> A Very Minty Summer Sun Celebration > by Zobeid > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 01 - Balloon Ride > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Four tiny, pony-like creatures with dragonfly wings and butterfly antenna spiraled upward into the not-quite-summer sky. Breezy ponies normally found little to interest them high in the sky, preferring to flit through the trees and across the flowery fields, but the balloon was a cheerful beacon of bright yellow color luring them upward into the vast empty spaces of the air. Their tiny wings shimmered in the sunlight, humming with magic as they ascended. They skimmed around a popcorn puff of cloud, sending the mist swirling and scattering with musical laughter. Tiddly Wink called out, “Zipzee! The balloon, don’t lose sight of it!” “Oh, right!” Zipzee stopped suddenly, and the other breezies easily fell into hovering formation on either side. It was only a moment before Zipzee grinned and pointed with a yellow hoof. “There! Let’s go!” Away they buzzed once more. The wicker basket suspended underneath the balloon held two ponies, one entirely pink and the other mint green with a pale pink mane and tail, their faces lighting up when they spotted the little visitors circling them. “Hii!” came the chorus of greetings from the breezies as they stopped and hovered. The pink pony bounced in place, rocking the basket slightly, her front hooves supporting her on the edge. “Breezies! Minty, look!” The green pony grinned and said, “I see them. Hello, little breezies!” “Hello big ponies!” answered the yellow one. “I’m Zipzee. And these are Honeydew Hum, and Tiddly Wink, and Azalea Bloom.” Each breezy did a little mid-air spin as her name was spoken. “Hii!” the pink pony responded in kind. “I’m Pinkie Pie, and this is my bestest friend in the world, Minty!” “Cool! What’s up?” said Zipzee, but then was thumped with a hoof. “Oww, what?” Zipzee rubbed the back of her head and glared at Azalea. Azalea Bloom bobbed slightly, performing an aerial maneuver that could pass for a curtsy, which the other breezies mimicked, and she said, “What Zipzee meant to say is… We’re pleased to meet you. What brings you up so high in the sky on this beautiful sunny day?” “We’re taking a trip to visit Unicornia!” Pinkie Pie answered. Smiles faded, and the breezies looked to one another in confusion. They huddled together and discussed the matter in tiny voices that Pinkie and Minty strained to hear. After some moments they seemed to reach a conclusion, and they each hovered facing Pinkie and Minty again. Zipzee piped up, “That’s the city where all the Unicorns live, right?” Minty laughed a bubbly laugh, while Pinkie Pie buried her face between her front hooves for a moment before wondering, “Did the name give it away?” Meanwhile Honeydew Hum had flittered into the basket and was staring at the symbol on Pinkie Pie’s hip. “Balloons! You must be the pilot.” Pinkie blinked. “What? Nono… Those are party balloons. My cutie mark means I like to throw parties and make ponies happy. It’s my special talent.” Minty laughed and added, “Yeah, I’m the pilot! I love flying. It’s the only way to travel. And out of all the ponies in Ponyville, I’m the expert when it comes to balloons.” Honeydew cast a skeptical glance at the image of mint candies adorning Minty’s hip, but held her tongue. Tiddly Wink moved forward and said, “I saw a unicorn once! But why are you going to Unicornia?“ Minty explained, “The unicorns use their magic to raise the sun in the sky every day. But tomorrow is a special day, it’s the first day of summer — and it’s the longest day of the year. They have a huge festival, they call it the Summer Sun Celebration. And we’re going to see it.” Pinkie Pie added, “We’re gonna party all the live-long day. It’s gonna be fantabulous. Would you breezies like to come with us? There’s plenty of room in the basket — the more the merrier!” “Yay! Let’s go!” cheered the breezies — or most of them — and they started to do a joyful aerial dance. “No! Stop that!” cried Azalea Bloom. The other three breezies bumped into one another as they came to a confused stop. “We can’t go flying away now, there’s work to be done back home in Breezy Blossom. If we disappear, none of our friends would even know where we’ve gone.” “Awww…” said the other breezies, plus Pinkie Pie. Azalea Bloom fluttered forward to look at Pinkie Pie and said, “It sounds wonderful, and I wish we could come along, but we really can’t.” Minty awwwed too, but Pinkie said, “It’s okay, I understand. Minty, why don’t you give them some candy to take home?” Minty perked up. “That’s a great idea! You can each have a piece.” She reached down into the bottom of the wicker basket and hooked her hoof around a bag, pulling it closer. She stuck her muzzle into the opening and pulled out one piece after another of wrapped candy: a bonbon, a taffy and a couple of (her favorite) peppermints, until each breezy clutched in her hooves a candy almost as big as her head. Their wings buzzed with the effort of supporting what was, for them, a hefty load. “Thank you! Thank you!” they chirped. Then Azalea fluttered back to Minty and said, “Hold still for a moment!” “Huh?” said Minty, going cross-eyed as she tried to focus on the hovering breezy. Azalea darted forward and touched her antennae to Minty’s forehead, releasing a golden spark of magic. Minty blinked and laughed. “What was that?” Azalea giggled and said, “Breezy magic! It’ll bring good luck on your journey.” The other breezies nodded and each darted forward to give a spark of their own magic: Tiddly Wink to Minty, Zipzee and Honeydew Hum to Pinkie Pie. “Ooh… It feels tingly!” Pinkie said. “Thank you!” “Now we’d better fly home,” said Azalea, “before we drift too far and lose sight of Breezy Blossom!” The other three breezies lined up in formation by her side. “Byee!” they called. Pinkie Pie and Minty both waved. “It’s been fun seeing you, little breezies!” called Pinkie. “Enjoy the candy!” added Minty. They watched as the tiny ponies spiraled downward toward the earth and soon disappeared from view. Pinkie Pie sighed contentedly. “That was so nice! It’s too bad they couldn’t come along.” Minty nodded, smiling. “And I got to give away some candy. I love doing that, it’s even better than eating it.” Pinkie peered over the edge of the basket at the green forest and wilderness silently sliding past. It was peaceful, relaxing. Pinkie Pie was not a pony who usually devoted much time to relaxation, but even she wasn’t immune to the spell cast by the sweet air of late spring, the morning sunlight, and the beautiful, panoramic view of the blue sky and the puffy white clouds casting shadows on the green lands below. Her eyelids drooped and she smiled softly as she gazed at the hazy blue mountains on the horizon. Surely all was right with the world. Something nagged at her, though. A little itch right between her withers where she couldn’t scratch seemed to be telling her something wasn’t exactly right. She turned her head, eyes scanning the horizon. After a while she spoke, “Minty? Where are we?” Minty laughed in her usual bubbly-sounding way, although Pinkie thought she heard a nervous undertone as well. “Still on course for Unicornia! Umm… Why do you ask?” Pinkie looked around the horizon again and said, “I don’t recognize any landmarks. It shouldn’t be this far. I mean, you can see the High Castle from Ponyville on a clear day, if you know just where to look.” Minty fidgeted. “We’re just, umm, taking the scenic route, because a longer balloon ride is more fun. You just leave the navigating to me, Pinkie Pie! I’ve got this all figured out. I even went to the library and got a map from Story Belle before we left. When it comes to ballooning, I’m as sly as a duck!” “Minty… Foxes are sly. Ducks are all wet.” That only prompted another nervous laugh from Minty. Pinkie moved closer and said, “Can I look at the map? Pleeease?” Minty stammered, “I… uh… I don’t have it out. I rolled it up in a sock.” Pinkie poked around the interior of the basket, then nosed open Minty’s saddlebags to peek inside, but found them almost empty. “I don’t see any socks here,” she concluded. “Of course not! I keep my socks at home in my sock drawer.” Pinkie Pie facehoofed. “So… You don’t really have a map, do you?” “I do! I looked it over before we left. It’s all up here.” Minty thumped the side of her head. Pinkie Pie facehoofed again, and whimpered softly. “Okay, so maaaybe we could be just an eensy-weensy bit lost. But what’s the worst that could happen? We’ll just land somewhere and ask for directions, right?” “What’s the worst that could happen?” Pinkie pondered. “Well… We could drift into drizzly Dankendreer and never see the sun again. Or this balloon could drop us right into the smoldering crater of Mount Badass. Or we could land in the middle of a bunch of griffins, or troggles, or manticores, or — mph!” A green hoof pressed against her mouth. “You worry too much! You just watch, I’m going to steer this balloon to a safe landing.” Minty took her hoof away from Pinkie’s mouth. “…or stratodons! Or we could get caught up in a thunderstorm and our balloon ripped to shreds.” Minty groaned, exasperated. “Why do you think of such horrible things, Pinkie Pie?” Pinkie pointed with a hoof, and Minty turned to see what she was looking at: a towering storm cloud that had bubbled up while the ponies argued. One of the puffy clouds they’d been drifting among had transformed, its top rising high into the atmosphere and forming an anvil head. At the other end, its base was shrouded in blue-gray shadows and rain. As the two ponies stared, lightning flared through the cloud, followed moments later by thunder. “Wow, that’s… a big one,” Minty admitted. “Steer us away from it, Minty! Steer us away!” “Right!” Minty grabbed the balloon’s control line in her mouth and tugged. Pinkie Pie leaned over the edge of the basket, peering towards the ground, trying to estimate the motion of the balloon by its shadow passing across the tree tops. Soon enough it became apparent that the balloon was moving towards the storm cloud rather than away from it. She called out, “Whatever you’re doing, Minty, it’s not working!” “I’m trying, I’m trying!” came the response. “The wind’s got us, I can’t fight it.” The balloon swayed and turned as turbulent air currents swirled around it, alternating gusts of hot and cold, and the sun was blotted out by the looming storm cloud. Pinkie Pie whimpered and peered over the edge of the basket, then back towards the storm cloud, which by now was looking more like a dark wall in the sky. Lightning flared again, followed immediately by a clap of thunder much louder than before. Pinkie blinked, spots in her eyes. “Whuh?” She rubbed her eyes and then squinted into the roiling murk. Were those specks after-images from the lightning, or was something flying out there? A gust of wind pitched the basket, breaking Minty’s grip on the control line, and she tumbled backward into the wicker basket. Her head thumped the bag of candies. Minty’s eye focused on a cherry sour as it bounced around the floor of the basket. Then she turned her wind-stung eyes upward towards a pink shape. A voice called down, “Minty, quit playing around and get up here! There’s pegasus ponies here, they’re fighting the storm.” Minty flailed about with her hooves for a moment, then managed to get upright and look to where Pinkie Pie was pointing. “I… I see them! They’re trying to get the storm under control, we’re saved!” Pinky wasn’t smiling yet. “I dunno… It doesn’t look like there’s anywhere near enough of them to control it.” Then she leaned over the edge of the basket and waved her hooves and yelled out, “HELP! OVER HERE, OVER HERE!” It wasn’t clear whether any pegasus would hear her cries over the dull roar of the storm and thunder rumbling, but she kept yelling, and Minty joined in. Whether it was their yelling that did the trick or, more likely, the huge yellow orb of the balloon’s gas bag that caught their attention, a white pegasus soon began winging towards them. “Oh thank goodness!” Pinkie gasped. “All that yelling was making me a little hoarse.” Minty groaned and punched Pinkie in the shoulder, lightly, but the pink pony only giggled. The white pegasus pony came to a hover near the basket — with difficulty, furiously beating her huge wings against the turbulent wind. She was somewhat larger than a typical pegasus mare, and her wing span seemed to be about double the norm. Her mane and tail whipped about wildly. “Are you all right?” she called out with a firm and calm voice. “No!” Pinkie yelled back. “Help us get away from the storm! Please! Pretty please with sugar on it!” Another gust of wind swung the basket wildly. Cherry sours bounced around the basket, and Minty was pelted in the face with bon-bons. “I’ll try! Hang on tight!” yelled the pegasus, then she flew up to the side of the balloon’s airbag and