"Let it be known; Trixie will never eat at that establishment again,” the currently-not-feeling-so-great and powerfully-miserable Trixie groaned. Starlight scoffed a few steps ahead while peering down an alleyway as they passed.
“You’ve mentioned,” she said with a tone dipped in frustration. Starlight looked down another fork in the road, making a low, throaty noise of disappointment. “Now keep looking. She couldn’t have gotten that far.”
After Pinkie bolted out of Sugarcube Corner, Starlight and Trixie began a search across Ponyville for the town’s premier pink party pony. Or, more accurately, Starlight was searching while Trixie was being dragged along. Anything for friendship, Trixie figured. Even if that meant wading through this heat, searching for a pony she really didn’t care to find. Especially since the pony that Trixie was conscripted to find fed her the worst cake she had ever dined on.
“Did you even try the cake, Starlight? I feel like you didn’t.” Trixie’s face scrunched up. She scraped her tongue against her teeth, the memory of the taste lingering on her tastebuds. “It’s an ice cream cake. It’s not supposed to taste like–”
“Applejack!”
Trixie tripped midstep at the sudden interruption, tumbling to the dirt path. She watched as Starlight left her stumbling friend behind, vanishing into the crowded market. With an absolutely not at all embarrassed cough, Trixie lifted herself from the dirt. She brushed off the dust that stubbornly clung to her cape and used her magic to readjust her hat, ensuring her face was hidden under the brim. Not to hide her humiliated blush – definitely not – but rather to keep the sun out of her eyes.
Mentally, Trixie scrambled to devise a cover story. A moment ago, the sun moved and blinded the Great and Powerful Trixie. That’s what happened. Yes. Everypony saw it happen. Not that anypony saw Trixie trip, of course. Her eyes darted around, spotting ponies laughing and conversing with one another. None of them gave Trixie any mind. But if they did, it was due to the sun. The sun that attacked Trixie’s vision. Trixie nodded, satisfied with her internal monologue. Craning her neck up to her full height, Trixie sauntered after Starlight into the market.
Despite the blistering heat, the market as a whole was buzzing with activity. A half dozen mobile stalls were set up and open, each occupied with shopkeepers barking out their prices and the quality of their products. Starlight ignored them all and pressed on through the crowd, her destination being one of the busiest stalls in the market. When she finally had eyes on the pop-up shop, she picked up her pace. Both barrels full of apples and ponies with half-empty sacks surrounded the cart.
The salespony at the helm, bright orange and wearing a hat that was visible from Canterlot, was preoccupied with one of her customers. One of her ears flicked when Starlight again called out her name. The mare swiveled her head around, searching for whoever was looking for her. The moment she locked eyes with Starlight, a powerful smile spread across the apple farmer’s face.
“Well howdy, Starlight!” Applejack waved the approaching mare over. She turned back to her customer as a few bits landed on the stall, several apples lifted up in a goldish aura and drifted into the saddlebags belonging to a mint green unicorn. Applejack and the unicorn shared a few parting words as they finished their transaction.
Starlight skidded to a halt next to the stall, kicking dust into the air. The small dust cloud interrupted the mostly completed sale, and both Applejack and her customer glared at Starlight. Despite a pair of hurried apologies from Starlight, the unicorn humphed and marched away from the stall with a roll of her eyes.
“Seeing as you’ve gone and run off my customers,” Applejack began with a half-playful scowl that caused Starlight to blush and awkwardly laugh, “I suppose I can spare the time to chat. What brings you by?” Any seriousness that was present in her voice faded away.
