A magnificent sunset stretched across the sky over Ponyville General Hospital as Trixie sat alone in the garden. She admired the sublime combination of pinks, reds, and oranges that painted the sky as she felt peace for the first time in a long while. She was still sore and battered, but her injuries had been treated and bandaged efficiently. It would take time to heal, but she was confident that she would be back to normal in a few months. She continued watching the sky as Starlight Glimmer returned from the cafeteria.
The purple unicorn held two sandwiches in her aura, offering one to Trixie. “I was able to snag us the last two PB&J’s,” she gloated mischievously.
Trixie smiled as she accepted her sandwich. “Thank you, Starlight.” She jostled her jaw with a hoof and used her tongue to push on a wiggly tooth. “I will make sure to enjoy this sandwich even if I end up losing another tooth.”
Starlight giggled as Trixie took greedy bites of the sandwich. Today had been an excessively long day, and it felt good to finally laugh. She enjoyed her own meal as they silently watched the sunset together. It took a couple minutes for Trixie to find the courage to break the silence. She lowered her sandwich and mumbled.
“Hey, Starlight?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m sorry.”
Starlight Glimmer blinked a few times before looking at Trixie. The blue unicorn continued looking at the setting sun, but her words were heartfelt.
“I’m sorry about what I said. You know, about you being insurance and all. It wasn’t right.”
Starlight rubbed the back of her neck. “I-I didn’t mind. I get it and you were probably right.”
“Maybe I was or maybe I wasn’t. But you actually were right. They are…goodish ponies. They could have solved everything with a royal hoof wave, but they didn’t. They took the burden on to themselves. And even if they may not receive legal justice, the universe has punished them greatly.”
Starlight snorted as she relaxed her shoulders. It was true that, aside from Maud, Trixie had walked away in relatively good shape. Rarity was probably already brainstorming clever ways to cover up her injuries, while Rainbow would probably have to take a leave of absence from the Wonderbolts for a few weeks.
“I’m not sure if that’s what we should be taking away from this situation Trixie.” Starlight scolded playfully.
“Yes, perhaps. I now see that there really might not be an answer to my question, not a perfect or satisfying one at least. I do think that some acts are irredeemable. But, just because everypony can’t be forgiven doesn’t mean that nopony should. I hate that everypony can’t have the privilege of having it, but the best we can do is try and show a little understanding to those around us. We can make this world a little more just, one little act at a time.”
Starlight raised an eyebrow. “And you deduced that…when you saw Maud snap Bugs’ hooves in half?”
“No. I realized it when I remembered you. Out of all of the ponies that could have been forgiven and reformed, I am happy that you are one of them. You too are a goodish pony Starlight Glimmer.” Trixie stated serenely.
Trixie flinched as Starlight wrapped her in a crushing hug. The magician whined but accepted her fate, leaning into the hug and enjoying the end of this terrible day.
“I guess we should start calling you the Great and Powerful Philosophizer, Trixie. Maybe you could pick up a job at the School of Friendship.”
Trixie grumbled at the thought. “Merciful Luna, it seems that Princess PSA and her squadron of hoodlums have rubbed off on me. That or the Bada twins really did a number on my head.”
“Yeah, well they did give you that concussion after all.” Starlight mumbled, recalling the diagnosis that Dr. Stable gave her friend earlier that day.
The throbbing in Trixie’s head tripled as she tried to focus on one of the three Starlights floating around in front of her. “Wait... what?”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“A-and then…Maud came in and she was all, ‘This. Ends. Now.’ and she like obliterated his hooves. It…was disgusting, but awesome!” Rainbow gushed, flailing her hooves around to imitate Bugs’ egregious injury.
Pinkie’s mouth hung open as she vacantly stared at the blue blob lying next to her. She had no idea what was going on, but she was extraordinarily happy. She was surrounded by a bunch of beautifully colored blobs, and they were talking to her. It was so exciting, and it helped her feel even more extraordinarily happy. It took a lot of effort to actually get her mouth to move, but she gave it her best try.
Pinkie’s eyes grew impossibly large as she asked the blue blob a life-changing question. “B-blue Blobie? Are we…friends?”