put her head and fore-hooves up against it, flapped her wings hard, and tried to push the balloon away from the storm cloud. It seemed for a few moments as though she was making progress, but then a gust shifted and twisted the balloon to the side, and the pegasus was forced to back off and come at it again with a fresh purchase. A shower of peculiar hailstones pelted the balloon; large but fluffy they were, half ice and half cloudstuff. A bolt of lightning exploded close by the balloon, nearly deafening the ponies and scaring them witless. “My candy!” yelled Minty as she tried to gather up some spearmint swirls with her hooves. The balloon twisted around again and was grabbed by a strong updraft, giving the pegasus a hard shove back. She snorted in frustration and flapped hard to match its rate of ascent, but a strong gust at the wrong moment flung her into the rigging between the air bag and the basket. She struggled to untangle herself. Then it hit. A blue aura began to glow around the entire balloon, along with a sizzling sound, and all three ponies felt the tingle of electricity. A gigantic lightning bolt exploded. The blinding light faded into a snaking line of fireballs in the sky, like a string of beads. Then everything faded to black for the three ponies. Minty woke first, finding herself slumped against Pinkie Pie in the bottom of the basket. Her head hurt, and she had a funny tingly feeling like parts of her body still wanted to stay asleep. She tried moving her legs. Then she nudged Pinkie Pie with a hoof. Pinkie moaned softly and muttered, “rainbow dash always dresses in style” Minty growled and gave her a harder shake. “Pinkie Pie, wake up!” Pinkie muttered, “nnn… birthday present for kimono” Minty bit down on Pinkie’s ear and pulled. “Aaah! Minty, no! Not the ear! I’m awake.” Minty said, “Great! Let’s see where we are.” She got herself upright in the basket and looked around. She looked over the edge of the basket and said, “Hey, at least we didn’t crash; we’re still up in the air.” Then she looked up and gasped. “Oh my!” Pinkie didn’t like the sound of that. Still feeling dazed, she clambered to her feet and found the white pegasus mare still tangled precariously from the balloon’s rigging lines, unconscious, her body slumped onto the shelf that served as the balloon’s rigging deck. Minty gawped and then said, “Pinkie, we caught a pegasus! How cool is that? Can I keep her?” Pinkie facehoofed. “No, Minty! We need to get her down from there. If she falls without waking up, she could die. Careful, careful!” Working with their mouths and hooves, it took a while to get the pegasus pony’s legs and wings unhooked from the cords and drop her into the basket — which had already been cozy for two ponies. It didn’t help that their guest was rather large, seemingly built more like an earth pony than a typical pegasus. Her wings were particularly oversized, the largest either of them had seen on a pegasus mare. Her coat was white, her mane unusually streaked with different colors: silver, blue and pink. Her cutie mark looked like a heart with blue sparkles swirling around it, and she also had an elaborate lavender squiggle, vaguely heart-shaped, dyed into the fur of her forehead about where a unicorn’s horn would be. “I think I recognize her,” said Pinkie Pie. “This is Star Catcher! She’s the leader of Butterfly Island; she’s like their mayor or something. She brought a bunch of her pegasus friends to a party in Ponyville that one time, remember?” “I remember! Yay! We caught a VIP!” Pinkie put a hoof on Star Catcher’s shoulder and shook her gently. “Wake up, Star Catcher!” There was no response. Pinkie gave her a harder shake and said, “Please be okay!” After watching for a few moments, Minty leaned toward Star Catcher’s ear, clamped her jaws on it and pulled. The pegasus jerked awake. “Aaah! What what?” Then she started flailing her limbs trying to get upright. At the same time Minty and Pinkie Pie shuffled around, trying to keep from getting kicked or smacked in the face by an oversized wing. After some moments of thrashing about, Star Catcher managed to get upright on her hooves with her wings furled, and the three ponies caught their breath, with only a few bruises to go around. “Hii!” said Pinkie. “I’m Pinkie Pie, and this is Minty, and I think you’re Star Catcher aren’t you? We’re on a trip to Unicornia but we don’t really know which way it is, and we got caught in the storm, and we’re really grateful that you helped us — I mean tried to anyhow.” “Oh,” Star Catcher sighed, then paused a moment to gather her wits. When she next spoke, her voice and manner of speech were kindly and soothing, as reassuring as a mother comforting her foals. “You’re quite welcome, dears. Where is the storm cloud, I wonder? I don’t see it.” They looked around. “I don’t see it either,” said Minty. “I wonder how long we were asleep?” “I’ve never seen a lightning discharge before like the one that hit us,” Star Catcher admitted. “But it seems to have caused no permanent damage to speak of. I suppose I should return to my duties and let the weather crew know that I’m all right.” “Oh no no!” cried Pinkie. “Please help us figure out where we are, at least!” Star Catcher closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and said, “Of course, dears. I can hardly leave you adrift, can I? Let us take a look around and get our bearings, shall we?” She scanned the horizon, then spotted a glint of water in the distance. “There! That must be Eagle Claw Lake. And that means… Hm. There, I can see the Fairy Hills to the north of it. And judging by the position of the sun… Aha! Unicornia should be that way, to our northwest!” She nodded to emphasize the direction. The two earth ponies marveled at Star Catcher’s knowledge of geography. However, Minty objected, “The balloon is going the wrong way. We’ll have to try and fight the wind.” “Oh no, dear!” said Star Catcher. “You’ll exhaust the balloon’s magical enchantments doing that. Let’s gain some altitude! Wind blows in other directions at different altitudes. We need only climb until we find a current going the way we want, and use the balloon’s magic merely to fine-tune the direction.” Minty gasped. “But that’s brilliant! Why didn’t I ever think of that?” Pinkie Pie laughed! “Maybe it takes a pegasus to think of things like that.” Star Catcher nodded and agreed. “We do know the ways of the air. Would you let me travel with you to your destination and make sure you arrive safely?” “Yes, yes!” said the earth ponies. Minty and Pinkie Pie seemed almost giddy — which is to say, more than usual — at having Star Catcher along to guide them. Her mere presence brought forth feelings of safety and reassurance. For her own part, the pegasus kept peering over the side of the basket towards the ground passing below. Pinkie eventually noticed and asked, “Star Catcher, what do you see?” She replied, “I had no idea there were so many roads and farms in this countryside. It almost seems as though they’ve sprung up overnight from the wilderness.” The other two ponies stretched their heads over the side of the basket, following her gaze. Minty said, “That’s great, isn’t it? Ponyland is growing. umm… I mean Equestria, even!” Star Catcher giggled softly. “Still getting used to saying that, are we?” Minty and Pinkie both laughed, nodding. Then Pinkie said, “That’s sorta why we’re going to the Summer Sun Celebration this year. We don’t have to get permission from the unicorns to go to their city anymore. They can be all like, ‘What are you mud ponies doing here?’, and then we can be like, ‘Hey it’s all one country now, and we have as much right to be here as anypony. You can’t keep the big party all to yourselves anymore.’” “I love crashing parties!” chimed Minty with another bubbly laugh. “You’re always invited to my parties, Minty,” Pinkie said. “I’m sure you two will make quite an impression on them,” Star Catcher opined. Then she looked up, smiled and pointed. “Girls, look at that mountain! That’s the Canterhorn. We just need to steer around it, and the High Castle of Unicornia should come into view on the other side.” “Yaaay!” cheered the earth ponies, and Minty started tugging on the balloon’s control lines with her teeth. As the balloon drifted, white spires and towers came into view perched on the side of the mountain. Pinkie Pie bounced with excitement. “That’s the High Castle!” she squealed. “Isn’t it amazing? I had no idea it was so amazing.” Star Catcher stared. She’d never been to Unicornia before, but she’d seen other unicorn-built castles, and none of them had looked like this. They usually were blocky rectangular constructs with heavy round towers at each corner, and everything painted in garish rainbow colors. This soaring, gleaming white, architectural fantasy of delicate spires, arches and minarets was utterly unlike what she’d expected. More than anything else in her experience it resembled Commander Hurricane’s cloud castle. Minty seemed surprised too. She turned loose the controls for a moment and said, “It looks so different up close. I could see the castle way off in the distance when I climbed the windmill tower back in Ponyville, but it wasn’t anything like this.” Below the castle spread the city. Star Catcher noticed colorful specks flitting above the rooftops. “I’m surprised to see so many pegasus ponies are here,” she said. Then she pointed. “Look over there! Balloons! That must be the landing field. Minty, steer us towards it!” “Mmphl mrph!” replied Minty through a mouthful of control handle. She tugged and the balloon started to turn and descend. “I’ll fly ahead and alert the ground crews — and give you some room to work,” Star Catcher said. Then she leapt out of the wicker basket and spread her wings, gliding easily to the balloon landing field. She alighted in an open space, stretched her legs and wings for a moment, then turned and looked upward to see how the others were doing. Pinkie Pie was trying to offer advice. “Steer us further left. Not that left, Minty! Your other left!” “Mrrrphle!” growled Minty. Star Catcher sighed as she saw the balloon was about to completely miss the airfield. She spread her wings and took flight again, and went to head-butt the side of the air bag just as she’d done during the storm. This time, in the calm air over the city, it worked. She nudged the balloon back on course and brought it to a gentle landing where it belonged. A pair of unicorn stallions trotted up and tethered the basket so the balloon couldn’t get away. Once it was secure, one of the unicorns spoke up briskly, saying, “You may disembark, ladies.” Minty and Pinkie Pie grabbed their saddlebags and hopped out of the basket just as Star Catcher touched down by their side. “Welcome to Canterlot!” the stallion added. The three mares all blinked. “Welcome to what?” Star Catcher asked. The stallion blinked, surprised by their surprise. “The city of Canterlot, of course,” he said. Pinkie Pie eyed him suspiciously. “Canter Lot? Canter-a-lot? It’s… It’s like some horrible pun! Canter-canter! It sounds fast. It must be a fast-paced city. I wonder if…” Minty whined, “Isn’t this Unicornia? We were trying to land in Unicornia! We’re going to miss the Summer Sun Celebration, aren’t we?” “No, not at all!” the stallion assured her, although he still wore confusion on his face. “The festival is already underway, and the Sun Raising Ceremony is tomorrow morning. There is plenty of time for you lovely ladies to enjoy it.” “Yaaay!” cried the two earth ponies, and they started prancing around one another and laughing without a care in the world. Like happy little mud-pony idiots, Star Catcher thought to herself, although their enthusiasm was endearing. Turning to more practical thoughts, Star Catcher asked the stallion, “Could you please have the balloon recharged with magic so it will be ready for the return trip?” “Recharged?” He glanced up at the balloon dubiously. “Why, this balloon doesn’t even have a thaumic energy receiver. It’s archaic. Where did you ever find it?” Star Catcher shrugged her wings. “It’s not mine, so I can’t really say. Just be a good lad and see to it, would you please?” The stallion nudged his silent companion and said, “Let’s find Tinker. She’s got to see this! She’ll want to put it in a museum, I’ll bet.” Then the two trotted off, although Star Catcher’s gaze lingered on their departing forms. This city has much to offer, she thought. Minty nosed at Pinkie Pie. “Hey, did you hear what he called us? We’re ladies now!” “Oooh! I feel so frilly!” Then Pinkie pantomimed an elaborate curtsy, bringing forth a bubbly laugh from Minty. Pinkie then looked to the pegasus and asked, “I guess you’ll be flying back home now, Star Catcher?” “Oh. It’s been a trying day. I should probably stay overnight in the city and fly back home tomorrow. I’ve got to admit I’d like to see the Sun Raising Ceremony too.” Minty asked, “Won’t your pegasus friends