By Darkryt Orbinautz
Eviler Than Thou
Chapter 4
Of Accents and Accusations
Trixie, Flim and Flam all covered their mouths in worry, still taking in the spectacle. Pink Cloud, leaking that substance so wretched, yet coursed through everypony on the cement stairs.
Trixie looked to the minister, asking with her eyes if she could approach. If she had been heedful of the minister's words, she might've realized Orion could see what she was asking, arousing his suspicious of the newcomer magician even more.
Trixie slowly took a step forward, then another one, then stopped, absorbing the grisly scene. Flim placed himself by her side, which reassured her enough to come closer. (Though the showoff in her would never admit this)
The two unicorns gingerly approached the bottom of the stairs.
"Pink Cloud?" Flim quietly pipped out. There was no response. No response at all.
"Zhe'll ve fine." The doctor that looked like Daring Do told him. "Vut not until after zhe haz had ztiches."
Flim tilted his head at the doctor. "May I say, madam, you have a very strange accent."
The doctor shot him a look which made it clear to him he was speaking quite out of line. "Vou vatch vore tongue, bo've! I am the only dokter in Trottinham, and vou know wh've? Vecause I am good enough any other dokters vould ve re-dun-dant!"
Flim backed away, not expecting a 'dokter' to be so quite so...feisty. "Uh, my mistake, ma'am."
"Darn right it iz!" The dokter snapped. Somehow, she was capable of chewing Flim out and getting Pink Cloud into a stable enough condition that the pegasus could be taken to a hospital where more advanced equipment could be used to salvage her.
The doctor bit Pink Cloud's mane and carefully began to lift her, the pegasi's limbs flopping about like a slowly dragged rag doll as the doctor lifted her up onto her back. Trixie shuddered. Seeing a pony's body manipulated like that...so-so limp and-and... lifeless.
Orion departed from the crowd and started trotting up along the doctor. Trixie got the feeling the two were close. The dark blue colt shot a nasty look at her over his shoulder.
The minister shook his head and chuckled. "Ah...good old Vivian. She's a little rough around the edges, but if a pony can be saved, she'll save 'em."
Flam had just the tiniest dissent in regards to the minister's opinion. "A little rough?"
The minister didn't hear him, or at least pretended not to. "All right, everypony, crisis dealt with. Please return to your homes...Yes, that's it, go on..."
The assembled crowd did as told, slowly but surely separating back into whatever groups they were in before the scream had been heard. Having dismissed everypony but them, the minister turned towards Trixie, Flim, and Flam.
"You three ought to head back home as well." The old pony said. "Celestia knows if whatever did that to Pink Cloud is willing to come down from the tower." He turned around and disappeared into the shadows after his warning.
Flam raised his eyebrows at Trixie and Flim.
Trixie, thinking that she had done something to hurt Flim she wasn't aware of having done, started a small trickle of sweat on her forehead.
Flam cleared his throat and gestured to his chest.
"What are you getting at, Flam?" Flim questioned.
Flam crossed his hooves across each other, as if trying to clip one into the other.
Flim and Trixie looked at each other. They finally saw what Flam was getting at.
Flim awkwardly tried to laugh it. "Ehheheh...it would seem, beautiful Trixie, that we are wearing the others' clothes."
"So we are." Trixie agreed. "...The Great and Powerful Trixie demands the return of her hat and cloak immediately!"
"Of course, of course..." Flim set to work undoing the clasp of Trixie's cloak and took off her hat. Trixie held them in her magic while she fiddled with getting Flim's clothes off herself. Even she knew that fair trade is fair trade. Although, as she messed with it, she couldn't but start to wonder; If she and Flim had rushed so much that they got dressed in the other's clothes, how did they have the frame of mind to clip the clasps, knot the ties and push all the buttons?
Deciding not to bother Flim with her musings, she gave Flim's shirt, tie, and hat to him and all three unicorns departed to their residence for the night.
