Applejack looked over the orchard, taking a deep, soulful breath. “Today’s gonna be a good one, I can tell!” She said, the smell of apples finding its way into her nose. “Jus’ lookit all those crunchy, perfect apples just waitin’ to be bucked!” She reared up, letting out an excited holler as the sound of summoning came from her flank. She stopped in her tracks, looking at the glowing Cutie Mark. “Really? Right now? But I’ve been lookin’ forward to this harvest fer weeks!” She hung her head with a dejected sigh, then picked herself up. “What am I sayin'? I’ve got a responsibility to come whenever I’m called!” She looked longingly back at the orchard. “I’m sure Big Mac and Apple Bloom can handle all o’ this, anyway…” She shook her head, looking forward and breaking into a gallop.
Arriving in the Castle of Friendship, Applejack spotted Twilight looking over the map. The Princess looked in her direction and landed in front of her. “Applejack! You’re here!” She turned to look at the map again. “That means we just need to wait for one more pony to arrive.”
“Who else is comin’ along?” the farm mare asked.
“It looks like… Starlight!” Twilight declared, the Cutie Mark of the pony in question floating into place next to Applejack's.
Applejack smiled. “Well, this is gonna be one heck of a treat, then! Why, I haven’t spent good quality time with Starlight in months!” Realization lit up her face as she looked around. “Wait a sec… How is she supposed to get here fast enough that we can get goin’ anyway?”
As if to answer her question, a thunderclap sounded outside. The front door to the castle swung open wide, Starlight walking into the throne room with a glowing Cutie Mark, a face of shock, and a mane flared back and disheveled to the point of being completely unrecognizable. She stepped up to Twilight, her flashing flank falling flatly to the floor. “How in Celestia’s name do you put up with speed like that without magic?!” She asked, leaning in as Boltsinger walked in behind her, taking off his flight goggles and stowing them away.
Twilight laughed, lighting her horn and moving her friend’s mane back into place. “So, the reason Bolt’s wings activated this morning was to get you?” she wondered, casting a look at the blue-maned pony. “That’s oddly convenient. To answer your question, I cheat. I use magic to go that fast, and it’s not too big of a deal.”
Boltsinger sat next to the Princess’ throne, looking at the horned ponies. “Well that explains why your horn is glowing whenever we race…” He shrugged, looking over at the map. “So, where are you two going?”
Starlight sat by the map, looking at the floating symbols. “It looks like…” the marks finally stopped, floating over a city of clouds. “Cloudsdale.”
Applejack’s eyes went wide at the sight of the floating town. “Um…” she looked at Starlight, then at her own hoof. “The map is sendin’ us to Cloudsdale?” She tapped the table tentatively. “How do we know the map ain’t busted? Y’all told me it did sumthin’ weird with Bolt, once, and it’s not exactly been makin’ a lot o’ sense with some o’ the ‘missions’ it’s been sendin’ us on…”
Starlight sat back, turning her attention to the hat-clad mare. “I think we’ll do fine.” She stood up, turning to the door. “I’m gonna go make sure I’m ready to go. See you later!” At that moment, she cantered out the door, calling for Spike.
Applejack walked through Cloudsdale, being mindful of her footing with every step. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used ta all this cloud-walkin’ stuff…” she said, looking back to see Starlight trotting along like it was nothing. “I sure am glad you know the spell the lets us non-flyers do it, though.”
“It is a useful spell.” a cocky tone stated from behind the pink Unicorn. “Thanks to it, the Grrrreat and Powerful Trrrixie can give the ponies of Cloudsdale the show of a lifetime!”
“An’ I can’t believe yer even here…” Applejack muttered, turning her head away.
“What’s wrong?” Starlight asked, glancing at her farmer comrade. “It’s not like I had any reason to say no. Especially with how much she begged for this!”
“I just don’t feel right, havin’ her along on our friendship mission!” she stated. “We’re supposed to be here to solve a friendship problem, not put on a dang magic show!”
Trixie trotted forward in her signature pointed hat and cape, her wagon rolling behind her as she put a reassuring hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “And I promise, I won’t get in the way of your mission. But you can’t possibly expect me to stay behind when I have the opportunity to bring my show to the one city in Equestria to thus far be deprived of my greatness!”
