Costume Calamity

by I had no idea

Chapter five: And the winner is...

"Wait, wait, wait. You talked a Diamond Dog into a trade agreement?!"

"Well, more like opening their eyes to the obvious, really. I mean, seriously, how dumb they were to not consider a smithing town next to them as a potential buyer for all their metal?"

All eyes were upon Trixie, who found this very much to her liking. Though many refused to believe her claims, their undivided attention still spoke lengths about them. As Trixie was about to elaborate further, another voice stepped in to defend her, surprisingly.

"Really, Rainbow, darling, just think about it. Last time these brutish dogs were defeated by the mere sight of a distressed lady!"

"You mean, your whining." Rainbow mumbled. Rarity paid her no mind. She leaned closer conspiratorily to the showmare.

"Now, I believe you mentioned a dashing jewelsmith?"

Applejack rolled her eyes at Rarity's unmasked interest in the smallest bits of gossip.

"Well, he was more like bashing than dashing, and noses rather than ladies' hearts, but yeah, I mentioned a jewelsmith." She gave them a pained expression. "I swear, they technically were meant fo each other, looking at their personalities and whatnot." She inhaled deeply. "Still, the very next morning..."

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Trixie groaned as the sunlight pierced her eyes. Her rest was relatively uninterrupted, not counting the time some ponies started shouting 'Deeper, deeper!' and 'It's all coming out!'. She wished they'd stopped unclogging the toilets in the middle of the night. Yawning, she donned her trademark cape and hat, making her way downstairs. To her surprise, more townsponies were mingling in the reception hall than yesterday. She waved at them with a smile.

"Greetings, citizens of Anvilmare! Sorry I can't entertain you any longer, but I've got a dragon to visit."

Her claims were met with laughter, but she continued smiling nevertheless. Well, right until a vigorous tackle, which promptly gave the air in her lungs a quickened eviction notice.

"Pony!" a voice cried happily.

"If you don't stop squeezing, I'll be a pancake, not a pony!"

"Sorry, sorry. Is very happy." her assailant apologised, putting her down. Trixie turned around to face him, and surprisedly saw the leader of the Diamond Dogs smiling at her.

"So, what brings you here?" she asked him.

"Oh, we done packing first batch of iron. About fifty tons, all paid for." Butch explained. The silence that followed spoke books.

"I think I just had a metalgasm." a weak voice in the back groaned. Trixie paid him no mind.

"Well, good luck with that. I've got an appointment with Silver and Bend. So long!"

She trotted out of the inn happily, leaving a few bits on the counter. One of the present stallions suddenly perked up.

"Waaaait... she said Silver? As in 'Cast Silver'?"

"Yeah, she did. And?"

"She also said 'Bend'" the stallion continued with dread. "As in..."

"Metal Bend!" the other finished with dread. "Oh, Celestia, why? I just rebuilt my fence!"

"Oh, hay, last time they ran into each other, poor Iron Hoof breathed splinters for a week!"

"You call that something? I heard Ace Face got bucked so hard that one of his front legs became a hind leg!"

"Oh yeah? Well, Compound Fracture visited the place they were fighting at, and one week later he fell into the well!"

Butch stared dumbfoundedly at the terrified blabbing smiths.

"Ponies are weird."

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Trixie sneaked into the smithy behind Cast Silver's house. Stepping inside, she immediately noticed two things. One, the complete lack of apocalyptic destruction predicted by the townsfolk. Two, both smiths were sleeping soundly, albeit at different locations. Metal Bend was lying upside-down on a small porch, her head resting on the ground, while her body was still on the piece of shoggy furniture, covered by a rather large blanket. Cast Silver, on the other hoof, was slumped upon the anvil, leaning on it as if it was some kind of pillow. The showmare smiled upon the sight of the two most dreaded citizens of Anvilmare sleeping like little lambs. Her eyes caught sight of what she came for: the finished commission. Running a hoof along it, she admired the fine craftponyship, the intricate patterns and figures welded into the silver. This was exactly what she wanted.

Reaching deep into her hat—actually, reaching deeper than it's size would suggest—she pulled out a bag of bits. She was about to levitate it to the sleeping jewelsmith, but was startled by Bend, as she fell down to the floor with a soft thump. Curiously, she didn't wake up.

