Rainbow Dash jostled herself out of bed and slowly marched towards the mirror. She checked her mane and groggily headed down the flight of steps. As she reached the bottom, Tank began to crawl away from the step, too late. Rainbow slipped on her pet and fell onto the cloud floor. She shouted, “Tank, watch it!” The tortoise just blinked. Rainbow sighed, no use staying mad at him.
She went to the kitchen cabinet and got a box of Shoes. It was the stupidest name ever for a title, but I guess “Lucky Charms” was too unsellable. She poured herself a bowl of the cereal and started munching. It was bland. The marshmallow shoes in them didn't feel lucky or flavorful., but it was half-off at Haymart. Her stomach growled, that's about all she ever ate. Besides stealing apples from Applejack, she had no really decent food anywhere. He bits were spent and there was no extra work around for her.
It was the middle of fall so weather patrol had little else than wind to control and that was a specialized job. All the food was harvested by now, the hearth's warming shopping rush wasn't on yet so no delivery jobs, and all her friends had really nothing to do either. Twilight had the princesses' care, Rarity had a stockpile of bits for the fall months, Applejack had food stored away for the cold, Pinkie Pie... well Rainbow Dash didn't know how on earth she and the Cakes survived. Fluttershy was pretty much the only one who shared Rainbow Dash's lack of money, but she had animal friends who helped her out. This problem had plagued her for the past years since she had begun to live on her own. Normally, during this time, she would fly out to some faraway place and begin begging for some money, but she couldn't even afford to do that. Filthy rags cost money, you know.
She stepped out her door after finishing her cereal. She solemnly took wing down to earth and kicked the ground as she landed. She didn't know why, maybe there was going to be bits hidden in the dust. She casually strolled past the buildings, desperately hoping for a “help wanted” sign. No such luck. A resigned sigh escaped her lips, but it was caught by gentle strumming. She lifted an ear to the air and noted that there was some musician playing nearby. Rainbow Dash always loved the sound of music, so she followed the melody's trail. A grayish mare with black hair and a bow tie sat in the park, playing a large instrument with strings. After a bit of listening, she noticed a cup in front of the mare. By it was a sign: “Broke marefriend. Need extra bits.”
An idea lept to the speedster's mind. “That's it! I'll get an instrument and play it for money!” She turned to leave but was tapped by the musician.
The gray mare flipped over her sign. It now read: “Get any ideas from me? Pay up. 1 bit.” Dash thought it was insane, but the mare shrugged. Dash sighed and flipped one of her last bits into the tin cup. With a resounding “Clink” it hit the bottom. Cursing, the rainbow-maned filly left.
Pinkie Pie was happy to oblige with a tuba, but Rainbow didn't think something that unwieldy would be her style. “Got anything, ya know, cooler?”
The party planner nodded “Ooh! I have just the thing for overused lines!” she left and returned with an accordion. The sight of the torturous instrument made the speedster cower. “Ahh... NO, get that away from me before it starts!
“Starts what, Dashie?” Pinkie asked. She took up both ends and gave a few squeezes. The ear-piercing sound rang through the air, shattering Rainbow's eardrums. Pinkie threw it away, but not without one more satisfied note from the evil thing. She left and came back again with a harmonica “Here, try this.”
Rainbow eyed the harmonica and strap, then took it and began to play. Not half-bad. She thanked Pinkie and ran to some street corner. The musician from earlier had set up shop across from her.
When the distinguished-looking pony saw the instrument her competition was carrying, she flipped the sign over again: “Philistine.”
“That's a lot coming from a mare who won't even say anything!” She was soon reacting to a bolt flying at her. The instrument's bow was sent flying at her, clipping the harmonica and smashing it into the ground.
Rainbow raged and saw the musician aiming her instrument like a longbow. The sign now said: “Bullsye.”
“And that's why, foals, you should never trust ponies who wear bow ties” Rainbow Dash concluded. The campfire flickering in the moonlight, casting a dark shadow on the filly. All the young scouts that were sitting around it just stared into space for a bit.
One piped up, “That was a lame story, miss Dash.”
Rainbow sighed. “And then your parents paid me enough for two weeks worth of food to bring you here to teach you about the birds and bees.”
“AAAH!!”
Pinkie lifted her giant bag of bits. The sack clinked loudly with every step toward Sugarcube Corner. As she passed a grey mare in a bowtie with a cello and a mint-green mare with a lyre they both stopped feuding. They flipped each of their signs over to display: “Buck you, lousy accordion player.”
Pinkie dangled the instrument in front of them, taunting. “This is just how much I was paid to shut up!” The pink party pony blinked and saw the instruments in the other two's hands had changed, each now accordions. They began playing loudly, fervently hoping for bits. Nothing came but screams of agony. Pinkie smiled, “Silly fillies, I have the Trickster's Trikitixa!”
Within a moment, the instrument Pinkie held was gone, now held by the mint unicorn. Her sign was flipped over and read: “You deftly slip your fingers into your opponent's pocket and grab something.”
“You learn fast, young Accordion Thief, too bad you need 60 moxie to equip that thing.” Pinkie teased. She suddenly opened an astral gash and disappeared, leaving two frustrated musicians.
The gray one flipped over her sign: “I loath this.”
