//------------------------------// // A Yicksluberfest To Remember: Part One // Story: The Equestria Chronicles: Journey Through The Crystal Mountains // by Slippin_Sweetie //------------------------------// The morning light just peaked past the mountains as Private Silver Star, Corporal Quill Feathers, Private First Class Bucky Brawn, Sargent Crunchy Almond, Private Peach Cobbler, and Sargent Tiny pulled the wagons along. With Officer Iron Clad pulling alongside Sargent Almond. The cream-colored earth pony looked around as his once luxurious blonde mane was now coated with ice and snow. He'd cough before squinting at the mountain peaks before turning to Iron Clad, "Sir… we aren't alone. Should we inform the princess?" Iron Clad would turn to Almond before following his line of sight, trying to catch what the Sargent had seen. Peach Cobbler scoffed, "There's nobody in these mountains for miles; we probably have a day's march til we're intercepted by scouts." Tiny grumbled, "I'd trust the Sargent… something isn't right…." The earth began to rumble as the thundering cry of potentially thousands of yaks echoed through the mountains; dozens and dozens of these fuzzy warriors started appearing from the other side of the mountain. Galloping and stamping their way towards the expedition. Silver Star became to stammer, "S-s-s-s-should we retreat Officer Iron Clad!?" "There's nowhere to retreat to, Silver Star. Ready yourselves, Stallions!" The grey unicorn commanded, "Protect the princess!" "Whaaaaat isssss happppppening ooooout ttttthere?!" Pinkie Pie jumped up and down inside the wagon as the earth rumbled, practically jerking the ponies and supplies inside. "Are we being attacked?!" Rainbow Dash opened the wagon's back doors, zipping into the air as she took in the situation. "Uh... uh-oh... Twilight... you might wanna come see this!" The alicorn jumped out from the cart, galloping to the front with the soldiers before Iron Clad stepped in front of her. "Princess, please stand back!" "I'll be fine, sir," Twilight replied, staring with a determined expression at the oncoming sea of yaks approaching them. "Put down your weapons and do not perform any magic. We're on an expedition, after all." "But Princess, with all due respect–" "I gave my orders, Iron." The alicorn affirmed. "O-oh my, a-are you sure we shouldn't run?" Fluttershy squeaked, still hiding inside the wagon, her heart racing a mile a minute. Starlight trotted alongside Prince Rutherford, wearing a leather and steel helmet atop her head with two horns jutting from the sides. The prince raised a brow, lifting the thick wool from his face as he examined the minuscule expedition compared to his entire army. Trixie, with a thick wool cape and hood obscuring her appearance, made sure to stay in the back, not wanting to actually have to fulfill the promises she had made. As Thorax stuck close behind the showpony. The prince looked to Starlight, "I thought you said an army was coming; this barely qualifies as a scouting party!" "Trust me, your highness; this is uhm… a lure-them-in tactic; keep your guard up. They want you to lower yours." Insisted Starlight. The prince huffed as his voice echoed through the mountains, "Princess Twilight Sparkle! You intrude on Yakyakistan territory! I have been informed of your scheme to subjugate us yaks! Let it be known that over a thousand years ago, when King Sombra and his Empire were consumed by the Frozen North, it was our King Gustav Khan who SMASHED that King back into the mountains from which he came!" As the earth thundered, the yaks would stamp in unison, letting out a guttural yell, "YAKS, SMASH!" "It was on this very day that Yickslurbertfest was founded! Where we celebrate our king's victory by SMASHING; how poetic that we smash another invader who dares defy Yakyakistan!" The yaks again smashed their hooves against the earth, "YAKS, SMASH!" "Turn back now! Or suffer the consequences!" Starlight clapped her hooves; sure in her victory, it was only a matter of time before Twilight turned tail and ran, "Well said, your highness." Twilight's eyes widened in shock at the prince's accusation that they were coming to... oppress them! That was the exact opposite of what she was trying to do! Her eyes narrowed at Starlight Glimmer, knowing exactly who had given him that idea. Thorax gulped as he stared at the princess in the distance, praying that the army would deter them, pleading it wouldn't come to violence. Sargent Tiny and Almond looked over to Officer Iron-Clad, "This could be our only way to protect the Princess… not to mention the civilians and the rest of our little platoon…" offered Tiny. Iron Clad glanced from Almond to Tiny, gritting his teeth as he stacked