“I dunno ‘bout ‘greatness’, but… If y’all ain’t gonna get in the way… I guess I don’t have a problem.” she relented. “Jus’ don’t get all high ‘n mighty ‘bout all yer ‘magic’. Okay?”
“You have my Grrreat and powerful guarantee!” the illusionist declared, raising a hoof dramatically, a small firework erupting from the wagon in a bright and colorful flash. “I promise that I won’t go overboard with--”
“Oh my gosh, it’s the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!!!” a mare in the distance shouted. In an instant, the three wingless ponies found themselves surrounded by throngs of screaming and hollering Pegasus ponies, all peeking over one another to get a look at the blue Unicorn. She was met with a barrage of questions, ranging from how she was in Cloudsdale, how she got there, whether or not it was due to her great and powerful magic. Trixie beamed at the attention, reveling in the praise as she turned to look at Applejack with the biggest, smuggest smile that was possible for a pony.
Applejack gave a hearty groan, rolling her eyes as she jumped over the sizeable gathering to continue on her way. “Last thing I need is her gettin’ all up on ‘er high horse…” She looked disdainfully back at the eager group, seeing Starlight float herself down behind her. The extra-magical Unicorn had a fond smile on her muzzle, clearly happy for her friend’s sudden upsurge of fans, but her face moved to one of sudden concern when she looked back at Applejack. Applejack, in turn, wondered what her friend was so worried about. She turned to look forward again to see what was going on, only to feel the impact that came with bumping into another pony.
A beige-coated Pegasus stallion, standing a head taller than Applejack with a heavy-set and athletic build, was knocked to the cloud by the sudden collision. He had a spiky tan mane with a short-cut spiky tail, along with off-white hooves. He got up with a huff, squinting his orange eyes at the wing-less mare in front of him. His Cutie Mark consisted of a yellow lightning bolt running horizontally parallel to a white lightning bolt. He looked at Applejack, a mix of irritation and confusion in his eyes. “How are you standing here, Earth Pony?” He asked, paying special attention to her legs.
Applejack stepped back. “Same way y’all are. With my legs.” She raised a foreleg, pointing up. “I know they’re some mighty fine legs ‘n all, but my face is up here.” The stallion raised his head, his attention drawn as directed. “Sorry fer bumpin’ into ya like that.” She held her hoof out in greeting. “Name’s Applejack!”
He reluctantly brought a hoof forward. “Storm Chaser.” He said averting his gaze. “If you’ll excuse me…” he looked over the mare, walking past her towards the larger crowd.
Applejack looked back at him, her expression reminding Starlight of an unripe apple. “Pleasure t’ meetcha…”
Starlight trotted beside the farmer, putting her hoof on her back. “Don’t worry about him. We’ve got a friendship problem to find!” She raised her foreleg, venturing into the town.
“Hey, A.J.!” Trixie called, cantering to catch up with the work horse. “I think I can help with your little mission!”
Applejack stopped, turning around to face the incoming illusionist. “I thought you said you weren’t gonna get in the way of our job here?” She reminded her with a glare.
Trixie skidded to a halt, smirking at her. “I did! But this won’t get in your way!”
Starlight tentatively stepped up between her friends. “Oh? What is it, Trix?”
“Well, I don’t know if I want to say it anymore.” She teased, turning away from Applejack. “Not if all it does is ‘get in the way’!”
Applejack recoiled, raising a foreleg. “Now, I never said gettin’ in the way was all you would do!” She put her hoof back on the cloud below, jutting her head forward. “Jus’ that I didn’t want ya to mess things up! If’n you can give us sumthin’ we can use, then… I guess I got no choice but ta hear ya out.”
Trixie smirked further, hiding it with the collar if her cape. “Well, if you insist…” She looked over at Starlight. “I found a couple of ponies in the crowd that looked like they weren’t getting along very much. Maybe you should talk to them?”
“Did they look like they were friends?” Starlight inquired. “They could have just been standing next to each other.”
“Please, I’ve seen a lot of audiences in my time, and I know when somepony has dragged a friend along that… isn’t a fan.” Trixie explained, motioning grandly, as if to a crowd. “That spiky-haired stallion did not want to be there with all the fans that fawned over their favorite magician, but the maroon mare with him was grabbing him so tight and screaming my name…” She let her rump fall to the clouds, her speech devolving into a delirious laugh.