Starlight cleared her throat and fought to ignore the heat rising in her cheeks. “Have you seen Pinkie Pie?” She eyed Trixie while she slowly sashayed up to join the two. Starlight’s eyes narrowed at the approaching mare and gestured towards her, “Somepony here insulted her and needs to apologize. Pinkie ran off, and we haven’t been able to find her.” Applejack concentrated on Trixie while she gasped at the heinous things her friend implied about her.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie did not ‘insult’ anypony! That’s not in Trixie’s nature!” She scoffed and threw her own nose into the air. “Trixie is a showmare! She has a flair for spectacle! Everything Trixie does is for that very purpose. You couldn’t get us out of eating a cake the size of Mount Everhoof, so the Great and Powerful Trixie took charge of the situation.” With an indignant snort, Trixie glared back at Starlight.
“‘Took charge’?” Starlight echoed. She closed her eyes and tilted her head; her mouth opened and closed seemingly at random while she tried to form a response. When one finally came to her, she thrashed her head around in disbelief. “That doesn’t even make sense! You ate the cake!” Several ponies stopped their conversations and turned to look at the sudden outburst.
“No, Trixie took a slice of cake,” the showmare corrected. Starlight, unamused at the technicality, blankly stared at Trixie. “It wasn’t even that good in Trixie’s humble opinion. You wouldn’t know since you didn’t even take a bite of your slice.” Trixie jabbed a hoof at her not-exactly-great and not-very-agreeable friend.
"That doesn’t matter!" Starlight blurted. She quickly tried to get the conversation back on track and away from the cake, "You didn’t have a plan! You insulted Pinkie! That’s the important thing here.”
The market-goers crowded around the apple stall, compelled to watch the argument unfolding in the market center. Neither Trixie nor Starlight took notice of their new audience as they fired off quips at one another. Applejack sneered as she glanced around the spectators swarming around her stall – not for her apples, but to watch the show. She’s never let a fight break out in front of her cart before, and today was not going to be the first. Adjusting her trusty hat, Applejack stomped between the two arguing mares and grabbed the attention of everypony in the vicinity.
“Alright!” Applejack snapped her head towards both Trixie and Starlight – making sure both were paying attention to her. The salespony switched her concentration to the crowd and swept a foreleg across the mass of ponies. “That’s enough. Y'all go back to your business. You hear? Get!” Most of the crowd took heed of Applejack and acted as if there wasn’t just a very obvious verbal battle a few steps away from them. A few stragglers hung around – waiting to see if anything else happened. Applejack’s impatient scowl scared them off instantly.
As Applejack shooed the crowd, Starlight took the time to gather her thoughts. Embarrassment slapped her across the face, leaving a grimace in its wake. This had not gone how she planned. Starlight wanted to talk Applejack and, maybe, find out where Pinkie Pie had run off to. Instead, she and Trixie started an argument in front of the Apple family stall, likely scaring off any customers Applejack may have had.
With the crowd dispersed, Applejack took a deep breath and glared at Starlight. Her irritated gaze melted to a more sympathetic one after seeing Starlight’s sullen and ashamed expression.
“Why don’t we try this again, alright?” Applejack said softly to Starlight. Starlight’s ears twitched against her head as she peered up at Applejack, who nodded. With a small smile, Starlight silently responded with a nod of her own and craned her neck back up. Seeing her friend’s spirits lifted, Applejack let a lopsided smirk touch her lips. However, her smile hardened and flipped when she peered over to Trixie.
Trixie unashamedly scrutinized her hoof, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought. It had been some time since she pampered herself and considered the idea of visiting the Day Spa. Trixie didn’t get to Ponyville until mid-day and the business was going to close sooner rather than later. She didn’t plan on staying in town long, not more than a night or two. Trixie had a tour to get back to, after all. Her Vanhoover loop wasn’t long, and she could easily stop at one of the spas in the city instead. It wasn’t the ideal solution. Big city spas were often too expensive for her blood, while Ponyville had one of the few that lived up to her expectations and sat in her prince range.
Trixie finally noticed the silence that had overtaken the market. She glanced up to find both Applejack and Starlight glaring at her. Unsure of what the two expected of her, Trixie shrugged. Their collective groan told Trixie that they were not satisfied with such an answer.
