Sunny Starscout and The Mystery of Magic

by OneLonelyPickle

22 - The Quest for Coffee

Sunny woke to the sound of an accordion. The wavy metal doots and scratches from the instrument seemed close, and because Sunny forgot at first where she and her friends were, it was a dizzying affair. When Sunny did open her eyes, Izzy’s face was right above the cot.

“Ahhh!”

Sunny tumbled out in a tizzy. Izzy apologized profusely.

“Sorry sorry sorry! You were just talking in your sleep for once, so I was wondering what was going on!”

Sunny looked up.

“Did you have to be so close?!”

Izzy smiled sheepishly. Sunny rubbed her eyes and groaned.

“That cot is somehow even less comfortable than the cave… so wait, does that mean I didn’t snore last night?”

Hitch answered; Sunny saw the bags under his eyes.

“No, Sunny… it does not mean you did not snore last night. Because…” He yawned loudly. “You did… you definitely, definitely did…”

Izzy smiled.

“It’s okay, Sunny. We’ll just go find him some coffee!”

Hitch grumbled to himself for a moment before snapping to attention.

“Right, right! Let’s go exploring! Sunny, I NEED to see some mares and I NEED some coffee.”

Sunny stood up, her mouth becoming a slanted line.

“Should we leave though? Westley said not to leave.”

Hitch struggled to keep his eyes open.

“Sunny… I’ve gotten this far in life without listening to talking owls. I think it will be fine.”

Izzy beamed.

“It’s okay Sunny, we will be super duper sneaky! We’re ponjas, remember?”

Sunny smiled lightly at each of her friends in turn. She rubbed her neck.

“I know we’ve talked about it before, and I know you both say you’re on board, but I don’t want to get you into more trouble than you’ve bargained for. You don’t need to follow me on my quest… I know it’s a crazy one.”

Hitch groaned loudly.

“Comon Sunny, we are here for the long haul—trust me! Let’s go already!”

Izzy nodded.

“What he said!”

Sunny forced a wider smile.

“Okay then.” Her brow creased when she saw the red and white mushroom still front and center on Izzy’s head. “Izzy you… sure about that disguise? Maybe we can find you a hat and bring it back to you before you head out.”

Izzy poked the mushroom and hummed with thought.

“I do love Shroomie but… better to be safe rather than sorry. A hat or two is a good idea. I will come with you.”

Sunny mouth twitched.

“O-or two?!”

Hitch was at the door and tapping on one of his hooves.

“Come on, come on! My heart’s racing here, I need my fix. I need some MARES! Uhh and some coffee! Yes coffee too!”

Sunny deadpanned.

“Please don’t make the rest of us look like weirdos too. Keep the flirting at least six feet away.”

Izzy giggled.

“I think it will be funny. Let’s go!”

The three grabbed some bread for they left, eating as they went. Hitch opened the door tentatively and peeked around. Light poured in and blinded all three ponies, but once their eyes adjusted they tiphoofed out into the alley. Once outside, the sounds of flutes and guitars were also heard alongside the accordion. Sunny looked from the left to the right. They had to choose one of two directions.

“So, are we going to go toward or away from the impromptu band practice noises?” Hitch asked before a yawn. Sunny thrust her hoof up.

“Band practice! It sounds like a lot of fun!”

Izzy’s tail was shaking.

“Yeah, yeah! I agree, let’s go!”

Hitch shrugged.

“Fine, but once I find a mug of bean water I’m turning on the charm and getting my flirt on.”

The three left the alleyway and entered one of the streets of Tall Tale. It was wide enough that a cart was parked off to one side in front of a store, and there was still space for another cart to pass it. The streets were made of black-grey cobblestones flecked with white pebbles, and as passersby were abundant on the streets, the constant noise of clipclopping hooves accompanied the instruments.

Sunny spotted the band of Earth Ponies playing their instruments, though she frowned when she saw them. Each of the musicians, a stallion with a moustache of one color or another, had droopy cheeks and frowny faces. They played a joyful tune, although they looked like they were performing at a funeral. When Sunny looked at the other faces around the street, it was much the same.

“Uhhh, did somepony die?” She asked her friends.

“Some pony?” Hitch added with a dry chuckle. “It looks like half the city died from how everyearthpony looks.”

Izzy’s mouth became a pouty, upside-down crescent.

“That’s so sad!”

Sunny shifted her gaze from one end of the street to the other. She leaned into her friends.

“This doesn’t seem like a normal place. Let’s ask my grandmother when we find her.”

