The first morn of a new week came upon Luna quite suddenly. She was up before the dawn, per usual, floundering for her lamp. After the click, she rolled over and out of bed, sheet flinging to one side. And basking in that dull yellow light like a lizard in the sun, she stretched herself out, wings and all.
With a yawn, Luna ambled into the next room over. From her basin, she splashed a little water on her face, keeping it clean, and waking herself up a little more. Her horn glowed a blue light as her magic latched onto a towel, and then a thus far underused hairbrush.
Seeing it, even now, in the mirror as she dabbed her face dry, still surprised her. They were loose locks of light blue, which flowed like calming sea waves through the bristles of her brush; they reminded her of her youth. No longer had she decided to channel her magic into that ostentatious display of twilight aura.
In truth, it didn’t take much in the way of mana to maintain her magic hair which flowed ambiently about, nebulous in its amorphous window to the nebulas. But there was always something regal about it; something that suggested “I am more powerful than thou, as I think nothing of wasting energy purely for aesthetics.”
Luna, however, found she cared little for grandiose aesthetic pleasure these days. Plus, her friends seemed to like this new look, so she felt it might make her a touch more approachable. In that way which one might be unhesitant to approach their friendly local librarian.
Who just so happened to be an ancient alicorn wizard, as well…
Prim and proper, Luna left the mirror behind for her bedroom once more. There, by the window, stood her desk. When she claimed the chair under it, she could see the first light of dawn peeking over the horizon, seeing what this new day might hold.
But then she looked down. On the desk itself, there lie a sheet of paper with a header that had been scratched out several times. It read “Dear,” followed by lots and lots of scraped ink as one title or name was replaced with another. Then that was replaced with another yet again, and so on, until it referred to nothing at all, an empty void desperate for recognition.
Luna gave this paper a quick zap from her horn, and it crumpled in on itself. She brushed her hoof across the wood, and this paper ball tumbled over the ledge, creating a new top to the pile below. A new sheet was drawn from the clean stack at one corner, along with ink and a quill.
“Dear Twilight,” she began at the top.
“I’m most sorry I didn’t respond right away yesterday afternoon when your letter appeared. Book club was just beginning, you understand, and well, after that I rather absentmindedly lost track of the time. You were missed; Rarity says ‘hello,’ by the way, and she does hope we can all do brunch another time without a dragon interrupting.
“The skies are all clear now, thanks to you and Sunset. Give her my warmest regards, will you? I’ve also been back to see Galahad, and she’s most grateful too, just like all of us here in Ponyville. Also, we talked at length about our pasts, but honestly, it was actually rather cathartic…
“Anyway, this week’s book for club is a tale of the fictitious pegasus named Jane Air. I managed to find a copy late last night and read the summary off the back. I look forward to hearing your thoughts next week if you’re able to make it.
“Of course the real reason I missed you, if I’m honest, is there’s something I ought to say to you. I wanted to say it in person yesterday, but I really shouldn’t delay it any longer, so this missive will have to do.
“Twilight, I’m sorry for how I’ve lashed out, and said hurtful things to you when frustration has gotten the better of me. And before you start writing in your reply that it’s okay, because you understand, hear this: it isn’t, though. My personal problems are no excuse to mistreat you. Friends owe each other better, even in the worst of times. I only hope you may forgive my transgression, and afford me the chance to do better by you.
“Yours, most sincerely, Luna.”
With that, she leaned back in her chair, a weight gone from her shoulders. She closed her eyes, drinking in the accomplishment, however small. And as the moment passed, and the ink dried, she rolled up her message, tying it in the center with a bit of red ribbon she quickly retrieved from a drawer to her right. Then, before her mind could change, she cast another spell on this new paper.
The letter ignited with blue flames, the smoke from which sparkled in the early light. When Luna opened her window, the rising azure embers seemed to know exactly what to do, whisking away on the windless air, until the spiraling wisps all but disappeared.