wonder if you’re okay? Will they be looking for you?” Star Catcher shook her head. “I’m sure some of them must have seen your balloon and guessed that I went with you. They won’t panic for a while yet.” Besides which, she thought to herself, these two are clearly in need of adult supervision. Mentally adult, that is. “Awesome!” cried Minty. “We made a friend!” cried Pinkie Pie. “We’ll take in the festival together. The more the merrier.” > 02 - Snacks & Bits > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I’m hungry,” Minty said. “Let’s find something to eat first thing!” “That’s a great idea,” agreed Pinkie Pie. She and Minty wriggled into their saddlebags, and the three ponies together trotted off towards the fair grounds. Soon, however, their trot slowed to a walk as all three country ponies gawped shamelessly at the bustling city around them. “This is amazing,” Minty said. “Look at the streets! They’re all paved. There’s paving everywhere.” Pinkie Pie said, “I’ve never seen so many ponies wearing fancy clothes. I wish Rainbow Dash was here to see this. She’d love it. We’ve got to bring back something for her. We should bring back lots of souvenirs for everypony.” “Wow, yeah! As much as we can carry. What do you think, Star Catcher? Isn’t this amazing?” “I’ve never seen anything like it. Even Pegasopolis seems almost like a backwater compared to this,” Star Catcher admitted. Her gaze shifted to an outdoor cafe where some fashionable unicorns daintily sipped from teacups that levitated before them. In a softer tone, but still loud enough for her companions to hear, she added, “And I’ve never seen so many unicorns with their noses turned up.” Minty looked around and said, “I can see some other pegasus and earth ponies around. They must have come from all over Equestria for the festival, just like we did.” Pinkie Pie gasped and suddenly bounded forward. Her companions had to break into a gallop to catch up. She skidded to a stop in front of a fountain, and her friends moved to stand with her on either side. “Look! It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed. Streams of water jetted in all directions, arcing gracefully through the air and splashing down in the fountain pool. The fountain’s centerpiece was a bronze statue of a rather implausibly proportioned pony rearing up dramatically on its hind legs and flaring out its wings. Minty suddenly put her forelegs around Pinkie’s neck and said, “Pinkie! Don’t jump in the fountain!” “Huh? I wasn’t gonna jump in the fountain.” Minty locked eyes with Pinkie. “You were thinking it.” “I was not!” She held Minty’s gaze until the green pony turned her loose. Then Pinkie broke into a grin and leapt over the curb and into the water. “Woohooo!” she yelled as she jumped and splashed. With a hoof she scooped some water and splashed it in Minty’s direction. Minty flinched and then yelled accusingly, “Pinkie!” Pinkie Pie laughed and said, “Come on, you gave me the idea!” Minty glared for a moment longer, pretending to be angry, but then broke into a laugh and jumped into the pool to splash around with her friend. Star Catcher shielded herself from the splashing water with a wing, and waited patiently. Disapproving stares from passing unicorns compelled her to pretend she didn’t know the two earth ponies. After a while Minty and Pinkie Pie hopped out of the fountain, wet and disheveled, and shook vigorously to sling the excess water off in all directions. Looking altogether too pleased with themselves, they trotted back over to Star Catcher. They found her staring upward at the statue above the fountain. She asked, “Girls? Why does this statue have both wings and a unicorn’s horn?” The other two ponies followed Star Catcher’s gaze. “There aren’t really ponies like that, are there?” Minty asked. Star Catcher shook her head. “Not that I’ve ever heard of. It must be something symbolic to represent the pony races joining together. Although I don’t see anything that indicates an earth pony.” Both Minty and Pinkie Pie narrowed their eyes at Star Catcher. “Like what, for example?” Pinkie Pie wondered. “Err… Something like a harness collar, perhaps.” She’d actually been thinking of unshorn, mud-caked fetlocks, but she could hardly say that. “Riiight. Because earth ponies go around wearing horse collars all the time.” “Oh, I didn’t mean that! I was trying to imagine something artistically symbolic.” Pinkie Pie shrugged off the matter. “Okee dokey! So, which way do we go to the fair grounds?” Star Catcher glanced around the fountain, which rested at the intersection of several streets. “I didn’t get a good look when we were landing the balloon. Just a moment!” She spread her wings and launched herself upward above the fountain. There she hovered for a few moments and looked around. Then she darted a short distance to intercept another pegasus pony. From their viewpoint on the ground, Minty and Pinkie Pie could see the two pegasi conversing and pointing at something in the distance. Then Star Catcher descended and rejoined her friends and announced, “I’ve got it! This way, if you please?” She stretched out a wing to indicate a broad avenue. The walk was pleasant as they continued to notice the predominantly white store fronts of the city, the surprising number of streams, bridges and fountains, and a number of smaller alicorn statues, often perched like gargoyles on the rooftop corners of buildings. From time to time they had to move aside as a pony-drawn carriage came down the thoroughfare. The buildings thinned out as they came to the fair grounds. Near the entrance a fair number of carriages had been parked. The entrance itself featured a gateway with towers on either side, and many colorful banners waving lazily in the cool breeze. As the three ponies entered the fair grounds, their noses quickly drew them to the food vendors. “Look over there!” said Minty. “They have blueberry oat bars — on a stick!” “Look there!” said Pinkie Pie. “They have chocolate and caramel covered apples on a stick!” “Look! Chocolate strawberry waffles on a stick!” “Look at that! Fried ice cream on a stick!” Pinkie gasped as the implications sunk in. “Wait, how is that even possible?” “It’s maaaagic!” said Minty. Star Catcher said, “We have to try that. I adore ice cream.” Pinkie Pie glanced at Star Catcher’s ample flank and sniggered. “Really? I never would have guessed.” Star Catcher trotted over to the ice cream vendor’s stall, then paused and glanced over her shoulder. “I hope one of you dears remembered to bring some coin. I don’t have any.” “I’ve got some,” Minty said. “I even traded in a bunch of Ponyland farthings for the new Equestrian bits before we left. They shine like new money — because that’s what they are!” Star Catcher nodded with a smile. “Thank you dear!” She turned to the unicorn attending the stall and said, “Three ice creams, if you please!” The ice cream seller’s horn glowed as he levitated three thickly-breaded globes of ice cream into the fryer, briefly, then up to the counter — causing Pinkie and Minty to giggle and bounce. Even simple levitation seemed amazing to them, unaccustomed as they were to being around unicorns. The seller said, “That’ll be six bits.” Minty reached around with her muzzle into a side pocket of her bags and fished out her coin purse, then three bronze coins from it, gripped them with her lips and dropped them onto the counter. The vendor picked up the coins with his magic, but then peered at them and frowned. He said, “Ehh? I haven’t seen anything like these. They don’t have a sunburst. There’s only three horseshoes with the letters E, P and U.” “A what?” Minty asked, peering along with her friends as they tried to see what he meant. “I thought those were the new coins everypony’s gonna use now.” Star Catcher added, “And that’s the symbol of Equestria, isn’t it? E-P-U: Equestrian Ponies Unite!” The stallion bit his lip as he inspected the obverse side of the coins with even more puzzlement. Then he said, “I’m not sure what’s up with these coins. If you want to spend them, I’ll take them. But if you want my advice, I’d say take the rest to a moneychanger. You’ll get by with less hassles if you have the same coins that everybody here is familiar with.” “Thank you! That sounds like a good idea,” said Star Catcher. Then she took her ice cream by its stick and went to the wooden table nearby, followed closely by her two friends. They found the tables incorporated wooden blocks with holes in which the various food-on-a-stick items could be inserted, holding them for convenient hooves-free dining. Pinkie Pie was delighted to find the fried crust was hot and chewy, but the ice cream inside was still frozen — and nicely soft. Star Catcher broke open the crust on hers and lapped happily at the strawberry ice cream. All three ponies made short work of their treats, then Minty said, “That was great, but I’m thirsty.” She trotted over to another vendor with Pinkie Pie following, and they looked at the posted menu while another pony was being served. Minty whispered to Pinkie, “They have hard cherry lemonade. I wonder what a hard cherry tastes like?” “I dunno,” said Pinkie. “I never heard of that. But I like cherries, and I like lemonade. Let’s find out!” The unicorn ahead of them took his drink, carrying it away with his magic. Minty and Pinkie moved up to the counter and were surprised to find a magenta colored earth pony behind it. She blinked at them and said, “Hey Pinkie Pie! What are you doing here?” Pinkie gawped. “Huhh? Do I know you?” The magenta pony laughed. “It’s me, Berry Punch! What’s wrong? You get punch from me for your parties all the time, you silly pony.” Pinkie sat on her haunches and scratched the back of her head with a fore hoof. “I do? umm… Berry Punch? umm… Are you sure? I’m from Ponyville.” Berry Punch laughed again. “Well, of course you are. So am I. I brought my caravan to Canterlot this year because I thought maybe I could sell a lot more drinks here. Everypony back in Ponyville has gone nuts over apple cider these days.” She leaned to squint at Pinkie. “And of course you know me. This is some kind of prank, isn’t it? You’re such a joker, Pinkie! Hey, who’s this?” Pinkie said, “Oh this is Minty, she’s my bestest friend.” “Hii!” said Minty. “Pleased to meet you! So, what can I get you?” asked Berry Punch. “We want to try the hard cherry lemonade,” Pinkie said. “Three please!” “Oh, great choice! That’s my favorite.” Berry quickly poured three cups full of the purplescent brew. Minty fished more coins out of her coin purse and tossed them on the counter. Then they took the cups back to their table, with Pinkie setting one in front of Star Catcher. Minty sniffed curiously at her cup, then steadied it with her front hooves as she took a sip. Meanwhile Pinkie Pie remarked, “That was just weeeeird. What did she mean about getting punch for my parties from her? I don’t remember her, and I thought I knew everypony in Ponyville.” Minty said, “Yeah! But she didn’t even know me, and I was sure everpony in town knows who I am. Especially after that, um, thing that happened with the molasses.” Pinkie laughed! “Oh yeah, that was great! Ponyville smelled like molasses for months after that.” Star Catcher blinked, wondering what the story was behind that. Then she glanced down into her cup and said, “This lemonade has a peculiar whang, don’t you think?” “It does!” Pinkie said. “But it’s not bad. It really tastes punchy. It must have some kind of secret ingredient.” “I fink my tongue ith getting numb,” said Minty. “It’th cool!” While they were drinking the lemonade, a pony came around passing out schedules to the various events around the fairgrounds. Star Catcher snagged one and spread it out on the table so they could study it together. Pinkie oohed and pointed with a hoof. “That! That!” Then she read from the schedule: “The Great and Powerful Trixie performs amazing magic, classical pantomime and friendly audience abuse. C'est magnifique!” “Cooool!” agreed Minty. “Unicorn magic is what we made this trip for. But the next performance isn’t for a couple of hours yet.” They continued reading and then Pinkie said, “Hey! They have a parade after dark, even. We can party into the night!” Star Catcher seemed only mildly interested in the schedule at first, until something caught her eye. “I want to see the jousting competition!” Minty squinted at Star Catcher. “Jousting? Really?” “The stallions! Think of the stallions!” With her wing she pulled Minty closer, lowered her voice and said, “Big and strong, with barding and shining armor. Testing themselves against one another for our entertainment…. straining and sweating…” Pinkie said, “Whoa, Star Catcher, are you in heat or something?” “Pinkie! There’s no need to be crude. I merely have a romantic heart. It’s what my cutie mark stands for, after all.” Minty laughed her bubbly laugh. “Okay, okay! Maybe we should check it out.” “Hey!” said Pinkie. “If we have