Under the covers of her bed in the hotel room, Trixie couldn't sleep well. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened to Pink Cloud. What kind of creature could do that, that would do that, that would also bother hanging out around the bell tower and ring the bell? Perhaps there was more then one creature up there? A pony ringing the bell on purpose to anger the townsfolk and a large rat that had cut up Pink Cloud independently of said pony? A warlock ringing the bell in an effort to summon the Headless Horse to tame it, and his pet demon that kept Pink Cloud away?
After a couple of hours, Trixie removed herself from the room bed. She hadn't actually slept, kept awake by her pondering. Bags had formed under her eyes and her mane was disheveled, and had she her way, she would've lied on the mattress for as long as took for her to get the sleep she was deprived, but it was morning now, and that meant she had to do her morning rounds.
She got dressed and left the hotel grounds, finding something she really wasn't expecting just outside the door.
Her wagon. Intact, cleaned up and prepared for travel. If she would've been so humble, she might've even said that it looked better then when she had first rolled into forest. But...how? Trixie was starting to dislike Trottingham. It was getting more mysterious by the minute. Who would've taken the time to trek through the forest, find her wagon, fix it and bring it all the way to the motel for just for her?
...Flim. Flim would've done it for her.
Okay. Maybe Trottingham wasn't that terribly mysterious.
Smiling to herself, she perkily swung back into the hotel to sign out.
"My, my." The register clerk clicked her tongue. "Somepony looks happy."
"Trixie is quite happy!" Trixie self-narrarated. "Somepony was nice enough to clean her wagon and bring it outside the hotel for her."
"Oh my! What a gentlecolt!" The clerk exclaimed.
"Trixie will be returning to her wagon, and as such, will be signing out of the hotel room."
"Awww, so soon? Are you sure we can't get you to stay one more night?"
Trixie became very uncomfortable with the clerk's saddened tone. She got the feeling the clerk might've been possessed by some spirit from the hotel that made sure the patrons didn't want to check out. "...Yes, Trixie is sure."
The clerk chuckled. "Well, can't blame me for trying to help the hotel make a buck, can you?" She happily held up a pen for Trixie to sign out with.
Trixie exhaled quietly in relief that she was getting into a tizzy over nothing. She took the pen and signed the papers saying she no longer was staying at the hotel. After shaking hooves with the clerk, she went to her room to pack her stuff and put where it belonged- in her wagon. That done, she got into the wagon and used her spell to make it move, rolling down the streets until she was at her destination- Flim and Flam's shop.
The yellow unicorns started in confusion at the wagon they hadn't seen before until Trixie popped herself out the door and waved.
"Ah, Trixie!" Flam exclaimed jovially. "This is your wagon, I take it?"
"Mh-hmm!"
"It's very nice."
"It is, isn't it? Your dear brother was so kind as to rescue it from the forest."
Flim stopped whatever he was doing and scratched his head. "...I was?"
Flam turned towards his twin. "Flim, were you not so kind as to fix Trixie's wagon?"
"No. I had no idea where her wagon was or that Trixie even had one!"
Trixie narrowed her eyes. "So wait, you didn't fix my wagon?"
"No..."
Trixie tucked in her cheeks in agitation. Seems Trottingham was that terribly mysterious after all. "Would...you two mind if Trixie were to set up her wagon next to your machine?"
"Not at all, dear!" Flim assured her with a tip of a hat. Flam's eye twitched. He was probably still afraid of Trixie hurting Flim, but he didn't seem confident enough to raise an actual objection.
Trixie magicked her wagon over to the side and slightly to the back of the Super Squeezy machine. Close enough to suggest she was on good terms with the Brothers, without being so invasive as to ward off potential customers. Having parked her wagon, Trixie got out of and took a seat on the Brother's set-up.
"So, how's business been?" Trixie attempted to make small talk.
"Slow, but we're still new here." Flam answered.
