“Well, no doubt about it, darling,” Rarity said, phasing through a nearby storefront. She joined Rainbow Dash and the other girls as they crouched in a dark alley between ancient stone buildings. “They're painting the town red.” She blinked. “And orange... and yellow... and green and blue and indigo and—”
“You made your point,” Rainbow grumbled. She craned her neck, squinting down a side-street. Stallions were slathering yet another poster against a wall. “I guess it was just dumb luck that we made it this far without anyone catching up to me.”
“What does this mean for the rest of Rohbredden?” Fluttershy whispered. “Could they all have seen the bounty for Rainbow by now?”
“Fluttershy, you don't have to whisper,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Only Rainbow can hear us.”
Fluttershy gulped, trembling. “Maybe I-I'm just doing it for me?”
“Flutters...” Rainbow glanced at the ghostly pegasus. “Can you tell how many of them there are?”
“Them?”
“Yeah. Y'know.” Rainbow motioned her head at the distant stallions in uniform. “Them.”
“This town is bustling with ponies, Rainbow.” Fluttershy slowly shook her head. “I can't tell them apart from the rest.”
“Well, I have a fix on their wagon, for what it's worth,” Rarity said, inhaling. “That immaculately plated steel is impossible to ignore. At the present, if we steer clear from the north edge of town, we shouldn't be seen by whoever's operating their means of transportation.”
“But what about the rest of them?” Rainbow remarked.
Rarity shrugged. “It's like Fluttershy said, Rainbow. There's no easy way to tell.”
“If only you could just use those snazzy wings of yours to get us out of their eyesight in a jim-jam-jiff, Dashie!” Pinkie Pie remarked.
“Yeahhhhh...” Rainbow grimaced, staring back at her bandaged left feathers. “That ain't happening anytime soon.”
“Mmmmmmmm...” Pinkie rubbed her head with both hooves—then gasped. “I know! A diguise!”
“Pffft!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Pinkie... what disguise? Unless you're expecting Rainbow Dash to hang Luna's satchel over her head!”
“Hey! Who knows?” Pinkie shrugged. “It could be in vogue!”
“Ughh...”
“Pinkie is onto something,” Rarity said, tapping her chin. “If we could find the right materials, I'm certain I can dream up a perfect ensemble to mask her features!” She glanced left and right. “Now where in Riverstem might the locals have constructed a dress shop?”
“I'm not sure it's that kind of town, Rarity,” Twilight said.
“Unnhhh!” Rarity exhaled, muzzle agape. “A town without a dress shop?! Surely the Continentalists aren't that barbaric!”
“... … …” Rainbow stared at a wooden shack situated several spaces down. An elegant mare stepped out, her mane freshly arranged in a shiny updo. She smiled gratefully at the equines standing inside the establishment.
A pair of young mares in pink robes bowed, smiled, and wished her a good Month of Thawing. The patron trotted away with her new hairdo, humming pleasantly to herself.
“Uhm... Rainbow...?” Fluttershy floated close. “What are you looking at?”
“More thinking than looking,” Rainbow hummed.
“Okay... uh... what are you thinking about?”
“Maybe the key to a good disguise isn't throwing something on...” Rainbow took a deep breath. “But tearing something off.”
“Say wuhhhh...?” Rarity wheezed, blinking curiously at her.
With a bold step, Rainbow trotted briskly towards the establishment. “Hopefully this won't take long...”
Rainbow Dash sat upright in a cushioned chair. Her nose tickled from the smell of oils and burning incense. The mirror before her reflected four squirmy, sad-faced mares.
“What are you fillies waiting around for?” Rainbow grumbled. She tossed her mane loose and stared straight ahead. “I've given you the bits you need.” A sigh—out the side of her muzzle. “Let's do this.”
“Mmmmm...” The youngest of the manedressers stifled a whimper. “But... but Miss... are... are you s-sure...?”
Another one fidgeted, staring at Rainbow's long, prismatic tresses. “We've... we've never seen anything like... like—”
“Then that's a good thing,” Rainbow grumbled. “Now get it over with.” Her ears twitched. “I'm going to be... uhm... picking lots and lots of rice in the hot sun. The dumb hairs will only suffocate me.”
The lead hairdresser sniffled, trying her professional best not to shed tears. “We are obligated to... uhm... ask our patrons who make this request one last time.” She leaned forward, eyes quivering. “Are you sure?”
“Rainbow...” Twilight breathed.
