//------------------------------// // Bright Eyes Tales part 2 // Story: Equestria Ninja Girls Magical Mayhem // by Wildcard25 //------------------------------// That night, Starlight and Trixie sat facing away from each other around a camp fire. "Oh. Would you like the last carrot?" Trixie asked Starlight, levitating a carrot up to her. "I know how fond you are of eating the last of things." "Oh, no," Starlight declined. "It might make me thirsty, and we don't have anything to drink. So..." "Uh, hey girls," Bright Eyes said, as she and Ocellus walked up to them. "Sorry to interrupt, but do you want our juice?" They held up two cups of purple juice. "We're not that thirsty," Ocellus chimed in. "And generosity, is what Professor Rarity taught us. So if you want-" Starlight and Trixie grabbed the cups out of the students hooves and drank them empty, before tossing them away. "Uh, you're welcome?" The changeling finished. "Anyway... ," Bright Eyes said. "We're just gonna go try and find that friendship problem, now." And they walked off. "I know what it's like to bunk with Trixie," April said. "You’ve bunked with Trixie before?" Bright Eyes asked. "The counterpart of Trixie in our world," April explained. "It was at Camp Everfree and was exactly how it happened to Starlight. Only I had earplugs. As they talked, Blade Swipe was showing signs that he was listening. "So what happened next?" Mikey asked. "Well, it didn't take us long to discover what the Friendship Problem was, so we made a plan," Bright Eyes continued. "But as we were discussing it, the two got into an argument and Trixie decided to sleep outside "where the wild animals would be quieter than Starlight." Then when an overhearing Hoo'far asked what was wrong, Starlight did something that complicated everything!" "What did she do?" Keno inquired. "When Trixie woke up the next morning, she got a very unpleasant surprise..." "Where's my wagon?!" Trixie gasped, looking around in a panic. Her beloved caravan was no where to be found. The only wagon in sight was Hoo'far's. Bright Eyes, Ocellus, and Spike sat by the camp fire, having some oatmeal that the young dragon had made. "Ask Starlight!" Bright Eyes said, flatly, as she, Ocellus, and Spike all frowned at the purple unicorn as she came out of the caravan. "I traded it to that pony from Saddle Arabia for his," Starlight said, cheerfully. "He even threw in a pair of robes." She motioned to the robe she was wearing. Trixie whipped around in shock. Horror was written in her eyes. "Now wait a moment?" Fugitoid interrupted. "Starlight traded Trixie's wagon without her consent or even asking her?!" Raph burst out laughing only to quickly see everyone looking surprised at him. "What? Am I the only one who finds that funny?" He asked. "Yeah, well Trixie didn’t think it was so funny," Bright Eyes countered. "You... what?!" Trixie shouted, appalled by what her friend did. "I traded the old, worn-out wagon that was too small for us, for this nice spacious one that we can both enjoy," Starlight re-explained. Trixie stammered. "Who said you could do that?!" She exclaimed. "Nopony. I just did it," Starlight responded, nonchalant and sighed, as she began loading Trixie's things into the caravan. "Now we both have plenty of room, and you didn't even have to give anything away." Trixie eyes filled with tears. "Au contraire," she retorted. "I did give something away! I gave away my wagon... and my best friend!" Starlight Glimmer dropped one of the boxes at what Trixie had just said and glared at her. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She said in sarcasm. "I didn't realize you were better friends with that beat-up old wagon than you are with me!" "Well, it's easy when the wagon is a better friend!" Trixie argued. "It would've never traded you away!" "That's ridiculous," Starlight said, dryly. "Oh, it is ridiculous," Trixie replied. "In fact, this whole tour is ridiculous! I don't even know why I invited you in the first place!" Starlight Glimmer was hurt. "Well, maybe I should just head home!" She snapped. "I think that's a very good idea!" Trixie snapped back. "And you can take this horrible giant caravan with you!" "Fine!" "Good!" Later, Trixie