Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into an hour, Derpy had left much earlier, she needed to deliver some mail from the post office that was to Ponyville, so she said her goodbyes and flew to the post office. It was about an hour before the previous jewel started to flicker, they could see it from the window of the door. Trixie’s face lit up with joy when she saw it.
“Finally!” She exclaimed.
”Woah, that’s pretty,” Gumdrop said with a smile as they walked along the road.
”Hah! Yeah, it glows when we are really close,” Trixie said proudly, she looked at Bolt who was happily perched on her wagon grooming her feathers.
Gumdrop smiled, “Trixie... I’m really glad we met, sure you started off as stubborn but... you’re the best friend I’ve ever had, I never want that to change,” She said as she happily hugged her.
”Awww, you’re not so bad either,” Trixie said with a smile, she looked at her, “The grateful Trixie really hopes we are never broken apart,”
Gumdrop giggled, “As long as we stick together, there’s is nothing we can’t handle!”
Trixie smiled a bit, she noticed Gumdrop’s mistake in grammar with saying but didn’t really mind it anymore. They decided to stop for a few seconds to do their theme, Bolt also joined in by putting her claw up and standing between them. They joined hoof and claws with each other as they started.
“Trixie, Gumdrop and Bolt, Squad of Star,” They said as they rose their hoof or claw, “We’ll save Equestria, ‘cuz that’s who we are!”
The two friends giggled a little as they went back to walking. Soon enough they walked past the big park, Trixie gasped when the previous diamond shaped jewel was glowing a yellow colour. The pink jewel was right there, in a group of pink flowers. Both of the high-fives before trotting over to it.
”Watch this!” Trixie said with a grin.
She hugged the jewel tight, and it started to glow.
”Next jewel, white, is on Mount Everhoof,”
Gumdrop showed her confusion, “Mount Everhoof?” She questioned.
”It’s the highest mountain in Equestria,” Trixie explained but then smiled, “We can pass through the Crystal Empire on the way! You’ll love it!”
”It sounds beautiful! I’d love to see it,” Gumdrop replied.
The two smiled happily as they walked out of the park, as soon as they reached the road they heard a sudden and deafening noise.
Bang!
That noised seemed to have alerted and almost deafened the whole street! Trixie looked around as her hearing came back, she tried to process what had happened as her ears rung. It took her a while to snap back to reality, a worried stampede of ponies ran towards her and Gumdrop, they didn’t want to find out why they were running, so they ran with them.
“What’s going on!?” Shouted Gumdrop.
”Sounded like... a gun!?” Trixie gulped nervously, “But don’t you need a license for them!?”
More gunshots followed, crying and screaming could be heard among the gunshots, along with shattering of glass. Gumdrop looked back for a second and saw an angry green stallion with a purple mane, he looked furious. Behind the stallion was a black wagon, guns were being held by hooves outside the window making gunshots.
Bang!
“Faster! Trixie, and ditch the wagon, we can return for it!” Gumdrop alerted.
Trixie was unsure but saw abandoned wagons and ponies removing wagons from themselves, so they could run into a building, luckily Trixie was able to take hers off as she ran. She dashed with the crowd on the sidewalk and ran towards an upcoming building that wasn’t either full or had shattered glass.
Bang!
A pony screamed in agony as they fell to the ground. The building they were running towards was a brick hotel, it was just up ahead, but there was no time to stop.
Unicorns that knew a teleportation spell were able to teleport, and pegasi went into the air, ponies screamed when they witnessed one get shot from the air. Trixie lit her horn multiple times as she raced for her life.
“Teleportation spell, go!” Trixie screamed as she ran, “Teleportation spell, go!”
”Why isn't it working!? Are you doing it right?” Asked Gumdrop, who had a shaky voice that was out of breath.
”I’m under pressure!” Shouted Trixie.
”Fair enough, I’m too scared to open my wings!” Gumdrop shouted.
