//------------------------------//
// Day 3, Afternoon/Night 
// Story: Troubled Water 
// by Twisparkfiles 
//------------------------------//

Day 3, 1:04 p.m.
Jagged rock formations flanked a valley of dirt stretching for miles. Barren terra firma spanned from end to end with only a few trees and bushes growing. Rocks of different shapes and sizes dotted the landscape, some split open by natural forces. As the summer heat bore down on Rambling Rock Ridge, the local population of insects sought refuge underground. Even they believed the heat was overkill. 
Accompanying Trixie, Twilight and company treaded lightly across this part of Equestria for the nth time. Several hundred yards in front of them, a cave loomed wide open like the jaws of a monster. Not in a million years did they think about returning to this place, where trouble stuck to them like glue. 
“Ah hope this is the last time we go back to this place,” said Applejack, tension building up. “This has ‘trouble’ written all over it.”
“We all do, Applejack,” Twilight answered.
“Well, I don’t mind coming back,” Rarity said. “After all, this is where I get my gems.”
“Well, most of us,” Twilight replied, clearly not amused.
As they neared the cave, the red-vested Rover and two lumbering guards formed the welcome committee . “What’re you doing here?” yelled Rover. “Go away! No ponies allowed!”
Immediately, the stench of trouble and months of oral hygiene on a hiatus filled the air. Despite the revolting smell, Twilight stepped forward to deliver her brief message. “I ain’t gonna mince words with you, mister,” she started. “Return Ponyville’s water right now.”
“What water?” Rover denied. “We have nothing. Go away!”
Twilight stood firm and returned the dogs’ glare, challenging the latter. “There’s no use denying,” she said. “We know what happened. You deliberately used Trixie to do your dirty work.”
Rover looked at Trixie intently but looked away in denial shortly after. “What are you talking about?” he said. “I don’t know that pony. Go away! Or we will make you!”
The ponies’ tense looks made it clear that they weren’t going anywhere without their water. A tense standoff ensued, each side firing gazes at each other. They had come too far to walk away empty-hoofed. But a staring contest wouldn’t solve things.  
In the midst of the standoff, a shaken Trixie felt the weight of the world’s sadness pile up on her. Rover’s last reply sent a chilling sensation down her back. All the accolades she received from the Diamond Dogs turned out to be ruses. They didn’t love her magic tricks; they loved her ability to lift liters of water in one pass. “Why didn’t Trixie see this coming?” she asked herself quietly. 
Rainbow Dash, tasked with keeping Trixie from bailing out, noticed the latter shivering. Unless it was fever, Trixie had little reason to feel cold. “Hey,” Rainbow asked. “What’s gotten into you?”
Trixie didn’t reply but the shivering grew more erratic. 
“Hey!” Rainbow yelled, reaching for Trixie’s nape. “I’m talking to you!”
Before Rainbow’s hoof could make contact, Trixie snapped and abruptly lunged toward Rover, complete with an earsplitting shriek. The force sent both of them inside the cave. Ponies and dogs alike were left stunned at the sudden turn of events. Twilight and company eventually rushed to break up the fight, but the two guard dogs barred their way. This was the last straw.
“Fine!” Twilight cried angrily. “Let’s do this the hard way!” After which, she responded with a powerful blast that sent the two dogs flying inside the cave, as well.
What started out as tense negotiations eventually gave way to an all-out brawl. Words have failed to settle the matter; the hooves and paws have taken over. Alerted by the fighting at the cave entrance, more guard dogs—including Fido and Spot—joined the fight. Despite three-to-one odds, the ponies were holding their own in a thick mass of cartoonish smoke. Even Fluttershy, who wasn’t much of a fighter, kept her share of the dogs frustrated by leading them in a wild goose chase.
In the midst of the fighting, Applejack scored a direct hit against a guard dog with Bucky and Kicks. The dog hit the wall hard; not hard enough to keep him out of the fight but enough to crack the wall. The fierce fighting left the crack unattended until they began raining a mist of water below as it reached the ceiling. The sudden rain stopped the fighting. 
Applejack stretched out his tongue, catching several drops. Only one substance in the world was tasteless yet thirst-quenching. “Water,” she said. “It’s water, y’all.”
“Ha!” Twilight cried while face-to-face with Fido. “I knew it! You guys really stole our water! Now give it back!”