“Spiky-haired stallion, huh?” Starlight puzzled, looking over at Applejack. “Didn’t we bump into somepony like that, earlier?”
“That’s puttin’ it nicely…” she confirmed. “I coulda guessed he’d be part of… whatever it is we gotta do here. That’s generally how this sorta thing goes.” She walked past the droning mare, swishing her hat off with her tail. “Storm Chaser, right? Let’s go ‘n find ‘im…”
Starlight walked ahead, looking around. “Well, that shouldn’t be too hard. They’re both heading this way.” She pointed forward, the beige Pegasus walking begrudgingly down the road with a maroon Pegasus mare talking his ear off. She had opal eyes and a long bluish black mane and tail, looking to be combed back at the bangs, with the hair from the back of her head pulled back in a loose ponytail, tied with a blue scrunchie, with another one pinching the end of her tail. Her Cutie Mark was a treble clef with little zig zag lines around it, as if to indicate it to be vibrating.
“Oh, Storm, I can’t believe she’s here!!!” she squealed, shaking Storm’s head repeatedly. He rolled his eyes, letting out a bemoaned laugh at her antics. “Do you think she’s gonna do a show? How did she even get here?! I bet she used some amazing magic to be able to stand on the clouds!”
“I bed she had somepony else do it.” Storm argued, lowering his head. “Her ‘magic’ doesn’t even look real enough to be a convincing fake! I swear, Aria, I don’t understand why you like that fraud so much!”
“I can’t understand why you don’t like her!” Aria retorted, fluttering her wings and rearing up excitedly. She let out a gasp as a familiar shade of blue caught her eye. “Oh my gosh, she’s over there right now!” She hopped in place, taking a leap and closing the gap between herself and her idol in an instant.
Applejack and Storm simultaneously groaned, looking candidly at the daydreaming deception artist. Storm’s ears perked up as he heard the farmer’s annoyance, looking over to her. “You, too, huh?”
Applejack chuckled. “Y’all don’t know the half of it.” She affirmed, walking up to him. “She came here with me an’ our mutual friend, over there. Personally, I don’t even know why she had ta come along.”
“I’m sorry.” he joked, looking at Starlight. “And how did she come to be friends with that one?”
“Jury’s still out on that one. I reckon it’s their… similar history.” she answered. “They both made a few bad decisions in the past.”
“Well, that’s not surprising…” he replied, the two ponies sharing a laugh.
Trixie snapped out of her delirium, seeing the maroon mare looking at her with stars in her eyes, squeezing her own muzzle with her forehooves. “You… are… totally… amazing!” she cried out in a sing-song tone. “I can’t believe I finally get to meet you!”
“Huh? What?” Trixie droned, standing up. “Oh! Yes… I’m glad to meet yet another fan!” She brushed herself off, straightening her hat. “I’m planning on holding a show tomorrow, if you’d like to spread the word!” Aria began a long and loud squee, reminding her of a boiling teapot. Trixie smirked, then looked over at the gruff-looking stallion. “So, is he a friend of yours?”
Aria looked over at him, a big smile forming on her muzzle. “Only my best friend!” she stated, rushing to his side and putting a hoof around him. “He even came all the way out here to see you with me! He’s been a bit mopey for a while, though… I wonder if he’s okay?”
“Oh?” Starlight began, stepping up beside Aria. “Why has he been moping?”
“He’s… not exactly a fan like I am.” she told her, looking at her hooves as she pawed the cloud.
“He does look pretty disgruntled. What made you a fan in the first place?” Starlight wondered.
Aria bubbled up again, looking at Starlight with a smile. “Well, I don’t know exactly why, but I really fell into the fandom last year, when she was in Las Pegasus! She’s got such a flair for the dramatic, so over-the-top and amazing! And the astounding cocky character she plays onstage is just so cool!”
Starlight had to fight to keep a sarcastic laugh from erupting out of her. She managed to eke out a small, awkward chortle, struggling to keep a straight face. “Yeah! Cocky… character... “ She faked a cough into her hoof. “She can be pretty great when she needs to be.”
“And powerful!” Aria added, buzzing her wings.