Rainbow Dash was nearly reduced to tears as she heard her friend's words. Why would Pinkie even question their friendship? “Ooof courssse we’re friend’s Pinkie! Best friends!” she cried, wrapping her hooves around her heavily bandaged friend. It was hard to hug somepony when you’re both laying in a hospital bed, but Rainbow wasn’t going to give up.
Applejack groaned as she tried to gently tug Rainbow off of Pinkie. “Will you knock it off Dash! You’re gonna hurt her worse. Between all the cider you’ve been drinking and the amount of drugs they’ve pumped into her, this is a Discord-level threat!”
Rarity sighed as she peered into her make-up mirror. Perhaps it was time for visors and eyepatches to make a comeback. “Are you really surprised? It’s almost as if cider is banned from this hospital for a reason, darling. Leave them be and let them have their fun. Everypony has been so dreadfully down these last few days.”
Applejack massaged her temple and took a sip from her mug. It seemed that she was the last sensible pony in the room. It was hard hanging around with a bunch of lightweights. She looked over at Maud sitting in a chair at the other side of the bed. The rock farmer kept a firm grip on one of her little sister’s hooves despite being in a deep sleep. Applejack smiled fondly at them.
“See looky there Pinkie, you done went and frightened your sister restless. She probably hasn’t gotten a wink of sleep all week.”
Pinkie glanced at the familiar gray blob for a second before returning to the blue. She had made the most incredible discovery while holding her new best friend, Blue Blobie. She smiled crookedly. “R-rainbooooow,” she rejoiced feebly as she buried her face in the strangely soft rainbow.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The energy outside of Ponyville General was significantly different for Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy as they gave their accounts of this week’s mishaps. It was always a miserable experience to relay her failures to the emissaries from Canterlot, but Twilight was happy to see some familiar faces. She recognized Noble Stratagem, whom Twilight first met after the ‘Want it, Need it Incident’. She was also happy to see Mr. Marvelous Machination, whom she spoke to after the ‘Mirror Pool Incident’. And though she was relatively new, Twilight still remembered Sharp Practice, the pegasus who reported on the ‘Weather Factory Incident’.
Twilight watched Fluttershy say her goodbyes to Mr. Machination and enter the hospital. It appeared that her questioning had gone by quicker than Twilight hoped. The alicorn swallowed as she did what she thought was right.
“Um…Mrs. Sharp.” Practice Sharp paused her writing to look at the princess. “I-I don’t know the full story or the full truth, but my friends…my friends might have been involved in some stuff. And I think you might want to talk to them about it. You know t-that I love them more than anything, I-I'm just...concerned.”
Practice studied Twilight with a quizzical look before waving a dismissive hoof. “Eh, it’s okay Princess Twilight. We have all the information that we need, why don’t you return to them. I’m sure they’re wondering where you are.”
Despite feeling positively wretched, Twilight persisted. “B-but, a lot happened here today. You should really look into this.”
A comforting hoof was placed on Twilight’s shoulder. “Princess, I assure you it’s fine. We are aware of the situation, and we are looking into it. Just enjoy some time with your friends. You’re all heroes after all!”
“W-we are?” Twilight questioned with uncertainty.
“Of course! Your investigation uncovered the leader of the Northside Gang! Bugs Marean and his lackeys will no longer terrorize the streets of Chicacolt. You should be proud, great work!”
“I…I didn’t do that. None of us did…except maybe Trixie? Trixie and Starlight did the investigating.” Twilight weakly replied.
Practice hummed and jotted something down on her notepad. “Trixie you say? Lulamoon, I’m guessing. Nice to see that another one of your friends shows promise. We’ll keep her in mind.”
Practice winked at Twilight and slipped her notes into her saddle bags. Before she joined her coworkers, she said her goodbyes. “Princess Twilight, it’s been a pleasure as always. May Celestia and Luna’s light shine down on you and your friends with favor.” She bowed and departed, leaving a very sick Twilight Sparkle to reassess her entire life.
Once Practice caught up to Noble, she noted the bag that he held in his hoof. “Did you have to confiscate something?”