Trixie sat back against her seat, then spotted a brown unicorn with a orange mane walking past the store. "Hey, perhaps he could be a customer?"
Flim and Flam looked at him, then back to Trixie. "...How?"
Trixie rolled her eyebrows. "You know, for such entrepreneurial ponies, you sure don't how to run a business." Trixie started clearing the table and jumped up on it. She used her magic to make it appear like her cape was billowing in the wind, despite the lack of such, pointed at the brown colt, then started boasting her best announcer voice. "You there! Unicorn with the orange mane!"
The unicorn's eyes widened he realized Trixie was talking to him. He shakily turned his head towards her. "W-who- m-me?" He must've been shy, Trixie concluded from the way he stuttered.
"Yes, you!" Trixie answered. "You look like you could use a refresher! A pick-me-up!"
"I-I do?"
"I don't know, maybe. Just play along. Why not buy some of the Flim Flam Brothers own foal-safe type cider to make your morning as bright as the beverage?"
The brown colt's eyes shifted back and forth across the street, but he nodded. "O-okay, sure..." he nervously sat down at one of the tables. Flam and Flim zoomed over to make him comfortable.
"Mind you though, while our cider is delish, we do have some other drinks if that's more your speed." Flam informed him.
"T-that's fine." The colt stuttered out.
Flim pulled a notepad and quill. "So, what'll it be? Cider? Plain Apple juice? Milk or perhaps an orange smoothie? Just plain water?"
The colt seemed to shake in his seat, confounded by Flim's offering of decision.
Flim took the notebook away from his face. "Sir, are you all right?"
"HERE!" The colt exclaimed, throwing some bits on the table. "Just take my money and don't hurt me!" He bolted out of his seat and dashed out of the set-up.
Trixie and Flam pouted. "What was that all about?"
Flim hung his neck over the table, looking at the bits. He scooped them up and held them in the air. "Sir, don't you want your change?"
Trixie facehooved.
"Eh-hem..." A familiar voice snarled. "That nice young bartender asked you if you wanted your change."
The unicorn was corralled back into the set-up by Lemon Hearts.
"But-but..."
"But what?" Lemon Hearts growled. "I mean, it's not like they hurt somepony, is it?"
The colt raised his hoof. Lemon Hearts snorted.
"...No, ma'am." The colt turned back to face Flim. "Ah...yes, I would like my change."
Flim kinetically moved the bits from his hoof to the colt's hoof. He then left at a much slower, less panicked pace.
"I'm sorry about that." Lemon Hearst apologized after the colt left. "Orion's been going around telling everypony how he thinks you three got Pink Cloud. I don't buy it, but I can't speak for everypony."
"Insolent jerk!" Trixie snapped. "The Great and Powerful Trixie did not harm Pink Cloud! If I did, I would make sure I got credit for it!"
Lemon Hearts eyed her warily. "...Yeah, I'm sure you would. Anyways, I don't think you did it."
"That's nice of you." Flim complimented.
"Yeah, see. If you three knew we were coming for you, then why would you attack Pink Cloud, but not come after me?"
"A valid question."
Lemon Hearts reached behind herself and pulled out a book from...where ever. "I thought you three might be interested in a chance to prove your innocence, so I got this for you to read." She chunked the book on the table.
Flam flipped it open and started reading. "Ahem...foreword, by Andrew Joshua Talon, "For-'"
"Skip that." Hearts instructed. She reached her hoof over and started flipping through the book here. "Here. Read here."
Flam cleared his throat again and started reading. "'On The Headless Horse...the Headless Horse is more then it first appears to be. Despite all my intensive research, I have found nothing of him. Some say he was born by the little-known Princess Luna before her exile (See page 121, 'Mare in The Moon') and is disturbed when the bell is rung because it reminds of him of his mother's lullaby, which he knows he will not hear again. Others suggest the Headless Horse is the vengeful spirit of a criminal who was decapitated in medieval times. Still, some say he is the manifestation of the all the sins in all of the ponies of Trottingham. Plenty of theories, but so few facts...'"