some time, I want to go on the rides. I could see them from the balloon, they looked like so much fun.” “Rides? I’m not sure I understand what that means,” said Star Catcher. Pinkie gasped. “You’ve never been on any carnival rides? We gotta take you right now! Come on!” They quickly quaffed the remainder of their lemonade and trotted off in search of the rides. A roller coaster was their first stop. After a brief but impatient wait in line, the three of them managed to get seated on a single bench with Star Catcher in the middle and Pinkie and Minty on either side. With mechanical sounds the car jolted into motion, then began its slow climb into the sky. Star Catcher hung her front hooves over the safety bar at the front of car, and looked outward, then looked down at the ground. “I don’t understand the purpose of this exercise,” she said. “You will when after clear the top of this hill,” giggled Pinkie Pie. The cars clanked and clattered almost to a stop at the highest point of the track, then gravity took over and the bottom fell out. Ponies screamed! Pinkie and Minty screamed too, and clutched at Star Catcher with their front legs. As for the pegasus, her sense of wide-eyed alarm was purely a response to the two earth ponies grabbing and screaming at her. As they went up the next hill, Pinkie yelled, “WOOHOO!! Isn’t this the greatest?” “That was scary!” added Minty. “But we were much higher up in the balloon…” Star Catcher started to say. Then the car plunged again. She sighed inwardly and put her wings around both of her screaming, giddy, exhilarated companions. After getting off the coaster, Minty and Pinkie Pie bounced around like rubber balls, gleefully telling each other how great it was and trying to decide which ride to get on next. “You two go on ahead and enjoy yourselves,” Star Catcher told them. “I’ll go the jousting field! I’ll meet you later back at Berry Punch’s stand, don’t you think?” “Okee dokey!” agreed Pinkie Pie. “We’ll catch up with you later, Star Catcher.” Back at the food courtyard, a pair of ponies stopped to buy ice cream: a unicorn stallion treating his mare-friend to a quick snack. Sitting down at the table, he started to levitate his change back into his coin purse, but first gave the coins a cursory glance, an ingrained habit of many years. Then he did a double-take. He floated one of the coins to eye level, his jaw slack in wonder as he inspected the piece closely. “What’s this?” he muttered. “Is something wrong, dear?” asked his companion. She had already begun to nibble, daintily, on the ice cream’s crust as it floated in the magical glow from her horn. Rather than answer at once, he floated a magnifying lens out of his purse and used it to peer even more intently at both sides of the coin. Then he exclaimed, “Inconceivable! This is a pre-classical two-bit coin. They were only minted for a brief period after Equestria was founded.” “Ooh, sounds like a lucky find. I guess some of your collector friends will envy you.” “What? No, you don’t understand… These coins are ancient and extraordinarily rare. Barely a few dozen are even known to have survived. But… This is in nearly uncirculated condition. It’s more than merely valuable. Finding such a coin would send shock waves through the numismatic community — if it’s genuine. Surely it can’t be genuine. How could it have gotten here?” Not waiting for an answer to his rhetorical question, he jumped up and trotted over to the ice cream vendor, and addressed him. “My good pony! Do you know where you got this coin? Have you seen any others like it?” “Oh, I’m sorry!” he answered. “I didn’t mean to give you that, but I accidentally got it mixed in with the regular change. A couple of ponies paid for their food with those coins just a while ago. I told them they should probably go to a moneychanger and get coins that are more familiar. I’ll exchange it for some regular bits if you like.” “No no! Actually, I’d love to get any more of them that you may have. It’s… a bit of a novelty, I daresay, and I have a little nephew who I’m sure would be tickled pink to add them to his coin collection.” “Why sure!” said the vendor. “Let me dig through the change drawer, I’m sure I got a couple more from those two earth ponies.” > 03 - Great & Powerful > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- No longer tied down by her companions, Star Catcher took flight and, with a bird’s-eye view of the fairgrounds, she quickly located the jousting arena. Wooden bleachers on either side provided seating for the audience — in Pegasopolis they would have had soft cloud banks for the audience to rest upon, but obviously that wouldn’t work here with so many unicorns and earth ponies attending. Star Catcher fluttered down to an open space on the bleachers and dropped onto them with a clatter of hooves, then she found a seat and furled her wings. Aside from the seating arrangements, things looked pretty familiar to her. The ground was covered with a thin fog bank, serving as a safety net. In the sky around the arena were several small clouds where the contestants were preparing for action. A voice boomed out from the grandstand — with that peculiar, echoing quality that comes from magical amplification — and announced, “Our combatants are ready for the final match! Wielding the red shield, appropriately enough, is Red Sky.” Upon one of the clouds a pegasus stallion reared up and snorted, flaring his wings out in a dramatic pose. His red mane protruded through the slot in his helmet, forming a crest, and he already had his lance strapped to his right side, and the shield strapped to his left foreleg. He flapped his wings and lifted off in a swirl of loose cloudstuff, hovering in view of the crowd as they applauded, stamping their hooves on the bleachers. Star Catcher grinned and stamped with them. This was what she’d come to see! The announcer continued. “Facing him, with his signature yellow shield, is our reigning champion, a legend in his own time, Lance Wingstrong!” As the stallion reared and pawed at the air with his hooves, the crowd roared with cheers and applause, much louder than they had for the previous jouster. Star Catcher applauded too, but after the din had faded she wondered out loud, “Why haven’t I heard of this champion, I wonder?” “What, you haven’t heard of Lance Wingstrong?” came a voice from close by. “He’s just, like, the biggest hero that jousting has ever had. He won the Fire Wings prize five times in a row!” The speaker was a gangly pegasus colt with a steel blue coat and bright blue mane. He sighed wistfully as he turned his gaze upwards again. “I wanna be just like him when I grow up.” Star Catcher noticed that Rowdy pronounced the word ‘joust’ oddly, so that it rhymed with ‘doused’ instead of ‘dust’. Perhaps it was a local dialect. She said to him, “Really? Well, I suppose we don’t really get much news of such things on Butterfly Island.” The colt blinked. “Butterfly Island? I’ve heard of that, but I thought it was only something from a bedtime story. It was a place you could only find by going through a magical rainbow waterfall.” “What? No! I mean, yes! There’s a rainbow waterfall, but it’s no fairy tale. I live there. I’m the prefect, in fact. My name is Star Catcher.” “Cooool! I’m Rowdy. So what’s it like… Ooh, wait! They’re about to joust!” Star Catcher bit back the impulse to correct his pronunciation and instead turned her eyes upwards. The two stallions flew towards one another, each with a shield strapped to his left pastern and using his right hoof to steady and aim his lance. Instead of flying level, they both flapped hard to gain altitude as they approached one another (not easy to do while loaded with jousting gear), each trying to pick up the few extra inches of height that might score a winning hit. Squinting through their helmets, they swung their lances to the left, aiming with care. A sharp crack was heard as both lances broke, each having scored a solid hit on the opponent’s shield, followed by a cheer from the crowd. The competitors flapped their way back to their respective cloud perches, where their attendants were ready to slot fresh lances into their harnesses and wipe the white chalk marks off their shields, although making sure the judges got a chance to see them first. Meanwhile the announcer’s voice boomed again saying, “Those were solid hits on both shields, and it was close — but according to our judges, Red Sky’s hit was higher, and he’s awarded this tilt. And now they’re coming back to the field for their second tilt.” Star Catcher and Rowdy watched raptly. Star Catcher commented, “Those lances look a lot lighter than I’ve seen before. I’d hate to face down a stratodon with something that light.” Rowdy turned to stare wide-eyed at Star Catcher for a moment. “Stratodon?” “Shush, they’re starting!” The two stallions flew at one another again, and once again there was the crack of lances splintering. This time, however, Lance Wingstrong’s helmet was knocked off. A loud “OOH!” came from the crowd as he swerved unsteadily from the flight line, clearly rattled. The announcer called out, “Ouch, that had to hurt! Red Sky missed Wingstrong’s shield and impacted his helmet! That’s an automatic foul and loss of this tilt by Red Sky. But will Wingstrong be able to continue after that hit?” “It looked like that hit really rang his bell!” was Rowdy’s comment. “I hope he’s OK.” Star Catcher merely nodded. An assistant had already flown to collect the lost helmet and bring it back to Wingstrong’s cloud. The audience watched quietly for a few tense moments as Wingstrong spoke with his attendants. Then an enormous cheer broke out when the crowd saw them put his helmet back on his head and fit a new lance to his harness. He turned to face his competitor, and then pawed at the cloud with his free fore-hoof and snorted a challenge. “YES!” cried the announcer. “Lance is coming back to finish this round, and everything’s riding on this final tilt. Whoever wins this one will take the round — and today’s entire match!” Once again the two clashed, and lances shattered, but Lance’s lance scored a solid hit near the top of Red Sky’s shield. Yet another huge cheer and rumble of applause came up from the crowd as the announcer called out, “Wingstrong wins again! The champion stays on top of the pyramid one more time, and what an exciting finish it was!” He seemed to calm down a bit as he continued. “We’ll have the award ceremony momentarily. And before any of you ponies take off, don’t forget that we’re going to have a rodeo for the earth ponies here this afternoon, magic unicorn duels in the evening, and a fireworks show late tonight after the sky is good and dark!” “That was awesome!” Rowdy said. “Err, yes… Awesome,” said Star Catcher. “Although I wish I’d gotten here earlier. I only got to see the final round.” “Aww… That’s a shame. Hey, I’m gonna go find my cousin, Blue Thunder. He was one of the jousters. Would you like to meet him?” Star Catcher looked at Rowdy, and a smile grew on her muzzle, and she said, “I would love to meet one of the contestants.” Rowdy trotted away from the stadium’s exit, toward its opposite end, and Star Catcher followed. They went through a gate and wound through some colorful tents where ponies (almost all of them winged) were both chatting and packing up their gear into carts and wagons. Rowdy called out to some of them he recognized, flicking out a wing to wave — a gesture most of them returned in kind. To Star Catcher he commented, “My cousin is a cop in Cloudsdale. But he gets leave from work for big jousting competitions like this one.” “A cop?” Star Catcher asked. “You know… A police pony. He catches crooks!” “Oh, like a constable then.” Rowdy nodded. “There’s his tent, c’mon!” He trotted over to the tent and stuck his head in, then went on inside, and Star Catcher followed. “Hey Blue!” he called out as they entered. “Hey Rowdy!” came the reply. Star Catcher saw that Blue Thunder was, indeed, blue with a stormy deep gray mane and tail, and a build that she thought athletic but not overly bulked up. His eyes also settled on her, and he said, “Who is this lovely mare?” Rowdy started to open his mouth, but she pushed him aside and stepped forward and said, “I’m Star Catcher, and I’m very pleased to meet you.” She smiled… and batted her eyelashes… Not to be ignored, Rowdy added, “She’s from Butterfly Island!” “Butterfly Island, really?” He smirked and looked to Star Catcher as he asked, “What kind of stories you been tellin’ my cousin?” Star Catcher blinked and said, “Nothing, really. We only met a few minutes ago, and Rowdy kindly offered to introduce me to you.” She looked at the ground and scuffed at it with a hoof as she said, “I don’t really know anypony in this town, and I was feeling a bit lost.” A look of concern creased Blue’s face as he said, “Do you mean to say you travelled to Canterlot to attend the celebration all by yourself?” “It wasn’t