//------------------------------// // A Breakfast Of Champions // Story: "Somepony! Help! Princess Celestia Has Lost Her Memory!" // by Kevin Lee //------------------------------// After Mack left, Filly stepped over to the double doors to close the outer set and set the sign on the outer doors to read "Closed". However, she left them unlocked for Mack's return. "Let's get started cleaning up, Tumbleweed," she told him as she fished out a ready panel that read "Closed for Repairs" before setting it in one of the doors' windows, too, leaving Doc to look after the Princess. With all the fights that went on all too frequently in the saloons, they each had such signs ready to prop up in their windows—assuming they still had windows. While she was doing that, Tumbleweed went into the back rooms and found where Filly kept her heavy brooms and dustpans, a few hammers, a couple of wood chisels, a saw, a crowbar, and a wheel barrel. Loading up the wheel barrel with the tools, he rolled it out to the main floor. By then, Filly joined him in working to clean up. "There's a couple of empty trash barrels in the ally by the back door," she told him as she took up one of her brooms and dustpans. While Tumbleweed went to get them, she started sweeping up the debris of broken bottles, smashed timber, and spilled salt behind the bar. When Tumbleweed returned, he left a barrel for her and took on to the other side of the room where he started picking and sweeping up the broken furniture. As they worked, Doc went behind the bar to continue giving the Princess more water. "You've been out there a long time, Princess," he said to her, giving her another quarter mug. "You're going to need more water. Mack's getting you some food. And we'll have you fixed up in no time." When he saw she was drinking the water at a slower and steadier rate, he opted to give her full mugs from then on. Mustang Mack walked up the street to the Dried Date Hotel that served as a permanent boarding house ever since the railroads were shut down. It also featured a decent restaurant for the folks living there as well as customers from all over the town. Dry Gulp was a farming community situated on the northwest side well outside the edge of a large fertile oasis surrounded by an otherwise impassable desert. The old rail line passed by on the north side of town with the old route to the rest of Equestria out to the east, and several played out mines in a mountain range further off to the west and southwest. The entire town's population amounted to about just under a thousand ponies, with maybe eighty of them being actual farm and ranch owners of the land about the oasis itself. About two thirds of the ponies that lived there were hired farm workers and the rest were mostly community support or former railroad workers and miners. There was a bank, but it was nearly useless since there was no trade in or out of town with which to invest in. Three hotels, some general stores, a farrier—he shuddered at the thought. Celestia! I hate getting new shoes every few months! It's just not natural to have nails pounded into a pony's hoof like that! Several saloons, of which Filly Rustler owned a couple along with her new partner, after her former boss had passed away. And when the old Lady Gay was finished being rebuilt by Filly's partner, that'll put the town at sixteen—for a town of just under a thousand ponies. The main road, Front Street, ran roughly in a northeast-southwest direction with several side streets and alleys branching off from it. Recalling what Tumbleweed and Filly had mentioned made him pause and look off to the northeast up the main street. Coming across the desert from that way is perhaps the worst route a pony could take! he realized as he stared in wonder, thinking of the alicorn's endurance. Even in winter, no known pony had ever lived to reach the other side! He had an estimation of just how far that was, given there were surveys of the continent centuries ago that mapped the extent of the desert's edges. That direction, had she walked all that way, put her as coming from the Demolished Lands, where a natural disaster—perhaps an ancient giant meteorite—had torn up the land for hundreds of square miles. He stared for a few moments longer before remembering what his mission was, and he resumed his trek to the hotel. He arrived at the hotel right on time to see the doors for the restaurant opened up for the day. "Good morning, Marshal!" Whinny Tater greeted him upon seeing him. "You want your usual?" "Good morning, Whinny," he replied, tilting his hat to the mare who managed the eatery for the Dry Date's owner, Morris Yoke. "Sure, but I can't stay to eat it. I'll need to take it to go," he told her. "Also, I need to get breakfast for a few others over at the Long Tree. We've got some work to clean up over there." "Really?" Whinny asked, surprised. "I didn't hear about any fights breaking out last