The Assistant

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Chapter 1

The Assistant
By VGMaster78

Chapter 1

On a hot summer night, a sky blue unicorn with short silvery hair galloped away from the town that caused her so much humiliation, tears in her eyes. She stopped to look backat the hick town once more and cursed the name of Twilight Sparkle.She had not only lost her wardrobe, she lost her home in the UrsaMinor’s attack. The showmare, Trixie,looked up to the night sky and wondered where she would go now. She didn’t know how to navigate via the guiding stars and her maps were still in the wreckage of her once-great carriage. Turning to survey the forest edge, she spied a cabin that wasstill lit at this hour. She would ask if she could borrow a map of Equestria and scope out her next destination; she only hoped the pony who occupied the home wouldn’t recognize her from the show she had performed earlier that day.

She brought her hoof to the door and gave it a gentle knock. The only response from the other side, however, was a light squeak . After a few minutes of listening to an odd rustling on the other side of the door it cracked openjust a little. On the other side she caught the slight glimpse of a pony with butter yellow fur and eyes of a beautiful ocean blue. The unicorn was lost in them for a second but she shook her head and got back to the question she wanted to ask.“Um, hello? Can I help you?” the mare asked quite timidly.

“Yes, the Great and Powerful Trixie would like to borrow a map if you have one,” Trixie declared suddenly, not waiting for other mare’s name to be given.

“Um, sure, I guess you can. Hold on a second please,” the mare replied as she closed the door and went back inside to fetch the map.

Hmph, why do I have to wait out here while that beautiful hick gets me a map? Wait… what? She could have at least invited me in for bit.

The door reopened all the way thistime, revealing a pegasus mare with a smooth pink mane and most peaceful eyes that Trixie had ever seen. She was blushing slightly at the sight of the figure before her. Trixie herself looked off to the side slightly, her cheeks reddened from the burning feeling that was affecting them. She saw the map in between the other mare’s teeth and was about to grab it with her own mouth when she belated remembered that she was a unicorn. The night’s events had shaken her a bit. To not only be beaten at her own act but completely outdone by a superior unicorn had left her somewhat speechless, or in this case magicless. She quickly got over it and grabbed the rolled-up map in her aura. She was about to turn and leave when she heard the mare speak up again.

“Wait, don’t go. I remember you from the magic act you performed earlier.”

Oh great, here it comes.She’s going to chase me off her property and take back the map.

“I thought it was amazing,” she said in hushed voice.

Trixie just stood there with her eyes wide open. She had been certain that everypony in Ponyville had hated her performance. To find a pony that had actually enjoyed her act was interesting to say the least, and left her was smiling slightly.

“Where did your hat and cape go?” the other pony asked curiously.

“It was lost in an Ursa Minor attack, along with my carriage.” Trixie was getting uncomfortable with answering this random pegasus’ questions.

“Oh my, what was a Usra Minor doing so close to Ponyville? I hope it’s not hurt at all.”

“You hope it was okay?!” Trixie couldn’t believe this mare was more worried about that monster than everypony else.

“Oh, an Ursa Minor is just a big cuddly baby bear. I don’t think it would mean to hurt anypony on purpose.” Fluttershy spoke with hope in her voice.

“Well, nopony was hurt and that purple loser returned the beast back to its cave. What a showoff.” Trixie scoffed the last part under her breath.

“Purple loser? Oh! Do you mean Twilight? She is so talented with magic, but I guess that’s a given what with her being the student of Princess Celestia.”

What?! That unicorn is a student of Princess Celestia? It wasn’t fair. Trixie had to have the bad luck to visit the town with the only unicorn able to out-do her at her own game. All she wanted to do now was get to the next big town and perform a show before word got around that she wasn’t able to get rid of an Ursa Minor, let alone an UrsaMajor.

“Well, it’s been nice chatting with you…” Trixie started, trailing off at the end of her sentence as she hadn’t caught her benefactor’s name.

“Oh, I’m sorry. My name’s Fluttershy.”

“It was nice meeting you Fluttershy, but I really must go.” Trixie was about to leave whenshe was stopped yet again by soft exclamation from the mare.

“Wait! Oops, sorry if I was loud but didn’t you say you lost your carriage during the attack?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, so?” Trixie responded.

“Um, do want to stay the night? I know it’s summer but the nights can still get pretty cold at times.”

Trixie sighed at this. She was going to be wasting time by just staying the night - she didn’t even know that much about this Fluttershy other than that she’d liked Trixie’s performance and knew a bit about the insufferable Twilight Sparkle. Reluctantly she agreed to stay only for tonight, before hightailing it out of there.

Inside the cabin there were bird houses and plants everywhere; it was simultaneously somewhat relaxing and mildly creepy . She looked over into the corner of the room and saw a rabbit staring at her with a very serious expression.Trixiemoved around a bit and watched as the mammal kept its eyes on her the whole time. It freaked her out a little. Fluttershy had gone into the kitchen to make some tea for them to drink, so Trixie took a spot on the couchwhile she waited.
Inspecting the ornaments that Fluttershy had placed on a small table beside the sofa, Trixie took in a picture in which her hostess was posing with the other ponies she had humiliated on stage: the rainbow one, the tacky one, the redneck, that accursed Twilight Sparkle and oneother friend who looked like a total air head. Was this Fluttershy character just letting her stay a bit so she could get some revenge while she slept? Yeah, that was it!She would wake up in the morning locked up and bound in a basement or with a knife in her stomach. Trixie wasn’t that foolish though; she was a powerful unicorn and with endless amounts of magical energy she could get out of almost any mess. Her thoughts came to a head as Fluttershy came in with two teacups on a tray balanced on her back. It was placed on the table and Trixie was about to pick up a cup when she realized that her tea could be poisoned - she quickly spun the tray a bit so that Fluttershy would take the other cup. Fluttershy blinked at her,not understanding what was going on. Trixie just smirked at her victory, but stopped when she saw the pegasus smile as well and extend a hoof towards her new cup. That devious little fink! Trixie knew what she was up to. Fluttershy had anticipated that Trixie would switch the beverages and had planned it so she would get Trixie’s cup. Again she spun the tray before Fluttershy took her drink. Fluttershy frowned a bit by all of this.

