“How about a song?! Vacations have to have songs.”
The other four didn't share Flitter’s excitement. The past few hours however, had really seemed to fly by, though; her antics were distracting and entertaining to the point even Mist wasn't complaining.
“Three hundred bottles of water from the tallest waterfall on Mount Aris’ southern cliff face in the morning because it's the best time to get it on the wall, three hundred bottles of water from the tallest waterfall on Mount Aris’ southern cliff face in the morning because it's the best time to get it on the wall… uh, drink’m down and then you got a full tummy cuz you drank too much water, silly pants!”
She balked at the laughter. “What? You would; that's like, a bunch of water! A bath full, I bet.”
Mist looked away then at the mare trotting around them merrily. “Flitter, you're way funnier than I thought.”
Violet winked at Mist. “Really, are you her friend now?”
The pink filly rolled her eyes. “Whatever, maybe.” She hid a smirk by looking at the ground and kicking a larger pebble ahead of her path.
“Ohhh, Jade thinks Mist had a nugget of kindness in the pit of her rock hard exterior.”
“Ugh, Mist thinks talking in third person is for idiots.”
Flitter landed in Mist’s path. “You’re a idiot?! That’s what my papa was, what’s it like?”
“I’m not an idiot! Jade is.”
“Violet, you wanna tell her?” Jade winked as they all stopped.
“No, maybe Kiwe?”
“What’re you talking about?! I’m not an idiot!”
Kiwe hid a smile behind a forehoof. “You said the way one speaks makes one so, then when you spoke in the same way…”
Right then it dawned on the pink mare and she quickly went from wide eyed surprise to humble indignation. “You gals suck,” she huffed and walked around Flitter.
“Maybe, but you gotta admit that we’re still pretty cool.”
She didn’t answer, flicking her tail as she took the lead.
“But, you never told me what it’s like to be the village idiot,” she chased after Mist who changed to a canter, “what’s it like, Misty? What’s it like?!”
Their stomachs growled when they saw a town after they crested a hill. “Finally,” Violet chirped with a hop, “food and a real bed, race ya there,” she trotted ahead then slowed to a lethargic walk, dragging her hooves in the gravel road.
“I think that because we can barely walk, we shouldn’t race.”
“Kiwe’s right.”
“You always say he’s right, Jade,” Mist whimpered, “ouch, too hungry to be right...”
Flitter swallowed a mouthful of grass and winced. “It’s still super sour and gross, everypony.”
“I coulda told you that, it’s been that way the last two days,” Violet sighed.
In a silent line, they all shuffled into the town where they were gawked at by locals. A blue stallion with a spikey darker blue mane hopped around a corner and gasped when he saw them, rushing his hopping into bouncing to meet them. “Heya, I’m Blue Cake and you’re my new buds! Welcome to Elkville, there’s not many elks anymore, but there’s some deer and mooses, too.”
“They’re called meese,” Mist corrected.
“No, that’s if they’re in a group of two or more. In this case a different word is in store; mooses.”
Jade nodded. “Yeah, he’s right! I’ve seen some mooses when I was back home.”
Bluey chuckled and stopped bouncing, his spiky mane springing once more when he stopped. “You’re a crystal pony, I can tell from your eyes,” he threw his forelegs into the air and with a pop confetti rained. Well, would you like a tour?” Blue asked from between Violet and Jade, getting a startled yelp.
“How’d you do that? You were just-”
“Let’s hurry so I can show you the bakery shop and get you a welcome to Elkville moose!”
Mist wrinkled her muzzle. “You’re getting us a moose? Is she gonna get us some food?”
“Ha, no. Not a moose. A moose! A moose for you all.”
“Uhhh,” was the consensus reply.
“C’mon, sillies, I’ll show you around and then you’ll get it!”
With unexplained elasticity, Blue pulled all five into a hug with him at the center that he picked up and thrust into a set of two lines, him front and center.
“What just happened?!”
“Hush, introductions are in order! I’m Blue, and who’re you?” he leaned close to her with a magnifying glass inches from her eyes. “You remind me of a pink party pony, only smaller,” he hummed.
“I’m Mist and I don’t party,” she replied with a firm shove to get her space back. Blue rolled and landed standing on one hind leg doing a half pirouette.
“Well, you’re in for a treat, Pinkie! C’mon, let’s put a smile on your face, and I know just the moose to do it.”
Ignoring Mist’s loud growl of frustration, the group moved behind Blue who led them on the tour. “That’s the Laundry Mat, you can guess what they do,” he started with a chuckled pointing to a square building that seemed to have a front facing washing machine door split down the middle and half buried as their entrance.