Hitch exhaled deeply.

“Before we do that, can I find some coffee, please?” His eyes were drawn to a mare he spotted window shopping. She had a reddish-brown mane that hung straight down, and a grey coat of fur. Her face looked totally uninterested, almost sad. Hitch’s mouth screwed into a worried line. “This is almost as worse as no mares at all. I don’t like to see a sad mare…”

Hitch forced a charming, gleaming smile.

“Guess I really need to lay it on thick and make them laugh.”

Sunny and Izzy had already walked away, looking for signs that might show a coffee mug or something else giving away its purpose. Ponies broke their depressed state to stare bewildered at Izzy’s mushroom. Hitch caught up and whispered.

“Hey, we should be sticking together!”

“Then don’t be weird!”

The street went on and on, as did the number of depressed-looking ponies, it was not a direct straight line – there were swerves and curves and turns. Tall Tale was not as compact as Castletown and seemed to afford more air for its denizens to breath. But Sunny could see that all of them, even the ones that did not frown or look sullen, still wore smiles or happy expressions that seemed false.

“I wonder what’s up…”

Hitch shot his grin at the mares that he passed, but usually earned a worried expression or ignorance altogether of his gesture. He frowned.

“Must be this depression thing they all have – could it be an illness?”

Sunny rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, THAT’S why they’re ignoring you, Casanova.”

Hitch ignored the slight as they passed a group of young fillies, who instead of giggling, sighed, one after the other. Hitch turned to Izzy.

“Izzy, you ought to know Casanova – you know, the real one? I heard he’s pretty famous as a ladies’ stallion in the Unicorn lands.”

Izzy made a contemplative face.

“I’ve heard of him but… sorry, I don’t know much.”

Hitch flicked Sunny with his hoof.

“See! He IS real. One day, we’ll run into him, and you’re going to be sorry you used his name in vain.”

“That’s stupid. Hitch, focus. Coffee!”

“Trust me… I am all eyes for the coffee.”

Suddenly, Izzy whisked Sunny and Hitch away to the other side of the street, nearly slamming right into a passing wagon. They cried out.

“Izzy!” Sunny whisper-shouted. “This isn’t exactly keeping a low profile!”

But the Unicorn was on a mission. She led her friends inside of a shop – a cramped affair, and very clearly a clothing shop. General sizes hung from the display racks. A bored, bushy-stached stallion was looking particularly dead at the counter.

“Disguises!” Izzy whispered. She winked and took off to see what was in stock. Hitch sighed and shrugged.

“I mean sure, it will be fun to dress up. Not a bad idea, right?”

Sunny chuckled.

“What, coming from you? You’re usually the voice of reason and stick-in-the-mudness.”

Hitch’s eyes widened and he leaned in.

“Sunny I’m going to SNAP and I’m trying to ignore it. I forgot to get a rock or something to stuff your mouth with last night. I barely slept!”

Sunny shrugged.

“Sorry Hitch. I will think of something for tonight.”

Hitch grabbed a brown faux-leather hat off of a rack and donned it. Sunny looked around and saw a wide brimmed purple hat with a feather attached. She fit it onto her head and nodded at Hitch.

“We be stylin!”

Izzy ran over, covered in all manner of clothing items and a stack of hats. Shroomie was nestled safely in her saddlebags.

“I’m set!” she announced. “Ta da!”

Hitch and Sunny didn’t know where to look first. Various cheap feather leis of various colors hung around Izzy’s neck. The outer layer of clothing around her midsection ended with a scratchy-looking brown sweater but poking out of the collar was evidence of a white shirt and a tie dye long sleeve underneath. The hats on her head were, in order from bottom to top, a tight woolen hat, a bucket hat, a cowpony hat, and then a hat covered in black fur that stood up like a garbage bin.

The shopkeeper tapped his hoof impatiently.

“Ehhhhh… you gonna pay for dose?”

Izzy tentatively turned around and rapidly nodded, a blush flecking her cheeks. She raced over and scooped out some bits, letting them clank on the countertop. The shopkeep’s eyes bulged out. He couldn’t breathe.

“Y-You sure?! That is a LOT of bits, ma’am!”

Izzy smiled uneasily and zipped back to the others. She hurried them away as soon as they had grabbed what they needed.

Once outside the shop after their purchases were safely on their bodies, the three strode down the street in style. Izzy had a pair of purple plastic shades. Hitch had a fake moustache and a big set of brown robes to accompany his hat. Sunny had a high collared black faux-leather jacket and some flowy grey pants to cover her Cutie Mark.

