Tread Lightly's Trigger Happy Journey

by Fiaura

The Third Wheel Joins

Tread Lightly trotted along with Messer Schmitt in her wake. He was rather quiet since they left the house after the vial had been detonated. Uncertainty about the recent turn of events, the eccentricities of his new boss, the wisdom of his professors, accepting this position. Just what was his teachers thinking directing him to this pony? Tread Lightly was moving with a spring in her step and seemed to be humming a tune; something that had a chorus of “The Magic Inside of You” at the end. Tread Lightly was just happy to have an assistant much less the possibility of completing her research. Messer however was growing gradually apprehensive as the looks and reactions of the ponies on the street began to wear upon the worries he had coming here.

Tread's thoughts swam with ideas of both fame and redemption. She was happy for once in a long while and seemed to be ignoring the few ponies on the street whom were steering well clear of her. Messer wanted them to be alone so he could ask about the stares as his apprehension grew. The two made their way through the streets till they came to a brick house with what appeared to be a 1 ton safe blown into the wall or molded into it. The back end of which was sticking out into the street while the front end was obviously inside. The mortar even seemed to be molded to keep it there.

There were several jewels scattered about the windows of this small shop. These gems were not of the usual type you would expect ponies to wear though. They appeared to have some sort of unnatural glow to them. Tread Lightly approached the safe poking out of the wall and gave a giggle with a soft blush, “I remember when I did that. I can't believe she just left it there.” The purple mare announced. Messer Schmitt stopped cold with an expression of utter shock upon his face as his eyes got wide and he started twitching a little.

Tread Lightly looked at him and smirked, “I managed to cause an explosion that perfectly wedged the safe into the wall. My friend owns the business, Morning Merigold. She had tried to carry the safe in with magic and ended up dropping it on her own leg. I was already there and well, I decided the best choice was to try to blow it off the floor or blow a hole in the floor. Instead the directed blast sent it right into the wall and wedged it there. She apparently just added some mortar to it and well, MM kept it there.” The blushing giggling mare explained as she sighed and turned the giggle into a full blown laugh.

Messer grinned a bit but didn't seem to find it terribly funny as he was starting to realize that Tread Lightly might be more than just a name. He finally let out a nervous sigh and made a clearing of his throat with a grunt as he tried to lighten the air and change the subject. “Shall we go inside? I mean it would only make sense for you to introduce me.”

Tread Lightly composed herself and lifted her head with a nod, “Yes, of course. Follow me.” She said and resumed their former stance to each other as she opened the door and entered the shop.

Inside there were no customers, just the clerk behind an oaken counter. The glasses cases were littered with gems of various colors. Each one had strange aura like glow to it that made it feel, powerful, unique, or otherwordly. As Tread Lightly approached the counter and there was an unspoken exchange between her and the unicorn behind it. Their glaces and almost imperceptible nod of heads apparently speaking volumes to each other but saying nothing to Messer. The unicorn in the shop was covered in green fur along her body with a long wavy yellow mane. Two distinct stripes in the mane were black from her head down to the tip, one off each side, with a third that ran her neck and spine to her tail along the wavy curly hairs. This single black stripe ran further into the bright sunflower yellow tail that flowed all the way to the ground. The green pointed horn turned as Tread Lightly approached and she smiled like she was seeing an old friend.

“Well well Tread Lightly, I would have thought after the safe incident and the thing with the gemstone magnet incident you wouldn't want to ever come back here.” The unicorn said with a smirk. The unicorn placed her hooves up onto the counter and giggled with a blush, “And who is your charming looking young stallion friend over there?” She asked rather sheepishly trying to cover up the flirting nature of the question.

“Morning Merigold, by the stars of the night, you know you can't scare me away especially with explosions, you know those attract me. Also as it turns out, gemstones sticking to me to the

point we had to cut my mane short had an unexpected benefit because it has been a nicer summer with less mane to deal with. Not to mention it made the head more bearable.” Tread Lightly said as she greeted her old friend, placing her hooves to meet the other mare's as they met each other's gaze. Messer made another awkward grunt to clear his throat and try to get their attention away from nostalgic memories.

Tread Lightly jolted back and got onto all four hooves again. “Oh, Morning Merigold this is Messer Schmitt. My new assistant; this one might stick.” The purple mare said winking at her friend as Merigold tossed her hair aside and gave a disgruntled sigh of disapproval.

“That is what you said about the last two. Alright we'll see how long he lasts.” Merigold teased at Tread Lightly. “You've only had ten before him.” She finished speaking and walked around her counter then extending her hoof. “So what adventure does she have you off on? Considering the packs.” The unicorn asked pointing out the obvious traveling packs upon the two of their backs.

Messer met her hoof and gave a deep bow answering he rose back up, “To recover iridium for her experimental replacement wing.”

Tread Lightly immediately slammed her hoof over his mouth before he could continue. His eyes popped open in surprise and his wings flew out from the sudden movement of the earth pony. He hadn't even caught her moving; she was just that fast to him. “No one is suppose to know about that!” She exclaimed as nervous sweat formed upon her brow and she stared at him and then at Merigold before staring back to Messer.

“Treaddddddddd.....explain.” Morning Merigold prodded as she tapped her hoof a few times waiting for a reply. She rolled the D for an extended period of time as if it wouldn't leave her tongue and like a school teacher scolding a pupil.

