//------------------------------// // Hey... I Know You! // Story: A Couple of Showponies // by Possumfacee //------------------------------// “Great show, guys!” Spitfire yelled above the cheers of a still-riled audience; the Wonderbolts fans were always generous with their applause, but there had never been this much hoof-stomping and frenzied cheers before. “Keep performing like that and I'll knock an hour off of Saturday practice. Now shower up!” The fiery-maned pegasus turned to her co-captain, Soarin, and thumped his shoulder with her hoof. “Especially you. I bet I could smell you all the way from Canterlot!” The pale blue stallion raised his foreleg, sniffed, and cringed, turning slightly green. “R-Right away, Spits... Ugh.” He saluted awkwardly and dashed off toward the stallion locker room, leaving Spitfire alone in the back stage of the stadium. The cheers of the crowd were dying down as the devoted fans were slowly heading home, but the yellow mare still felt the accomplished tingle of a job well done. Perhaps she'd been pushing the team a little too hard, but if it paid off it was well worth the extra effort. And it had paid off- even the newest, least polished tricks had been pulled off nearly flawlessly. And the small slip up from the newest full time member of the team, Lightning Streak, had gone unnoticed by most if not all of the show's attendees. Breathing a sigh of relief, Spitfire decided to skip the shower and reward herself with a warm bubble bath back at her hotel room. Waiting a couple moments after the stadium fell silent to make sure no crazed fans were lingering (as she had learned to do every time from a couple bad experiences), the Wonderbolts captain exited the large stadium into a crisp Manehattan night. Luna's sky was extravagantly lit tonight, and the whole city seemed to be coated in silver. Shivering slightly, Spitfire made a beeline for the hotel, barely visible on the horizon. As fiery as she was, the mare was not a big fan of cold weather, and the warm orange glow from the windows of the buildings she passed made her bones ache with a longing for her warm bed back in Cloudsdale. But, she thought with a small smile, soon the winter tours will be over for the holidays and I'll be back home with my family... and my bed! As she slowly descended in front of the hotel, she heard her name being called out frantically. Normally she'd avoid a confrontation this late at night in the middle of Manehattan, but the voice sounded oddly familiar. I'm sure I don't know anyone who lives here... Against her better judgment, Spitfire stopped and turned in the direction of the voice, ready to drop-kick an attacker back into the reign of Nightmare Moon. “Spitfire?! It is you!” An azure-coated unicorn was enthusiastically trotting in her direction, tugging a small wagon behind her (with some strain, Spitfire noted). “Er... Yep. It's me.” The golden mare reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a pen. “What can I do for you? Autograph?” She waved the pen slightly, fully prepared to jab it into this strange mare if she needed to. The unicorn paused, looking terribly offended. “What? You don't remember-” she stood on her hind legs and waved her forelegs- “the Great and Powerful... whoa!” The blue mare lost her balance and plummeted backwards, knocking her head on the wagon still attached to her. Wincing, Spitfire trotted over and extended her hoof to this strange pony. “Ouch. Stupid wagon. Trixie will end you! You know not who you have wronged!” The mare took Spitfire's hoof and began to pull herself up. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will-” Spitfire gasped and accidentally released Trixie's hoof, sending her back down to the grimy street. “Oops!” She grabbed the now dingy unicorn and helped her up. “I'm sorry, I just... You can't be that Trixie! The one from the Young Performer's camp back about... what, ten years ago?” Looking appalled at the state of her coat, Trixie grunted. “The very same. Leave it to a pony as popular as you to forget her very best friend... for life.” Pouting for a moment, the mare shrugged and ran a hoof through her mane. “No matter! Surely you have more important things on your plate than remembering foalhood friends. It's not as though Trixie sent you countless letters or anything.” She turned back to her wagon, unhooking herself from it and giving it a stubborn kick. Feeling her cheeks burn, Spitfire chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. “Heh... Yeah. I've had so much mail the past few years that I've just given up on reading most of it... Sorry.” The Wonderbolt shivered as the