Trixie and the Flim Flam Brothers looked at Lemon Hearts.
"...What is this supposed to tell us?"
"Who's Princess Luna?"
"Are you trying to tell me we're supposed to play a lullaby for the Headless Horse?"
" One, what you need to do. two, Princess Celestia's sister. Three, no." Lemon Hearts answered.
The three of them were still confused.
"Princess Celestia has a sister?"
"What is it we need to do?"
Lemon Hearts took in a deep breath and facehooved. "You three need to go up the bell tower and find out who's ringing the bell and bring them to justice!"
Flim, Flam and Trixie were all aghast at this idea. Didn't Lemon Hearts see what the mysterious bell-ringer did to Pink Cloud? What's to prevent it from doing that to them?
Lemon Hearts scuffed her hoof at the ground. "I'll leave that book with you, in case you need it again. I know you probably don't wanna face whatever did that to Pink Cloud, but somepony needs to. And don't forget; If you go catch who did this, Orion'll have to admit your innocent! Stew on that for awhile."
Lemon Hearts left on that.
The three unicorns started stewing, as Hearts had instructed. Was it worth it? Risking their life and limb to prove their innocence? Most ponies would've said 'Yes' but these particular three had a slightly greater sense of self-preservation then most ponies. Enough so that they could handle being thought of guilty if meant they could keep their body parts on their bodies.
At least that's what they thought.
For the rest of the day, no pony came into the shop to buy anything, no matter how much Trixie boasted of the cider's quality. Granted, plenty of ponies threw measly offerings of bits in hopes it would keep Trixie and the Brothers from hurting them, which Flim and Flam, seeing that they were currently unlikely to make any other way of income, but as the day faded away and was replaced by the utterly moonless night, it started feeling...wrong. Flim, Flam and Trixie weren't exactly just ponies. They didn't mind a few little lies and misconceptions if it helped them make a buck. But for some reason, they just couldn't shake that feeling of guilt. They hadn't hurt Pink Cloud, but when a pony is told a lie many times, they eventually start to believe it. At this rate, how long would it take for the three of them to think that they HAD done that to Pink Cloud? Because Pink Cloud had nearly been the one to find out their bell-ringing scheme...that wasn't even theirs!
Unable to resist whatever magic in the night was making them suddenly care about the truth, Flim and Flam scooped up all their undeserved bits from the day's haul into a sack and resolved to give them all back to the townsfolk when they had gotten this mess sorted out.
Not that they were going to the bell tower. They still wouldn't dare begin the ascent up that wretched rising structure to be met with the same shredded-up fate as Pink Cloud had met. No, they would just...confront Orion. Simple enough. There was three of them and only one of him...but he did appear to have the town on his side. It was entirely possible he could rally a mob with torches and pitchforks to run the three of them out of town...
Flim looked at the sack of bits. The sight of it reminded him why they had settled on what they were settling on.
"Well..." Flim screwed up all he had that resemble courage. "Let's go."
The three of them began marching out of the shop and were halfway across the street when it hit them.
"So...where does Orion live?" Trixie asked.
Flim and Flam looked at her.
"...We thought you knew that."
"...Trixie sees."
They had no idea where Orion lived. They couldn't very well asks anypony. That would just make them appear more suspicious to the townsfolk. If they asked somepony, that pony would probably run screaming to Orion that the three of them were out to get him, and he could do...whatever he'd do if he thought somepony was coming after him.
They paced around in circles, walking after the others' tails, trying to think of what to do. More then once, one of them would raise their hoof, thinking they had something, only to put it down and shake their heads when they realized they really had nothing. What to do, what to do...
"Hmmhmhm...feeling lost, my little ponies? I've yet to see somepony walk around in circles quite like that."