“Oh, come on!” Storm interjected, stomping his foreleg. “She’s a total fraud! How do you not see it?!” He stepped forward and aggressively pointed his hoof at Trixie. “None of the magic she does is real! She may be a Unicorn, but that doesn’t mean she actually knows what she’s doing!”
Trixie gasped, dramatically raising an offended hoof. “I don’t know what you’re talking about! I know exactly what I’m doing!”
Storm snorted, stomping over to the magician. “Prove it!” he demanded, pointing at a nearby piece of cloud. “Turn that into something else!”
Trixie smirked, looking at the thing the Pegasus pointed out. “You’re serious? That’s all you want to see?” Storm nodded, snorting again. Aria squeed, looking at the target. Trixie lowered her head, her horn glowing fiercely with sparks flying out in all directions. She loosed a beam of magic at the unsuspecting tiny cloud, entrapping it in the force of her will. The cloud rose up into the air, glowing and changing in form as the magic did its work. As the light faded, a purple teacup with a swirl pattern fell to the cloud below, sitting rather unimpressively. “You see? I truly am magical!”
“Only if’n ya need a teacup…” Applejack mumbled.
Storm looked at the teacup, then back at Trixie, then at Aria, then once again back at Trixie. “That’s it? A teacup? This is a joke!”
Trixie scoffed, turning away from him. “I’ll have you know I put a lot of time and effort into learning that spell!” She began a haughty walk away, motioning a foreleg to the pink Unicorn. “Come on, Starlight! Let’s go!”
Starlight shook her head. “Sorry, Trix, I have business to take care of.” She looked back at the fuming stallion and the now-surprised mare. “I’ll be along later to help you with the show.”
Aria walked up to her friend. “Why are you going so far out of your way to prove she’s a fraud?” She asked, getting in close. “I know you don’t like her show very much, but why can’t you just let ponies enjoy it instead of ruining it for all of us?”
Storm growled, spreading his wings wide. “Because all she’s ever done is lie to everypony! Bragging about some ‘amazing feat’ that she never even came close to doing!”
Aria put her hoof up between the two of them. “You know what? I don’t care! I’m not gonna let some stubborn stallion stop me from having a good time!” She turned around in a huff of her own, whipping him on the nose with her tail as she left. Starlight recoiled, trotting up to her.
Starlight, Aria, and Trixie walked through the streets of Cloudsdale, nearing the weather factory. Trixie was busy setting up her stage in a nice and open area, while Starlight sat with the maroon mare. “What you said to Storm, back there… That was a little harsh…” she stated, giving her a concerned glance.
“No harsher than what he said…” Aria retorted, a disgruntled tone permeating her usual cheery one. “He’s been like this for a while, now. Chasing ideas without even thinking of how other ponies might feel about it…”
“Sounds like he’s pretty stubborn.” Starlight mused. “Reminds me of a friend of mine. But, he’s not entirely wrong. Trixie and I have both made some pretty rotten choices in the past. And that cocky demeanor you like so much isn’t really an act.”
Aria’s expression perked up at the new information. “Really?” she asked, seeing a solemn nod from the magical mare. “But how did you all get up here to Cloudsdale if not for her magic?”
Starlight lit up her own horn, floating a number of props overhead. “When it comes to ‘magic’, I’m the one with all the practical stuff.” She floated the items over to an appealing position on the stage. “She’s learning how to do it as well, but her speciality is fireworks and ‘stage magic’.”
“I see…” Aria responded, feeling a little let down. She looked over at the stage, where the pony of prestidigitation was making small adjustments to her setup, giving the stage an appeal that reminded the observing ponies of the night sky. “But what she does do for real is still pretty amazing. Doing all of those tricks without any magic? That only makes it more impressive! So why does he think she’s so awful?”
“I only wish I knew…” Starlight admitted, watching as Trixie spun to face her would-be audience, flaring her cape and raising her foreleg with a confident grin. “I know she hasn't always been the most reliable pony, but that doesn’t seem to be what’s bothering him…”
“You know what’s bothering me?” Storm asked as Applejack approached. “I’ve seen proof that she’s nothing but a sham!” He started walking in the opposite direction from where his friend had gone, Applejack following. “Have you ever been to Ponyville?”
Applejack resisted the urge to facehoof, deadpanning at the stallion in her company. “Do y’all remember my name?” she asked him.