A cheeky smile spread on the unicorn's lips. She put down the money, and levitated Cast Silver instead, putting him down right beside the sleping earth pony mare. On a whim, she levitated Bend's blanket over them, then placed the bag of coins between the sleeping smiths.

She took another look at the silver object. It was just a bit too large to lug around effortlessly. Fortunately, she was quite profound in size-changing spells. (She lived in a cramped trailer, after all. There aren't many things that fit in one without a little bit of cheating.) The showmare lit up her horn, and the object shrunk to a manageable size. Satisfied with the results, she covered the completed accessory in a nearby sheet, then levitated it on her back. It had quite the weight, but she could handle it. After all, a lifestyle of wandering the countryside with a carriage tends to leave you with fairly well developed muscles, even if you're a unicorn.

She shot a last glance at the tranquil scene, giggling inwardly at her own prank. Noticing something on the ground, she levitated it to her eyes for further inspection. Anypony else would have considered this particular item junk. Well, maybe not Twilight Sparkle, but it's kind of cheating with how many books she read about magic. Seriously, she could probably cause cataclysmic earthquakes with a spoon. Still, this will come in handy later. She pocketed the item, and let her thoughts wander back to the couple laid out on the floor in front of her.

"They'll either act like schoolfillies when they wake up," she thought, "or cut a swathe of death and destruction to gain revenge upon me, even if the fires of Tartarus will rain upon this very village. Oh well, worth it anyway."

She began whistling as she once again set her way towards the mountain, and the dragon residing up high on it.

__________________________________________________________________________________

The trek upwards was mostly uneventful, apart from a few narrow ledges here and there. At least no tunnels collapsed underneath her this time.

The dragon's cave was located on the actual peak of the mountain, a small plateau stretching in front of the entrance. Trixie briefly pondered the reason why dragons perched atop mountains with access to their cave. If it was for her, she'd search for a cave that actually had no paths leading up to it, because, you know, she'd fly up to it, like any sensible dragon would. That would at least keep earthbound creatures away from the hoard. Not that she'd like to complain or anything.

She steeled her resolve, and entered the cave. After a few steps, it became pitch dark, but after a few more steps, the darkness cleared up, being replaced with the soft glow of light reflecting from the large piles of treasure. Unsurprisingly enough, the dragon was nesting atop the largest of them, sleeping soundly. Then again, a two-hundred feet long dragon probably doesn't need to fear from simple intruders.

"Well, here goes nothing." she thought.

"Greetings, o mighty dragon of Mount... erm... Whatsisname! I bring good tidings to thee!"

To say that the dragon ignored her would be an understatement. Trixie cleared her throat impatiently.

"Hello? It's kind of important for me to speak with you!"

The amount of indifference on the dragon's part could only be measured in kiloshrugs.

"I didn't want to resort to this, but you leave me no choice. Let's see. Remember the three principles! Shout from your lungs, not your mouth! Use faux ancient! Let your voice sweep away the dust!"

She grinned.

"Wouldst thee payeth attention to thy humble servant, prithee?"

_________________________________________________________________________________

Metal Bend was having a dream about anvils. She grinned in her sleep, and her hoof unconsciously moved upwards, nearing her head. At least, it would, was it not for the unidentified object with the unfamiliar texture blocking the way. She opened her eyes, just to see the largest bag of bits she ever laid her eyes upon.

Needless to say, she sprang awake immediately. Thanks to that, she also noticed the hoof resting lazily on her midriff. The just rage of heavens boiled inside her. She leaped at the presumptous foal who tried to act all intimately with her, forgetting that they were covered by the same blanket. The result was a tangled mass of ponies, bits, and a blanket. The only effect her attack did was wake up Cast Silver. He gave her a menacing grin.

"Oh, you wanna play like that?"

The neighbours only heard a fierce battle cry before all hell broke loose.

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There are plenty of ways to wake up from your dream about gems. Being assaulted by the Royal Canterlot Voice is probably among the worse ones. The dragon held his head in his claws until the world stopped spinning. He glanced down, and saw his worst fears come true.

Another pony.