“Now we are totally inconspicuous!” Izzy declared as a mare hurried her foal along after seeing the display. Hitch covered half his face with his hoof and laughed.

“I can’t believe I’m wearing this. This seems worse than just going as our normal selves.”

Sunny raised her hoof.

“Embrace it, Trashbasher! Let’s go get you something to drink, Mr. Sleepy Hooves, then we can go find my grandmother!”

Hitch rolled his eyes.

“Yeah okay Sunny.”

Izzy grabbed his shoulder and shook.

“Look Hitch! That’s a big one, right?”

Down the street, a wooden stand with a giant sign that looked like a disposable coffee cup complete with lid stuck out of the crowd. Izzy waved her hoof as she pointed.

“Coffee!”

“It is indeed. Let’s go!”

They were off but not for long – the street became so crowded that they had to slow down. There was not enough room to barge through without causing a scene. The street widened and on one side sat a folded-out wagon that created a theatrical stage. Red curtains were drawn, and the hushed crowd murmured among itself. Hitch, Sunny, and Izzy all looked to one another, confused.

A male showpony’s voice rang out.

“Step forward one and all! Despair no more, for Tall Tale’s bringer of happiness and joy has arrived! Miss Lumina!”

The male showpony had a black top hat and suit on. His fur was sleek white and a blonde mane underneath was only just visible given the size of his hat. He did a flourish with his hoof as he backed up and away behind the curtains, which began to open to reveal a shadowy pony figure.

An explosion of fireworks and a whizzing sound like a rocket firing coincided with a spotlight turning on, pointing on the shadowy figure. It was the so-called Miss Lumina, a mare with light orange fur and a curved-top, wide brimmed black hat covering a silver mane that flowed back against her neck like a waterfall. She wore black robes that covered everything below her neck including her hooves. She was all smiles and got onto her hind hooves to strike a pose. The crowd gave half-hearted cries, almost approaching mirth.

“EVERYEARTHPONY! WELCOME!”

Sunny squinted. Miss Lumina had bright magenta eyes.

“Maybe that’s my grandmother!” Sunny whispered. Hitch hushed her.

“Let’s find out!”

Miss Lumina continued, her voice the first that Sunny and her friends heard in the town that didn’t sound depressed.

“For my first trick, I need a volunteer! Don’t be shy now!”

The crowd talked quietly, one pony to another. Sunny and her friends looked among themselves. Izzy looked ready to explode with enthusiasm. She couldn’t hold it.

“OOO OOO I’LL DO IT! I WANT TO DO IT!”

Izzy was off like a filly at a candy store, shoving past the others. Sunny and Hitch exchanged a fearful look but were paralyzed with indecision. The crowd seemed taken aback by Izzy’s excitement, moving aside for her to get up the steps of the stage, her hats bobbing up and down as she did. Sunny chewed the end of her hoof watching the hats, expecting them to tumble off at any moment.

“We have an eager one today, folks!” Miss Lumina announced with a giggle at the end. Izzy stood next to her, knees bouncing along with her, an empty sort of look on her face though she was smiling. Then, she noticed the crowd.

Izzy’s eyes widened. She started to shake, her knees wobbling instead of bouncing.

Hitch leaned into Sunny.

“This could be bad – get ready to jump in.”

“I’m ready, don’t worry.”

Miss Lumina laid a hoof on Izzy’s clothing-covered back.

“And what’s your name, eager beaver?”

“Uhhhhhhhhhhh…”

Izzy held the single tone for quite some time, to the extent that even Miss Lumina frowned and looked concerned. Finally, Izzy spoke.

“…Iz—NO I MEAN IT’SSSSS UHHHHHHHHH Joey! Joeysephine! Yeah! I-I’m Joeysephine!”

She forced the most crooked, forced smile she could and turned to Miss Lumina. The showmare smiled back just as awkwardly.

“Oookay, Joeysephine. Uhh, say hello to Joeysephine, everyearthpony!”

The crowd just stared. Some ponies near Sunny and Hitch whispered.

“Must have got her brains messed up at the Castle. Another one that Sir Bastion got to, no doubt.”

“Yeah, this is the worst case yet, he must have dropped her from the roof.”

Sunny’s face became a neutral line and she stared at her friend, waiting for something to happen. Hitch looked around them. He got closer to Sunny.

“Don’t look but there is someearthpony watching us from an alley. Real shady type, too.”