“The pony does not know what she is talking about,” replied the gray-vested Fido. “The water is from our underground storage.”
“Underground?” Twilight replied. “Then why is it coming from the ceiling?”
The uhms and errs coming out of Fido were all the confirmation Twilight needed.
“I thought so,” she said.
Suddenly, multiple cracking sounds filled the cave entrance quickly. Rock fragments began falling onto the cave floor and misty sprays gave way to gushing jets. Several tense moments later, falling chunks had everyone and their grandma running for their lives. A huge tsunami surged out of the cave, washing them out of the cave and across the ridge. In a matter of minutes, the entire ridge turned into a raging channel, funneling the wave straight to Ponyville.
“You were keeping this much water all this time?!” yelled Twilight as she tried staying afloat. “You really are downright dirty!”
“Don’t forget smelly,” Applejack added, hanging onto a guard dog amidst the confusion. “Were y’all plannin’ on scrubbin’ yer furs with all that water?”
“We were thirsty!” Rover admitted.
“Sick!” Spot added.
“Stinky!” Fido added.
“And wet! Wheeeee!” added Pinkie’s usual randomness amidst the chaos.
“Pinkie Pie!” cried a distressed Rarity. “A mane-ruining ride is not an enjoyable activity!”
“Rainbow!” Twilight yelled. “Can you fly to Ponyville and warn everypony?”
The young flier’s apparent struggle to stay afloat and panic attacks told a resounding “No” to that plan. Either way, it would’ve been too late; Ponyville had come into view too fast.
“Brace for impact!” Twilight yelled.
Back in Ponyville, the few ponies outside had no idea of the blessing-slash-calamity coming their way. Before the ponies could seek high ground, the water washed everypony away in the town plaza and the surrounding suburbs. In less than a minute, Ponyville was submerged under three feet of water. But instead of freaking out, the ponies treated the blessing with a celebration, drinking and bathing as if they haven’t seen water since the dawn of time.
The Mayor came out of the town hall, hearing the massive roar of the raging water and the celebration that followed. Water covered much of the open ground, even flooding the office floor. As much as joy filled her heart like the water filling the plaza, she had to deal with confusion first. “What in Celestia’s name is going on here?” she said.
A drenched Twilight responded from the bottom of the stairwell. “Mayor,” she said confidently. “Tell Ponyville to get busy.”

Day 3, 6:37 p.m.
For the next five hours, general mobilization collected as much water as their containers allowed and refilled the various reservoirs. Buckets, cans, watertight wagons, any containers that could be mustered were pressed into service. Everypony, even Trixie and the Diamond Dogs helped out, clearly part of their punishment for causing the town so much grief. Fluttershy led a group to save the fish and other animals washed away by the tsunami.	Twilight and the Mayor oversaw the cleanup from the town hall’s porch. After Twilight delivered her full report, the Mayor quickly decided on the culprit’s punishment.
“Pony non grata?” asked Twilight.
“That’s right, Twilight,” the Mayor explained. “The citizens have suffered too much from this crisis. Effective 12:00 a.m. tomorrow, Trixie is no longer welcome in Ponyville for the rest of her life.” 
“What about the Diamond Dogs?”
“I shall consult Princess Celestia regarding the matter because it falls outside Ponyville jurisdiction. For now, I shall have somepony keep an eye on them.”
Twilight kept quiet and nodded. After everything Ponyville has gone through, Trixie and the Diamond Dogs should consider themselves lucky that Princess Celestia didn’t give the verdict. 
As the night grew darker, the last drops of water were on their way to the reservoirs, now back to pre-crisis levels. Homes and shops across town finally enjoyed a proper bath and glass of water. Equestria’s hottest summer just got a lot less hot.
Applejack’s arrival concluded the meeting. “Pardon for the interruption,” she said. “But have y’all seen Trixie?”
“Wasn’t Rainbow Dash keeping an eye on her?” Twilight asked in reply.
“That’s the problem,” said Applejack. “I can’t find them anywhere.”
“Let’s go look for them,” Twilight said. “If you’ll excuse us, Mayor.”
“Of course, Twilight,” said the Mayor. 	Vision was limited to a couple of yards, even with the full moon lighting the town. Twilight and Applejack came across Trixie’s mobile stage, at least what’s left of it. Shoddy construction reduced it to a heap of wood splinters and gems, which Rarity took the liberty of collecting the latter. The two ponies looked at her in disapproval.