the odds. Finally, he would turn to Twilight, "Your highness... what are your orders?" Twilight would hold up a hoof before taking a small step forward, flinching each time the yaks growled and stomped their hooves. "I don't know what you've been told, but I have no intention of... subjugating you. We came here as an expedition, hoping to create a bond between our cultures." Twilight kept an agreeable and peaceful tone, not wanting to irritate the prince. "I apologize for the guards; there was an attack on the Crystal Empire, and Princess Cadance– the Empire's ruler– believed it necessary that I have protection!" "I've heard of King Gustav Khan; we don't have many books about Yak culture, but that one survived; I even have the copy right here!" Twilight pulled out a worn leather book, flipping open to the page with an illustration of the yak king. She quickly tucked the book away. "Please, I understand why you would be worried, but we personally fought against King Sombra during his return... did you not know he returned!?" Twilight asked gently. "Lies!" Shouted Starlight, "It's all lies!" Prince Rutherford lifted his hoof to silence the mare, "YOU fought King Sombra? Did you Smash!?" "It was more… incinerating him and shattering him into a bunch of pieces!" Spike replied, shouting from the cart. "It was a team effort," Twilight smiled, pulling in Spike for a quick side-hug. ".....So King Sombra dead for good and Empire has returned!?" thundered Rutherford. "Yes, sir, the Crystal Ponies even believe his spirit haunts the mountains, which is silly; there's no such thing as--" Twilight realized she was rambling and shook her head, "Er, well, you know." Rutherford paused as he looked between Starlight and the expedition, "I have heard many things about you, pony princess! None of which are good…..however, if what you said is true and you had a hoof in destroying King Sombra, who am I to attack an ally, especially on Yickslurbertfest!" "As the prince of all yak clans and Yakyakistan, I give you the right of council! You will be judged by wise elder yaks and myself! Leave your weapons, and every pony return to your wagon, including soldier ponies! Do not leave the wagon until I say so!" Twilight perked up, a smile growing on her lips. "Thank you, Prince Rutherford." She would go so far as to even bow, "I promise we shall cause no trouble or harm to your or your citizens." "Piiiinkie Promise!?" Pinkie Pie seemed to appear right behind Twilight, startling the mare. "EEP-- Pinkie!!" Twilight squawked before rolling her eyes, "Yes, Pinkie Promise..." Starlight screamed internally as she turned to the prince, "Your highness, she destroyed my village; she is a conqueror!" "SILENCE, THERE WILL BE NO FURTHER DISCUSSION OF THIS UNTIL ELDERS AND I HAVE REACHED DECISION UNLESS THERE IS SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES THEY ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO BECOME PRINCE." Twilight's ears flattened down as the prince roared, quickly stepping back as he argued with Glimmer. A part of her felt it served the mare right. Starlight quietly considered challenging Rutherford as she turned to Trixie and Thorax for their opinion. The changeling quickly shook his head no. Trixie would also shake her head, drawing a hoof across her neck in a slitting motion. "Iron Clad, everypony, get back into the wagons as the Prince instructed," Twilight spoke quietly, slowly moving backward. "Yes, ma'am." the unicorn soldier nodded, leading his stallions back. As everypony clambered inside their respective wagon, moments later, they felt themselves be dragged forward by the yaks. Applejack sighed, "I won't lie; I did not see that coming with Starlight and the yak prince." Spike kicked his feet up as he yawned, "We shouldn't worry; they'll find out she's evil and then kick her out." "I think you forgot the whole burning down a city and destroying Twilight's house thing she did, Spike; we shouldn't make the same mistake of underestimating her again." scolded Applejack. "Hey, it was my house too!" he piped back. "Not to mention that horrid headwear she put on herself; who is she fooling? She's no yak warrior." scoffed Rarity. "I expected Starlight Glimmer to pull something shady, but that? It's actually impressive how bad she is," Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. Her wings twitched from the desire to fly. "I r-really hope they do realize she's not good..." Fluttershy murmured, "B-But... I think the yaks might be nice?" "I really like the helmets they have! They're neat!" Pinkie smiled, making a paper mache hat out of construction paper. Twilight wondered if they even packed that. "Whatever we do, be careful. Starlight expected us to run