Trot Buddies!

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Back Together

“Whew-wee...” Applejack fumbled around for a few seconds to pick her hat back up. “That fancy magic pony was sure right about one thang...” She shook her mane straight and slapped the stetson back into place. “It really was like a thunderclap.”

“Indoors too.” Fluttershy rubbed her fuzzy ears, wincing. “Sounded like a freight train.”

“What matters is that it worked!” Rainbow Dash pointed from where she hovered beside her human-turned-pony-pals. “Look!”

Sure enough, a large portal had opened. The interior of the crystalline hallway had filled with the scent of grass and fresh pine. In pairs—trot buddies aplenty—the entire crew and complement of the cruise ship trotted through the magical gateway, entering the castle proper. A setting sun glinted off their coats and manes. They looked weary, tired, and more than a little bit confused. However—as they trotted from grass to polished floor—their expressions lit up with a renewed sense of wonder. Excitement rumbled through the group, even as Sunset Shimmer, Princess Twilight, and Starlight Glimmer could be seen ushering them carefully into the palatial interior.

“That's it... that's it...” Starlight Glimmer motioned with a hoof, all the while her horn glowed in maintaining the open portal. “...stay with your trot buddy! Keep close! Fill up all empty spaces in the hallway and await instructions!”

“Heh...” Flash Sentry smirked aside at Trixie. “Are we in Equestria or a line queue at Disney?”

Trixie was silent, her saucer-eyes stuck on the glowing sorceress.

“Oh. Right.” Flash cleared his throat and looked at the ponies proceeding through the fluctuating portal. “Hey!” He waved. “Thunderbass! Sandalwood!”

“Yo, Flash!” Stallions waved back, smiling awkwardly as they proceeded past him. “This is... uh... some crazy stuff, huh?”

“Perfectly harmless! I promise you!” Flash waved back. “We'll be home in a snap! Just you wait!”

“We've waited long enough, dude!” said one stallion.

“Yeah!” chimed in the other. “We almost envy you for going on ahead!”

“Not after you hear what I've been through!”

“Oh yeah?”

They were passing by at this point, so Flash waved them off.

“I'll tell you later!” He smirked, then turned to face the portal again. “Dogs and ponies, living in harmony,” he muttered to himself. “Pandemonium.”

More familiar faces shuffled through the portal. Octavia Melody. Microchips. Ms. Victoria and her daughter. Vinyl Scratch. Bon Bon—the latter of whom made a bee-line for Lyra and embraced her as... well as two horse women could embrace each other.

“Oh gosh! I couldn't stand another minute without my best bestie at my siiiide!” Bon Bon caterwauled.

“Well, one of us had to go scouting ahead to make sure it was safe!”

“I know! And I'm so proud of you, Lyraaaaaaa!”

“Heeheee—I love how you say my name!”

“I love how you love how I say your name!”

“Heeheeheeeee!”

Before long, the entirety of the two-hundred-and-twenty-two individuals were safely positioned under the roof of the castle. The corridor echoed with chatter and excitement. Princess Twilight and Sunset Shimmer walked in at the tail end of the group. But they still kept the portal open, waiting to do a headcount of everyone present. Rainbow Dash flew by—Flash could no longer tell if it was their Rainbow Dash or Equestria's—and soon Flash found himself raising his hoof for roll call.

“Present...!”

Dead silence.

Flash squinted aside, then whipped Trixie lightly with his tail.

“Oh! Trixie is single!” Her eyes crossed. “Present! Trixie is present!”

“... … ...” Rainbow squinted at the group, shrugged, then moved on to check on the next pair of trot buddies.

Trixie shuddered, her eartips noticeably red.

Flash glanced at them, then at her directly. “You hanging in there just fine, Gladys?”

“Trixie is most assuredly hanging fine.”

“Some of you is.” Flash cocked his head to the side. “The rest of you is floating towards the ceiling along with a bunch of cartoon hearts.”

Her everything deflated into an exasperated sigh. “... … ...is it that obvious?”

“Don't worry. I think the only person who's been staring at anything for the past ten minutes has been you.”