“Trixie,” Applejack snarled with a stomp. “What’d you say to Pinkie Pie that upset her?” Trixie was a pony that frustrated the farmer to no end. She was rude, snarky, and more than a bit self-centered. How Starlight ended up being friends with a pony like that made… a lot of sense the more Applejack thought about it. Not that she’d ever mention that to anypony.
“Trixie has no idea.” Trixie rolled her eyes at the hostility on display. The distrust she was often shown by the citizens of this town had long since become the norm. “One moment, Starlight and I are about to enjoy a bit of cake – not that Trixie knew it was terrible at the time – and the next, I hear a mare screaming about a gingerbread house.” Trixie wiped the sweat growing on her brow and glared at the sun from behind her hat. “In summer. Honestly, where’s your weather team? The least they could do is kick up a breeze.”
“Trixie,” Starlight warned as her voice took on a threatening edge.
“That’s what happened!” Trixie pleaded while tossing her head back with a groan. “I’m not sure what answer you’re fishing for. Trixie says a lot of things. Sometimes she says something that rubs somepony the wrong way.”
“You–”
“Simmer down!” Applejack threw herself between the renewing argument; she was not about to let this fight start again. Starlight shook her head and avoided eye contact with Applejack. While not satisfied with the response, Applejack accepted it and twisted her head around to sneer at Trixie. “That goes for you too, Trixie. You’ve caused this town more than enough trouble – twice. Either talk about what happened or get a move on.”
With a scoff, Trixie recoiled as if she was repulsed by a sudden odor assaulting her senses, the nerve of this pony finally striking a chord with Trixie. She turned away with a flippant and exaggerated twirl. Trixie peeked over her shoulder as she trotted away, her cape fluttering in the air behind her. “Fine. Trixie can tell when she’s not wanted,” she chirped. The unicorn broke her glare and marched away.
Applejack sighed as she watched the mare depart, happy that the source of her great and powerful headache was leaving. Starlight raised a hoof toward Trixie and opened her mouth, but she closed it a moment later without making a sound. Concern swelled in her eyes. Trixie could get under pony’s skins; there was no denying that. But everypony has their limits, and clearly, Trixie had hit hers. Starlight snapped her head between Applejack and the rapidly retreating Trixie as she decided what to do.
“I have to go after her,” Starlight announced. Applejack smiled in understanding as she shifted around to look at the magically gifted unicorn. “Sorry about all this. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“I know.” Applejack brought a hoof up which Starlight quickly bumped with her own. The apple farmer looked back, watching Trixie leave. A wince momentarily crossed Applejack’s face, but it was gone as suddenly as it came. Applejack returned her attention returned to Starlight; a warm and friendly smile replaced whatever thoughts had popped up prior. “If you really want to pay me back, swing by the farm sometime before the rain comes back around and help us fix up the barn roof. Started leaking a few days before this dry spell; we could always use the help.”
With a smile of her own, Starlight nodded at the proposition before turning away to gallop after Trixie.
“So there’s nothing the weather team can do?”
Mayor Mare was melting, and so was her beloved town of Ponyville beneath the sun. Every year, the weather factory in Cloudsdale would shut down for several days. The ramifications of which impacted all across Equestria, leading to a yearly nationwide heatwave. Both the crown and the ponies in charge of the factory wanted the facility inspected top to bottom. Simply put; no weather factory meant no clouds, no clouds meant no rain, and no rain meant dry crops and a lot of heat.
This time, for reasons loosely connected to the Storm King’s invasion a few months ago, the maintenance period was lengthened from four days to over a week. Officials from Canterlot and Cloudsdale made sure each major settlement in Equestria was aware of the extended shutdown.
Ponyville was no different. Mayor Mare prepared the town like she always has, from organizing water rations to clearing out any dangers of a possible brush fire. Ponyville is, and will be as long as she is in office, her responsibility. That didn’t mean she had to like the heat or that she wouldn’t plead with the weather team to make life more bearable.