something I planned at all. I’m here almost by accident, you might say. I didn’t even arrive with any money.” “Oh that won’t do at all! I’ll tell you what… As soon as we’re done packing up here, you can come along and hang with me and my crew. There’s always room for one more.” Star Catcher brightened up. “What a kind offer! Thank you! Can I help with packing up your things?” “Sure! The tent stays here, but everything else needs to go into that wagon just outside. We need to clear out and make way for the ro-day-oh contestants.” Then he glanced at the colt and said, “You can help too, Rowdy.” Rowdy responded by tossing his head, then grabbing a small item in his mouth and trotting out of the tent. “Ro-day-oh?” echoed Star Catcher. “Oh yes, that’s the mud pony thing, isn’t it? I’ve never been to one of those. It might be fun to watch them scramble around in the dirt, or whatever it is they do.” She started to pick up some harness gear in her mouth to take outside, but then noticed Blue giving her a pained look. “That’s… a horrible thing to say,” he uttered softly. Star Catcher spat out the harness and said, “What? What did I say?” Blue Thunder stared for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Never mind! Just… Go ahead and take that out to the wagon, okay?” Star Catcher’s ears drooped with confusion, feeling as though she’d done something wrong but not sure what it was. “Oh… Okay,” she said, and she picked up the harness and exited the tent, passing by Rowdy, who was already coming back inside to get another item. She stretched her head into the wagon — a fully covered model, rather fancy from her perspective. She peered around its dark interior, trying to see where to best place the harness. After a moment she spotted some similar pieces of harness gear, and she nosed hers over against them. Just then she heard a rush of wings flapping outside and a brash feminine voice calling out: “Hey Blue! I got your shield back from that guy you loaned it to.” “Good deal!” she heard Blue say. “Just put it in the wagon with the other one.” Star Catcher backed out of the wagon and looked around to see who he was talking to, then her eyes settled the newcomer — and a jolt of confused fear shot through her heart. She tried to yell a warning. “Blue, look out! That’s a… g-g-guh…!!!” Blue just stared at her with a most confuzzled look on his face, seemingly oblivious to the danger right beside him. In desperation, Star Catcher spread her wings and lunged at him, scooping him up and shoving him back into the tent. “OOF!” went Blue, the sound closer to a cough than a word. Then, “What the HAY, lady?” “Listen to me! That’s a very dangerous creature out there!” “What? Naaah. Gilda’s cool. What’s your problem?” “It’s a griffin!” Star Catcher’s normally soothing and compassionate voice now hissed with fear as she struggled to make him understand. “They’re monsters that renegade unicorns created to fight their wizard wars.” From outside the tent, a muffled voice: “You know I can hear you guys talking in there, right?” “Oh no!” Star Catcher glanced around the tent. “We’re trapped like rats. Maybe we can squeeze under the back of the tent.” Blue Thunder reared up and put his front hooves on Star Catcher’s withers and said, “Hey, whoa! Calm down! I don’t even know what you’re going on about. Is this some kind of joke? Because it’s not that funny.” “Don’t you understand? They’re hunters! They eat meat! They eat ponies, it’s what they were made to do.” From outside: “I can still hear you.” Blue’s face darkened in a scowl, and he said, “Well that tears it. I wanted to be patient with you, but you’re nothing but a bigot, Star Catcher! There’s only one monster here, and it isn’t Gilda. Get out! Go!” He gave her a shove towards the tent flap. “Go on!” Star Catcher glanced fearfully over her shoulder toward the outside of the tent. “but… but…” “I mean it! Gilda won’t hurt you, but I might be tempted if you don’t get out of my sight. Go!” Heart pounding, on the verge of tears, Star Catcher leapt out of the tent and flapped her wings, immediately taking to the sky. Blue Thunder came out of the tent and sat on his haunches as he watched, along with Gilda and Rowdy, as Star Catcher dwindled into the distance over the city. Then he looked toward Gilda and said, “Hey… You okay?” Gilda rubbed her avian foreleg with a clawed foot and said, “Sure. You know I’ve got a thick skin. But she was definitely uncool.” Rowdy groused, “I bet she wasn’t from Butterfly Island either. She was just a big fat liar.” Blue Thunder shook his head. “C’mon, let’s load up the rest of this stuff and then get something to eat.” “Sounds good to me,” said Gilda. “I’m starved. I didn’t have nothin’ but a bowl of Meaties for breakfast.” As they staggered away from the Whirl-A-Gig ride, Minty and Pinkie Pie kept accidentally blundering into one another. “Ooooh, the world is going round and round and round,” said Minty. Pinkie laughed and reared up on her hind legs to give Minty a hug (and incidentally steady herself) with her front hooves. “Let’s do it again! No, wait! Let’s go on the roller coaster again!” “Don’t forget the magic show!” said Minty. “I don’t wanna miss that.” “Oh yeah! Let’s go see the great and powerful pointy-head!” They wandered a meandering path through the fair grounds, past the stands of craftsponies, past the stages where performers sang and played music, or danced, or joked, and past the refreshments — although they stopped long enough at Berry Punch’s stand to have some more hard cherry lemonade. Following the map printed on the back of the festival schedule they made their way to the stage indicated for the magic show. The stage had a purple curtain drawn across it, but there were properties set up on either side and above the curtain: trumpet-like metal tubes, a large pinwheel, a globe spangled with stars, and what looked like a fat skyrocket. Ponies were already gathering, although they seemed hesitant to get too close to the stage. It seemed as though everypony wanted a good view, but none of them wanted to be right up front. Pinkie and Minty had no such qualms. Minutes dragged by as a few more ponies joined the crowd and those already present milled impatiently, chatting and horsing around. Without warning a cool breeze gusted across the stage, fluttering the banners. Conversations died as ponies looked up and around. The sky darkened as clouds gathered and began to swirl around a glowing vortex. Pinkie and Minty reflexively leaned against one another as they looked up, wide-eyed, at the swirling mist. A bold female voice called out from the stage, “Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixiiie!” Fog rolled out from behind the curtains, spilling across the stage. A cloud of purple smoke burst on the stage, then dissolved into sparkles of light revealing a pony in their midst. Her coat was blue, her mane a much more pale blue, and she wore a purple cape and wizard hat spangled with stars — the cape clasped in front with a large gemstone, and the tall hat concealing her horn. “Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most amazing feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” She reared upright on her hind legs and threw her front hooves wide. At this signal fireworks exploded around the stage, colorful flames and sparkles bursting from the trumpet tubes and whistling as sparks spewed from the spinner. The ponies in the audience stamped their hooves and whistled appreciatively, Minty and Pinkie included. “Conjuration!” Trixie waved her hooves in the air as a purple glow appeared in front of her, then a bouquet of flowers popped into existence. Smiling, she levitated the bouquet closer, clutching it with her hooves and making a dramatic gesture of sniffing at the flowers. “Transformation!” Trixie tossed the bouquet, scattering the flowers in the air above her head. With purple flashes and puffs of smoke they turned into colorful croquet balls. “Manipulation!” The balls formed into a neatly spaced ring and began spinning, chasing one another as the whole ring tilted gracefully, all wrapped in the purple aura of Trixie’s magic. “Projection!” A bright orange-yellow star flew from Trixie and joined the croquet balls. It followed its own circular path tilted at an angle to theirs, and it left a comet-like trail of light, painting a fiery yellow ring. The crowd oohed and aahed at the mesmerizing sight. “And control over the elements themselves!” The clouds that had earlier gathered above the stage began to disperse, leaving a rainbow hanging in the sky where sunlight filtered through the mist. Suddenly the rainbow came to life and arced down onto the stage, then wrapped itself into yet a third ring, joining the ring of fire and ring of croquet balls above the stage. Trixie reared up again, repeating her dramatic pose and triggering another burst of fireworks around the stage, which only added to the spectacle. The crowd applauded, louder than before. Trixie waited until the applause began to subside, then removed her hat, overturned it and directed the croquet balls into it while the rainbow and illusions dispersed. “You haven’t seen anything yet!” she announced. “That was merely a warm-up. For the Great and Powerful Trixie’s next spell, however, she will require a volunteer from the audience. What brave pony will step forward?” Many of the ponies actually took a step backward, away from the stage. Trixie’s eyes scanned the crowd with an almost predatory gleam, then she pointed her hoof towards a pony in the front row. “How about… You, Pinkie!” Pinkie Pie yeeked, then asked, “H-how do you know my name?” “Trixie doesn’t. That was more of an observation.” This brought laughter from the crowd. A purple aura engulfed Pinkie and she was levitated upward to the stage, whinnying and waving her hooves in near panic, which only spurred more laughter. The magic deposited her next to Trixie. Trixie asked, loudly, “Now, Pinkie… You should know that Trixie always endeavors to return her volunteers to the audience in one piece. Do you place your trust in the power of Trixie?” “Um… I guess.” Giggles drifted up from the audience. Trixie feigned surprise. “What’s that? Pinkie, my magic is telling me that some of those ponies in the back couldn’t hear your reply. Please say again: Do you place your trust in the power of Trixie?” Pinkie trembled, ears drooped low, biting her lip. Then she yelled out, “I trust you, Trixie!” “Outstanding! Finer last words were never spoken! Now, before we continue, Trixie must summon the Cabinet of Doom.” Trixie repeated her earlier motions of rearing up on her hind legs and waving her font hooves in the air. This time there was a flash of light and generous eruption of smoke on the stage. The smoke cleared to reveal an upright cabinet. Pinkie Pie frowned at the cabinet, noting that it was painted black and covered with mysterious symbols in gold, and the image of a horse’s skull dominated the front. The four legs of the cabinet each ended in a roller so it could be turned and moved easily, and the four corners at the top each had a gargoyle cast in bronze. This cabinet didn’t look like anything a pony would make — or want to be around. With a faint sizzle and magical glow barely visible under the summer sun, the cabinet door swung open and revealed two compartments: a large one below and a much smaller one above, with a shelf dividing them. Then Trixie said, “Brave volunteer Pinkie, please climb into the Cabinet of Doom!” Somehow, the more Trixie mentioned Pinkie’s bravery the less she felt it, and it showed in her drooping ears and tail as she hesitantly moved toward the box. Giggles drifted up from the crowd, from ponies amused by her timidity. Then a pony yelled, “You can do it, Pinkie!” That was Minty! Heartened, Pinkie climbed into the box, then smiled and waved to her friend. “That’s the spirit!” Trixie enthused. Then she moved next to the box and whispered to Pinkie, “Don’t move around too much and maybe I won’t lose any parts of you.” Pinkie’s eyes widened and she gulped as the cabinet door swung shut and latched, concealing her from view. Trixie backed away a few steps and her horn glowed with magic as the box began to turn in place. Trixie announced, “The mystical forces gather at Trixie’s command, to perform a transmutation beyond the comprehension of lesser ponies!” Smoke erupted again around the cabinet, this time with a generous helping of sparkles. As the smoke cleared, the cabinet slowed and came to a stop with the door once again facing the audience. “Behold the power of Trixie!” The door swung open, the motion accompanied by a burst of fireworks from the sides of the stage for emphasis. The large compartment where Pinkie Pie had been was empty, but there was something pink in the upper compartment. Trixie floated it out for the audience to get a good look at. They gasped as they saw, and then trampled the ground with applause. It was a