Sunny of course looked. She saw a stickbug of a stallion dressed in only a sideways ballcap and chewing on a toothpick, his eyes glued to Sunny. He half-smiled as he saw her look his way. She cringed.

“Eww! A pervert, you think?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I’ve done the same thing and I’m not a pervert.”

Sunny did a double take.

“Seriously?!”

“Sunny, it’s not illegal to look, it’s only illegal to touch.”

“It’s still gross!”

Up on the stage, Miss Lumina moved Izzy into place, which was a difficult task given the Unicorn had completely locked up. Miss Lumina made the best of the situation, then pulled a wand from her robes with her teeth. She spoke through the wand.

“Watch closely, everyearthpony, as I make Joeysephine DISAPPEAR! OOOOOO!”

Izzy lit up.

“WHAT REALLY?!”

Sunny’s reaction was similar.

“Wow is she going to do some real magic?!”

Hitch nudged her.

“Oi, it’s just a make-believe show.”

Miss Lumina reared back and waved the wand about, then jolted forward. A loud blast of sound and smoke burst from Izzy’s location made Sunny jump back. She was bewildered, her eyes white saucers.

“WHAT THE HAY WHOA DID YOU SEE THAT HITCH?!”

Everypony nearby looked at Sunny with raised brows. Hitch facehoofed as Sunny hoofclapped and cheered.

“S-she’s just under the stage, Sunny…”

When the smoke cleared, Izzy was gone. Miss Lumina took a bow.

“Thank you, thank you, I’m here all week!”

Somepony booed in the back. Another cried out.

“You did the same thing yesterday! We already know this trick!”

Another pony shouted.

“Are you going to do the pigeons flying out of a hat one next? You did that the day before yesterday!”

Somepony lifted up their child, a toothless little filly with a lisp.

“This disssplay of impossssible featssss is a ssssham, and I persssonally will not sssstand for it!”

The crowd agreed in a monotonous drone. Miss Lumina stepped back and sweatdrops fell from underneath her witch-like hat. Something knocked underneath the stage.

“GUYS GUYS I’M IN A BLACK VOID! PLEASE HELP! I HATE THE DARK I’M SCARED!”

The crowd booed in earnest, and Miss Lumina frantically searched for an answer. Her assistant poked his head out from behind the stage and looked just as confused. Sunny pushed past the crowd to the front of the stage.

“Hey! How do I get my friend out of there? How could you pretend to do magic like this, you got my hopes up for nothing!”

Miss Lumina pointed to a spot by the stage not far from Sunny and smiled with a blush. Sunny looked around and saw an obvious switch, only vaguely colored the same as the rest of the light brown stage wood. Sunny pushed it and a trapdoor opened. Izzy rolled out, head spinning. Only one of the hats still clung to her head, and barely at that.

“W-whoa… no more magic for me… owwie…”

Hitch sped through the crowd, a wake of yelping ponies behind him, and scooped his friends onto his back.

“Time to go!”

Sunny protested.

“Just hold on, I didn’t get to talk to Miss Lumina yet! What if she’s my grandmother, or at least a cousin or something?”

“Wrong place, wrong time Sunny! Way too much attention got drawn to us, plus that weirdo in the alley! He might just be admiring the goods, sure, and that’s totally fine and not perverted!” Sunny went deadpan. “But he also might be someone who wants to make some bits giving us up to the soldiers. I bet you didn’t notice them around, but I did.”

At that, Sunny looked around. She spotted no stone helmets, armor, or spears among any of the many passersby.

“What are you talking about Hitch?”

Hitch skidded to a halt and let his friends off his back. He wrapped a hoof around Sunny’s neck and pointed upward. Sure enough, two soldiers were scanning the street from a position on a flat roof nearby. Sunny gasped.

“See?” Hitch said, “I don’t know the town at all, but I am willing to bet they don’t normally do that, not unless they are looking for somearthpony.”

Sunny corrected him.

“Somepony, Hitch. Somepony!”

“I’m working on it! Now come on!”

Izzy groaned.

“I feel woozy… blah…” She smiled. “But did you two see the magic!? It was so dark… but wow!”

“Izzy you fell through a trap door, you were just underneath the stage.”

“O-ohh… s-sorry it seemed so real…”

Hitch nearly dragged his friends to the coffee stand. At last he approached the counter to get his drink, his face like an excited colt’s. He pulled a bit from out of his belt.

“Hey!” Izzy cried. “I can pay for it, it’s no problem!”

