//------------------------------//
// A True, True Friend has been released! 
// Story: I Wasn't Prepared for This 
// by canonkiller 
//------------------------------//

Canterlot bustled with the regular chatter of market day. Ponies busied themselves with haggling and chatting, and a few guards even snuck away to take off their armor and fraternize. Among the Unicorns, Earth Ponies and Pegasi, a few different types of ponies mingled. 

On the left, sitting on a bench with an shading tree, a thestral couple snuggled, bat-like wings wrapped around each other. Walking past them, a Griffon with a red crest bickered happily with an undisguised Changeling. The fountain in the middle of the square splashed onto the ponies nearby as the small school of seaponies inside played under the warm sun. A small group of dragons sat on the edge, alternating between eating and tossing in gemstones for the seaponies.

On the corner, Twilight Sparkle sat inside a small cafe, her scaled back shimmering in the summer's light. Rainbow Dash frowned at the other side of the table, letting out an exasperated snort and flaring her draconic wings as she tossed her cards down. Applejack grinned, fangs flashing, and scooped up the pile of sugar packets between them. Rarity eyed them with disdain, using a small brush to shine the dirt off of her scaled hooves. Fluttershy gently sipped at a cup of tea, wbat-like wings shuffling as Pinkie tested the sharpness of her claws on the legs of the table.

Twilight's attention jerked away from the ponies outside as Pinkie's side of the table collapsed, leg having been fully clawed through. "Pinkie!"

"Sorry, Twilight. I guess my claws are super-duper sharp!" She pulled her hind legs up, flexing her claws in front of her face. "Same as always!"

"Consarnit, Pinkie, you're gonna dry up the treasury if you keep clawing through things! Can't you get a scratching post or something?" Applejack caught the sliding sugar packets with one hoof, only half-glaring at the party pony.

Rainbow grinned, flapping her wings as she stood up on her hind legs, sweeping the packets from Applejack's hoof and collecting them at her place. "I win!"

"Hey!" Applejack turned, snorting at Rainbow. "Stop that!"

Rarity rolled her eyes, levitating a napkin in her magic to help Fluttershy dab up her tea. The winged Kirin whimpered softly as Rarity's magic sparked, holding through sheer will. "Girls, please, we're in public."

"Rarity's right." Twilight added, re-folding her bat-like wings and levitating her spoon. She waved the utensil at her friends, frowning. "We should all be on our best behavior. And Pinkie, I'm taking the cost of this table from your allowance."

Pinkie sighed. "Yes, Twilight."

One of the stranger species in Canterlot trotted up to the table, frowning at the damage. Twilight knew her from many afternoon visits, and the Mountain Pony was relatively friendly, most of the time.

The long-haired mare tossed her curled mane from her eyes, a front hoof tapping on the tile. "Sparkle. Yur friends have bin causing mur damage than gud in hir."

"I-I know, Mist. I'll pay for it all."

"With tip?" The pony tilted her chin up haughtily, a friendly twinkle returning to her eyes. 

"With a tip." Twilight relented.

The mare trotted away, long tail sweeping over the floor. Four of her hooves kept her steady while she gathered cups from other customers with her first pair. 

"Who's that?" Pinkie asked, kicking up the edge of the table and sticking a napkin box underneath to hold it up. "She acted like she knew you."

"I come down here a lot. It's quiet, and gives me a chance to keep from being gawked at. Her name's Mist; she's one of the Northern Mountain ponies. They have six legs so they can steady themselves better when they climb." Twilight set her spoon down, not having noticed she was still carrying it. "But really, Pinkie, you can't kick tables like you used to, okay?"

Pinkie pouted, slouching with her chin on the table. 

The door opened behind them, and a small group of armored guards trotted in. They located Twilight quickly, surrounding the table. "Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Yes?" Twilight stood up, glancing to her friends for them to do the same. 

"The Princesses have requested your audience. Trouble is brewing in the south."


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A True, True Friend