“Um, what’s wrong Trixie?” Fluttershy said, veryconfusedas to why Trixie was acting like this.

“Trixie knows you did something to this tea!You added something to it!” Trixie wanted answers right this second but much to Trixie’s dismay Fluttershy merely giggled a bit. The showmare couldn’t take much more of this torture, that was for sure.

“You’re right, I did add something into it,” Fluttershy confessed.

“Ahah! Trixie knew all along!” Trixie smirked with triumph. She wasn’t getting poisoned tonight. One plan foiled!

“I put some bee honey in it. The bees were so generous today and gave me some after I helped their Queen. The poor dearhad gotten stuck in the hive’s own honey,” Fluttershy explained.

“Wh- What?No you didn’t! You’re lying, you put some kind of poison or sleeping powder in this. I know it.” Trixie stated her suspicion as if it were fact.

“Sleeping powder? Would you like some? I can put some in your tea and stir it up a bit if want. Are you having insomnia problems, you poor dear?” Fluttershy worried over the unicorn mare in her care.

“No! Ugh, can I just get a blanket? I want to go to sleep already!” Trixie was starting to get furious at all this questioning and disliked her privacy being invaded by some random pony.

“Oh, alright. Come along - I’ll let you sleep in my bed tonight if you want,” Fluttershy said with the kindest smile on her face.

“What? You’re just going to give Trixie your bed? I don’t understand, why would you do such a silly thing?”

“Oh, it’s fine. You’re the guest and deserve better than just the couch.” Fluttershy finished by taking a quick sip of her tea before taking Trixie’s hoof in her own.

Fluttershy led the showmare to her bed and tucked her in ever so gently.When it was done she gave Trixie a quick embrace before heading back down the stairs for the rest of the night.

Trixie was just left there blushing furiously.She turned onto her side, facing away from the door and scoffed,”Whatever! You don’t like that mare, Trixie! You got that!” before falling into an uneasy slumber.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2
Just before the crack of dawn on the streets of Ponyvillie, Fluttershy was pacing towards the broken-down mess of a once great carriage. She was about to start digging through the pieces of wood when she saw two colts coming towards her.

“Hey Snips, do ya think we’ll find any sort of magical items during the clean up?” The lanky colt asked his friend.

“Yeah! Yeah! We’ll find loads of stuff! Maybe we’ll even find a spell book in there!” His short friend replied in a giddy tone of voice. When they spotted Fluttershy, they stopped in their tracks and stared for a few seconds, to which Fluttershy responded in kind. She had hoped nopony would catch sight of her while she retrieved a few items from Trixie’s carriage; she was scared that she would be patronized for helping the mare you that had insulted most of them. Snips was the first to break the silence.

“Uh, what are you doing Miss Fluttershy?”

“Um, I uh…” Fluttershy was having trouble coming up with an explanation. She could tell the truth but then the two colts might rat her out to citizens who would try to get revenge on the showmare in Fluttershy’s care, or the two friends might pester Trixie some more. While she was just as bad at lying as Applejack was, it seemed to be her only choice.

“Oh, I thought that the hat and cape that the Great and Powerful Trixie wore yesterday were really pretty and was wondering if I could have them,” Fluttershy lied . True she found the clothes to be really cute but they definitely wouldn’t fit her.

“Well gee,” Snails piped up, “can’t Miss Rarity just sew you up your very own set?”

“As part of cleaning up the wreck we’ve been told to put any important items in the basement of the library,” Snips explained to the mare.

Oh shoot! Fluttershy silently cursed to herself.

“You know, Miss Fluttershy, since you want them so bad I guess we could probably give ‘em to ya!” Snips said excitedly, as he bounced on the spot.

“Oh that would be lovely,” Fluttershy spoke with a smile on her face.

“But - you have to try them on when we find them!” Both colts shouted with glee.

Fluttershy’s eyes widened a bit and she started to blush at the thought. Her thoughts were interrupted by Snails levitating Trixie’s clothes out of the mess. They all seemed to be intact except for a few torn areas. She would see if she could repair those herself and hopefully it wouldn’t come down to getting help from Rarity. Fluttershy looked into the eyes of the two boys as they waited for her to try on the gear. She sighed before grabbing the cape in her teeth and throwing it over her back. After quickly fastening the gem on the front she flipped the hat into the air and let it land on her head. There she stood, displaying the outfit for the two boys.

“Wow Miss Fluttershy, you look spectacular!” They both complimented the pegasus.

“Thanks so much for giving me two these to me, I have to go but thank you so much,” Fluttershy said hurriedly before running back towards her cottage.

“Hey , you two aren’t slacking off are you?” Twilight asked as she poked her head out from round the other side of the wrecked carriage.

“Uh, no, we just got here,” Snips protested.

“Well anyway, I want you two to get the following items from this mess: the hat and cape that Trixie wore; any books she had; and finally any bits she may have had. They are going to be kept in the basement until we can get in contact with Trixie or anypony related to her,” Twilight explained.