“Dashie...” Pinkie blinked with puppy dog eyes.
“Rainbow, darling, please... please think hard about this!” Rarity flew directly in front of Rainbow, muzzle agape. “It... it will take ages! Ages to grow back! And... and the shine.” She held her forelimbs in front of her quivering lips. “Mmmmm!... Sweet Celestia, the sun glints off it just so! I will sorely miss it—”
Rainbow whispered into the air: “Applejack doesn't have 'ages.' And neither do I. It goes.” After a deep breath, she turned towards the mares gathered melancholically around her. “I'm sure. Now...” A slight shudder. “...lop it all off.”
A squeak or two escaped the mares. One looked close to fainting. Nevertheless, the oldest mare weathered a depressed sigh, gravely drew a white apron over Rainbow's body like a funeral shroud... and picked up a pair of scissors.
“Oh no...” Rarity shook her head, eyes glazing over. “Oh no oh no oh no!” She flew towards the side, curling up into a floating white ball. “I-I shan't look!”
“There there, Rarity...” Fluttershy held her close as the fashionista sobbed quietly. Patting Rarity's back, Fluttershy stared at Rainbow, managing a slight smile. “Who knows? Maybe... it'll look awesome.”
“Awesome?!” Pinkie fought the urge to vomit. “I never knew you had such big fuzzy elephant ears, Dashie!”
“Pinkie! Shhhh!” Twilight insisted. With a brave gulp, Twilight looked at their anchor from behind. “So... uhhhhh... h-how does it feel, Rainbow?”
“... … ...” A blue pegasus with a buzzed head trotted out into the sunlight. She stared up at the sky, squinting. Her ears twitched on either side of a tiny strip of scarcely colored stubble. “... … ...cool.” An exhale. She looked over her shoulder. “Did they get all the tail? I can't see so well from here.”
“Yes...” Rarity choked on a sob, fanning herself as she eyed the narrow thread of flesh with all its hairs lopped off. “They m-most certainly did...” Fluttershy leaned in to nuzzle her again. “Can't... we j-just take some threads for the road? Oh Goddess...” She sniffled.
“Nuh uh. Ain't gonna risk it.” Rainbow took a shuddering breath. “Now to address a new problem...”
“Think we can still buy some snackies for Rainbow's trekkie?” Pinkie remarked.
“That's just it.” Rainbow gulped, fiddling with her saddlebag. She heard only a slight rattle of leftover coins. “We're getting kind of low. That manecut took a lot out of me.”
“Mmmmmff...” Rarity rubbed her eyes dry, frowning. “Like a pinch of poison in the bitter tea...”
“Maybe there's somepony around town who's willing to pay Rainbow for a few menial tasks?” Fluttershy remarked.
“That's the spirit, Fluttershy!” Pinkie grinned. “RPG thinking!”
“Huh?” Twilight blinked. “'RPG?'”
“Yeah!” Pinkie blinked. “Real Pony Guile!”
Twilight sighed, then glanced at Rainbow. “If you're gonna do something, you'd better do it fast. It's nice to lose your trademark colors and all—but I fear you just made yourself more conspicuous.”
“... … ...” All the while, Rainbow was staring down the street and towards the west end of Riverstem. Beyond the ancient stone buildings with shingled rooftops, there was what appeared—at first—to be a grassy clearing. Upon further study, Rainbow observed the woolie humps of multiple turf houses. In between them, tiny tables had been set up where elders gathered to play chess and other ancient games. Around one particular table, a group of young stallions huddled, tossing bits at one another as they laughed and gambled.
One or two of the stallions in peasant robes had noticeably buzzed manes.
“Wuh oh...” Pinkie leaned in, tracing Rainbow's eyesight. “She's getting all gaze-y again!”
“What do you see, Rainbow?” Twilight asked.
Rainbow exhaled. “Suckers.” And she trotted west.
Meanwhile... within seconds of her departing...
A sad-faced mare shuffled out of the establishment, sweeping a bundle of rainbow-colored hairs out into the street. With a sigh, she bent over and scooped the mess of prismatic fibers into a dust pan.
Right behind her, a pair of uniformed stallions marched up. They slapped a wanted poster onto the stone wall just next to the circular entrance... then trotted away.
At last, the mare stood up... and turned around. She froze in place, blinking quietly at the wanted poster right in front of her. Her eyes bounced between the “Rainbow Rogue” on the sheet... and the bundle of colorful mane hair in her pan. A furious blush spread across her features. Gulping... she shuffled sideways... shuffled some more... and then silently dumped the hairs into a rubbish bin. Whistling to herself, she threw a nervous glance to her sides... then dashed swiftly back into the salon.