“Like I said,” Rainbow Dash sighed and shrugged as she fluttered through the air, “we’re already working on bringing in clouds from the Everfree Forest, but they’re too intense for us to bring near town right now. In a few hours, we should have some of the wildness bucked out of them. It won’t be much, but we can give Ponyville a bit of cloud cover then. With Cloudsdale down, that’s all we can do.”
Mayor Mare tugged at her cotton collar, which rubbed uncomfortably against her coat. Even in the relative safety of her office, the muggy weather was all-encompassing. The tense negotiations with Rainbow Dash were not helping either. She respected Rainbow Dash for all of her accomplishments and dedication to Ponyville. For years she’s acted as Ponyville’s captain of the weather team and, recently, became a member of the Wonderbolts. Despite that, the mayor didn’t find Dash to be a leader. She appreciated all of the pegasi in town helping with the weather, certainly, but this was the third day in a row where the team wasn’t able to take advantage of the Everfree’s clouds.
“And in a few hours the sun will start going down,” the mayor’s irritation seeped into her tone, and Dash couldn’t avoid rolling her eyes. “Fine. I know it’s taken a few days, but at the very least, Ponyville will have a bit of a reprieve tomorrow before Cloudsdale gets back up to speed. Can we expect more overcast in the next few days?”
“I wouldn’t count on it. I don’t have many pairs of wings on the team; there’s just not enough of us to maintain the clouds we have and bring in more. After tomorrow, we’re going to have to cycle out the clouds we already have. Add in the fact some of the pegasi on the team are inexperienced, and we’d risk losing half the town to a wild storm,” Dash said with a roll of one of her front hooves. Rainbow stopped her slow circling of the room to glare at the mayor. She jabbed an accusatory hoof toward her. “So don’t blame us for doing our jobs the best we can. I’m not going to risk ponies getting hurt by pushing them to do the impossible. If you wanted this done quicker, you should have asked Twilight or one of the other princesses to ask around Equestria for help.”
Mayor Mare’s face twitched into a grimace at the mention of Twilight Sparkle. The mayor had no issue with the mare – she liked Twilight – but having a Princess of Equestria living in Ponyville reduced her own role in the town. Ponies brushed past Mayor Mare to ask Twilight directly for help more and more. In fact, the only reason Mayor Mare knew of the extended shutdown was because Twilight was the one to tell her about it. Which was after a letter came from Canterlot to Ponyville and was delivered to Twilight. And that letter came through the mail service, which was directly connected to the town hall. Suffice to say, Mayor Mare was frustrated. Ponyville was her town to manage, and she needed to show that the ponies of Ponyville could handle things on their own when they needed to. But...
Rainbow was right.
Perhaps it was the infamous Ponyville stubbornness pushing Mayor Mare to handle this on her own. Or maybe her jealousy of Twilight overtaking her role in the town. Whatever it was, Rainbow was right. Plenty of weather pegasi across Equestria were going to have free time while Cloudsdale was out of commission. Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have favorable views about Ponyville, and either princess could have very easily pulled together the help the town needed.
Rainbow recognized the dejected look in Mayor Mare’s eyes. When Rainbow landed on the ground, she gave the mayor a warm and confident smirk. “Listen, don’t sweat it, Mayor. I’ll make sure the–”
The door to the mayor’s office slammed open with the force of a stampeding yak. Books tumbled off the shelves lining the office, and the various knick-knacks that littered Mayor Mare’s desk rumbled in place. Rainbow popped back into the air, touching the high ceiling and twisting around to face the intruder. Mayor Mare ducked under her desk in terror.
“Mayor Maaare~!” A familiar high-pitched sing-song-like voice filled the office. Mayor Mare’s ears fell flat when she realized who owned that voice. She popped out from under her desk and scowled at the pony in the door.
“Miss Pie. I thought we talked about you barging into my office like this,” Ponyville’s mayor put as much authority as she could into her voice, puffing her chest out. Pinkie Pie was never a pony who responded to overt displays of authority. Not out of malice, of course, but she was just a free spirit. Nevertheless, Mayor Mare still had to try for the sake of appearances.
