Strange Bedfellows

The morning came too quickly. It seemed like Rarity had just fallen asleep when Blink entered the tent, tapping her on the shoulder and telling her it was time to get going. The unicorn rose slowly, groggily shaking the sleep out of her head as Applejack was roused next to her—the earth pony didn’t seem to be faring any better than her.

Exiting the hut, they found Faust waiting outside, a fresh bandage on his wounds. He smiled at them and waved a wing at the line of trees off in the distance.

“Are you two ready to go?” he said. “We’ve got some ground to cover to get you back on the road before the sun sets.”

Wordless from their sleepiness, they nodded and started walking—it seemed that none of the other ponies in the village had even woken up yet. Just how early was it? Curious, Rarity asked Faust.

“It’s around five or six in the morning,” he said. “Trust me, it’s early. You two are going to be very happy to see the sun again once we’re out of here, I imagine.”

Rarity nodded. “Oh yes. Don’t misunderstand me, this place is very quaint, but I’ve very much missed the sun and the bright green grass.”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah, and being so deep in the forest, you can’t hardly tell time! I gotta wonder how y’all do it at all.”

Faust chuckled. “Very carefully,” he said with a cheeky grin. “In any case, it shouldn’t take us more than a day to reach Derby—a half-day if you two move quickly once we’re out of here.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “How small are these woods, exactly? If it’s only a half-day’s trip in, they can’t be too large, I assume.”

Faust shook his head. “The forest itself is huge—it’s just that you two had the common problem of trying to stay on the road.” He smirked, knocking a bush out of the way. “See, the road that leads into here is extremely old, and it was used to avoid the Shetland village specifically. And from what I understand, there came a point where you stopped using it anyway.”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, that’s true. Applejack started having odd dreams, and we decided it was probably best to start avoiding the road.”

Faust shrugged. “Not the best reason in the world, you know. I’ve never known anybody who had prophetic dreams before.”

“Trust me, they happen,” Applejack said. “I been getting ‘em all my life.”

Faust shrugged. “If you say so. Let’s keep moving.”
Faust picked up his pace some while Rarity and Applejack started to lag behind. They’d both had the same idea—they needed to talk.

“Rarity,” Applejack said, keeping her voice low, “you think Trixie’s gonna listen to us? I mean, what if we go up there and out of our way to warn her and she don’t even bother to listen to us? The whole thing would be a waste of time.”

Rarity nodded. “I understand your concerns, Applejack, I really do, but I feel that, even as mean as Trixie is, it’s our duty as good ponies to warn her so that she has time to prepare her village for the upcoming attack. I only hope she doesn’t choose to evacuate them to the Shetland village. Glow Star would never allow it.”

Applejack snorted. “Glow Star’s an old battleax. She’s too busy worryin’ about herself to help anypony else out.”

“I don’t think that’s the case, Applejack,” Rarity said. “She’s just concerned about the safety of her village. Overzealous in that regard, yes, but that’s why she’s being so obstructive. She doesn’t want to jump in bed with Trixie if she doesn’t trust her—for all she knows, the second they finish shaking hooves, Trixie’s going to stab her in the back.”

“I guess you’re right,” Applejack responded, “but she could at least say that instead of actin’ all rude.”

“She’s too prideful and stubborn.” Rarity stepped over a branch. “She could never admit to somepony else that she doesn’t trust Trixie because she’s afraid of her. Even if she has to be vague and rude about disliking her, she’ll do it to avoid admitting her real reasons.” Rarity smiled teasingly. “I thought that you of all ponies could understand that mentality.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I certainly can’t understand bein’ fussy like you all the time.” She gave Rarity a playful shove. “Anyway, I’m not too keen on talking to Trixie myself—that mare’s a sidewinder if I ever saw one, and you can bet on that.”

Rarity sighed. “I understand your concerns, Applejack, but the fact is we need her. Without Trixie backing us, Glow Star, Blink and Faust are going to have a much harder time planning out their next move—not to mention how much harder things are going to get for us.”

The earth pony gave a flick of her ears and looked up at the canopy. “Hard to believe we’re really doing all this, y’know?” She looked over at Rarity and smiled. “Fightin’ a war and all that. Think about it—what if we don’t make it? Our friends’ll spend the rest of their lives wonderin’ what happened to us. Twilight’ll probably never get over it.”