With a grin, a jittery, thin pegasus lifted a cup off the table. There was nothing underneath it. He smiled.
“Aaaaaaaaugh!” The fat pony across from him gripped his skull. He gnashed his teeth while the others gathered around the clearing laughed and hollered. “Dammit, Steve! How are you so good at this?!”
“That's 'Lucky Steve' to you,” the other seated stallion slurred. After adjusting the sleeves of his peasant robe, he scooped up the two remaining cups, revealing a red pebble beneath one of them. “Although, I might go by Doctor Steve after prescribing you a pair of glasses, ya dimwit.”
“Rrrrnnngh...” The fat stallion snarled, teeth showing. “I swear! There's a trick to this!”
“Of course there is!” Lucky Steve leaned back, forelimbs folded. “You're an idiot!” He chuckled. “Your mother's tricked you since birth!”
“Hahahaha!”
“Whew! He got you there!”
“He's making you look bad, dude!”
“Well?” Lucky Steve twitched, then smiled. “Wanna have another go?”
“Mrmmmff... buck that.” The fat stallion waddled out of the stool across from him. “You done swallowed up all my rice pay for the week!”
“Yeah, well...” Steve juggled the red pebble between his wing feathers. He twitched again. “If you wanna throw in the rice this time, we can wager half the earnings?”
“Pffft! I'm not so desperate that I'll starve.”
“Hey...” Steve shrugged. “If you can't take chances, you won't go anywhere! If you wanna squat in a ride paddy all your life, that's fine! I'm not here to judge!” He stifled a yawn, leaning back. “Mmmmm... just here to get rich.”
“Heheheh...” An old stallion looked over from where he fiddled with stacks of wooden tile—each marked with windigo intaglio. “Ya ain't havin' no problem with that, son.” He matched the tiles and piled them to the corner of his table. “Why, if I had your luck back in my day, I'd own half of Riverstem by now.”
“That's not a bad idea, actually.” Steve grinned from muzzle to muzzle. He glanced across the crowd of stallions gathered around him. “How 'bout it, boys? Want a share of the town? My treat!” He pointed at his game table. “All you gotta do is step right up and invest!”
“Hah! Not on your life...”
“I'm not that desperate, Lucky Steve.”
“Yeah! You gotta raise the stakes for me to bite!”
“Hmrmmmff... don't know what your guys' problem is.” Steve twirled the red pebble at the end of his fetlock. A convulsion ran down his forelimb, but he managed to catch the item in his wings. “All it takes to get far in Rohbredden is some stones, ya feel me? Now... who wants to celebrate the Month of Thawing early this year? Heheheh...”
A petite blue body shuffled up, then sat in the stool across from him.
Lucky Steve blinked, his wings quivering in tiny jerks.
The other stallions gazed curiously.
“... … ...” Rainbow Dash leaned forward. “...so this is a game?” She arched an eyebrow. “...for bits?”
Dead silence.
And then—“Snnnkkkt—Haa haa haa haa!” Lucky Steve's twitchy muzzle contorted into a smile as he pointed at the mare's shaved forehead. “Get a load of this pony! Yeesh! What's the matter, dude?” Several stallions around him chuckled as he smirked. “You get caught in a steamboat's engines or what?”
Rainbow took a deep breath. “You wanna wager some bits or don't ya?” her voice cracked.
“Whoah!” Steve leaned back, eyes wide. “You're a mare.”
“And you're a snotbag,” Rainbow grunted. “Farts get around.”
“Hahaha! Whoah, Steve!”
“You've caught a live one!”
“Heh... Goddess help me.” Steve smirked. “Alright, noobette. Let's do a game. But I'm gonna have to up the initial wager from the usual minimum of two bits to five.” He winked. “Sass Policy, y'see. Riverstem rules.”
“That's perfect.” Rainbow slapped six coins onto the table between them. “Here. One to grow on.”
With silent curiosity, the other stallions crowded in.
“Hmmm... sassy and brash.” Steve twitched and smiled. “Did you shave your head with those teeth?”
“Just tell me the rules.”
“Ahem.” Steve held the pebble up. “Keep your eye on the stone...” He placed it down on the table and—Clop!—slapped one of the wooden cups over it. “...at all times...” He began shuffling the three containers around one another in a swift fashion. “...and guess which cup it's under at the end.”