“That’s the color shop, we buy things like streamers, and paper, and all kinds of useful stuff that has to have a lot of color. Over there is the Laundry Mat, but just past it is The Block, they sell… well, blocky things.”
“What does that mean?” Violet asked, looking at the sandy colored building.
“Well, building blocks, bricks, salt licks and the like,” he shrugged and hopped ahead. “But don’t think about getting salty out here, because that leads us too,” he leapt and turned, pointing to a water fountain, “the hub! It’s the place most of us gather to chat and have a drink.”
A happy squeal preceded a flap of wings. Flitter shot up several yards and dove at a sharp angle into the fountain, splashing and making a scene. Blue appeared on top of the fountain, grinning down at the happy pegasus.
“Say, you sure look like you’re having fun, but you know this isn’t for bathing, right? The mayor told me that plenty of times,” he hummed as the group of four caught up, “about fifty seven times this year, already. I guess I should get you out,” he hopped and curled up, “incoming!”
He splashed into the water and Flitter hopped on him, pulling him up by his shoulders. “Hey, got any soaps? I need a scrubby-dub!”
The crowd of ponies was gathering just as the group arrived to see bubbles overflowing from the fountain, hiding the duo of laughing ponies.
“Where are they?! Kiwe, can you see them?”
“No, they are out of my sight as though it were night… Why are there so many bubbles?”
“Who cares, it’s a bubble bath!” Mist shouted as she shook her saddlebags off and galloped towards the fun, only to be caught in a magic field. She looked over and both Violet and Kiwe were using their magic to hold her still. “Hey, lemme go!”
“We don’t swim in public fountains, Mist.”
Mist crossed her forelegs under her as she was floated back to her bags. “You’re no fun at all, Violet.” She was dropped early and landed with a good puff of dust in her mane. “Hey?!”
“Oops, we slipped,” Kiwe snickered with Violet as unicorns began to spread the bubbles apart to show the two lying on inflatable pool toys.
“Hey, here to join us? Water’s fine,” Flitter giggled as she was lifted out with Blue. “Hey, I just scrubbed my hoovesies,” she took to a hover and pouted at her supremely clean hooves.
Kiwe and Jade looked at their cracked, chipped, and rough forehooves and then at the freshly polished ones that Flitter was sporting. “Whatever,” Violet said before them, “let’s get some food and cleaned up.”
“Did you wanna be cleaned up?” Blue shouted and leapt back into the fountain, the gathered locals scattered while the farther ones watched with pleased enjoyment when the blue stallion leapt from the top of the fountain with a firehose on full blast, aimed at the exhausted travelers.
A few seconds after they saw him they were all pushed back in a torrent of water, hundreds of gallons washed over them, around them, and it felt to them as though it tingled through them, as well. The deluge stopped suddenly with the hose rewinding into the fountain and Blue riding Flitter around them. The four sputtered and looked about themselves; soaked, naked, but as clean as though they’d spent an hour in a cool bath.
“Hey, you look much better, and what’d’ya know, here’s the inn! I’ve already got you registered and bags put away, so how about we get you a moose to suck on!”
Flitter stopped suddenly and looked at the stallion on her back. “I’m not supposed to be naughty except for early spring and autumn.”
Finally the blue stallion was flustered enough to hop off her and look askance to the inn. “W-well, that’s not unheard of, per se. But, how about that food? The bakery’s just around the corner because, well, it’s a kinda small town. Well, not that small, but it’s not gonna show up on the national map, but it shows up on regional maps and…” he looked at Flitter when she giggled.
“You’re cheeks are purple, it’s cute.”
He sucked in air sharply and stumbled into a hop-skip-hop quickly around the corner of the block ahead. Flitter followed, then the others behind her.
Mist hurried second to last. “How’d he get our stuff off us and- oh my.” Violet looked aside and followed Mist’s line of sight, moving a foreleg into the pink mare’s path. “Wa-oh! What’s the big deal? Kiwe’s stripes are just -mpgh! Violet! Don’t put your hoof on my mouth when I’m talking about -mng.”
Violet hoarsely whispered, “At least it’s not in your big mouth!”
“But, look at him,” Mist whispered as they fell behind the colts, “and Jade, they’re just…”
“Yeah,” Violet sighed the word, then shook her head. “I mean, no! C’mon, focus! We’re here for a reason, right?”
Mist tore her gaze from Kiwe and looked at Violet. “Reasons change, right?”
They fell silent until they turned the corner and the breeze brought with it fresh cooked bread and something very sweet. They were grateful for the distraction until the colts took to a gallop and left them behind, watching them go ahead to the bakery.
“Mist?”
“Yeah, Vi?”
“I think reasons change.”
…