plush pony doll that bore an uncanny resemblance to Pinkie Pie, right down to her cutie mark. Minty was aghast. “Nuuuu! Pinkie Pie! What has she done to you?” Trixie floated the plush toy down to Minty, who jumped to grasp it with her mouth. The magician cackled and said, “The volunteer is returned in one piece, as promised!” Minty hugged the toy to her chest and wailed, “I’m sorry Pinkie Pie, I should never have brought you here!” Trixie grinned down at Minty and said, “I thought you’d like her better this way.” Minty took the doll in her mouth again, leapt up onto the stage, then spat out the doll onto the floor in front of Trixie. With an angry glare Minty demanded, “Change her back!” Trixie glared back for a moment, then asked, “What is your name?” “I’m Minty.” Trixie then turned to the crowd and raised a hoof. “Fear not! The Great and Powerful Trixie has heard Minty’s plea and will restore her friend.” She then levitated the doll and floated it back into the upper compartment of the box, and closed the door. Once again the box spun for a while, the smoke-and-sparkles repeated, and the box spun to a stop. Trixie said, “Minty, would you please open the box and welcome back your friend?” Minty ran over to the box and reached for the door — but recoiled as black tentacles burst out of it. Minty screamed (along with the audience) and scrambled back as the tentacles whipped about, reaching and groping. Trixie charged forward, her horn glowing, and yelled, “Back! Back!” Beams of light shot forth from her horn and appeared to burn the tentacles, forcing them to retreat. After battling them for some moments, Trixie got them all back into the cabinet and slammed the door shut with her hooves. She turned to face the audience and said, “Sometimes Trixie forgets her own power!” Minty cried, “Pinkiiie! Where’s my friend?” “There!” Trixie pointed towards her wizard hat, which she’d earlier left laying on the stage. A poofy pink pony head was sticking out of it, blinking with confusion. Pinkie squirmed and clambered out of the hat, despite the obvious impossibility of ever fitting into it to begin with. Minty pounced Pinkie and gave her a crushing hug. “Pinkie, you’re okay! I was so scared!” Pinkie grinned and hugged back. “I’m better than okay, I’m fantabulous. That was awesome!” To the crowd Trixie asked, “Was there ever any doubt?” She magically triggered some more fireworks and struck a triumphant pose. Then, after the applause began to die down, she thanked Minty and Pinkie and nudged them off the stage. When they returned to the seating area, the two earth ponies were so excited that they hardly paid any attention to the continuing magic show. “What happened to you?” Minty wanted to know. “What did you see when you were a doll?” “Doll? I wasn’t a doll. I just went through some weird places. It was… um…” She struggled to find words, then said, “It was sort of like there was a wall that I never noticed before, and I just went to the other side of it for a while. I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’ve got to figure out how to do that.” Minty laughed! She said, “We’re earth ponies, silly! We can’t do unicorn magic.” Pinkie grabbed Minty with her hooves and looked her in the eye with a serious and determined expression that Minty had rarely seen before, and she said, “I’ve got to figure out how to do that. And I will.” Then she broke into a grin again and said, “Just think of the pranks I’ll be able to pull! It’ll be so much fun! But that’s enough magic for now, we’ve still got the rest of the fair to see. Come on!” At that she went bouncing away from the magic show with Minty trotting along trying to keep up. A dapper gray unicorn stallion navigated confidently through the maze of city streets that visitors to the city often found so baffling, until he came to a small shoppe with a sign indicating “Collectible Coins & Currency”. A smaller sign read, “We Buy Gold & Silver”. Entering, he found a sparse interior, although there were some display cases showing off commemorative and antique coins. An olive green unicorn stallion greeted him. “Good day! I’m Filthy Lucre, but please feel free to call me Luke. What can I do for you?” The collector smiled and said, “Don’t you recognize me, Luke? Granted, it’s been a while…” Luke peered, thinking for a moment. “Oh! Jet Set! My good fellow, it has indeed been a while since you’ve graced my shop.” Jet Set shrugged and said, “I must admit, my interest in numismatics waned for a time. However, I recently stumbled across some enigmatic coins that I need a regarded professional opinion on.” “Then you came to the right place! By all means, I would be happy to examine them.” Jet levitated the three coins from his pocket and spread them out on the counter, upon a black velvet examination pad. Luke peered at them, his eyes going wide. With his own magic he flipped them to examine both sides. He brought over a magnifier and cast a light spell. He muttered, “most remarkable… Where did you find these? But of course, they can’t be authentic…” “That’s what I want you to determine,” Jet said. “Please do keep in mind, I’m not practiced in casting the authentication spell myself — but I do know how to read the results, and I am well-versed enough in magic to tell whether you’re casting it correctly.” Luke gasped, feigning shock. “Sir! You wound me! I can assure you that the thought of deceiving you never even began to speculate about the merest possibility of crossing my mind.” “No, of course not,” Jet Set said. “Please do continue.” Luke stared at the coins with a slight frown, and his horn glowed as he cast the spell. Within a few moments the soft glow of his magical aura was replaced by a brighter one of pure green. He drew in a breath, a very sincere gasp this time, and then softly breathed out, “they’re real…” Jet Set blinked. “I must admit, I’m rather surprised at that myself.” “But where did you get them?” Luke asked. “The vast majority of these were destroyed during the reign of Discord, more than two thousand years ago. It’s not the sort of thing one finds in pocket change.” “How ironic that you should phrase it that way! That’s almost how I came about them. I got them from a vendor at the fairgrounds. He said a couple of ponies paid for their food with these.” Luke said, “That’s amazing. But… Could those ponies still be wandering around the fair grounds, spending more of these?” “Your guess is as good as mine, but I suppose if they had three of them, they could just as easily have more.” Luke pondered for a moment, then turned his head, looking towards the rear of the shoppe, and called out, “Brass Bit! Come here, girl, I need you!” There was a sound of movement and a feminine voice called back, “Coming!” Momentarily a yellow unicorn pony appeared, a young mare barely more than a filly “What is it, Papa?” she asked. “Beebee, I’d like for you to run an errand for me. Go find my old associate, Mister Doubloon. Something’s come up that I need his help with. Tell him it’s a golden opportunity, he’ll understand.” Brass Bit fidgeted and said, “You mean the Basher?” “Yes, yes… Basher Doubloon! You know where to find him, right? Go on then!” She tossed her head in an emphatic nod, and trotted out the front door. Jet Set frowned. “Basher Doubloon, really? I’ve heard of him. It’s not the most savory of reputations, I dare say.” Luke waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, he’s not so bad. You know how stories get exaggerated. Anyhow, we don’t have time to waste, and he knows how to get ponies to cooperate. You’ll see. The three of us can head back to the fair grounds, if you’re game, and we’ll beat the bushes until we see what drops out, eh?” Star Catcher wandered through the fair grounds, head held low, unhappy, grumbling to herself. Wanting to catch up with Minty and Pinkie Pie, she wended her way back to the food court and asked Berry Punch. “I think I overheard them say something about a magic show,” was all Berry could tell her. Ah. The Great and Powerful Trixie. Maybe she could catch up with her friends there. Star Catcher thanked Berry Punch and went in search of the stage where the magician performed. Within a few more minutes she’d reached it and saw that the show was already in progress. Star Catcher looked around at the crowd of ponies, not seeing her friends. She worked her way around to the front of the seating area, while the other ponies stamped their hooves in applause for whatever trick that Trixie had just performed. “For her next feat, Trixie requires another brave volunteer from the audience! How about…” Trixie pointed a hoof at Star Catcher. “You! Porky!” Star Catcher gawped, her jaw hanging open, and she raised a hoof to her chest. “Me?” she mouthed silently. “Yes, you! Come on up here!” Startled and confused, Star Catcher was engulfed in a purple glow of magic and began to levitate into the air — then sagged back down as Trixie grunted with effort and shed some sparks from her horn. After a few moments of struggle Trixie gave up, dropping Star Catcher back onto her hooves while the crowd hooted with laughter. Trixie caught her breath, then held up a hoof to silence them. “Trixie is better known for her immense skill and knowledge of magical arts, rather than brute strength,” she announced. Then she looked down at Star Catcher and said, “Could you please give your wings a flap and hop up here onto the stage?” Blushing, Star Catcher complied, spreading her huge wings and giving a couple of flaps as she hopped up and took her place alongside Trixie. “Okay, Porky,” said Trixie. “Please tell the crowd your name!” “It’s Star Catcher,” the pegasus said softly. Trixie rolled her eyes, then said, “Many of Trixie’s volunteers are nervous when they take the stage. They are afraid of making a mistake. When you speak and the ponies in the back row can’t hear you, do you know what that is? That’s a mistake! Now, would you please tell the audience your name again, so all of them can hear?” Star Catcher’s face burned with embarrassment. Fortunately, she’d learned to use Command Power during her weather service training. Her instructor had even praised her unique ability to make herself understood over the roar of a tempest. She drew in a deep breath, and then she shouted out, “MY NAME IS STAR CATCHER!” Banners around the stage were torn and ponies were knocked from their seats by the power of Star Catcher’s voice. Trixie fell back onto her tail and her world went black as her wizard hat was picked up from the stage and hurled into her face. She scrabbled with her hooves to remove the hat from her muzzle, then stared at Star Catcher. “Was that okay?” Star Catcher asked, her voice once again barely audible over the ringing in Trixie’s ears. “Trixie thinks all of Canterlot must have heard that!” High up in a tower of Canterlot Castle, in her private study, Princess Celestia sprawled comfortably upon a large cushion, lightly gripping it under herself with her hooves. A report floated in the golden aura of her magic as she perused it. Suddenly her ears perked, and she looked up from the report. Her mouth hung open as she stared out the window of the tower, her ears straining to pick up any sound. After a few tense moments she sighed and turned her head away from the window. She shook her head and snorted a small, ladylike snort. She mused, “Ridiculous… The centuries must be catching up with me, I’m starting to imagine things.” > 04 - Shakedown > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the open space of the fairground, near the food vendors, three pony stallions huddled. Jet Set and Filthy Lucre had been joined by a larger earth pony. His coat was dark gray, mane and tail a rusty red, a red-and-white striped shirt tightly stretched over his burly frame, and (strangely enough) a cutie mark resembling a violin case. “Is dis da joint?” he asked. Jet Set nodded in the direction of the fried ice cream vendor, pointing with his horn. “There’s the fellow I got the coins from. So, how do you think we should approach him?” Filthy Lucre shrugged lightly. “Oh, we can’t be bashful about it, can we? Never get anywhere that way. Just follow my lead.” He trotted over to the stall, with Jet Set and Basher Doubloon following. They barged past a few other ponies waiting for ice cream, with Basher giving one a firm shove. Luke addressed the vendor, “Sir! I’d like to ask you a couple of questions, if I may.” The ice cream seller blinked. “How can I help you gents?” “Well you see, my friend over here got a few unusual coins from you earlier today, and we was wondering if you stumbled on any more of those.” The vendor’s mane tossed as he shook his head. “Sorry, nope! I haven’t got any more of them.” Luke pressed closer. “But have you seen the ponies you got them from? Maybe they passed by this way again.” “I, err… I noticed they went to the punch stand too. Say, what is this all about? Are they in some kind of trouble?” He glanced