Noble gave a subtle nod, he explained with a quiet baritone voice, “There were some questionable items in the Old Ponyville Time Capsule that need to be terminated. It appears that Captain left an inflammatory message in a jar, and Commander bequeathed a piece of the Society’s property to her granddaughter.”
Practice scoffed at the brazen disregard for protocol. She tried to stay quiet, “Why would they do something like that? It’s extraordinarily dangerous to leave that stuff sitting around.”
Mr. Machination smiled as he rubbed his chin. “Those two were notorious for breaking the rules, but you can’t deny that they were the greatest in their field. We owe every moment of our peace and prosperity to them. Anyways, we should focus on what we’re going to do about this current mess.”
The practical expertise of Noble Stratagem shined through as he developed an eloquent solution. “It’s simple. Word on the street is that our Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle oversaw an investigation of a tragic occurrence in Ponyville’s past. Her protege, Starlight Glimmer, and her friend, Trixie Lulamoon, successfully located the head of a criminal organization. In retaliation, Bugs Marean attacked the town but was foiled by the heroic deeds of the Element Bearers. Another testament to Twilight’s growing legacy.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Welcome back sugarcube! Everything go okay with Mr. Mach- Woah there Twi! Sweet Celestia slow down!”
Twilight did not slow down as she drained her mug of all its contents. The taste was bitter, but she needed it on days like these. Applejack studied her troubled expression with worry.
“You okay there Twilight? I’ve never seen you take down a drink like that.”
Twilight didn’t share in Applejack’s concern as she checked to see if Rainbow Dash had anything left in her cup. “I’m great Applejack. Just trying not to think about how my entire life is a heavily orchestrated plot to battle the forces of evil.”
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Twilight, darling, please. I don’t need any more of this conspiracy talk. None of it is real. Trixie’s just being a professional showmare.”
“Really? You really think so? Pinkie said all that stuff too.” Twilight argued. The pink pony seemed to be more lucid than before, but she still looked fatigued. Twilight paused to appreciate the fact that Pinkie was awake again, before grilling her for information, “Pinkie do you think Trixie was right? Is the Lunar Defense Society real?
Rainbow snored softly as Pinkie held her in her hooves. “Of course it's real Purple Blobie. Granny and Captain Firefly were a part of it.”
Everpony looked at each other with uncertainty, until Pinkie clarified. “The LDS was an astro-nom-nom-nomy club. Granny Pie loved coming up with stories about twinkly stars!”
Applejack sighed and tipped up her hat. “See Twi, ain’t nothin’ to worry about.”
“B-but, what about all the other stuff Pinkie? The Day of Light, the Lunatics, the Celestriots?”
Pinkie giggled and spoke in a mischievous whisper-yell, “Are you talking about all those silly things that I said Purplely. Don’t tell Twi-Twi but…I was being a Sneakie Pie! Everypony was too distracted by the funny words to go outside. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”
Rarity soothingly rubbed Twilight’s back in an attempt to calm her. “It’s okay, darling. I know it's hard to come to terms with, but it was a simple bit of trickery. When Pinkie goes full chess master, it is truly unnerving.”
“Okay,” Twilight mumbled. She wanted to feel relieved, but something still felt wrong. She found a seat and relaxed in it, trying to find something to distract her. She rolled her head back and stared at the white ceiling. “So, did anypony gain any type of valuable lesson from this whole disaster.”
Fluttershy saw this as a good opportunity to brighten Twilight’s mood. “Oh, um…I learned that kindness and forgiveness can be beneficial to everypony.”
Twilight mentally ran through everything that she witnessed throughout the last few days. “How did you get that?”
“Oh…um…from when we helped Pump Metal. He is a very nice stallion who…Oh! Twilight if we do build that underwater lab, you should… um talk to him. He um…enjoys marine life. H-he was a mob pony who helped us out.” Fluttershy could tell that Twilight wanted to hear more, but she was hesitant to elaborate.
Applejack picked up on Fluttershy’s reluctance and decided to just tell the truth. “We foalnapped him Twi. Straight out the alleyway. We thought it was the only way. We were gonna interrogate him mob style, but Shy showed that a little compassion goes a long way.”