As if last time wasn't enough, when he, a fully grown red dragon was pestered by a bunch of ponies, then lectured by a butter-coloured pegasus, who had the scariest stare he saw throughout his long life. Shuddering, he put up his best smile (what Pinkie would consider 'mildly threatening', seeing as she is the resident expert on laughter) and turned to the azure pony.

"What can I do for you?"

"I came for your skin!" the pony boldly replied. The dragon blinked.

"...Are you a dragonslayer? I haven't met one yet, but that sounded like you were one."

It was the pony's turn to be surprised.

"Slay? What? No, no, I just want some of your scales!"

"Why would you need my scales?" he asked confusedly.

"Well, why do you collect treasure other than the heck of it?"

"It feels nice to lay upon them after a warm summer afternoon." he explained. The pony was speechless.

"Ooookaay, didn't expect you to answer that. Suffice to say, I need your scales because they are simply marvelous! Dragons are tough, strong, smart and can breathe fire, so—"

"Not interested." he interjected. This seemed to throw the pony off-track.

"Interested? Why would you... OH SWEET CELESTIA, WHY?" she screamed, realising the whole nature of the implication. "Ugh! No! I need your scales because they are durable! Yuck!"

"I am kind of 'attached' to them, as you could say." the dragon joked. The pony rolled its eyes.

"Please, that was a bad pun. Just give me some scales, I'm sure we can work something out."

"I highly doubt you would have anything I want."

The pony just grinned smugly at him.

"Wanna bet?" she asked, levitating the object on her back down to the ground. The dragon couldn't help, but watch with piqued curiousity as the pony began unfolding the sheet it was wrapped in. When it finally saw the light of day, the dragon was disappointed.

"Why would I need a small...whatever that is?" he beckoned at the object. The pony raised its hoof chidingly.

"Tut, tut, my dear dragon. I had to shrink it a bit, because it was simply too big to just lug around. How about now?"

The pony lit up her horn, and indeed the object began to grow. The dragon averted his gaze for a second, and when he looked again, he was amazed. The glow reflected from the silvery surface, the figures depicted on the circular exterior... everything about it was simply perfect.

"How do you like it?" the pony asked. "I had this ring custom-made just for you!"

The dragon reached out in a daze, trying the beautiful ring on one of his claws. It fit perfectly. If he ever meets other dragons, he surely will be envied by them! After all, despite the infamous hoarding tendencies of dragons, they rarely encountered something larger than pony-appendage sized jewellery. He never even heard of drake-sized accessories!

'Wow.' was all he could utter.

"I took the liberty of casting a few spells on it, and combining that fact with the specifications I requested about the materials, the thing is nigh fireproof." the pony chatted. "So, about those scales..."

"Why do you need my scales that bad?" the dragon asked curiously.

"I'm going to shave an Ursa." the pony replied.

"Hmmm, yes, I can see—wait. You are going to shave an Ursa?!"

"Eeeyup!"

"With a blade made from my scales."

"Eeeyup!"

"What ungodly reason you might have for that? Revenge? Fame?"

"Oh, I just need some fur for my costume piece."

The dragon inhaled deeply.

"You cannot be serious." he deadpanned.

"Hey, do I tell you how to perch menacingly on your hoard?"

"Fine, you can have some scales."

He reached down to his leg, plucking a few scales loose. He put it down in front of the pony, who immediately began wrapping them in the sheet she brought. Once finished, she winked at the stoic dragon.

"I need one more thing from you."

The dragon rolled his eyes.

"Of course there is something else. Out with it!"

"I need you to throw me to the village nearby."

"No, you can't have—wait, what?"

"I need you to pick me up, lunge me into thin air, so I land approximately at the outskirts of the village that's nearby."

The dragon grinned.

"With pleasure."

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The main street was littered with unconscious ponies, many of whose faces were distorted into utter horror. The perpetrators for this massive bodycount stared at each other, huffing heavily. Finally, Metal Bend broke the silence.

"I think we went overboard."

Cast Silver looked around, taking in the scene.

"Guess so. Better get the mayor."

"Last time I saw him, I hit him on the head with a table. I don't think he'd be cooperative. Or conscious."

"Well, what do you suggest, then?"

The earth pony paused.

"Dunno. A walk, perhaps?"