“We sure did! But that was about throwing surprise parties in your office.” Pinkie Pie skipped over to the desk and leaned heavily over the desk, a large smile chiseled on her face. “I’m not here to throw you a party. I’m here to ask for your help!”
That piqued the government official’s interest. Pinkie Pie – the pony who could pull together the resources to host a party in her sleep – wanted her help? Mayor Mare was sure that if Pinkie ever had machinations of running for office, she would have more connections than Mayor Mare has now. And she’d been in the game for decades. Even before Twilight Sparkle took over most of the duties of managing Ponyville, Pinkie never came to the local government for help with her parties unless it involved town hall.
Rainbow, seeing her opportunity to get away from Mayor Mare’s badgering – and whatever Pinkie was planning – silently drifted out the door. She poked her head around the corner back into the office for a moment. “Gonna go take care of the clouds! Have fun! Bye!”
Before Mayor Mare could answer, the tail end of a rainbow streak appeared at the edge of the doorframe as Rainbow sped away. The blur was accompanied by the sounds of papers rustling as they were thrown into the air. She blinked a few times before her ears flattened again. Mayor Mare grumbled an unintelligible goodbye toward the speeding pegasus before returning her full attention to Pinkie Pie. Whatever Pinkie needed help with was now resting solely on Mayor Mare. Which she, actually, was quite happy about in a way.
“Alright Miss Pie,” the mayor said as she edged her chair closer to the desk. She leaned forward and brought her forehooves brought together in interest. Pinkie mimicked the actions with a chair on the other side of the desk. “What can I do for you?”
“I want,” Pinkie breathed and clicked her hooves together, closing her eyes as she giggled to herself. She radiated unfettered excitement as her mane and tail vibrated wildly. When Pinkie reopened her eyes, her whole body joined her mane in quivering with enthusiasm. After a moment, her giggling transformed into hysterical laughter. She hopped on top of the desk, practically tap dancing on it as she squealed in joy.
“I want to make a giant gingerbread house!” Pinkie leaped off the desk and started hopping around the room. All Mayor Mare could do was tilt her head watching the display.
“Do… you need a recipe?” she slowly asked, one eye squinted in confusion. Mayor Mare couldn’t understand why Pinkie needed her help, or why she was so excited at the prospect of a single gingerbread house.
“Oh no, I’ve got that covered.” Pinkie laughed off the suggestion as if it was the most absurd thing she’d ever heard. In a way, Mayor Mare realized it was. Of course, Ponyville’s most prolific baker knew how to make a gingerbread house. “I just need you to give me the land to make it!”
Mayor Mare was rocked in her seat by the question. Then, so did the building. A powerful boom shook the town hall, and everything not nailed to the floor rattled. Thankfully, the town was well prepared for Rainbow Dash and her habit of shattering the sound barrier, so most of the loose knick-knacks in her office were weighted down in some way. And, at the moment, that included Mayor Mare’s ability to think straight.
“Did you say land?”
“Well duh,” Pinkie giggled and hopped back into her seat. Standing on it, not sitting. “You can’t make a full-sized gingerbread house inside another house. That’d just be silly.”
Mayor Mare yanked her glasses off and let them drop on the desk as she started rubbing her eyes. Normally, she would take better care of her spectacles, but Pinkie shattered the mayor’s dwindling patience with a single sentence. All Mayor Mare wanted right now was to set up an appointment in the Ponyville Day Spa and stay there for the rest of her day.
“Pinkie, just...” With an exasperated sigh, Mayor Mare shifted her hooves to rub her temples in a vain attempt to fight the rapidly growing migraine. “I have a laundry list of reasons why I wouldn’t even sell you property for this, let alone give it to you. But let’s just start with the most obvious of them all. Do you know how many carts it would take to bring in all the flour, sugar, and every other ingredient you could possibly need? To make something that large would back up trade for days. Maybe even weeks, depending on where you get it all from or if I’m horribly underestimating how much you’d need.”