“We already gave the hat and cape to Miss Fluttershy,.” Snails accidently said aloud.

“Snails!” Snips hit Snails in the leg with his hoof to shut him up before he blabbed any more.

“What do you mean you gave them to Fluttershy? What would she want that stuff for?” Twilight asked curiously.

“Well, she said she wanted to have it them to wear for some reason,” Snips explained to the unicorn.

“Hmmm, well no matter. I’ll talk to her about it later. You two get back to work,” Twilight finished as she looked off in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage.

*********************

Sunlight pierced through the window of the upstairs bedroom. Along with the sunlight, a gentle breeze let itself flow through a crack in the windowsill. The light blue mare who had been granted shelter last night opened her eyes and scanned the room. She let out a yawn and stretched in the bed before collapsing and drifting back to sleep. She didn’t want to leave the bedclothes at all, they were so soft and so cozy. Yeah, just a few more moments and then she would leave and be on the road again. Her eyes shot open. No, she couldn’t stay, she had to leave right now! She kicked off the covers, slid out of bed and began her descent down the stairway, where she saw the pegasus from last night sewing something together. She snuck to the bottom of the stairs to see what the fabric was and found to her amazement that it was her cape, being repaired by the same mare who had taken her in. Without a moment to spare she rushed into the room and caught Fluttershy in a hug . Fluttershy squeaked rather loudly and her heart began to race due to the startling surprise. Trixie also began to feel quite awkward hugging this stranger; she quickly let go and backed up from the other mare. She coughed and tried to start up a conversation.

“So, Fluttershy was it?” Fluttershy nodded. “How did you obtain Trixie’s hat and cape?” Trixie questioned.

“Oh, well, while you were sleeping I went to your carriage and found them. Was that okay? You’re not mad at me for this are you?” Fluttershy started to cower a little; she didn’t want to be yelled at for going through another pony’s personal belongings.

“No, Trixie is actually quite grateful that you took the time to get Trixie’s stuff for her,” Trixie said to clear Fluttershy’s conscience. “So you’re repairing them in some spots? Thank you, Fluttershy.” Trixie looked down at her hooves before walking over to the couch to lay down.

“Oh, but of course. I would’ve taken them to Rarity but I don’t think she would’ve repaired them after you turned her hair green,” Fluttershy replied as she got back to work.

Trixie lay on the couch idly, thinking of what she could do next. She needed to stop taking this mare’s kind acts for granted and get back on the road. Just then her stomach started to rumble. Fluttershy halted her sewing again and looked over to Trixie.

“Hungry?”

Trixie just nodded and watched as the pegasus headed off into the kitchen. Trixie was about to take a quick nap when she heard the mare call out to her.

“Oh Trixie, could you go outside and feed the animals? I haven’t been able to do that yet today as I was getting your attire. It should only take a few minutes and breakfast should be ready when you get back in.”

Trixie glared in the direction of the kitchen before getting up and heading for the door. How dare that girl boss the Great and Powerful Trixie around! Still… it was kinda nice having a real place to stay for once. No, stop this Trixie - after your things are repaired you get out of here and head to the next town. Her inner monologue was cut off when she realized a group of animals had surrounded her. She was scared that they were about to attack, but instead they remained calm around the new pony. She saw the bags of feed stacked against the wall of Fluttershy’s cottage and quickly took hold of them with her magic. She read their labels carefully before directing them towards the feeding areas so they could be poured. After she was done she sealed up the bags up again and placed them where they had been stored.

Fluttershy looked up from her preparations as a knock sounded from her front door. “Did you lock yourself out, Trixie?” Fluttershy asked just before she opened the door. On the other side, however, was not Trixie.

“Trixie?” Twilight questioned. “Fluttershy, why did you call me Trixie?”

“I, uh, no reason.” Fluttershy was staring to panic. She didn’t know what she’d do if Twilight caught sight of the showmare - she had no idea what would happen. Would they fight? Would Twilight have Trixie locked up? No, Twilight wouldn’t do that, she’s not that cruel.

Twilight squinted her eyes at Fluttershy. She was hiding something, Twilight was sure of it, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to press on the topic right now. If Fluttershy had something to say she would soon open up about it.

“Did you enjoy Trixie’s act yesterday?” Twilight asked.

“Um, sure, I thought it was kind of nice.”

“What about it did you like exactly?”

“Uh, well I liked the colors and the charm it carried. Oh, I liked how she told the story about the Ursa Major.… well, until we found out it wasn’t true.”

“Interesting …, hey Fluttershy, can I join you for breakfast? There are some things I wanted to discuss some things with you.”

“Oh, um, sure. Come on in.”

Twilight was led inside and the door was closed once more. Trixie was left outside, watching as her rival get to spend time with her friend. Wait, is she really my friend? Why do I consider her my friend? Pfft whatever, let’s see if I can sneak in through the back window.

*********

Fluttershy placed porridge in front of herself and her guest along with some warm tea; just as she took a sip Twilight asked her a question.

“So Fluttershy, I heard you took the hat and cape Trixie wore yesterday,” Twilight finished with a sip of her tea while Fluttershy sputtered a little of her own. “Am I correct?”

“Who told you that?”

“Snips and Snails.”

Fluttershy, almost panicking behind her mane, tried to change the subject. “Hey, um, Twilight - can you help me with some of the animals later?”

“Fluttershy! The cape is over there on the table.” And indeed there it lay, with all the stitching freshly re-sewn. Fluttershy facehoofed for forgetting to put it out of sight before she let Twilight in.