The pegasus shrugged.

"Sure, why not."

They left behind the scene of senseless wanton destruction, and made their way toward the outskirts of town.

"So, why did you become a jewelsmith, anyway?" Bend asked. "I figure it gave a reason for all the other smiths here to make fun of you."

"Does it look like I care about what they say? I am a darn good jewelsmith, so I'm not going to waste my talent making horseshoes that every second smith does in this town! Why did you become a... What smith are you again?"

"Bladesmith, not that you'd notice." Bend scoffed. "I became one because I wanted to create more interesting crafts... It's a shame I can't get my hooves on some good materials."

"Yes, materials are hard to come by," Cast agreed, "but maybe now we will have enough resources with the Diamond Dogs supplying us."

The mare snorted.

"Don't tell me you're satisfied with just iron and silver! I need rare components, hay, you would need gems! The metal alone isn't enough to create something truly astounding!"

"What's so astounding about a blade? Whip up a sword in three days, then what? It's ugly, besides, who would use it anyway?"

"Did you just call my blades ugly?" she asked menacingly, raising her left hoof. "You want another monocle?"

"Bring it on anytime! Also, by ugly, I mean you create a blade, and then what? The hilt is so simple it makes me hurt to just look at it!"

"FINE!" Bend yelled. "Next time I make a sword, you make the hilt! Gah!" She noticed the stallion's sly smile. "What now?!"

"That loony unicorn was right, you are kinda cute when angry."

The earth pony blushed, but put up an angered expression.

"Not going to sweet-talk yourself out of this. Besides—" She let her gaze wander, resulting in her spotting something moving at a high speed in the sky. "LOOK OUT!" she cried, pouncing the pegasus. In a second, the thing slammed into the ground right beside them, creating a large crater, and blowing them a good three meters away. When they looked up, they saw a blue unicorn absent-mindedly dust her cape. Finally finished, she noticed the two dumbfounded smiths laying atop each other in an entangled heap. She waved at them with a smile.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything!"

"You! Flying! Crash! Unhurt!" Bend was over cohesive sentence forming for the time being.

"Well yes, funny thing that is. Apparently, if you cast feather fall just before you hit the ground, the laws of physics give up, and cry in a corner. By the way, I got your dragonscale."

She motioned at the pack strapped at her back.

"I'd like you to begin working as soon as possible, and..." She noticed their stares. "Yes?"

"You just freaking crashed into the ground without any apparent injury." Metal Bend began.

"Yup!" Trixie confirmed.

"You managed to convince a dragon to part with his scales."

"Yup!"

"And all that, all that for a costume piece?!"

"Aaand yup. Is that all?"

Bend buried her face in her hooves.

"Sweet merciful Celestia, I don't even want to know what it's like when you try something serious for a change."

"Could we go back to the part where you go and make a blade for me? I liked it when that happened."

"Fine." Metal Bend sighed. The trio took off towards her smithy.

________________________________________________________________________________

"...Then I took the finished thing, and sneaked into the Ursa cave, and stole some of its fur."

"Hold on. You're telling us that you simply went into an Ursa's cave, and just snipped its fur off?"

"That is correct." the showmare replied calmly. To say her claims were met with suspicion would have been an understatement. The one to voice the thought that were bothering all of them, was Pinkie.

"But Trixie, you're not the sneaky type! I mean, I can imagine you dressing up as a ninja, lurking in the shadows menacingly, but then you would probably yell 'THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE IS SNEAKING, IMBECILES! WATCH IN AWE AS SHE PASSES YOU UNDETECTED!' and blow your cover all over the place like a cakebomb! Mmmm... cake!"

"Correction." Trixie interjected calmly, "I would have no problem sneaking around a big, sleeping bear that only wakes up when it's hungry. Though, I might have made a little mistake on the way out..."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Trixie grinned triumphantly over the laying beast. Its fur clipped, her mission finally came to an end. With her prize stuffed in a bag, she carefully made her way out the leviathan's cave, making sure not to make the tiniest of peeps. She just succeeded in doing so, and glanced back from the cave's mouth with a gloating expression. Since she was far enough from the bear now, she opted to share her thoughts with the world.

