“The first thing we should check on today is the main entertainment,” Trixie said. She and Ocellus had just left Town Hall and were back to the checklist for overseeing the Millennial Summer Sun Celebration, “When the Princess raises the sun, the Wonderbolts will do a fly-by to make it that much more fantastic.”
“Does that mean that we’re going to meet the Wonderbolts personally?!” Ocellus exclaimed. Before getting an answer, she started running down the street.
“Ocellus!” Trixie called out, getting the disguised Changeling’s attention, “This way. The Wonderbolts are also helping with the Weather Team to clear the skies.” Trixie pointed in the opposite direction of where Ocellus was running.
A light blush of embarrassment appeared on Ocellus’s cheeks, “Oh… right…” Ocellus turned and started heading in the other direction, following Trixie.
“WATCH OUT!!!”
CRASH
A mass of yellow and gray tumbled along the path. A dark-gray tuft of main poked up from the mass, followed by the rest of the gray Pegasus colt got up, a bit dazed from the crash, “Sorry about that,” the colt apologized, “I was in a hurry to meet up with my big brother.”
“It’s okay,” the yellow filly replied, “I was a little distracted too.”
The colt offered his hoof to the filly to help her up. Once she was on her hooves, the colt noticed her black eye, “Your eye! I’m sorry! It was just an accident. Are you okay?” the colt said, checking the rest of her body to make sure there weren’t any other injuries.
“It’s not your fault. I got this black eye yesterday from the filly at the farm,” Ocellus said. She began to blush. That, combined with the smile on her face, told the whole story, “Thanks for the concern, though.”
“You met Apple Bloom?” the colt asked, “At least I know I didn’t cause your black eye. The name’s Rumble, by the way.”
“I’m Ocellus,” the faux filly said bashfully.
“You wanna come with me to meet my big brother?” Rumble asked before puffing out his chest in pride, “He’s a Wonderbolt.”
“We were on our way to meet with the Wonderbolts anyway,” Trixie said, “So we might as well come with you.”
The three ponies went through town to where the weather team was breaking up the clouds for a clear sky. On the ground watching was a rainbow-maned blue Pegasus with a rainbow shockwave cutie mark… or at least, she had wings. They were clearly metal. Trixie was aware that some Pegasi get prosthetic wings if they’ve severely injured their wings so that they cannot fly otherwise. But she’s heard rumors of Earth Ponies, and even Unicorns, getting prosthetic wings to gain flight. But this is most often when a Pegasus family adopts a non-Pegasus and offers them the ability to live in the sky. But in those cases, their wing dexterity is limited thanks to not having the proper musculoskeletal system to do much other than basic flight.
The dexterity that this pony was shown to have with her prosthetic automail wings indicated that she was born a Pegasus. As for why she wasn’t flying with the others was curious, but not important.
Trixie took notice of another Pegasus. She was instructing the weather team on what to do. She, too, had automail prosthetics. But not wings. This yellow Pegasus still had her wings. However, her hind legs were metal, like the blue Pegasus’s wings. And though most ponies wouldn’t have noticed at this distance, Trixie saw that the yellow Pegasus’s wings were more muscular than average.
The yellow Pegasus had a pink mane and a cutie mark of a butterfly-shaped storm cloud and a rainbow lightning bolt. Seeing how she was instructing the weather team, it was safe to assume who this Pegasus was.
“Weather Captain Fluttershy, I presume?” Trixie asked.
The yellow Pegasus turned her head towards Trixie before flying down and meeting them, “You presume correctly,” the Pegasus said, staying in a hover above the ground rather than landing, “But I’d rather just be called Flutters. That’s what my friends call me.”
“I am the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie! The Prized Personal Prestigious Protege of the Princess and-” Trixie was cut off by the sound of an amused snort, “Are you laughing at me?”
“I’m sorry,” Flutters laughed, “It’s just that how you introduced yourself was just so funny. How could I not laugh?”