glumly dragged her things along by a rope. Now that she was wagonless. And friendless. Bright Eyes, Ocellus, and Spike took pity on her and helped carry some of the items. Ocellus had transformed into a bugbear and carried some boxes and trunks in her four arms. "Now how are you guys gonna solve the Friendship Problem?" Spike whispered to the filly and changeling. "Well, since Starlight had to go and complicate everything!" Bright Eyes began. "We came up with a plan B," Ocellus finished. And they both pointed ahead. Meanwhile, the trunks that Trixie was pulling got stuck on a rock. "Come on!" She grunted. The rope snapped, sending Trixie tumbling forward. "Whoa!" She looked up and to her surprise and joy, saw her wagon just a few feet away. She rushed up to the door and tries to open it, but it was locked. Then she fell back when it did open and Hoo'far came out. "Goodness!" He said. "Oh, Ms. Powerful. And my friends from last night. Wonderful to see you again!" He looked around, noticing that Starlight wasn't there. "Eh, but where is your assistant? I had hoped providing you with a more comfortable means of conveyance would allow you to once more dazzle the crowds with mystifying feats of magic." "Normally, that sort of flattery would suffice," Trixie said. "But today, we must discuss your dishonest and unfair procurement of my wagon! "I desired your wagon and provided one of equal and better value in return," Hoo'far retorted. "It seems like a perfectly honest and fair trade to me." "Unfortunately, it is more nuanced than that!" Trixie argued. "I'm sure it is, but I am eager to set out. If you'll excuse me," Just as he harnessed himself up, Trixie, in an act of desperation, flung herself forward and plopped onto the road, blocking him off. Hoo'far knew exactly what she was doing and simply unharnessed himself and took a seat on a stool. "I am willing to wait as long as you are," he said, and sipped from a cup of tea. "Ha!" Trixie scoffed "We'll just see about that!" "Wait, so she didn’t take the wagon to trade it back?" Shini asked. "Nope," Bright Eyes shook her head. "Trixie just laid in front of the road while Mr Hoo’far waited patiently." "You know if Starlight and Trixie weren’t arguing at the time, I’d be laughing with Raphael here," Shini said, humorously. "I know right?" Raph said. "So how did you two solve the problem?" Sunset Shimmer asked. "Remember those drinks we gave them earlier?" Bright Eyes said, slyly. "Yeah," Caitlyn nodded. "Well, keep that in mind," Bright Eyes grinned and continued. "So we sat there all day and into the night. On the plus side, Ocellus and I had time to finish our studies. Then when night came, it was time for our plan B..." Hoo'Far leaned down next to the unicorn. "You know, even if I was willing to reverse the trade, you don't have my caravan to offer in return." Trixie grumbled. "Details!" Bright Eyes and Ocellus watched from the wagon, then they nodded to each other. While Spike snored away in one of the hammocks, Bright Eyes admited two tiny balls of magic from her horn and floated into their throats. Outside, Trixie's eyes widened and glowed pure white. She saw a shimmering void with squares floating all around. Inside each of them were scenes of her and Starlight and all the fun times they had together as friends. Then an astral Ocellus appeared and began to sing... (I Guess I miss you) Meanwhile, on the way back to Ponyville, Starlight was having a rough time. She was starting to see why Hoo'far had wanted to trade the caravan. Though it was nice and spacious, it was also too large to travel with; she had found that out the hard way three times. When suddenly, the same thing that happened to Trixie happened to her. Then Bright Eyes appeared and began to sing... Starlight became misty eyed. Now she realized her mistake in trading something that wasn't hers. Trixie wiped a tear away from her eye. Now she missed Starlight more than ever. Pinkie Pie burst into tears. "Tissue?" Sunset Shimmer offered her a box. "Thank you," Pinkie took a tissue and blew like a trumpet. "Okay. Continue." Bright Eyes and Ocellus groaned as they woke from the other hammock they both had to share. "Good morning, girls," Hoo'far