"Ha! Take that, you stupid, sparkly bear! I vanquished the hay out of you! No longer will I be called a fraud! No longer—"

The only thing she forgot to take into account was the fact that caves have very good acoustics. The star beast roared as the annoying sound woke it up, making the ground tremble around it. Trixie did the only thing that she could in this situation.

She ran for her life.

...A good hour, and a few miles later, she dared to look back. No towering monstrosities until the eye could see. She carefully checked her belongings. Ursa fur, check. Cape and hat, check. Dragonscale scissor, che—

__________________________________________________________________________________

Twilight could not withhold her scholarly fury anymore.

"Now hold on for just one second! You're trying to tell us that you had a scissor made of dragonscale, which you used to cut Ursa fur, which is known to be as strong as steel?!"

"Yes." Trixie confirmed with presumptous calmness. Twilight's eye began to twitch, and Fluttershy could swear she smelled something burning.

"You're trying to tell me that you used a simple household tool to cut what the sharpest steel couldn't?! I hope you have some sort of proof!" she snorted. To her surprise, the showmare nodded.

"I anticipated the possibility of a neigh-sayer in our midst, so I came prepared!" she exclaimed, grabbing the helmet of her costume. In the depths of the fake mane, a small object was hidden, which she now revealed. It was, just as she told them, a small scissor, different from all the other scissors in existence in only a small reddish hue, and metal 'veins' on its surface. All in all, apart from the design, nothing was extraordinary about it. Twilight eyed the scissor with skepticism.

"That is supposed to cut iron." she intoned sarcastically.

"Yes. Here, let me show you."

Trixie took a spoon in her magical grip, then picked up the scissor, and dramatically opened it, placing the spoon between the sharp edges of its two blades. All eyes were on her. With a quick snap, she closed the two parts of the scissor together, then quickly yanked it away. The spoon remained intact.

"Ha! I knew it! It was ridiculous to think that—"

"Wait for it." the showmare interjected. Soon, the head of the spoon bent a little, then suddenly, it fell off. What it left behind was perhaps the clearest cut Ponyvilleans ever saw.

"If you ask my opinion," Trixie continued, "I believe that the spoon didn't notice until now that it was cut."

"But that doesn't make sense!" Twilight fumed. "It's not scientifically possible! Princess, please back me up on this one!"

All eyes turned to Celestia—or, to be precise, her empty seat. The white alicorn seemed to have disappeared. Everypony began to panic. After a few moments, a resounding trumpet blow drew their attention. All eyes were on Pinkie (who else), who gestured to Applejack.

"Now, if ya'll just calm down, then ya could prob'ly go outside an' see that the Princess is standin' riiight there."

What followed suit reminded Twilight of the last time she watched the dragon migration. Nearly everypony tried to squeeze themselves through the great double doors, with little efficiency. The ones to stay put were Fluttershy and Braeburn, who were too engrossed in their conversation to notice what is happening, a few foals who took the chance to run around wildly, and generally do things they weren't supposed to, a few gluttons, who couldn't be bothered even by a missing princess to stop their holy crusade against all that is food, and a certain red stallion, who calmly drank his drink before assessing the situation. Maybe it was the showmare's strangeness that rubbed off on him, but he wasn't worried at all. He also knew of the townsponies' tendency to overreact. The princess probably just went outside to get some fresh air.

"You have a weird friend." a voice called out from behind. Big Mac turned, only to see Lyra emerge from her seat. The mare wore a playful smile, and a cheery red party hat. Mac felt his cheeks redden a little, but tried to fight back his embarassment.

"Weird doesn't even begin tah describe it."

"Yeah, that's true." the mint mare agreed. "Even if she lied through her teeth just now, she surely can talk."

The stallion's brain desperately searched for a topic.

"So... uh.. Ah didn't see ya hangin' with Bon Bon today."

"Oh, Bons? She usually follows me around, but she has some kind of personal grudge against Trixie. Never asked why, though. So, she stayed home, and I guess she's making candy to vent her frustration."

"She's so angered by seein' Trixie again?"

"Nah, she recently gained weight. I told her not to eat seven times a day, but nooooo..."

"Ummm..." Mac was out of topics. "So... is her surname Bon Bon, or her first name?"