Trixie blushed at that, “Well, I suppose I do overdo it at times,” Trixie admitted, “I’m also a showmare, and I tend to forget to leave my showmareship at the door at times. Anyway, we were sent by Princess Celestia to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration.”
“I’m sorry for laughing. It’s just that sometimes I can’t help myself,” Flutters said, “Ever since I got struck by lightning at point blank, doctors have suggested that maybe a few wires in my brain were crossed. Ever since, I’ve been a bit Flutterbrained. But I realized that my newfound eccentricities work well with making foals laugh.”
Trixie’s eyes were drawn back to Flutters’ prosthetic legs and put two and two together.
“Was it by any chance a lightning bolt from the Rainbow Storm?” a dark gray Pegasus with a blue-gray mane and a rainbow stormcloud cutie mark shaped like a bowling ball asked.
“Thunderlane!” Rumble exclaimed as he ran up to the Pegasus.
“Hey, kiddo,” Thunderlane said, ruffling Rumble’s mane, “You’re not causing any trouble, are you?”
“Since when do I cause trouble?” Rumble replied.
“The milkshake tsunami at Sugarcube Corner, trampling a flowerbed, the blindfolded Pegasus race…” Thunderlane listed off.
“That Pegasus race wasn’t one of my best ideas for a cutie mark,” Rumble admitted, “The flowerbed was because of a marching band that chose to take a shortcut. And how was I supposed to know that you shouldn’t put vinegar and baking soda into a milkshake machine?”
“I don’t know what’s stranger,” Ocellus said, “What Rumble has done, or Rumble’s reasoning.”
“Don’t worry. He never causes that kind of trouble on his own,” Thunderlane said, “It only happens when he’s adventuring with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I’m Thunderlane, by the way.”
“I’m Trixie, and this is Ocellus,” Trixie introduced, “We were sent here by Princess Celestia to-”
“Do the introduction that you gave me!” Flutters interrupted.
Sighing, Trixie gave in, “I am the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie!” Trixie exclaimed, “I am the Princess’s Prestigious Personal Protege! And I was sent here to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration.”
Flutters couldn’t hold back her giggles.
“Of course, Flutters would find that amusing,” Thunderlane said, though the smirk on his face revealed his own amusement, “I assume you’re checking to see how the weather’s doing?”
“That and see if the Wonderbolts are ready for their role in the celebration,” Trixie confirmed.
“We’ve been preparing for weeks for this moment,” Thunderlane said, “And it’s just a fly-by. Granted, it’s a fly-by for the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration, But Spitfire has been a little too insistent on making sure it goes perfectly.”
“Spitfire sounds like Twilight,” Ocellus said.
“I’ve met her before,” Trixie said, “And believe me when I say she’s nothing like Twilight. She’s good at planning. But that’s just the result of being the captain of the Wonderbolts.”
“At this rate, the sky should be cleared by midday,” Flutters assured.
“Well, it was good meeting you,” Trixie said, “But we should check on the progress of the decorations now.”
Heading back to Town Hall, Trixie and Ocellus headed back to check on the progress Rarity had made on the decorations. Trixie realized that after this, they would be done with the list. That means that Trixie can treat Ocellus to a proper Ponyville experience.
Rarity wasn’t working on Town Hall when Trixie and Ocellus left. But Rarity assured that she would start early.
When they arrived back at Town Hall, Rarity was hard at work on the decorations. And Trixie was impressed at just how much she had gotten done already. And so far, Town Hall was starting to look like Rarity’s sketches had come off the paper and into reality. Rarity had a talent not just in design but in art as well.
“It seems as if you’re already hard at work,” Trixie said, causing the white mare to jump in surprise, “Heh, sorry for scaring you.”
Rarity regained her composure before getting back to work, “Please, it was not intentional. It was just an accident,” Rarity said, “And when I get in the zone, as it were, I can tend to be surprised more easily. It’s normally not a problem since my ‘zone’ is typically at the jeweler, where I can work in private.”
“Well, I must admit that everything is looking great so far,” Trixie complimented.