“Well, um, yes. I took it.”

“Why, Fluttershy? If you wanted something similar Rarity could’ve just made them for you.”

“I want to practice my sewing as well, you see.”

Twilight got up from her meal and inspected the clothes. They had been repaired with great skill, not a single stitch was out of place. She brought the cloth into her aura.

“Thanks for the meal Fluttershy, but I have to go. I’m sorry, but this cape and hat doesn’t belong to you! Thank you for repairing them though, the stitching is really good,.” Twilight scolded before heading towards the door.

Fluttershy rushed to block her path.

“Wait, you can’t!”

“Fluttershy, I’m going to keep them safe in the library’s basement until we can get in contact with Trixie or one of her relatives. If you want clothes like these I’ll put in a good word with Rarity to make them. Bye Fluttershy,” she said as she walked past Fluttershy and back onto the path to Ponyville.

When she was out of sight Trixie came out of the bushes she was hiding in and approached Fluttershy.

“Where is she going with my stuff?”

“She’s taking it to the library until she can contact you or one of your family members.”

She’s going to have a tough time finding one of my relatives.”

“Um, why is that Trixie?”

“That doesn’t concern you!”

Flutteershy flinched away from being yelled at. Quickly Trixie saw the error of shouting at the Pegasus and tried to make amends before she would be asked to leave.

“Look Fluttershy… I don’t want to talk about it. Okay?”

Fluttershy nodded to the unicorn and led her back inside to eat. After breakfast was finished, with no more interruptions, Fluttershy left for a spa date with Rarity, leaving Trixie alone for the rest of the morning.

I’ve already wasted too much time today. Word has probably spread already that I couldn’t have defeated an Ursa Major. By the time I get to the next town they would probably tell me to scram. Though her options were limited she needed to try and get to a new town, but first she needed to reclaim her belongings from that Twilight Sparkle. She would sneak into town at night and take back what belonged to her. I won’t have to wait long, it’s was already noon. I only need to wait for the sun to set and then head into town. She made her way to the door and looked around the room one last time before exiting the cottage.

*****
Fluttershy was in town meeting up with Rarity with there for their weekly spa date. She had left Trixie at home for now; she was sure nopony would bother her guest – or at least so she hoped. Inside the spa stood Rarity, waiting patiently for her friend.

“Ah, Fluttershy you’ve finally arrived! I was almost suspected that you had forgotten to come by. No matter, I’m just glad you’re here. Masseuse!” Rarity called out.

The two sisters who owned the place emerged from the staffroom and assisted the two friends to the massage tables, where they got their customary full treatment.

“So Fluttershy, what have you been up to?” Rarity began as the masseuse worked her magic.

“Oh I haven’t been doing much, just the usual. Taking care of animals and… that’s about it.”

“Speaking of animals, we could have used your knowledge yesterday.”

“Oh, what for?”

“Why the Ursa Minor attack of course!”

“Oh yes,ah I heard about that. I’m sorry.,” Fluttershy apologized.

“Oh dear, there is no need to apologize. There was nothing you could do - you live outside of Ponyville so you probably didn’t even realized it was happening. Luckily Twilight knew what to do.”

They moved to the hot tub where they continued their chat. It was now or never to ask for a favour from Rarity.

“Hey, um Rarity?” Fluttershy began.

“Yes, dear?”

“Can ask you for a favour? I’ll pay for it.”

“Oh no Fluttershy. You’re my friend and I couldn’t possibly ask you to pay! for this. Now go on dear, tell me what you need.”
“Well... Do you know that cape and hat that Trixie had on yesterday.?”

“Yes...” Rarity said with uncertainty.

“I would like you to make copies of it them for me.”

“Fluttershy, why would you want I replicas of the those tacky cape and hat things?”

“I thought they were cute.”

“Well, I guess I can make it them for you. We can head over to my shop right now if you want - I’m starting to get all wrinkly anyway.”

They got out of the tub, dried off and headed for the exit and into the streets of Ponyville .

*****
On path to her quaint little home with the sun just starting to set, Fluttershy held a package in between her teeth as she trotted along. She smiled as she opened the door and lit a few candles.

“Trixe,” Fluttershy called out in sing-song voice, “can you come down here for a few minutes? I have a present for you.” Fluttershy’s smile started to fade as a few minutes went by. She went up the stairs and checked her room only to find it empty. She started to panic as she ran back downstairs. Where had Trixie gone? She wouldn’t just leave without saying goodbye, would she? Her thoughts were cut off when a white rabbit appeared before her.

“Oh Angel! Do you know where Trixie could have run off to?” He ran over to the bookshelf and started to pretend to check them out.

“The library? Why would she - oh no!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

She made her way to the door, only to be stopped by a tug of her tail. She looked back at Angel, who got onto the table and took hold of the package between his teeth before jumping onto Fluttershy’s back. With no more delays she flew through the doorway and into the night sky.

Meanwhile, Trixie was crouching right outside one of the library’s downstairs windows. She used her magic to unlock it from the inside before pulling it open. Once inside she lit up her horn just enough to see what she was doing, but hopefully not enough to cause a disturbance. Trixie made her way through the gloom down to the basement, managing to trot down the stairs without breaking a leg. She found the chest that contain her belongings and broke the lock with a sharp twist of her magical aura. Inside it was everything she owned; her bits, and her books. Everything - except her cape and hat. After some thought Trixie took her bits and left everything else. She had sufficient bits to buy a new carriage and could replace everything else except her performing outfit. She headed back upstairs and out through the library window.