Rarity nodded. “It’s shocking, to think about everything ahead of us—and this is only a small-scale conflict, when you look at it. I’ve been thinking back on the wars Equestria has been through in its time and, to be honest, those were fought for much more important things than this.”

“Don’t say it ain’t important just yet,” Applejack said. “We got no idea whether this is gonna change somethin’ or not. Even if it ain’t a big war, it’s gonna affect something.”

“I suppose,” Rarity said. There was a long pause between them—the only sounds were the birds chirping overhead and the grass crunching beneath their feet. “I wonder if Twilight is trying to find us a way back,” she said.

Applejack shrugged. “I sure hope so, but chances are good we’re just gonna have to find our own way outta this mess. Sometimes I wish we hadn’t agreed to help—I’d rather be on my way home, back to Winona and my family, than messin’ around with all this.”

“I know how you feel. But it’s like you said—we have to help. It’s our duty as good ponies to try to resolve this conflict. Besides, I’m sure that both Trixie and Glow Star will remember us in the future, should anything come up that we require help with.”

The conversation died, and the pair’s eyes started drifting around to the scenery. The thick shrubbery and tall trees were as impenetrable as ever, and neither of them could tell one path from another—it was a good thing they had Faust guiding them.

The day’s travel was uneventful and, soon enough, Faust stopped in front of a collection of bushes, turning back to smile at them.

“Alright, you two—are you ready to get out there and convince Madame Trixie to help the Shetlands?” The griffon gave an uneasy smile.

Awkward silence reigned over them.

“Look, I know it’s sort of unlikely that she’s going to listen to you, but keep a stiff upper lip, okay? She’s definitely not going to hear you out if you go in there looking completely deflated.” His eyes roved between them for a few moments before he sighed and stepped out of the way. “I’ll see you when you get back,” he said with an air of finality.

Applejack and Rarity tried to keep conversation running, but it was to no avail—they were scared stiff. After all, they were basically the lifeline that could save the Shetlands from total extinction or the bumbling newcomers who would end up condemning them to a terrible fate.

And that was saying nothing of the fact that they were willing participants in a war. They’d been through plenty of terrible things before—three evil overlords barging in and making a mess of things, parasprite invasions, untold personal conflicts, and even another small-scale conflict over in Appleloosa. They’d watched the fate of the world fall into their hooves on more than one occasion.

And yet somehow, things seemed so much more dangerous here. The stakes seemed higher. After all, this was a monster not content with just throwing them around and laughing while they gathered their strength into some ultimate attack. This was a griffon whose only purpose in life seemed to be causing suffering and misery, and he was out for blood. Their blood.

At any moment during all this fighting, their lives could be callously snuffed out and forgotten, except by their friends. It felt like, at any moment, some terrible, dark being was going to envelop them in its talons and whisk them away, never to be seen again.

They looked at each other for a few moments. Even considering all that, they still had to try. They couldn’t go back home to Ponyville knowing they’d left an entire village full of mostly-innocent ponies high and dry in the midst of a war. No matter what the stakes were, they had to rise to them.

Derby was coming up fast, but they were ready.

In the village proper, Rarity and Applejack found things in a state of chaos. Ponies, griffons and zebras alike were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Hastily, they were stuffing things into bags and trying to round up children, most of whom were crying loudly at being uprooted.

In the chaos, Applejack managed to spot Dog Ear carefully picking his way through the crowd. She tapped Rarity on the shoulder and pointed to him, and the pair rushed over to meet him. When he saw them, his face lit up.

“Oh, it’s you two young mares again! I thought I might see you around these parts!” He gave them a toothless smile. “Getting a little of an evacuation going on, ourselves, so you’ll have to excuse us!” He laughed. “I’m afraid things have been a little wild around here!”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “A little wild? It looks like your whole dang town’s getting turned upside-down!”

The small stallion waved a hoof. “Nonsense!” he said. “It’s nothing that Madame Trixie can’t quell.”