“That’s fine Izzy, I do have some money. You save that for an emergency. Also, we still need some clothes for the cold in Vanhoover and I don’t know how much those cost. Just in case we do go.”

Sunny interjected. “We areeeeeee.”

Hitch paid for his coffee and took the handle with his teeth. He, Sunny, and Izzy sat in some café chairs. Hitch grasped the disposable cup with both hooves, blew some of the steam away, and hazarded a sip. After he swallowed, he sighed contentedly.

“Oh that’s the stuff.”

Sunny leaned forward.

“Okay, once you’re done with the coffee, I think the best thing is for us to go back and talk to Miss Lumina. I have a feeling about her. I think she’s a Starscout – maybe not my grandmother, but family! She’ll help us!”

Izzy nodded.

“That makes sense to me. Hitch?”

Hitch’s head was craned back and his gaze elsewhere. Sunny and Izzy looked at one another, oblivious at that moment to how strange they both looked in their mismatched attire, then they looked at Hitch.

“Earth to former sheriff Hitch, yoo hoo.”

Hitch snapped back.

“W-what? I’m looking out for mar-SOLDIERS! I’m looking out for soldiers.” He cleared his throat and took another sip. Sunny jabbed him with her hoof.

“Stay focused! Now do you agree with my plan or not?”

Hitch took another sip and smacked his lips.

“Hmmm… no, I don’t think so. What we should do is find somewhere to stock up on supplies. We don’t know how long we have before something goes wrong and we have to make a run for it or hide somewhere. Best to get everything we need now.”

Izzy looked to Sunny.

“Okay now I agree with Hitch, that sounds better.”

Sunny nodded.

“Alright. And after that, we backtrack to Miss Lumina?”

Hitch finished off his coffee with a big gulp. He sighed loud and happy as he put it back down.

“Sure! She was pretty cute, too! I’ll work my magic on her and she’ll be dough in my hooves.”

He turned and shot one of his smiles at a nearby mare, flicking his head up at the same time. She took one look, grimaced, and turned back the other way. Izzy giggled. Sunny jabbed Hitch again.

“Smooth, Casanova. Smooth.”

Hitch found a wastebasket for his empty cup and the three continued on their way. They took a separate street perpendicular to the one they were on before, as it appeared to have more store signs above the buildings. At one point, a bored-looking stallion on stilts lumbered by. Izzy ‘ooo’d’ at that, and ‘awe’d’ later when she saw a mare breath fire, looking just as bored as anypony else in town.

“These ponies do so many neato things but they all look like they’re being forced to read about the Cheddar Mare Uprising of the Year 339 AGB!” Izzy exclaimed. Hitch and Sunny looked at her funny. “W-what?”

“What the HECK is the Cheddar Mare Uprising?”

“O-oh… s-sorry, uhh, nothing. Unicorn thing. Anyway, I mean, they look really bored!”

Eventually a sign caught Sunny’s eye: it was worn, brown, and cracked with a crude drawing of a purple potion bottle with bubbles coming out. She lit up.

“That looks like a potion shop, right? Either that or they sell purple drinks in potion bottles.”

Hitch chuckled.

“Sunny Sunny Sunny… don’t be ridiculous. It’s clearly a potion shop.”

The three entered. Moments later, they emerged, each holding a purple drink.

“Huh. Guess it was a purple drink store.” Hitch exclaimed. He noticed another sign across the street, this time the potion on the sign was a dark green. “Let’s try that one!”

Everypony gulped down their drinks, threw them out, and then filed into the store across the street. Inside, the windows were shuttered and the only light was from a large candle near the center of the room and one smaller candle on a counter at the back of the long room. A mare was seated there, beside a bubbling cauldron. The rest of the room had all types of odds and ends that would not be out of place in a witch’s hovel, like something out of a pony fairy tale. Sunny beamed.

“Cool! I bet she has eye of newt!”

Hitch looked around.

“Broom stick, look for a broom stick – guys, this must be a witch. We should go somewhere less evil looking!”

Izzy gasped loudly and zipped over to a table. A jar of tiny eyeballs sat next to a few other jars filled with thick hair of different colors.

“You were right, Sunny! These must be eyes of newt, right?”

Sunny jumped to her friend’s side, and they were both ecstatic, tails waving.

“I have no idea Izzy, but it’s so creepy, it’s really cool!”

A witch’s cackle echoed from the other side of the room. Sunny and her friends jumped out of their skins - Hitch screamed.

“EVIL WITCH! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!”

But before he could stop running in place, the old mare lowered her hood. She chuckled again, but less witch-like than before.