Upstairs, a lavender mare was dressed up in the showmare’s attire, dancing around and pretending to put on a show for her audience, which consisted solely of Spike.

“Twilight, don’t you think you should stop that?”

“I guess you’re right, but I can see why Fluttershy wanted the hat and cape now. This is really fun!”

“Whatever you say Twilight,” Spike deadpanned as he buried his head in his pillow once more.

Twilight blushed a bit before slipping off the cape, folding it back up and placing it on her nightstand along with Trixie’s hat. She slid into bed, turned out the lights and drifted quickly to sleep.

****

Outside, Trixie closed the window and started down the road the next town. In the morning she would begin her new act for all of Equestria to see. She would regain her fame in no time! As she walked along, her mind occupied with plans for the future, she bumped into somepony and crashed back onto her rump. She looked up to see who had been so rude as to collide with her and give them a verbal lashing for getting in the way. Before she could start however her rant she realized who was standing there.

“Fluttershy? What are you doing here?”

“Hello Trixie. I came to give you a present.”

Fluttershy took the package from Angel and presented it to Trixie. She took the box in her aura and undid the string that was binding it. Inside wereas a completely new cape and hat! They looked similar to her old ones, but glittered and sparkled much more. They were truly beautiful. She slipped on the cape and placed the hat proudly on her head, turning to show them off to the blushing pegasus .

“They look very pretty.”

“Where did you get them?”

“Rarity made these ones, though she was reluctant to make them for me because it reminded her how of you turned her hair green. She finally agreed just because it was me. She told me that she actually enjoyed designing them - she wanted make a less tacky version of your original cape.”

“Trixie doesn’t know whether she should be grateful or insulted.”

“It’s kind of her thing.”

“Well, anyway, thank you. Trixie wishes you the best of luck in the future Fluttershy. Goodbye.”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, it’s time for me to move on to the next town. With some actual bits in hoof and my clothing back I will no longer take up space in your home.”

“You don’t take up space. Honestly.”

“I’m sorry but I must leave and even if I stayed with you I don’t think I would ever be able to show my face around town.”
“Then let me come with you!” Fluttershy exclaimed as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“What?! I can’t let you do that Fluttershy. Think of what you would be giving up.”

“I know… but I think you deserve a friend. Somepony to travel with and can rely on when times are tough,” Fluttershy spoke though slow tears.

“Like an assistant?” Trixie wondered on the mare’s proposal. “Alright, fine. You’ve made up your mind and I respect that, but you’re going to pull your own weight. Got it?” Trixie explained.

“Got it.”

“Hey um Fluttershy, you know I really don’t think you should be giving up most of your belongings here. While it might not be my strongest trick I do know teleportation to a degree and, well, I could make it so you can check on your animals every few days.,” Trixie explained.

“Oh, Trixie that would be lovely.” Fluttershy cheered as she hugged Trixie.

“Can I also leave a note for my friends so they’ll check up on my animals?”

“If you must,” Trixie sighed.

Fluttershy took the box that had contained Trixie’s new outfit and took one of the papers from inside it. Turning it over, she wrote a short note for her friends.

Dear Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash,
I am writing to tell you that I’m leaving for a while, as I have a new job helping a friend on her travels. Please don’t worry about me - I can take care of myself. I feel as if I need to do this and to get out and explore Equestria. All I’m asking is that you check on my animal friends for me. Until we meet again, my dear friends. See you soon.
Sincerely,
Fluttershy.

With the note complete, she slipped it under Twilight’s door and looked over to Angel and Trixie, who were respectively tapping their hoof and paw with impatience. Fluttershy smiled shyly before heading down the road with her new companion, just as Celestia’s sun was starting to shine over the hills to herald the dawn of a new day.

Thank Starfall my new proof reader for turning this into something readable.

Chapter 3

The intrepid pair of ponies was walking to their first destination, which they had decided would be Appleloosadue to it being remote and for the most part cut off from the rest of civilization.Trixie felt it would be good for earning bits before the townsfolk got any word of the Ursa disaster that had happened in Ponyville . While it wasn’t a perfect plan it would do for now. Trixie was thinking of how she would perform her next act and what it would contain. The sun was blazing down on them in the middle of the desert but they trekked on for while longer before finally deciding to take a rest near a cliff. Trixie looked over to the tired-out pegasus and began talking about what else they would get done in town.

“Alright assistant, when we get to town I need you to get the following things before I perform tonight,” Trixie said as she started reciting the mental list she’d thought up. “First, I need you to look into getting us a new carriage made. Walking just isn’t going to cut it;it’s rough on the hooves. Not only that, it provides us with shelter against weather or in this case the sun. Next, I need you to go shopping for some food .” Just as Trixie said ‘food’ her stomach rumbled in annoyance at being neglected this morning.

“Uh, assistant I hate to ask this but can you fly ahead and see if the town is close at all? I’m starving,” Trixie whined a little.

“Won’t it be dangerous to leave you all alone out here?”

“Possibly, but starving to death is just as bad,” Trixie groaned melodramatically.

“Um, then sure, I guess I can. Just look after Angel for me while I’m gone okay?” Fluttershy agreed. Angel’s eyes however shot open from his sleep due to this. He didn’t feel all that safe in the care of the light blue unicorn.

“Alright. Here, take these bits and check if the town is close by; if it is head in and buy us something to eat for breakfast,” Trixie said as she gave the money to the meek pegasus, who flew off in the direction of Appleloosa. She was left all alone again - well except for the white rabbit that had been left behind, who was currently glaring at Trixie.