The three of them looked over the street to see the minister, regarding them with amusement. The minister, of course! He'd be willing to help them, wouldn't he? He had been so nice before...
"Minister?" Trixie squeaked. "Can you help us?"
"I can try." The minister answered jovially. "What ails you?"
"We're trying to find Orion."
"He's at Doctor Vaccine's...as usual. What do you need him for? Anything I can help with?"
The three of them all got naughty smiles on their face. To their understanding, the minister was a pony who kept Orion in check.
"Er, perhaps." Trixie said, trying to be coy. "We were told that Orion's been going around telling everypony how he thinks we hurt Pink Cloud."
The minister's jovial disposition disappeared. "Is that so? Seems I will be seeing Orion, irreverent of whether or not you come with me."
When Trixie first met the minister, she had gotten the impression he was somepony that wouldn't look very nice when crossed. Right now, he looked quite cross, and Trixie had been right; He did not look nice at the moment.
He walked over the street and rounded the three of them up like ducklings following their mother in the swimming pond. It felt less like the three of them going on a mission to confront Orion and more like the three of them being guided along to witness the minister doing so.
The minister led them through the streets and alleyways of Trottingham's streets, their hooves clipping and clopping across the cement of the sidewalks until they reached a simple, red brick house with a large wooden sign hung above the door. "Doctor Vaccine's."
The minister knocked his hoof on the door violently.
"Voo iz it?" A voice like Vaccine's asked from behind the door. It was a little more squeaky, like it was coming from a child.
"Seashells, seashells, by the sea floor, won't you see me and open the door?" the minister chanted. Trixie and the Brothers were confused by this.
The door was rather enthusiastically swung open to reveal, sure enough, a filly that looked like a tinier version of Vaccine. Almost a copy of Daring Do with the exception of her hair being cord-like, and black with yellow stripes rather then gray-scale. "Minizter!" She cried, running up to the minister and hugging him the best her tiny legs could manage.
"Hello, Vivian." The minister greeted.
Flam tapped the minister on the shoulder. "I...take this delightful little filly is the good Doctor's filly?"
"Yes. I'm often her foalsitter. Which is why I taught that special little rhyme, so that she always knows when it's me at the door." He adorably booped Vivian's nose.
"Are voo here to pla've vith me and momm've?"
The minister signed. "I'm sorry, dear, but no. I'm here to see Orion."
Vivian pouted. "Iz he in trouble again?"
The minister mimicked her accent. "Ves. Ves he iz."
Vivian moved to let the minister in, but when Trixie, Flim and Flam tried to follow, she got in their and took a fighting stance, scraping her hoof and snorting, clearly distrustful of theze ponieezz she had never zeen vefore. "Halt! Voo goes there?"
"It's all right, Vivian." The minister said from within the house. "They're with me."
"Oh. Okay." Vivian turned around and went back inside the brick house. Trixie, Flim and Flam all looked to each other, not sure if they should go ahead...They had gotten this far. Why stop now? That resolved, they entered the building.
It was simple. Humble, even. Wood walls and floors, a red sofa, a red carpet for the foals to play on. A few hallway entrances, A few pictures that hung on the wall. Trixie didn't feel like approaching them just to make out what was in them better. Vivian sat down on her hind legs just in front of the couch.
Flim reached a hoof out for her attention. "Excuse me, Vivian, but-"
Vivian, as if she could tell what pointed to the hallway entrance on the left of the room. "In there."
Flim blinked, then backed away from Vivian, slightly unnerved. "Eeeh...right! In there, my compredre's!" The three of them marched into the doorway Vivian had pointed at.
It led into a very large room with several beds set up against the walls. One of them had Pink Cloud on it, lying on her back and looking generally okay. The covers were hiding the stitches on her body, no doubt. Seems Vaccine's house doubled as the local hospital, though Trixie couldn't see any advanced equipment like the Doctor had mentioned. Maybe it was hidden?