Bang!
A pegasus was almost shot from the air. It was heard to hear each other through the screams, cries and gunshots, but they knew each other was worried. They were scared, they had sweat and their hearts raced.
Bang!
Many ponies near Trixie screamed, they all run harder including her, Trixie forced herself to not look back, she needed to get to safety. But soon enough the stallion got so fast that the black wagon was next to her, she gulped and tried to run faster, the hotel was basically right in front of her. Trixie heard the screech of a falcon just before a gunshot.
Bang!
From the side of her eye, Trixie saw a blur of grey feathers and red, she gasped in shock just before she entered the front doors of the hotel that were being held open by some armoured cops. Once inside, Trixie didn’t stop running until she tripped over an exhausted pony, she hit the carpet hard enough to give her carpet burn. The pony she tripped over wasn’t upset, they looked at her with a slight smile.
“Sorry,” The pony gasped.
Trixie laid her head on the ground trying to process what just happened, she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down, her heart was racing so fast.
💧💎💖💎💧
She thought she only laid there for two minutes, but she actually laid there for about ten. The doors to the hotel were shut, and armoured police surrounded the hotel, and others searched the city for the shooters. The hotel reeked of sweat, the lovely light blue and white carpet was tainted in blood. There were sounds of parents calling their foals and foals crying for their parents. As Trixie got up, she saw blood staining the hotel’s carpet as a result of injuries. She saw nurses and doctors tending to the wounds of countless ponies.
Some were lucky, like her, and didn’t get injuries, while some were not as lucky and possibly lost their sight or an eye, or even a wing. Trixie started to feel nauseous, her heart began racing as she walked through and heard the despite cries of ponies calling out to their loved ones or to their friends, Trixie saw a nurse holding a crying foal, it seemed the foal had lost their family in the shooting judging by what the nurse was saying.
Trixie felt bad for all, the tears and wounds she saw, she was speechless. At this point Trixie knew Bolt was gone, the feathery blur was her, she sacrificed herself to save Trixie. Tears ran down her face as she walked through the lobby, a few ponies were in the bar getting drinks or even splashing water onto themselves.
“What do you mean, my baby is dead!?” Shouted a mare to a nurse.
That sentence alone made Trixie‘s heart hurt. She sadly watched the mare being in denial over losing her foal, how could somepony be so selfish and kill a child!? Trixie felt anger rush through her body as she heard the pain and suffering of many families and friends.
”How could somepony do this?” Trixie sobbed, she looked around and realised that Gumdrop wasn’t with her.
”Gumdrop?” Called Trixie.
Trixie looked around with her head for any sign of a pink griffin among multicoloured ponies, surely that wouldn’t be hard. She walked around with worry, there was a hard feeling in her gut.
“Gumdrop!” Trixie called out in distress.
There was no sign of her, Trixie tried again, hoping she simply didn’t hear her name being called.
“Gumdrop! Where are you!?” Trixie shouted loudly.
She ran around, she went to the door, but a cop was there, he stopped Trixie with his unicorn magic. Despite being held in unicorn magic, she tried to reach the door.
”No one’s allowed to leave, even if you make amazing shows every time you come here,” He said making Trixie smile and blush a little, “Not until shooter’s been caught at least,” He said with concern but strictly.
”But my friend! She’s still out there! She was right next to me when we were running!” Trixie explained.
The cop sighed, “Sorry Trixie... if your friend was right with you, she most likely is in here somewhere, she might have gotten something at the bar, went to the toilet, went upstairs to have a break from all the distress in here... she might have gone to the spa and pool... to relax after her life being on the line”
Trixie sighed, “Fine... I’ll look...”
💧💎💖💎💧
Trixie went up the stairs to the top floor where the spa and pool was placed, she called Gumdrop’s name, but there was no reply, she only saw a few ponies around but no sign of a griffin. She sighed as she left the floor and went back to the lobby, it was a bit quieter, but there was still regular cries or name-calling.