greeted. "Sleep well?" Spike asked. "NO!" The unicorn and changeling snapped. "Hard to sleep through your obnoxious snoring!" Bright Eyes glared at the little dragon, making him back away nervously. "No wonder Starlight and Trixie were so grouchy," Ocellus added with a frown. "Trying to sleep in this cramped wagon is impossible!" "Speaking of Ms Great and Powerful," Hoo'far opened the back window. Trixie was still blocking the road. That pony sure was stubborn. "Steaming hot beverage?" He offered her a cup. "Thank you. No," Trixie waved him off. "What are you two doing?" Trixie looked up to see that Starlight had come back and was looking down at her in confusion. Although deep down, she was overjoyed to see her, she was still mad at Starlight for trading her wagon. "Taking a stand! By lying down!" She answered. "Not that you care, Wagon-Trader-Away-er!" "I'm afraid I'm still not interested," Hoo'far said. "Despite your assistant's convenient appearance." "Trixie, I came back to apologize," Starlight said. "I should never have traded away the wagon." She looked to Hoo'far. "It wasn't mine to trade. It belongs to my friend." "Hmmm," Hoo'far thought. "If you truly were friends, I suppose I'd be honor-bound to reverse the trade." "Okay! Fine! We're friends!" Trixie exclaimed in annoyance, and pulled Starlight close to her. "Best friends who share a deep bond who weren't prepared for the emotional challenges of traveling. Happy?!" Hoo'Far shook his head. "I'm still unconvinced. Perhaps you could prove your friendship." "How?" Trixie asked, dropping Starlight. Then Starlight had an idea. "Uh, we could do our friendship chant!" Trixie was confused. What friendship chant? Starlight glared at her. "Oh, right..." she said, getting the hint. "Our world-famous chant of friendship that we do all the time because we're such great friends." Then the two unicorns each stood on their hind legs and performed an awkward, out of sync chant. "Magic... tra-magic... poof of... smoke... want to wave your... hooves... and tell a... little joke!" They waved their hooves, rocked their hips from side to side, and spun up to Hoo'far, striking a pose. Hoo'Far fell back from the window and accidentally set off hidden smoke bomb. Then he stepped out the door, coughing. "That was the worst friendship chant I have ever heard! And you two were clearly making it up as you went," he said. "But! Only true friends would be willing to act so ridiculous for one another. And do mean ridiculous; if those three are any indication." He pointed inside the wagon where Bright Eyes, Ocellus, and Spike were roaring with laughter. "That was funnier than Twilight's Ladybug Chant!" Bright Eyes said, through chuckles. "It sure was!" Ocellus agreed, giggling. "I'll say!" Spike added. Starlight and Trixie frowned, then looked back to Hoo'far. "So you'll give back the wagon?" Trixie asked, hopefully. "Though I'd suggest heading back to Ponyville," Hoo'far said. "I'm not sure Saddle Arabia is ready for... uh, this." He motioned to them. "That's fair," Starlight admitted. So, Hoo'far harnessed himself back to his own caravan. But before he left, he had one more thing to say. "Oh, I feel it only right to inform you, I was merely put up to making you prove your friendship." Starlight and Trixie's eyes bulged. "Wait?" Starlight said. "What?!" Trixie exclaimed. "By who?" "You will both find out soon enough," Hoo'far answered, mysteriously, as he trotted off. "Who would put him up to this?" Starlight asked Trixie. "I don't know? But on the plus side..." Trixie rushed over a hugged her wagon. "I got my wagon back! But, why did you come back anyway?" "It'll sound crazy but, I heard singing in my head," Starlight explained. "No only that, but I also saw visions of our friendship." Trixie gasped "Me too!" "What?!" Bright Eyes and Ocellus nonchalantly walked out with sly smiles on their faces. "Really?" Ocellus pretended to be surprised. "Gee," Bright Eyes added, slyly. "I wonder who would do... "Thaaaaat!" They both sang. Starlight and Trixie instantly got the hint. "It was you?!" They asked in unison. "Mmm, hmm!" They nodded. "But... you... I... huh!" Trixie stammered. "Why would you do this?!" "Because we finally found the