Danger in the Dust

by AizakkuHorooee

Chapter III

Here I sit on the front steps of Sugar Cube Corner when the door opens. I look around to see who’d ever be checking on- whoa… never seen wall that close up before. This must be Muffins.

“Hello there,” Muffins greets. “Pinkie Pie wanted me to check on you. Are you okay, Aita?”

“I… I guess I’m a bit annoyed. This isn’t the first time I’ve been led away from something so vital about my friends.”

“Aw… It’s no fun being left out isn’t it? What happened last time?”

“In my homeworld, two members of me and my mother’s makeshift family rented out a recording of the Canterlot Hearth’s Warming pageant without bothering to tell me or Mom about it. It happened again with Twilight and her friends leading up to my first birthday party in Ponyville. It just feels like something that flies in the face of what friends should do.”

I close my eyes as my cheeks begin to itch, only to be patted on the back by Muffins’ wings. “Aw, Aita… I know. Sharing your experiences is how you build trust with somepony else. But I do know Twilight sent you outside for a reason. Do you remember how your party started out?”

“Yeah… I walked out because I needed some alone time away from all but my closest friends after standing up to Chrysalis and Areola.”

Muffins nods. “And…”

“...And Twilight told me staying like I wanted would’ve made things worse, but at least back at the party, there was a reason to step out. This probably wouldn’t have changed if I stayed now.”

“Well, I may not be a Sunset Shimmer, but hopefully everything for you will improve when Lightning Dust gets here.”

With Muffins’ words, I think I feel a little better. I hug her. “...I hope so too.”

Suddenly, I feel a blast of wind, meaning Lightning Dust is here. “Aita! I’m so glad you’re here. Unfortunately, I have to return to U-Fly in Cloudsdale; they sent a letter regarding the rental chariot. In the meantime, could one of you two tell the party pony to hold off on the welcome?”

“I’ll do it, Lightning Dust,” Muffins volunteers, promptly heading back inside.

“How long do you think it should take?” I ask.

“Obviously it’s so late, even if I were in-and-out at the snap of a feather, sundown would hit before I came back. Sorry to say, we’d have to push it into tomorrow.”

Now, what’s this about U-Fly? I hear Rarity ask as Lightning Dust departs. I turn around to see her forehooves over the bottom half of the front door.

“Oh! Lightning Dust got a letter that was apparently from U-Fly.”

Rarity’s perplexed now, tilting her head to her right, left brow lowered. “That’s odd. No pegasus ever has trouble with that moving organization.”

“I might see that happening back in my homeworld, but in Equestria? Do you think it was a fake letter? Because Lightning Dust’s a stuntpony, not a con artist.”

“Aita darling, you should write a letter to U-Fly so you can get the full picture.”

“A letter?!? Rarity you’re a genius!”

---

When I teleport to the library, I look for something about U-Fly, which I actually do rather quickly. I find out that the one running the lot in Cloudsdale is named…

“Lend Out! Aha!”

I look around and find a pile of scrolls on the roundtable across from the mirror, so I float one to write on.

Dear lot owner Lend Out,

One of your customers, Lightning Dust, had gotten a letter in the mail about a problem regarding the rental chariot. Was this authentic? Might there have been a mistake if the letter was? I ask on her behalf.

Yours truly,
Aita Bagley-Handy.

So, I send the letter then teleport back to Sugar Cube Corner.

“Alright, Rarity, miss- …Rarity?”

I wander inside, wondering where everyone went. Turns out it’s just Pinkie Pie.

“Huh? Where’d everyone go?”

“Oh they went home,” Pinkie replies. “So you feeling any better?”

“A little, Pinkie. Even if it wasn’t much, talking with Muffins did improve my mood.”

“Well, it’s a start. But boy did Rainbow Dash and Rarity give Starlight the what-for. I really wish Twilight didn’t shoo you out like she did; you should’ve seen it!”

Pinkie saying the same thing I was before actually makes me laugh a bit. “Yeah. Seems like I’m not the only one. Maybe Twilight just wasn’t at her best.”

“Eh, everypony has their off-day. But I’m glad to see you holdin’ that chin-up high, Aita.”

“Me too, PInkie.”

---

When I get home, Twilight is waiting out the front door with an envelope under her left wing.

“Ah, Aita. There you are,” she calmly greets with a faint smile on her face. “Before you say anything, I would like to apologize. While Rainbow Dash and Rarity did chastise Starlight about inviting Wind Rider, it didn’t seem anywhere near the heat I thought it would be. No hard feelings?”

I reply simply with a hug. “Now, did U-Fly respond? I’m guessing from the mail under the wing, yes.”

Twilight nods, takes the letter out with her magic and reads it. She suddenly gasps. “They never sent her any mail regarding the rental. That letter was a fake.”

“I knew it! Rarity was onto something when she said nopony had any trouble with U-Fly! She even got me to write to the owner of the Cloudsdale lot!”

“Is that how that happened? Is that why we got this? …Aita, I… I don’t know what to say; you’ve been doing so much without me. Fulfilling missions, making friends, problem solving… it’s all happening so quickly.” Twilight hugs me, realizing everything I’ve been up to just this month alone. “I guess we should focus on the task at hand for now though. Aita, go get Lightning Dust and let her know about the letter. I’ll stay here and gather our friends to discuss the matter of who’s responsible.”

“You got it, Twilight!”

So now, I start zipping back toward Lightning Dust’s house.