wind picked up, cutting through the thin cloth of her uniform. “You've got to come up to my room with me! There's so much catching up to do.” Grabbing her old friend's hoof, she tugged her towards the door. “Come on, I'll make sure someone takes care of your wagon for you.” “If you insist,” Trixie replied, not resisting or letting go of Spitfire's hoof as they scrambled inside. Spitfire hurried to the elevator, bouncing in place as she waited for it to reach the lobby. “C'mon, c'mon!” She mumbled, staring at the ticker above the doors as another pony, a mint-green unicorn, stopped beside the pair and snorted. Spitfire turned to see the mare shooting Trixie, who had her head low as she stared at the floor, a dirty look before grumbling “I'll get the next elevator,” and promptly turning on her heels and stomping off. Before she could question her friend, a friendly “ding!” sounded and the elevator's doors opened, beckoning in the two mares. Trixie's head still hung low, and Spitfire gently nudged the blue mare. “You okay?” Trixie yanked away from her and nodded. “Trixie is fine, thanks. Would you mind if Trixie jumped through your shower?” “Er...” Spitfire glanced at the dirty spots on Trixie's fur from the multiple encounters with Manehattan's less than pristine streets. “Of course you can.” The friendly “ding!” sounded again, and the two stepped off on the 5th floor. Leading the way down the hall, the fiery pegasus hummed happily to herself. “Ah!” she exclaimed, fumbling about her saddlebag for a moment before yanking out a key card and sliding it quickly through the keypad in front of a large red door. “Room 517. Make yourself at home!” While she waited from Trixie to finish showering, Spitfire stripped out of her oppressive (and stinky!) uniform and flung it on the floor. “Ahhh...” The mare plopped down on the couch, staring up at the ceiling as she thought back to the first time she'd met Trixie, who was one of her oldest friends... ***** “Well, well, well. If it isn't the lame and cowardly Trixie!” Spitfire rolled her eyes as the voice rang out through the playground, the surrounding foals abandoning their games of hoofball and hide-and-seek to investigate the small mob forming near the swings. “You're not helping!” the fiery yellow pegasus called out to Soarin, who was generally anything but helpful when it came to mediating peacefully, as he zipped over to the ever-growing crowd, turning his head and sticking out his tongue at her as he flew. A smirk crept across Spitfire's face as he turned back too late to notice the monkey bars directly in front of him. The pained “oomf” he managed to squeak out as he collided was enough to quell her annoyance momentarily. Still, she felt it was her duty to keep these rowdy brats under control- even if she was fresh out of the rowdy brat stage herself-, and so she stomped forward, parting the sea of young ponies to get a better look at the scene before her. A small blue and green unicorn filly was standing over an even smaller blue unicorn whose eyes were wide with panic despite the look of pride she was struggling to keep on her face. This wasn't the first time she'd seen the larger filly picking on somepony else, but Spitfire was surprised to see the victim was... what was her name? Trixie! Yes, the small azure unicorn could be annoying at times, but she mostly kept to herself, standing around brushing her mane or playing with her teddy bear. It didn't seem completely out of the question that Trixie had said the wrong thing or pushed the bully's buttons, but regardless of the circumstances, it was her job to put an end to this. Stepping forward and nudging the larger filly away from Trixie, Spitfire barked “Name?” “None of your beeswax, Flame-Brain.” The obnoxious foal struggled to get around the older and larger mare, but to no avail. “This doesn't concern you. Go play with somepony your own age.” Spitfire kept a straight face despite the powerful urge to knock the filly straight into Cloudsdale. “It is my business, I'm the oldest!” With a small rush of pride, the young pegasus stood a bit taller as she continued. “And besides, even if I wasn't the oldest, it's my responsibility as a decent pony to help someone in need.” “Bleh bleh bleh responsible! Pffft!” The aqua-maned filly prodded Spitfire's chest with a hoof. “You pegasi are all the same: high and mighty until real danger strikes. That's when you can count on unicorns to stick around!” “A bully and a racist?” Trixie snorted and admired her hoof, brushing a bit of dirt from her mane. “Trixie attracts the worst kinds of ponies, wouldn't you agree...?” she trailed off, motioning