-sitter.
"You get the eggs, you get milk, you two get the flour-- oh, don't spill it! Wait a
minute, be careful with those eggs! No, not that kind of flower!"
The baby Bushwoolies eventually assembled the ingredients, and Princess Twinkle
Star combined them in a mixing bowl. After setting the cookies in the oven, she surveyed the
kitchen. It was a mess!
"Okay, guys, I'm going to clean up the kitchen. Why don't you... umm... practice
mental telepathy," she suggested.
"Yeah! Mental telepathy! Let's go! Yeah, telepathy! Come on!" A couple of
Bushwoolies asked what mental telepathy was. Princess Twinkle Star addressed the group.
"All right, you're going to sit in a circle, close your eyes, and try to read each
other's thoughts. You have to concentrate really hard." The Bushwoolies repeated her sentences
and grasped the concept. In a few minutes, all was quiet except for the noises of Twinkle Star
cleaning up.
Just as she finished getting the kitchen relatively neat, the oven made a noise to
signal the cookies being finished. A weary Princess Twinkle Star doled out cookies to the
enthusiastic Bushwoolies. After getting crumbs all over the kitchen, they agreed to take a
nap.
Princess Twinkle Star flopped onto the floor. She grinned at the sound of
Bushwoolies snoring softly. After what seemed like five minutes of much-needed rest, the quiet
was broken by the return of Jolly. "Hi, hi! Wow, the fair was great, yeah. Rides, and treats, and
all kinds of fun, yup yup. Thanks for baby-sitting for me, thanks a lot."
"No problem, Jolly," returned Twinkle Star. "But I think I'd better be getting
home now. It's been quite an afternoon."
Princess Twinkle Star hummed as she began the trek home. She knew that when
she got there, she would have to listen to the tale of Morning Glory and the gorgeous guy. She
wouldn't mind that much, though. After all, she had a story of her own to tell.