Shimmer Run 2101

"Fluttershy!?" Pistachio burst with delight and surprise as he opened the shop door to see her standing outside with her companions. "It's been so long! Come on in."

Fluttershy, Derpy and Rainbow Dash filed in.

"Oh, wow. You've really done well for yourself." Fluttershy complimented. "If Rarity were still around she would be very proud of you."

"Yeah, it's been hard without her around but I like to think she would like what I have done with the place." A tear formed in Pistachios eye as he looked over at a picture of her on the wall. "So what brings you ladies all the way out to Manehattan?"

"Well we were hoping you could make us a magicians hat for a friend." Fluttershy asked.

"A great and powerful one!" Derpy added.

"Well I have a huge pile of back-orders to deal with right now." Pistachio explained with a frown.

"How much would it cost to skip ahead in the queue?" Rainbow Dash offered with a wink and a nudge.

"Money's not an issue. I'm just so swamped. My new line launches this week and my head of marketing is on vacation and it's a real disaster." Pistachio complained.

"Maybe we can help market it!" Derpy piped in excitedly.

"Yes. Hmm." Pistachio looked the trio over. "This is actually perfect. You have yourselves a deal." He held out his hoof and exchanged hoofshakes with the three pegasi.

"Great. What are we marketing?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"A line of street-fighting attire for pegasi! Isn't this the most perfect amazing coincidence!?"

"F-fighting?" Fluttershy cowered.

"Yeah. There's a street-fighting tournament down at the docks tonight actually. I just need you girls to show up and win at least one match, wearing my attire, and that would really help get the message out."

"Don't worry girls, I got this!" Rainbow Dash boasted.

"Wow maybe I really should have picked Applejack or Big Mac." Derpy said nervously.

"Alright girls, I'll need to size your outfits." Pistachio beamed excitedly.

Rainbow Dashs outfit was a white karate gi and a red bandanna. Fluttershy wore a torn, fadded, blue karate gi. Derpy wore a red karate gi.

The night of the tournament came quickly.

"I'm not really a fighting pony." Fluttershy said fearfully.

"Relax. I'm going to get this for us, anyway!" Rainbow Dash boasted.

"Well it looks like Fluttershy is up first!" Derpy held up a leaflet containing the fight order.

"One round, single elimination." Rainbow Dash gulped as she looked over the leaflet.

"I can't look." Fluttershy said. "Who am I up against?"

"Says here he's called The Mauler" Rainbow Dash read off the leaflet.

"I don't like getting mauled." Fluttershy said as she cowered.

"Don't worry. All fighters give themselves tough names. I'm sure you'll do fine. We got plenty of time to prepare."

"Actually you're up now." A stallion said as he grabbed Fluttershy and dragged her away as she looked on with pleading eyes.

"Get ready for our first match-up of the night!" The announcer called out to a cheering crowd. "Fluttershy versus The Mauler"

A very large stallion stepped out and started staring Fluttershy down. Fluttershy gulped in fear.

"And- Fight!" As quickly as the announcer called out, Fluttershy darted out of the ring. "And it looks like we have a disqualification." The crowd booed and hissed. The Mauler simply shrugged and accepted his easy victory.

"Well I guess it's up to me now." Rainbow Dash said with a roll of her eyes.

"Good because you're up now!" Derpy said pointing to the leaflet.

"Our next match up is Rainbow Dash versus our defending champion The Dragon!" The announcer called out. The crowd cheered as a young, humble-looking earth pony mare stepped out and faced Rainbow Dash.

"This looks like a piece of cake!" Rainbow Dash boasted excitedly.

"And fight!"

The humble earth pony immediately began launching a volley of flaming projectiles from her hooves at Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, come on! How is this fair!?" She complained as she dodged the projectiles back and forth. "What kind of fighting tournament is this?"

Rainbow Dash swooped up high into the air.

"I'll just hit her with a sonic rainboom!" She exclaimed as she swooped toward her opponent, who deftly responded by hitting her with another flaming projectile.

Rainbow Dash fell to the ground with a singed mane.

"And the winner is- The Dragon!" The announcer called out as thunderous cheers erupted from the crowd.

"No pressure, Derpy." Rainbow Dash sighed as she limped back to the sidelines.

"Our next match-up Derpy versus Iron Will!" The crowd cheered.