when we saw the yaks; now, she feels cornered. We have no idea what she might do next." Twilight nodded. "Let's stick together this time; we always kick butt when we're together." the pegasus wrapped an arm around Twilight, giving her a confident smirk. "I think you don't want to be turned into a bluejay again," Fluttershy chuckled, pressing a hoof to her lips. "Hey! We agreed not to mention that!" Outside, Starlight pulled aside her comrades as she began whispering to Trixie, "So… any ideas what we should do next? Because I'm all for taking over as Princess of Yakyakistan." "I thought you were the mastermind here!" The showpony whispered back, trying to keep her head low and remained unnoticed. Thorax whispered, "We shouldn't panic if we just stay calm, they'll go away eventually, and we can still live in Yakyakistan." "Do you think they'll just let us get away with what we did in The Crystal Empire? We need to get the yaks to hate them or get rid of them!" snapped Starlight. "What WE did?!" Trixie hissed back, her eyes wide with anger and disbelief, "Stop pulling me into your crazy scheme! You were the one who lit those fireworks; you were the one who attacked Twilight Sparkle! All I wanted was payment for my performance!" "None of this would've happened if you didn't rob Starchee. If you wanna blame anypony, blame yourself!" snapped Starlight before she sighed, rubbing her temple, "I'll think of something; I just need you all to keep a low profile and stay out of Twilight's way, got it?!" "Riiight, because you totally weren't in the Crystal Empire to assassinate Twilight Sparkle or anything!!" Trixie barely kept her voice down, nearly straining her throat. Thorax piped up, "What if we convinced her we're not so bad?" "What, do you want a lesser sentence? No!" snapped Starlight. "I'm with Thorax; out of the three of us, you're the only one here who did anything malicious with intent. I might have stolen a few bits, but I wasn't trying to hurt anypony!! He refused to pay me!" Trixie bit back. Starlight glared at Trixie as her voice turned cold, "You want to turn yourself in? Fine, but let it be known that if you betray me now, you'll regret it…. and that's a promise." Thorax shuttered from Starlight's sudden shift, "Maybe we should all just relax; nothing bad has happened yet!" "What, are you going to attack me in this crowd of yaks, with a princess behind us?" Trixie challenged, sneering, "Go ahead, show them what kind of pony you really are." Starlight took a deep breath… before socking Trixie in the face with her left hoof and scrambling to get on top of her, "I have had it up to here with you!" she growled. Trixie hadn't anticipated that as her eyes enlarged in surprise as she hit the ground. Struggling with the pony on top of her, Trixie reacted blindly, her horn burning to life. As Trixie's magical aura encompassed Starlight, holding her in place. It wasn't particularly strong, but it gave her enough time to escape Starlight's grasp. "Oh, Starlight, you're so clumsy, my silly wagon-puller," Trixie yelled out for the crowd to hear to excuse Starlight's sudden outburst before leaning close to Starlight's ear. "I understand you're cornered right now, Glimmer. You're like a trapped animal, just trying to find a way out. But if you do that again, I might not be able to help you out of this situation, hmm? So why don't you play nice in front of our friends... and I'll forget you did that." Starlight breathed heavily as she forced herself to calm down, saying nothing as she released herself from Trixie's magic and trotted forward to cool off. Thorax was utterly taken aback by the sudden provocation as he quickly attended to Trixie, "Oh my gosh are you alright? I-I didn't know she was gonna do that." Trixie grabbed onto Thorax without thought and pulled herself up, knocking the snow off of her cloak. "Well, that one does have a temper..." she muttered under her breath. Prince Rutherford turned to Trixie, "Ou… that's some nasty bump, good thing it was an accident, or you two would have to fight!" "Oh, well, you know how underlings can be, so clumsy and uncoordinated!" Trixie flapped her hoof in the air before trotting forward, levitating a chunk of ice from the ground before pressing it against her right cheek. Prince Rutherford chuckled, "Oh yes, inexperienced apprentices are like that." Starlight quietly murmured to herself, "Just a little longer, just a little longer, and you'll be home free…." The wagon train was brought into Yakyakistan with the elderly, dri, and calves swarming around the warriors as Prince Rutherford's voice boomed, "MAKE WAY, EMERGENCY MEETING WITH THE COUNCIL, MAKE WAY!" Twilight was quickly alerted by a loud banging on the side of the