Tread Lightly hung her head and sighed, “Well if I was going to ask her then I suppose she is going to have to know.” Tread Lightly turned back to her friend. There was tension forming in the air. These two looked at each other like friends whom had been keeping a secret from each other they shouldn't have. This glance exchange was taking several uncomfortable minutes almost two full strokes of a watch before Tread Lightly spoke very softly.

“We are planning to go off and recover iridium to experiment with for my special project. Ya know the one that doesn't involve magnets or explosives.” Tread Lightly half explained while she waited to see the expression on Morning Merigold's face. The green mare trotted over past Messer, hitting his wing out of the way as she turned her open sign to close and locked the door.

“There no one will barge in now. Is this the special project you talked about? The replacement wing?” Merigold whispered to Tread as she leaned in knowingly. Going through her head was a sense of, I knew you could do this. She had been encouraging Tread Lightly to pursue something completely new outside of her normal fields.

“Yes,” Tread Lightly said hesitantly. “I got it to work and move, even generate lift now I just to have to get the pony to cybernetics interface down and the properties of iridium show promise. But I need more than just a small hoof-full of it.” After she finished speaking, Tread Lightly hung her head. She fully expected the answer to the next question to be no but right now she couldn't really take off without a unicorn to assist them. “And I know it's a bit much to ask, but I was going to-”

“Ask me to come with you?” Merigold interjected as she looked to Messer whom had been staring at the two of them. Messer's thoughts chewed on what exactly the nature of the relationship of these two were and how they were friends. With talk of accidents and property destruction seeming more common than sharing tea and small talk socializing. His brow was furrowed and his wings were partially still extended even with Merigold having swatted one out of the way earlier. Then the green mare looked back at Tread Lightly.

“I have a shop to run and customers come in quite often ya know?” The mare replied with a disappointed tone in her voice. She was wearing a heavy frown towards Tread like the mare thought the request was insulting to say the least. “I swear Tread what were you thinking?”

Tread Lightly winced as she heard the words and started to turn to leave, “The nerve of you coming in here and expecting me to NOT go with you!” Merigold said as a heavy slam of a bag upon the counter echoed off the glass. Tread Lightly perked up and turned around. There was a smile of pure relief on her face and she let out a happy squeal of delight.

“I told you I would get you back one day for that name of yours and how you introduce yourself with it. I think I just did.” Merigold said as she walked around and gave her friend a hug, actually wrapping her hooves around her and holding the pony for a moment. “I couldn't let the craziest earth pony in all of Equestria go off without at least some direct magical assistance.” She then turned to Messer and embraced him as well which caused he to blush and half heartedly returned the embrace. He was nervous about the physical contact as well as just how friendly this mare was and how she had teased on her friend.

“Get used to it Messer, we're going to poke fun at each other and pick into each other's little filly games because it helps us break the tension. Also I'm a hugger so guess what, you get hugged.” Merigold said into his ear where Tread couldn't hear her. Tread didn't make a move to listen in as she knew this was Merigold's way. Always whispering something to some pony or another with a hoof's breathe of volume just to make sure it was only meant for them.

Messer felt a bit special and slightly relieved as he finally gave in and gave the green mare a hug back with his blue sleeved legs. After a moment they released, “It’s good to meet you and I’ll keep that in mind,” he replied with a smile, before curiosity nagged at him. “How do I know when you two are actually upset or are just playing?”

Tread Lightly giggled, “Oh you’ll know when we are genuinely mad,” Tread Lightly giggled. “Now it's a long trip and we need to make it there and back before winter starts to be set out by the earth ponies and pegasi.” Tread Lightly said as she looked over her two companions. One with a face full of that friendliness she was used to. A warmth was there, it was hard to explain but when you looked into Morning Merigold's eyes you knew that she was going to sacrifice herself before she was willing to let her friends so much as prick their finger. Then she looked to Messer Schmitt, he looked rather daring and was larger than the two of them. His wings and chest held the strength of Youth, the same kind of youth and adventure she felt in graduate school herself. That sense of daring and setting out on untrotted lands filled her once more both from the adventure ahead and through looking upon this pegasus. The earth pony was indeed lucky today to have gained this assistant. She hoped he would last the full trip.

She turned around showing her flanks to them, a unicorn on her right, a pegasus on her left and slowly clopped up to the door, unlocking it. “Are you ready to get going?” She asked as Merigold was scribbling a note with her horn magic holding a pen. “Just let me get this note finished for Lady Lotus so she knows I'll be gone and she will have to mind the shop for a week or two. Of course with a bit of extra pay.” Marigold mused to no one in particular as she finished writing the letter to her shop keeper. “I can completely spare it hun so don't worry about that.” The unicorn explained and then slid the note beneath the cash register to be found the next morning. “Besides you will pay me back with a story for a life time to share when I finally decide to have some foals.” Marigold teased and grabbed her own back before heading to the door.

Outside they all three headed as three heavy chimes of the clock tower echoed through the city of Stalliongrad. It was 3pm on their first day together and they started out of the door towards an adventure that would forever change all three ponies.

Comments

[gundamfighter55]

That foreshadowing. ouch

[tsaukpaetra]

Whee! An adventure begins!

[Fiaura]

8522404
Cute

[Fiaura]

8338801
I try.