“What do you want, furball?” Trixie mocked. Angel began to thump his leg on her side which annoyed her greatly. “Hey don’t make The Great and Powerful Trixie angry now,” she threatened but Angel ignored her and continued on.“She’ll make you part her act if you don’t stop!” Trixie yelled, scaring a few nearby animals out of their hiding places.

**********
The pegasus flew off in a rush to buy the food she was asked to get. She wasn’t used to flying all that fast but she wanted to get the food quickly and get back to Trixie before anything happened in her absence. Surprisingly enough the town was close by - probably only a few miles away from the cliff they were resting at. She touched down on the outskirts before walking the rest of the way into town. Some ponies were looking her way so apparently it was strange to them to see some random pegasus fly in. The town was mostly populated by earth ponies and when other ponies came to visit they usually rode in on the train. Fluttershy was starting to get a little nervous at all the attention and just as she was about to escape into the store she was stopped by a golden-colored colt. He wore a Stetson hat and a brown vest; upon his flank was a red apple.

“Howdy!” he said enthusiastically as he greeted the mare.

“Oh, um, hello?” she greeted back.

“My name is Braeburn and who are you? We haven’t had many visitors yet, the town was only founded a few months ago.” Braeburn started to talk faster than Fluttershy had ever seen. Well, almost the fastest - he was tied with Pinkie .

“My name is Fluttershy…” she whispered but somehow he still heard her.

“Fluttershy?!” Braeburn exclaimed. “I’ve heard of you from cousin AJ’s letters. She said she would be visiting soon with all of you. Anyway, enough of my rambling. What’s a fine young gal like you doing around these parts?”

“Oh, I’m just getting some food for a friend.”

“A friend? Well where is this little pony?” Braeburn said as looked around Fluttershy.

“She told me to go on without her and bring food back,” Fluttershy explained.

“Wait, you left your friend all alone in the desert?” Braeburn asked.

“Well, yes, she told me to go ahead,” Fluttershy relayed to Braeburn as she began to crack under the pressure. “I didn’t want to leave her alone but she insisted and I-“

She felt a hoof go around her back as she looked up and saw Braeburn smile to her.

“Calm down there missy! A beautiful mare like yourself shouldn’t be crying over a silly thing like this. Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to get you some food and I’ll go get us a wagon so we can get your friend into town safely. Does that sound good?”

Fluttershy dried her tears and nodded to the Appleloosan.

“Thank you Braeburn. You’re just as kind as Applejack would be.”

“It’s no problem at all. It’s just that good ol’ Apple family hospitality.”

*****
Meanwhile, in Ponyville Spike was waking up in his library home. He yawned and looked up to his best friend Twilight, who was still asleep. He was thinking of going back to bed, but if he did Twilight would only wake him up and force him to do chores instead. He decided to get up and head downstairs to begin work on his own; maybe if he finished early he could spend the rest of the day with Rarity! Upon making it downstairs however, he noticed a strange piece of paper near the door. He picked it up and red it, his eyes widening further with every word.

“Twilight!” he yelled out as he ran back upstairs.

He crawled up onto her bed and began panicking as he tried to wake up his friend.

“Spike, what is it? Why are-“ Twilight couldn’t finish her sentence as Spike shoved the paper in her face. She pushed him away while she took the note into her aura and started to scan over it. When she finished she had no idea on what to say except, “Spike, get the girls.”

Soon, the rest of her friends were gathered in the main room of the library, each one speculating on why they had been summoned. Their idle chatter was cut off as Twilight walked in with Spike following closely behind.

“Spike, make some snacks for our friends while I discuss the situation with them,” Twilight ordered. She was met with a glare from Spike before he ran off to the kitchen.

“Now Twilight, why did ya call us to come over so early? Ah have to get some things done in the orchards,” Applejack began.

“ Yeah Twilight! I have some practicing to get in so can you make this snappy?” Rainbow spoke up.

“Indeed, I hate to be rude dear but I have to open up the Boutique soon,” Rarity added.

“Are we planning a surprise party? Ooooh, is it for Fluttershy?” Pinkie said as she bounced around.

“Ahem, well girls, this morning Spike found this note slipped under the door,” Twilight spoke as she brought the note out for the rest of the ponies to see.

The four of them read over the note. When they finished they all looked at each other uncomfortably. The first to speak up was Dash.

“I don’t know Twilight,are you sure this is from Fluttershy? This doesn’t seem like something she would do.”

“It’s her hoof writing. It has every characteristic she usually puts into writing her letters,” Rarity said as she looked over the details in the writing.

“But why would she run off like this and who is this friend she talks about? Ah never seen her socialize much with any other pony folk except us,” AJ queried.

“Maybe she’s been kidnapped!” Pinkie shouted.

“Kidnapped? Who in the hay would kidnap Fluttershy?” Dash spoke up.

“Well…” Twilight began, “yesterday I went over to check up on her and before she opened the door she called me Trixie.”

“Trixie!” Three of them shouted as their brows furrowed in anger.

“Who does that showoff think she is,kidnapping Fluttershy!”

“I guess that’s why she wanted the clothes made. Trixie was using her to get something she needed,” Rarity said.

“Girls calm down!” Twilight shouted to stop the uproar. “Look, we don’t know if she kidnapped Fluttershy or not - we shouldn’t make assumptions. Anyway, does anypony have any ideas on what to do?”

“I say we should track her down and beat her up until she talks!” Dash yelled.

AJ spoke. “Woah there RD, I don’t think we need to get our tails in a knot just yet.”