There had to be some more cider in this room. Twilight looked around in hopes of finding anything that could numb her brain enough to understand what they were confessing. She rubbed her hooves together. “You foalnapped somepony! When did that happen?”
“One or two days ago I reckon.” Applejack scratched her head, “that’s when we came up with the party cannon plan and the fight plan.”
“You planned that out in advance! I thought the fight was a spur of the moment thing.” Twilight shouted, springing out of her seat. Rainbow groggily lifted her aching head due to the commotion.
The farmer’s face grew red. “Well, yeah. I didn’t think it was that bad of an idea. Fighting can be surprisingly therapeutic. Heck, when I fought Pinkie Pie, she knocked some sense into me.”
Despite still being stupefied, Pinkie sat up in attention at the mention of her name. She studied the blobs before her. “Who Pinkie fight?”
“Me sugarcube.” Applejack pointed to herself, “Remember I Pinkie Promised Firefly that I’d help you with that bake sale, but I didn’t show up, so you came over, and we got to arguing.”
The alicorn was flabbergasted. She looked at Applejack and then at Pinkie. “So, it was just an argument then? Not an all-out brawl.”
“Oh no…it was a total beatdown. We were at it for like…eight hours. I’m not proud of it, but I had pushed Pinkie. Things escalated and she punched me square in the face. Everything went red after that.” Applejack admitted gravely.
The recently awoken Rainbow Dash was intrigued by the story. “Did she kick your flank AJ?” she asked with a poorly contained giggle.
“Well, I wouldn’t say that…she kinda realized it was wrong pretty early, but I kept pushing at her to keep goin’. I think she just wanted to make me happy, so she knocked me around and wrestled for a bit. I-I had a lot of anger in me. Pinkie helped keep me steady. She was a good friend even when I wasn't a good friend to her. I thought Bugs might need the same thing, but I guess he really just wanted to kill me.” Applejack explained with a shrug.
Rarity cooed as she looked fondly at her friends. “What a beautiful story. That Firefly was something else, she believed in all of us. I owe her so much.”
Rainbow Dash quietly cursed as she checked her cider mug and found it empty but decided not to ruin her own good mood. She looked at Rarity as memories of a pink and blue pegasus popped back into her head. “Oh yeah. What was your favor to her anyway, Rarity?”
“I’m not sure if I could call it a favor. She told me to purchase a property to start my own business, but I told her I still didn’t have enough money. So, she loaned me the difference. I was planning to pay her back…but then she passed. Looking back, I don't think she expected me to pay at all.” Rarity shut her make-up mirror as a solemn silence overtook the room.
It didn’t take Rainbow Dash long to break it, “Aw, what the hay! That old hag made me get a dumb job while everypony else got off easy. Baking? Fighting your friends? Looking after chickens? A crap ton of bits!”
“Woah now RD! Talk like that is why she probably gave you that job.” Applejack chuckled and leaned back as she thought about it, “You know, she kind of made it so that we all had to stick around here in Ponyville.”
Fluttershy brushed her mane out of her face with a soft smile. “She really did, didn’t she. If I didn’t know any better, I’d um think that she wanted us to stay friends” The thought was supposed to end on a positive note, but Fluttershy found it hard to finish, “m-maybe she…knew?”
The beeping of machines was the only sound in the otherwise silent room. Seven mares sat in the room, but none of them were willing to look at each other. Varied thoughts swarmed in their minds as they tried to remember key moments in their lives. It suddenly became very suffocating in the room.
Applejack groaned as her already aching head was starting to ache more. An old song played in the back of her mind as she hummed the lyrics: Just because you’re paranoid. Don’t mean they’re not after you. Remembering that music she used to like proved to be more rewarding than whatever mumbo jumbo Twilight and them were on. She decided that if the Old Ponyville Time Capsule was still unearthed, she might as well see if she could find her old album among the belongings. And the only thing that could make the experience of asking Twilight permission more pleasant was a nice cup of cider. She looked at the distraught faces of her friends and decided that that was enough for today.
“Ah buck it! I don’t know about ya’ll but I ain’t doin’ that. I’m tired and I'm hurtin’. I don’t got time for conspiracizing. Y'all want cider? I got more right here. Twi, come here and fill up these cups for everypony.”