One thing Luna did not know was whether princesses still arose good and early. This might well awaken her rather rudely. Hopefully the thoughts she laid out within might smooth things over, even if a little bit. But this task, however important, reminded her.
Luna retrieved yet another paper, redipped her quill, and for the dozenth time in three days, began to scrawl out something to the effect of “Dear Celestia.” But here she paused again. The library should open soon. And yet…
A rather uneventful week rolled on by in the sleepy town of Ponyville. There were no adventurous quests to go on, and no battles to be had with creatures ancient and mighty. Indeed, compared to the bombastic introduction these humble country-dwellers had gotten, this summer day was downright boring. All had settled back into the little routines of their quiet lives. Listless clouds lazily floated on by in the wide open skies above.
And Luna was enjoying every second of it.
Taking in the fresh air, Luna stowed the keys to home into her bag. The sun was out and the day bright, and it was right about time for a lunch break. Even though week’s end was upon her again, and the increase in ponies needing books checked out, a pony still had to eat. Mayhaps, when she got the chance, Luna might just get in touch with that mayor of hers again. Running the library at all times by herself proved a bit tricky, and an assistant would be mighty helpful for just such occasion as this.
“Pinkie Pie,” said Luna as she came to a halt, both along this road and her trailing thought, “if you’re about to leap out of that brush and tackle me, I might make a suggestion.” Glowering playfully, Luna waited one short moment, only getting a small rustle in response. She lifted her chin and smirked. “Don’t.”
“Hey, Luna.” said Pinkie Pie, stepping out from behind another bush entirely. She wiped a small smear of dirt from her cheek. “Who’re you talking to?”
“I,” stammered Luna, “but you, and I thought…” She quickly glanced between the two sets of hedges that flanked this stretch of cobble road. “How did you get over there so quick?”
“What’re you talking about?” asked Pinkie either in complete sincerity, or the with most convincing face of a liar Luna had yet seen. “I’ve been over by that hedge most of the morning.”
“I could have sworn I saw you dart behind this one over here on the right.” explained Luna, joining her on the opposite side as they made way for a wooden wagon.
“Well, that’s impossible.” Pinkie stopped dead in her tracks, a thought occurring to her. “Unless there was more than one of me. But, hmm, no, that would be silly. Could you imagine?”
“It sure would be something.” agreed Luna, producing a kerchief from her bag and running it across Pinkie’s other cheek. “Is there a reason you’re covered in dirt?”
“Oh yeah, my neighbor, Roseluck, have you met Roseluck, well this is Roseluck, say hi Roseluck.” rattled off Pinkie, dragging Luna along beyond the brush of the hedge she’d actually disappeared behind.
There before them, rising from the soil, stood up a mare with a coat not unlike that of pale, pale daffodils, and rosy red locks pulled back under a white bandanna, keeping the hair from her eyes as she worked. “Oh, hello. You must be Luna.”
“Aye, that I am. Charmed to make your acquaintance.” proclaimed Luna with a smile and a bow of the head.
There came a snip of her sheers, and while Luna’s head was bowed, she had the perfect angle to place a sunny little daisy behind one of her ears. “I know it isn’t much, but I’d like to more personally thank you for bringing back the sunshine at the start of summer.” She giggled when she saw Luna try in vain to peer up at her own ear to see what kind of flower it was. “You’re welcome to one too, Pinkie. It’s the least I can do for your help.”
“Oh yeah!” exclaimed Pinkie, just now remembering Luna’s original question. She turned and explained. “I had dirt on my face because I was helping Roseluck, my neighbor here, who is a gardener, and who you’ve just now met, dig up a new section for her garden, to plant some of her flowers, which she sells.”
“I see.” said Luna, glancing around at the delightful summer blooms.
Pinkie Pie sat herself down with a smile, satisfied with her explanation. By her hip was a short cup in even shorter grass. She took it and stole a sip, sighing in the early summer heat of morn.
Bemused, Rose asked her again: “Would you like a flower as well, Pinkie?”
“Oh, no thank you. This lemonade you made is super good. It’s thanks enough for me.” She drank down the last little bit and gave back the stubby glass.