wagon, "Pony princess, go see elders and Prince Rutherford, but other ponies stay!" ordered the yak. "No way! If she goes, we go!" Rainbow flew up to the door, "We're not leaving her alone!" "Rainbow, please. We're their guests; we have to follow their customs and rules. I'll be fine," Twilight pulled the pegasus back by her tail. "I promise." "Be careful, Twilight; we'll be here if you need us." Fluttershy flapped over, patting the mare on the back. "I don't think it'll be so bad that Prince seems nice!" Pinkie beamed optimistically. "Reaaally?" Rainbow looked unconvinced. Twilight opened the wagon door and stepped out, giving her friends one last look, "I'll be okay; you girls, wait here." "Alright, let's go meet the Elders..." Twilight took the brief moment she was out of the wagon to look at the village, taking in a breath of cool air, before she was directed inside a tent. Sitting around a raging fire were the elders and the prince sat. They all stared at the princess expectantly. "Princess Twilight Sparkle, you are currently under the council of the six elder yaks and Prince Rutherford. You must show that you are worthy and justified in visiting our lands," chanted an elder yak. "Speak your piece," ordered Prince Rutherford. Twilight looked around the large tent and took a deep breath before stepping forward. "As you know, I am Twilight Sparkle. And... I wasn't always a princess." The alicorn began, feeling a little nervous with all the judgmental eyes glaring her way. "I used to be just a unicorn, living in Canterlot. I knew nothing about friendship; all I wanted to do was study and learn everything I could about the world. But, one fateful day, I was sent to Ponyville." "It was during the Summer Solstice a few years ago; you may remember the day. We were celebrating in town, and I was sent to oversee it. Along the way, I met ponies that, at first, I didn't think much of." "But they showed me what true friendship meant. When Nightmare Moon banished Celestia and tried to retake Equestria, my friends stood by my side and helped me defeat her, reverting her back to Princess Luna." "If not for my friends, we would be in an eternal night, or perhaps worse, in a world where Discord ruled. And my friends are why I am here now." "Through our feats of magic, and our connection with each other, we unlocked a magical artifact that reveals issues across our entire land, and we were alerted that something would occur in your lands. That is why we are here, to solve a... friendship problem." Twilight smiled awkwardly. "I know it seems strange and that you must protect your citizens, but that is what I wish to do as well. I understand if you wish for us to leave, and we will do so when you ask. I just humbly request that you allow us the opportunity to aid you in whatever way we can." The alicorn kneeled, bowing her head in respect as she finished her speech, awaiting their judgment. The elders mumbled as the prince slowly raised a hoof, "If your intention is to help us yaks, we will allow you to stay. However, be warned! We reserve the right to banish you! Respect yak law, respect yak tradition, and you may stay!" The elders stamped their hooves against the earth in agreement, "We will provide arrangements for pony guests," stated an elder. Twilight let out a sigh of relief, her wings sagging at her sides. She was afraid they might stampede her if she said the wrong thing. "But whatever happened between you and the Great and Powerful Trixie and her assistants stays within the borders of Equestria and The Crystal Empire. Since she has claimed to help yaks too." replied another elder. "Yes! Trixie's wagon puller has taught Elder Yasamin's daughter Yona how to create potions to benefit yakkind! Providing a most invaluable service to our harvest!" stamped another elder. "So it settled, you ALL stay!" thundered Rutherford. "I... understand." Trixie, Great and Powerful? She was still with Starlight? Either that pony was insane, or she had some sort of scheme of her own. Although the issue now was, how in Equestria was she supposed to have Glimmer arrested? It wasn't like she could just let her go free! "Thank you very much, Prince Rutherford, and um, Elders." Twilight gave a smile that was a bit too wide before adding, "Might I be allowed to inform Princess Celestia of our arrival and safety?" The elders rumbled as they argued amongst themselves for a minute before Prince Rutherford smashed his hooves against the ground. "... Yes." he finally spoke. "Thank you, I understand your hesitation, and I will not take your trust for granted." Twilight bowed her head. "Might I, um, be able to rejoin my friends?" "Yes, pony can go rejoin her friends, but don't cause trouble, or yaks