Applejack shook her head as a zebra, screaming, ran behind her. “I’m powerful sorry to tell you, Dog Ear, but I don’t think Trixie’s gonna have an easy time with…whatever the hay’s going on here. You mind fillin’ us in on that, by the way?”

The old pony nodded. “Well, you see, Madame Trixie received a visit from a friend in the forest! Some big old griffon by the name of Seth, you know. Runs everything out there with the other birds.” He chuckled. “Big, big fella too, believe you me.
“So anyway, he comes strutting in here, telling Madame Trixie that he’s going to tear our whole village to the ground if she doesn’t back him in the upcoming war between the griffons and Shetlands!” He removed his glasses and shook them angrily. “Can you imagine? I swear that big bird had no manners at all.”

Rarity bit her lip—so Seth had been here already. He’d probably shown up right as the news reached them—in fact, he might have been the one to deliver it.

“Did he say anything else?” Rarity said, concerned. “What did Trixie say?”

Dog Ear chuckled. “Oh, Madame Trixie wouldn’t have any of his big talk—told him to head back to the forest so she could focus on running the town.” The stallion sighed. “Well, big old Seth didn’t care much for backtalk. He just roared in Madame Trixie’s face and told her that if that didn’t change her mind, he’d just stomp her under his talons and take control of poor Derby for himself!” Dog Ear polished his glasses. “So, for about a day now, Madame Trixie’s been trying to get her thoughts in order while the citizens of Derby have been trying to leave!” He snorted. “Bunch of scaredy-cats.”

Applejack was surprised. “Dog Ear, you ain’t scared? From what I been hearing, Seth’s a huge griffon and he’s got no problem blowing right through anypony who stops him gettin’ what he wants.”

Dog Ear’s eyes narrowed, and he spoke with more clarity than usual. “Seth is a tyrant. There have been tyrants before, and they all failed.” The pair raised an eyebrow.

“Tyrants?” Rarity asked. “What tyrants have there been in this area?”

Dog Ear shook his head. “There is too much commotion here, right now. Maybe I’ll tell you later. Is there something you needed?”

Applejack nodded. “We actually came to see Trixie, if she’s not too busy. Try and give her the Shetlands’ story in all this mess.”

Dog Ear seemed confused. “You two? Well, why wouldn’t Glow Star or Blink be the one to do that? They’re the representatives of the village.”

Applejack shook her head. “That ain’t gonna happen. Blink, Faust and Glow Star were a little too busy arguing to decide who was gonna come up here, so we decided to do it. Glow Star didn’t wanna get Trixie’s help.”

Dog Ear snorted. “That figures.” He narrowed his eyes. “That old mare will never understand what it means to come together for a common cause. Anyway, Madame Trixie should be in her cottage at the edge of town, same as before.” He pointed in the direction. “But I’ll warn you, she’s not all there right now. This mess has her scared, if you ask me.”

Rarity smiled widely. “Thank you for the help, Dog Ear. I do hope everything turns out okay for this fine village.”

Dog Ear returned the smile. “I got a feeling it will, young’n. I got a feeling it will. Now go on—Madame Trixie’s gonna get less and less likely to see you as time goes on.”

The pair trotted off, trying to ignore the tense feelings stirring in their guts. Something about all this didn’t seem right—why would Trixie be intimidated by Seth when she had powerful magic to fall back on? Why would she even consider siding with that bloodthirsty maniac?

Regardless of the reasons for it all, both of them could tell that something awful was brewing.

Arriving at the little house, they found the door open—Trixie was slumped over her desk, idly playing with a smallish figurine of herself. Spotting Rarity and Applejack as she looked up, her expression shifted from vague sadness to a glare.

“And just what do you two think you’re doing back in my village?” Trixie asked. “I was expecting to never see you again, once you’d left.”

Applejack took the lead. “We need your help, Trixie. From what Dog Ear told us, it sounds like your village is in a whole mess of trouble. We’re comin’ from the Shetland village to ask you to help us, and if y’all do, Seth ain’t gonna be able to get his claws on ya. We promise.”

Trixie eyed the pair suspiciously. “And why should I help your cause after the way I was humiliated back in Ponyville? After the way everyone laughed at me?” She brought herself to a standing position, hooves braced against the desk. “Why should I help you two when the threat of being skinned and hung from the trees is what I have to look forward to if I do?” Her dark eyes were burning.