at the silent earth pony, who glared back with an angry grimace. “Oh, I hope not,” Luke said, affecting a tone of concern. “But we really should check up on the poor dears. Perhaps you could give us a better description of them, aye?” The vendor glanced at the other ponies waiting impatiently for ice cream. Ears drooping, the pony backed away from the counter. “I, um… I don’t really know if I should. I wasn’t really paying that close attention, I don’t remember any details. Could you, um, just move along and let me serve these other customers, please?” Luke stepped back from the counter and nodded toward his much bigger companion. The earth pony reared and put his grubby front hooves on the counter, and yelled, “What’sa bucking matta wit you, huh? Buck you! You tink you can bucking hold out on us, you bucker? You better remember what dem bucking ponies look like, you bucking hear me?” Behind him, a lot of ponies suddenly decided they didn’t want ice cream at all, and they scattered away from the stall. Cringing with his tail between his legs and his ears drooping, the vendor whimpered, “I don’t know nothing, mister. I just sell ice cream. Please don’t hurt me!” Luke nudged up alongside Basher and said, “That’s all right, we don’t wanna hurt nopony. You just tell us what those ponies looked like, and we’ll leave you right alone.” The ice cream pony hiccuped, then said, “I-I… Okay already! One of them was all *hic* pink, and the other one was green with a *hic* pink mane and they were with a big white pegasus, and that’s all I remember. I didn’t *hic* look them over that close.” Luke smiled. “There now, that wasn’t so bad, eh? C’mon, Basher! We’re done with this one.” Basher snorted before turning to leave the sobbing (and hiccuping) ice cream pony and follow Luke to where Jet Set waited. Jet held a hoof in the air uncertainly, giving Luke a sidelong look, and said, “I say, I say! Was that performance really necessary?” “Of course it was! I told you Basher knows how to get ponies to cooperate, didn’t I? Can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs, isn’t that what they say?” Basher perked up his ears. “What wazzat you say, boss? You need me to break some legs?” “Not now, Basher. Maybe in a while.” Jet Set frowned, his head low. “I’m afraid I can no longer be a party to this enterprise.” Luke quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, is that so? Well, if you’re such a dainty toff, you’d better just toddle on home! We can take it from here. You’ve already got your swag anyhow, don’t ya? No need to get your hooves dirty with the likes of us — but you best keep your trap shut about this, am I clear?” Jet bristled. “Are you threatening me, sirrah?” “Maybe I am. Basher?” Basher pawed at the dirt with a hoof and tossed his head. Jet winced, despite himself. “So that’s how it is? Very well, I wash my hooves of you!” Then he turned and walked away, head held high. Basher laughed, “Bwaha! What a bucking fruit!” “Come along, Basher! We’ve got a lead on them. Let’s try the punch stand next.” They went a short way over to Berry Punch’s stand. Chewing on a piece of gum, she eyed them warily, having been well within earshot of Basher’s outburst. “What do you want?” Luke forced a smile. “We’re looking for a couple of earth ponies, dearie. One of them is all pink, and the other is green with a pink mane. I heard they came around here.” “A lot of ponies come around here.” “And did they buy anything from you, miss?” Berry popped her chewing gum and said, “That’s none of your beeswax, is it? So, do you want a punch or not?” Luke glanced to his side. “Basher?” Basher muscled his way up to the stand and put his hooves up on the counter just as he’d done before, and yelled at Berry, “You bucking think you’re a real bucking smartass, don’t ya? You tink you can bucking backtalk us? I kill you! You’re bucking dead, you hear me?” Berry’s eyes narrowed and her ears lowered, but she didn’t cringe the way the ice cream vendor had. She said, “You need to chill, mister. Yeah, you could use a cold hard berry punch!” Her hoof caught him upside the head with a hollow-sounding WHOCK! Basher staggered back from the stand, blinking for a few seconds, then his legs gave way and he toppled over on his side. Luke rushed to his side and tried shaking him. “Speak to me, kid! Say a few syllables! Utter a few adjectives!” Basher twitched and muttered, “uhhh… dis and dat… dese and doze… da ting of it is…” Berry called out, “That one’s on the house!” A few ponies that had been hanging around and watching applauded, stamping the ground and whistling. When Star Catcher finally located her friends, she found Pinkie Pie and one of the vendor ponies struggling to dislodge Minty’s head from a cotton candy machine. Star Catcher sat on her haunches and watched for a few moments, then said, “I swear, I can’t leave you two alone at all.” Pinkie Pie looked up, though she didn’t take her front hooves away from Minty. “Hi, Star Catcher! Minty had a little accident.” “I see that. So… Why did she put her head in there, I wonder?” Pinkie Pie grunted softly as she tugged on Minty’s shoulders. While she pulled she said, “Don’t even try to understand why Minty does things! I gave up on that years ago. It’ll only make your head hurt.” A pained whimper came from inside the cotton candy machine. The stallion who’d been operating the machine sighed and said, “I’ll get some warm water to pour in. It’ll dissolve some of the sticky stuff and maybe turn her loose.” While he went for for that, Pinkie Pie knocked on the side of the machine with a hoof and said, “Minty, are you okay in there?” Minty responded by hooking her hooves over the edge of the machine’s bell and trying to pull herself out, but the effort was in vain. Then she gave up and whined, muffled but understandable, “I’m OK, I just want ouuuuut!” “We’ll get you out, Minty! Hang on!” yelled Pinkie Pie, louder than she really needed to. She glanced around at the other ponies who were gathering to watch. “Does this sort of thing happen all the time?” Star Catcher wondered. Pinkie nodded, grinning, and said, “One time I threw a birthday party for Minty and when she went to blow out the candles on her cake her mane caught on fire. That was a party nopony will forget. Oh, and then there was the time she wrecked Ponyville’s Christmas tree…” “Don’t tell her about that!” yelled Minty from inside the metal bell. She pushed with her hooves, trying again to get free. Pinkie thumped the machine with her hoof again and said, “What about the time you hid your sock collection in my oven?” “Not my fault!” cried Minty. “Why would you even light a fire in an oven without looking in it?” “It’s called pre-heating, duh!” Just then the other pony came back with a pitcher of warm water and started pouring it into the machine around Minty’s head and neck. She strained again, and gradually she pulled free — with sticky strands of her mane trailing behind until the stallion splashed them with water again. Once out of the machine, Minty slumped to the ground, ears drooping. “I’m really sorry, mister,” she said. The vendor pony sighed and said, “At least you’re all right. Now I’ll have to clean the whole thing before I can start it up again. You just leave the machinery to the pros from here on, okay? Here’s a wash rag, so you can get the sugar out of your hair.” Pinkie Pie took the rag in her mouth, dipped it in water, and started dabbing at Minty’s mane. While she was thus occupied, Star Catcher said, “Minty… Why did you stick your head in the cotton candy machine?” “I had to! The candy was the same color as my mane.” Star Catcher stared for a moment, waiting for the rest of the explanation, then realized that was all she was going to get. “But that… that doesn’t even… unnngh!” She winced and rubbed her forehead. Pinkie spat out the wash rag so she could speak. “See, Star Catcher? I tried to warn you about that.” Minty stood up, shakily, on all four hooves. “Hey mister!” she said. “You should add peppermint to your cotton candy formula. I bet peppermint cotton candy would be really cool. And then you could do wintergreen too, with green coloring. I wonder if you could make them both together in the same machine?” She jumped up and put her hooves on the edge of the machine starting to peer into it again. “Nono!” yelled the stallion as he moved to block her and then push her back. “Please stay away from that!” Minty pouted. “I’m only trying to help.” “I don’t need any help. Please, for Celestia’s sake, just sit over there and do nothing!” Minty slunk away and sat on her haunches beside her friends. Pinkie Pie looked at Minty, then at Star Catcher, and said, “Hey, Star Catcher… I thought you went to the jousting matches. How was that?” “Oh, I arrived late and missed everything but the final round. I did get to meet one of the jousters, though. And I saw a griffin.” “No way!” said Pinkie. “Coool!” added Minty. “I didn’t know griffins could joust.” Star Catcher slumped. “I don’t think it did,” she said. “But I just don’t know why they would even let a griffin in the city. I tried to warn the ponies, but they treated me like I was crazy. And they… they chased me away.” “That’s just mean,” said Pinkie Pie, and she hugged Star Catcher’s neck briefly. Minty said, “Maybe it was a tame griffin.” “I guess,” said Star Catcher. “I didn’t think that was even possible. I thought they were only made to be soldiers and killers — like manticores, cockatrices, gnolls, minotaurs, and all the other monsters from the wizard wars.” Pinkie nuzzled. “You better just forget those ponies that were mean to you, Star Catcher. We came here to have fun. We’ve still got partying to do.” Minty nodded agreement, and Star Catcher forced a smile. “You’re right,” she said. “I’m not going to let it get me down. However… Girls, there’s something strange about this city. There’s been a whole lot of things since we got here that don’t add up, and I want to figure it out.” She glanced upward towards the castle spires rising from the mountainside above the city. “From the first glimpse I got of that castle, I had a feeling something wasn’t right. So let’s be careful, okay? Keep your eyes open, and your ears too. Listen to what ponies say.” Pinkie and Minty both nodded. Then Pinkie said, “Is there gonna be any more jousting? Did we miss it all?” Star Catcher folded her wings neatly once again and said, “I’m afraid so. However, tomorrow the grand tournament is scheduled. That’s a mock battle with earth, unicorn and pegasus ponies all fighting together, and I gather they’re going to have a fire-breathing dragon too. That should at least be worth watching.” Minty frowned. “Wait, a dragon? That sounds a lot more dangerous than a griffin, even.” Star Catcher shrugged again. “Maybe it’s not a real dragon. Or maybe it’s a hatchling. Or maybe the unicorns have cast some kind of powerful charm or geas on it. I’d have guessed a fake dragon for a fake battle, but I’m not sure about anything here anymore.” “A fake drake!” Pinkie declared. “Wait, I thought a drake was like a duck. Maybe that’s why they put geese on it? If you made up a goose to look like a duck, and swim like a duck, and quack like a duck, you’d have a… mph!” She was brought to stop when Minty stuffed the damp rag in her mouth. Pinkie’s jaw continued to work and she made muffled sounds for a few moments. Then she spat out the rag into her hooves and rolled her tongue around in her mouth a couple of times. “Hey, that tastes like sugar. And, um, menthol?” Minty giggles softly and asked, “So what do you girls wanna do now?” Pinky said, “I know! Let’s go get some more hard cherry lemonade, then we can look at the schedule again and see what’s next.” “Aster! Aster! Over here!” Brass Bit called out across the street to her friend and waved a hoof. The young pony trotted over and replied with a smile, “Hey, Beebee! What’s up?” Brass Bit bounced with excitement. “You won’t believe this. I overheard Papa talking with a pony in the shop, and he said that he got some rare coins from one of the vendors at the fair grounds. He was buying something there, and he got them in change.” “What, like a wheat shilling? I’ve found those in change before.” “No, it was something way better than a wheat shilling. It was something really rare, and Papa even had me go get the Basher to help them go and look for more.” “Wow. I wonder if we could find one?” “Papa seemed to think so. I mean, the pony who came in had like three of them. There’s got to be more. Wanna come with me and give it a try?” Aster hmmed. “We’ll need some bits, won’t we? Nopony’s gonna give us change unless we buy stuff, right?” Brass Bit put a hoof on her friend’s withers and said, “We’ll just have to break open our piggy banks. If we find one of those coins it’ll be like winning the lottery. Do you have any idea how much they could be worth?” “How much?” “Lots!” “Wow! Okay, I’ll run home and get some bits. Maybe Amy Dextrous