“We’re playing host to Princess Celestia herself!” Rarity said, “So it is my duty to make this the best that it can be!”
“Wow, pretty,” Ocellus said in awe.
“And how are you, Ocellus? I noticed that you’re not wearing your-” Rarity paused when she just now noticed the dark bruise around her eye, “Sweet Celestia! Whatever happened to your eye?!”
“She got into… a little scuffle with a filly at the farm,” Trixie explained, trying not to make it sound too bad.
“I see,” Rarity said, “Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara have been trouble for my little sister as well.”
“Considering that it seems that Apple Bloom has a reputation, I think any other time somepony asks about Ocellus’s black eye, I can just mention Apple Bloom’s name, and they’d understand,” Trixie said.
“Yeah, pretty much,” Rarity confirmed.
“I left my necklace in the room we’re staying in so that nothing happens to it,” Ocellus said, “I don’t want to lose it before we have to return back to Canterlot.”
“Nonsense!” Rarity exclaimed, “I do appreciate the idea of keeping it for special occasions. But you’re here for the Millennial Summer Sun Celebration. As long as you’re here staying in Ponyville, you’re here for a special occasion. And you were so proud of it yesterday.”
A large grin formed on Ocellus’s face before she ran to the temporary apartment to get the necklace.
“So, where did Maud go?” Trixie asked.
“I’m right here,” Maud said from behind Trixie. She absolutely did not jump several feet in the air and scream like a little filly.
“Maud, there you are!’ Trixie said, her heartbeat totally not pounding as if she had run a marathon, “I’d say you should wear a bell so that you don’t surprise ponies. But I get the feeling that you’d be silent even with a bell.”
Maud said nothing.
“My point exactly.”
“If you’re going to be friends with Maud, you’re going to need to get used to her popping up out of nowhere,” Rarity said, “And you’re right. Not even a bell will help you. I know because I’ve tried.”
Trixie poured magic into her eyes to see if there was anything anomalous about Maud’s magical field. Although, for the most part, there wasn’t anything specifically unique about her magical field, there was a detail that did catch the attention of Trixie’s magical sight. Maud was standing directly on a Ley line. Did she learn how to use her Earth Pony magic to access Ley lines and somehow travel through them?
Twilight would most certainly be interested in studying the possibility of Ley line travel.
“Well anyway, Rarity, where’s your little sister?” Trixie asked as she saw Ocellus coming back out wearing her necklace, “Checking on the decorations was the last thing I needed to check off the list. I was thinking about taking Ocellus to have a proper outing around town, and I figured that your sister might like to join us.”
“Sweetie Belle should still be at my shop,” Rarity replied, “I do hope you have a lovely day.”
“You too,” Ocellus said, “Bye, Rarity. Bye, Maud.”
Maud waved her hoof as the two headed towards Carrossel Jewelers.
CRASH
A pile of yellow and gray limbs fell into a pile once again.
“You two need to stop running into each other like this,” Trixie said with a sly grin.
Ocellus climbed out of the pile with a slight blush, followed by Rumble.
“Since you’re here, would you like to come with us to see the other friends Ocellus made?” Trixie asked.
“Uh… yeah, sure,” Rumble said, still recovering from the crash. The confirmation caused Ocellus’s blush to deepen.
“Well then, let’s go, Tumble,” Trixie said, giving Rumble a teasing nickname. This caused Rumble to blush.
Trixie and the foals arrived at Carousel Jewelers. The showmare knocked on the door. After a moment of waiting, the door opened to reveal Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon.
Silver Spoon noticed Ocellus, or rather, she noticed a black blotch adorning her eye, “Ocellus! Your eye!” Silver said, pushing through to check on the disguised Changeling, “Are you okay? What happened?”
“Well, we were checking on the catering at Sweet Harvest Acres, and-”
“Apple Bloom,” Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle said, simultaneously cutting off Ocellus. Ocellus nodded.