friendship problem..." Bright Eyes explained. "You two," Ocellus pointed. "Us?!" The unicorns exclaimed. "Why would we be a friendship problem?" Starlight asked, in confusion. "Like Trixie said, you two were so not ready for traveling," Bright Eyes explained. "And it really took a toll on your friendship." And after watching your disaster of show, it didn't take us long figure that out," Ocellus put in. Earlier, when Trixie blocked the path, Bright Eyes and Ocellus whispered something to Hoo'far and he nodded. "So we told Hoo'Far what the friendship problem was, and our plan to fix it, and he was more than willing to help us," Bright Eyes narrated. Earlier than that, Ocellus peeked out from behind Trixie's wagon, where Bright Eyes was mixing some potions while Ocellus read the instructions from a book. "And those drinks we gave you were actually potions Bright Eyes and I read up on," Ocellus added. "They allowed us to speak or rather sing into your minds and they also allowed you to see visions of your happier friendship times." Starlight and Trixie stood flabbergasted. "Wow!" Spike said. "That's pretty clever." Trixie glared. "Why you sneaky, little... "Trixie, they're right," Starlight broke in. "We weren't ready for this. And it almost ruined our friendship." Trixie sighed. "I suppose you're right. And if I'm being honest, I really did miss you." "Me too," Starlight smiled, and the two best friends embraced. Then something caught their eye. "Are you two glowing?" Trixie asked the two students. Bright Eyes and Ocellus looked back to find the filly's cutie mark and the changeling's wing shells were glowing. Meaning their friendship mission was done. They beamed, before they held hooves and jumped up and down in excitement. "We solved our first friendship problem!" "Then Ocellus and I hitched a ride with Trixie and Starlight back to Ponyville," Bright Eyes said. "Of course, Trixie was skeptical but Starlight was able to convince her otherwise. And that’s how we solved our first friendship problem." "Wow! Pretty impressive, Bright Eyes," April said. Blade Swipe thought about everything he had heard, before he slowly approached the girl. "Bright Eyes?" He said. "Yes, Blade?" She asked. "After hearing your stories, perhaps maybe........ I........" but before he could say anything, Trixie suddenly popped up out of nowhere. "Blade! There you are!" She said, giddily. Blade Swipe's eyes shrunk. "I’ll train you tomorrow same time! Okay? Okay. Goodbye!" He ran away as fast as he could with Trixie is in hot pursuit. "Wait Blade! Come back!" The magician called after him. "I made dinner reservations!" The ninjas and Rainbooms laughed. Trixie had it so bad for him. Then Mikey noticed that Bright Eyes was looking dismal. "What’s the matter, Bright Eyes?" He asked. "I was hoping after hearing all of that, Blade Swipe would understand that I really wanna help you guys." the girl replied. Karai patted Bright Eyes' back. "Don’t worry. I’m sure he got something out of your story," she said. "And with a little more training, you will be able to prove it," Sunset shimmer added. Bright Eyes smiled, hoping it was true. "Okay, we got a little time left," Leo said. "So let’s practice some Katas. You too, Lancer." "I’m ready," Lancer said. Mikey thought about something before he asked, "Hey, Bright Eyes? How did Starlight and Trixie's friendship chant go?" "I could show you," Bright Eyes said. "But I'd need some one to help me." "I'll help," Lancer eagerly volunteered. "I-I meant- if that's okay?" Bright Eyes smiled. "Thanks," she turned to the group. "This is how they did it." She whispered to Lancer. "Don't worry if it's out of sync, that's how it went." Then she and Lancer performed the same awkward, out of sync chant. "Magic... tra-magic... poof of.. smoke... want to wave your... hooves... and tell a... little joke!" Everyone stared, then they all burst out laughing. "Yeah Ocellus and I couldn’t help but chuckle," Bright Eyes explained. Karai chuckled. "Starlight told me she and Trixie had some funny moments, but this takes it!" "Yeah," Raph agreed. "They make Mikey look like a genius." "I know I am," Mikey boasted. And everyone gave him a dry look as if to say "Really?". "What?"