Pinkie’s mood shift was sudden, though thankfully not as intense as Mayor Mare feared it could have been. With a contemplative “oh”, Pinkie sat down in the chair and inspected the desk deeply in thought.
While Mayor Mare was glad Pinkie was willing to back off of her bizarre idea, she wished it wasn’t something that’d crush the poor mare’s hopes. Pinkie lived for making ponies smile, and this gingerbread house was surely one of them. But, it was an idea that had massive drawbacks for Ponyville. As mayor, she couldn’t – and wouldn’t – put Ponyville under a strain like that.
“I’m sorry, Pinkie.” With a sad smile, Mayor Mare reached a hoof out to Pinkie as a sign of peace. “I simply cannot give or sell you property for a project like that.” Pinkie didn’t answer and continued to study the desk with a furrowed brow. “But,” Mayor Mare’s smile brightened a little, “thank you for coming to me. Ponies don’t normally come to me for things like this anymore. With Princess Twilight in town, anything I can do, she can do. And more.”
There was a small pause between the two ponies as Mayor Mare’s words set in. Pinkie looked up at Mayor Mare with renewed hope as her smile returned. Mayor Mare, on the other hoof, was filled with impending dread as the color in her face drained away. The consequences of her words crashing down on her like a tidal wave.
“So, you’re saying that if you can’t do it…” Pinkie trailed off as her smile returned. Mayor Mare quietly pleaded for her companion to stop with a slow shake of her head, but Pinkie Pie ignored it and pressed on. “Then I need to go to the next level above you! Thanks, Mayor Mare!”
With a single swift jump, Pinkie leapt from her chair and pranced out the office. Pinkie flicked her tail, wrapping it around the door handle, and slammed shut the office door behind her. Mayor Mare was left to quietly ponder in her office alone. She leaned back into her chair and blankly stared at her ceiling. The mayor listened as the birds chirped, practically coughing in the muggy heat, outside her window. It wasn’t exactly peaceful, and the noise failed to pull Mayor Mare’s attention away from her thoughts.
“So did Twilight retire me and I didn’t know? Or was I always second fiddle in my own town?” she aimlessly asked her ceiling.
Trixie continued her march through Ponyville with her head held high. The prized hat she wore atop her head shielded her eyes from any further attacks from the blazing sun. Her iconic and beautiful cape sparkled in the sunlight behind her. From a distance, her silhouette surely radiated the two traits Trixie wore with pride – great and powerful. Anypony who hadn’t heard of the Great and Powerful Trixie – not that there were many – would surely turn their head and wonder just who that mysterious mare was.
“Trixie?”
Or, they would wonder about the sullen mare keeping pace behind Trixie, the one who occasionally tried to spark up a conversation. Just like the last half dozen attempts, Trixie ignored the call and kept walking.
It hadn’t taken Starlight long to catch up with Trixie after she stormed out of the Ponyville market. The two had been quietly walking through town, all the while sweating to death under intense rays of sunlight. Why Trixie hadn’t yet removed her trademark stage get-up – or why she was wearing it in the first place – Starlight could only guess. Trixie’s attire wasn’t exactly lightweight, after all.
Seeing as Trixie was still not wanting to talk, Starlight sighed and watched the town passing by around her. She specifically took note that the two of them ended up in the center of Ponyville, behind the town hall. Starlight was still looking for Pinkie Pie in the hope she would be able to drag an apology out of Trixie. But, at the moment, Trixie was being very Trixie about things. Even if Starlight could get the two to talk to each other right now, she was sure it would only make things worse.
