It was a fairly typical afternoon in Trottingham; the bees were buzzing, birds tweeting, ponies trotting to-and-fro to accomplish their responsibilities and generally be cute and colorful, and there were two new strangers milling about to replace the two who had left earlier that same day.
After seeing off their new friends, Minty Mule and Pinky Pie decided to meet the townsponies, and ask around about other nearby places, but didn’t make it particularly far into the endeavor before happening across a pony who could offer just the assistance they needed.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Bubbles!” Pinky said, shaking the hoof of the grey-furred pegasus before her, who blew her yellow mane out of her face in such a way as to reveal her lazy eye.
“Likewise, Miss Pie.” The mare replied, cordially, and tipped her mail carrier hat at the two greeting her. “It’s nice to see a familiar face around her, Minty!”
“Yeah!” Minty said, affectionately nuzzling her apparent acquaintance. “How’ve you been, Bumbles?”
“You two know each other?” Pinky asked.
“Oh, yeah!” Minty said, as Bubbles hugged her. “We both grew up in the same wagon train!”
“Small world, eh?” Bubbles giggled and let Minty go. “What brings you both to this li’l ol’ place?”
“We stopped here as part of a larger trip.” said Pinky.
“Me too,” replied Bubbles, with a swell of pride, “I’m one of her majesty, Queen Starshine’s, royal courier service.” She flared out her wings and giggled. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired saying that.”
“Movin’ up in the world, huh?” Minty beamed, and clapped her forehooves together for her friend.
“Heck yes! Where you guys headed?”
“Unicornia, probably” Pinky said, unsure of the answer she gave. “We’re trying to, um…”
“Learn more about an ancient prophetic myth in order to cure a friend of a disease previously thought not to exist.” Minty added with her usual smile.
“Right, we’re… uh, doing that.” Pinkie said awkwardly. “Yeah.”
“Oh jeez, that sounds important.” Bubbles said, blinking as though doing a double-take, and her lazy eye finally focusing on the same faces as her other. “And grueling. Do you have a map?”
Minty pulled the map out of her saddle bag with her teeth, and offered it to Bubbles, who took it and winced. “Yikes, girls… this is-”
“Out of date?” Minty interrupted. “We know, it was the newest we had.”
“The newest you had? Where are you two coming from?”
“Uhhh… Ponyville?” Pinky said, tentatively.
“My Queen in the sky! How long did it take you two to get here?”
“One day and one night.” Minty stated, with no indication that she saw how astounded Bubbles was.
Bubbles stared blankly at her old friend for a few silent seconds, her lazy eye drifting back to the side. “Okay, well, I won’t pretend to understand how you accomplished that, but I can give you my spare map from the royal Courier-in-Chief.” She said, putting the confusion out of her mind and pulling a neatly rolled, very new-looking (and smelling) map scroll, which Minty gratefully accepted into her teeth.
“That’s so kind of you, Bubbles!” Pinky began. “I don’t know how we could thank you--”
“No, no, none of that. They’ll give me another one with no questions asked.” Bubbles waved a hoof in front of you dismissively. “I’d be shirking my duty to our Queen by not protecting her ponies through the provision of up-to-date, accurate navigational aides!” She haughtily said without a hint of irony.
“Oh wow, Pinky, look!” Minty said, and pointed a hoof at the unrolled map.
When Pinky did look she was astounded. The colors were so vibrant, the lines so bold, and the text in the key was so… legible! That’s not even mentioning that it seemed just about impossible to smudge the ink, if Minty’s ineffectual pawing at it while chuckling was any indication.
Bubbles stood over them with a look of pride. “This map, like all other provided by her majesty, is waterproof, fireproof, smudge-and-scratch resistant, tear resistant, and enchanted to glow in the dark just enough that you can reliably read it without a source of light.”
“Bubbles, this is incredible! Thank you so much!” Minty hugged her again, and Pinky would have too if she knew the mailmare better.
“Woah, Molly!” Bubbles chuckled. “I already told ya, there’s nothing I ask in return, I just want you to be safe, okay?”
“Right, and thank you.” Pinky said with a nod, Minty squeaking out something vaguely like an affirmation. “Bubbles, we’d be more than happy to tell you how we made the trip in just one day, if you have the time.”
“Thanks, but no thanks!” She replied, flaring her wings out again and checking to make sure her satchel was buckled properly. “I’ve still got about three-hundred letters to deliver by the end of the day, and also Minty seems always to find a way to do the impossible.” She gave a wink to her now blushing green-coated friend, and took to the skies gracefully. “See you two around, the Sun and Moon know that’s where I’ll be!”
The other two bid yet another friend goodbye, hopeful for another to cross paths with soon.