//------------------------------// // 49 The Coming Storm, Part One // Story: Continuity Disrupted // by Doug Graves //------------------------------// “I’m sorry, Trixie,” Miss Cheerilee says, an apologetic yet resolute tone in her voice. “The rules are very clear.” The two mares stand outside of a very shady Ponyville Schoolhouse, the fillies of the Apple herd splayed around on the ground. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Pomarbo stare up at the dark sky while Lemon busily skips around. Sweetie Belle and Applebaum both read while Meringue and Hedge color. All occasionally glance up, trading worried looks, before going back to however they are passing the time. “But,” Trixie says, glancing up at the barely visible mountain still spewing black smoke, “Pinkie Pie gave very specific instructions. She said that if the sky was covered by a bunch of smoke, that the gainfully employed and very busy Trixie needed to pick up the fillies from school.” “Yes, but you aren’t a mare in their herd. And during an emergency like this?” Miss Cheerilee gives a sad smile, shaking her head, “If anything happens to them…” “We can see Sweet Apple Acres from here!” Scootaloo exclaims exasperatedly, throwing her hooves up in the air. One hoof rolls her scooter back and forth, grunting at not being allowed to scoot off, or around the schoolhouse. “And look! There’s Spike, playing with Winona! They could throw a ball to me, and I could kick it back!” “Look, nopony has to know,” Trixie says conspiratorially. She motions over to the fence line, “I can just walk them, right over there. You’ll be able to see me the whole time, right?” Miss Cheerilee nervously stammers, her hooves alternating between stomping and pawing at the ground as she glances east towards Canterlot Mountain. “Look, it was impressed very heavily on me, that if it seemed like something, anything, out of the ordinary is going on, that I am to wait until one of the mares of Herd Apple, or Twilight Sparkle, arrives to pick them up.” “So I can’t even get Doug to come here and help out? I guess he’s not mare enough for you?” Trixie huffs at Miss Cheerilee’s shake of the head, glaring again at the mountain no longer spewing smoke. “Now,” Miss Cheerilee says much more quietly as she glances around, “if you are sleeping with Doug, then I think I can make an exception.” “Sadly,” Trixie grits out through clenched teeth, “while Trixie has spent several nights in bed with him, it is not under the context she is sure you are referring.” “And Miss Cheerilee wishes to spare them both the fervent heat should that discrepancy be discovered.” Miss Cheerilee forces a grin at Trixie’s scowl, many of the fillies groaning as they continue looking around for things other than their homework or studying to do. Trixie gives a long and pointed look to the west, “Perhaps Trixie will return to Sweet Apple Acres and rectify that.” Miss Cheerilee mutters to herself, “If I thought that would have worked, I would have done that myself when I was first told about this ‘assignment’ and dumped them off first chance I got.” “What?” Trixie asks, raising an eyebrow. Miss Cheerilee says louder, “Good luck with that. I’ll be waiting here, with them, when you get back.” Trixie scowls at Miss Cheerilee for a few seconds before flopping to the ground. She rolls onto her back, staring up at the sky. She finally moans, “So, you and Doug too, huh?” “Excuse me?” Miss Cheerilee asks, looking up from the papers she is grading. “Did you and Doug ever do anything?” Trixie says without looking over, her hooves outstretched as she watches the swirling clouds in the sky. The dark shapes roil as they flow across the land, the smell of foul eggs beginning to permeate the air. Miss Cheerilee casually says, turning back to her papers, “Just Bridge.” “Trixie is not familiar with that position.” “That’s because it’s a card game,” Miss Cheerilee replies, condemnation dripping from her voice. “Oh.” Trixie is silent for a few seconds before she says, “Is it difficult?” “Yes. One of the harder games I’ve played, similar to chess.” Miss Cheerilee glances over at the fillies, “It’s a game for four players. Applebaum and Lemon both know how to play, if you want. Sweetie Belle as well, but she doesn’t enjoy it as much.” “Trixie has not played much of this ‘chess’, but if a four year old filly can play then Trixie should have no difficulty at all.” “They’ve both been playing for a few years.” Miss Cheerilee packs her papers up, walking inside to grab a deck of cards. “Is that supposed to make me think the game is going to be harder or easier?” Trixie says to nopony in particular, raising an eyebrow. Granted, her sire had started her on various magic tricks at about that age, but she is the Great and Powerful Trixie! Miss Cheerilee returns without her papers, instead brandishing a deck of cards. She begins shuffling the cards, eventually dealing four hooves of cards. She explains the game to Trixie, along with a rough bidding system, before calling the two young mares over. Applebaum and Lemon arrive on opposite sides of Trixie, glancing at each other and then at the blue unicorn sprawled out on the ground. The two young mares stare at each other, still as statues, until Applebaum groans. “Fine,” she says, “I’ll partner with Trixie.” “Trixie was not aware she is such a liability,” she says as she gets up. She looks at her hoof of cards, rearranging them by suit and rank. Bidding and play commences, slowly at first as Trixie gets more comfortable with the game. Soon enough and it is her turn to deal, her shuffling of the cards far faster than the others. Applebaum and Lemon glance at each other while Miss Cheerilee watches in awe at the hoofwork, Trixie throwing in a bit of fanciness during her dealing of the cards. Trixie wins the bidding, though not many of the other players bid, finally able to play as something other than the stallion or defender. Her play is fairly straightforward: she takes her four princesses, losing a few of the tricks she expected, and making her bid, if