“That reminds me. I was going to check on how the catering is doing,” Trixie said, “How would you three like to give Ocellus a proper tour of Ponyville? I originally came to ask if you wanted to come with us. But I still have something to do, and I’m sure Ocellus would prefer not to return to Sweet Harvest Acres.”
“We won’t let you down, Miss Trixie,” Silver Spoon said.
“It’s just Trixie. Calling me “Miss” just makes me feel old,” Trixie said, “I’d like you to bring her back by dinner time if we don’t cross paths until then.”
The four foals nodded, and Trixie headed up to the farm. Once Trixie was out of earshot, the quartet of foals began considering where to go.
“Let’s go to the playground at the park!” Rumble suggested.
“Do you want to show Ocellus around, or do you just want to play at the park?” Sweetie Belle questioned.
“What’s the difference?” Rumble asked, causing the other three to facehoof, Ocellus wincing as she hit her bruise.
“How about Sugarcube Corner?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“How is wanting to eat sweets any different from wanting to play?” Rumble pointed out.
Sweetie Belle opened her mouth to retort. But she closed it again as she realized that Rumble was right.
“I have an idea,” Silver Spoon said, “Do you want to see my hideout?”
“You have a hideout?” the filly, colt, and youngling said in unison.
“What? You didn’t think that my mother is the only influence in my life, did you?” Silver said, “Come with me, and I’ll show you.”
The quartet followed Silver Spoon to her house. They went to the backyard and opened the door to the basement and headed in.
“So, your hideout is your basement?” Sweetie Belle asked skeptically.
“Not quite,” Silver Spoon said as she felt along the wall. She found what she was searching for, a metal plate disguised as the cement walls. She moved it out of the way to reveal what looked like a vault door. She turned the wheel to open the latch, opening the door in the process, “This is my hideout, “It’s an old bomb shelter. We knew about it for a while. But one day, I thought to make it my little hideaway. The only rule is that we don’t close the door while we’re inside.”
“Why not?” Rumble asked.
“Because I learned the hard way that the inside latch is broken,” Silver Spoon explained, “One day, I chose to see what it was like in this bomb shelter. I closed the door, not knowing about the broken latch and not telling my mother or aunt where I was. When I tried to get out and couldn’t, I started to panic. But the door is so thick that the sound of my voice and pounding couldn’t get through. I was stuck in there for four days before they found me.”
“Was that the week you were out because of the flu?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“I’m guessing it wasn’t really the flu, was it?” Ocellus asked rhetorically.
“I knew you were just skipping school!” Rumble stated proudly.
“Yes, it was that week. No, it wasn’t the flu,” Silver Spoon said, confirming Sweetie Belle and Ocellus’s claims, “And no, I wasn’t just skipping school!”
“I… uh… what I meant was…” Rumble tumbled over his own words, “I meant that I knew it wasn’t because you were sick. It was the middle of Spring when it happened, and being out for a week just because of the flu is a bit much. I guess I did assume you were just skipping at the time.”
“Just because it wasn’t flu season, it doesn’t mean she couldn’t catch the flu,” Ocellus explained, “And if it was a bad case of the flu, she could’ve been sick for several days.”
“I mean, I guess if you never got the flu vaccine, it can be that bad,” Rumble said, “But… I’m sorry for assuming.”
“And I never did get vaccinated,” Silver Spoon said, her ears folding back.
“Does that mean your parents are anti-vaxxers?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Of course not!” Silver exclaimed, “I’m just… I’m allergic to vaccines. In fact, my first vaccination as a foal is the reason why I need these glasses and why my coat and mane are gray. If you saw my foal pictures, you’d think I was Lyra Heartstrings’ daughter.”
This news made Sweetie Belle feel ashamed for making that claim. Although she didn’t mean to assume, knowing the truth made her feel guilty for sounding like she was accusing.
“You used to look like Lyra’s daughter?” Ocellus asked
“Well, Lyra is my mom’s second cousin. But that’s not close enough for me to look like her. In a way, that medical mishap that caused me to go gray makes me look more like my mom’s daughter,” Silver Spoon replied, “Wait, you know who Lyra is?”