will SMASH!" Rutherford warned as he slammed his hooves into the ground before waving his hoof at Twilight, sending her away. "Oh! Will you be attending our Yicksluberfest celebration Princess Twilight!?" shouted Rutherfrom the tent. "Of course, I'll attend; my friends will too." Twilight replied nervously, "It would be rude not to!" "And um, thank you again, Prince Rutherford, for allowing our presence." The alicorn bowed before walking away. After unpacking and being gifted a small plot of land and tents inside the village walls, the expedition, aside from having a few yaks examine their settlement from a distance. The group looked around the rustic-looking village during this time of celebration. Lantern lights lined the streets as the scent of freshly prepared goods filled the air with a savory and sweet aroma. Calves would run about the streets, pelting each other with snowballs. Yaks would pull wagons full of fireworks and massive logs as they pulled their goods outside the village. Bands of yaks would play flutes and stringed instruments as they sang tales of King Gustav's valor against King Sombra. "In the blistering cold, where he stood so bold." "King Gustav, we're told, with valor and bravery, scaved off the chains of slavery." “Hurrah! Hurrah! For King Gustav!” "For who sent Sombra cowering but King Gustav towering!" “Hurrah! Hurrah! For King Gustav!” "They certainly seem to be in the highest of spirits…." Rarity smirked as she picked between two faux fur coats, humming to herself. "Well, I think the mead and cider might have a hand in it too," Spike replied as he watched a wagon full of liquor be hauled through town; eager yaks began to fill their kuksas with mead, cider, and rum. The group could even see that changeling fetching himself a mug. "I have to write all of this down!!" Twilight squealed, fetching some parchment and ink from their storage, "It's been thousands of years since this yak culture has been documented; who knows how much has changed since then?!" It seemed the alicorn had grown more comfortable around the yaks, considering how friendly they were now. Although, that could always change... "Uh, Twi, you think now is really the time? What if Starlight tries to attack us or something?" Rainbow Dash, finally able to take flight, was stretching her wings as she flew in place. "Please, Dash. We were surrounded by their people, and we were invited, guests. An attack on any one of us would be an act of war." Twilight didn't look up from her parchment as she wrote everything down. She pulled out her copy of The Encyclopedia of the Known World Celestia had given her a few days earlier to reference, noting the differences. "Well, I think the Yaks are aaaaaamazing! Look at this awesome coat they gave me!" Pinkie jumped up and down, swath in a thick woven cloak. It was very apparent it was made from combed yak wool. Bells jingled and chimed as Pinkie bounced about, attached to the cloak with red ribbons. "This is just one big super-tacular party!! I wish I had brought more supplies along. Do you think it's too early for the party canon?" "Pinkie, no party canon; we don't want them thinking you brought a weapon inside their village!" Twilight finally looked away from her writing, giving the mare a cautious look. "Fiiiiiiine. Can I at least go and listen to them play? Oooh, drinks!" Pinkie was already plonking away, chasing after the wagon full of booze. Twilight sighed, "Can one of you go with her?" "Don't worry, Twilight, I'll make sure she behaves herself, heh." Applejack quickly trotted after her, "Don't drink too much; that cider it might be spiked, Pinkie!" shouted Applejack. "Be careful!" Twilight called after them. Spike yawned as he slowly shambled toward Twilight; he was more lively than before but certainly not at his best in this weather. He'd yawn again as he'd rest his head on Twilight's leg, "You gonna add this to the book you're working on…?" Looking down at the young drake, Twilight gave him a soft smile. Her horn lit up, wrapping a layer of warmth around him. "Of course I am; there's an entire rich culture here we haven't visited in generations. It would be a crime not to!" She patted him on the head. "Or, you know, you could enjoy it instead of writing about it." Rainbow Dash seemed to flicker out of existence before Twilight realized she had taken some cider from the wagon faster than she could blink. "I can't miss this opportunity; I'd be disappointed in myself!" Twilight shot back. "Um, shouldn't we worry about Glimmer?" Fluttershy mentioned softly. "Oh... right." Rainbow Dash looked to the side, slurping from her kuska noisily. From the corner of Dash's eye, she could see Starlight Glimmer on the other side of town with