On the Road to Friendship: The Realistic Version

by Nebbie


Close Discomfort

Trixie got into the extra-wide hammock first, getting on her back and facing up at the ceiling.

Starlight fumbled her way in after, soon being across Trixie's belly, facing the wall. "Well, it's...cozy!"

Trixie had an unamused expression. "Yeah. Cozy. Just get comfy real carefully and don't move after that. I don't want to flip out of here because you had to turn over or get up to pee."

"Went pee an hour ago!" Starlight said, then nodded and quickly got on her side, facing Trixie as she lightly put a single hoof around her friend. For a moment, Trixie smiled back at her, but as Starlight continued to slightly reposition, a loud, short sputter rang out from her rear and vibrated the hammock. Starlight's eyes went wide and Trixie's smile cracked a bit as silence then reigned.

Starlight was sweating when Trixie put a hoof around her and, with some effort, went back to smiling. "I'd prefer you didn't do it next to me, but...I did fart a few times while we were singing and I do it in the hammock sometimes, so fair is...fair." She put a touch of finality by closing her eyes and adjusting position slightly with the last word.

Starlight nuzzled her slightly. "Thanks, Trixie, I'm glad you understand, and I'm normally way more polite! Sorry, just been a long day and I'm tired."

Trixie waved a hoof dismissively at the unnecessary apology before turning on her side to try to go to sleep.


It was less than an hour before Trixie was awoken by much louder sounds, like a wild animal on the prowl. Her eyes went wide and she reached a hoof back to wake up her friend. "Starlight! There's an animal out there! There's-" she went silent as she felt Starlight's mouth, which was the source of the vibration.

Starlight slowly opened her eyes. "An animal? Wha?"

"You were snoring...so loud I thought it was going to eat me." replied Trixie.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I my village actually thought I had a pet bear! I told them he was nocturnal and really shy. They were too scared to find out!" Starlight giggled.

Trixie turned over and gave her a glare normally reserved for ponies about to commit murder.

Starlight's giggling became very nervous in a hurry. "Right, um, got anything I could put over my mouth?"

Trixie put a bandana over Starlight's mouth faster than most ponies could blink. Starlight didn't say a word, and put on an innocent expression. Trixie still didn't look happy, and turned over to face the wall before lifting tail and farting noisily against Starlight's leg. With that, their expressions were equally-annoyed-looking as they tried to get some sleep.

Starlight was soon awoken by the hammock shifting about wildly. She opened her eyes to see Trixie fumbling about with boxes. She muffledly tried to ask what was going on.

"Parasprites...Everfree...so many...gotta squash" mumbled Trixie as she stepped on a smoke bomb. She then turned around, her expression and movements showing she was clearly sleepwalking. Starlight tried to plug her ears with her hooves as Trixie went about tapping on things, apparently to check for infestations.


Trixie had made some pancakes as Starlight stepped out of the wagon and yawned. The two had rather disheveled manes. "So, had a nice sleep, did we?" she asked accusatorily.

"Oh, just fine. And these pancakes are delicious." she gestured to two she'd made...among many disastrous results and a scattering of mix.

Starlight gasped as she looked upon an empty box. "Trixie! You used up all our mix! They don't sell that out in these areas!"

Trixie trotted over regally to the juice. "Well, I'm sure if somepony was awake to assist me like some kind of assistant, I would've made them the first try. Now, there is some juice left to wash them down with, right?"

Starlight zoomed over to the juice and poured a drink, chugged it, then repeated twice more, to Trixie's horror. "Oh, it seems the juice just ran out somehow." Starlight followed it up by belching in Trixie's face. "Excuse me." she said with a smug smirk.

Trixie narrowed her eyes at Starlight, but had a plan. "Oh, we should go inside, I'm sure I have some concentrate in there. Right this way."

Starlight followed close as Trixie stepped up into the wagon, tail up high...and suddenly stopped, making Starlight run into her rear a bit. Starlight was about to ask why Trixie stopped when a long, weak sputter came out from underneath Trixie's tail, making Starlight gasp and step back a bit.

Trixie forced out a few last mini sputters with slight movements of her rear, then looked behind her to Starlight with a devilish smile. "Oh, excuse me, and I just remembered I don't have any concentrate."

Starlight giggled the most nervously she had yet. "Oh, uh...yeah, just a little gas, nothing to...freak out about. No need for us to stop being friends!" Her lip quivered slightly as she put a hoof to her nose.

Hoo'far stepped out of his own wagon. "Ah, what a glorious morning, and such sounds of mares on the road together! You two are so amusing; I hope you keep the comedy up all the way to Saddle Arabia!" He then trotted off.

"Is he stalking us?" asked Starlight.

"He's just going the same place we are...I think. Let's put on a show to get some more bits for juice." replied Trixie.


They did the standard Trixie escapes from a chest with surprise audience member swap trick. Their voices were absent any enthusiasm, and they had bags under their eyes. A few unkind words were exchanged about sleeping poorly. The audience was not impressed, and they only got a few bits, enough for some carrots.

Hours later, they set up a campfire on the edge of town. "Would you like to eat all the carrots, oh Messy and Wasteful Trixie?" asked Starlight.

"Oh no, I'd need something to wash it down with, and somepony thinks passionfruit grows on trees." replied Trixie.

"Uh...it does?" said Starlight with a confused expression.

"That's beside the point!" yelled Trixie.

"We could also use try using the water filtration equipment, there might not be any river around, but I really have to pee and if you could hold the funnel for me..." pondered Starlight, with her legs crossed.

"Yuck, no! I am not helping you become the next Mare Grills! And I'm also not sleeping with you again. I woke up draped over the smoke bombs with a hat over my mouth last night!" said Trixie.

"Well maybe because you sleepwalk and you talk while doing it in a wagon full of nothing but junk!" Starlight all but yelled.

"A magician cannot simply survive! I need all that "junk" to make a living!" replied Trixie.

"Hmmph, well maybe you should've brought a bigger wagon instead of that tiny, dumb little box on wheels!" Starlight yelled back.

Trixie gasped, then yelled, her voice gradually raising in pitch. "Nopony talks about my wagon that way! You haven't gotten to know it like I have! You know what, maybe you should get to know my wagon, while I sleep out in the woods. I'm sure if I get eaten by a wild animal, it'll at least be less loud and obnoxious than your snoring!" She stormed off with a sleeping roll.

"Fine by me!" Starlight hollered.

Hoo'far stepped out. "I don't mean to interrupt, but perhaps I could...offer a solution."

Starlight bit into the carrot and talked with her mouth full. "I'm listening...."