Derpy cowered toward the edge of the ring as Iron Will stomped out to a cheering crowd.

"And fight!" The announcer called out.

"Give up the fight; because this is my night!" Iron will called out as he stomped over and wound up to open the fight with a devastating haymaker.

"Careful Derpy!" Rainbow Dash called out from the sidelines.

"What was that?" Derpy asked as she turned around to look for Rainbow Dash in the crowd.

Not expecting her to turn sideways, Iron Wills haymaker missed- causing him to lose his footing.

"Keep your eye on the fight!" Rainbow Dash ordered.

"Right!" Derpy turned back around just in time for her head to make contact with Iron Wills. "Sorry!" She called out. But the impact had knocked Iron Will unconscious.

"And the winner, by knockout, is Derpy!" The announcer called out excitedly as the crowd cheered.

"Wow! I can't believe it!" Pistachio cried out excitedly as Derpy returned to the sidelines. "I'm already getting orders in for this line. I knew you girls could do it"

"So you'll make us the hat!?" Derpy beamed.

"I was so confident that you girls would pull this off I already made it!" Pistachio passed a magicians hat over to Derpy- it was nearly identical to Trixies old one and yet somehow better in every way.

"Thank you so much for this!" Derpy said.

"C'mon let's get this back to Trixie!" Rainbow Dash urged.

"But I wonder where she is-" Fluttershy added.

"I think I know where she went." Derpy said.

Sure enough they found the others huddled outside Trixies derelict caravan. Derpy knocked on the window shutter.

"Go away!" Trixie could be heard sobbing from the inside.

"Please. We have something for you." Derpy pleaded.

"Fine." Trixie sighed as she popped her head out the window to see Derpy holding the hat up for her.

"Trixies hat..." She sobbed.

"A reasonable substitution at least." Fluttershy said softly.

"I feel a heartfelt cutaway scene coming." Discord piped in.

"It was my fathers hat. I blamed him when my mother passed away. So I ran away and made ends meet by doing all the stage magic that he had taught me. He tried so hard to reconcile with me but I just shrugged him off time and time again. One day I returned to my caravan after a show and he had left his hat for me along with an old family photograph. He signed the back- no matter what you will always be my great and powerful Trixie and I will always love you. He sat in the audience of every one of my shows and still- I never gathered the courage to face him before he passed away too."

"Ah'm sure wherever he is he's lookin' down on you an' is might' proud- along with your mother." Applejack said reassuringly.

"You're right. And Trixie has one last big show for him to watch." Trixie said confidently as she placed the hat on her head.

In that instant a brilliant light filled the woods. Four orbs of light- one white, one dark blue, one pink and one purple all spiraled downward in unison and as they reached the ground translucent images of Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight Sparkle stood tall and proud over the others.

"Derpy, Trixie." The image of Celestia called out. Derpy stood to attention and trotted forward. Trixie stepped out of her Caravan and stood next to Derpy. "You have re-kindled the magic of friendship- not just for yourselves but for everypony in Equestria. And for that-" Celestia paused and a brilliant light engulfed Derpy and Trixie.

When the light faded Derpy and Trixie both stood as alicorns- taller than their companions.

"You have both ascended."

"But all I did was give Trixie a hat." Derpy said with confusion.

"And all Trixie did was receive a hat." Trixie added.

"Look- when you're the guardian spirit of your own realm of existence you can set the criteria for immortal ascension to whatever you choose. Besides; the laws of the universe state that there may be four living alicorns in existence at any given time." Celestia lectured sternly.

The others gasped and looked upon the scene excitedly.

"But before the rest of you get too excited the other two are Osees." Celestia said with a laugh as the four spirits faded out of sight. The others expressed audible dismay.

"Well, as Princess Trixies first act of kindness." Trixie fired a blast of magic from her horn and the magic suppressor around Discords ankle fell to the ground.

"Well, Discord, are you ready to go kick some tail?" Rainbow Dash urged.

"Actually I kind of promised somepony that I wouldn't ruin this with any hasty deus ex machinas." Discord said apologetically as he looked out past the fourth wall and giving a conspicuous wink. Discord then snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Derpy fired a blast of magic in the air and a muffin appeared and fell to the ground. "I think the rest of this can take care of this." She said confidently.