“I’ll give you the recipe some time if you like.” beamed the cheery florist. “But anyway, I can finish up from here easily enough. Why don’t you head on with your friend?”
Pinkie followed her nod along to Luna. “Sure!”
“Thanks again for all your help. Have a nice day, you two.”
Goodbyes were exchanged, and the two moved on. As they headed for town square, Luna had to admit, “It was very kind of you to help your neighbor like that, you know.”
“The way I see it,” rambled Pinke as she skipped along, eyes closed, “half the ponies in this town are my neighbors. And at least half my neighbors are friends o’ mine. And I always help my friends, just so I can see them smile.”
Luna felt as warm as sunshine. “You’ve a good heart, Pinkie Pie.”
As she leapt for joy, Pinkie’s skipping bounds effortlessly avoided the unloaded crates from the wagon that had passed them by a little earlier, while talking with Roseluck. Eyes still closed, she confidently told Luna from over one shoulder “Thanks, spreading joy is sorta like, my specialty.”
Luna stopped to watch her go, thinking That young mare is something else. She ambled around the moving ponies and their boxes. “Pardon me, gentlecolts.”
One of them started to ask if that was who he thought it was, but she was already heading out of sight. He went to his boss, excitement in his voice. “D-did you see her? It was her!”
He glanced their way, scratching at his chin and leaving his box be for a moment. “Down the road with that pink gal?”
“Yeah, I’m tellin’ ya, it was the mare of the moon who saved the sun!” The younger of the two clutched his cheeks, as he couldn’t believe he’d gotten to see her.
“Hmm, I did hear this rumor she was living around here these days.”
“Say what?” His jaw hung open, he was so dumbstruck. The mythical lunar wizard, somewhere in this very town.
“We can chitchat later, son. We gotta unload these crates before we can break for lunch, okay?” He returned his attention to the box he had been fiddling with.
Somewhat dejected, the younger of the two colts returned to the wagon and yanked on a rope. A crate slid over and onto his back. From up the other way, though, he thought he saw double. Another pink mare flanked by blue came along. But, wait, no, these two were different: pegasi both.
“You sure you saw her coming this way?” asked the light, light blue one of the soft, soft pink one.
“I’m certain of it, Nimbus, come on.”
“What’s going on?” asked Pinkie.
Upon their arrival at the square, a meager gathering was their welcome. Crowded? No, not in the grand scheme of things. But considering most ponies were having their lunch about now, this was buzzing like a beehive.
Moreover, sluggishly pulling away from the crowd were three defeated looking ponies, familiar in face if not in dowerness of demeanor. It was Applejack and Rarity, with Fluttershy loping along a few paces behind like a mopey bunny rabbit.
Applejack, conspicuously missing her hat, found her own defeated trawl difficult, wrapped up in what seemed to be her own lasso. Said hat had found its way onto Rarity’s head, which seemingly weighed heavily down upon her as her view sank low, avoiding contact with an ashamed air about her.
“Hello girls.” greeted Luna as they approached the loosening and furthest rings of the gathered crowd which paid them no mind. “What’s the matter?”
“And what’s with this crowd?” chimed in Pinkie, gawking, trying to see past the awed huddle before them. “Is there a party I didn’t know about? Because you know I love parties, right?”
“Er, hullo Luna. Pinkie.” glumly answered Applejack.
“Oh, it’s Luna and Pinkie?” asked Rarity, lifting the brim of her borrowed hat to get a gander. That’s when a few locks of nauseous green fell out, and she frowned, quickly becoming equal parts frustrated and embarrassed all over again. She tilted the hat back down, hiding away behind it.
Applejack pat her on the back and continued. “This here’s no party, Pinkie. Least, not one I care for.”
Pinkie Pie immediately grimaced, hunching behind Luna as though for safety. “Nothing’s worse than a bad party.”
Luna reflexively unfolded her wing to take Pinkie underneath it. “Then what is it, and why do all of you look so disheartened.”
