'You're an irresponsible, inconsiderate mess!'
That was what Cheerful had said to me before she left with Fuzzy. I'd tried to apologize. I had, but I wasn't sure why I needed to. She was the one that was making assumptions about me.
'Why can't you just act like a responsible adult? How is it even possible you have a job like you do?'
What a rude thing to say! I was great at my job! I'd worked hard to get that job! Dolly had invested a ton of time into me and I'd earned what I had. I'd ear—
I crashed into the stallion in front of me. He turned and looked over his shoulder as I exclaimed, “Oops, sorry!”
"No problem," was his reply before he started trotting forwards again. The whole street was full of ponies, all of us heading to the Wonderbolt's Stadium.
Cheerful and Fuzzy had left a few days ago, and yet I couldn't get the fight out of my mind. I just kept going over it again and again, thinking about what I should have said.
It was just like when I was little. She always outmaneuvered me.
'Next time you come visit your mom, let me know,’ Fuzzy had whispered. ‘I'll make sure Cheerful and I come, too.' She was a sweetheart. Too good for my sister!
Next time I saw Cheerful, I'd show her what it meant to deal with a royal guard. I'd punch her right in the snoot! I’d—
A little blue blur shot past me, screaming at the top of its lungs.
"What in Equestria was that!" I gasped, looking around but unable to pinpoint where it went or what it even was.
"Beats me, maybe a Wonderbolts preshow?" a stallion off to my left replied.
"Maybe. Weird, but okay," I muttered before smoothing out my new skirt and blouse. Preshow or not, I wanted to make certain I looked extremely appetizing to Soarin. At an event like this, there would probably be plenty of mares trying to grab his attention.
As I got closer to the stadium, it became obvious just how many ponies were going to be watching. The lines to get in went on forever. I wonder if that would make Soarin nervous. He’d been in the reserve squadron for a while. Did they really prepare a pony for something like this?
I’d find out soon enough. The line was moving quickly and it wouldn’t be long before I reached the front.
“Ticket please,” the ticket-taker said to me.
“Here you go,” I replied, offering the one Princess Celestia’s assistant Raven had given me.
He accepted it, looked at it, looked at me, and held up a hoof. “Just a minute please.” He trotted over to another ticket-taker and they started talking back and forth. They then went over to another pony and talked to him before they all came back.
The newest pony, a short, stubby, green fellow asked, “Where did you get this ticket, miss?”
Oh, this would be fun. Time for a humble brag. “Princess Celestia’s assistant gave it to me.”
All three blinked. “Alright… are you sure?”
Humble bragging wasn’t fun when they looked at me like I was crazy. “Am I sure? Yes! I think I’d remember if Raven gave me a ticket or not. Is there a problem here?”
“Oh, no, miss. There is probably not any problem. It’s just… well you see… this ticket is for Princess Celestia’s box. Surely you see why it would be odd for a pony other than her to show up with it.”
“I can see your point but let me ask you this. What would be more likely? Me breaking into the palace, past the gate guards, past the palace guards, past the house guards, and stealing it… or her just giving it to me because we’re friends?”
The three stallions blinked at that. The looked at each other, had an unspoken conversation with their eyes, and then the first stallion smiled. “Right this way, miss!”
“Thank you,” I replied as the ticket-taker led me to a valet who in turn led me to the royal box. When the princess had said VIP, she wasn’t kidding.
The box itself was an impressive sight. The floor was covered in the same plush red carpet that was used for the rugs in the palace, and both the wall and ceiling were painted the same mauve shade as the throne room.
That was all good and well, but the most exciting part was the throne. The princess literally had a smaller version of her throne here at the stadium! I sat right down on it. Sure, there were two chairs to the right and one to the left, but what sort of lame pony would use those?
“Ladies and gentleponies, fillies and colts,” a voice boomed all around me, “our show will be starting in fifteen minutes, so please find your way to your seats.”
All around me the stadium started to fill in. I’d been to a few of Soarin’s practices and some of the smaller shows he was part of, but it had never been like this. One of the bronze placards in the venue had boasted that it could hold seventy-five hundred ponies. That was an insane amount of ponies to have in one place, and tonight it looked like the house would be full.
“Hi, um, hello? I was told a pony was here?” came a soft voice from behind the throne.
I set my hooves on the arm and craned around to look back. There was a brown-coated elderly unicorn mare in a red jacket with a matching hat resting on her red mane. “Hi, yes I’m here.”