night in the Long Tree. Wrong day of the week for them, too." "Just—an accident—and some minor damage," Mack replied, evasively. "I'll need breakfast for four others—" but then he remembered how big the alicorn was. "Uh—better make it for five," he sheepishly amended. "Sure thing, Marshal!" she cheerfully replied, going back into the kitchen. He was grateful Whinny wasn't one to nose into the gossip much. As he waited, he moved over to the window to where he could see the sun starting to peek over the buildings across the street and began to wonder. So, just who has been raising the sun all this time while she was wandering out there? he pondered, thinking on the question Filly had spoken earlier. Ponies living there began filtering into the dining area from upstairs, calling out greetings to him, which he returned before resuming his internal questions. The others, seeing something apparently was on his mind, elected to not disturb him. He was more than big enough to be intimidating, even as he was polite and friendly enough that most knew they could speak to him on almost any matter, and he'd happily talk with them. Truly, a gentle giant. But when something was clearly bothering the marshal, most knew not to stick their noses into his business. And the only ones who'd dare were his closest friends. Whinny called for him and he broke out of his trance to pick up the picnic basket she had thoughtfully packed for him. "Thank you, Whinny," he said, paying for the meals before taking it out. He was soon back to the Long Tree in time to see Filly guiding the alicorn out of the restroom. He was thankful she hadn't gone outside to do her business again. Aside from the unsightly act of going out in public like that, there was the matter they had all agreed to try keeping the matter of Celestia being there as quiet as possible. Mack was NOT looking forward to the mob of curious ponies that was sure to form once they all found out about her. The alicorn's eyes suddenly lit up when the aroma of the breakfasts hit her nose. "I got us six meals, just in case she'd want two," Mack told them as he began setting them out on one of the undamaged tables. "Well, I'll defer mine," Doc said, looking at Celestia's reaction at seeing the plates of food appear. "She might want a bit more than that." "Me, too," Filly spoke up. She was clearly feeling charitable toward the poor creature. "Uh—I—I—guess I can always get something later, too," Mack muttered as his left eye began twitching, not wanting to be outdone by his friends. But Whinny always made such great breakfasts, and it was a shame to not be able to savor them. He wondered how he'd be able to wrangle a replacement from her without it sounding like he didn't like what she had prepared for him the first time. "Thanks, Marshal!" Tumbleweed happily exclaimed, snatching his from the large stallion, jumping into a chair, and started digging in. The other three townsponies just stared at him, and then looked to each other before unsuccessfully trying to suppress their giggles. "Yes! Thank you!" the tall alicorn said as she also sat at the table. Yes, indeed she was very hungry. She didn't even bother with her magic or hooves to begin eating as she attacked the stacks of pancakes, the hash browns, the fried eggs, the hay fries, and buttered mashed potatoes, devouring them like a super predator gorging itself on an entire herd of prey all at once. And as fast as Tumbleweed was going through his plates, even he had to slow his pace, giving her nervous looks when he finally noticed she was going through her fourth serving without slowing down a smidgen. When she cleaned off the last of the fifth sets and wistfully began looking at his remaining food, he wasn't even halfway done with his. He finally wilted and pushed his plates over to her, much to the amusement of the others. "Oh! That was delicious!" she gratefully sighed when she finished the remains of Tumbleweed's as well. Then she startled them all with a loud belch. "Thank you!" she said, before suddenly sinking to the floor. "Are you okay, Princess?" Filly exclaimed, rushing forward with Doc at her side. "Yes," the alicorn replied yawning. She looked up toward the light coming in from outside. "I—I feel—like I should be up for the day—for some reason," she said before letting her head settle back to the floor. "But this feels so good!" Then she was snoring. "We'd better get her into a room upstairs," Filly quickly said. Doc and Mack nodded. With both of them getting to work to get her lifted up and with Tumbleweed and Filly's help, they got her on their backs. With Filly leading the way, they carried her up the stairs, leaving Tumbleweed to clear the table and set the empty dishes back into the picnic basket. After putting the alicorn to bed, Filly used a key she kept in her mane to lock the door and set a door sign to "Do Not Disturb" before the three of them went back downstairs.