The next day, Ponyville was back to its "normal" state and the air became open and clear again after the previous attack of the fugitive changeling queen. Its habitants continued with their morning chores while the reformed changelings (as well as their new leader at the helm) returned to their liberated kingdom to rebuild it into a new peaceful and better home than it was before.
Even though this day was perfect for relaxing and having fun with other common hobbies, all the members of our popular Mane 6 had other adventure plans in their minds which usually meant a possible chaotic situation for some of them. .. or their friends.
On this occasion, Twilight and her friends decided to travel by train to take a "retirement" holiday to a faraway place from Ponyville for their previous heroic deeds in saving Equestria ... so Starlight and Spike (Twilight's N°1 younger assistant) were left in charge of their castle.
Although Spike was accustomed to this type of work on many previous occasions in his former arboreal home, Starlight gladly accepted this idea as she could practice her previous studies of friendship (somewhat possible) and magic (her favorite subject). until... her best friend Trixie came to visit unexpectedly to have a good time with the 2nd option.
Starlight accepted her visit from her and shared her future plans for the day as they went to the kitchen to prepare a certain farewell gift planned for her friends.
"Ohh sounds exciting!!! Don't worry, with my help: the "great and powerful Trixie" will reach great heights of magic... of course, if we do it together as usual." Trixie declared in a emotive and confident way.
"Hehe, sounds good. Just let me finish my preparations for..." Starlight said while she was concentrating on her planned desserts as a special gift for her friends.
Inmediately, Trixie started to bring some kitchen utensils (breaking some of them by accident) to practice a spell she had arranged with her for that very day...
"Ok, this is going to be a long day." Starlight thought worriedly.
Meanwhile, a few slow but steady footsteps are heard from a mysterious new visitor to town, carrying a half-full briefcase on his back and wearing a blue jacket. He seemed somewhat displeased but also happy to have arrived at his new destination, although a little uncomfortable with the visual welcome of the other pony inhabitants due to the new and worn appearance of his new neighbor.
After galloping a few meters from the entrances until he reached the center of the place, he stopped for a while and began to stretch his hooves for a moment and explore the surroundings for a while.
"Finally, I'm... finally here... now I can only...." the mysterious pony said in a quiet tone until...
"Be careful, friend!!!"
"Move now, please!!!"
Suddenly, a small vehicle consisting of a scooter and an attached carrushed close to him as if it were fleeing from something. The mysterious pony quickly realized this and jumped as far as he could to avoid it, although he was unhooked from his backpack which contained objects that flew out of his backpack.
In an unrestrained way, he managed to catch most of them using good agility and his hooves to catch them... only his notebook fell on his head leaving him dizzy and lying on the ground... only to see how said strange vehicle drove away at high speed.
"Sorry for that!!!!" a sweet, childish voice shouted loudly towards said pony, the only voice he could hear.
"Hey, watch where you're going, okay!!!????" the mysterious pony shouted too as he slowly got up from the ground and secured his things in his backpack.
"Wow, that was close." he said to himself in a soft tone to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. "Personal Note: NEVER let strange vehicles out of your sight."
When he finished, he put his booklet in his briefcase and continued on his way attentively and carefully.
"Better, I'm going to focus on my goal...with my eyes open...NOW!!!" he claimed.
With eagle eyesight, he looked around intently in search of his first goal: a good home to rest in. The ponies around him got a little scared and decided to get away from him while they could.
After walking and searching for 10 minutes, he found a large wooden ranch...with the help of about 3 remaining ponies from a nearby flower shop (who were on the verge of fainting from seeing his appearance). These ponies gave him directions before quickly running away.
"I think I see a... kind of hotel located near a... sofa and feather store?" the mysterious pony was baffled by what those eyes see in that store where, if that weren't enough, pointed out a sign marking a remarkable discount on a colorful bed... covered with feathers on its support legs and a pillow with images of chickens on its contents. "I better go check it out just in case."
"Wow, it sounds so unique and ridiculous I can't even describe it by putting these words together...." he thought sarcastically.
After entering the store, the receptionist there forcibly woke up from her reception desk for some reason and said attentively as long as she could:
"Ohh, good morning, sir. How can I help you?" the receptionist pony asked at that place with a calm tone, although being strange for his new client.