'Aaand the dumbest question of the year award goes to... Big Macintosh! Seriously?" he chided himself in his head. What he didn't expect, was Lyra's actual answer.

"Actually it's both."

"Wait. So ya say that..."

"Exactly. Her name is Bon Bon Bon Bon."

"That's.... Well... Uh... Ah have absolutely nothin' ta say about that."

"Yeah, kinda the reason she doesn't go around advertising it. By the way, what kind of books do you like?"

The sudden question caught Mac off-guard. He rubbed his chin with a hoof.

"Hm, lessee... Ah didn't really have time tah borrow a book from the library, so Ah only read books we had at home. Some mystery novels, farmin' books—that were wholly incorrect, by the way—some cheesy adventure novels, and the history of rock farming in Equestria."

Lyra could barely contain her laughter.

"Really?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"Ah was really bored. " Mac said defensively. Lyra patted him on the back, causing his knees to nearly give out.

"Relax, I'm not judging you. I'm just curious. You don't talk too much in town, so you're kind of a mystery. Got the attention of quite some mares, if I might add."

Mac blushed. Despite the natural redness, the mint unicorn noticed it.

"Aww, that's so cute! You're a bit nervous around ponies, aren't you?"

"Eeeyup." the stallion confirmed. Feeling that it wasn't enough, he tried to keep the conversation going. "So, um, what's this, uh, 'hyoomans' thing that ponies keep associatin' with ya?"

Lyra rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, that's what gets everypony. Talk about smart things, nopony cares, drop offhoofedly that how cool it would be if a beast of legends would be alive, and everypony calls you obsessed." Noticing Mac's confused expression, she elaborated further. "I'm a historian. I finished in Canterlot University with a PhD in ancient legends. You know, founding of Equestria, wendigos, et cetera."

Seeing his confirming nod, she continued.

"However, I studied ancient texts, from way before that. Apparently, ancient ponies had legends about these bipedal creatures, who were smart as unicorns, cunning as changelings, and vicious as griffons. But there is one strange thing. The texts containing these myths disappeared over time, as if nopony saw merit in saving them for generations to come. Come today, and most mythologists would look at you funny if you mentioned history before Equestria." Her eyes began to sparkle, and she looked into the distance.

"It's my dream to find some ancient texts one day that could shed some light on pony culture before Equestria." She sighed. "Problem is, I don't really have money or proper training to go on an adventure like that. Still, a girl can dream." She suddenly lit up. "Hey, Mac, do you have a dream?"

The stallion stayed silent so long that Lyra thought he wasn't going to answer. When he spoke, however, every single one of his words was showing he'd given it a lot of thought.

"Ah always wanted tah see the world, go around, and discover some of its many wonders. But everytime Ah get a longin', Ah look upon mah family, an' see that they love me so much, so Ah feel like Ah should repay them, somehow. Ah have a dream, but bein' loved feels better."

Lyra snuggled up to him, flashing him a bright smile.

"Aren't you the smooth talker? I've got to admit, you are surprisingly deep, Big Macintosh."

The stallion gave her a sideways glance.

"Right back at ya, Lyra Heartstrings."

Something has changed for him. He no longer felt embarassed to talk, nor inclined to stay silent. The concept of a date with her seemed much less worrying as it did an hour ago. It might be interesting, it might be tedious—all of that is moot. For now, his only interest was to stay like this a little longer.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Finding a princess when she doesn't want to be found is a nigh impossible task for simple ponies. Even more so, if said princess is Luna, who is the master of the night's darkness. Fortunately for the ponies of Ponyville, the princesses wanted to be found. Just a few steps away from the town hall they stood, conversing with the walking disaster area Ponyvilleans grew to know as Ditzy Doo.

"Ah, Your Majesties!" Mayor Mare stepped forward. "We were wondering if you'd grace us with your presence further, and came to ask if there is anything you need?"

Ponies murmured with acknowledgement. Was it not for the mayor's improvised speech, the entirety of Ponyville would have looked silly at once. Now, they just seem a little overzealous with their hospitality. No wonder she was the lead (and only) poltician of Ponyville.

The sun princess pondered the question for a moment.

"Actually, if there is any ca—"

"A-HEM!"