While Starlight’s mind wandered and pondered the best course of action, her eyes drifted across the town. Absently, she watched the citizens of Ponyville go about their days. A grey pegasus lazily drifted through the sky, inspecting a letter in her hooves. The satchel on her side was emblazoned with the logo of the Central Equestrian Mail Service. A bright orange filly sped through the town on her scooter. She simultaneously aimed for and narrowly avoided the few pedestrians walking through town. By and large, a perfectly ordinary day in Ponyville – if a little on the empty side.
"Alright, you two. Drink up. Two nice, ice-cold bowls of water coming right up!"
Starlight’s ears swiveled in the direction of a faint voice, and her head followed suit shortly after. A familiar pegasus was on her knees as she poked around the shrubs lining the town hall, hugging the shade it brought. Two brown and furry heads popped out, blinking at the pony in interest. Aided by her wings, the pegasus dug through her saddlebags, producing two empty bowls and a vacuum-sealed metal cylinder. A pair of squirrels flopped out of the bushes, both chittering in appreciation as water flowed into the small, hoof-sized bowls.
Starlight couldn’t help but smile. Even in a heatwave like this, Fluttershy was worrying about the animals living in and around Ponyville. Starlight’s trot tapered off until she stopped in the street as an idea formed in her mind. It may be a bit blunt solution, but Fluttershy was practically the definition of the word kind. If there was anypony who could get Trixie to understand why she needed to apologize, Fluttershy was the pony for the job. Starlight whipped her head back around and again called out to Trixie. “Trixie, hold up a second!”
The showmare paused mid-stride and glanced over her shoulder. She hadn’t expected Starlight to mumble more than a few words, let alone give Trixie a command. Trixie also didn’t expect to see her motioning towards a pony practically nuzzling a pair of wild animals. Yet, that’s exactly what she saw.
Cautiously, Starlight approached Fluttershy and the happily drinking critters. The first step Starlight took off the dirt path and onto the grass alerted the squirrels, the crunch of the grass freezing them in place. Both of the furry creatures flinched and snapped their attention toward the advancing pony. Fluttershy peered over to what spooked her furry friends.
“Oh! Hello, Starlight.” Fluttershy’s warm reception towards her friend calmed the squirrels, and they returned to their bowls. Raising to her hooves, Fluttershy returned the half-full thermos to her bags and turned to face Starlight properly.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” Starlight asked while watching the two creatures gulp down water. One of the pair pulled their head up from the container, their nose twisting and twitching as it stared off beyond the two mares. Once the squirrels’ curiosity was satisfied, it dumped its face back into the water bowl.
“Not at all. I’m just making sure every creature in Ponyville is staying hydrated.” The smile on Fluttershy’s face couldn’t stop the tiredness from seeping into her voice.
“Are you sure?” Starlight asked with a raised brow. Fluttershy’s mane was tied back into a bun rather than loosely cascading down. Her coat and tail looked rougher than normal, almost as if she just rolled out of bed. With her mane out of her face, the redness around Fluttershy’s eyes was clear and apparent to the world.
“Oh yes. I’m sure.” Fluttershy nodded and rubbed at her eyes. “It’s just been a hectic few days, is all.”
“Well, if you’re certain,” Starlight relented with an apprehensive smile. She could tell Fluttershy was not at her best, and the unicorn considered asking somepony else for help. But Starlight pushed that thought away; Fluttershy was smart and wouldn’t overexert herself. Cautiously, she waved Trixie over who rolled her eyes. Seeing as she had no other options, Trixie obliged to whatever it was Starlight had in mind. Fluttershy only now noticed the cape-clad pony, and she bit the inside of her cheek. She was more than happy to make time for Starlight, but Trixie was a whole different question.
“So Fluttershy. Trixie and I are in a bit of a bind. We’re looking for Pinkie Pie, who Trixie insulted earlier today. We asked Applejack for help earlier, but that just started a big argument between the three of us. Could you please explain to Trixie that her comments about Sugar Cube Corner were rude?” Starlight barreled through the low growls and startled squeaks from her friends and ended with a toothy grin directed at Fluttershy.
Before Fluttershy could get a word in, Trixie interjected in the only way she knew how.