At this point, she was visibly sad and in distress.
”Has anypony seen a pink griffin?” She asked loudly, there was no reply.
She then went to a nurse that had just finished bandaging a pony’s hoof up.
”Oh hey there, are you hurt too?”
”No...” Sighed Trixie, “Have you seen a pink griffin?”
The nurse sighed, “Yes I have...”
Trixie’s ears perked up, and a smile appeared on her face, but it soon dropped when she saw the nurse’s sombre face.
”Where is she?”
The nurse felt bad for Trixie, “I’m sorry... she didn’t make it”
Trixie felt her heart shatter and tears go down her face like a waterfall, “No...” She sniffled, “No she’s not!” She shouted at the nurse, who only showed a sorrowful reaction.
”I’m sorry... it’s true...”
”I don’t believe you!” Trixie shouted as tears went down her face.
The nurse sighed, “The doctors tried everything... but it was too late for her... I’m sorry for your loss”
”No! She’s still alive! I know it!” She shouted with anger.
”I’ts true...” Another nurse sighed, “We saw her body, she was shot in the head,”
”No...” Trixie sobbed, “I-I was running with her... Why!? She was so young!”
She cried and retreated upstairs to have somewhere more private to cry out loud in an ugly way. Trixie ran to the spa and pool area as fast as she could. As she approached the hot tub, she took deep breaths and let her tears flow. She took her cape off and put it on the ground next to the hot tub. The water was warm and soothing, she got in and tried to relax as the water soaked through her fur making her warm and not as cold, but she still felt miserable, she felt despair and anger, not just at the shooters but at herself, she just wished Gumdrop was alive, she wished that she was able to save her.
“Why didn’t you make a barrier!? Starlight taught you how to!” She scolded herself.
Trixie looked into the bubble warm water as she went to sit down, she sighed as a tear dripped into the water.
“Gumdrop...” she sighed, feeling guilty that she didn’t try to save her.
She sighed and cried as hard as she could, the tears kept coming, and she cried into the spa. Losing Stardust was hard, but now she lost two team members just seconds apart. Trixie spent a while crying in the hot tub before an announcement was on the speakers.
”All shooters have been caught, please feel free to go home whenever you’re ready, and to everyone who has lost a family member, you aren’t alone, we are here for you...”
Trixie stopped focusing on the speakers as it continued talking and sighed, she got out of the hot tub slowly and made her way down the stairs after putting her outfit back on. Outside the sun was already setting, making it dark, rain pelted the ground which created a, not surprisingly, even more depressing scene. She ignored everyone as she sadly dragged her hooves across the door and out the lobby, she started wondering what she did to deserve all the grief and why those shooters shot so many ponies, and Gumdrop.
Not to mention, Bolt, the loyal falcon, sure she only was around to send and deliver messages, but she sacrificed herself, so Trixie could go on, she saved her, so she could continue her journey. If it wasn’t for Bolt, then what would have happened to the diamonds? Would Equestria have been doomed?
She depressingly walked through the streets of the city towards her wagon, the rain hit her body, she made zero attempt to shield herself from the rain. While walking, she overheard a cop talk about the casualties.
”8 mares, 9 stallions and 6 foals... along with two dragons with their young daughter, around five years... and a griffin...”
Trixie almost broke into tears when she heard that, she started moving faster, so many lives were taken, she walked through the rain miserable, she felt terrible for all the lives that were lost.
Once Trixie arrived to her wagon she was happy there wasn’t any damages and nothing was stolen, she second she opened and closed her wagon’s door she slumped to the ground depressingly, not wanting to move much, Trixie didn’t bother having dinner or getting ready for bed. She just laid on the ground, depressed and wondering what her next move would be.
Trixie felt hopeless, she felt all hope was lost, she wished that she could rewind time. After a bit of light crying and wondering why saving the world was so tragic, hard and depressing, she tried to sleep but was busy crying at the thought of Gumdrop, Bolt and all those other ponies that have lost someone they were close to.