Rainbow stared, eyes squinting.
“Guess right... you earn fifty percent back.” Steve smiled. “Lose... and your bits are mine.”
“Hmmmmfff...” Rainbow's nostrils flared. “Foal's play.”
“Heh...” Steve licked his lips, twitched, and began rearranging the cups in a veritable blur.
“... … ...” Rainbow's eyes lifted up. She made contact with Pinkie Pie.
Pinkie Pie blinked back... then brightened. “...!” She dove under the table, phasing through with an ethereal glow.
Unknowing, Steve continued shuffling and shuffling the cups. At last, he came to a stop, forelimbs outstretched. He twitched once... twice... then leaned back, taking his hooves off the cups. “So...” He pointed with a grin. “...ready to try your luck?”
Swoosh! Pinkie lifted out of the table. “Pssst! Dashie!” She pointed. “It's the one on your left!”
“... … ...” Rainbow reached hoof out... hovering it just above the one in the center.
“Mmm!” Rarity squeaked. “Rainbow, Pinkie said—”
“Shhhhh...” Twilight insisted. “She's baiting him.”
Rainbow's hoof lingered. She stared at the cups, then at Steve.
Steve stood in place, smiling back.
After a breath, Rainbow's hoof traveled left... then lifted the cup. The red pebble rest underneath.
Steve's smile left.
The crowd around the table murmured and chuckled.
“Oooooh...”
“Heheheh... she got ya, Steve!”
“Can't friggin' believe it.”
“Ha ha!” The old stallion in the nearby table pointed with an antique pipe. “Bit of beginner's luck to tip yours, eh?”
“Yeah...” Steve rubbed the back of his head, twitching more than once. “Imagine that.”
“I think I earned myself nine bits, pal,” Rainbow said.
“Huh?” Steve blinked. “Seven.”
“I gave you six. Not five. Remember?” Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “Fifty percent?”
Steve sat... twitching.
Rainbow noticed it. “Got an itch, buddy?”
“It's... a condition...” Steve cleared his throat, fighting convulsions. “I was stung by a manticore years back in one of the north prefectures.”
“Aye!” The fat stallion nodded, pointing. “He was too! Nearly killed him—the fortunate bastard!”
“That's why we call him Lucky Steve,” an old pony said.
“Uhm... Rainbow...?” Fluttershy leaned in. She shook her head, speaking close to the mare's ear. “A manticore's sting is highly deadly. Even if this Steve miraculously survived a direct sting, he'd be blind and at least half of his body would be paralyzed.”
Rainbow's jaw tightened. She spoke to the stallion across from her. “My bits?”
“Mrmmmff... alright, alright...” Steve reached into his robe's pocket and hoofed a stack over. “Yeesh. I didn't think pirates would be coming this far inland to rob Riverstem blind.”
A few stallions chuckled at that.
Rainbow carefully counted the coins in her stack.
“We're going to need more for proper supplies, Rainbow,” Rarity said.
“You don't look all too happy with your winnings,” Steve said. His muzzle curved. “I don't suppose you're up for another game?”
“I dunno...” Rainbow looked up with a calm squint. “Think you can go a night without eating?”
“Ohhhhhhhhh...” A stallion or two chuckled.
“Ah... now that's the spirit.” Steve twitched, grinning as he shuffled forward in his stool. “The kind I like to deflate!” He smirked. “How 'bout it? Let's wager six again.”
“You're cute.” Rainbow slid all the coins over. “I wager all nine.” Her brow furrowed. “And double the earnings.”
All the stallions looked at Steve.
“... … ...” Steve cracked his neck joints. “Alright. But... to make things interesting, if you lose...” he pointed. “I get that snazzy necklace of yours.”
All the stallions looked at Rainbow.
“Rainbow...!” Rarity winced. “Your... Your Element. You can't possibly—”
“Deal.” Rainbow said.
Rarity blinked.
Steve pointed. “Slap it on the table.”
Rainbow shook her head. “Play the game first.”
“But those are the rules—”
“You'll get my satchel too if you win. The pendant stays on for now.”
“... … ...” Steve took a deep breath, leaning back. “Alrighty then... Noob Rules. Strange... but I can adapt.” He twitched one last time before tossing the pebble onto the table. Clop! He slapped a cup over and—swish-swish-swish-swish—spun all three at a maddening speed.
Pinkie took a breath and dove under again.