Doctor Vaccine sat on a stool on the bed's right, while Orion sat on the same on the bed's left. The minister was sitting on the floor, he and Vaccine giving Orion quite disapproving looks.
"Ah, Flam, Trixie and Flim!" The minister put his hooves together at their arrival. "I do believe Orion has something to say, don't you, Orion?"
"Get glued." Orion growled.
The minister bared his teeth and looked he was about to wallop Orion a new one, but Vaccine intercepted before anything could happen.
"Orion, zweetie," Vaccine purred, rubbing her hoof on Orion's chin. "Zurely voo don't need zo rude to theze newkomers?"
Orion seemed to smile and flush at Vaccine's touch. Trixie recognized the look as that of a pony being touch by another they had a significant crush on. "Well, I don't know...there's still the issue of who...did that to Pink Cloud."
Vaccine began rubbing her hoof on him slower, allowing him to feel every curve of the yellow appendage. "There iz, vut that'zz no reazon to ztart zpreading such nazty lie'zz about them, iz it?"
Orion's head wobbled, clearly enjoying Vaccine's scrubbing. "...I guess not. I'm sorry about telling everypony you three were the ones that attacked Pink Cloud." He fell backwards on the bed like he was trying to put his head in Vaccine's lap, but he just ended up thumbing against the side of Pink Cloud's obscured Cutie Mark.
"Thank you, Orion." The minister spat out.
Trixie, Flim and Flam scraped their hooves, uncertain what to say.
"Err...apology accepted?" Flam questioned.
"Right then." The minister exclaimed, clapping his hooves and getting up. "That's all taken care of, so I guess we'll be off now."
"Take kare." Vaccine waved them off.
The minister walked over to Trixie and the Brothers to rejoin their group, but just as the four of them were about to leave, Vaccine raised her hoof into the air and swatted at said air, like she was trying to count the beat of a musical composition. "Vait!"
The mismatched group turned around at Vaccine's distraught cry. "Something wrong, Vaccine?"
"Er, ves, vut no." The strangely-accented doctor answered. "I vas vundering...kould vou four ztay here vith the patient vhile Orion and I go out about the town?"
Trixie and Flim exchanged confused looks. Why did Vaccine wait until now to ask that? Couldn't she asked that when they had all first came in?
Orion flung himself off the bed and onto his knees (well, hind knees) at the idea of him and Vaccine being out. "Oh, please! I'll admit to everypony I might see what I said was just speculation if you foalsit Pink Cloud and Vivian!"
Flam smirked and rubbed his hooves together. "Sounds like a good deal to me! What do you think, brother of mine? Trixie?"
Trixie shrugged her shoulders. "I...suppose Trixie can do this...bizarre request of yours."
"I'm quite certain Vivian will be happy to know I can play with her, then." The minister said.
Flim actually didn't want to do this, but seeing as he was outnumbered three-to-one, he hung his head and signed. "Huu...I guess."
Orion zoomed over and shook Trixie's hoof with a bustling amount of energy. "Oh, thank you, thank you so much!"
"...You're welcome?"
Orion bounced out of the room. Vaccine removed herself from her stool and followed him out. Trixie and her group sat down in various positions around the bed.
"Viiiiivian! Your mother's going out! Come in here so we can keep an eye on you!" The minister called.
Vivian excitedly ran into the room, swerving all the way around the bed to get to the minister. She jumped up on him like a hungry parasite and embraced him tightly. "Yaaaay! Now we can play games and tell each other stories and..." She yawned.
"Must be getting close to your bedtime."
"No... fair." Vivian protested. "You just got here..." despite her obvious want to play with the minister, her grip on him slipped and she slid down his chest and sunk into the floor like a blob. The minster chuckled, while Trixie couldn't help d'awwing at the filly's behavior. The minister scooped her in his arms and gently slid her under the covers of one of the occupied beds. She looked like a little puppy with her eyes closed and neck swiveled around the edge of the blanket.