“What's to worry about?” Trixie stood prim and proper. “Everything is just fine! Nothing out of the ordinary! Why would you even question Trixie about anything?”

“It's not like I'm questioning...” Flash shrugged. “I just never put it together that you were into—”

Trixie flashed him an angry dagger of a glare.

“—oooooooooooooo unicorns!” Flash pressed a hoof to his muzzle, smiling innocently. “Of the magical variety! Eheh...”

“Hrmmmff...” Trixie tilted her nose up. “It's none of your business.”

He gulped, nodding. “Fair enough.”

“Trixie is... … ...into professionalism.”

“Right.”

“Skill.”

“Sure.”

“Panache.”

“Fitting.”

“... … ...” Trixie sighed dreamily beyond the borders of a whimper. “And pretty... pretty eyes...”

Flash limply nodded. “I can get behind that, yeah.”

“Her name is Starlight Glimmer...”

“Yeah. Sounds fancy.”

“It's stupid,” Trixie muttered. “The name of a cartoon hobby horse.”

“Uh...”

“But... so... so very pretty-sounding to Trixie,” the mare cooed.

“Ah. But of course.”

“Have you ever seen eyes like that on a person? Much less a horse?”

“I... uh...” Flash squinted. He rubbed his chin as he studied the sorceress from afar. Starlight's horn was glowing as Sunset and Rainbow Dash finished up making the headcount. “Come to think of it...”

“What?!?” Trixie flashed him a desperate look. “'Come to think of it' what?!?!?”

He leaned away from her slightly. “Nothing. Just that... there's something slightly familiar about her...”

“Familiar how?”

“In our world—”

Trixie nearly swung into him, eyes wide. “You're telling Trixie there's a her on my side? Er... our side?”

“Let me finish!” He waved a hoof. “A few months back—just before Camp Everfree—there was some magical mishap at the local mall.” His brow furrowed in thought. “Something to do with a magic looking-glass, Sunset told me. Anyways, some crazy girl got a bunch of evil magic and... turned hella huge. Began wrecking the place. Sunset and the gang talked her down from the transformation, but not without a little help from someone who came out of nowhere to help them.”

“Yeah, and...?”

Flash pointed. “Her hair looked a lot like that pony's mane. And—for what it's worth—same eyes too.”

“So... there is a woman...” Trixie murmured.

Flash shrugged. “For all I know, it could be the same pony we're staring at! You're seeing how well she's working with Sunset Shimmer right now... like she and Sunset and the Princess gel together. Maybe she visited us once.”

“Well, there's only one way to find out,” Trixie said.

“For sure!” Flash smirked. “You can go ask her!”

“No.” Trixie stomped her hoof. “You are going to ask her.”

Flash's ears drooped. “Buh?”

Comments

[Just Some Toast]

Flash's ears drooped. “Buh?”

I believe this should be "bruh" as this is indeed a bruh moment.

[Scyphi]

“Let me finish!” He waved a hoof. “A few months back—just before Camp Everfree—there was some magical mishap at the local mall...”

Oh noooooooooo--it's a good thing Trixie's getting him to go ask, or else he'd be inadvertently stringing Trixie along, getting her hopes up!

[Bookeater_otaku]

Trixie called him a lot of things but I don't remember if coward was one of them. Hopefully he will call her on it.

[Melody Song]

Poor Flash. Trixie is making him play wingman.

[FanOfMostEverything]

“Dogs and ponies, living in harmony,” he muttered to himself. “Pandemonium.”

Ah. It's only mass hysteria when it's dogs and cats living together.

“It's stupid,” Trixie muttered. “The name of a cartoon hobby horse.”

Girl, your world has the exact same naming conventions. You helped someone named Sunset Shimmer solve a mystery and found the perpetrator was one Wallflower Blush. You are in no position to call names stupid. (Of course, this is just Trixie Trixing with the white-hot intensity of a thousand silly rabbits, but still.)

But yeah, Flash should really return the favor of telling his trot buddy to grow a spine. He's not going to, but still.