Storm looked at her flat expression, thinking back. “You said your name was Applejack, right?” Applejack nodded, her face unchanging. “What’s so important about that?”
“Ya ever hear of Sweet Apple Acres?” she continued. “Or the Apple family?”
Storm stewed for a few moments, attempting to find the connection. Moments later, he made a sharp inhale. “Best apples in all of Equestria! So, you live in Ponyville!” Applejack smiled, nodding in confirmation. “Then you were there when she was bragging about ‘vanquishing an Ursa Major’, weren’t you? You know just how much of a fraud she is!”
“Storm, I was the first one ta call ‘er out on all ‘er boastin’!” she confirmed, stomping her hoof. “She made a fool outta me, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity that day! You were there, too?”
“I was learning some weather work in Ponyville for a while. Rainbow Dash is a great example of efficient weather patterns and cloud-busting.” he explained. “And I know full well that Princess Twilight proved just how much of a blowhard that poor excuse for a Unicorn is!”
“Oh, I know first hoof what yer talkin’ about.” Applejack confirmed. “I can’t say I’m ‘er biggest fan, either. When she came back to Ponyville, she was as evil as a swarm o’ vampire fruit bats on an unsuspectin’ orchard!”
Storm nodded, trying to understand the metaphor. “That doesn’t surprise me at all… How in Equestria can somepony as good as Aria fall for her tricks?”
“I reckon it probably had sumthin’ ta do with her turnin’ over a new leaf.” the farmer continued. “See, that other pony I came here with, Starlight, is pretty good friends with ‘er. Both o’ them’ve come a long way since I met ‘em.”
“Is she doing actual magic in her show?” the Pegasus queried. “Or is she a charlitain like I thought?”
“Well… when it comes to ‘magic’, that’s more Starlight’s thing.” she admitted, sitting on a nearby bench. “Without her, I couldn’t even be up here.” She patted the bench beside her, where Storm took a seat. “Maybe you should talk to yer friend again. Less screamin’, and more listenin’ this time.”
Storm looked at the street, seeing ponies walking everywhere. “I suppose she hasn’t done anything to send Cloudsdale into chaos…” The sky turned a shade of orange, announcing the hour of twilight and Celestia’s setting of the sun. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow. Thanks, Applejack.” He gave her a nudge on the shoulder, spreading his wings and flying off.
“Eeyup.” she replied, looking around. “Now I just… need to figure out where we’ll be sleepin’ tonight…”
From two houses in the residential area of Cloudsdale, Storm and Aria emerged. They set off for the day, trotting towards a common destination in the weather factory. As they converged, they exchanged a pleasant greeting, their mutual workplace coming into view. Off to the side, a stage stood. It had a purple backdrop, with star patterns dotting the curtains and several props lining the back portions. Storm looked at it with a scowl on his muzzle, while Aria beamed as brightly as possible. They looked at one another, Storm trying to open his mouth to speak. He was interrupted by a loud huff from his maroon-coated friend, who turned her nose up and accelerated her way into the facility.
“Aria, wait!” he called, trotting after her. By the time he caught a glimpse of her again, she had clocked in and headed to her station in water management. He breathed a sigh, resigning himself to his duties.
Hours later, at lunch, Storm sat down at his usual table, Aria following suit through sheer force of habit. Storm waved a hoof, smiling as she took a begrudging look at him. “So what are your plans for tonight?”
“I… was thinking of seeing a show.” he hinted, taking a bite of his lunch. “I hear there’s one going on tonight. Thought I’d see what all the fuss is about.”
“Are you sure you can stand to go to a magic show without any magic?” Aria asked, still looking a slight sourpuss.
Storm gulped, looking at his friend in shock. “So you know she's a charlitain and you’re still a fan?”
“Starlight told me a lot about her!” she affirmed, putting her sandwich on its plate forcefully. “And all it did was make me a bigger fan!”
“If you know everything she did, everything she is, then you know why I can’t stand her!” he fumed, his own sandwich hitting the plate with a surprisingly loud thud. He stood up, forelegs on the table. “She’s a liar, a cheat, and a fraud! There’s nothing about her to be a fan of! I just can’t understand why you’re so enamored with her!”
“You know what? Sometimes I just can’t understand you!” Aria argued, meeting his gesture in kind. “It's stubbornness like this that keeps ponies from ever making new friends! And sometimes, it can even cause you to lose the ones you have!” She flared her wings, rearing up and turning around to trot away.