barely. A few glances are traded between Applebaum and Lemon, a sigh from both. Everypony looks up as Doug and Rainbow Dash arrive from Sweet Apple Acres, the other five mares from the north. Applebaum and Miss Cheerilee hop up to their hooves, many of the fillies eagerly packing up their things and getting ready to greet their dams. Trixie looks over as Lemon gathers up the cards, a pensive look on the yellow filly. “Something on your mind?” Trixie asks, her horn lighting to help. Lemon sighs, “Well, it has to do with the hoof we just played. And, um, at first I didn’t want to say anything, but…” “Trixie is a strong mare. She can take it.” Lemon sighs, “Well, you know, when you’re playing Bridge, you can’t look at every trick individually to decide what the best play is. Sometimes you have to lose a trick you could have taken in order to win more tricks later.” Trixie raises an eyebrow, “Trixie feels like you are trying to make an analogy about life.” Lemon grins, “I guess, maybe I am. Daddy says some stuff like that too. The weirdest one is how, um, ‘it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.’ And he explained it, like, just like in Bridge, in life we don’t just play one trick. Or one hoof. Or even one day like this where we play a lot of hooves.” “Is there some larger point you are making?” Trixie asks with a touch of exasperation. She raises one eyebrow glances over at Miss Cheerilee and Applebaum. “Trixie acknowledges that she is a beginner, and perhaps her plays are not yet the most elegant.” “Oh, it’s not that so much. Although, you know, I’d love to help you learn more about the game!” Lemon beams up at Trixie, a large smile against the dark backdrop of black sky. Trixie returns a stone faced glare at the young mare. Lemon, completely unfazed, continues, “It’s more, like, when you’re dealing, don’t deal yourself all the princesses just because you want to win.” Trixie’s jaw drops slightly, “You… noticed?” Lemon shrugs before she nods, “I mean, you showed off the same trick on your third performance. And it’s obvious you’ve hoofed a lot of cards. Applebaum and I talked about it-” Trixie raises an eyebrow as she glares, the two having said nothing to each other, “-and once you know what to look for, you know, it isn’t that hard to spot.” Lemon sighs, “I talked with dam about it too. You know, I guess I’m just worried.” “About what?” Trixie practically spits out, trying to keep her voice down and from the other fillies noticing. “Well, I like you, Trixie. You’re a lot of fun to be around, and I love your confidence and enthusiasm.” Lemon sighs again, “And I know you’re still thinking about whether or not you want to stay here, or if you want to go back on the road. But, here’s the thing, how often are you leaving a town because a couple of your sleight of hooves, the ones not in your magic show, come back to bite you?” Trixie glares, “Trixie does not like where this line of questioning is going, and wants Lemon to stop before she says something she will regret.” Lemon glances back to her cutie mark, “Well, I kinda feel compelled to keep going, even if you don’t like what I’m saying and you leave. Or worse. Because, you know, maybe you’ll question yourself further along the line. But how many more towns is it going to take leaving before you realize that cheating in a no-stakes card game means that you’ll cheat in other, more important areas, too?” “That’s not-” Trixie exclaims loudly before she drops down, whispering, “That’s not true! Trixie wouldn’t…” she trails off, glancing not at Ponyville but to the west, to Las Pegasus. The various towns between Ponyville and where she started out, and how many of them she had left in a bit more than a hurry. Lemon lightly places a hoof on Trixie’s withers, softly saying, “It’s okay, Trixie. You don’t have to keep dredging up the old, bad memories. If you’re serious about staying here, and I want you to, then you’ll have a choice to make. And while I find it as funny as the next pony when you rib a pony like Twilight Sparkle over there-” Lemon motions to the mares just getting to the schoolhouse as she pulls Trixie in close, whispering in her ear, “-and it’s hilarious, don’t stop doing that-” Lemon releases a grinning Trixie, “-there are a couple of things that would have to change. You’d probably have to, you know, tone that attitude down. Just while you’re around the herd. And second, you’d have to be completely honest. Your magic stuff is different. And Daddy’d probably have some, um, ‘adult’ restrictions for you.” Trixie raises an eyebrow, “Excuse me?” “You know, what kind of ‘performances’ you can give after your show is done?” Lemon glances back and forth, “Or am I not supposed to know about those either?” “Trixie is curious how this knowledge came to you in the first place.” Lemon glances towards Ponyville, “Oh, the bakery doors are, like, paper thin. Dam heard everything. And she tried bouncing a few ideas off me while we were bouncing a few balls while bouncing on her bouncy bed. So, I guess what I’m getting at is that we believe in you, Trixie. That you can be a better you. Do you?” Trixie stares at Lemon for several long seconds, trying to process this. Other than her sire, had anypony ever truly expected anything from her? “Trixie!” Applejack shouts as the six mares and Doug arrive at the schoolhouse, everypony greeting them. “What did you do to my apples?” Trixie’s bewildered look only lasts a split second. “Apples? Those were smoke bombs.” Applejack glares, “Ah figured that out when Ah tried bucking them! They exploded right in my face! Well, not my face so much as my hooves.” Applejack grunts before continuing, “Why’d ya do it?” “Trixie thought you might need a quick escape method. So, um, she’s glad they worked?” Trixie offers up an only slightly apologetic smile. Applejack’s harsh look dissipates, a stomp on the ground as she shakes her head. “Well, we never did get to try them against the dragon, but Ah guess it’s the thought that counts, huh?” Applejack smiles, “So, did ya want to hear all about it?”