“See,” went on AJ, “some roamin’ magician strolled on into town, right pretty as she pleased-”
“Magician?” Luna tilted her head and quirked one brow.
Applejack scratched her chin. “Uh. Like a wizard, only more focused on entertainment? Would ya say that’s accurate, Rare?”
Luna’s lip curled to one side as she saw Rarity confirm. “Magic does have all manner of application. I suppose there’s nothing wrong utilizing a long honored tradition for a laugh.”
“Laughter is really good, though.” commented Pinkie, looking up at her from under those dark blue feathers.
Luna’s expression softened at those light blue eyes. “Hm, you’re right, of course. For a moment there, I became stuck in my old-fashioned ways once again.” She gave her attention back to Applejack. “Tell me about this, what did you call them, this magician?”
The crowd they left behind had a laugh, and Applejack didn’t seem to care for that. “Her shtick seems to be talkin’ like she’s real big, and challenging ponies on their own turf.”
Luna exchanged a perplexed look with Pinkie. “Could you elaborate?”
“Yeah,” agreed Pinkie, “what’s that mean?”
Applejack led them on a little further away from the gathering which still had every appearance of enjoying itself. “Okay, well, I said that I was right skilled with a lasso. Showed these ponies a couple tricks at her request, you know the drill.”
“Ooh, what happened next?” Pinkie hung on her every word like it were some compelling story filled with intrigue and mystery. Then she scooped a little popcorn into her mouth.
Luna blinked, looking around for a clue to the question she was just about to ask. “I’m-wait, Pinkie? What are you doing?”
She kept munching, but tried to answer anyway. “Eatin’ popcorn.” she gulped, reaching back into the paper bucket she’d found. “What? I’m hungry, and we haven’t had lunch.”
“I know, dear, but you can’t just finish off somepony’s half-empty pail of popped corn like that.” Discouraged, Luna took it away and dropped it off as they passed by a wastecan. She sat her down with her on the bench nearby with a sigh. “Sorry for the interruption, AJ. Please go on.”
Applejack finally gave something of a smile. “It’s alright. Anyway, she zapped my rope, and then my own lasso came alive and hogtied me.” She sighed, tugging some of it loose again, where she’d been working at to slip her hooves through. “Felt like a pretty nasty reminder of our little run-in with Nightmare Moon.”
Luna turned to look upon the hat, somewhat entertained if not for the incidental callback to her monster. “And what of you?”
“Oh, you’re not going to make me show you, are you?” Rarity pulled on the sides of the hat, hunching down lower and lower like a small frightened creature. “Please, darling, I’m begging you. I’ve already suffered enough outright humiliation for one day.” She shot upright, locking eyes with Luna. “Why, am I even welcome in this town anymore? M-maybe I should just pack my things and le-”
Applejack snatched back her hat, and all that green hair came tumbling down. “Rare, you’re being dramatic again.”
Rarity covered her mouth, stifling what surely would have been a horrified scream to a shocked gasp. Her locks were a green mess, like seaweed that had been crumpled and crinkled and let loose all over again, then left out in the un to dry out, over several days. She felt her head as her eyes rolled back, and she began to fall over.
Applejack knelt to catch her. “That wasn’t meant to be a challenge, girl, land sakes.”
Refusing to open her eyes back up, Rarity addressed her. “Just for that, you’re carrying me home.”
“So,” Luna posited, “she turned your hair green?”
Suddenly faint no longer, Rarity rolled off of Applejack with the deftness of a dancer, facing Luna head on to rant at her properly. “Honestly, how dare she! Now don’t mistake me, green can be a very versatile color to work with, but she didn’t even pick a hue that compliments correctly!”
Luna peered at the color in question and at Rarity’s coat before looking back to her face. “I don’t follow.”
With complete and utter ire, Rarity smoothed down the loathsome green against her cheek. “Look here, see? Were I a more lily-esque shade of white, you know, very vaguely almost yellowish, yes? If that were the case, this particular hue of green would actually suit me.” She took a moment to huff and reaffirm her enunciation. “But I am not lily-white, I am clearly much closer to a marble or alabaster white. This is basic color theory. Ooh, I’m so cross! To suggest she could know better, then purposely prove otherwise just to humiliate me.”