“Rainbow...” Rarity shook her head. “I can't believe you just bet our entire security on this... brutish game!”
“It's okay, Rarity,” Twilight said. “We've got a Pie up our sleeves.”
“But don't you get it?!” Rarity pointed. “He's a charlatan of the most unseemly sort! He's obviously going to take this opportunity to ruin Rainbow!”
Rainbow's eyes remained locked on Steve.
The stallion stared back while spinning his cups. He smirked. At one point, his body convulsed hard, his wings dipping forward.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
Before the stallion was even finished, Pinkie Pie lifted up. “Dashie...” She looked at her, wide-eyed. “... the pebble! It's gone!”
Twilight did a double-take. “What do you mean it's gone?!”
Pinkie shrugged. “It's vanished completely! It's not under any of the cups anymore!”
“... … ...” Rainbow's eyes darted towards the stallion's wings.
“His feathers!” Rarity pointed. “Check his feathers!”
Pinkie shoved her body through Steve's torso, sticking her head into his left wing, then his right. She froze—spotting the very tips of his feathers as they tossed a red pebble into a conical straw hat lying on the ground beneath him. A tail brushed over, knocking the hat over to cover the item. The tail remained wrapped around the hat's brim, ready to lift it back up at any moment.
“Duaaaaaah!” Pinkie flew back up to Rainbow. “He's got the pebble hidden in a cone... hat... thingy!” She pointed. “Right behind him! He swiped it away with his wings and tail and everything!”
Rainbow took a deep, calm breath.
“Oh dear...” Rarity fidgeted. “What do we do?”
“It's actually quite brilliant, really!” Pinkie chirped.
“Pinkie Pie...”
“Shhhh...” Fluttershy pointed. “He's stopping!”
As stated, the cups stopped scraping over the tabletop.
Lucky Steve removed his hooves, leaned back, and smirked. “So then...” He waved a fetlock, grinning from ear to ear. “Which cup is it?”
“... … ...”
The stallions stared.
Rainbow's mare friends watched, holding their breaths.
The maneless pegasus took a deep breath. “None of them.”
The old stallion one table over jolted, knocking over several of his tiles.
The others gathered around blinked.
“Pffft... wh-what?” Lucky Steve shrugged. “Come on, now... play the game—”
“I would,” Rainbow droned. “If it was fair.”
“You calling me a cheater?”
“I saw you swipe the pebble out from under the cups with your wing half-a-minute ago,” Rainbow said. “If you don't call that 'cheating,' then I guess you and I didn't go to the same grade school.”
“Like I said.” Steve shrugged. “I was stung by the manticores. I have a twitch. You wouldn't know that cuz you're not from around here.”
“Or maybe that's just an excuse you use to sucker ponies into overlooking the fact that you're a sham.”
“Okay, look.” Steve frowned. “I was willing to play fair at first. But if you can't, then I don't see why we should be having this conversation.” He pointed. “Pick a damn cup already! Or else just gimme your stuff!”
“... … ...” Rainbow smirked.
Her leg flew up. WHAM! She hit the table.
Everypony flinched—including Steve—as the cups lifted up, flipped over, and landed on their backs. Not a single one had a red pebble inside.
The stallions gasped.
The old pony dropped the pipe from his mouth.
“... … ...” Steve gulped. “Uhhhhm—”
“Check his hat,” Rainbow said, motioning with her head. “On the ground behind him. The pebble's in there.”
The fat stallion blinked curiously. He shuffled over.
“I... uhhh—” Steve continued to stammer. His leg muscles shifted—
Rainbow pointed with an iron frown. “Do. Not. Move.”
Taken back by the tone in her voice, Steve hunched down on his stool, sweating.
The stallion brushed Steve's tail aside and tipped the hat over. “Sonuvabitch...” He raised the red pebble to a chorus of gasps. “The chick's right!”
“Ehh... eheheheh...” Steve smiled nervously. He brushed a hoof through his short, buzzed mane. “I-I can explain...”
“Explain what?” Rainbow droned. “Your convulsions?”
“Huh?” He looked at her.
“... … ...You're not twitching anymore, 'Lucky Steve.'”
He bit his lip. His coat hung pale beneath a cold sweat.
“You say you've been around?” Rainbow huffed. “Well, so have I. Enough to know that nopony survives a manticore attack.”
Fluttershy cleared her throat, floating close. “Direct exposure to manticore sting poison causes a pony to foam at the mouth.”
“After being stung,” Rainbow said. “A pony foams at the mouth.”