She didn’t want to be heard or seen in such a state, so she closed every window, door and curtains in the wagon before sobbing loudly into her hooves.
After sulking for a while she managed to roll onto her back, her cape was crumbled under her body as she laid there, and her damp mane messily laid on her face, she blew most of it away and put her hooves up.
”Trixie... once again, remainder of the Squad of Star...” She said in monotone as she touched her front hooves together, “We were supposed to save Equestria... that’s who we were...”
When she finished her legs flopped to the ground depressingly as she laid on the hard wooden floor of her wagon and her cape that was still damp from the rain she had to walk through. Tears poured out her eyes and she felt a heavy pit of guilt whenever she thought about Gumdrop.
💧💎💖💎💧
As the sun rose, Trixie rose her head tiredly, her face was a mess of tears and her mane was all messy. She groaned as she got up, she grabbed a handheld mirror in the magic and gasped in shock when she saw herself in the mirror, her eyes were red from the result of crying all night, there were also dark circles under her eyes.
Of course, she went into a few boxes to look for something, she didn’t want anypony to see the great and powerful Trixie in such a state. Luckily she found what she was looking for, a pair of dark frameless shades, they were tinted a slight purple, and it was hard to see the wearer’s eyes through them, she quickly put them on, brushed her mane and opened the door.
After getting her wagon ready, she started to pull it towards the exit of Manehattan, she stopped at a food stand first to restock. As she walked she saw many ponies who didn’t sleep last night after the shooting, Trixie understood their pain and felt bad for them. She decided to relax for a few hours to process what had happened the day before, she walked towards the park.
Once she arrived, Trixie dragged her wagon through and found a nice place under a tree, near the pond. She removed her wagon and her shades since she didn’t really like wearing them once she reached the spot and laid on the damp grass in the shade. Once she got a whiff of her cape, she made a mental note to give it a wash later. It smelt like a sweat mostly, but it still stunk, she took it off and gave it another sniff, it was way worse, her eyes even watered.
”Ack,” Trixie coughed, wondering what the smell was.
Trixie basically studied it, sweat soaked the underside of it, along with her own fur, there were also a few patches of dirt along the ends that touch the ground. On the topside, there was a damp and sticky spot where an exhausted pegasus had accidentally dropped juice onto Trixie when it was flying over her.
It took a while to think, she didn’t really know what juice it was, when she shouted at the pegasus they didn’t hear her, they didn’t even know they dropped juice on her. Being curious, Trixie levitated the wet part to her nose and took a big sniff, which she completely regretted as she jumped and ended up falling onto her back, she covered her muzzle in disgust, her eyes watered. Thankfully nopony saw.
“Durian juice... no smell can defeat the great and powerful Trixie... unless it’s her own cape... smelling like durian and haven’t been washed in days...” Trixie said before getting up.
There weren’t many ponies around at the park, Trixie didn’t see many at least. To get her mind off things, she laid on her belly under the tree and used her magic to grab a book from her wagon.
She laid there with the book peacefully for a few minutes, but then she heard some ruffling in the tree above her, she looked up but didn’t see anything, so she went back to her book. But all of a sudden something big fell right in front of her into the book, making her jump back in fright. What fell?
A small dragon, about Spike’s height. She was a yellowish colour with a lighter yellow tummy and under her wings. A thin pink frill went from the top of her head and all the way to the bottom of her tail, on the sides of her head were pink frills that looked like bird wings. Her wings were not spiky looking like most dragon wings, the end was a more rounded shape, the top of the wings had pink spots. Freckles of a brown colour spotted around her nose and the tip of her wings, she also had diamond shaped scales near her eyes and on her sides that were a slightly darker tone than her main scale colour.
The two stared at each other in disbelief and shock.
”Who are you?”