Calmly, Luna smoothed down that green hair, then leaned over to tap it with her horn. With an incantation uttered soft as the low summer breeze, Rarity’s hair turned back to its usual glossy purple sheen. “Seems it was just a simple illusion spell.” She then turned to AJ, still struggling to untangle herself. A couple sparkles wafted on the air, and the taut rope returned to normal, loose and workable. “And a little enchantment magic to animate the inanimate.”
“Why, thank ya kindly.” beamed AJ, winding up her rope to stow back into her pack.
“Yes, you’re simply the best, darling. Ah, this feels so much better.” Rarity wiggled her head, enjoying the natural bounce, her head held high to show off a bright smile returning.
Luna felt a light nudging at her ribs. Pinkie was grinning up at her. “Look at you, bringing a smile to your friends.”
Luna tussled Pinkie’s hair. “I learned from the best.” She then beckoned with her hoof. “Alright, Fluttershy, come now. Let me fix whatever it is she’s done to you as well.”
Fluttershy’s head rose and her ears perked up at her name. “Oh, well, you see, she didn’t actually do anything to me. I um, didn’t volunteer.”
“Well, ya shoulda.” insisted Applejack, leaning against the side of the bench beside Pinkie. She nodded, very sure of it. “There’s no way she could’ve topped your animal husbandry.”
Rarity looked about. “Come to think of it, where would she even find any animals?”
Luna was a little perplexed. “Then would you tell me why you’re so glum?”
Fluttershy ambled over, taking the open spot next to Luna, reminding her of their first night in the library. “Well,” she sighed, fiddling with her hair, eyes obscuring behind those long locks, “it’s just that, there’s this old classmate from flight school that Rainbow was good friends with. She’s visiting, and, you see, i-it’s not that I’m jealous. Rather, she can be a bit… abrasive.”
“I have heard that about our Rainbow.” whispered Rarity, glancing off to the side.
“Rarity!” snapped Luna, surprised.
“Kidding! I’m only kidding, darling.” She waved her hoof, then hid her mischievous grin.
“I was referring to Gilda the griffon.” pouted Fluttershy.
“Huh. A griffon living in Equestria?” mused Luna. “Times certainly have changed.”
Applejack’s eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. She looked to Rarity, whose smile faded at once, sharing her concern. And when she glanced over, she saw a similar silent exchange take place past Luna’s shoulders between Pinkie and Fluttershy.
Oblivious, watching the clouds crawl peacefully by, Luna chuckled. “I’m happy to hear that ponies seem more accepting than they were in my day.” Her ears perked at the rush of air all around her, and she noticed a collective sigh of relief from her friends. “Hmm? What? Was it something I said?”
“Don’t worry about it none, sugar cube.” assured Applejack, leaning over and nudging her shoulder.
Pinkie got up and tried to pull her along. “Yeah, let’s get some lunch! Just the two of us, and the three of them.”
“I guess I could stand to eat a little something.” agreed Rarity.
“And if you don’t mind me joining you.” said Fluttershy.
“Certainly.” said Luna, taking lead. “It will be nice to spend some time with all my favorite girls without business about a dragon interrupting.” After a brief laugh, Luna covered her mouth. “Oh, Rainbow is in my favorites too, I didn’t mean to leave her out.” Then she thought about it. “Ah, and Twilight. And Galahad. Right, and… Sunset?”
“Glad to see you’re so sure of who your friends are.” teased Pinkie.
As they made their way across the square, they passed again the fringes of the crowd again as they ooh’d and ah’d at some trick or another. None of them looked to see. But whoever it was upon the meager stage, she definitely noticed them. “Why, is that the legendary Luna before my eyes?”