“Oh yeah and why not?!”

“Well first of all we have no idea where Fluttershy even is, they could be anywhere in Equestria by now.”

“Look girls, I think we should split up and search for clues around town. See if anypony saw anything suspicious last night,” Twilight finally said. “Pinkie and Rarity, check around Fluttershy’s home to see if you can find anything. Rainbow Dash, Applejack and I will check around town. Everypony move out!” With that, they all rushed out into the street.

“Okay everypony, get ready for the very best chocolate chip muffins you’ve ever tasted in your entire life!” Spike shouted as he came out of the kitchen, only to be met with an empty room. He let the tray drop to the floor before heading back upstairs.

“I’m going back to bed…”

****
The blazing heat was very unkind to the unicorn, who had been waiting for her assistant to return and was sweating all over. She could get to town herself faster than it took to wait for Fluttershy to come back! Thankfully Angel had left her alone after tiring himself out. Trixie didn’t think she could last any longer in the heat, but her hopes started to lift as a wagon came into view in the distance - it was being pulled by a very handsome colt and in the wagon was her pegasus friend with many apple treats stacked all around her.

“Miss Fluttershy, is this your friend you was telling me about?”

“Yes, thank you ever so much Mr. Braeburn.”

Fluttershy got out of the wagon and trotted to Angel and Trixie. The little rabbit wasted no time in hopping onto Fluttershy’s back and flopping down in exhaustion.

“Um, good work assistant. Who’s the colt?”

“Oh, this is Braeburn, he offered to escort us back into town.”

“Howdy!”

“Thank you. This pleases Trixie.”

“Well, alrighty then. Hop in and chow down while I get us out of buffalo territory. Yes ma’am, it was mighty dangerous for you to be out here all alone.”

“Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie is sure she can take care of herself in a fight just fine.”

“Well, excuse me but you look like you just do parlor tricks to me ma’am.”

“Ahem, yes, while tricks may be my main talent the Great and Powerful Trixie knows many spells with which to defend herself.”

“Alrighty then,” Braeburn repeated dubiously. “Enough small talk, let’s get ya’ll to town safely.”

Trixie and Fluttershy climbed into the wagon and as soon as they were aboard Braeburn was off. Trixie surveyed the foodstuffs that her assistant had gathered; to her surprise they were all apple based. Fluttershy saw her confused looks and decided to answer her before she could even ask.

“Um, Appleloosa stays true to its name and mostly has apple-related food. Sorry…”

“No matter, at least it’s something to eat. Though Trixie would prefer more variety, this will have to do.” As she began to tuck in Trixie asked, “So how far are we from town anyway?”

“Well Missy, we’re not far at all!We should be there in just a few short minutes,” Braeburn answered given that knew the area better than them.

“ Perfect,” Trixie cooed. “Fluttershy, did you get the chance to look into buying us a new carriage?”

“Um, no, I’m sorry.”

“Bah! Get it done when we get into town - I need to make arrangements to do a show tonight.”

“Show?” Braeburn asked. “ Hey, that would be a grand idea! The townsfolk are in need of some entertainment - it’s awfully dull around these parts most of the time. I’ll ask Sheriff Silverstar if that’ll be okay for y‘all.“

“Really?” Trixie asked.

“Sure,” Braeburn said. “Also, I’ll check into getting y‘all a carriage while I’m at it.”

“Thank you Mister Braeburn,” Fluttershy replied, smiling thankfully.

“Ain’t no problem whatsoever.”

Trixie truly smiled for the first time in years. Everything was going well for her - maybe her luck was changing for better.
The wagon rolled into town quickly, and with the two partners’ bellies now full Trixie had the rest of the day to practice a new routine. Braeburn had offered them some unused space at the local orchard so they would have total peace and quiet until tonight.

“Um, now introducing the, um, Great and Powerful Trixie,” Fluttershy whispered.

“No, no, no! You need to put more heart into it Fluttershy,” Trixie explained. “Like this. Now introducing the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie shouted to the heavens above.

“Um, okay… Now introducing the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Fluttershy declared, slightly louder the previous attempt.

“Better… Look we’ll practice announcing again later. Right now, help me think of a new story of my great deeds.”

“Um, Trixie, don’t you think you would gain a more positive audience from telling stories about other ponies?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when I was little my mother would always tell stories about the lighter things in life. Stories about weaker ponies rising up and doing great things make for amazing tales.”

“Well, alright assistant. Normally I would be more than ready for this but you’ve convinced me to alter my standards. Do you have any ideas that we can use?”

“Um how about one about a bunn-“

“No,” Trixie stated flatly, before Fluttershy even finished her sentence.

“Eep! Well, how about if we tell a story based on one my friends?” Flutttershy said but was met with a blank stare from Trixie.

“Look Fluttershy, stories need pizzazz to them to make them interesting and I don’t think anypony wants to listen to cuddly bunnies or your friends getting their hair done. They want action and danger! Y’know, a monster being vanquished like a sea serpent or a dragon.”

“Oooo, please don’t remind me about the dragon,” Fluttershy pleaded to the unicorn.

“Remind you of what? What are you talking about?” Trixie questioned her assistant.

“Well, there was once a dragon that had gone to sleep close to Ponyville and, um, he was causing a lot of smoke while he slept. Anyway, Twilight had been ordered by Princess Celestia to move the dragon to a different location and, ah, she recruited us to help as well. I really didn’t want to do it because I’m – I’m scared of dragons,” Fluttershy explained while Trixie with listened with her slowly-widening eyes full of hope.