a small group of young yaks. As she quickly turned her head to fully see what she was doing. It appeared the Unicorn was teaching the young group of calves how to make potions. She'd narrowed her eyes, fighting the growing urge to fly up to Starlight and sock her in the jaw twice. Once for attacking the Empire and twice for turning her into a bluejay. "Add a little bit of gunpowder…." Starlight sprinkled in a tiny amount of powder before stuffing a cork into the bottle and then rapidly shaking it. As the purple concoction fizzled and bubbled, the cork flew off as a colorful display shot from the bottle and into the air. Glittering sparkles of magical essence began to fall from the sky and around the group, the calves oohing and giggling in delight. "Another, pony!" Yona called from the crowd, stomping her hoof in enjoyment, "More potion!" Starlight quickly grabbed more bottles with her magic as she produced more potions; it was relatively simple and didn't need her to forage for much besides the gunpowder. But given the fact they were in the middle of a festival. She could get as much gunpowder as she needed. The mare quickly shook dozens of bottles with her magic as they erupted, sending their colors into the sky as corks rained down, hitting the unicorn on the head. Adding an additional layer of entertainment for the yaks and calves. Yona giggled and ran up to Starlight, "Pony funny! Does pony have any other potion? Yona want something cool!" Starlight smiled, rubbing her sore head as she fetched an empty bottle, "Alright, Yona, let's incorporate a lesson into this." She'd trot over to a small pile of herbs and plants as she began to show Yona how to mix everything together. "Water as a base, crushed dragon leaves, ember cloves, the eye of a salmon, and just a touch of gunpowder… now shake it!" ordered Starlight. Yona would cock a brow but do as instructed, crushing the leaves under her hoof before adding them to the water. Incorporating the other ingredients, she'd cork the bottle and shake it with all her might. The concoction exploded, flying up into the air before glimmering lights would fall back down, resembling shooting stars. "Why do you think Trixie is with Starlight anyhow?" Rainbow Dash asked, turning back to her friends, "I know she's not great, but... I thought she learned her lesson last time." Rarity scoffed, "Rainbow Dash, did you seriously expect somepony like that to simply turn over a new leaf? Some ponies don't change, like Sombra." "Maybe she's trying to learn actual magic from Starlight, or maybe she's scheming together with her to get back at us… but there's one thing I don't get," Spike said as he looked at the changeling who was nursing a mug of mead, "That changeling." "Well, no, duh. I just thought she'd stick to being a loser who does stage tricks. I doubt she's even capable of learning real magic!" Rainbow jeered, taking another gulp from her cup. At the mention of the changeling, Rainbow looked over at the creature. "Yeah, it's weird. He was the pony pulling the cart, right?" Rainbow raised a brow. "I-I think so," Fluttershy replied uncertainly. "Now that you mention it, it is strange... why isn't the changeling attempting to blend into the crowd?" Twilight looked up from her parchment. "Maybe he feels safe under Starlight's magic, or it's the booze giving him some Dutch Draft courage." Hmpf'd Rarity. "Or maybe he's under her spell! I mean, that's something she could do, right?" Rainbow looked over to Twilight, expecting an answer. "I mean, yes, it's possible. There are some mind-control or persuasion spells, but Changelings are naturally immune to that sort of compulsion due to their own magic. But Starlight Glimmer is very powerful..." Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. Trixie watched from afar, sipping on her own cup. Strangely, she wasn't glaring at Twilight or even her friends. Instead, it seemed like all of her attention was on Starlight. Before she noticed Thorax continuing to drink before trotting over to the changeling, poking him in his side. "What do you think you're doing? What if we have to leave in a hurry?" she hissed quietly, "Do you want to get sick again?" Thorax contentedly drank another mug of mead as he smacked his lips, now fancying the bitter brew; he'd slowly reach for another cup as he felt a pleasant tingle manifest in the back of his head. Huffing at Trixie's scolding. "It's a party, Trixie– lighten up! I heard the yaks would let us both stay, so what's the problem?" the changeling would chug another spirit, "Ah… have you tried one of these?!" He'd quickly trot over to the wagon and fetch her a kuksa of cider, "Besides… I think I know my limit is seven, and I'm currently on