"Okay? Maybe I can stay there. Ugh, I better try... I don't think my hooves can continue for more time." he thought when he saw his hind legs a little battered and wet, then he approached the receptionist to be attended to." So, here we go."
After bidding farewell to Twilight and her friends at the station, Starlight, Trixie and Spike made their way back to the castle in a leisurely fashion, though only Starlight was a little dismayed along the way cause her start of the day wasn't very comfortable after all for many reasons: Trixie accidentally ruined her surprise snacks, told Twilight a secret about herself by mistake and humiliated her by handing a cheap snack to her teacher .... but still she managed to remain stable in the face of it all.
"Woo hoo!!! I'm already excited to learn magic with you and see if you can match me in powers too." Trixie declared to her friend in a clear and somewhat mocking tone, although in a slight way since she is her best friend.
"Same here. Though I'm just asking you to chill out a bit and NOT tell publicly something private I share with you, please." Starlight expressed to her friend in a serious and calm way.
"Okay, but what do you mean...?" Trixie asked doubtfully until she stopped abruptly when she received a hand on her muzzle to stop her question.
"Trust me, you don't want to know that answer just yet..." Spike declared in a worried tone towards her, so Trixie just nodded her head and walked with her other friends towards the castle.
When they got there, they started their normal duties: Spike continued reading his superhero comics in the main room, which also contained 6 white diamond chairs around a round table. Meanwhile, Starlight starts giving Trixie magic lessons through a learning magic book.
"Alright, what do you say we start with some easy ones?" Starlight asked quietly to her friend.
"No no, the "Great and Powerful Trixie" always goes bigger, or she doesn't!!! Just tell me, please, how you do it?"
"Well, I think magic comes from my emotions, whatever I feel at the moment it'll give me strength to whatever I'm doing and so the stronger my magic will be." Starlight explained a little insecure for his statement, due to a past event.
"Maybe I wasn't very clear but I think it would be logical what could have resulted to the point of controlling Twlight when... she was a villain obsessed with my ideals... I don't want to keep thinking about it." she thought nerviously.
"Ohh I see, how you see it in that you were angry when, through our Cutie Marks they took your friend away.... Wow, that made you finally enslave an entire village. " Trixie exclaimed in an confident and happy tone.
Suddenly, Starlight started to get angry which made her horn produce red sparks from her horn for a few seconds.... until she calmed down and stopped the sparks completely for a moment.
"Grr...maybe I should have thought that would come somehow." she thought uncomfortably.
"Yeah, something like that. " she answered seriously.
"Besides, if anyone can teach me that "Teleportation" spell, it's you. After all, is magic friendship or not?" Trixie asked confidently.
"Hehe, I guess we can try. Let me see where we can start..." Starlight expressed.
"OK? I'd better get going..." Spike said as he stood up and ran behind both ponies at a safe, far distance " ...up here and see how they're doing.
"We'd better use an inanimate object like.. like this.... " Starlight suggested while she took an apple near from the place and put it on the main table. "Ok, now just concentrate on the object you want to teleport."
"Alright... just concentrate" Trixie turned on her horn into a pink light " and... TELEPORTATION SPELL GOES!!!! " she shouted desperately.
"No, WAIT!!!!" Starlight shouted loudly to try to stop her, although it was in vain.
Trixie concentrated so hastily she managed to cast said spell successfully even though.... She teleported only the magic Cutie Map table (the shiny ornamente who helped her, Twlight and her friends in many past activities and events in far away places) and not the apple. For this enormous and worrying surprise, Starlight fainted immediately.
"Taaa daaa" Trixie said in a nervous tone but because of the doubtful situation regarding her friend than her accidental mistake she made that could be severe by the way.
Meanwhile in Ponyville, the mystery pony is seen being kicked out of a third hotel of the town he tried to settle down to rest from his trip.
"I told you, no money, no service!!!!" the third recepcionist pony shout in an angry tone before closed the front door of his place.
As the misterious pony got up from the floor and wiped his muzzle, he reflected, disgusted by his current situation.
"Wow, I went through the 3 hotels from this town... the 1st one was full and the other 2 I was kicked out and slammed out respectively... better, I'll go rest for a park by now... if I remember where it is." he exclaimed to himself.