“Fluttershy! That’s perfect!” Trixie shouted as she pulled Fluttershy into a hug. “’The Shy Pegasus and the Ferocious Dragon’ -it has a nice ring to it. Assistant, this is perfect! We have our story for the townsfolk tonight. Tell me the rest so I can practice the effects to go along with it.”

******
The sun had finally set after the long day. Braeburn had smoothed all the negotiations out with Sheriff Silverstar and they had gotten the stage set up. Behind the curtains Trixie, Fluttershy and Angel were preparing for the act. Trixie was all set; she had everything planned out. Fluttershy however was shaking where she stood out of sheer nervousness. Angel was trying his best to calm down his friend but with no luck, so Trixie stepped in.

“Hey, Fluttershy, calm down. We talked about this - you’ll be fine.”

“Oh Trixie, I’m just not cut out for show business! I don’t like being stared at by everypony.”

“Hey now, you’ll do fine! All you have to do is introduce me to the crowd and then all attention will be on me, I promise.”
Trixie sympathized with the pegasus; she wasn’t used to being all sappy or comforting but there was something about Fluttershy that made her want to be a better pony.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea Fluttershy - pretend that they are your animal friends,” Trixie suggested.

“Um, okay,” Fluttershy said with a smile. She actually welcomed that idea, it could really work. Just then Braeburn poked his head through the curtain and spoke to the two mares.

“They’re all ready for ya’ll so whenever you’re ready, get out here!”

Fluttershy gulped before looking at Trixie and Angel, who were urging her on, and so she walked through the curtains to be faced with a crowd of excited ponies; while it might not have been anywhere near a hundred it was still a large number and she already feeling nauseous.

Cuddly bunnies… Fuzzy foxies… Tiny mousies…okay you can do this, Trixie is counting on you.

“I-in-introducing the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Fluttershy shouted as low as she could. Poof! She was gone in a puff of smoke and in her place was unicorn with a confident smirk across her face. She looked into the crowd and then began her act.

“I am the Great and Powerful Trixie and that was my lov- my assistant Fluttershy. Now, are you ready for a story that will blow your little pony minds?” Trixie questioned her audience. She was met with mostly nods and a few weary looks.

“This is the tale of ‘The Shy Pegasus and the Ferocious Dragon’.” Trixie said as she summoned a new scene to display. In the vista stood a cabin, where a yellow mare was tending her garden and helping the animals. “All was calm for the resident of this quaint little home but today was to be a dark day. As today was the day when the sky was filled with a pitch black cloud. The pegasus looked up in horror as the sun was blocked out.”Trixie summoned a little smoke to convey her story better and was met with ooohs and aaahs from the crowd. “Her animal friends ran off to safety as she hid inside her home hoping it would all just stop, but as time dragged on she saw that the sun was still obscured. She knew she had to stop the source of this foul smoke or all her friends would suffer. She summoned the courage to open the door and head out in the direction of the smoke.”

Trixie smirked with glee as she changed the scenery to reflect mountainous terrain.

“And so the mare reached her destination. At the top of the mountain was a cave with smoke and a deep growling coming from it. She stepped back, scared, but knew she had to stop the beast that was causing the smoke and so she climbed and climbed until she was at the cave.”

Trixie emulated a deep glow emanating from fire-filled eyes in the depths of the cave.

“Who goes there!” The beast roared at that helpless mare, who cowered away.

“Tis I, Posey, a humble gardener. I have come to ask you to please stop all the smoke. Please?”

“Please? Bwahaha! How dare a little speck like youtell me to stop what I love doing. In fact,here, have a taste!” The dragon puffed a big cloud towards the mare, who could only cough violently in response.

“P-Please don’t you see that you are hurting the land and its inhabitants beneath you?” Posey shouted, her eyes starting to water.

“And why should I care?” The dragon retorted.

“Well if all the ponies die then who will be your friend?”

“What use do I have for friends. To eat? They’re not very filling to be honest,” the dragon taunted as he shot a very toothy grin towards the mare that sent a chill up her spine.

“Um, no… friends are for sharing laughs with and having somepony to look back on.”

“Hmph, very well… I will stop with the smoke if you agree to be my friend for the rest of your life.”

Posey look at the dragon with her heart beating rapidly; she was terrified to begin with, but to now have to accept the beast as a friend? She felt as if she would explode at any minute! Reluctantly, she agreed to take the dragon on as a friend. And so the skies cleared and the animals would have returned if it hadn’t been for her new friend taking up all the space behind her cabin. Posey was declared a hero for her noble sacrifice in taking the dragon in.

With her story complete Trixie was met with cheers and applause all round. Wow, they’re impressed easily around these parts, Trixie thought as she headed for the curtain to bring Fluttershy to join in the excitement. Bits were being thrown up onto the stage, so Trixie caught some in her hat. Her finale fireworks were going off all over the stage.

The night finally died down and many returned to their homes. Braeburn had offered them a place at the inn to spend the night, as the finishing touches were still being made to Trixie’s new carriage. The pair chatted in the inn’s hall about the success of the show.

“I loved your performance Trixie, it was beautiful! I was mesmerised the whole time,” Fluttershy congratulated her friend.

“While the Great and Powerful Trixie was indeed great, you should not take away from yourself Fluttershy - you inspired the story in the first place and you faced the crowd rather well for your first time. I’m proud to have you as my assistant.”

“Really?”

“Yes! Now come on, let’s get some shut eye,” Trixie said as she opened the door to their room. Inside however they found only one bed, which left the two blushing and looking awkwardly at each other.

Thanks to Starfall for proofreading