her hoof at Spitfire. With a small smile which probably ended up looking more like a grimace, Spitfire nodded. “Agreed,” she replied before turning back to the offender. “But regardless of your personal beliefs, you need to be respectful or at least pleasant to other ponies.” “You can't tell me what to do, you're not my mom!” The small filly puffed herself up, her tiny horn emitting a bit of magic. “Yes, and Trixie is sure Spitfire's very grateful for that.” Trixie smirked and stood next to the fiery mare, looking up at her with a bit of awe in her large purple eyes. The unicorn shot another glare at the pair before turning away and kicking a cloud of dirt at them. “Whatever,” she grumbled as Spitfire coughed. “Both of you combined aren't worth even a minute of my time.” With that, she trotted off, head held high, until she disappeared from view. Shaking her head, Spitfire looked down at the unicorn by her side, her eyes still glued to the pegasus' face. “Erm...” Rubbing the back of her neck, Spitfire extended a hoof to the runt. “I guess you already know my name, but it's nice to meet you face to face. Where'd you hear about me anyway?” Trixie took Spitfire's hoof and shook it gently. “And you must know my name now. Or what that foal Seafoam-” she shot a glance in the direction the bully had headed, “has chosen to call me.” She released the pegasus' hoof suddenly, jumping into a dramatic pose, her chest puffed up as she grinned. “But do not be fooled, fair maiden, for I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!” She looked up at Spitfire expectantly. “But who hasn't heard of you, that is the better question! Trixie is sure everypony here knows about the daughter of a Wonderbolt!” “Oh.” Spitfire blushed slightly, lowering her head as a few foals glanced over at Trixie's overly-enthusiastic outburst. “Of course.” She stood and spread her wings, lifting a foot or so off the ground. Smiling down at the younger filly, she had to admit to herself that Trixie's exuberant attitude was somewhat charming. “So what was that little brat- I mean Seafoam picking on you about anyway?” All at once, the enthusiasm faded from Trixie's eyes. She spat at the ground, her ears flat back against her head. “Some of the other ponies here doubt Trixie's awesome power. But they're foals for doing so!” The young filly kicked at the ground with a vengeance, a small tuft of grass flying through the air. A frown settled upon her face as she looked up at Spitfire. “Right? They're foals, right?” “Well duh!” Landing softly next to Trixie, Spitfire grinned and laid her wing on the smaller pony's shoulders. “'You don't get accepted into the Young Performer's Training Camp if you're not the best of the best!' That's what my dad always told me.” She lightly nudged Trixie's side. “So what are you here to practice? What makes you so great and powerful?” The filly's eyes filled with excitement once more. “Trixie is going to be a magician! The most powerful magician in all of Equestria!” Once more, several nearby foals paused to stare at the blue unicorn as she posed, standing on her hind legs and flailing her top half with a big smile. “And Trixie- I bet you're here to become a Wonderbolt, huh?” “Maybe,” Spitfire replied, her eyes on the clouds as a small frown formed on her face. Not noticing her companion's sudden change in attitude, Trixie smiled and hugged Spitfire's front legs tight. “Thank you for standing up for me. Trixie is- I am grateful to have found a friend who appreciates how great and powerful I am.” Spitfire smiled down at the younger filly. “Someday they'll feel silly for doubting you. Now why don't you show me some of your tricks?” Trixie's eyes lit up, and she nodded furiously. “Sure!” she squeaked. “Let me go get my teddy- I mean, let Trixie show you how to vanquish an Ursa Major!” Spitfire chuckled as she watched the little unicorn dash off, nearly tripping over her own hooves with excitement. ***** Spitfire was suddenly shaken from the memory by the creaking of the bathroom door as Trixie glanced out into the living room. Spotting the pegasus stretched out on the couch, the blue mare trotted out of the room, a cloud of steam following her. Spitfire smiled at her friend, then realized the mare was staring directly at her rump. Blushing and covering herself with her fiery tail, Spitfire cleared her throat loudly. Trixie's eyes snapped up to Spitfire's, the situation dawning on her. “Oh!” she yelped, blushing just as brightly as the Wonderbolt. “N-No! Oh, it's not as it seems. Trixie was trying to see your cutie mark... I didn't remember what it looked like.” The unicorn