After walking for a few minutes and looking again for a new refuge, he managed to find one quiet place where had a fountain. He found a country shelter near a white fountain. He was happy to be able to rest in some almost comfortable place in said city because he didn't usually face large crowds and was still staggering for a few moments due to the poor condition of his hooves.
"I'm almost... there, just... AAH!!!" he explained with some complications while still struggling to get to the first pavement he came across.
He accidentally tripped over a stone in the road and, after some exaggerated maneuvers to avoid colliding with someone, he ended up hitting and knocking over an older green pony carrying a brown bag with apples in it that went flying all over the place.
"What in tarnation?? Be careful where you cross, young man!!!" the green pony exclaimed to the young one after that accident.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to... let me help her with her products." the mysterious young pony said while trying to dry clean the fallen apples and put them back in her bag.
On the other hand, the green lady pony thinks a bit as she noticed how strange the young pony was.
"Hmm... how strange... you don't look like you're from around here??" the green pony asked.
"Ehh... how do you know that ma'am???" the young poy asked her doubtfully in a confused tone while he gave her the last apple.
"Well, how else would you be in that agonizing state if everyone around here knows this place to rest like the back of their hooves". * she answered in a confident and rustic tone, while she pointed her front hoof into the young pony's head, which was full of dirt as if she was working in the field.
"Whoever that lady is, she's got a good point.... and the right guts to talk that way apparently" the young pony thought.
"Ohh you see, I just.." he tried to excuse himself before receiving a hoof on his muzzle unexpectedly.
"Never mind, you'll tell me later... I must get back to my home." The green pony said in a calm tone as she prepared to return home.
"Alright... although, wait a minute, do you know a place where I can spend the night ma'am?" the young pony expressed firmly and strongly (as much as he could) to get her attention.
After about 20 seconds of silence that seemed like an eternity, the old pony answered sadly, after thinking about her answer carefully:
"I'm sorry boy, there is no empty place for visitors near here... after the last party of... graduation or whatever it's called, all the houses of this town have been filled quickly as if this place was recently a kind of utopia I guess." she claimed.
"Utopia?? I bet this old lady has a sense of humor after all. " the young pony thought doubtfully.
"Oh I see, thanks for the heads up, ma'am...." he expressed in a sarcastic tone.
"You're welcome, and next time, Please open your eyes wide, this day is not over yet." the green lady pony suggested firmly as she opened one of her eyes towards him by way of explanation while shooing him away at the same time. "See you later".
"I remember having had an almost similar accident a long time ago... damn, what trouble I got into after all for having a quiet place." the mysterious young pony thinking uncomfortably.
"Anyway, I think I'll take a light nap and then continue my search." he stated decidedly as he lay down on the bench. " It will only be for a few minutes... "
Unexpectedly, he fell asleep overwhelmed by the fatigue of his trip, using his briefcase as a temporary pillow and trying to assimilate the peace he had in those moments of the day while he could.
After regaining consciousness, Starlight again noticed what had happened to her clueless friend and concluded her friendship with her teacher was hanging by a thread.
"No no no no!!! How did you teleport Twilight's Friendship Map?" She expressed this concern with a nervous tone and short hyperventilations.
"Well, what did you expect? The table was behind the apple after all. So, the good thing, I got a table teleported and it "POOF!!! My magic improves successfully!!!" Trixie exclaimed, trying to be funny.
"Trixie, concentrate, we need to get it back as soon as possible!!!! Otherwise, Twilight will NEVER trust me again. What the hay were you thinking?" Starlight commented desperately to her friend.
"Well, about the spell... duuuuhh. Like you taught me, although maybe you should explained all the steps clearly before you let me do the spell at the end" Trixie responded calmly in a confident tone.
"Are you grabbing my mane now, Trix?" Starlight thought sarcastically.
"I REALLY TRIED but.... AAHH!!!" she expressed in a serious manner until it was interrupted by a strange and unexpected event.
Somehow a strange reddish cloud emerged from her horn as she became enraged as she scolded Trixie for her sarcastic comments, which caused Starlight to panic for a few seconds.
"Sorry, just give me a moment." she said in a nervous tone as she ran away towards the kitchen.