“Whaaat?” said Rarity. “I can’t let good gems go to waste.”
Twilight, however, wasn’t in the mood for another case. “Have you seen Trixie?”
“Trixie?” said Rarity. “I saw her with Rainbow Dash walking to the direction of your library, dear. Not sure why.”
“You do realize Trixie’s doin’ community service, right?” Applejack said.
Taken aback by what sounded like an accusation, Rarity replied in indignation: “Of course I do! What do you take me for, a dunce?”
“Whoa there, take it easy,” said Applejack. “‘Dunce’ is too strong of a word.”
“You can settle your differences later,” Twilight said. “Right now, we have to find Trixie.” Immediately, she and Applejack left Rarity to salvage the sparklers.
Minutes later, Twilight’s home came into view, but they caught Trixie at the train station on the opposite side. Their hooves touched dry ground as they approached the platform. The tsunami spared this part of Ponyville. The sound of the locomotive engine echoed in the air, preparing for its last trip of the day. Trixie and Rainbow Dash filled their field of vision as they climbed up the platform. But for the first few seconds, not a single pony uttered a word. Not even the thought of asking Rainbow why she and Trixie went to this part of town crossed Twilight’s mind. Not that it mattered because the cleanup was all but over. Instead, Twilight decided to be the bringer of bad news to Trixie. 
“The Mayor has spoken,” she broke the silence. “She’s never to return to Ponyville ever.”
“If you ask me, she should be caged,” said Rainbow. “She made many lives miserable.”
Despite justice being served swiftly, Twilight looked beyond the face value of her astounding victory. “Trixie,” she said. “Something’s bothering you. I can tell.”
“If you’re talking about my punishment, then congratulations,” said Trixie. “You just stated the obvious.”
“No, it’s not that,” Twilight replied. “During your Ponyville show, I noticed that you performed only simple tricks. The Trixie I know would give her all no matter what, which you did when you performed for the Diamond Dogs.”
“What are you implying?” asked Trixie.
After a brief silence, Twilight finally got to the point. “Are you scared of being rejected?”
Instead of challenging Twilight to another war of words, Trixie kept mum but shed a tear. At that moment, the loud whistle of the train echoed through the night. “All aboard!” the conductor announced. “Last train for Canterlot!”
Unexpectedly, Trixie’s tears turned into angry words. “You wouldn’t understand!” she yelled but still shedding tears. “None of you would understand!” Shortly after, she stormed into the rear wagon.
Rainbow Dash prepared to give chase, but Twilight grounded her tail with magic. “Let her go, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “She needs time to be alone.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Twilight,” Rainbow replied.
“Only time can tell, Rainbow,” Twilight said, watching the train slowly leave the station. “Only time can tell.”

Day 3, 8:22 p.m.
Twilight happily retired for the night, knowing that water would soon be chugging down her throat anytime. She took pride in keeping her promise five hours ahead of schedule thanks to a hard-learned lesson on red herrings; how they could make or break the most complicated cases. It would make a great letter to Princess Celestia, in addition to the lesson about having faith in your friends. At home, she caught Spike shelving some new arrivals with Owlowiscious.
“Spike,” Twilight said. “Take a letter.”
“Just a minute,” Spike answered, squeezing a thick paperback between a gap hardly big enough for one. “One more new book to fit…and done.” Shortly after, he grabbed a scroll and inked quill.
[“Dear Princess Celestia” letter to be uploaded as a separate chapter]
The letter eventually went its way to Princess Celestia’s quarters as a stream of magical smoke in the night. “So I heard water’s finally back in Ponyville,” he said later. “Nice job, Twilight.”
“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight replied, followed by a sigh of relief. “I’m just glad this whole thing is finally over. I’m so thirsty I can drink a whole tank.”
She walked to the kitchen to get her victory drink, coming face-to-face with the tap she begged to work for the past few days. Confidently, she put an empty glass under the tap and turned the knob. But after seconds of waiting, the sound of gushing water didn’t come.
“What?!” Twilight exclaimed, toggling the knob to no avail. She finally decided take the matter into her own hooves literally, smacking the tap in anger. “Stupid piece of—”
The nozzle broke in two. WHARRGARBL ensued.


THE END