three!" "Right, I guess you've never seen drunk creatures fight each other, have you?" Trixie rolled her eyes. Grabbing the mug of cider, the showpony sighed and took a swig. "You told me you can only have pony food every now and then, but you can drink *this*? Oh boy... you're going to become an alcoholic, aren't you?" The changeling chuckled, "Maybe I'm one of those special changelings with an adaptation!" he'd belch loudly, covering his mouth, embarrassed. "Besides, all that anxiousness and terror I felt the past few days magically goes away with this stuff; this must be some sort of yak herbal potion!" Trixie gave him an unamused look, "That's what alcohol does, Thorax, and no, ponies have alcohol too. Do you know how many ponies I've had to deal with that were like you? More than plenty." Taking another sip, she'd sigh. "At least try to limit yourself." Thorax blinked as he looked at the beverage, "Oh, I wouldn't know, so that's what this stuff is? It kinda tastes like old berries…." He'd sigh as he stamped his hooves on the cold hard dirt, "Sooooo do we plan? Because I'm content with just not doing anything til Twilight and her friends leave. I mean, they have to leave eventually, right?" Trixie grabbed the mug from his hoof and poured it into the snow, giving him a glare. "You do realize we're trapped, right? Starlight Glimmer told the Yaks Twilight Sparkle was evil, and now they don't know what to believe. So what will they think of us when the princess eventually wins them over?" Thorax slowly processed the information as he slowly laid down on the ground and began to cover his head with his hooves, "... I think I need another drink; please tell me we have another plan? "No, I don't need you completely plastered in the morning," the Unicorn rolled her eyes, "Well, we could just turn ourselves in before Starlight does something stupid... but then she might do something desperate, and it might fall back on us..." "Or... we could just get out of here. I have my wagon, and I'll feed you while you pull it. We could go to Saddle Arabia or Zebrica!" Thorax quickly shot up from the ground, "We can't just leave Starlight, Trixie; besides, we're a team. We wouldn't have gotten this far if we had just abandoned her! Besides, do you even know where Saddle Arabia or Zebrica is?" Trixie grit her teeth, "We're not a team, Thorax; she's been using both of us to her advantage to get what she wants. Why are you so desperate not to see it?" "I'm not desperate to see anything; I'm desperate not to be sent back to the Changeling Queendom where I'll be KILLED," Thorax snapped, "Do you get that? This is MY ticket for survival, and I need both of you to realize that we're screwed if we can't work together. You two will be imprisoned, and I'll be made an example of by Queen Chrysalis!" The changeling sighed as his anger melted into sadness, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell but… I'm tired of you two fighting and trying to one-up each other when we're supposed to be on the same side. Aren't we all friends…?" The changeling asked as he looked at Trixie expectantly. Trixie's eyes widened in surprise before looking down at the ground, at least a little ashamed of her response. Exhaling through her nose, the showpony looked up at Thorax. "... yeah, you and I are friends. But Thorax, I'm almost certain Starlight doesn't see you like that. I just want you to be aware of that... I don't want you getting hurt." Thorax quickly wrapped a hoof around Trixie as he pulled her in for a small side hug, "I'll be fine, but we only hurt ourselves and Starlight if we keep pushing her away like this… but if you're right… about all of this… I wouldn't mind running to Saddle Arabia with you… I never thought a career in magic and performing was in the cards for me, if I'm being honest…." Trixie was surprised by the hug, not resisting but not embracing him either. She coughed awkwardly, glancing around to see if anycreature had noticed. "Well... as long as you're aware..." She slowly peeled his hoof away, "As I said, you are a Great and Powerful Assistant. I could think of a thousand acts you'd be perfect in." "I guess we should just hope Glimmer comes up with something..." Thorax sighed as he released Trixie, rubbing a hoof on his temple, "Yeah, me too… I think this alcohol stuff is messing with my head, and I'm starting to feel queasy…." The changeling's stomach grumbled as he covered his mouth with a hoof and spirited off. Presumably to vomit. "Oh goodness... I told you!" Trixie waved a clenched hoof. Looking around, she sighed and decided to trot after him. "Looks like somepony had too many." Rainbow Dash winced, having watched the entire ordeal from a distance, "Welp, more for me."