Luckily for her, Trixie wasn't looking at her (and maybe not having heard it too) at that moment as she was sitting in a chair by the kitchen table with a confident attitude. Spike chased after her, worried about Starlight. When she saw it, he was surprised to see her friend irritated by the cloud floating over her head, so she didn't hesitate to ask her actual status:
"Hey, are you all right?" the little dragon asked curiously.
"I'll be when I find a bottle to contain all my anger." Starlight answered clearly but still desperately.
"Wait, what??" Spike asked again, being more confused... since it sounded like something a certain flying friend could make excuses for instead of Starlight.
"See this? It looks like a storm cloud but it's never happened to me before honestly... it only appears when I present THAT feeling.." the lilac unicorn explained quickly as she reaches for a jar. "So I have to find a way to contain my magical energy somewhere safe for... I don't want to think about it."
"Ohh, I see... but are you sure this is a good idea?" Spike asked.
"I don't have a choice, I still have to get that map back at all costs. Besides, I don't want to hurt Trixie through it." Starlight expressed in a worried tone while shaking her head to concentrate better. "I'm sure she wouldn't talk to me again if I told her what I really think of her now."
"Ok, I'll try to find the map in the castle while you... do your thing for now." Spike commented, trying to calm himself as he ran off to start searching all the castle.
Starlight nodded her head. After stowing her flask in a green briefcase and trotted over to where Trixie was as she tried to calm herself down from the situation she was in for now.
"Okay, everything is fine.... Surely we can still sort it out before the other girls get back before nightfall and besides, I don't think Trixie can send it very far after all, so...." she began to reflect on her situation while trying to control herself a little and thinking of an effective solution by walking in circles for a few minutes, although she only came to a specific answer...
Meanwhile, in the Ponyville park, the mysterious pony was still asleep and motionless as a rock despite the noise generated by some foals that were having fun in there. Even so, he was used to enduring every such loud scandal in his life passing without any problem... except receiving a hard hit on the back with a ball that woke him up and made him fall off the bench with a crash.
"What the hay. Ahh!!" he claimed while trying to get back on track and heal thise accidental blow in the back, feeling ashamed of it.
"Sorry for that, sir!!!" a childish figure expressed his quick apology as he picked up his ball and walked back to his friends hurriedly.
"Anyway, that was relaxing... now, I have to continue... wait!!!" he suspired quietly until he noticed the situation where he was.
After that, she looks at the sky and is surprised by the position in which she was looking at the sun He also took out a another little notebook to do some quick calculations.
"Let's see, if the sun is located about 40° east of where it sets then it looks like - OH NOO!!!! It's already 4pm, I've been sleeping for hours!!!! Woww.." he expressed surprised in a nervous tone as he staggered and fell precipitously to the ground along with his notebook.
"Oh, wait what's that... a fine for VAGRANCY!!!! This doesn't make sense, they only happen during late night hours!!!!! " he now exclaimed angrily at this new humiliation.
Right at that moment, some ponies around him were surprised for that shocking reaction.
"Sorry, I was just... rehearsing for an upcoming theater performance. Hehe" he explained to them in a nervous tone when he noticed that the others were leaving the place half confused. "Personal Note: MUST AVOID any public scandal." * He said in a firm tone, writing in his personal notebook.
"Well, now what am I going to do? I don't even have many resources other than my books, which don't even taste good after a certain amount of time." he tought doubtfully as he finished getting ready after his abrupt awakening.
After walking a few meters outside the park, he tried to remain calm while he thought of a possible solution, scratching his head in the meantime and trying to pass amicably with the other ponies he met until...
"I HAVE AN IDEA!!! Still, I need to find a pony who needs help... maybe he can give me some reward for my efforts" Then he pauses to look once more at the sky and notice a noticeable difference from the morning sky.
"Wow, the sky stopped being bright and I already see some dark clouds on the road placed by a certain pegasus... I better look for some and soon... besides this place is full of ponies with special activities, and with them many opportunities, so.... " He expressed while looking around looking for a possible immediate solution.
Although, as he thought about it better, it would be very difficult to obtain it because of how full the other stalls were and how busy the ponies were at that time... a small immediate job would be almost impossible to find by then...
At that moment, neither of the two ponies has made any progress in their possible solutions and time is running out for both of them. Even so, both are eager to solve their own problems and confirm this with this following phrase:
"What's the worst that could happen??" Starlight and the mysterious pony expressed at the same time and they began to put on their hooves to work.