The dark alicorn made no effort to conceal her true intent: keeping her sister in check.

"Mayybe if you could be so kind and bring me a parf—"

"A-HEM!"

"I mean, a nice slice of cupc—"

"AH I'M TERRIBLY SORRY! I SEEM TO HAVE TEMPORARILY FORGOTTEN HOW TO WHISPER! OH, HOW TERRIBLE IT IS!"

Celestia sighed with resignation.

"Do you have a cup of lemon juice?"

"Make it two." Luna joined with a triumphant smile. The ponies hurried away to accomodate the wishes of their beloved rulers, not entirely sure of what just happened in front of their eyes. Celestia turned back to Ditzy.

"It is settled then. Come see me at Canterlot castle on Friday, and bring Pinkie Pie. The Pastry Appreciation Club shall be formed for the glory of Equestria!"

"I say!" the gray pegasus chirped. "Let's shake hooves on it!"

The princess smiled, and extended her hoof. Ditzy took it with a smile, and...

CRACK.

"Oh my muffin, are you all right? You're not hurt, are you, Your Majesty?"

"No, no it's all right, my decorative leg armor just snapped. I'm fine, really."

"I'm terribly sorry, Princess, here, I'll just pick it up, and—"

SNAP.

"Whoops... Um... Do you have a spare?"

"No, no it's quite all right. Still, it is peculiar that you could break it... twice... I had it made from titanium alloy."

"I have absolutely no idea what it is!" Ditzy announced cheerfully. Celestia rubbed her forehead in confusion. She finally decided to drop the issue, and return to the worried townsponies inside. Making sure she left, the moon princess turned to the cheerful pegasus.

"I do hope that you will keep her from eating too many sweets."

"Don't worry, Princess! I have devised lightweight muffins! If you eat them, you'll be lighter than you were before! Princess Celestia won't get a chubby tummy from my muffins!"

"I... see." Luna replied with an unsure smile. "It is quite amazing what you can do with a mere piece of pastry."

"Aw, schucks, Princess, you flatter me so much! I'm just a simple mailmare with a penchant for baking and stamp collecting! It was really nice talking to you."

This time, the Princess' smile was genuine.

"Indeed, Ditzy Doo. I have also enjoyed our conversation. I hope we will meet again someday."

Without a thought, she extended her hoof. The pegasus grabbed it, and...

SNAP.

"Oh, no! I did it again! Bad hoof! Why do you always break things? I'm so sorry, Princess! Was your shoe made of tighten-yum too?"

It was impossible to figure out Luna's emotions from her face.

"Actually, I made it from mithril. I suppose it does not matter, since at least I will be matching my sister's appearance this way. I have to admit, though, you have quite the aptitude for destructon."

Ditzy looked at her with confusion.

"Aptitude? But we're not flying right now!"

The moon princess stared at the pegasus, who sort-of returned her glare. Neither of them fully comprehending the other, they slowly moved back inside.

__________________________________________________________________________________

"My loyal subjects! It is time to bring this wonderful evening to a close. Although we would love to stay, duty calls us back to Canterlot."

All eyes were on the pristine princess, who was standing on a small podium, courtesy of the mayor. Somehow, one of her armoured shoes was missing. The fact that she gestured with that hoof made it even more obvious. Nopony dared to say anything.

"Before we go however, one last task remains. As my faithful student probably explained to you, Luna and I are the judges of tonight's costume contest. I must say, it is my pleasure to be asked to do so. But first, my sister wishes to share a few thoughts with you!"

As she stepped down from the stand, the alicorn winked at her sister, who returned it with a small smile. Lune cleared her throat. Experienced ponies took this chance to cover their ears with whatever they could produce—the moon princess' tendency to shout was almost legendary. This time, however, no such thing happened.

"Citizens of Ponyville! It is of great pleasure to me to be here again, seeing your happy faces. Even though my sister and I have so little time to go out and meet with ponies like you, you greeted us warmly, and showed kindness by accepting us into your celebration. I cannot press how much this mean to us. Thank you."

To say that the reaction was different than the first time Luna came to Ponyville would be an understatement. Ponies cheered, stomped, shouted, and waved at their princesses; all of them captivated by the alicorn's charisma.