“Who, me?” Luna, her stride broken, peered over the crowd as they turned to see her. Among them were a few vaguely familiar faces, happy to see their local hero. But from the stage, a pale magician gave her an entirely different look.
“Yes, you, my dear. We’re all so very excited you came out to a show! Aren’t we?” She was a pony of pale blue, and long, silvery strands of silk showered down from beneath the wide brim of her hat. The eyes affixed upon Luna, like those of the eager predator with prey in sight, were a soft, floral purple.
“Actually, I was just going, sorry.” Luna nodded and kept moving with her friends.
“Oh, won’t you please stay?” asked the magician with a coy tone. She swept her hat from her head, revealing her unicorn’s horn. From the hat she pulled a pellet, and then another. With a small flash from her horn, she threw one in a wide arc, waited, lit the other, then threw it at her hooves.
Whoosh! With a rush of air, a puff of smoke took her place. The crowd hummed with anticipation, looking around to see where she’d end up. Pow! The other pellet landed in Luna’s path, and another cloud of pale gray blocked their way. The fumes faded away to reveal her gone from the stage, now standing before Luna. The stars of her lavender cape fluttered with her flourish, and her matching hat swept along the cobbles with the deepest bow she could manage.
“I am the great and powerful Trixie Lulamoon!” she boistered. Trixie rose, coming about a head and a half shorter than Luna, despite replacing her huge hat. “But, humbled by your majesty, you may call me Trixie.”
“Oh, I’m no majesty.” Luna dismissed, right away.
“I see.” stated Trixie plainly. “Regardless, you are a hero, and an accomplished wizard besides. That is why I, the great and powerful Trixie!” she announced, rearing up on her hind legs, sweeping her cape, “would like to challenge you to a duel of magics, here before this very crowd gathered round!”
Luna gave the gallery time to cheer or jeer, staring down at this little blue illusionist, nonplussed. When they’d simmered down enough to hear her response, she gave it, loud enough to hear, yet without completely raising her voice. “No, thank you.”
Jaw slacked in shock, Trixie gawked as this legend walked on by, leaving her behind. Laughter erupted at her expense. She had to regain the favor of the crowd before they cottoned onto how flustered she was getting. “Oh ho, so the mythical mare of the moon is scared of a little challenge?”
The crowd fell silent. Though none knew her so personally as those by her side, they were nonetheless aware of her sordid history. They readied for sparks to fly; things were about to get really interesting.
Luna drew a long breath, looking heavenward, and then… she let it go. She kept her head held high as she returned to this magician. “My name is Luna. I’m no longer the mare in the moon, and I’m better off for it.”
Trixie gulped, covering her mouth to tell Luna in a hush “Sorry if that was too far, I’m trying to play it up for the crowd.”
“Then I’ll try to bow out gracefully.” whispered Luna, frustration melting, giving way to a mirthful smirk. It had been some time since she participated in any kind of performance. Time to see if she remembered how. She placed one hoof over chest, putting in a mask of forlornness. “For mine own sake, I must needs stay true to a self-sworn oath most solemn, that I might ne’er again engage in violence. Lest I fall headlong back into the follies of my past.”
“Wow,” whispered Trixie, “you’re good.” There came another matching pair of smoke clouds, Trixie returning to the stage to address the proverbial subjects of her performance. “Dear ponies of the adoring audience, there shall be no duel today.” She gave them room to vent. “I know, I know. It takes a lot of bravery to challenge the great and powerful Trixie!”
Bemused and satisfied, Luna was already gathering up her girls to move on. Even if they were not as amused. Applejack wondered aloud “How can you just let her insult you like that? That kinda thing riles me up.”
“Singling out ponies to poke fun of is a classic way to appease a jeering crowd.” replied Luna as she led them on. “Though, I’ll admit I always found it a tad lowbrow.”
There came a new voice, over that of performer and audience alike, brash as she pleased: “Didn’t know it was brave to beat up 90 pound weaklings.”