“Hey!” Trixie’s shout spooked the two squirrels, knocking their bowls of water over in fright. She charged up to Starlight, who only side-eyed Trixie while maintaining her smile. “What Trixie said was not an insult!”
“It sure sounded like one.”
“It was a joke!”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re a stage magician and not a stand-up comedian.”
Fluttershy took a step back as the argument unfolded in front of her. Maybe she could convince Starlight and Trixie she was busy with the animals in Ponyville? She flicked her eyes over her shoulder, watching the squirrels staring down their now empty bowls. The two looked at one another, then back to their now-empty bowls. The pair of squirrels raised their heads, staring at Fluttershy. She saw the smallest twitch of their eyes.
With an anger-fueled screech, the wild animals charged at Trixie. Fluttershy attempted to get in between, but the two darted between her hooves. Both of the arguing unicorns glanced at Fluttershy as she dived away. In a poorly timed blink, Starlight missed both squirrels leaping out from underneath Fluttershy, claws ready to slash. The sound of a cloth ripping accompanied a startled shriek as the two assaulted the unprepared and confused Trixie.
A massive, glass-shattering boom erupted emanated from the other side of the town hall ended the attack. Nearby trees shook, and loose leaves fell. The scooter-riding pegasus Starlight saw earlier came to an abrupt halt and cheered at the rainbow streak speeding away overhead.
Both squirrels raced away, unsure of what caused the explosion. If it was their victim, they didn’t want to stick around to see what she was doing. Fluttershy, seeing the creatures sprinting away in fear, got back onto her hooves and jumped into the air to hunt them down from the sky. A battle cry of, "No you don’t, misters!" could be heard as she raced after them.
As quickly and suddenly as the battle began, it was over. Starlight, in a bizarre mix of anxiousness and bafflement, stared blankly at the ensuing chase. She replayed the chaos in her mind, trying to understand how everypony got into this mess. A light groan reminded her of the one pony in the eye of the storm.
“Trixie!” Starlight called. Trixie’s ears fell flat under her hat, which rather impressively stayed on during the attack. Trixie had stumbled over onto her back when the squirrels struck. Soreness from her awkward tumble flared through her body as she rolled over onto her stomach. The sore-showmare sighed as she recomposed herself and repositioned her legs under her to stand up.
Rushing up to Trixie’s side, Starlight offered a hoof to the mare but was ignored. An uncomfortable silence gripped the two as Trixie stretched her neck and brushed away dirt that clung to her coat. She then turned her attention to cleaning off her cape, which had taken the brunt of the fall. Both Starlight and Trixie gasped when they saw the damage.
A wide tear ripped across the side of Trixie’s cape. It peeled away and gave a clear view of Trixie’s cutie mark. Trixie again groaned. It wasn’t the first time her cape had been damaged like this; traveling across Equestria had the tendency to wear things out. Not that the fact made stitching it closed any less frustrating. Trixie scowled, thinking about how much the time it was going to take to fix the gash – if she even had enough twine to fix it.
Starlight bit her lip as she stared at the hole. In a way, she felt responsible for the damage. If she hadn't pestered Trixie into talking with Fluttershy, then none of this would have even happened. Starlight put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder, who flinched and stiffened at the touch. After a moment, Trixie relaxed but her scowl was redirected at Starlight.
“I’m sorry, Trixie,” Starlight removed her hoof and her eyes fell to the ground, unable to meet the glare aimed at her.
“It’s fine,” Trixie breathed. It wasn’t, but Starlight didn’t need to know that. “We probably should just split up for the day. If I’m going to sew this closed, I’ll need to go back to my wagon. Just another night wasted,” she muttered that last bit under her breath as she turned away.
Starlight’s ears perked up at the word “sew”. Her last few ideas were a bust, sure, but this one actually had legs to stand on. She raised her head and galloped up to Trixie’s side again.
“Better yet, I’ve got an idea!”