Storm’s mouth hung open, his ears low as his wings drooped to the floor below. “Lose them…?” he repeated, reaching a hoof forward. “Aria, wait a second!” He lingered a moment, finally falling back on his hindquarters. “I never wanted to lose my friend…”
The whistle blew at the weather factory, Storm and Aria making their exits. Aria made an immediate beeline for the stage, meeting up with an orange Earth Pony mare. “Oh! Hi…” she greeted, eyeing the pony. “You’re that other one that was with Starlight and Trixie, right?”
“Eeyup. Name’s Applejack!” she confirmed, extending her foreleg. “You here fer the show?”
“Of course!” she stated, some of the light returning to her eyes. “I wouldn’t miss this for all of Equestria!”
“Well, we got a little time before it starts. How ‘bout you ‘n me talk a bit first?”
Aria poked her lower lip with her hoof, looking over the farmer’s shoulder at the stage behind. Trixie was setting up, and Starlight was nowhere to be found. She brought her attention back to Applejack. “Sure.” She turned towards the town. “How about dinner?” Applejack smiled and nodded. “Great! Where do you want to go?”
Applejack smirked, tipping her hat. “Aww, shucks, we don’t gotta go anywhere!” She walked over to a bag next to the stage, pulling out an apple pie. “I never go anywhere without at least sumthin’ to eat!” Aria looked at the pie with a hint of drool seeping out of her mouth. Applejack’s smirk turned to a full-muzzle smile as she opened the bag further, revealing more morsels inside. “An’ there’s more where that came from!” She laid out a number of treats on a blanket, making sure they had a good view of the stage as Aria stuffed a fritter in her mouth. “So, how’d it go, talkin’ with Storm?”
Aria looked wide-eyed at Applejack, quickly moving to an uncharacteristically sour face. “It didn’t… He’s too stubborn to understand me, or why I admire ponies who can put on a show like Trixie can.”
“Well, why do ya admire Trixie s’ dang much?” the Earth Pony wondered, her gaze fixed on the magician of note. “It’s sumthin’ I’ve been wonderin’ for a while, too.”
“Well… She’s able to stand onstage with confidence!” She elaborated, looking back at her Cutie Mark. “I love to sing, but I can’t stop shaking whenever I get in front of other ponies. She can do all of that so confidently, and she can’t even do magic! Even more than her performance, I wish I had her kind of attitude.”
Applejack smiled, settling into a comfortable position as she looked at the pony next to her. “I’ll admit, Trixie’s come a long way since I first met ‘er. But it’s hard to get past how ponies are when ya first meet ‘em sometimes. An’ Storm’s first encounter with that one was certainly memorable. I know, ‘cause I was there, too.” She told the maroon mare about the first time Trixie had shown up in Ponyville, sparing no details.
“But she’s gotten better since then, right?” the Pegasus stressed. “You said it yourself, she’s come a long way!”
“I did. But if he’s as stubborn as I used to be, then he sure as heck ain’t gonna see that.” she said. “Besides, just ‘cause he’s not a fan, that don’t mean y’all can’t still be friends! Stop thinkin’ about what might be drivin’ you apart. Why don’tcha tell me what all you like about ‘im?”
Aria looked down at the cloud beneath her, poking at it with her hoof. “Well, he’s stubborn, yeah… But he’s very down-to-earth. He’s got a level head that you don’t find much of here in Cloudsdale. It’s kept me from making some pretty bad mistakes in the past… Maybe… I was too hard on him earlier, huh?”
“Just a little bit.” Applejack agreed, placing a hoof on her shoulder.
“Storm, can we talk?” Starlight called, seeing the heavy-set Pegasus trotting away from the factory. He stopped for a moment, looking over at her.
“You’re that friend Applejack mentioned, aren’t you?” he asked as she made her way over to him. “Star… bright… something?”
“It’s Starlight Glimmer. And yes.” she corrected. “I heard from Applejack that you were gonna talk to your friend today. How’d that go?”
Storm sank as low as he could, looking away. “I doubt she even considers me her friend anymore… I tried to talk to her, but it just turned into a fight.”
“And because you had a fight, you’re suddenly not friends anymore?” the purple-maned pony wondered, tilting her head as she influenced their direction towards the stage.