can come too? She’s always got spending money.” “Hmm, yeah, she’s okay. But don’t tell anypony else! I’ll meet you at the fair grounds entrance.” > 05 - Shopping > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When they made it back to Berry Punch’s stand, she was quick to wave them over. “Hey Pinkie Pie! A couple of guys came around here looking for you and your friend.” Pinkie blinked. “Huh? Why were they looking for us?” “I dunno, they didn’t say. I don’t think it was anything good. They had a really bad attitude. I had to smack one upside the head to get him to back off.” Pinkie and Minty and Star Catcher all traded glances, seeing if any of them knew what this might be about. “I don’t get it,” said Pinkie. “Everypony I know is back in Ponyville, and none of them have bad attitudes. They’re all my friends.” “Well, you girls just be careful, and keep an eye out. If anypony hassles you, come to me — or tell the guards. So… Would you care for some more lemonade?” Pinkie and Minty nodded. “Okay, coming right up!” After the three ponies had sat down and enjoyed their lemonade, they decided to go browsing for souvenirs and gifts among the many stalls and shops that had been set up around the fair grounds. Ponies had brought their wares and crafts from all over Canterlot and beyond: clothes and jewelry, toys and games, art and musical instruments. Although some of the shops were little more than open stalls, there were also some larger and quite permanent-looking buildings. Star Catcher sniffed at the air. “There’s an enticing odor. Let’s take a look, shall we?” She followed her nose to a nearby vendor’s stall, nestled among a small grove of trees. Minty and Pinkie followed, their curiosity piqued. They soon saw where the scent was coming from, as each corner of the structure had a bundle of incense burning. It was good advertising, since the shop was largely filled with incense and burners, in addition to candles, soaps, and numerous mysterious jars. “Welcome to my emporium!” said a cheerful orange unicorn mare wearing a gypsy scarf. “I’m Heaven Scent. Feel free to ask about anything you see — or smell — that catches your interest!” The three ponies wandered around, sniffing at this and that. Minty found herself nosing into a rack of small white jars. “What are these?” she wondered aloud. “Let me show you!” said Heaven Scent. With her magic she grabbed and opened a jar, then she carefully dipped the very tip of her horn into it. A few drops of pale yellowish liquid adhered. Then she waved her horn in front of Minty and said, “Taste it!” Minty blinked. “You… You want me to lick your horn?” “Go on!” urged the unicorn. “It’s not dirty, it won’t hurt you.” Pinkie Pie and Star Catcher were watching now. Feeling uncertain, Minty extended her tongue and licked a drop from the horn. She rolled her tongue in her mouth and then said, “Hey! That tastes like peaches. It’s nice. What is it, some kind of peach syrup?” “It’s personal lubricant,” Heaven said. “A jar of this could make your next date with your colt-friend very memorable.” Minty’s ears drooped with confusion for a few seconds, then her eyes went wide, and she blushed and started backing away. “Oh, um… wow.” Meanwhile Pinkie Pie snerked, struggling not to laugh out loud, and then gradually broke down into a giggling fit. Heaven Scent simply smiled and wiped her horn clean with a damp rag while Minty slunk away and developed a sudden interest in soap. Star Catcher, though, moved closer to the proprietor and asked softly, “How much for a jar?” After leaving Heaven Scent’s shop — having also picked up some incense to bring home for Kimono — they continued browsing among the others. After they found a shop that had colorful socks, they practically had to drag Minty out the door. Pinkie Pie bought a mustache-shaped baking mould (“Perfect for a mustache party!”) for herself, and a set of bamboo pan pipes for Star Catcher. One shop was particularly large, with a broad porch and a life-sized statue of a buffalo in front. Star Catcher paused to look at a gray kitten that was running about and playing. She looked around. “Where is your mother, little kitten?” she wondered. “Where are your litter-mates?” She watched for a few moments, then followed her companions into the store. The first thing she saw upon entering was more different kinds of candy than she’d ever seen in one place before. Minty and Pinkie Pie were already fully engaged in pointing out different candies to one another: “Jaw Breakers!” “Peanut brickle!” “Fudge!” “Gumballs!” “Look at all the flavors of jelly beans!” “Look at all the gummis!” “Whoah… There’s a whole wall covered with salt water taffy. And they have peppermint! And spearmint! And wintergreen!” Star Catcher asked the attendant for a small bag of jelly beans with mixed flavors. She watched as the sales pony gripped a scoop handle gingerly with her lips, and filled the bag, and weighed it. After she’d paid for the candy, Star Catcher ventured, “How did you come to be here in Uni…, um, Canterlot, if you don’t mind me asking?” “I grew up here,” was the cheerful reply. “My regular store is over on Destrier Drive, but this is the fifth year in a row that I’ve rented this space for the celebration.” Star Catcher nodded and asked, carefully, “What’s it like for an earth pony growing up here?” The other pony shrugged. “What, you mean because there’s so many unicorns living here? It was a unicorn city way back, even before Equestria was founded. But that’s no big deal.” “That long ago…” Star Catcher muttered, more to herself than to the sales pony. Just then everypony perked up as they heard a piercing shriek, followed by, “Oh! My! Gosh! Minty! There’s a whole room full of toys and puzzles back here!” Seeing that Pinkie and Minty were likely to be there for A While, Star Catcher told the sales pony, “If my friends look for me, please tell them I’ll be just outside, would you dear?” Then she took her bag and returned to the porch. She hopped onto a wooden bench and set her jelly beans on the adjacent table. She overturned the bag so some of the candy spilled out onto the table, and she could easily pick out individual beans with her lips. Then she settled her body down on the bench and ate her jelly beans at a leisurely pace, one at a time. Although small, they were the most flavorful jelly beans she’d ever had. While she waited she watched other ponies come and go, and casually listened to snippets of conversation. There was a scratching sound, then the kitten’s head popped into view at the edge of the table. With tiny claws extended, it climbed onto the tabletop then meowed at her, loudly, “YOW! YOW! YOW!” She craned her neck and sniffed at the kitten, and it sniffed back. She tried stroking the kitten with the bristly hairs under her chin, rubbing along its head and down its back to the base of its tail. The kitten arched its back and hiked its tail and immediately purred. She giggled softly and stroked it a few more times with her chin. Just as she started to pull her muzzle back, the kitten’s paw struck out hooked its claws into Star Catcher’s nose. She gasped, “Aaah! Nono!” as she reflexively jumped to her feet and partially unfurled her wings. She brought forth a hoof and used the edge to carefully dislodge the prickly claws from her nostril. “You little monster!” she scolded, but the kitten was already batting a jelly bean between its paws. The bean bounced off the edge of the table, and the kitten followed in a flash. “You must be the most scatterbrained animal I’ve ever seen.” She settled back down on the bench, began to chew another jelly bean, and kept a wary eye on the kitten as it scampered about frantically, startling passing ponies as it frisked around their feet. Star Catcher wondered briefly if it was going to be trampled, but it seemed only ponies were at risk as the kitten nimbly dodged their darting hooves. After some time the kitten ran out of steam and stretched out on the table beside her for a cat nap. Star Catcher smiled softly, and resumed chewing on her jelly beans, one at a time, and wondered how her friends were coming along with their shopping. Pinkie squealed and grabbed Minty. “Look at this! This is what I’ve always needed so bad and I didn’t even know!” Grinning maniacally, she pushed a small tin box into Minty’s face. Minty blinked and sat back on her haunches, grasped the box between her front hooves, and squinted at the writing on it: EMERGENCY INFLATABLE CHICKEN. “What is this? I don’t even…” Pinkie grabbed it and turned the box around so Minty could read the label on the other side. Any serious situation can be deflated by the introduction of a rubber chicken, but traditional rubber chickens are so impractically large for daily use. This vinyl Emergency Inflatable Rubber Chicken slides easily into any saddlebag or purse waiting to be introduced at the exact moment a little levity is needed. Inflates to 16” long. Star Catcher had pulled out her new pan pipes and began to practice, playing softly while the kitten slumbered. It had been years since she’d played the pan pipes, when she’d learned along with Star Song and some other ponies in school. However, it was an easy instrument to play, and the memories began to come back to her quickly. Other passerby paused, pleasantly bemused by the beautiful pegasus playing her music next to a table scattered with jelly beans and an adorable sleeping kitten. “It looks like you found a friend,” one commented Star Catcher merely smiled and continued her tune. Shortly, however, an annoying mechanical sound began to intrude upon Star Catcher’s music. She stopped playing, ears perked up and looked around. Letting the pipes dangle from their cord around her neck, she slipped off the bench and moved out into the sunlight. Gazing upward she saw what looked like a massive, wide-eyed purple sea creature somehow swimming through the sky with thick and powerful flippers. It was from this monstrosity that the mechanical noises issued, along with twin plumes of white clouds that trailed a short distance before dissipating. Star Catcher froze, her mind whirling. Was the city under attack? She glanced about. Other ponies were looking upward and pointing, but there were no screams of terror. She glanced up again at the beast, which seemed on a course almost straight toward her. “I’ve got to get a closer look at that!” she muttered, and she leapt into the air. Soon she was keeping pace alongside the thing and, from this perspective, could easily see how she’d been wrong. What she’d taken for the creature’s body was, in fact, a large and elongated balloon with a decoratively embroidered cover in the shape of a sea beast. Below the balloon thick cables held suspended a graceful hull painted purple and festooned with propulsive and steering fins covered in gold leaf. Relieved, although still amazed by what she beheld, she waved at the crew ponies she could see moving about on the deck. Several other pegasi had the same idea as her and were flying along with the strange craft, although they all kept a respectful distance from the airbags, propellers and backwash. Star Catcher intercepted one of the other pegasus ponies and shouted to him over the noise of the motor, “What is it?” She waved a hoof toward the nearby vessel. “It’s one of the new steam-powered airships!” he yelled back. “They must be training to race in the Alicorn Cup. It’s only a couple of months away, you know.” “Steam powered? How does that work?” All Star Catcher knew of steam was from a tea kettle. “It’s just like a steam carriage!” the other pony yelled, unhelpfully. “They can go way faster and farther than magic propulsion.” Star Catcher nodded and then flapped her wings and swooped over and around the ship, getting a good look, and then turned to glide back to the shop where she’d left her friends. Upon landing she noted the kitten had already scampered off somewhere, so she collected the candy she’d left on the table, and she went inside. She found the pony at the candy counter and asked, “Have you seen where my friends went?” The pony nodded. “They went into the back room, down those steps and toward the end. They’ve been back there a while now; they must have found something that really grabbed their attention.” “Thank you!” Star Catcher said, and she went to track down her friends. In the darkened back of the shop, Minty and Pinkie Pie stared in wide-eyed wonder. Minty said, “This is amazing!” Both ponies were bathed in an eerie blue glow from the object of their fascination. “It’s incredible!” said Pinkie. Minty inched closer to the thing, although not daring to touch it. Her nose was close enough to feel warmth emanating from it. She said, “This… This must be the most amazingly magical thing in the world!” “I could watch it all day long,” said Pinkie. “Look at that!” Both ponies’ eyes went even wider as two globs of molten wax collided and fused together inside the lava lamp.