"Aww...she's so cute when she's sleeping." Flim cooed.
"You should see her when she's awake." The minister informed him, petting Vivian's sleeping cheek. "I'd sing her lullaby, but as she's already asleep..."
The group sat there in silence, the night ticking away on Vaccine's wall-clock. Watching Vivian sleep was cute enough...for a while. Eventually though, the sound of the clock ticking became too much for Trixie to bear. Ick-ick-ick-ick-ick...
"Will somepony please talk about something!?"
"SHHhh!" The minister scolded, not wanting Vivian to be woken up.
"Sorry...but still..."
Ick-ick-ick-ick-ick.
Trixie's eye twitched. Somepony make that clock shut up!
"So!" Flam exclaimed. "What's, uh, what's up the Doc and Orion?"
"Orion's always had something of a crush on our good doctor." The minister explained. "He tries to keep it a secret, but everypony knows about it. It's one of the only ways to keep his temper in check, after all."
Ah! So that's why Vaccine started rubbing her hoof to get Orion to apologize to them. Huh.
Flam cocked his head, casting an sideways (figuratively and literally) glance at Trixie. "I must ask, minister, does Vivian...appreciate Orion's crush on him, or does she just use it to manipulate him?"
Trixie gave him a sideways glance back. There was a difference between being protective of his brother and being a jerk.
"Ehhh...I don't know how she feels about him really," the minister answered. "but she is willing to use it against him if it helps other ponies dealing with him...such as yourselves."
Flam's eyes widened as he realized he could've been giving off all the wrong signals. "Oh...oh yes! That's...nice of her...well, maybe not to Orion, but..."
DING-DONG-DING-DING.
All conversation was dropped.
Vivian muttered in her sleep, but thankfully didn't wake up.
The minister signed and shook his head. "I wish I knew why whomsoever disgracing the bell is doing this. Why? Are they trying to disrupt the Headless Horse?"
"Oh!" Trixie exclaimed. "Lemon Hearts gave us a book to read about the Headless Horse. It said some stuff about where he came from. "Lots of theories, but so few facts."
The minister put a contemplative hoof to his chin. "Hmph. Did she now? I'm sorry I can't help with that. I don't know anymore then the author of the book does about the Horse."
THIMP-THIMP-THIMP. Somepony frantically knocked on the door. "Help!"
That sounded like Orion!
Everypony rushed out of the bed-filled room and to the house's front entrance and swung it open to reveal Orion covered in soot with Vaccine more heavily scorched, unconscious, and breathing heavily on his back.
"Orion, what happened!?"
"I-I don't know! I heard the bell ring, then something got in my eyes. When I could see again, Vivian was like this!"
"Here, I'll get her into a bed..." The minister offered, using his hooves to remove Vaccine from Orion's back and onto his. The old pony ran back into the bedroom.
"I..." Orion gasped, his eyes becoming slightly watery. "I'm...going to go home...I can't help Vaccine, and...oh!" Orion turned around and faded into the streets.
Trixie, Flim and Flam were left standing there in Vaccine's house, feeling afraid and...somewhat guilty. Lemon Hearts had pressed on them to visit the bell tower to prove their innocence. They took a shortcut. A workaround, and somehow the bell being rung resulted in another pony getting hurt.
The minister came back out of the room with Vivian in his arms, er, legs. It was clear he didn't want her to wake up to see her mother scorched and barely breathing.
Why should they feel guilty? They hadn't hurt anypony. They hadn't dissected Pink Cloud or blasted Vaccine with a flamethrower. It's not like they were responsible. But they felt that way. Survivor's Guilt was a possible explanation. The three of locked their eyes in a triangle, hoping one of them would say something, but none of them did. They all knew what was on the others' mind. They didn't want do this. They really, really didn't want to do this...but they had to.
They had to go the bell tower.