“We disagree on everything, anyway… Maybe she’d be better off without somepony like me mucking up the things that actually make her happy!” he argued, beginning to drag his hooves as he walked. “She gets excited so easily… And that gets her into so much trouble… Maybe she’d learn her lesson if I didn’t bail her out of it so much? Yeah, I’ll miss hearing her singing in that beautiful way she does… All the hilarious jokes she’s always cracking… The way she can smile at something so… so simple… like that charlitain you came here with... “
“Sounds to me like you like her a little too much to let your friendship end over just one fight, huh?” Starlight suggested, sitting in the back of a gathering crowd. “You could probably stand to be a little less stubborn, but I think you know what’s important in the long run.” The lights came on in front of the stage as Storm took a seat next to Starlight. “So, why don’t you enjoy the show, and see where things go from there?”
Storm looked at the stage, seeing Trixie standing in the spotlight. His face scrunched a little as he looked over at Starlight. “You planned this, didn’t you?”
Starlight gave him a sly grin. “Just watch.”
Trixie stepped forward onstage, clearing her throat. “Ponies of Cloudsdale, thank you for coming to the final stop on the Humble and Penitent Trixie’s Equestria-wide Apology Tour!”
Storm recoiled at the words, looking at Starlight, then back at the stage. “Apology tour?”
“I know that it’s late, but I was never able to get up here to Cloudsdale to finish this tour, because I lack the… magical ability… to make it here on my own.” the illusionist continued, averting her gaze at her admittance. “I started the Apology Tour as a way to make up for all of my mistakes in the past. And as a way to show everypony how much I’ve changed! How much I’ve improved! So please, enjoy the show!” From there, the show began. Trixie began with some of the simpler tricks, often taking volunteers from the audience in order to perform them. Each trick grew more complex than the last, eventually coming to some things that looked downright dangerous. The crowd repeatedly went into cheers as each trick was completed, the pony onstage showing a kind of finesse that Storm hadn’t seen before. At the end of it all, she took a bow with a flourish of her hat. “Thank you! Thank you! You’re all too kind!” She struck a cocky pose, smiling at the crowd. “Until the next time! Farewell!” She brought up a hoof, slamming a smoke bomb onto the stage that plumed up all over. When it cleared, all the audience saw was the tail end of the cloak she wore, sneaking its way backstage.
Applejack and Aria stood up as the crowd dispersed, trotting over to a rather dumbstruck Storm Chaser. “Well, Starlight, I have ta admit… I’m glad ya brought Trixie along… Even though she was the source o’ the problem.” She sat next to the pink mare, looking back at Aria. “She had a mighty fine reason fer comin’ up here.”
Aria sat in front of Storm, rubbing one foreleg with the other. “Storm… I’m… really sorry for what I said at lunch.” she started, looking at the cloud below her. “And my behavior since yesterday. I should have been more considerate of your feelings… You don’t have to be a fan of Trixie to be my friend! You just have to be yourself!”
Storm sighed to himself, looking his friend in the eye. “I’m sorry, too. I was too stubborn in my thinking. I wasn’t willing to give her another shot.” He stood up, Aria joining him in the gesture. “I thought that she was just some big fake, since she wasn’t doing actual magic and calling herself a ‘magician’. But that show was pretty impressive. And, I can see how she’s changed. I should have listened to you about all of it, instead of trying to bull-headedly convince you to see things my way.”
“I’m just glad that I didn’t drive you two apart.” Trixie stated, poking her head up next to them. “I know I don’t have the best reputation out there, but it wouldn’t be very grrrrreat or powerful of me to have driven such good friends apart after how far I’ve come!” She raised a foreleg, directing it at Storm. She made a flourish of her hoof, a bouquet of flowers appearing that she raised with her magic. “Can you accept my apologies?”
Storm smiled weakly, looking around the mare’s hoof. “How did you do that?”
Trixie smirked, hiding her muzzle with her cape. “A good magician never reveals her secrets!” Aria nodded, emphasizing the expression.
The stallion let out a loud laugh. “All right, fine! Apology accepted!” Aria let out a gleeful squee, tackling her friend in a hug.
Starlight and Applejack looked at each other with a smile, the light of their Cutie Marks informing them of a job well done.