groaned, covering her face with her hooves. “Trixie always manages to make a foal of herself these days!” “Oh.” Sitting up to allow Trixie room on the couch, the yellow pegasus chuckled. “It's okay. And honestly, who doesn't want a piece of this?” When Trixie buried her face farther into her hooves, Spitfire squirmed uncomfortably. “Er, joking of course.” Still no response. “Um... Tell you what, I'll go make us some hot chocolate and you can catch me up on what you've been doing this past decade, huh?” Taking the silence that greeted her as an agreement, Spitfire scrambled off the couch and padded into the adjoining kitchen. As she stood on her hind legs to grab the packets of cocoa from the shelf above the stove, she heard the door of the hotel opening. “What... Trixie?” Spitfire dropped down to all fours and trotted back toward the living room. “Where are you...” She trailed off as she noticed tears on her friend's face. “What's wrong?” Trixie paused and sighed. “Trixie has not been as lucky as you. Trixie- I was a foal for thinking you'd want to be friends with a loser like me. Trust me, you don't want to hear about my life. You wouldn't want to be my friend if you did.” Confused, Spitfire stepped toward her friend. “What? No, it can't be that bad. You're the Great and Powerful Trixie, after all!” Wincing, Trixie shook her head. “Sorry for wasting your time, Spitfire.” The mare dashed out into the hallway, nearly colliding with another guest. “Watch where you're going!” Trixie nearly yelled as she frantically raced to the elevator, slamming her hoof into the down arrow. “Trixie...” Spitfire started to follow her friend, but the unicorn shook her head. As the elevator arrived, Trixie turned back to Spitfire, her cheeks glistening with tears. “Please leave Trixie be.” She stepped inside and the doors clicked shut, leaving Spitfire alone in the hallway with the guest who had narrowly avoided being knocked over. He snorted, turning away and ambling down the hall. Frozen in place, Spitfire watched the elevator's ticker count down to the lobby floor (4, 3, 2, 1...) before returning to her room, the tingly happiness from the night's show completely gone and replaced with something she could not quite understand. For a moment, she thought about just going to bed, but suddenly she had a different plan. Throwing open her window, the pegasus zipped outside into the frosty air once more, scanning the street below for her friend. “C'mon...” Just as she was about to return to the safety of her warm room, a flash of blue caught her eye, and she dived down to the street. Easing the dive at the last moment, she landed directly in front of a still wet-cheeked Trixie and muttered “Hey,” quietly with a half smile. “Please don't go yet.” Trixie looked away, kicking at the pavement. “Trixie left her wagon. She would have had to come back eventually.” “Yeah, but I was worried you'd leave and I'd never find you again.” Spitfire sighed and looked down at the ground. “Look, you don't have to come back right now, and you don't have to tell me what you've been up to since we last met, but I want you to promise me that you'll meet me here tomorrow afternoon. We can go get lunch or something. My treat. Please, just... don't go like that.” Trixie looked unconvinced. “I know we haven't even seen each other since we were like... what, eighteen and sixteen? But I didn't mean for things to turn out that way. I just got so caught up with training and my family was always traveling... I won't make excuses anymore. I'd really like to better friends again. I want to make it up to you. And trust me when I say that I don't think that you're a loser, and nothing that you could have done will change that.” “..f-fine.” Trixie trotted past Spitfire, flicking her muzzle with her pale blue tail. “Meet me in front of the hotel at 5pm. If you're late, Trixie will not hang about! Now farewell.” With a puff of smoke, the unicorn dashed off into the night, leaving Spitfire in a coughing fit. “Trixie!” Spitfire croaked between coughs. “Your wagon!” Slowly emerging from the shadows, Trixie grinned sheepishly. “Leave it to you to ruin Trixie's grand escape.” She cleared her throat and dashed down the road back toward the hotel parking lot, looking over her shoulder at the yellow pegasus. “5pm. Be there!” “Okay!” Spitfire called out. Standing still for a moment, she repeated more quietly, “Okay.” *** Luna's brilliant silver night was beginning to fade into Celestia's colorful morning as Spitfire finally fell asleep, dreaming a dream she would not remember in the morning, filled with fireworks and lights and a beautiful magician.