“I ain’t no witch! I just like to do that to mess with Earth Ponies.” Hitch tripped over his hooves and flopped forward. Sunny and Izzy got closer to the old mare. “Name’s Sue. Sue Grassroots. This is my family shop – grab whatever you like, I’ll give you a good deal because hot stuff over there made me laugh!” She pointed at Hitch and laughed again. His tongue was flopped out and his head spun. Izzy giggled and Sunny rolled her eyes, smiling.

“Thanks, Sue. We will.” She leaned into Izzy and whispered. “She is from the same family as that apothecary from back at the Castle. Remember that really annoyingly pretty one, Layla?”

“Oh yeah. You really think she was pretty?”

“Yeah it really bugged me. I wish I could have dunked her in that river.”

“R-really?!”

Hitch collected himself, got up, and raised a hoof.

“Okay, if you promise not to turn me into a toad, can I buy some potions, please?”

Sue cackled again.

“I’m not promising anything, sugar buns, but you take your fine self over here and we can talk about some potions.” Hitch gulped. Sunny shot him googoo eyes and made kissy faces.

“Go get ‘im, tiger!”

Hitch looked at Izzy briefly, who was already en route to his side. She took off her saddlebags and gave them to Hitch with a smile.

“You might as well the bits, I don’t know what need anyway.”

“You sure? I really don’t want to lose it or anything. I promise I won’t spend it all!”

Izzy grinned with puffy cheeks.

“Don’t worry HitchyWitchy! I’ve got like 50 bags of the same size just sitting around my room at home.”

Hitch’s mouth dropped and he was at a loss for words.

“T-th… wh… REALLY?! This is more than I make in a year! Two years!”

Sunny raised her hoof.

“Made. You got fired, remember?”

Hitch sighed.

“I do now…”

He strapped the saddlebags on and approached the counter. Sue batted her ancient eyelashes at him – he forced a smile. Her coat was a similar shade to Layla Grassroots’s, although worn from age. Her irises were a dull yellow. Robes covered everything but her face. Izzy and Sunny giggled some more and browsed the inventory while Hitch did his haggling, made easier due to Sue’s infatuation.

“Uhhh by the way,” Hitch asked as he put some vials into his belt, underneath his outfit. “We met Layla in Castletown. The cutie with the braided hair?”

Sue frowned.

“My granddaughter. Why do you want to talk about her when you’ve got me, studmuffin?”

Hitch shuddered, then produced a pearly-white smile, accented by the faux moustache above his lip.

“Oh I just wanted to say, if she’s looking for a coltfriend – well, I’m definitely available.”

Sue frowned, her bushy white brows pointing downward.

“Hah! Good luck with her, she’s all about her potions. Something of a loyalist too, to Castle Rockhoof. You seem like more of a free spirit – why not just stay here with me?”

Hitch adjusted the neck of his robes. Sunny snuck up and nudged his side.

“Hey studmuffin, we ready to go already?”

“YES! I mean uhh, sure. Haha. Nice to meet you, Sue.”

Sue winked.

“Don’t let it be the last time.”

As Sunny and her friends left the Grassroots shop, a greasy voice called out from a side alley nearby, laughter hiding behind every word it uttered.

“Heeyyyyy if it isn’t Sunny Starscout, Isabella Moonbow, and Hitch Trackbreaker.”

All three turned, pupils growing small. Hitch protested.

“Come on! It’s Trailblazer. TRAILBLAZER!”

Sunny shoved him.

“O-oh, I mean, uhhh, NO THAT’S NOT MY NAME!”

It was the “pervert” stallion from before. He grinned like a sly fox, his yellow teeth making the mares step back.

“Let’s go have a chat about how much it costs for me to keep a secret!”

Comments

[Phetiamwantip]

“Let’s go have a chat about how much it costs for me to keep a secret!”

How about: No.

[AllenVth]

is the city a place for the victims of Sir Bastion? Because there shouldn't be a reason why so many are so sad.

I feel bad for Lumina, she's trying to show everyone her stage tricks, but she's got no new ones to show. Not to mention about the tough crowd.

[OneLonelyPickle]

11226734
Wow! I don't think there is a place large enough to keep all of his victims!

Thanks for continuing to follow the story. Read on =)

[Booster Spice]

This guy is really banking on at least Hitch not being as terminal minded as he is. After way, One pony can keep a secret, if the other is permanantly indisposed?

[Prince Leviathan]

I see Trixie's trade continues in the future.

Though, not as....G&P.