Applejack drew back as though stung. “Trixie, can’t you just put all that behind you? And as for the threats Seth’s making, it’s like we said—the Shetlands ain’t gonna let anything like that happen to you.”

Trixie snorted. “You make promises with no evidence. How do I know Seth hasn’t been stringing up the Shetlands with impunity for the last several months, and they only want my help so that they can drag me down with them, so that at least they won’t be slaughtered alone?” Trixie shook her head. “And as for your claims that I should simply ‘put all that behind me’? No, I cannot.” Her eyes smoldered with rage. “You and your friends are the reason I’m down here!” She slammed her hooves on the desk, gritting her teeth. “Your precious Twilight is why I have spent night after night after night at my desk, falling asleep on my spellbooks!” Her tone dropped as she stared Applejack straight in the eye. “She is the reason I have become the powerful sorceress that I am.”

She panted for a moment, then drew back to a sitting position. “For that, I thank her. She showed me the power of true magic—of ability beyond parlor tricks.” The blue mare smirked. “I did not allow her soiling of my reputation to defeat me.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Trixie, that’s all well and good, and I’ll go around a time or two with you about why Twilight’s a good pony and why I’m bettin’ y’all could be friends, but this ain’t the time to talk about that. We just need you to give the Shetlands Derby’s support. They need it.”

Trixie scoffed. “You want to go home, hmm? Don’t we all?” She rose from her chair and went to stare out of the window, down the dirt road leading away from Derby. “I have two choices here. I can side with you and the Shetlands, ponies who I already dislike greatly—or I can side with Seth and his griffons, a group of monsters that I truly hate, and have no respect for.” She paused, letting the pair digest her words. “Siding with you brings you closer to home. Closer to being back with your friends and families. And it brings this village closer with the Shetlands, who have very accomplished farmers and tradesponies.

“Siding with the griffons means gaining an ally with numbers on their side, and ferocity, too. It also means I won’t have to spend the rest of Seth’s life wondering if I’m going to wake up with him standing over me. Not to mention they’re better equipped and better prepared.” She brought her front hooves together, resting her knees on the windowsill. “Put simply, it’s a choice between one-hundred-percent survival, or moral good.” The mare closed her eyes.

Rarity, having been silent this whole time to avoid upsetting Trixie, couldn’t stand it any longer. “Trixie,” she said, “please, a choice like that shouldn’t be a choice at all, for you. A group of peaceful ponies whose only goal in life is to survive and help others, or a militant group of horrible griffons whose only goal in life to make everyone miserable?” She put her front hooves together. “Please, Trixie. Applejack and I vouched for your good moral standing back in the Shetland village. We, along with Faust, convinced them to trust you. We said you were a good pony.” The white mare’s eyes grew desperate. “Imagined slights from Twilight or not…prove us right.”

Trixie dipped her head down into her hooves—the fading sun filtered through her hair, making it glow fiery orange. The minutes passed like hours. When she brought her head back up, her voice sounded far away and her eyes were glassy.

“I am a liar,” she said. “I cheat ponies out of their bits and humiliate them in front of all their friends.” She seemed to shake for a moment, but steadied herself with a grin. “But I am not a murderer like Seth. Not even by proxy.” She turned to face them. “Derby will fight for the Shetlands. I told Seth before to leave—now that he won’t, I will see to it personally that he does. I’ll defend my village.”

Applejack opened her mouth to affirm the good news, but Trixie held up a hoof. “Don’t. Just leave, now. Ask for lodging at the history hall—I know Dog Ear has spare beds for travelers.” Her eyes were shimmering, but strong. “Leave for the village tomorrow and tell them my villagers will be heading down there as soon as possible. I’ll need time to rally everypony.” A smile crossed her face, but didn’t reach her eyes. “Goodbye for now. And thank you. I was beginning to wonder whether the Shetlands remembered me at all.”

The pair nodded and, trying to contain their excitement, left. As Applejack looked back, she caught a last glimpse of Trixie slumping back into her seat, slowly nodding to herself.

Maybe everything was going to be okay after all.