"We love you, Princess!" came a shout from the back, its owner undiscernable. Luna smiled and nodded, but to those who knew her well the small blush on her cheek spoke books about just how much was she moved.

"I would also like to thank you for your great effort in costume-making.Each and every one of you worked hard to achieve their vision, would that be fright," she said, looking at Trixie and the Apples, "joy," she continued, gesturing to a group of ponies dressed up as ancient heroes, "or something... quite unique."

"Why did she look at me when she said that?" Rainbow whispered to Rarity. Thankfully, the princess didn't hear it.

"But no matter how I would like to reward each and every one of you for your diligence, a contest is a contest because there is only one winner. Therefore, I would like to announce you the winner of this friendly battle of costumes. Mayor, if you would be so kind to take the stand..."

The earth pony nodded, and quickly trotted over to the princess, who already stepped down from the podium. The mayor stood at her place with a questioning look on her face.

"Fillies and gentlecolts..." The moon princess paused for a moment, savouring the attention. "The winner of today's contest, and the costume champion is none other than... Bon Bon!"

"Huh?"

Ponies looked at each other with confusion. Bon Bon? Did she do something flashier than that magician? Where is she, anyway?

"Strange, I thought she stayed home." Lyra muttered. only Mac noticed it, though.

"Whaaat? Oh, c'mon, she's not even here!" Braeburn pouted. "What did she dress up as?"

"Why don't you ask the mayor?" Trixie asked with a smug expression.

"I whuh?"

Meanwhile, the mayor stepped forward, and tapped on the podium gently. Making sure she got everypony's attention, she began to talk.

"My dear friends, I believe Bon Bon has earned this prize. For she took on a costume so complex, so inconspicous that you did not even notice she attended this event."

"But, where is she?" a young colt chimed. The mayor's smile grew wider.

"Why, she's right here!" she said, taking off her wig. The ponies all gasped in surprise. Mayor Mare was none other than Bon Bon! The moon princess took back their attention.

"This pony has succesfully made you all believe she was the one controlling this town, looking over you. Moreover, she never once neglected her act during this evening, earning her championship not only by creativity and good enacture, but diligence, too. Three cheers to Bon Bon, the Costume Queen!"

The crowd erupted. To follow who is who this evening was getting too hard real fast, so everypony was happy to do something simpler: cheer. The blushing champion had received a pumpkin-shaped trophy as her reward, which she held up as high as she could. Suddenly, the ponies grabbed her, and started running around the town with her on their shoulders. Most of the ponies went out with them, leaving the two princesses alone.

"What do you think of this evening, Luna?" the elder alicorn asked.

"I think... we could do it next year, too."

Celestia winked at her sister.

"Only if we hold a cake-eating contest on the day of the Summer Sun Celebration."

"You're full of it, sister." Luna chuckled, winking back. Stepping outside, they noticed the ponies happily running around, still carrying the overjoyed candymaker.

"Perhaps it is time we take our silent leave." the white alicorn suggested. Luna rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I imagine Midnight is waiting for us. Even though we told him not to. Well, I think we can make quite a story of today to tell him, at least."

Celestia smiled at her sister as they reached their carts.

"That's the spirit! Now, let's call the guards, and have them pull us back...on the... Aw, fuzznuggets."

THE END

Author's Note:

Note:

There will be two, I repeat two epilogues, when the sequel goes up. Stay tuned, and sorry for the delay!

Comments

[Mooncalf]

Trixie is beyond awesome. Seriously. The awesome Rainbow Dash aspires to is the awesome that Trixie does just by breathing a bit. Her elaborate and daring multi-tiered quest is the stuff of legends.

Sure, it could be just a tall tale that she's making up (seeing as how almost everything falls so neatly in place) but it doesn't change the fact that it is extremely entertaining. Even if it's not true, her audience got a great story told. And besides, it could have happened just like that... why not?

I for one want to read more stories about the Daring and Courageous Trixie. Good show, author!

[I had no idea]

2801388
Thanks!

As for that last bit... Mwahahaha!

[OmniFox]

Why is Celestia addictive to cakes?

[Niklashg]

2802743don't you mean addicted?

[yayme]

Trixie wins for best story, and making Big Mac speak more than 2 words at a time.