“Sitting in the throne, I see. Would you like any refreshment from the cart? I have pumpkin juice, coffee, water, and hot chocolate. For treats, I have popcorn, fizzy candy, birthday cake, and taffy.”
“Oh, hot chocolate sounds great. It is a little chilly in here. That and…” I blinked. “Did you say birthday cake?”
“I did.”
“Whose birthday is it?”
She smiled and shook her head. “Nopony, but I’ve found the princess enjoys a piece of cake now and then, and birthday seems to be her favorite.” The mare then started to pour my hot chocolate.
Oh, I was going to file that information away for sure. “You learn something new every day. I think I’d rather have popcorn though, if that’s okay with you.”
“Fine with me, sweetie,” she replied before offering me the mug in her magic.
While I accepted that, she started to scoop popcorn into a small bucket. “If you need anything else just ring the bell.” She bowed her head, then ducked out and shut the door behind her.
Just as I started sipping at my drink, all the lights went out and the voice boomed again. “Ladies and gentleponies, fillies and colts, welcome to our show! Tonight, we are proud to display the aerial precision of your hometown Canterlot Wonderbolts!”
A streak of golden light shot up from the stadium floor before exploding in a shower of blue, green, yellow, and orange stars. They lit up the darkness just as five ponies dove down from the clouds high above Alicorn Spire.
The entire crowd went wild, stomping and cheering. My heart started to beat faster as I caught myself getting drawn into the show. Perhaps this would be more than ponies just flying in circles.
Over the next hour, those five ponies—including Soarin—spun, drove, flew through circles of fire, and performed all sorts of crazy tricks. I was on the edge of my throne the whole time. I’d barely even touched the popcorn when the lights came back up at the end.
I jumped to my hooves and started to stomp as loudly as I could. The crowd, unsurprisingly, did the same. All of the energy really got me going, to be honest. It would be a miracle if I didn’t jump Soarin the moment I saw him.
Raven had said my VIP ticket would get me into the special meet-and-greet after the show and I was totally going to take advantage of that.
While the ponies below started to make their way out, I saw myself down the multiple sets of stairs into the area below the stadium. The various valets pointed me in the right direction until I found a small group of ponies waiting in line to meet the Wonderbolts.
“If everypony would line up, please, we’ll get started. I promise you’ll all get a chance to meet the team,” one of the staffers said before herding us into line.
For such a small group of ponies, the line seemed like it was going to take forever. It was full of fillies and colts and the Wonderbolt team was taking their time to speak to every one of them. That was really sweet, but it wasn’t putting me closer to Soarin.
Each time we took a step forwards, I bounced up, trying to catch his eye. He was too focused on the ponies in front of him, though. That just gave me more time to stare at his super tight suit that hugged all of those big, sexy muscles.
I trotted in place as one particular colt took forever to move on. Come on, come on, come on, come on! When he finally finished, I breathed a sigh of relief. The line was starting to shorten.
“You’re next, miss,” the pony at the head of the line said.
“Thank you,” I replied before smoothing my blouse and skirt again. This was going to be tricky. Soarin wasn’t alone, unfortunately; there were four other ponies with him.
“Okay, miss. Go ahead.”
Without hesitation, I straightened up to my full height and pranced over. Prance, jiggle, swish. That certainly drew some attention.
The pony in the middle started to greet me. “Well, hello—”
“Sunny!” Soarin exclaimed, finally recognizing me. He pulled me close into a hug. A big, sweaty, I’ve-just -been-flying-for-hours hug. Well, so much for the blouse.
“Hey! I came to see you,” I replied.
The other ponies chuckled and the violet mare next to him asked, “Just him?”
“Don’t be like that,” Soarin said with a grin. “Sunny and I go way back. She liked me before I was even on the D squadron.”
Yes, the D I was interested in had nothing to do with his squadron. Making sure he got a smell of my perfume, I nuzzled his cheek. “That’s right! You were all wonderful though. I was blown away by the performance.”
“Glad to hear that, we may not be the Equestrian Wonderbolts, but we try to ensure our show is impressive,” the middle one said. He was big for a pegasus, bigger than Soarin but not as handsome.
I giggled. “Well, I don’t want to take too much of your time. There are still colts and fillies who’d love to see you. Before I go though, Soarin I’m local so would you be free tonight? To catch up, of course.”
“Ooooh,” the violet mare teased.