“Followed by paralysis.”
“Then loses all feeling in their body.”
“Then, the onset of blindness.”
“If you actually did live through a manticore sting, you'd be blind.”
“Which is when at manticore... uhm... dines on its prey.”
“Assuming the thing got so bored that it didn't eat you then and there.” Rainbow Dash scooped the coins back to her side. “If you ask me, Steve, the only thing lucky about you is that nopony in any of the previous towns you've cantered through had the guts to gut you alive.”
“Eheheheh... uhm...” Steve cleared his throat, inching away from the glaring stallions around him. “Exactly wh-who have you been talking to?”
“Nopony,” Rainbow droned. “I'm just awesome.” She rattled the coins together. “And things can remain that way... if you hoof over the coins you owe me.”
“Right... uh... s-sure thing. Let's see... double the earnings...” Steve stammered. “Uhm... uhhh... eightteen bits!” He fished through his satchel. “I-I got them right here—”
“Twenty five,” Rainbow said.
Steve stared at her, blanching. “Tw-twenty f-five?”
“Health insurance,” Rainbow said. Twilight and Rarity smirked at each other behind her back.
“Health insurance?!”
Rainbow stood up straight, throwing her voice at the turf houses surrounding the scene. “Hey! Who here wants to hear the 'Ballad of Lucky Steve?!' I hear it's all the rage in Rohbredden's coldest prisons! Or at least...” She turned to glare at him. “It's gonna be.”
“Okay... OKAY! Thirty bits! Just...” Steve slid the gold coins over, shivering all over. “Just d-don't yelp anymore, okay?”
“She's not the one who's gonna be yelping after today, bucko...” The fat stallion hissed, cracking the joints in his forelimbs.
Steve gulped. He looked at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow calmly scooped the coins up. She took a breath... then looked at him, eyebrow raised.
The stallion whimpered. “Please. What else do you want? J-just t-tell me and get it over with!”
“... … ...” Rainbow's darted down, then back up. “That's a nice robe you've got.”
He blinked. “It is?”
“I also dig the hat.”
Ponies from all trots of life marched east and west across the Silt Path. In the distance, the dirt road led up into a hilly crest of craggy limestone. Thick wooden poles marched every half-mile, with deep wooden etchings of windigos and blizzardy swirls.
Shuffling up a grassy path leading uphill from Riverstem, a petite figure in a dull green peasant robe paused. She shifted the weight of her bulging saddlebag, then fussed with the brim of her conical hat. Tilting the straw thing back, Rainbow peeked her fuzzy face out and sighed.
“Okay... I hate this hat.”
“Awwwwww... but Rainbow...” Fluttershy giggled. “It looks so cute on you.”
“It ain't no pink beret.”
“Huh?”
Rainbow sighed. “Nothing.”
“I agree with Fluttershy.” Rarity floated along with a tranquil smile. “It's... charming! 'Agricultural Chic!' It's like you're headed to a Royal Rice Pageant!”
“Someone hit the marshmallow,” Rainbow droned, shuffling forward as she followed a distant caravan of travelers far ahead. “She's stuck.”
“Let's see...” Twilight phased her lavender muzzle through Rainbow's saddlebag. “Six packs of rice. Two loaves of bread. Dried orange slices—six bags.”
“Twilight...” Rainbow sighed. “You've counted the supplies five times already!”
“You... can never be too careful,” Twilight said, fidgeting slightly. “We came from a town of shifty gamblers, after all. I just wanna make sure that we weren't robbed along the way here!”
“One shifty gambler, egghead.” The hat fell over Rainbow's face. “Unnngh...” She shoved it back atop her shaved head. “And we totally owned him.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie grinned. “I'd say a victory song is in order! One for the road!”
“Heehee...” Fluttershy basked in the warm sunlight. “That sounds nice actually.”
“It'll be okay, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “I'll be like... your travel secretary!” A grin. “You worry about trotting! Let me worry about taking stock on the supplies!”
“And let me do the travel ballads!” Pinkie swam figure-eights in the air as Rainbow trotted the long, long road east between rice paddies. “Ohhhhhhhhh there once was a punk named Steve! Thought he was lucky! He was only plucky!”
“Heeheehee!”
“When does the chorus come in?”
“That was the chorus!”
“Oh...”
“Mrrmmmfff...” Rainbow sighed... although she smirked to herself. “...just get it out of your system, girls.” The hat fell over her muzzle again. “Dangit!”