Eyes arose with the chuckles and giggles. Lounging on the ledge of a nearby roof were two figures, looking down upon the crowd rather smugly. One was blue and quite well known: Rainbow Dash, now covering her snickering face. The other was no pony, but had the body of a lion, and an eagle’s head, angelic in the snow-white cleanliness of her feathers. Around her yellow eyes, her feathers gave her a fetching mask of grayish, nearly purple hue. And a few stuck off to one side, giving her something resembling quite the handsome hairstyle, heavy on the bangs.
Not to be outdone, Trixie craned her neck to call her out. “If that’s a challenge, miss griffon, Trixie is always ready to best you at any competition.”
A quick exchange between Fluttershy and her friends confirmed that was indeed Gilda. Rather than continue leaving the scene, curiosity got the better of them. Gilda stood up on paw and claw alike, stretching out her neck, then each limb and wing one at a time, meticulously wasting everyone’s time. Finally, she spoke up. “Saw you pull a rabbit out of that hat of yours. Bet I could fit a whole magician in there.”
“Ha, Trixie could easily get-” began Trixie. Until Gilda dove onto the stage, slamming down with enough force to lift her a few inches off the planks of her humble unfolding wagon. Before she could even land, a pair of talons latched onto either side of her hat and yanked. Everything went dark for a moment, but the fabric could only hold for so long. Her horn tore through first, and more ripped apart all the easier from there. The wide brim then caught her upper legs, tripping her. She hit the floorboards with a thud, albeit a weaker one than that caused by Gilda’s bulkier frame.
“Woooooooooow,” mused Gilda sarcastically, “turns out you were lying when you said there was nothing up your hat. You were hiding a whole pony in there!”
Trixie’s face went bright pink as they all laughed at her. She began to struggle, but that only tore the hat more, which had her holding breath. “How… h-how dare you! This hat was a gift from my father.”
Gilda gracefully sidestepped an angry magic beam, purposely brushing the tuft of her lion’s tail across Trixie’s wrinkling nose. “Guess he shoulda sprung for stronger material.”
Realizing there was no salvaging this performance, Trixie tried to swallow back the coming tears, and rolled off behind her purple curtains as the laughter at her expense showed no signs of stopping.
“Alright, Rainbow, let’s blow this popsicle stand.” shrugged Gilda, flying back to meet her while the murmuring crowd dispersed. She bumped a clenched claw against Rainbow’s hoof, and the two meandered off for the clouds, throwing various taunts at each other that faded with distance.
“You know, Fluttershy,” droned Luna drolly, “I was going to ask you to elaborate on what you said earlier about Gilda being a bit abrasive. But I think I understand now.”
Applejack had already started off down their chosen path once more. “Anyhow, let’s get a goin’ then.”
Luna bit her lip, taking a step toward that wagon. “I think somepony should check on her.
Applejack pursed in disapproval. “I think she got what she deserved, to put it bluntly. Pushin’ other ponies around like that, she was bound to get pushed herself.”
Luna, she couldn’t help herself. She hesitated, choosing not to turn around. Then she took another step forward. “Perhaps you’re right, AJ. But… maybe she needs somepony to reach out to her, all the same.”
“And that ought to be you?” She sounded unconvinced.
Luna peered over her shoulder, her eyes pleading and soulful. “Imagine if someone tore your hat.”
Applejack scuffed the ground. “Hrm. Well, when you put it that way…”
“I think it’s very kind of you.” spoke up Fluttershy, beaming over at her. “And I think you’re right. Maybe that’s what I ought to do with Gilda, instead of moping about as I have.”
“Fluttershy, you talked down a raging dragon. You’re one of the bravest ponies I know. A prickly griffon is no match for you.” Luna gave her a wink, then stepped back the other way. “You girls go on ahead. I’ll catch up.”
Unsure even herself of what she’d find waiting for her, Luna strode across the clearing square toward that colorful wagon. A subtle pride overcame her, as a realization struck: she was doing this because she wanted to, not because it would help her avoid some awkward conversation she needed to have. Her head lifted with her confidence, and she hopped onto the still unfolded stage, eager to see what today had in store for her.