Soarin’s ears shot up. “Gee, Sunny I’d love that! I… uh, I can’t tonight. This was my first show and we have some hazing— I mean, traditions to do afterwards. Are you free next Friday?”
What? My lower lip tried to stick out in a pout but I stopped it in its place. Keep it together, Sunny! You shouldn’t have assumed he’d be free. I kissed his cheek. “Friday is fine! I’ll pick you up at the stadiums main entrance around seven, alright?”
“Deal!”
“Bye, everypony!” I called before trotting off.
Great, now I had a sweat-soaked blouse and no date tonight. I had put all of my eggs in one basket.
I trotted up the ramp that led out of the stadium’s service area. It was frustrating that Soarin wasn’t available immediately, but I understood. He was playing the career game. We would still catch up soon. Catch up and roll around in the bed.
In the meantime, he’d gotten me all worked up and then left me twisting in the wind. It was time to find an alternative target for the evening. That meant heading to the Mare for some good old-fashioned ho—
A sudden burst of blue light grabbed my attention. It was followed by a small pop and several golden sparkles.
“Come, ponies! Come and see the Great and Powerful Trixie perform her Wonderbolts After Show! Be stunned and amazed,” called a voice from beyond the crowed. A voice I knew well even if I hadn’t heard it a long time.
I started to push my way towards it.
“Stop, ponies! Do not trot by. You’re giving up on a show of the lifetime!” Trixie called, a slight edge to her tone.
After pushing past a stallion, I finally got a glimpse of her. She looked different from the last time I’d seen her. She was far skinnier, and her mane didn’t have the usual volume and flow. In fact, it looked fairly unkept. Despite that, she was still attractive and I was still frustrated!
“Trixie? Trixie, what are you doing out here? When did you get to Canterlot?” I asked, a mixture of confusion and excitement filling me.
She turned towards me, shock written across her face. For a second, she was speechless before finding a voice again. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has come to Canterlot to share her show! These ponies are here to see her, even if they continue to steam out of the stadium and refuse to stop and watch.”
There weren’t many ponies that had stopped to watch, just an orderly flow leaving that occasionally glanced her way. This was probably the smallest crowd I’d ever seen for her act and, as I studied her, I noticed her cape and hat were dingy. What was going on? She’d be mortified with such a tiny crowd. I had to get her out of this.
With a feigned sigh, I asked, “And does Trixie have a Canterlot open-air performance license? You know you need one here.”
Trixie’s hoof went to her heart and she gasped dramatically. Now that was the Trixie I knew. “Is that all Sunny Day cares about? She sees Trixie for the first time in who knows how long and that is what she thinks about? Not the moments she shared with Trixie the Magnificent? Is Sunny Day no more than a royal guard?”
Most of the ponies nearby turned to move on.
“It’s the law, Trixie! The permits are only like five bits,” I called back, approaching her so that we could lower our voices.
The mare threw her forehooves in the air and waved them. “Only five bits? How devious that the mares in charge of this city would demand such tribute from Trixie. Now tell me, where is the Sunny Day she knew? The one with the soft lips. None of this license this, license that! Why does Sunny Day care so much about it!”
She was shouting, loudly, and that was drawing some attention. It was also making it a lot harder for me to do what I needed to.
“Sunny Day cares because she swore an oath to uphold the— gah, now you have me doing it too.” I grabbed her hoof and tugged her closer to me. “Trixie, you can’t perform here without a license! Let’s go,” I said softly.
With a huff, she snatched her hoof back and pushed me away. “Trixie refuses! Trixie will not be harassed! She will not go with you, Royal Guard!”
My eyes narrowed. “Trixie will not refuse! Trixie will come with me if she knows what is good for her. Trixie cannot legally perform here,” I growled. She was starting to get to me. I paused for a moment and took a deep breath.
Keeping my tone soft and my voice low, I said, “In fact, I’m betting the only place that Trixie can perform in this town without causing a problem is my bedroom.”
Trixie gasped and threw a hoof out towards me, pointing accusingly. “What has befallen us when Sunny Day dares to abuse her power? She threatens the easily victimized Trixie for her dubious purposes? Is this what Trixie may expect of the law here?”
As quickly as I could, I threw my hoof over her mouth. “I’m off duty! I’m trying to be your friend and get you out of here! And the last time we did this dance, you liked my dubious purposes. You liked them so much that you kept coming back for more. Do you want to wait here until an on-duty guard arrests you, or do you want to come back to my place?”
She opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. With a soft sigh, she ducked her head and said, “Trixie would prefer to sleep in a bed over a cell,” she replied before offering her hoof.
I didn’t want to tell her that the maximum penalty for performing without a license, after repeat offenses, was only fifty bits. Now I could take her home, toss her into my bed, and put her mouth to better use. “That is a smart decision. I have a great bed at home.”
We trotted together, following the flow of the crowd. She was silent, which was not like her. Softly, I asked, “So… when did you get actually get to Canterlot?”
Trixie cleared her throat. “Only a week or so ago. Trixie did not have much luck in Manehatten. Her show was not popular.”
“Not popular? You were doing pretty decent in Baltimare when I left.”
Her nose scrunched and she murmured, “Yes, but Trixie could not book big venues, so she spent her savings on a larger one in Manehatten. She needed props and assistants. She needed many things. Ponies did not choose to see her show, and so…”
“And so?” I asked.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is currently without financial backing.”
Broke. She was broke. That explained a lot.
That was not a fun place to be. I’d been there, but I’d decided to work hard and dig my way out of the hole I was in. That and I’d won a bunch of bits in a casino due to dumb luck. Trixie was the kind of mare that was too hardheaded to listen.
I asked, “Did ponies not enjoy the act?”
Trixie’s head dropped a bit from its normal highly held position. “They do not seem to notice Trixie’s theater. They wanted real magic, not illusion and fireworks. Rent could not be made and we closed down. Then it was time to try Canterlot. Trixie thought performing outside of a Wonderbolts show might be a good idea.”
I sighed and shook my head. “It might be, but those places are always patrolled by royal guards to keep order. If you’re going to do that, you really need the license.” I tried not to focus on the fact my friend was in a really rough patch as we continued to trot to my place. I wanted to focus on what we’d do in bed.
“Yes, yes. Sunny Day has made this clear, but when Trixie earns five bits, she shan’t spend it on a license. She shall buy a new cape to ensure her show appears more impressive! A pony must spend money to make money.”
Yikes. “Where have you been staying? If you don’t have five bits, that is.”
She looked away from me and mumbled something.
“What is that?”
She mumbled again.
“Trixie?”
“Fine!” she barked. “Trixie has been staying at the home for destitute ponies. Is this what Sunny Day wishes to hear? They give her a warm bed, three meals a day, and try to help her find a job.”
“The home for destitute ponies? That’s not so bad, though. They’re really nice there,” I said having almost no experience with that department. Their job was to take in ponies with bad luck or that needed some help. They would then ensure they got job training and find placements for them. It wasn’t glorious, but put set ponies on the path to success.
“No, they are most kind, but it is not befitting a unicorn of Trixie’s status. If her family knew where she was, they would be mortified. And that is why we shall not speak of this again! Trixie does not need charity. Trixie just needs ponies to watch her act.”
Always somepony else’s fault. I squeezed her hoof. “Alright. Well, let’s talk about something else. Are you still loud in bed?” That was smooth.
Trixie squawked in surprise at the sudden and dramatic change of topic. She turned pink. “Trixie is not loud! Sunny Day is loud!”
She was right about that, but so was I. “Trixie is very loud!”
“Trixie is not! She is the Great and Powerful Trixie. Trixie the Magnificent. Trixie the Master of Illusion.”
“Trixie the Multiple-Orgasmic,” I snuck in.
“Yes, Trixie the Multiple-Orgasmic.” Her ears shot up and her eyes went wide. “No! Sunny Day, you are a dirty pony.”
“Yes, I am. That is my place up there.”
Trixie peered ahead and nodded. “This place is most befitting.”
Was that a compliment? Or a Canterlot compliment, where it was actually backhoofed? “Oh, well, thank you,” I replied uncertainly before taking her up the stairs and stopping outside the door. “This is the charm I use to lock my door,” I added before showing it to her. “You may stay for as long as you like, provided you don’t get upset about me bringing other ponies home. You also have to help out with the chores.”
She gasped. “Chores?”
“Chores or I’m tossing you out,” I said firmly before pushing the door open.
After a brief pause, she tipped her nose in the air and declared, “Trixie does not do windows!”
I swatted her rump. “Deal, now get inside.” What had I done? Trixie was fun in small doses, but I’d just invited her to live with me without thinking. Why?
She trotted in while I followed behind her. Deep down, I knew why. It was all Dolly’s fault. ‘When we can help, we should. When it is within our power, we are obligated to.’ Stupid ethical upbringing.